March Madness 2019: Breaking Down Sunday's 2nd-Round Schedule and Odds
March 24, 2019
On Sunday, eight second-round matchups will trim the NCAA tournament field to 16 teams, concluding a four-day stretch that featured 96 first- and second-round games to truly kick off March Madness.
There will be three No. 1 seeds in action on Sunday, all coming from the ACC—Duke, North Carolina and Virginia. It's also guaranteed that there will be one team seeded as a No. 12 or higher in the Sweet 16 as No. 12 seed Oregon and No. 13 seed UC Irvine play in the final game of the day.
On Saturday, there weren't many surprises, as the higher seed won in seven of the eight games. The only exception was No. 5 seed Auburn beating No. 4 seed Kansas.
Bracket
Sunday Schedule, Odds (All Times ET)
No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 2 Tennessee (-8), 12:10 p.m., CBS
Tennessee will look to become the fourth No. 2 seed to advance to the Sweet 16 this year, while Iowa aims to continue the Big Ten's early March Madness success.
The Vols beat No. 15 seed Colgate in the first round, but they won by just seven points. They'll be looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2014.
On Saturday, three Big Ten teams—No. 2 seeds Michigan and Michigan State and No. 3 seed Purdue—won its second-round matchups. The Hawkeyes will look to become the fourth team from the conference to advance to the Sweet 16, where it would face Big Ten rival Purdue.
Pick: Iowa
No. 9 Washington vs. No. 1 North Carolina (-11.5), 2:40 p.m., CBS
North Carolina beat No. 16 seed Iona 88-73 in the first round, but the Tar Heels had some surprising early struggles. They may need to get off to a better start to avoid getting upset by Washington, the regular-season Pac-12 champion.
"Once we picked it up defensively, we got easy buckets in transition," North Carolina freshman forward Nassir Little said, according to the Associated Press. "Guys were being more aggressive taking it to the basket, putting pressure on their guys, getting people in foul trouble, and that's how we were able to get away."
Although the Tar Heels had a few struggles, they've only lost two of their last 18 games, and they're not going to lose this early in the tournament.
Pick: North Carolina
No. 9 UCF vs. No. 1 Duke (-13.5), 5:15 p.m., CBS
Duke's quest to win the national championship continues with a second-round matchup against UCF, which is coached by former Blue Devils standout Johnny Dawkins.
The Knights are coming off the first March Madness win in program history, a first-round victory over VCU.
However, this will be the end of UCF's season as Duke's talented freshman trio of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish will carry the Blue Devils into the Sweet 16.
Pick: Duke
No. 6 Buffalo vs. No. 3 Texas Tech (-4), 6:10 p.m., TNT
Buffalo has two NCAA tournament victories in program history, and both came against Pac-12 schools—against Arizona in the first round last year and No. 11 seed Arizona State in this year's first round. The Bulls will now look to take down Texas Tech for their 14th consecutive win.
The Red Raiders beat No. 14 seed Northern Kentucky in the first round, relying on defense to do so. The Norse committed 17 turnovers and shot 37.1 percent. Expect more of that from Texas Tech as it beats Buffalo in the second round.
After a disappointing loss to West Virginia in the Big 12 tournament, Texas Tech could now be getting back on track.
"Put that behind us, learned and burned," Red Raiders sophomore guard Jarrett Culver said, according to the Associated Press. "We just focused on us, details, how we got so far and how we made a run in the Big 12 and how we got to the March Madness tournament."
Pick: Texas Tech
No. 12 Liberty vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech (-8.5), 7:10 p.m., TBS
Liberty scored an upset win over No. 5 seed Mississippi State in the first round, sparked by a 30-point performance from redshirt junior guard Caleb Homesley. Now, the Flames are taking on Virginia Tech, which beat No. 13 seed Saint Louis in the first round for its first NCAA tournament win since 2007.
The Hokies have never made the Sweet 16 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. They beat Liberty in a preseason exhibition, and they should defeat the Flames again to continue their March Madness run.
"We're embarking on a new chapter," Virginia Tech sophomore guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker said, according to The Roanoke Times. "It's March. As you see, upsets can happen at any time. So what you did before kind of doesn't matter anymore. It's win or go home."
Pick: Virginia Tech
No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Virginia (-11), 7:45 p.m., truTV
After losing to a No. 16 seed in last year's NCAA tournament, Virginia avoided having the same thing happen by beating Gardner-Webb in the first round. The Cavaliers trailed by double-digits in the first half, but they came back to win and advance to the second round.
"That will always be part of our story," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said, according to the Associated Press. "I understand that. I'm sure a lot of people thought it was going to be part of our story the second year in a row. But it's just now, this is a new year. This is trying to be in the moment, and that's a challenge to the best of your ability."
Oklahoma beat Ole Miss in the first round and will now look for an upset victory. However, Virginia should pull away late for a win.
Pick: Virginia
No. 11 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Houston (-6), 8:40 p.m., TNT
Another Big Ten team will have the opportunity to advance to the Sweet 16 on Sunday. Ohio State notched an upset win over No. 6 seed Iowa State, the Big 12 tournament champion, in the first round.
Now, the Buckeyes will take on a Houston team that has lost only three games this season. However, the Cougars have lost twice in March, both against NCAA tournament teams—UCF on March 2 and Cincinnati on March 17.
Ohio State will win to become the fifth and final Big Ten team to advance to the Sweet 16.
Pick: Ohio State
No. 13 UC Irvine vs. No. 12 Oregon (-4.5), 9:40 p.m., TBS
The final matchup of the second round is the only one that has two teams that each scored upset wins in the first round. UC Irvine beat No. 4 seed Kansas State, while Oregon beat No. 5 seed Wisconsin.
Both teams come in hot, as the Anteaters have won 17 straight games and the Ducks have won nine in a row.
"We're playing so hard right now and together," Oregon sophomore forward Kenny Wooten said, according to the Associated Press. "Our second half is better than our first on defense. We really jump on people."
Oregon will do that again to get back to the Sweet 16 for the third time in four seasons.
Pick: Oregon