Intern Pat's Gambling Guide to Tonight's Games

Kix Note: I don't watch or follow college basketball, even during March Madness and I have never gambled on a sporting event in my life so this all means nothing to me but I stand by my guy Intern Pat. I guarantee all these picks are correct. Also I picked South Carolina over Duke in my bracket. What's up.

Tonight marks week 2 of the NCAA Tournament when Michigan and Oregon tip off at 7:05. Most people have had their brackets busted already and if you’re looking for another way to keep the tournament fun, look no further.

This is the gambler’s guide to the Sweet 16.

Michigan (-1.5) vs. Oregon (o/u 148) Kansas City, MO 7:05 Eastern

#7 seed Michigan opens up tonight as 2 point favorites when they take on the #3 Oregon Ducks. It’s the only game that has the lower seed as the favorite but it does make a lot of sense. Michigan is the hottest team in basketball as they’ve won 7 in a row and 12 of their last 14. The matchup of guards Derrick Walton Jr. and Tyler Dorsey will surely be a memorable one and I expect this game to be tight down the stretch. The Wolverines are the Big 10 champions and are a team of destiny, but Oregon forward Dillon Brooks is the PAC-12 Player of the Year and I think Oregon will advance to the Elite 8 on Saturday night.

MY PICK: Oregon (+1.5) Over (148)

West Virginia vs. Gonzaga (-3.5) (o/u 150) San Jose, CA 7:35 Eastern

The second game of the night is #4 West Virginia Mountaineers facing off against the #1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Bulldogs were one game short of a perfect season and have played great basketball all season long. But Bob Huggins and his Mountaineers are much more athletic and quick. “Press Virginia” as they’ve become known, have made opposing teams turn the ball over at will all tournament and they forced Notre Dame to double their season average in their second round matchup. Gonzaga has the advantage inside but are 5-5 against the spread in their last 10 games and I think West Virginia will use their athleticism and depth to run Gonzaga out of the gym.

MY PICK: West Virginia (+3.5) Under (150)

Purdue vs. Kansas (-5.5) (o/u 155) Kansas City, MO 9:35 Eastern

Kansas was the most impressive team of the tournament so far in my opinion. The Jayhawks came in as a top seed but many people picked them to be the first #1 seed to be upset. Frank Mason has played extremely well all season long and his Jayhawk teammates have stepped up as well, most notably, freshman Josh Jackson. Purdue has been a huge surprise in this tournament, defeating Vermont, who had a 21 game win streak at the time, and a very talented Iowa State team. The game will be played 40 miles away from Phog Allen Field House and will virtually be a Kansas home game, so I like them to win fairly easily.

MY PICK: Kansas (-5.5) Over (155)

Xavier vs. Arizona (-7.5) (o/u 145) San Jose, CA 10:05 Eastern

#11 Xavier has been the Cinderella Story of this year’s tournament and has their toughest matchup yet with the #2 seed Arizona Wildcats. Arizona coach Sean Miller is coaching against his former team yet again, after leaving Xavier in 2009 to coach the Wildcats. If Xavier can continue to shoot the 3 at a high level they will have a great chance at winning. They looked great against Maryland and Florida State but both of those teams struggled to defend for most of the year and were not playing great basketball come tournament time. I don’t think Xavier wins the game but they will for sure keep it close and cover the spread.

MY PICK: Xavier (+7.5) Over (145)