Top 3 Potential 2024 March Madness Upsets In Second Round of NCAA Tournament
March Madness is filled with great basketball, nail biter finishes, and upsets galore! But can we see an upset in the second round? Oddschecker analyst Peter Alexis shares his top 3 potential 2024 March Madness upsets in the second round.
Peter Alexis - March 23, 2024, 2:20 PM EDT
5 minTop 3 Potential 2024 March Madness Upsets In First Round of NCAA Tournament
The 2024 NCAA Tournament is well underway, and we are into the teeth of the second round matchups for the Round of 32.
There's already been several exciting upsets, with a handful of longshot teams winning between Yale, Oakland, and Duquesne. The upsets are sure to continue, but which favorites should be worried about getting eliminated this weekend?
Let's take a look at the latest March Madness odds for the Round of 32, and see which top programs are in the danger zone on Saturday and Sunday as they fight for a Sweet 16 appearance.
Top 3 Potential March Madness Upsets in First Round
No. 9 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels (-3.5)
The North Carolina Tar Heels are only 3.5-point favorites over the Michigan State Spartans in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The public is pounding the Tar Heels, with a whopping 83% of bets coming in on UNC. The line hasn't budged since opening, and there is some slight buyback on the Spartans.
The average bettor may love the 1-seeded Heels because of their explosive offense, but the Spartans are 6th in defensive efficiency and know how to get stops. They are rated higher than many three, four, and five seeds, coming in at the 16th-most efficient team in the country. NC State just made the Heels look one-dimensional last week in the ACC Championship by forcing them to rely on RJ Davis, and he simply can't make every shot. This is a close margin that could come down to the final possessions, and Sparty will have to lean on the veteran leadership of Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard to emerge victorious.
Tom Izzo has experience as a high seed taking down one of the top teams, and the oddsmakers are respecting his experience and his team's ability. They just took down 2-seed Marquette last year as a 7-seed in the Round of 32, and they are back to do it again. They've been in this tournament an incredible 26 times in a row, and know how to survive and advance in March. Watch out for the Spartans to potentially pull the upset on Saturday afternoon.
No. 6 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 3 Baylor Bears (-4.5)
The Clemson Tigers will take on the Baylor Bears as slim 4.5-point underdogs on Sunday evening. The majority is siding with the Bears again in this one, a popular pick to go deep in the tournament. Scott Drew's team is receiving 64% of the bets, but are they built to advance?
Everyone cast out the Clemson Tigers ahead of the Round of 64, with 75% of picks on the trendy 11-seeded upset of New Mexico. The Tigers had been trending the wrong way to end the season, dropping three of their last four games, and looking like an early exit. But PJ Hall laced them up on Friday afternoon and carried the Tigers to an immediate 20-point first half lead.
The Tigers pounded the ball into the paint against a smaller Lobos team, and played an efficient game while taking care of the rock. They have a great group full of length, and can force tough shots on defense. They'll take on an explosive Baylor offense, but that side doesn't play much defense. They rank close to 100th in defensive efficiency, have a serious turnover problem that averages nearly 20 a game. If Clemson takes advantage of that ratio like they did against New Mexico, they'll jump out to another early lead and place the pressure on the Bears.
The Bears are also without Langston Love, a sophomore guard averaging 11 points per game. He has been shut down for the tournament with injury, and severely impacts their offensive firepower and synergy. It will be even harder to come from behind without him, and Clemson will try to exploit that absence on Sunday evening. Don't be surprised to see the Tigers excel after being written off earlier this month.
No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes vs. No. 2 Marquette Golden Eagles (-3.5)
The Marquette Golden Eagles will take on the 10-seeded Colorado Buffaloes on Sunday afternoon. Marquette is only favored by 3.5 points on this neutral court. This is an awfully short line for a Golden Eagles team that has shown to be one of the best teams in the country.
They just got Tyler Kolek back to run their offense after weeks on the sideline with an oblique injury. However, Marquette stumbled in the first half against 15-seed Western Kentucky, and were down at the break. They used an explosive second half effort to make a comeback and blow the game open, but they won't be able to do that against every team.
The Colorado Buffaloes are one of the hottest teams in the country, winners of 10 of their last 11 games. Their only loss came to the equally red-hot Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 Championship, who also advanced to the second round as a higher seed. The Buffs just put up 102 in a barn-burner with Florida, including a buzzer beater to clinch it. Don't get in the way of this scorching team, they have a strong chance to keep rolling on Sunday after taking down the Gators. KJ Simpson, Tristan da Silva, and big man Eddie Lampkin Jr. have been dominant as an offensive unit, and they'll need every point to outlast a feisty Marquette team. While I believe the Golden Eagles have the tools and leadership to make a deep run, they are certainly on upset alert against the firing Buffs on Sunday.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL ODDS
