Sweet 16 starts up Thursday

It might be hard to top the opening weekend of this NCAA Tournament for good action, crazy finishes, and short five-counts, but 16 teams, including UConn and San Diego State, who get it on Thursday night, will give it a shot this weekend, with berths in the Final Four at stake.

Things get re-started Thursday night with four regional semifinals. Connecticut, maybe the hottest team in the country at the moment, takes on San Diego State in a two vs. three seed matchup in the West region out in Anaheim (7:15 pm Eastern, CBS). Then in a two vs. three game in the Southeast the Florida Gators tangle with Jimmer Fredette and his BYU Cougars in New Orleans (7:27 pm Eastern, TBS). Later on back out West in a one vs. five bout the Duke Blue Devils will try to fend off the upset bid of the Arizona Wildcats (9:45 pm Eastern, CBS). And then those masters of the dramatic, the Butler Bulldogs, battle the Wisconsin Badgers in a four vs. eight game in the Southeast (9:57 Eastern, TBS).

Connecticut, now 28-9 straight-up and 20-11 vs. the oddsmaker.ag pointspreads this season, has won seven games in a row, almost every one in impressive fashion. The Huskies, after winning five games in five days to take the Big East Conference tournament title, opened this NCAA tournament with an 81-52 whipping of Bucknell. They then disposed of conference rival Cincinnati on Saturday night 69-58 to reach the Sweet 16 once again.

UConn has also played three UNDER games in a row, limiting their last three opponents to 59 PPG.

San Diego State, 34-2 SU and 22-12 vs. the numbers, has also won seven in a row. After claiming the Mountain West Conference tournament title the Aztecs opened the Big Dance with a 68-50 victory over Northern Colorado for the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win. SD State then outlasted Temple on Saturday night 71-64 in double overtime to reach the Sweet 16 for, obviously, the first time ever.

The Aztecs had played a couple of UNDER games in a row, and Saturday's game would have gone UNDER too had it ended in regulation. And if you exclude those two OT periods they played Saturday night, SD State has allowed just 53 PPG over its last three games.

As of Tuesday morning oddsmaker.ag is listing Connecticut as a 1-point favorite over San Diego State, with an OVER/UNDER of 129.5. And Florida is lined at -3 over BYU, with a total of 148.5. The Gators are also moneylined at -145, with the Cougs getting +125 to win straight-up.

Oddsmaker is chalking Duke at -9 over Arizona, with a total of 144.5. The Dukies are also moneylined at -520, with the 'Cats getting +410. And Wisconsin is listed at -4 over Butler, with an O/U of 123.5. The Badgers are also giving -190 on the moneyline, with the Bulldogs getting +160 to pull off another upset.

In regional betting at oddsmaker.ag Duke is now listed at -200 to win the West, followed by UConn at +300, San Diego State at +350, and Arizona at +800. Florida tops the betting in the Southeast at +150, followed by Wisconsin at +200, and Butler and BYU at +300.

And how does a free $50 wager on the winner of the NCAA Tournament sound? For more information bettors should visit the basketball betting menu at oddsmaker.ag.