Our 2012 NCAA Tournament predictions are set to continue here at Bankroll Sports, and we are going to be making our March Madness prop picks for some of the great props that you can find on the board at 5Dimes Sportsbook!

Will a #1 Seed Win the NCAA Tournament?
The four No. 1 seeds aren’t all the favorites to win the dance. Sure, at -120, you can get the Kentucky Wildcats and the Syracuse Orange, who were clearly the top two teams in the land all season long. But would you rather have these four teams, or the Ohio State Buckeyes, Duke Blue Devils, Missouri Tigers, and Kansas Jayhawks? We think that we would rather have that second line at +225 than the top line at -120 even though Kentucky is clearly the favorite to win it all, especially knowing that almost any No. 2 seed would probably be favored over any of the other No. 1s, save for Kentucky if that’s what it came down to in the final game of the year.

Will an ACC Team Win the NCAA Tournament?
This is probably the most interesting of all of the NCAA Tournament props this year. The ACC has itself a No. 1 seed that is very talented with the North Carolina Tar Heels, and they are clearly one of the two teams that we can see winning the whole thing very easily this year. The Duke Blue Devils are a team that has a great draw that is going to likely last at least through the first weekend of the tournament, and the same could really be said about the Florida State Seminoles as well. Sure, we get the Virginia Cavaliers and the NC State Wolfpack for the heck of it as well, but those top three teams are certainly intriguing to say the least. We would love the ACC at +480 to win it all this year.

Will All Four #1 Seeds Be In the Final Four?
It is really amazing to think that all four seeds have been in the Final Four just one time in the history of this tournament. This year, we really don’t love the chances of any of the top ranked teams in brackets aside from the Kentucky Wildcats. We don’t really see how the Michigan State Spartans are going to get through the West when it is said and done, and we really aren’t sure whether the rest of the top seeds are going to get through their respective brackets as well. 40 to 1 looks like an enticing price, but it just isn’t going to happen this year.

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Over Over/Under 11.5
5Dimes is offering these sums all the way from 5.5 all the way up to 15.5, but this is the average numbers and is the one that we can get -108 and -112 on the over and under respectively. There are a lot of double digit seeds that we could see getting into the Final Four this year, and as a result, we think that the number is going to be over this total (and over all of the posted totals for what it is worth). Even a team like the Florida Gators, a No. 7 seed could really do a lot of damage and get into the Final Four, and if that’s the case, there is sure to be a very high number in the double digits for the total number of the seeds that are going to New Orleans.

Full List of 2012 NCAA Tournament Props @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 3/13/12):
(Get a HUGE 50% Bonus at 5Dimes.com When Using This Link)
#1 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -120
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +100

#2 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +225
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -265

#3 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +1350
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -2000

#4 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +2000
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -3000

#5 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +1800
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -2800

#6 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +4000
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -7000

#7 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +6000
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -11000

#8 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +4500
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -8000

#9 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +6500
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -12000

#10 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +6500
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -12000

#11 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +8000
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -15000

#12 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament +10500
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -20000

#1-#2 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -370
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +310

#1-#3 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -525
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +415

#1-#4 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -750
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +525

#1-#5 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -1200
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +775

#1-#6 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -1550
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +1025

#1-#7 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -2000
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +1250

#1-#8 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -2900
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +1900

#1-#9 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -3800
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +2400

#1-#10 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -6000
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +3500

#1-#11 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -8000
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -4500

#1-#12 Seed Wins NCAA Tournament -11000
Field Wins NCAA Tournament +6000

East Region Team Wins NCAA Tournament +280
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -340

Midwest Region Team Wins NCAA Tournament +325
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -400

South Region Wins NCAA Tournament +190
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -230

West Region Team Wins NCAA Tournament +330
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -410

ACC Team Wins NCAA Tournament +480
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -660

Big East Team Wins NCAA Tournament +600
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -900

Big Ten Team Wins NCAA Tournament +280
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -340

Big 12 Team Wins NCAA Tournament +470
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -640

SEC Team Wins NCAA Tournament +240
Field Wins NCAA Tournament -280

Power Conference Team Wins NCAA Tournament -1450
Non-Power Conference Team Wins NCAA Tournament +1025

Automatic Bid Team Wins NCAA Tournament +310
At-Large Team Wins NCAA Tournament -370

All Four #1 Seeds In Final Four +4000
Any #2-#16 Seed In Final Four -7000

Exactly 3 #1 Seeds In Final Four +550
Not Exactly 3 #1 Seeds In Final Four -800

Exactly 2 #1 Seeds In Final Four +175
Not Exactly 2 #1 Seeds In Final Four -178

Exactly 1 #1 Seed In Final Four +157
Not Exactly 1 #1 Seed In Final Four -178

No #1 Seeds In Final Four +513
At Least 1 #1 Seed In Final Four -725

#1 Seeds In Final Four Over 2.5 +450
#1 Seeds In Final Four Under 2.5 -600

#1 Seeds In Final Four Over 1.5 -110
#1 Seeds In Final Four Under 1.5 -110

All #1 or #2 Seeds In Final Four +445
Any #3-#16 Seed In Final Four -590

Exactly 3 #1-#2 Seeds In Final Four +156
Not Exactly 3 #1-#2 Seeds In Final Four -176

Exactly 2 #1-#2 Seeds In Final Four +190
Not Exactly 2 #1-#2 Seeds In Final Four -230

Exactly 1 #1-#2 Seed In Final Four +583
Not Exactly 1 #1-#2 Seed In Final Four -865

No. #1-#2 Seeds In Final Four +4200
At Least One #1-#2 Seed In Final Four -7400

#1-#2 Seeds In Final Four Over 2.5 -127
#1-#2 Seeds In Final Four Under 2.5 +107

#1-#2 Seeds In Final Four Over 1.5 -730
#1-#2 Seeds In Final Four Under 1.5 +515

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 5 +1375
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 5 -2050

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 6 +1000
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 6 -1450

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 7 +1025
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 7 -1450

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 8 +1000
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 8 -1400

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 9 +1035
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 9 -1470

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 10 +1125
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 10 -1650

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 11 +1225
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 11 -1800

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 12 +1300
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 12 -1900

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 13 +1400
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 13 -2100

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 14 +1500
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 14 -2300

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is 15 +1625
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Not 15 -2550

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 5.5 -1500
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 5.5 +1050

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 6.5 -660
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 6.5 +480

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 7.5 -380
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 7.5 +315

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 8.5 -250
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 8.5 +210

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 9.5 -176
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 9.5 +156

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 10.5 -136
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 10.5 +116

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 11.5 -108
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 11.5 -112

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 12.5 +119
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 12.5 -139

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 13.5 +150
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 13.5 -170

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 14.5 +180
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 14.5 -220

Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Over 15.5 +225
Sum Of All Seeds In Final Four Is Under 15.5 -265

Last season, college conference realignments really shook the landscape of college football as we know it. Now, the Boise State Broncos are in the Mountain West, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are in the Big 10, the Big 10 has 12 teams, and the Big 12 has 10 teams… not to mention that the artists formerly known as the Pac-10 are now known as the Pac-10 after taking the Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes. However, conference expansion certainly isn’t done yet, as there are shockwaves that are already rumbling across the country about how conference realignment might pan out.

Here’s what we already know: Next year, the ACC is going to have at least 14 teams in it. The Syracuse Orange and the Pittsburgh Panthers are heading to the ACC to make that conference have 14 teams. It is likely that the ACC is going to be looking for two more teams to add into the fold for an even 16.

We also know that the Big East is at least getting one team back in the TCU Horned Frogs, who made the commitment last year to jump from the Mountain West to the Big East once this athletic year is over.

The Texas A&M Aggies are trying to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, and though the SEC has openly welcomed the Aggies with open arms, there are still schools in the Big 12 like Kansas State, Iowa State, and Baylor that are trying to block the move. Odds have it, they won’t be successful, and in 2012, A&M will be in the SEC.

The question for the SEC though, is who the 14th team is going to be. There are some thoughts that perhaps TCU could go back on its word to the Big East and try to head to the SEC, but the West Virginia Mountaineers are trying to make the move as well. If this happens, it is clear that the Big East is just a dead conference waiting to be partitioned the rest of the way.

To make matters worse for the Big East, the ACC is also reportedly in pursuit of the Connecticut Huskies and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for their Super Conference. This would round out the conference at 16 teams and would likely lock in the conference for the foreseeable future without any further expansion or departure… or does it???

The new realigned SEC Coference would have 14 teams with the additions of Texas A&M and West Virginia, and it would need two more schools. You just know that there won’t be small, unproven schools coming to the SEC, so the conference will do all that it can to poach from a bigger conference. Remember how the ACC thought it was set? Not so fast. Don’t be shocked if Florida State and Clemson headed to their instate rivals Florida and South Carolina and joins the SEC.

And that would leave the ACC with two open slots again to fill…

And that’s only the half of it. The Pac-12 is in talks with the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners about coming to their conference, and if that happens, the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Texas Tech Red Raiders will almost certainly be on the move to make that conference the Pac-16 as well.

That being said, the Big 12 would only be left with Baylor, Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, and Missouri. Kansas State and Kansas seem to be a package deal, and they could be headed to the Big 10, and that is the preferred conference for the Tigers as well. Iowa State and Baylor would be hung out to dry and might have to join lesser conferences. The 16th team for the Big 10? You’d like to think since this is probably going to ultimately signal the dawn of a college football playoff down the line, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are probably going to have to join, and this is the conference that makes the most sense.

And if you’re keeping score at home, the Big East could only be left with TCU, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Louisville, with the prospects of Villanova joining the FBS ranks for football in the coming years.

So let’s go back to the ACC, which has two slots to fill. Louisville and Cincinnati make relatively close travel partners, and the conference location does fit those schools, and though really any of the holdovers, or the possibility of South Florida and UCF coming into the ACC together exists, we tend to think that it would be the Bearcats and the Cardinals that enter into the ACC.

Thus, the dawn of the college football super conferences that we’ve been hearing all about… And right now, this is what we really could end up seeing when this alignment is said and done…

Proposed College Football Realignment & New Super Conferences
(College Footall Teams in Italics Designate New Teams Entering Conferences)

ACC “Super Conference”: Wake Forest, Maryland, NC State, Boston College, North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Miami, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Louisville

Pac-16 “Super Conference” (the old Pac 10): California, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, USC, Arizona State, UCLA, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech

Big 10 “Super Conference”: Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Kansas, Missouri

SEC “Super Conference”: Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Florida State, Clemson

Still, that leaves a lot of questions to be answered… Baylor, TCU, South Florida, and Iowa State all wouldn’t have places to go, though they could all come together in Conference USA. BYU is another team that is basically left out in the cold for all of this, and save for going to the WAC and hoping that eventually the WAC and the MWC combine, it could end up as an independent for the foreseeable future without a conference, and potentially without a spot in college football’s prospective playoff.

And then of course, there’s Boise State, the team that thought it was going to a conference in the MWC that could have been a powerhouse… until BYU opted for independence, TCU left for the Big East (or did they???), and Utah went to the Pac-12. There are going to be very, very unhappy teams in all of this, and in all likelihood, these are going to be the unhappy campers that are left out of the super conferences of college football.

The other question is what is left to do with the rest of the Big East Conference in basketball. Teams like Georgetown, Marquette, DePaul, and Villanova could be headed to the Atlantic 10, while that conference might have to eliminate some of its members at the bottom of the totem poll to try to get all of these teams under the same conference umbrella.

The Kentucky Wildcats and Connecticut Huskies met earlier this season at the Maui Invitational, and little did we know that this team that would go on to have a horrible record on the road and the other, which was unranked at the time, would be playing for the right to go to the National Championship Game. Check out how the Final Four odds stack up in this one!

Trends Of Note
Considering the fact that both of these teams ended up winning their conference tournaments this year, it’s no wonder why both have a heck of a lot of March Madness trends on their side in this one.

Kentucky has gone 5-1 ATS over the course of its last six games overall, and its only ATS loss in there was that escape from the Princeton Tigers in the first round of the tourney. UK is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 NCAA Tournament games as favorites. It is also 16-5-1 ATS in its last 22 games against Big East teams.

Connecticut has played six neutral site games in which it has been the underdog since the Big East Tournament, and it is a perfect 6-0 in those games. The Huskies are also 8-1 ATS since that magical run in the Big East Tournament started, and the lone failed attempt at a cover came against the Arizona Wildcats in the Elite 8. UConn is 7-2 ATS in its last nine NCAA Tournament odds battles and is 23-8 ATS in its last 31 games as an underdog. Head Coach Jim Calhoun and company are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 neutral site games overall and are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 against the SEC.

We’ve already mentioned the 84-67 win for UConn in this series at the Maui Invitational earlier this year, but there are also two other meetings that these teams have had since 2006. Kentucky won 64-61 at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic last season at Madison Square Garden, while the Huskies pulled out an 87-83 win in the NCAA Tournament when these teams met in 2006.

Players To Watch
For Connecticut, this is a simple game plan. Get the ball in Kemba Walker’s hands and let him do his thing. Walker can really do anything and everything that is asked of him. He has averaged 23.9 points, 5.3 boards, and 4.5 assists per game this year, and he already has 74 swipes of the rock as well on the defensive end of the court. This is the leading scorer amongst players left standing in this tournament, and save for perhaps BYU Cougars’ Jimmer Fredette, there is no man in this entire tournament that is more feared than Walker. He also has played all but six minutes during the dance for Calhoun and company.

There are really only six men in the rotation for the Wildcats this season, and though men like Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb tend to get all of the accolades, Josh Harrellson is really the difference maker this year on this team. For a man that, for all intents and purposes, was nothing more than a stiff at the outset of the season, Harrellson has come on strong and averaged 14.8 points and 9.0 boards per game in the dance. He’s coming up with the big plays in the paint over and over again, and Calipari knows that his team would be forgotten if not for the play of Harrellson.

Keys to the Game
Connecticut has to find some players to step up aside from Walker. Jeremy Lamb, just a freshman, has really matured beyond his years in the postseason this year. He carried the team in the win against the DePaul Blue Demons, and since that point, he has had nine straight double digit scoring games. Lamb is a heck of a shooter, and he is likely going to end up being the man that has to take this team over after Walker is gone, and whether it is him or Alex Oriakhi that is picking up the slack, one of them just has to help out Walker.

For Kentucky, the trick is going to be staying out of foul trouble. When Walker is cutting to the basket on a regular basis, he tends to be able to lure some fouls out of some of the most disciplined teams in the nation. The Wildcats just cannot afford to do stupid things, because the team just isn’t deep enough. Calipari complained about turnovers and dumb fouls about this team all season long, and if those issues rear their ugly heads again in this one like they were at times this year, the Cats are in a ton of trouble.

The Butler Bulldogs and the VCU Rams are arguably two of the most unlikely teams to ever make it to the Final Four. Here at Bankroll Sports, we have all of the ins and outs that you need to know about the first of the two national semifinals in Houston, TX.

Trends Of Note
The Rams have absolutely stormed through five games in the NCAA Tournament this year, accounting for five covers on the March Madness odds and five outright victories as underdogs, something that is just unprecedented by any standards in most any sport. They are now 9-0 ATS over the course of their last nine NCAA Tournament games overall, though they have never been in this type of a spotlight before in school history. However, if there is one bugaboo surrounding this team, it is that it is just 1-4 ATS over the course of its last five games played on Saturdays.

Butler has had a remarkable run as well, and it has some significantly more important NCAA basketball trends on its side. Sure, the Dogs are 4-0 SU and ATS as well in this tournament, something that is absolutely remarkable, but more importantly, they are 17-5 ATS over the course of their last 22 games played in the dance, many of which have come under Head Coach Brad Stevens. The Bulldogs are a whopping 21-4-2 ATS in their last 27 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600, and they are 40-16-2 ATS in their last 58 games played outside of the Horizon League. Butler is also 15-2 ATS in its last 17 neutral site games, which includes some great duels against fantastic teams both in and out of conference.

Players To Watch
For VCU, the men to really watch out for are Jamie Skeen and Bradford Burgess. These two make the perfect inside, outside combination, and they can both do a ton of damage from all over the course. Burgess actually had his quietest game against the Kansas Jayhawks over the weekend, as he only scored nine points. However, just like we saw against the Florida State Seminoles, he can be unconscious from beyond the arc and just knock down triples like it’s nothing. Skeen, a transfer from the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, stood toe to toe with Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris on Sunday, and the end result was one of his best games of the year with 26 points and 10 boards. He rarely takes time off in games, and he can stretch the entire court as well.

Of course, Butler has its own version of a dynamic inside, outside twosome with Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack. These two were key in the run to the finale last year in the dance, and they are both doing it once again. Howard is the gritty player that really probably doesn’t have all that much talent, but can really get the job done just through hard work. He’s always getting those tough boards, and he’s got a great shot from the outside as well. Howard has six straight games with at least 14 points scored, something that is really key for his team. Mack can just go off as he did against the Florida Gators, scoring 27 points on Saturday in the Elite 8. He also had 30 against the Pitt Panthers. The better the foe, the better this man plays, and this should be his time to shine now that he doesn’t have to split outside shots with the departed Gordon Hayward.

Keys to the Game
The trick for VCU is going to be three point shooting. March Madness betting fans know that this is the key to these mid major teams equalizing against the big boys, and the Rams have taken full advantage of it. Just listen to these three point stats from the games in this tournament… 12-of-25 against Kansas, 12-of-26 against Florida State, 8-of-21 against Purdue, 12-of-25 against Georgetown, 9-of-24 against USC… and all of this comes for a team that was shooting less than 36 percent from beyond the arc at the start of this tournament!

For Butler, obviously, defending the triple is going to be of paramount importance, but it seems like keeping Howard on the court is the bigger key. Howard is really the grit of this club, and if he isn’t in the fold, Butler is hard pressed to find a replacement for him. Over the course of the last two seasons in the dance, the Bulldogs were just significantly better with Howard out there than with him on the bench, and if he can stay out there, he should be able to provide Skeen with a heck of a battle in the paint. It’s not about the numbers. It’s just about keeping him and his presence out there on the court at all times.

The four games in the NCAA Tournament on Friday night give we, the March Madness betting public a great chance to make some great coin on some fantastic props. Check out our Sweet 16 prop picks for the biggest games of the season to date!

Marquette/North Carolina Over/Under 10.5 Three Point Field Goals
It just seems like every single NCAA Tournament game is featuring at least 20 threes right now, and North Carolina has been engaged in two battles thus far that have been indicative of that. Sure, the Golden Eagles will be able to slow the Tar Heels down just a bit, but when push comes to shove, Marquette probably has to hit this many three pointers by itself just to be able to stay in this one. Harrison Barnes definitely isn’t shy about uncorking the three balls, and neither is a man like Kendrick Marshall. Carolina doesn’t take all that many threes over the course of a game, but it does knock down a good chunk of what it takes. Just like seemingly every other tourney game, this one will go Over 10.5 Three Point Field Goals (-140 at Hollywood Sportsbook).

John Henson Over/Under 25.5 Points + Rebounds + Blocked Shots
Henson isn’t normally a fantastic offensive weapon for the Tar Heels, but he has really come alive over the course of these two games in the dance. We tend to believe that he is going to end up with somewhere around 15 blocks and boards combined, which really should leave this prop coming down to whether or not he is going to score 11 points or not. We just don’t see how he won’t do that, especially in a game that should be featuring UNC overpowering Marquette on the inside. The Golden Eagles just don’t have enough bigs to be able to duke it out with Henson, Harrison Barnes, and Tyler Zeller, and this could be another one of these 20 point nights for Henson. Go with him to end up going Over 25.5 Points + Rebounds + Blocks (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) against a relatively weak set of Marquette post players.

Jared Sullinger Over/Under 26.5 Points + Rebounds
Interesting prop here. Sullinger is clearly one of the most dominating big men in the entire country, and when he is on the court, he is a real nightmare to try to defend. Many think that he is better than Greg Oden was when the Buckeyes ran all the way to the finale against the Florida Gators a few years back. Sullinger hasn’t really had the benefit of playing a full game in this dance, and we haven’t seen his fullest potential. We know that Kentucky can go big for big with the Buckeyes, but can it really keep up on the inside? We’re just not all that sure that Josh Harrellson is holding his own against the big fella in the post. As long as he stays out of foul trouble (and he usually does), there’s no reason to think that this is anything but a double-double performance for Sullinger. He’ll fly Over 26.5 Points + Rebounds (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) in this battle against the Wildcats.

Joey Rodriguez Over/Under 15.5 Points + Assists
Everyone is getting caught up in the types of games that Rodriguez has had in the first week of this tournament. Sure, he averaged over 12 points and right around eight helpers per game in these first three games, but this is a significantly longer and more athletic Florida State team that he is going against now. The men that has to pass through are significantly bigger and tend to get their hands on the basketball more often than not. The Noles not only hold teams down to the worst field goal percentage in the game, but they also allow the fewest assists as well. Rodriguez has his work cut out for him to get to this number. Expect him to stay Under 15.5 Points + Assists (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) versus the Seminoles.

The four games in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night give we, the March Madness betting public a great chance to make some great coin on some fantastic props. Check out our Sweet 16 prop picks for the biggest games of the season to date!

Jimmer Fredette Over/Under 31.5 Points
There is the point of ridiculousness, and we think that we have hit it. The Florida Gators play some absolutely fantastic defense, and they certainly learned their lessons from last year’s game against these BYU Cougars. Not just one, but all five bodies on the court need to be aware of where Jimmer Fredette is at all times. Sure, Fredette went off for 37 in this fixture last year in the first round of the dance, and yes, he has gone beyond this total in both of the first two games in this tournament, but this is a significantly different challenge. Will Fredette inch up near here scoring average of around 28 points per game? Quite possibly. But are the odds on his side to get to 32? Certainly not. Go with Fredette to score Under 31.5 Points (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) in the Sweet 16.

Derrick Williams Over/Under 18.5 Points
The thing about Williams is that he is so much more than just a big body on the inside that can throw down some thunderous dunks. We know that Williams is good for that as well, but he can stroke it from the outside and is a great foul shooter as well. The Duke Blue Devils are going to have a hard time containing this big man on the inside, as this is the first time since having to deal with the bigs of the North Carolina Tar Heels that they have had to defend a man like this. If the Arizona Wildcats are pulling off this upset and getting into the Elite 8, this is the man that really needs to be at his best. The big time players shine in the big time games, and Williams will end up going Over 18.5 Points (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) against a relatively weak set of Duke post players.

Matt Howard Over/Under 23.5 Points + Rebounds
Howard has a couple of things going for him right now. The first is that he really is coming off of one of the best games of his career against the Pitt Panthers. The second is that he is really the icon on a team that has found a way to amazingly overachieve quite a bit over the course of these last two seasons on a consistent basis. Howard doesn’t have the talent for the Butler Bulldogs to be able to outclass other teams, but just like his teammates, he just works really hard and often gets the stats to show stardom. However, foul trouble is a problem on a regular basis, and Head Coach Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers know all about it. Howard has the tendency of picking up some ticky tack fouls in the paint, and the Badgers are just going to be relentless about it. Once he’s out of the lineup, we have nothing left to worry about. Howard’s not going for a double-double in this one, and as a result, against one of the best defenses in the country, he’s staying Under 23.5 Points + Rebounds (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) in this battle against the Badgers.

Keaton Nankivil Over/Under 12 Points + Rebounds
Nankivil has sort of become the forgotten man for the Badgers, and we’re really not all that sure as to why. He has only scored a grand total of 13 points in his last three games, but this could be a totally different case. At 6’8″ and 240 pounds, Nankivil can really dominate the paint against an undersized Butler team that was dominated on the glass against the Pittsburgh Panthers just a few days ago. He’s got the mojo to be able to both score and rebound, and he is averaging 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game to show for it. If nothing else, Ryan will want him on the court to give another man to frustrate Howard, and that means plenty of driving to the hoop and getting down and dirty on the boards. This is the specialty of Nankivil. He’ll come out of nowhere and post a huge game to go Over 12 Points + Rebounds (-115 at Hollywood Sportsbook) versus the Bulldogs.

The NCAA Tournament continues into its second weekend starting on Thursday, and before you make your Sweet 16 picks, be sure to check out this March Madness trends and picks sheet to help you out through the big weekend on the collegiate hardwood.

Thursday, March 24th, 7:15 ET: #3 Connecticut Huskies vs. #2 San Diego State Aztecs
March Madness Odds: Connecticut -1
March Madness Trends of Note
The Huskies have covered four straight games as favorites
Connecticut is 6-0 ATS in its last six against teams with a winning percentage above .600
The Aztecs are 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600

NCAA Tournament Notes
The Huskies are putting on one of the more remarkable runs that we have ever seen a team go on in the postseason, as they won seven games and covered seven spreads in a span of just 12 days against some of the best teams in the land. Kemba Walker just seems to be unconscious right now, and the argument could be made that he is the most important player left in this tournament. The Aztecs have only won two NCAA Tournament games in their history, both of which happened to be here in this tournament. SDSU will have the decided home court advantage playing in Anaheim. These two teams have never met before on the hardwood.

Thursday, March 24th, 7:27 ET: #3 BYU Cougars vs. #2 Florida Gators
March Madness Odds: Florida -3
March Madness Trends of Note
BYU is just 30-62-2 ATS in its last 94 games as an underdog
The Gators are 6-0 ATS in their last six NCAA Tournament games as favorites
Florida is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games following an SU victory

NCAA Tournament Notes
Could it be sweet revenge in the Sweet 16 for the Gators? Head Coach Billy Donovan hopes so, as these Cougars knocked the Gators out of the dance last season the first round in a 99-92 game that was decided in overtime. Both of these teams look remarkably similar to their forms from last season, as the only real absence from last year is Brandon Davies, who was kicked off of the BYU roster a few weeks ago. Still, the Gators have a great history here in the Sweet 16, and they are trying to make it back to their fourth Final Four in the Donovan era. BYU is just trying to prove that it belongs and that it should have been the No. 2 seed of these two teams in this region.

Thursday, March 24th, 9:45 ET: #5 Arizona Wildcats vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils
March Madness Odds: Duke -8.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Wildcats are just 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the ACC
Duke has covered five in a row against the Pac-10
The Blue Devils are 6-2 ATS in their last eight NCAA Tournament games

NCAA Tournament Notes
The Blue Devils have all to play for right now, as they are just four steps away from retaining their National Championship, something that many didn’t give them that great of a chance to do just last week. The trick is going to be coping with the long trip out to Anaheim, as Arizona will have a decided home court edge, just as SDSU will against UConn earlier in the night. The Wildcats have now won two games thanks to the prowess of Derrick Williams in the post, and he is going to be the key, while the Dookies are going to hope that the good health of Kyrie Irving can set them apart in this one. These two last met in 2001 in the National Championship Game, and Duke knocked off the Wildcats 82-72 as short four point underdogs.

Thursday, March 24th, 9:57 ET: #8 Butler Bulldogs vs. #4 Wisconsin Badgers
March Madness Odds: Wisconsin -4.5
March Madness Trends of Note
Butler has covered six straight March Madness betting battles
Wisconsin is 5-1 ATS in its last six games played outside of the Big Ten
The Bulldogs are 21-5-2 ATS in their last 28 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600

NCAA Tournament Notes
Butler really has a great chance of pulling off the upset in this one if it can shoot the ball as well as it has in its first two games in this tournament against the Old Dominion Monarchs and Pittsburgh Panthers, especially late in games from long range. This is largely the same team that was in the finale last season that lost by a whisker, save for the fact that sharpshooter Gordon Hayward is now in the NBA. The Badgers haven’t had a great history once they reach this point in the dance, but they do have a tremendous defensive team and one that can really shoot free throws in clutch spots. If it’s a close game, Wisconsin will have the huge upper hand. Back in January 2001, Butler went into the Kohl Center and knocked off the Badgers 58-44 in the most recent meeting of these two Midwest schools.

Friday, March 25th, 7:15 ET: #11 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. #2 North Carolina Tar Heels
March Madness Odds: North Carolina -4.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Golden Eagles are 23-11 ATS in their last 34 games against teams with a winning percentage greater than .600.
North Carolina is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games in the NCAA Tournament
The Tar Heels are 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games overall

NCAA Tournament Notes
UNC really has had the look of an incredibly dominating team of late, as it really hasn’t played a truly remarkable game since the regular season finale against the Duke Blue Devils. Still, the Heels have a great set of bigs to work with that can get the job done on the inside (John Henson and Tyler Zeller) and on the outside (Harrison Barnes). Marquette is quickly developing into the sweetheart of this tournament, especially knowing that it has 14 losses to its credit already this season. Still, of all of the Big East teams that were in this field, this is clearly the least likely one to do any further damage and would be the most surprising team to reach the Final Four.

Friday, March 25th, 7:27 ET: #12 Richmond Spiders vs. #1 Kansas Jayhawks
March Madness Odds: Kansas -10.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Spiders are 10-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall
Kansas is 4-0 ATS in its last four games against the Atlantic 10
The Jayhawks are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 NCAA Tournament tussles as favorites of 7.0-12.5 points

NCAA Tournament Notes
These two teams do have a history with one another, and you can bet that the Spiders will not be intimidated by going against the No. 1 seed in the Southwest Bracket. Richmond won at Allen Fieldhouse back in 2004, scoring a 69-68 triumph. Little did we know that Kansas was going to eventually roll off 69 straight wins there through this season. Still, these two teams are built totally differently, as the Spiders really need to play this game in the 60s to have success, while the Jayhawks are content to run and gun into the 70s or even into the 80s. Kansas, of course, is still working to try to erase the memory of that brutal loss in the second round last year to the Northern Iowa Panthers, and you can bet that Head Coach Bill Self will have this team ready even though Richmond is another “mid major” team.

Friday, March 25th, 9:45 ET: #4 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #1 Ohio State Buckeyes
March Madness Odds: Ohio State -5.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Big Ten
Ohio State is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games following an SU win of 20 or more points
The Buckeyes are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 March Madness matches as favorites

NCAA Tournament Notes
This is one of the most intriguing games of the entire tournament to date, as this one pits one of the No. 1 seeds from last year’s tournament in Kentucky, against the No. 1 overall seed in the dance in Ohio State. The talent is there for these two to really put on a tremendous show, as both teams definitely have the full complement of big guys and sharpshooters. Either one could win a game in the 50s just as easily as it could win one in the 90s. One thing is for sure, and that’s that there certainly will be no lack of talent on display. Both of these teams have played some absolutely fantastic basketball to reach this point, and you can bet that both will want to put their best foot forward to get into the Elite 8.

Friday, March 25th, 9:57 ET: #11 VCU Rams vs. #10 Florida State Seminoles
March Madness Odds: Florida State -3.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Rams are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last seven games in the NCAA Tournament
VCU is 5-1 ATS in its last six games against ACC opponents
Florida State is 2-6 ATS in its last eight neutral site games as a favorite

NCAA Tournament Notes
This is certainly the most unlikely of the eight matchups in the Sweet 16, as it isn’t all that often that we see a pair of double digit seeds pitted against each other, especially this late on. The Rams are the Cinderella stories for sure, as they had to come out of the First Four to reach this point. They’ve done so with great shooting from the outside and a tenacious full court defense, and the Georgetown Hoyas and Purdue Boilermakers haven’t even stayed remotely close to them. As a result, Head Coach Shaka Smart, who is suddenly the hottest young coaching commodity out there, has his team in the Sweet 16 for the first time Florida State had never won an NCAA Tournament game under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton before this year. This is its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1998 when it was ironically also a double digit seed. Chris Singleton is hoping to be able to make full contributions for the Seminoles this week after playing limited minutes in the first two rounds of the dance. FSU’s defense has been second to none in this tournament, as the Texas A&M Aggies and Notre Dame Fighting Irish just had no chance of getting around this very athletic team.