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Sweet 16 betting preview: Picks for Thursday's games

Andy Lyons / Getty Images Sport / Getty

After an incredible opening four days of the NCAA tournament, the college basketball world took a three-day break to regroup before the Sweet 16.

Everyone is now ready for the action to fire back up, and four games on Thursday gets the ball rolling, starting with a stunning matchup between two mid-majors.

Loyola Chicago vs. Nevada (-1.5)

The Sweet 16 matchup that almost nobody had in their bracket is the first one of the night with No. 11 Loyola Chicago facing No. 7 Nevada. Both clubs qualified in dramatic fashion, with the Ramblers draining a buzzer-beater to top Tennessee, while the Wolf Pack rallied from a 22-point deficit to shock Cincinnati.

It's tough to get a read on a matchup between mid-majors that have both had highly successful seasons and have relied on late-game heroics to make it this far. Nevada likely has the more talented roster, so if one must pick a winner, the Wolf Pack are probably the side to roll with. Nevada 70, Loyola Chicago 62

Texas A&M (+2.5) vs. Michigan

This game will likely come down to Michigan's accuracy from beyond the arc, as Texas A&M's rebounding edge is going to make second-chance points hard to come by for the Wolverines. John Beilein's outfit has shot well below their season average from deep in both tournament games, and are only in the Sweet 16 thanks to an incredible buzzer-beater from Jordan Poole.

The Aggies put forth arguably the best performance of the tournament on Sunday, blowing out defending champion North Carolina in a dominant showing. Texas A&M held the Tar Heels to just 19 percent shooting from deep and crushed them on the glass, ripping down 50 rebounds to just 36 for North Carolina. Expect that to continue with another Aggies win on Thursday. Texas A&M 70, Michigan 66

Kansas State vs. Kentucky (-5.5)

John Calipari entered the tournament complaining about Kentucky's draw, but with the top four seeds in the region all eliminated, it's doubtful he still feels that way ahead of the Sweet 16. An all-Wildcat battle awaits with No. 9 Kansas State, who knocked out giant-killers UMBC in the last round.

Kentucky is as hot as anybody in the country, having covered in nine of its last 10 games, and is definitely the more talented team. Expect a defensive struggle here, and while that usually means take the points, Kentucky has too many weapons for Kansas State to keep up. Kentucky 70, Kansas State 54

Florida State (+5.5) vs. Gonzaga

Gonzaga is back in the Sweet 16, but it's Florida State that's had the more impressive run to get there this year. After thumping Missouri in the opening round, the Seminoles staged a furious comeback to take down No. 1 Xavier. A date with an experienced Bulldogs team awaits, but Gonzaga has had to fight to make it through its first two games.

While Mark Few's bunch is battle-tested, Gonzaga is only 2-6-1 against the spread in its last nine NCAA tournament games and haven't covered against a team from the ACC in the last five chances. Expect this one to be tight. Gonzaga 78, Florida State 74

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