The No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks continued their run, defeating the No. 5 Clemson Tigers, 80-76, on Friday, March 23, in the 2018 NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. The score matched the four-point spread. The game went over the total of 143.
Clemson went on an 11-2 run late in the second half to narrow Kansas’ lead. The Tigers knocked it down to to four with 14.5 remaining, but Kansas clinched the game with free throws.
Kansas will move on to face the winner of No. 11 Syracuse and No. 2 Duke. A Blue Devils win would set up a 1-versus-2 showdown in the Midwest region. Odds for that Elite 8 showdown will soon be released by BetDSI Sportsbook, but we anticipate Kansas would be favored against Syracuse. There could be an even line if Kansas and Duke square off.
Kansas led 40-27 at the half. The Jayhawks hit 10 of their 23 three-point attempts, whereas Clemson hit only six of its 19 attempts.
Malik Newman had 16 points for Kansas. Gave DeVoe had 27 points for the Tigers and and Marcquise Reed added 13. He fouled out with 1:19 remaining.
The Jayhawks have also beaten Pennsylvania and Seton Hall thus far in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson had beaten New Mexico State and Auburn to advance to the Sweet 16.
Kansas was given solid odds to win the tournament, with BetDSI pegging the Jayhawks at +1700 to cut down the nets in San Antonio. Kansas was a No. 1 seed, but those were the eighth-best odds of any team. Clemson had much slimmer odds at +15000.
Here are the pre-tourney odds for every team:
Odds to Win 2018 NCAA Tournament
Villanova +400
Duke +550
Virginia +600
Michigan State +750
Michigan +1000
Purdue +1250
Arizona +1300
Kansas +1700
North Carolina +2000
Xavier +2200
Kentucky +2300
Cincinnati +2500
Gonzaga +2500
West Virginia +3500
Wichita State +4000
Texas Tech +4500
Tennessee +4500
Auburn +6000
Ohio State +7500
Rhode Island +10000
Missouri +10000
Florida +12000
Texas A&M +15000
Clemson +15000
Houston +15000
TCU +17000
Virginia Tech +17000
Alabama +20000
Seton Hall +20000
Butler +20000
NC State +21000
Arkansas +22000
Miami +22000
Nevada +25000
Providence +25000
UCLA +25000
Texas +28000
Creighton +28000
Florida State +28000
Kansas State +30000
Oklahoma +30000
Arizona State +35000
Syracuse +35000
New Mexico State +50000
Davidson +50000
St. Bonaventure +50000
Pennsylvania +55000
Loyola Chicago +60000
San Diego State +65000
Montana +75000
Wright State +75000
Stephen F. Austin +75000
South Dakota State +75000
Buffalo +100000
Texas Southern +100000
Radford +100000
Iona +100000
UMBC +100000
LIU Brooklyn +100000
NC Central +100000
UNC Greensboro +100000
Lipscomb +100000
CS Fullerton +100000
Georgia State +100000
Murray State +100000
