Sweet 16 betting: Michigan State-Kansas State drawing near equal action

The NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 tips off Thursday with a pair of East Region matchups at Madison Square Garden in New York and two West Region battles at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

On Friday, the South and Midwest regions take center stage at KFC YUM Center in Louisville, Kentucky, and T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, respectively.

Here’s a look at the updated odds for all eight Sweet 16 matchups and where the March Madness wagering action is trending in each contest at BetMGM.

Betting action updated as of 6:45 a.m. ET and odds updated as of 11:30 a.m. ET on March 23.

No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Kansas State

The point spread has held steady at the opening number of Michigan State -1.5, but the total in this intriguing battle has inched up from an opener 136.5. BetMGM initially had the moneyline as a -110 pick-em, but now the Spartans are -125 while Kansas State is +105.

When it comes to the spread, a slight majority of BetMGM bettors favor the chalk, as 51% of all wagers and 54% of all dollars are on the Spartans. However, when it comes to the moneyline, 64% of the tickets and 57% of the cash are on K-State.

As for the total, there’s a strong lean to the Over at 61% tickets/57% money.

» READ MORE: Bet on No. 7 Michigan State to topple No. 3 Kansas State in Sweet 16 matchup

No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 4 Tennessee

Tennessee has jumped from a 4.5-point to a 5.5-point favorite, though FAU is priced +5.5/-115. There’s two-way point-spread action in this unlikely matchup, with 54% of all bets on the Volunteers and 52% of all dollars on the Owls.

The moneyline has shot up from Tennessee -225/FAU +180 to Tennessee -250/FAU +200. That’s contrary to the wagering action, as the underdog Owls are fetching 51% of the tickets and 53% of the dollars on the moneyline.

The total has taken a significant plunge from a send-out of 132.5 to the current number of 129.5. Not surprisingly, 59% of the wagers and 60% of the handle are on the Under.

No. 8 Arkansas vs. No. 4 UConn

UConn opened as a 3.5-point favorite at BetMGM, but significant action on the Huskies has driven the point spread to UConn -4.5 (-105). Nearly two-thirds of all point-spread bets (64%) and exactly two-thirds of the handle (66%) are on the favored Huskies.

While the spread has jumped a point, the moneyline has held steady at UConn -190/Arkansas +160. There’s split action here, with 53% of all moneyline tickets on Arkansas and 68% of the moneyline cash on the Huskies.

The total, which jumped a point from an opener of 139.5 to 140.5 (Under -115), also is seeing two-way action. At BetMGM, 57% of the bets are on the Over, but 51% of the handle is on the Under.

» READ MORE: Sweet 16 predictions: Back No. 8 Arkansas as an underdog vs. No. 4 UConn

No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 UCLA

UCLA initially was installed as a 1.5-point favorite in this battle of West Coast powerhouses. While the Bruins reached as high as -2.5, they’re now back to the opener. There’s dead-even action on the point spread at BetMGM — 50% of the tickets and 50% of the dollars are on both teams.

The moneyline has adjusted slightly from UCLA -120/Gonzaga +100 to UCLA -125/Gonzaga +105. Unlike the point spread, there’s a strong opinion when it comes to the moneyline, as 67% of all bets and 53% of all dollars are on the underdog Zags.

The total opened and remains at 145.5, with 53% tickets and 55% of the cash on the Under.

No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 1 Alabama

Alabama, which earned the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, have moved from a 6.5- to a 7.5-point favorite over the Aztecs. Despite that line shift, the point-spread action at BetMGM barely favors the Crimson Tide at 53% tickets/52% handle.

The moneyline also has seen significant movement, going from Alabama -300/San Diego State +240 to Alabama -350/SDSU +280. Although only 53% of all moneyline bets are on the Tide, 61% of the cash backs the big favorite.

The total has bounced around between 136.5 and 137.5. It’s currently at the latter number, with 61% of the wagers and 62% of the dollars on the Over.

» READ MORE: 2023 March Madness betting trends: Will strong Under trends continue in Sweet 16?

No. 15 Princeton vs. No. 6 Creighton

Princeton is wearing the Cinderella slipper in the 2022-23 NCAA Tournament, becoming just the fourth No. 15 seed in history to reach the Sweet 16. The Tigers are the biggest underdog in these regional semifinals at +9.5, which was the opening number at BetMGM.

Although there’s slight juice on Creighton at -9.5 (-115), bettors are gravitating toward the points, with 67% of the point-spread tickets and 58% of the dollars on Princeton.

The Tigers also are attracting the vast majority of the moneyline action at 79% wagers/70% handle. Despite that, Creighton has moved from -500 to -550 on the moneyline, with Pinceton going from +375 to +425.

Regarding the total, the Under is preferred in this one at 70% bets/57% money. That explains the one-point drop from 140.5 to 139.5 (Under -115).

No. 5 Miami vs. No. 1 Houston

Houston, which is two wins away from playing in the Final Four just a 15-minute drive from campus, opened and remains a 7.5-point favorite. However, there’s slight juice attached to the Hurricanes at +7.5 (-115).

Nearly two-thirds of all BetMGM customers are snagging the points, as Miami is catching 63% of the point-spread tickets and 62% of the dough.

Houston opened at -350 on the moneyline and is holding there, but there’s been a slight adjustment on the Hurricanes, who have gone from +280 to +270 to +260. The fact the moneyline price essentially remains unchanged is interesting, given that tickets (77%) and cash (75%) are running 3/1 on Miami.

The total has dipped from 138.5 to 137.5 (Over -115) along two-way action of 53% tickets on the Over/54% cash on the Under.

No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 2 Texas

The final Sweet 16 contest has received nearly dead-even action on the point spread at BetMGM.

Texas opened and remains a 4.5-point favorite, but a slim majority of the tickets (52%) and cash (54%) side with the Musketeers.

The underdog has been even more attractive to bettors when it comes to the moneyline, with 65% of the bets and 60% of the dollars on Xavier. That led to an odds adjustment from an opener of Texas -200/Xaiver +165 to the current price of Texas -190/Xavier +160.

The total is holding steady at the opener of 148.5, although there’s slight juice to the Over (-115). That’s understandable, given that most of the action — 56% wagers/65% handle — is on the Over.

As of early Thursday morning, BetMGM reported that the first Sweet 16 contest — Michigan State vs. Kansas State — has received the most action so far in terms of number of tickets.

FAU vs. Tennessee is second, with Arkansas vs. UConn third.

The top three teams attracting the most point-spread bets at BetMGM are Michigan State (-1.5), Kansas State (+1.5) and UConn (-4.5).

The top three teams in point-spread handle are the same and in the same order: Michigan State, Kansas State and UConn.

When it comes to wagers on the total, the most-bet Overs are: Michigan State-Kansas State (137.5); Arkansas-UConn (140.5); and San Diego State-Alabama (136.5).

The most-bet Unders are: FAU-Tennessee (129.5); Gonzaga-UCLA (145.5); and Creighton-Princeton (139.5).

» READ MORE: 2023 March Madness odds: Alabama favored slightly over Houston to win it all

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