The first four games of the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament are in the books, as the First Four matchups have reduced the number of teams from 68 to 64. Texas Southern, Drake, Norfolk State and UCLA all advanced in close matchups. UCLA’s win over Michigan State required a massive comeback and overtime; Drake and Norfolk State each won by a single point. Texas Southern had the easiest time of it, winning by eight.
Now let’s take a College Basketball betting look at the top matchups from Saturday’s round of 64 action.
NCAA News: Must Bet Games (March 20)
East Region
- #12 Georgetown vs #5 Colorado (12:15 pm ET, CBS)
The Georgetown Hoyas only had one path to the NCAA tournament, and that was to win the Big East Tournament. They won all four games, taking down Marquette, Villanova, Seton Hall and Creighton in succession — routing Creighton by 25 in the Big East final. In that win, Georgetown went on a 23-2 run to end the first half, going into the locker room up 18, and then they went on a 16-3 run to start the second half. That win finally put Georgetown above .500 — with all kinds of momentum heading into the Big Dance.
Colorado put together a six-game winning streak to reach the Pac-12 Tournament final, but they fell by two to Oregon State in the tournament final. Oregon State held off a late Colorado charge, getting within a bucket on McKinley Wright IV’s three-ball with 5.8 seconds left, but they could not get any closer. Colorado’s defense stumbled in the first half, and the offense could never catch up once the team settled in. Normally, their defense is stellar, so can they figure things out before they face the Hoyas? Georgetown to win.
West Region
- #9 Missouri vs #8 Oklahoma (7:25 pm ET, TNT)
Missouri split their last four games of the season, beating Georgia and losing to Arkansas in the SEC tournament. In that loss, Missouri led by one at the half, but then Arkansas pulled away in the second half to win by six. Missouri was led by 14 points from Xavier Pinson and 11 points and 11 boards from Kobe Brown. Even so, the Tigers had no answer for Arkansas’ J.D. Notae, who went off for 27 points.
The Tigers’ next test is the Oklahoma Sooners, who made this tournament on the basis of their early season play, including a big win at Kansas. Down the stretch, though, the Sooners lost five out of six, bowing out of the Big 12 Tournament in the second round, falling by seven to that same Kansas team. In that loss, Kansas was missing big man David McCormack due to COVID-19 protocols, but they were still able to turn up the defense late. Oklahoma got within three points with 3 ½ minutes left, but the Sooners would not score another basket until the last minute of the game. Missouri to win.
East Region
- #11 UCLA vs #6 BYU (9:40 pm ET, CBS)
UCLA follows up their First Four win over Michigan with a date with BYU in the first round. The Bruins trailed the Spartans by 11 at halftime but rallied to tie the game and then won in overtime, 86-80. Jaime Jaquez Jr led the Bruins with 27 points, going 11 of 20 from the floor. Jules Bernard pulled down seven rebounds. However, UCLA lost Johnny Juzang to an ankle injury, and he remains questionable for Saturday.
BYU went into the locker room at halftime of the WCC Championship up by a dozen over Gonzaga — the Bulldogs’ largest halftime deficit in three seasons. However, Gonzaga was able to flip the switch, as Jalen Suggs put up 23 points, including two big three-balls late, and Corey Kispert scored 14 of his 17 points after the intermission. Can BYU seal the deal against the Bruins? BYU to win.
