Author: Martin Derbyshire

March Madness betting is certainly heating up.

After the first two action-packed rounds this past weekend, the field is down to just 16 teams remaining.

Your bracket may already be busted, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on all the Sweet 16 action.

In fact, you can still bet on all the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at NJ sportsbooks this upcoming weekend. The Sweet 16 games will tip off this week, March 28 and March 29.

Sweet 16 game odds at NJ sportsbooks

Here’s how the lines on the eight Sweet 16 games opened at BetStars NJ, DraftKings Sportsbook, and FanDuel Sportsbook:

Note: BS= BetStars NJ; DK= DraftKings Sportsbook; FD= FanDuel Sportsbook; S= Spread; M= Moneyline; T= Total

Of course, you can always put together two or more of these bets as a part of a parlay for a chance at increasing your winnings.

Plus, NJ online sportsbooks still have futures markets open allowing you to bet on who will get through each region and who will win it all.

No surprises but one Cinderella story

The first two rounds of the tournament went pretty much according to the seeding. In fact, all but two of the teams that made it to the Sweet 16 are No. 1 through No. 4 seeds.

Courtesy of a win over the Midwest Region’s No. 4 seed Kansas, Auburn advanced as a No. 5 seed.

Plus, Oregon established itself as the only true Cinderella story so far.

The Ducks beat the South Region’s No. 5 seed Wisconsin in Round 1. Then, after No. 13 UC Irvine tried on the glass slipper by beating No. 4 Kansas State in Round 1, Oregon took it from them, beating the Anteaters by 19 to advance.

As a No. 12 seed, this PAC-12 Tournament-winning Oregon team is the only one in the Sweet 16 higher than a No. 5 seed.

March Madness Sweet 16’s best bets

If you believe this Cinderella story will include the fairy-tale ending, you can get +11000 on Oregon to win the title at FanDuel Sportsbook, or +10000 at BetStars NJ.

Of course, Duke is still the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament, despite barely scraping by Central Florida in the second round.

You can get Duke at +240 to win it all on BetStars NJ and +220 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Looking at the individual game lines posted above, there is one total that sticks out. North Carolina and Auburn were part of posting totals of 161, 140, 155, and 164 in each team’s first and second round games.

As a result, the top NJ online and mobile sportsbooks have the total line for this Sweet 16 matchup posted at anywhere from 160.5 to 163. It’s the highest total of all eight Sweet 16 games. It’s an invite for anyone thinking to bet the under on the chance North Carolina and Auburn are going to step up the defense going forward.

Although, if both teams’ hot shooting continues, the over may be the sharp play.

Who’s hot?

Momentum is real in the NCAA Tournament.

For sharp sports bettors, the seeding means less in the Sweet 16 than any other time. The teams that win aren’t always the higher seeds. They are the teams that are playing the best. The ones with momentum on their side.

Oregon certainly fits the mold here. The Ducks won eight straight heading into the tournament, including four games in four days to win the PAC-12 Tournament.

Now Oregon faces a No. 1 seeded Virginia team that has already proven it can be upset. Remember, Virginia became the first No. 1 seed in history to lose to a No. 16 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

Plus, Virginia was the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament this season but lost to No. 13 Florida State in the tournament semifinals.

The 7.5 to 8.5 point spreads posted at the top NJ sportsbooks for this game look like a real opportunity. Plus, if you can get anywhere from +295 to +320 on the Oregon moneyline that might not be a bad play either.

Who’s not?

In the meantime, that plucky Florida State team that beat Virginia in the ACC Tournament ultimately lost to Duke in the final and came into March Madness as a No. 4 seed.

Now, the Seminoles face a top-seeded Gonzaga squad that also happened to be upset in its conference tournament.

You can get anywhere from 6.5 to 8 points at the top NJ sportsbooks betting on Florida State, which might be a tad high. Plus, there appears to be some value in the Florida State moneyline at anywhere from +260 to +300.

Take a good look at the Sweet 16 lines and you might find some other great March Madness spots to get your money down good. Put a little something on the line and there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy the rest of the NCAA tournament more than ever before.

Filling out a March Madness bracket ahead of Thursday’s first-round NCAA Tournament tip-off can be a daunting task.

After all, you have to pick winners in 63 games and you’ve got just a few days (or sometimes a few hours) to do it. It’s enough to make the heads of even the most dedicated college basketball fans spin.

Thankfully, even without that NCAA knowledge, NJ sportsbook apps are here to help.

How oddsmakers can help with bracket picks

In fact, the moneyline odds and point spread information that NJ sportsbooks post for every single NCAA Tournament game can actually give you all the help you need in filling out a bracket.

These moneyline odds and point spreads are put together by oddsmakers with in-depth knowledge about the world of college basketball.

Think of them as NCAA experts. Then, lean on their expertise to help you make your picks.

Of course, oddsmakers aren’t always right, but they’ll be out of a job if they’re wrong too often. So, you can feel confident in using the information available at legal New Jersey sports betting sites to help you make the majority of your March Madness picks.

Then, identify some of the closer games made pick’ems by oddsmakers and go with your gut.

Start with spreads

Start with the biggest point spreads.

Look for the teams that oddsmakers are making massive first-round favorites, then pencil them into the second round at the very least.

For example, FanDuel Sportsbook has Kentucky posted as 22.5-point favorites over Abilene Christian in the first round. That means before you even learn how to spell Abilene Christian correctly you should be slotting Kentucky’s name into the second round on your bracket.

In fact, knowing Kentucky is such a huge first-round favorite might make you want to think about writing them into the Sweet 16 at least.

In the meantime, over on BetStars NJ, you’ll find Michigan State as 18.5-point favorites over Bradley.

Basically, anything over 10 points means oddsmakers think a team is a lock to win and win big. That means writing the words Michigan State in permanent ink in the second round slot on your bracket is far from a bad idea.

Move to the moneylines

The same oddsmakers are using the same information to put together moneylines as well. Therefore, you can just as easily lean on the moneylines to help you fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket.

Most NJ sportsbooks apps have moneylines posted for more than just the individual games.

For example, you can bet on No. 1 seed Duke to win the East Region at -182 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

That means you’d have to bet $182 just to win $100 plus your $182 back. No team is more of a favorite to win its region.

So, that should give you some indication that slotting Duke in all the way to the Final Four on your bracket is likely a sharp move.

Of course, browsing through the odds you’re bound to run into games with much tighter lines.

Sometimes the odds say go with your gut

Taking a look at the 8/9 matchup of Baylor versus Syracuse, we can see BetStars has Syracuse as two-point favorites and -137 on the moneyline. Baylor gets the two points and sits at +120.

Lines like this indicate oddsmakers figure there isn’t much to choose between the two teams. Syracuse is the favorite, but it’s a lot closer to being a pick’em game than most.

If you’re looking to fill out your bracket using NJ sportsbook app odds you can do one of two things here.

The first is to shop around to see if any other New Jersey gambling sites have much different odds posted on the game.

The second is to just go with your gut. Is the voice inside your head telling you a traditional college basketball powerhouse like Syracuse is ready to make another NCCA Tournament run?

Or, is it saying a team that hasn’t made the Final Four since 1950 is finally due?

Finish with futures

Finally, stand back and take a look at the big picture.

It’s a good idea to go game-by-game when first filling out your bracket using NJ sportsbook app odds. Then, compare the teams you have running deep to the futures odds posted by those sportsbooks.

NCAA futures are bets on a single team to win the national championship this year and a good way to tell who oddsmakers think are the favorites to go all the way.

If you find your bracket contains three Final Four teams posted at +100000 right now, you might want to rethink things a little. The teams with a realistic chance of making the Final Four probably have futures odds sitting at less than +10000 currently.

The final thing to note is that in New Jersey, sportsbooks are prohibited from taking action on any game involving an NJ college or university team.

So since Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall have made it into the First Round of play, be advised that they are off the board (OTB) at all 23 sports betting sites.

Good luck putting together your NCAA Tournament bracket with a little help from the best NJ sportsbook apps in the business.

In the meantime, here’s a look at the NCAA futures odds at the top three sportsbook apps in NJ to get you started:

East Region

West Region

Midwest Region

South Region