NCAA Basketball: “Best Bets” for Sweet 16 matchups in 2022 NCAA Tournament
By Greg Waddell
Saint Peter’s +13 vs. Purdue
Saint Peter’s is the story of the tournament and rightfully so. Upset victories against Kentucky and Murray State have made Saint Peter’s and Shaheen Holloway household names. Next up comes a Purdue team who may be the most talented offensive unit in the country – but a team who doesn’t defend with discipline or consistency, as shown in the Boilermakers’ win over Texas.
Purdue built a 14 point lead midway through the first half but allowed Texas to chip away over and over until the game was tied with nine minutes to play. No matter how big of a lead Purdue builds, they’ll leave the door open – and a Saint Peter’s team that is shooting the ball with confidence will be able to take advantage enough to cover two touchdowns.
Providence +7.5 vs. Kansas
“The luckiest team in America” is a term that has been thrown around about Providence all season long, and the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament didn’t do much to dispel that notion, as the Friars avoided Iowa in favor of an overmatched Richmond team.
Here’s what I call the Friars – “the most profitable team in my betting app”. Providence is 19-13 against the spread this season (Kansas is 18-18 ATS, in comparison). The Friars have covered 7.5 points in 29 of 32 games on the year. Kansas is a very good team, but they aren’t world-beaters.
In 19 games against KenPom top 50 opponents, the Jayhawks only won by more than 7.5 points seven times. I believe Providence is too tough and too well-coached not to make this a game, and I’ll be sprinkling on Providence ML as well.