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Illinois and Houston meet Thursday in the Sweet 16 at Toyota Center in Houston, with tipoff set for 10:05 PM ET on TBS and truTV. Illinois comes in at 26-8 after blowing out Penn and then handling VCU, while Houston is 30-6 after beating Idaho and Texas A&M. It is a clean 3-vs-2 matchup, and the market has treated it that way with Houston as a short favorite on a relatively modest total. This is one of the better betting games on the Sweet 16 board because the styles clash in a useful way. Illinois brings the bigger offensive ceiling and more perimeter scoring pop, while Houston still has the more trusted defensive identity and the better rebounding profile. When

Texas and Purdue meet Thursday in the Sweet 16, with this NCAA tournament matchup set for Mackey Arena in West Lafayette at 12:00 PM ET. Texas enters as the 11 seed at 18-14 after grinding its way into the second weekend, while Purdue is the 2 seed, ranked eighth in the AP poll, and sitting at 27-8 on the year. The Longhorns have enough offensive punch to make this dangerous, but Purdue brings the cleaner profile, the stronger season-long resume, and a home-court edge that matters in a spot like this. This number feels about right at first glance. Purdue is laying 7.5, and that reflects how efficient the Boilermakers have been offensively behind Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn. Texas,

Nebraska and Iowa meet Thursday in the Sweet 16, with a noon ET tip in a Big Ten matchup that should feel familiar from the opening possession. Nebraska enters at 28-6 after pushing through the first two rounds with another close tournament win, while Iowa is 23-12 and coming off a one-point escape over Florida after beating Clemson in the opener. The market has Nebraska as a short favorite, and that makes sense. The Huskers have been the steadier team over the full season, but Iowa has enough shot-making and enough late-game poise to make this uncomfortable. This is the kind of Sweet 16 game bettors usually like because the number is small, the teams know each other, and the

Arkansas and Arizona meet Thursday in the Sweet 16 at SAP Center in San Jose, with tipoff set for 12:00 PM ET in one of the highest-upside games on the board. Arkansas enters at 26-8 after pushing through the opening weekend, while Arizona brings a 32-2 mark and the profile of a true national title threat. This is a regional semifinal with real weight to it, and the market is treating it that way with Arizona laying 9.5 points. The matchup is easy to like from a betting perspective because both teams can score, both teams have NBA-level talent, and neither side is uncomfortable in a fast, high-pressure game. Arkansas has been playing with a ton of offensive confidence behind