NCAA Tournament sweet 16 Thursday betting preview

After perhaps the most upset-filled first two rounds of an NCAA Tournament in history, the field is down to a Sweet 16. On Thursday, it’s action from the South Region at Philips Arena in Atlanta and West Region games from Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The South opener is surely a matchup that no one predicted in their bracket competitions: No. 11 Loyola-Chicago vs. No. 7 Nevada, with the Wolf Pack of the Mountain West as 1.5-point favorites. Nevada looked dead in the water in Sunday’s Round of 32 against No. 2 Cincinnati, trailing by 22 points with just over 11 minutes to play yet winning 75-73.

Nevada outscored the Bearcats, arguably the nation’s second-best defensive team behind shockingly eliminated South No. 1 seed Virginia, 32-8 to close the game. It tied for the second-biggest comeback win in NCAA Tournament history. The Wolf Pack also trailed by 14 points in the second half of the first round but beat Texas 87-83 in overtime. Nevada’s only previous regional semifinal appearance came in 2004.