KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Latest on the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):
7:30 p.m.
No. 7 Michigan and No. 3 Oregon are having a hard time getting shots to fall early in their Midwest Regional semifinal.
Each team started 4 for 10 through the first eight minutes, and the score is tied 11-11.
Moe Wagner, who scored a career-high 26 points in the Wolverines’ upset of Louisville on Sunday, has missed his first three shots. Wagner was short with his left hand inside, was off target with another shot down low and had one blocked by Jordan Bell.
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6:50 p.m.
Las Vegas casinos are favoring North Carolina as the NCAA Tournament resets to a 16-team field.
Futures odds compiled by Pregame.com on Thursday show the Tar Heels as a 5-1 favorite, followed by Kansas at 6-1 and Gonzaga and Arizona each at 7-1.
Sin City had trouble deciding on favorites for the tournament after Selection Sunday, with some initially listing No. 2 seed Duke as the top team and others picking Kansas and North Carolina.
But the odds now reflect each team’s new path toward the title – four wins – plus wagers placed to this point.
Arizona is the biggest favorite to win on Thursday night, facing Xavier. Arizona is favored by 7 1/2 points, but bettors are backing Xavier according to wagering totals released by William Hill US.
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6:30 p.m.
Top seeds Gonzaga and Kansas are among the teams preparing to play in Thursday’s Sweet 16 games of the NCAA Tournament.
The Jayhawks are the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, which holds its semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri. The Jayhawks will face fourth-seeded Purdue, while No. 3 seed Oregon meets surging 7-seed Michigan in the region’s other game.
Gonzaga tops the West bracket and faces No. 4 seed West Virginia in games set for San Jose, California. The other regional semifinal features No. 2 seed Arizona and 11-seed Xavier, the lowest-seeded team left in the field.
The winner of Thursday’s games advance to the Elite Eight and will play Saturday for a trip to the Final Four.
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