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March Madness TV schedule: How to watch and betting lines for Elite Eight games

By Mike Phillips

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 27: Desi Sills #3 of the Arkansas Razorbacks celebrates after defeating the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 27, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 27: Desi Sills #3 of the Arkansas Razorbacks celebrates after defeating the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 27, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Elite Eight bracket
Elite Eight bracket /

The NCAA Tournament is in full swing as the Elite Eight field has been set. The only real long-shot left is Oregon State, which has made an art form out of winning elimination games, while heavy favorites like Gonzaga and Baylor remain in the hunt for a national championship.

The schedule is set for the next two nights of March Madness action and this post will offer a guide for how to watch and bet on all the action. All NCAA Tournament games can be streamed on the March Madness Live app while all betting lines referenced in this story are provided courtesy of the FanDuel Sportsbook.

March Madness: Elite Eight matchups on Monday, March 29

Midwest Region – No. 12 Oregon State vs. No. 2 Houston

  • Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
  • TV: CBS
  • Line: Houston -7.5
  • Total: 129

The Cougars are the top seed left in a blown-up Midwest Region but they haven’t exactly had an easy time in the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers was up by 11 with five minutes to go on the Cougars before Houston rallied to win on the strength of a 14-2 run in the Round of 32 while their defense starred in a low-scoring win over Syracuse.

Oregon State has taken down tougher teams to get here, knocking out Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Loyola-Chicago as they have demonstrated the ability to win in a variety of ways. There is some magic going on with the Beavers and they have a great shot to stun Houston to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1963.

Prediction: Oregon State 66, Houston 62

South Region – No. 3 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Baylor

  • Time: 9:57 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
  • TV: CBS
  • Line: Baylor -7
  • Total: 148.5

The Bears made things look easy in their first two matchups before getting pushed hard by Villanova in the Sweet 16. Key adjustments from Scott Drew helped Baylor respond to that adversity as they dominated the Wildcats the rest of the way to advance to the Elite Eight.

Arkansas has had a tougher road to get here, falling behind early in each of its first three games before rallying to win, with each of their past two victories coming by a bucket. That is a dangerous game to play against a high-scoring outfit like Baylor and it will burn the Razorbacks here.

Prediction: Baylor 79, Arkansas 69

March Madness: Elite Eight matchups on Tuesday, March 30

West Region – No. 6 USC vs. No. 1 Gonzaga

  • Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
  • TV: TBS
  • Line: Gonzaga -9.5
  • Total: 155

The unbeaten Bulldogs haven’t been pushed much in the NCAA Tournament but that should change in this one. USC’s roster is loaded and they have a star of their own in Evan Mobley, a legitimate NBA prospect who can cause matchup problems down low thanks to his unique skillset.

The Trojans won’t be afraid of the moment and will be able to give Gonzaga a real run for its money. Poor free-throw shooting (USC shoots just under 65 percent as a team) will cost Andy Enfield’s team a shot at a program-defining upset.

Prediction: Gonzaga 85, USC 80

East Region – No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 1 Michigan

  • Time: 9:57 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
  • TV: TBS
  • Line: Michigan -7.5
  • Total: 137

These teams got here in completely different fashions. Michigan simply dominated from the opening tip against a bigger Florida State team, forcing turnovers and using precision passing to easily win, while UCLA used the Rick Pitino playbook to pull a big upset against the Crimson Tide.

The Bruins have played admirably by going from the First Four to the Elite Eight, becoming just the second team ever to do that, but Michigan isn’t as vulnerable as Alabama was to an off-shooting night. The Wolverines are comfortable playing at any speed and will find a way to grind out a close win over UCLA to advance to the Final Four.

Prediction: Michigan 72, UCLA 68

Next. 20 biggest upsets in the history of March Madness. dark

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