It seems like the 2021 March Madness Tournament began just yesterday, but we’ve already arrived at the Elite Eight. The Sweet 16 was as exciting as the rest of the tournament has been so far. That includes a fair share of dominant performances, as well as unexpected upsets.
On Monday, basketball and sports betting fans will get to see two Elite Eight matchups. The first one will be the Midwest Region finals as No. 2 Houston will take on No. 12 Oregon State. The second game is the South Region finals as No. 1 Baylor and No. 3 Arkansas will square off to advance to the Final Four.
BetOnline has released odds for each game as usual. Scroll on to see which schools are favored to continue their March Madness quest.
Elite Eight: Midwest Region Finals
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, March 29
Houston (#2) vs. Oregon State (#12)
- Point Spread: Houston -7.5 (-115) vs. Oregon State +7.5 (-105)
- Moneyline: Houston -335, Oregon State +285
- Over/Under: Over 129.5 (-110), Under 129.5 (-110)
In a region where No. 1 Illinois was projected to be a championship contender, Houston and Oregon State will clash in the Elite Eight. Houston is coming off of a dominant performance over Syracuse, defeating them 62-46. Houston’s played well defensively and even outrebounded their opponents 40-31 last round.
However, just because Houston held Syracuse to 46 points doesn’t mean their performance was flawless. The second-seed did not shoot the ball well in their victory. The team had .383/.269/.643 shooting splits. While that was good enough to beat a Syracuse team that shot the ball worse than that, it may not be good enough to advance from the Elite Eight.
On the other hand, nobody expected Oregon State to make it this far, but they have. They defeated the fourth and fifth-seeded teams before defeating No. 8 Loyola Chicago in the Sweet 16. Guard Ethan Thompson led the way for his team, putting up 22 points. That was the second game in a row that Thompson led the team in points, so, if Houston wants to win, they may have to focus on shutting him down.
Then again, if Houston has another shooting performance like they did last round, they may want to focus on doing that well before worrying about what Oregon State does.
Elite Eight: South Region Finals
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, March 29
Baylor (#1) vs. Arkansas (#3)
- Point Spread: Baylor -7.5 (-110) vs. Arkansas +7.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Baylor -375, Arkansas +305
- Over/Under: Over 148 (-110), Under 148 (-110)
In one of the bigger matchups of March Madness so far, Baylor and Arkansas will face each other in the Elite Eight on Monday night. It shouldn’t be surprising to see Baylor as the -375 moneyline favorite. They have some of the best odds to win the entire tournament. They’ve also outscored their opponents 217-169 so far, including a 62-51 win over Villanova last round. That game was won by Baylor’s defense, as they recorded eight steals and five blocks while forcing Villanova to turn the ball over 16 times.
Arkansas will attempt to stop Baylor’s NCAA national championship dreams. They’re coming off of a 72-70 win over No. 15 Oral Roberts. It’s their second two-point win in a row. They’re in for a potential shootout with Baylor, as both teams are some of the best offensive schools in the nation. Baylor averaged 83.0 points per game this season (6th) while Arkansas averaged 81.7 (11th).
Even if it’s a high-scoring contest, Baylor is still projected to win because they’ve dealt with their opponents far easier than Arkansas has. If they want to advance from the Elite Eight, Arkansas will have to play the best basketball that they have in March Madness so far.
