Public And Sharps Leaning On More Upsets In The Sweet 16

The Loyola Chicago Ramblers have -295 odds to move on to the Elite 8.
The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles have +440 odds to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Syracuse Orange are looking at +200 odds to upset the Houston Cougars.

INDIANAPOLIS—As the Sweet 16 continues to inch closer and closer, the public has been leaning more and more on the underdogs to continue pulling off upsets as they have done all throughout the tournament.

Legal sports betting sites are seeing tons of action on underdogs teams such as the Oregon State Beavers, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, and the Syracuse Orange.

Loyola Chicago Vs. Oregon State Odds

Moneyline: Loyola Chicago (-295) vs. Oregon State (+240)
Spread: Loyola Chicago -6.5
Total: 125 Points

Starting with the #8 seed Loyola Chicago Ramblers, they are seen as heavy favorites to take down the #12 seed Oregon State Beavers. Despite Loyola Chicago being the heavy favorites on the college basketball odds, the public has been leaning more on Oregon State as they have brought in 72% of the total handle of 52% of bets on DraftKings. This could be because of their most recent upsets over the Tennessee Volunteers and the Oklahoma State Cowboys but it should not be forgotten that Loyola Chicago knocked out the number one seed in the region, the Illinois Fighting Illini and will surely use that momentum over a weaker Oregon State.

As for the spread, bettors have also leaned heavy on Oregon State here as well with 73% of the handle and 66% of bets. Loyola Chicago is seen as 6.5-point favorites here and rightfully so. It is surprising that Oregon State is seeing that much action being that the Ramblers are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games as the favorite. Not to take anything away from Oregon State though as they have gone 5-0 against the spread in their last five games in a neutral site as an underdog.

Action on DraftKings for the game total has been heavily leaning on the Over and rightfully so as both of these teams are fast-paced and high scoring. In Loyola Chicago’s last nine neutral site games, the Over has gone 7-2 and in Oregon State’s last eight games, the Over has gone 7-1.

Arkansas Vs. Oral Roberts Odds

Moneyline: Arkansas (-625) vs. Oral Roberts (+440)
Spread: Arkansas -11.5
Total: 159.5 Points

The Cinderella story continues for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and in the public eye it is expected to continue over the Arkansas Razorbacks as they have drawn in 72% of the betting handle and 63% of total bets. Anything can happen here as Oral Roberts has taken down two giants already in the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Florida Gators and nothing is stopping them from doing the same to Arkansas despite what the March Madness odds are saying.

The fact that the spread in the game is so spread out in favor of Arkansas should have bettors leaning to Oral Roberts who are seeing similar numbers in the betting handle and total number of bets. The Golden Eagles are actually on a six-game streak when it comes to beating the spread. Arkansas, however, also looks strong against the spread as they have gone 10-2 against the spread in their last 12 games. With that said, this should be a closer game than the odds are saying.

As for the total points, this has been even in terms of the handle as both the Over and Under are seeing an even split. The percentage of bets though have been on the Under at 75%. It is safe to say that this game is leaning the Under for a reason as in Arkansas’s last seven games against a team with an about .600 record, the Under has gone 7-0. Also, the Razorbacks’ defense has been spot on as they allow just 67 points per game.

Houston Vs. Syracuse Odds

Moneyline: Houston (-250) vs. Syracuse (+200)
Spread: Houston -6
Total: 139.5

Throughout March Madness thus far, Syracuse has proven to be one of the strongest offensive teams. With that, bettors have leaned heavily on them with 81% of the betting handle and 67% of total bets. It is surprising that Syracuse are heavy underdogs here being that they average more points and easily play in a tougher conference than Houston does.

The spread is seeing heavy action on Syracuse as well with 89% of the handle and 76% of the bets. It’s no surprise that the Orange are gaining tons of action on the spread as they have gone 6-0 against the spread in their last six games. Not to take anything away from Houston as they have gone 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games overall. However, with Syracuse’s hot play, they should be in control of the line.

As for the total points, there are no doubts that these are two high-scoring teams with Syracuse averaging 75.9 ppg and Houston going for 77.4 ppg. With that, most of the bets and handle are sitting on the Over and rightfully so.

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Sam Profeta

Samuel has been writing professionally for 4 years. He comes from a sports writing background where he enjoys writing mostly about basketball and football both professional and collegiate. He is a recent graduate of Florida State University where he majored in Editing, Writing and Media with a minor in Communications. During his free time, you can find him watching or playing sports as well as playing videogames and listening to music.