If Friday's thrilling slate of games wasn't enough, Saturday's 16-game schedule should do the trick.
While we may not see an upset as surprising as Oral Roberts' overtime victory over Ohio State, we like a few underdogs to stay within the number, and one to blow past it.
No. 14 Eastern Washington vs. No. 3 Kansas (-10.5, 147)
Eastern Washington was aggressive in its early-season scheduling, playing three Pac-12 opponents and Saint Mary's in nonconference play. The Eagles lost all four games, but they led at halftime in three.
It could be more of the same against Kansas in the Round of 64. The Jayhawks are returning from a COVID-19 pause that knocked them out of the Big 12 Tournament and are missing forward Jalen Wilson. With a lack of action recently, Kansas' form will be tested early.
The Jayhawks will look to dominate inside, but Eastern Washington's Tanner Groves is a major presence down low. So long as the Eagles' 41st-ranked scoring offense can put up points out of the gate, this game should stick within the six-point first-half spread.
Pick: Eastern Washington +6 1H
No. 12 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 5 Creighton (-7, 138)
Riding high off a torrid stretch of 18 wins in 19 games, UC Santa Barbara certainly isn't short on confidence as it takes on Big East runner-up Creighton. The Gauchos don't lack high-end talent either. Between three Power 6 transfers and four-star recruit Amadou Sow, UC Santa Barbara has more talent than most mid-majors could dream of.
It also has guard JaQuori McLaughlin, one of the best players across the mid-major ranks. Not only can McLaughlin score, but he's calm under pressure and plays the game at his own pace. That quality is shared throughout the roster, so the Gauchos won't be sped up by Creighton's high offensive tempo.
They won't be outmuscled on the interior either, as between Sow and the 6-foot-10 Miles Norris, UC Santa Barbara's average height is taller than Creighton's. All in all, the talent gap between the Gauchos and Bluejays is much narrower than this spread suggests.
Pick: UC Santa Barbara +7
No. 11 Drake vs. No. 6 USC (-6, 136)
Drake came back to edge past Wichita State, 53-52, in the First Four on Thursday despite being short its starting point guard, The Bulldogs only shot 38% from the field but were bailed out by the Shockers' awful shooting and late-game execution. With supersized USC on deck, Drake won't be so lucky again.
The Trojans sport the nation's second-best 2-point defense, the area where Drake scores almost 60% of its points from. With USC forcing Drake to shoot over the top of the defense, the Bulldogs will have to make threes consistently.
Drake is among the shorter teams in the country, playing only one player over 6-foot-10 in its rotation, while USC boasts the nation's second-tallest squad. The Bulldogs could barely surpass 50 points against Wichita State, and it will be even harder against the Trojans.
Pick: USC -6
No. 13 Ohio vs. No. 4 Virginia (-7, 130)
Back in November, Ohio was a possession away from upsetting Illinois thanks to hot 3-point shooting and only seven turnovers. If the Bobcats can execute the same game plan, they'll have a real shot against Virginia.
The Cavaliers have a tendency to allow threes and force few turnovers with their famous pack-line defense. And with Ohio's star point guard Jason Preston running the show, the Bobcats won't have to worry about unforced errors. Virginia plays the slowest tempo in the country, according to KenPom, so the Cavaliers won't pull away early.
This is all without mentioning Virginia's COVID-19 concerns. The squad only arrived in Indianapolis on Friday and won't have a full practice before Saturday's game. With the Cavaliers being rusty and an upstart Ohio bunch believing in an upset, back this game to stay within the number.
Pick: Ohio +7
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
