March Madness odds, lines, predictions: Expert picks for 2026 NCAA Tournament games on Day 3 (March 21)

March Madness odds, lines, predictions: Expert picks for 2026 NCAA Tournament games on Day 3 (March 21) originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Four double-digit seeds and a pair of No. 9 seeds have a chance to make the Sweet 16 on Saturday. How much chaos is in store for the second weekend?

Advertisement

The Atlantic 10 has a pair of double-digit underdogs that will look to make a statement.

No. 9 St. Louis can set the tone against No. 1 Michigan in the first game of the second round on Saturday. Both teams scored more than 100 points in the first round – so this has the potential to be the best game of the tournament. Can the Billikens pull off the first upset of the day?

MARCH MADNESS HQ:Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more

No. 11 VCU takes on No. 3 Illinois in the other Atlantic 10-Big Ten showdown. The Rams rallied from a 19-point deficit to beat No. 6 North Carolina 82-78 in the first round. The Illini were the third team to score more than 100 points on Day 1.

Advertisement

No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 Texas and No. 12 High Point – which pulled of the first 5-12 upset of the tournament in a 83-82 thriller against No. 5 Wisconsin – also are looking to advance. Sporting News will pick every first-round game over the next two days. Here are our picks for Day 3.

Odds courtesy of Caesars:

March Madness picks, predictions for Round 2

No. 1 Michigan (-12.5) vs. No. 9 St. Louis (Midwest),  12:10 p.m., CBS 

Best game of the weekend? Michigan beat Howard 101-80. Aday Mara and Morez Johnson combined for 40 points on 16 of 18 shooting. St. Louis blitzed Georgia 102-77, and five Billikens had at least four assists. This game will operate at a frantic pace, and the key will be Michigan point guard Elliot Cadeau limiting turnovers. Robbie Avila – who shoots 41.7% from 3-point range – is the X-factor for St. Louis. The Wolverines are 7-0 S/U but 0-7 ATS when favored between 10-15…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/march-madness-odds-lines-predictions-110001724.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-03-21 11:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.