NCAA Tournament

Can Ohio, Abilene Christian keep rolling? Predictions for Monday’s NCAA men’s games

The final day of the men’s NCAA Tournament second round spills into the work week for the first time. That pushes the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight schedules into the following week. Final Four spots will be up for grabs on March 27 and 28, a Monday and Tuesday.

As for today’s second round games, a pair of upset winners look to carry on, with No. 14 Abilene Christian facing No. 11 UCLA, and No. 13 Ohio meeting fifth-seeded Creighton.

Oregon, a No. 7 seed, will play its first game, against second-seeded Iowa. The Ducks advanced when their first-round opponent, VCU, was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of positive COVID-19 tests.

The day concludes with third-seeded Kansas as an underdog to No. 6 seed Southern California.

Here’s the lineup with tip times, TV information, betting lines and a prediction.

No 2. Iowa vs. No. 7 Oregon

11:10 a,m., CBS

Line: Iowa by 4

Prediction: Iowa 80-76

No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 Oklahoma

1:40 p.m., CBS

Line: Gonzaga by 14

Prediction: Gonzaga 92-76

No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 14 Abilene Christian

4:15 p,m., TBS

Line: UCLA by 4 1/2

Prediction: UCLA 59-53

No. 5 Creighton vs. No. 13 Ohio

5:10 p.m., TNT

Line: Creighton by 5 1/2

Prediction: Ohio 67-66

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 8 LSU

6:10 p.m. CBS

Line: Michigan by 5

Prediction: Michigan 79-71

No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 5 Colorado

6:45 p.m., TBS

Line: Florida State by 1 1/2

Prediction: Florida State 71-69

No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 10 Maryland

7:45 p.m., TNT

Line: Alabama by 6

Prediction: Alabama 66-63

No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 6 Southern California

8:40 p.m., CBS

Line: Southern California by 1

Prediction: Southern California 67-65

Blair Kerkhoff
The Kansas City Star
Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
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