6:09 p.m. ET: Houston Cougars (32-5) vs Villanova Wildcats (29-7)

Spread: Houston -2
Total: 127.5

Houston has been undervalued all season by the oddsmakers. The Cougars, in their eighth season under Kelvin Sampson, are fighting for their second straight Final Four appearance. The Cougars have won 12 of their last 13 games. In the last game, Houston dominated Arizona despite getting only 7 points from starters Fabian White Jr and Taze Moore, well under their combined average of 23 points a game. Houston’s offense isn’t always pretty and it doesn’t have a ton of shot-makers, but Villanova’s mediocre defensive rebounding numbers mean that Houston will win by its sheer volume of shots. They are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country which will give them plenty of second-chance opportunities. The Cougs have been scoring more than 75 points per game while making 47% of their shots. Houston’s defense shut down offensive teams Arizona and Illinois by defending the 3 and dominating the rebounding battle. The only big advantage Villanova has in this game is from the free-throw line. If this game is close and comes down to free throws, it could make this game much closer than it should be but the Cougars are playing much better basketball right now. The Wildcats will turn the ball over and struggle on the boards, to give Houston plenty of easy buckets. Take the Cougars to win this one. If the line is worse than -2, it is probably best to stick to the Moneyline. There’s -2 to -3 available out there so it will depend on your book or shop around. There’s also a good chance we’ll see the under come in on this one with defense being the focus of both teams. 

8:49 p.m. ET: Arkansas Razorbacks (28-8) vs Duke Blue Devils (31-6)

Spread: Duke -4
Total: 147.5

Arkansas just took down the No. 1 overall seed of the NCAA Tournament and will now be looking to end the coaching career of Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski. Arkansas has won 18 of its last 21 games and has covered its last 5 games as an underdog. Duke has 3 major advantages in this matchup against Arkansas with size, scoring ability, and a low number of turnovers. Arkansas would need to hit over 40% from 3-point land to have a chance here and with the season average of 31.1% from three against Duke’s ability to defend the three holding opponents to only 30.2% on the season. The Razorbacks are averaging 66 points in their last 4 games while the Blue Devils are scoring 77 points in their last 5 games. The Blue Devils will be able to defend the three, limit turnovers, and get key players in foul trouble. The Razorbacks had the whistle on their side against the Zags but that probably won’t happen again here against Coach K. The Razorbacks are playing well right now but the Blue Devils should be able to win here and cover the spread.