Saturday’s Second Round Gameday Guide: March Madness Preview, Picks & Analysis

By Kody Malstrom | Mar 20, 2026, 7:42pm

Thursday’s slate of games brought us plenty of upsets, including VCU clawing their way back to thwart North Carolina in overtime and High Point squeaking out the win at the last second against Wisconsin. The Texas Longhorns were also able to carry over their momentum from the first four into the first round, beating BYU 79-71.

Even with all the upsets happening, the Duke Blue Devils performance is still the talk of the town, nearly losing to Siena as the top overall seed in the tournament. Injury to Caleb Foster aside, the Blue Devils were out of rhythm for a majority of the contest, nearly resulting in an early exit.

Heading into Saturday, there are plenty of highly anticipated games for our viewing pleasure with Saint Louis kicking things off with a matchup against the Michigan Wolverines. The Billikens put together one of the most dominant performances in the first round of the tournament, stomping the Georgia Bulldogs 102-77.

Speaking of VCU, their defense will need to recapture the same success they had against the Tar Heels as they face off against Illinois who leads the league in Adjusted Offensive Rating. High Point’s defense will also need to be flawless in their matchup against Arkansas, battling it out against Darius Acuff Jr is arguably one of the more dynamic scoring guards in the nation.

Saturday’s Second Round Locations & Schedule

Below is a list of Saturday’s games sorted by location, tip-off time, and tv channel.

Games at Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville, South Carolina)

Arena Stats: 146.8 ppg

No. 9 TCU vs. No. 1 Duke (, ) – 5:15 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview
No. 11 VCU vs. No. 3 Illinois (, ) – 7:50 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview

Games at Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Arena Stats: 133.6 ppg

No. 10 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Houston (, ) – 6:10 p.m. ET (TNT) | Preview
No. 5 Vanderbilt (, ) vs. No. 4 Nebraska – 8:45 p.m. ET (TNT) | Preview

Games at KeyBank Center (Buffalo, New York)

Arena Stats: 170.3 ppg

No. 9 Saint Louis vs. No. 1 Michigan (, ) – 12:10 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview
No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 3 Michigan State (, ) – 2:25 p.m. ET (CBS) | Preview

Games at Moda Center (Portland, Oregon)

Arena Stats: 160 ppg

No. 11 Texas vs. No. 3 Gonzaga (, ) – 7:10 p.m. ET (TBS) | Preview
No. 12 High Point vs. No. 4 Arkansas (, ) – 9:45 p.m. ET (TBS) | Preview

Saint Louis vs. Michigan Game Odds & Notes

Game Note: The Billikens performance in the first round is even more impressive when factoring in how much they struggle with taking care of the ball, ranking 255th in Turnovers Allowed. With Michigan residing in the bottom half of the board in Steal Percentage, Saint Louis will be able to continue to create space for their spot up shooters, keeping it uncomfortably close on the scoreboard.

Louisville vs. Michigan State Game Odds & Notes

Game Note: After limping into the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State managed to quickly round back into competitive form, beating North Dakota State 92-67. Luckily for the Spartans, they will be able to continue to mask their struggles with scoring in halfcourt sets against Louisville, exploiting a Cardinals defense who ranks below league average in Havoc.

TCU vs. Duke Game Odds & Notes

Game Note: After being taken the distance by Siena, Duke will need to quickly break out of their slump if they want to avoid being sent home early against TCU. The Horned Frogs defense will be able to continue to give the Blue Devils fits on offense, ranking in the top-25 in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency while creating Disruptions at a very high rate.

Texas A&M vs. Houston Game Odds & Notes

Game Note: Known for their vaunted defense, Houston’s suffocating coverage was on full display in their first round matchup against Idaho, holding the Vandals to just 47 points in their dominant win. With Texas A&M ranking in the top-50 in most offensive metrics, the Cougars will need to continue to play at a high level on defense in order to reduce the amount of negative variance in their contest.

Texas vs. Gonzaga Game Odds & Notes

Game Note: Gonzaga’s inability to stretch out the floor with their perimeter shooting has been a thorn in their side this season, allowing opposing defenses to sag their guards to the middle to help contest their shots in the middle. Fortunately for the Zags, positive regression looms large in their second round matchup against Texas, taking advantage of a defense who ranks outside the top-200 in Opposing Three Point Completion Percentage.

VCU vs. Illinois Game Odds & Notes

Game Note: When their offense fell into a slump, VCU’s defense was able to spark their comeback, holding North Carolina into a prolonged scoring lull to help erase the deficit. In their second round matchup against Illinois, the Rams will need to be near perfect on defense to bottle up an offense who ranks in the top-5 in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, Turnovers Allowed, and in Off Rebound Percentage.

Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska Game Odds & Notes

Game Note: A clash of styles, Vanderbilt’s high powered offense faces off against Nebraska who resides in the top-10 in Adjusted Defensive Rating. With what is projected to be a close scoring affair, the Commodores near dead last mark in Foul Rate may be the difference in them squeaking out the win or getting bounced by the Cornhuskers.

High Point vs. Arkansas Game Odds & Notes

Game Note: Fresh off of an upset over Wisconsin, High Point’s defense will need to recapture the same success they had in the first round if they want to continue their Cinderella run in their matchup against Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been one of the more efficient units on offense this season, ranking in the top-20 in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and in Effective Field Goal Percentage.

Saturday’s Second Round Best Bet

After facing off against North Carolina who was without Caleb Wilson, the Rams will fall hard back down to reality in their matchup against Illinois, battling it out against an offense who is capable of generating high quality shots at multiple levels of the court. Especially with the Rams incapable of being physical without fouling, making it easier for the Fighting Illini to generate second chance scoring opportunities at the free throw line, increasing their chances of pulling away on the scoreboard.

Best Bet: Illinois

Photo Credit: AP/Brynn Anderson

Kody Malstrom

Kody is a professional sports bettor and sports betting journalist with eight years of experience in the industry. He covers a wide range of sports, including NFL, NCAAF, NBA, NCAAB, NHL, MLB, and UFC. What started as a side gig has turned into a full time job, spending a majority of his time staring at odds screens and market movement. When away from the computer, Kody enjoys spending his time outdoors relaxing at the beach or golfing with friends.