Predicting Sunday’s NCAA men’s games: Which double-digit seeds make it through?
.JPG "Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier (1) fights for a rebound with San Diego State guard Jordan Schakel (20) during the first half of a college basketball game in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Friday, March 19, 2021.")
Four double digit seeds seek to continue their Cinderella stories in the second round of the men’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Oral Roberts and North Texas pulled off first-round stunners, with the No. 15 seed Golden Eagles, led by the nation’s scoring leader Max Abmas, taking down Ohio State and the No. 13 Mean Green defeating fourth-seeded Purdue. Next up: Florida awaits Oral Roberts and Villanova takes on North Texas.
The other double digit seeds that advanced: No. 10 Rutgers and No. 11 Syracuse.
The TV schedule is also part of the day’s story. The first three games will be televised by CBS, starting with Illinois against Loyola, followed by Baylor-Wisconsin and West Virginia-Syracuse.
The other networks — TBS, TNT and truTV — begin their coverage late in the afternoon.
Here is Sunday’s lineup of games with tip times, betting lines and predictions.
No 1 Illinois vs. No. 8 Loyola Chicago
Tip/TV: 11:10 a.m., CBS
Line: Illinois by 7
Prediction: Illinois 68-64
No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 9 Wisconsin
Tip/TV: 1:40 p.m., CBS
Line: Baylor by 6 1/2
Prediction: Baylor 84-74
No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 11 Syracuse
Tip/TV: 4:15 p.m., CBS
Line: West Virginia by 3 1/2
Prediction: Syracuse 73-70
No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 6 Texas Tech
Tip/TV: 5:10 p.m., TNT
Line: Texas Tech by 1
Prediction: Arkansas 65-64
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 10 Rutgers
Tip/TV: 6:10 p.m., TBS
Line: Houston by 8 1/2
Prediction: Houston 72-67
No. 7 Florida vs. No. 15 Oral Roberts
Tip/TV: 6:45 p.m., truTV
Line: Florida by 8 1/2
Prediction: Florida 78-72
No. 5 Villanova vs. No. 13 North Texas
Tip/TV: 7:45 p.m., TNT
LIne: Villanova by 6 1/2
Prediction: Villanova 60-57
No. 4 Oklahoma State vs. No. 12 Oregon State
Tip/TV: 8:40 p.m., TBS
Line: Oklahoma State by 6
Prediction: Oklahoma State 80-76