The 2021 NCAA Tournament resumes play this weekend with the Sweet 16 Round. There are four games on Saturday’s slate followed by four more showdowns on Sunday to determine next week’s matchups in each of the four region finals.

Through the first five days of play in this year’s Big Dance, underdogs have covered the spread more than 58% of the time. The total has stayed UNDER in more than 54% of the games.

These are two betting trends that could continue into this weekend’s eight contests on the betting board.

Saturday’s Sweet 16 Best Bet:

Villanova Wildcats vs. Baylor Bears Pick

Villanova vs. Baylor Betting Report

Best Bet: Wildcats +6.5

This No. 5 vs. No. 1 matchup in the South Region is slated for a 5:15 p.m. (ET) tip on CBS. The Wildcats limped into this tournament with a significant injury situation. The biggest loss was guard Collin Gillespie as their best all-around player. While the outlook for a deep run in this year’s Big Dance were rather dire, a few breaks have gone Villanova’s way.

After beating No. 12 Winthrop by 10 points in the opener as six-point favorites, the Wildcats ran past North Texas 84-61 in the second round as six-point favorites again. The first real test comes Saturday against the best team in the region.

The reality of being woefully out-gunned by the Bears could quickly set in. However, I am going with Villanova and the points on tournament experience and coaching alone. Jay Wright will have his team ready no matter which players are in the starting lineup. Baylor should advance on with the SU win but it is going to have to work harder than expected to get it.

The Wildcats are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games against a team from the Big 12. They are also 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games closing as underdogs.

Baylor has failed to cover the closing spread in six of its last nine games. It closed as a favorite in all nine of those contests.

Sunday’s Sweet 16 Best Bet:

Oregon Ducks vs. USC Trojans Pick

Oregon vs. USC Betting Report

Best Bet: Ducks +1

This was the Sunday game that caught my eye from a betting standpoint. It is not that often that two conference rivals get a chance to face one another in the Sweet 16. No. 7 Oregon got a free pass in the opening round when VCU had to drop out due to health protocol issues. The Ducks made the most of this break to run past Iowa 95-80 in the next round as five-point underdogs.

USC is the No. 6 seed in the West. It rolled past Drake 72-56 in its tournament opener as a seven-point favorite ahead of dismantling Kansas 85-51 as a slight 1.5-point favorite on Monday.

The Trojans won the only head-to-head matchup in the regular season 72-58 at home as 3.5- point favorites. Over the past 10 meetings between the two Pac-12 rivals, the series is split 5-5 both SU and ATS.

The current momentum also appears to be in USC’s favor with the quality of its first two wins. Yet, Oregon’s big upset over Iowa is also a huge momentum builder for this team. I have the Ducks coming out on top this time around in a nail-biter.

Oregon has a 17-1 record ATS in its last 18 games played in March. The Trojans have failed to cover in five of their last six games played on a Sunday.

Get the best March Madness odds to increase your profits from college basketball betting.