March Madness Odds: Bracket Predictions to Make Sweet 16, Best Bets

The March Madness bracket has been out for more than 24 hours. After digesting the entire bracket, I've listed my favorite three Sweet 16 futures picks.

While it's likely that teams like Duke, Houston, Auburn, and other top seeds will make the tournament's Sweet 16, I selected five seeds or lower for this article.

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Sweet 16 Futures Picks

1. Arizona Wildcats (-200) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

The No. 5 seeded Arizona Wildcats will take on the Akron Zips in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Ultimately, Akron is a fantastic offense. However, they're going up against an Arizona defense that has held teams to 47.2% from inside the arc.

Additionally, Akron has rarely gotten to the foul line this season. That won't help against Arizona.

If Arizona passes Akron, the Wildcats would draw either Oregon or Liberty. I would not be surprised if Liberty escaped Oregon in its 5-12 showdown in the East Region.

Liberty has shot a 58.4% effective field goal percentage and has limited teams to a 45.9% effective field goal percentage. The Ducks also don't have nearly as good of a defense as Arizona.

So if Arizona were paired up with Liberty, I'd roll with Arizona to end the Flames' Cinderella story and add a trip into the Sweet 16.

2. St. Mary's Gaels (+310) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

Let's not forget that the St. Mary's Gaels earned multiple wins against the Gonzaga Bulldogs this season. The Gaels didn't earn that win when it mattered the most, but most coaches and players will acknowledge that it's hard to beat a team three teams when both teams are on the same level.

The Gaels have one of the best defenses in the nation. They've held opponents to a 46.2% effective field goal percentage and allowed just 31.2% from deep and 45.8% from inside the arc. St. Mary's has also limited teams to 24.9% offensive rebounds and a low free-throw percentage.

Meanwhile, the offense has tallied 40.5% of offensive rebounds and a turnover rate of just 15.1%. The Gaels will get shots up and dominate the glass off misses for second chances.

This is a dangerous group, especially as a No. 7 seed.

Vanderbilt ultimately doesn't match up well against St. Mary's. But looking ahead, if St. Mary's defeats Vanderbilt and Alabama moves on against Robert Morris, the Gaels would face Alabama in the Round of 32. Alabama is an offensive juggernaut, but scoring against St. Mary's will be very difficult.

Consider St. Mary's at +310 to make it into the Sweet 16.

3. Drake Bulldogs (+1080) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

This wouldn't be a proper article without a super long shot.

Why not the Drake Bulldogs?

Drake already matches up very well against the Missouri Tigers in their 6-11 game. The Bulldogs have shot a 53.8% effective field goal percentage while adding 36% of offensive rebounds and a super high free throw rate.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have allowed 32.2% of offensive rebounds and a super high free throw rate to their opponents.

On the other hand, Missouri has been even better offensively. They'll score plenty of points inside on Drake. But the difference is the fact that Drake has limited teams to 25.8% of offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs have also gained 22.1% of turnovers per game.

Drake can pull out a win against Missouri and then will take on a Texas Tech team that also isn't excellent on the defensive end. Texas Tech has only forced 17.4% of turnovers and has fouled at a much higher rate. The Red Raiders are also efficient on the offensive glass but could struggle to do that consistently against Drake.