2025 Mens’ Sweet 16 Basketball Odds and Predictions

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The 2025 March Madness tournament hasn’t been as thrilling as we’ve seen in past years. 

While that’s a bummer for people creating brackets and targeting huge upsets, it probably means we’re headed for a pretty fun NCAA Men’s Championship game.

Yes, those Cinderella teams are fun to root for and bet on. They make high upside College Basketball picks, but at the end of the day, those types of teams are proving this year that they were probably better off competing in the NIT Tournament.

Of course, we did get some upsets and more shocking outcomes could be on their way in the Sweet 16, in what has been an otherwise ho-hum first two rounds.

Ready to bet on the Sweet 16? Let’s check out the latest odds and come away with some predictions for who will advance to the Elite 8.

Sweet 16 Schedule

Looking to place some Sweet 16 bets? Make sure you stay ahead of the game with a look at our NCAA Sweet 16 schedule for the 2025 men’s tourney.

• BYU (6) vs. Alabama (2) – Thursday, March 27th (7:09 pm EST)
• Maryland (4) vs. Florida (1) – Thursday, March 27th (7:39 pm EST)
• Arizona (4) vs. Duke (1) – Thursday, March 27th (9:39 pm EST)
• Arkansas (10) vs. Texas Tech (3) – Thursday, March 27th (10:09 pm EST)
• Ole Miss (6) vs. Michigan State (2) – Friday, March 28th (7:09 pm EST)
• Kentucky (3) vs. Tennessee (2) – Friday, March 28th (7:39 pm EST)
• Michigan (5) vs. Auburn (1) – Friday, March 28th (9:39 pm EST)
• Purdue (4) vs. Houston (1) – Friday, March 28th (10:09 pm EST)

Sweet 16 Locations

Want to attend one of the remaining 2025 March Madness games in person, or simply want to factor location into your wagers? Here’s a quick look at where the Sweet 16 games will be played this year.

• South Region – State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA
• Midwest Region – Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN
• East Region – Prudential Center in Newark, NJ
• West Region – Chase Center in San Francisco, CA

Sweet 16 Bracket

The Sweet 16 odds look pretty great at first glance. You’ll have to put down quite a bit of money to get anything back if you bet on the #1 seeds, but there’s value in targeting their underdog opponents, too.

I don’t feel obligated to go against the 1-seeds for the most part, but I do spot one that I think can pull off the upset. It’s also March Madness, so literally any of these top teams can tumble, and you’re looking at +295 odds or greater, depending on which underdog you like the best.

Elsewhere, the pricing is pretty appealing. The Tennessee vs. Kentucky game looks incredibly difficult to call, while Ole Miss and Arkansas look like viable underdog picks to consider.

I already made my Sweet 16 picks in the table above. You can read on for more context, or check out the best handicappers available online for more advice before placing your 2025 March Madness bets.

Sweet 16 Predictions

Check out our NCAAB predictions for each Sweet 16 matchup:

East Region Sweet 16

The East Region has gone largely as expected, with BYU over Wisconsin being the only big upset and three of the top four seeds still fighting to advance.

Alabama Crimson Tide (-210) vs. BYU Cougars (+180)

• Spread: (+5) -107, (-5) -113
• Total: O 175 (-115), U 175 (-105)

Alabama is a sizable favorite when they meet up with BYU in the Sweet 16. The Crimson Tide are the two-seed in this region and they’ve looked rather explosive, scoring 90 and 80 points in two relatively easy wins.

BYU wasn’t really supposed to be here. They handled VCU in their opening game, but then delivered a huge upset over the three-seed Wisconsin Badgers in a wild 91-89 finish. The Cougars definitely have the offense (81.2 points per game) to hang with Alabama, but they’re not imposing defensively.

I wouldn’t say an upset is impossible, but Alabama is undeniably the better team. BYU needs this to be a shootout to win, and that scenario unfortunately still favors the Crimson Tide.

Bet: Alabama Crimson Tide (-210)

Duke Blue Devils (-415) vs. Arizona Wildcats (+335) 

• Spread: (+8.5) -106, (-8.5) -114
• Total: O 154 (-115), U 154 (-105)

Cooper Flagg and co. have not disappointed. The presumed #1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (if he declares) has been in fine form as the Duke Blue Devils have trounced their first two opponents of the tourney.

Duke hasn’t faced any resistance yet, but they’re also simply as good as advertised. They’ll face what looks to be a good and hungry Arizona Wildcats team that just survived a crazy 87-83 showdown with Oregon.

Arizona’s offense has looked fantastic so far, but their defense could be what has them packing up early. Duke, on the other hand, is elite from top to bottom. They rank 11th in scoring in the nation, and are also 4th in defensive scoring.

Cooper Flagg and Duke aren’t locks to win it all, but it’s highly unlikely they get tripped up in round three.

Bet: Duke Blue Devils (-415)

West Region Sweet 16

The West Region has had some big upsets, as Drake and Colorado State both won in the first rond, while 10-seed Arkansas aims to keep dancing.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (-225) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (+195)

• Spread: (+5.5) -110, (-5.5) -110
• Total: O 147.5 (-110), U 147.5 (-110)

John Calipari has started a revolution in Arkansas. The former Kentucky head coach started over with the Razorbacks this year, barely getting them into the Big Dance at a paltry 22-13.

Arkansas has not looked like a team that doesn’t belong so far, however, as the Razorbacks ousted Kansas in round one and took down the mighty St. John’s in round two.

It appears Calipari’s new crew are giant killers, and they’ll be looking to slay another when they face a balanced Red Raiders group. Texas Tech is a pretty big favorite, and it makes sense when you note they’re very good offensively, can shoot the lights out from outside, and also play strong defense.

Texas Tech is a legit sleeper pick to run the table, but Arkansas is one of the last legit Cinderella’s available in this tourney. Arkansas has turned it on of late, too, with their lone loss over their last six games coming to a good Ole Miss squad that’s still dancing.

Their main calling card is their perimeter defense (59th in the nation in three-point shooting allowed), while they could have a rebounding edge in this one.

Bet: Arkansas Razorbacks (+195)

Florida Gators (-280) vs. Maryland Terrapins (+235) 

• Spread: (+6.5) -107, (-6.5) -113
• Total: O 155.5 (-110), U 155.5 (-110)

The Florida Gators are another 1-seed that looks tough to beat. I feel like they’re even less likely to get bounced by the Terrapins, especially seeing as Maryland had a controversial win over Colorado State.

Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on in that debate, Maryland is overmatched here. The Gators needed to dig deep to get past the defending champion Huskies (77-75), but that was their eighth win in a row and this Florida team is a top-three offense that can kill you from anywhere on the floor.

Maryland is going to have an awfully difficult time keeping up in this one, especially since Florida tends to lock down the three ball (52nd in made threes allowed per game. I don’t see a path to an upset for the Terrapins, so I will be hammering Gators bets.

Bet: Florida Gators (-280)

Midwest Region Sweet 16

Things have gone just as planned in the Midwest Region, as all of the top four seeds have advanced, while McNeese (big first round upset) couldn’t stay hot in round two.

Houston Cougars (-365) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (+295)

• Spread: (+8) -112, (-8) -108
• Total: O 133.5 (-105), U 133.5 (-115)

It seems like Kelvin Sampson has Houston in position to make a title run every year, and yet every single season, something goes wrong.

There’s no denying that this year’s rendition of the Cougars is a good one. Houston has 32 wins and just four losses, and they haven’t lost a game since losing to Texas Tech by one back on February 1st.

Houston can have their lulls on offense, but they own the nation’s #1 three-point shooting squad in terms of accuracy, and nobody is better defensively. We did see them slip up a bit in a tight 81-76 win against Gonzaga, but they allowed just 40 points to their round one opponent.

Purdue was in the title game a year ago, but that’s about all they have going for them. Their defense has been good through two games, but they don’t have the offensive firepower to win a defensive battle with Houston.

Bet: Houston Cougars (-365)

Tennessee Volunteers (-182) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (+162)

• Spread: (+4) -112, (-4) -108
• Total: O 147 (-105), U 147 (-115)

Chasing upsets with teams like Purdue feels ill-advised, but it’s also just not necessary when a team like Kentucky can be had at a nice +162 price.

The Wildcats no longer have John Calipari running the show, but that hasn’t stopped them in March Madness so far, with Kentucky whooping Troy in round one and cruising past Illinois in round two.

Tennessee is a different beast, to be sure. The Vols have been very good defensively, and everyone knows defense is not Kentucky’s strong suit. However, Kentucky’s explosive offense (4th in scoring) gives them an edge here – especially when you see Tennessee has struggled in that regard so far in this tournament.

I like the Over in this one, but Kentucky also offers solid value.

Bet: Kentucky Wildcats (+162)

South Region Sweet 16

The top two seeds are still trucking along in the South Region, but they’ll face off with impressive 5-seed Michigan and 6-seed Ole Miss. 

Auburn Tigers (-365) vs. Michigan Wolverines (+295)

• Spread: (+8) -112, (-8) -108
• Total: O 153.5 (-110, U 153.5 (-110)

The #1 overall seed is unlikely to get bumped by Michigan. The Wolverines have done well to win the first two games, but they barely beat UC San Diego and Texas A&M gave them some trouble initially as well.

Michigan is in for a rude awakening in the Sweet 16, as Auburn is a dominant force emerging from the SEC, as they went 28-5 despite a brutal schedule. More specifically, the Tigers are as balanced as they come, bringing the country’s 6th best offense and 80th best defense to the table.

The Wolverines are going to have a tough time generating points against Auburn’s stingy perimeter defense, while the Tigers can be lights out in that department on the other end. I give credit to Michigan for getting this far, but they’re about to run into a brick wall.

Bet: Auburn Tigers (-365)

Michigan State Spartans (-155) vs. Ole Miss Rebels (+135)

• Spread: (+3) -108, (-3) -112
• Total: O 144 (-105), U 144 (-115)

Michigan State is shaping up to be a much better bet than Michigan. They are certainly the much safer play, although it’s worth noting that they were tested a bit too much by New Mexico in round two.

Tom Izzo’s crew has just one loss over their last 11 contests, and they’re actually pretty balanced. Their offense can run cold, but it still puts up over 78 points per game, and they offer serious bite (35th in scoring) on defense.

This is a team that can struggle with turnovers on offense, of course, while the Spartans can be prone to foul trouble. This might be bad news against Ole Miss, who rank 93rd in free throw attempts per game, and have an offense good enough to give Michigan State fits.

While true, they need to be perfect to get there. On paper, Ole Miss has impressed by winning in different ways to start the tourney. However, unless they can enforce their will and beat Michigan State’s defense via the charity stripe, I don’t see another logical path to an upset.

Bet: Michigan State Spartans (-155)