Best NCAA Tournament Prop Bets to Target for Friday's Sweet Sixteen Action

The Sweet 16 rolls on Friday with four additional games to add to the viewing schedule. While Thursday marked the continuation for a pair of upset teams, the top seeds will look to pick up the slack in the Friday set of games as four more teams await their chance for a trip to the Elite Eight.

It’s also difficult finding the balance between which player props to side with, so this is why we like to do the research and provide the help for you. Here’s what you should keep your betting eye on as we enter Friday’s games in the NCAA Tournament, including star players Zach Edey, DJ Burns and Baylor Scheierman.

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Best Prop Bets for NCAA Tournament Games on Friday

• DJ Burns Over 14.5 Points
• Baylor Scheierman Over 16.5 Points
• Zach Edey Over 13.5 Rebounds

DJ Burns Over 14.5 Points

DJ Burns has quickly become a national sensation amongst college basketball fans with the eyes of the world looking down upon him. He’s the true definition of a center who is strong, big and physical with his opponents.

The 6-foot-9, 275 pound senior has eclipsed his point total of 14.5 in five of the last six games for NC State. He just recorded a 24 point, 11 rebound double-double against Oakland last Saturday. Burns will be up against the slightly taller 6-foot-9 forward of Marquette, Oso Ighodaro, but I still like his chances to feast in this game as he’s been doing all March long.

Burns has a unique weapon, in that his wide figure further increases his physicality when attacking the rim. If he can force Ighodaro into some foul trouble, it will become significantly more difficult for Marquette to guard him without that lack of size. I’ll back the over here in a game where they will get him active once again inside the paint.

Baylor Scheierman Over 16.5 Points

The Creighton Blue Jays are making another run in this NCAA Tournament behind a trio of elite guard play. These are some of the best shooters in the country that are never intimidated by any defense and will hardly panic if they’re ever trailing in a game.

Baylor Scheierman is one of the heads of the monster.

Ever since transferring from South Dakota State, he has taken off as one of the best players on this program. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game on a near-38% clip.

I like this matchup for Scheierman and the Creighton offense.

Tennessee can struggle at times offensively and this feels like a game where they can’t let their foot off the gas for any point. Creighton likes to play a little bit faster pace and will push Tennessee into that style of a game, even up against a defense that only allows 67 points per game to their opponents. I’ll side with Scheierman’s over in a matchup that is going to be more offensive driven.

Zach Edey Over 13.5 Rebounds

Zach Edey is the best player in college basketball and it’s not even up for debate. The 7'4" center is just an absolute nightmare matchup for any team and the talent around him is finally working out for Purdue after previous tournament hiccups.

It’s no surprise that Edey has taken center stage once again as he’s adapted to this role. He opened his 2024 tournament with 30 points, 21 rebounds against Grambling in the first round, followed by 23 points and 14 rebounds against Utah State. Edey is the leader in points (24.5 PPG) and third in rebounds (12.1 RPG) in all of Division I basketball. I’d say that’s pretty good. 

I’m a bit hesitant on this play because the line is so elevated due to the recency of Edey’s performances in the opening two rounds. However, his defensive matchup is likely going to be 6-foot-9 forward Graham Ike, who’s going to have his work cut out for him. Play Edey’s over as he looks to keep on trucking in this tournament.

NOTE: Odds are always subject to change.