2023 NCAA Men’s Elite 8 Odds and Prop Bets

It’s crunch time, as the most thrilling sporting event of the year is inching closer to crowning a National Champion on Monday, April 3, at NRG Stadium in Houston¹.  

This weekend, the Elite 8 of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Tournament will decide which teams make it to the Final 4 in Houston.

The Big Dance has been filled with excitement and drama over the first three rounds. We expect that hardwood action to continue into the Elite 8 as there are thrilling matchups along with a Cinderella team looking to upset the favorites and write their own fairytale.

If you are looking to bet on this weekend’s hardwood drama then check out the best March Madness betting sites for the latest Elite 8 odds and prop bets.

Elite 8 Schedule and How To Watch

Saturday, March 25, the Elite 8 will tip off at Madison Square Garden, New York, with Kansas State and Florida Atlantic on TBS at 6:09 p.m. EST.

After a winner is declared in NY, attention will shift to Las Vegas for the late game. UConn and Gonzaga are scheduled to battle it out for the second spot in the Final Four. The game is scheduled to start at 8:49 p.m. EST on TBS.

On Sunday, March 26, CBS will broadcast both Elite 8 matchups. The action tips off at 2:00 p.m. EST. The day’s second matchup will begin at 4:55 p.m. EST and determine the final spot in the Final Four².

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2023 NCAA Men’s Elite 8 Odds

The following betting odds are courtesy of BetUs.

Florida Atlantic Owls (No. 9) vs. Kansas State Wildcats (No. 3)

The Florida Atlantic Owls and Kansas State Wildcats meet in an unlikely showdown in the East Region. Did you have FAU and Kansas State in your men’s tournament bracket for the Elite 8? Most likely not.

That being said, both teams deserve to be in this position. It has been an impressive run for the Owls, who are coming off a 62-55 win over the No. 4 seed, Tennessee Volunteers, in the Sweet 16.

Florida Atlantic put on a defensive clinic down the stretch to hold the Volunteers to 28 points in the second half. Tennessee shot a lousy 33.3% from the field and 26.1% from three in the loss³. The Vols were in control, but couldn’t escape Dusty May’s tight defense.

For anyone that has followed Florida Atlantic basketball this season, it probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise. This is a team that has only lost three outings all season. FAU and Houston are the winningest teams in the tournament.

If Florida Atlantic can solve Markquis Nowell, then they are going to be in good shape. That is a big ask, though. Nowell is coming off a record-breaking performance in the Sweet 16.

Nowell notched 20 points and a record 19 assists in the 98-93 overtime win over Michigan State on Thursday. The 19 assists is an NCAA Tournament record in a single-game⁴.

MARKQUIS NOWELL. ABSOLUTELY UNREAL.#MarchMadness @KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/iuih64m4Ex

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023

KSU vs FAU Prop Bets

First To Score 20 Points

If Florida Atlantic wins in the Elite 8, it is because they likely steal one down the stretch again.

It isn’t like Florida Atlantic had an exceptional offense against Tennessee in their upset of the Vols in the Sweet 16.

They were slow starters before recovering in the final 10 minutes of regulation. Against another quality opponent in Kansas State, the Owls are unlikely to be the aggressors through the first 15 minutes.

The Wildcats carried a first-half lead into the break against Kentucky and Michigan State. They were on fire from the field against the Spartans. Kansas State shot 55.9% and 45.8% from three⁵.

Expect Kansas State to get out to a quick start in the Elite 8. They should put 20 points on the board before Florida Atlantic.

First Half Winning Margin

Will Kansas State run away with this game through the first 20 minutes? Florida Atlantic will make this a competitive game, so no.

Similar to what happened against Tennessee, expect Florida Atlantic to be competitive. That being said, there is some good value on this prop bet with Kansas State holding a small lead at half-time.

It would not be surprising to see Kansas State up 4-6 points going into the break. Florida Atlantic is not going away, but Nowell should hold the Owls at bay to go into half-time with a lead.

At +550 odds, Kansas State owning a 4-6 point first-half margin is a solid bet.

KSU vs FAU Elite 8 Prediction

It is hard to fade Nowell and the Wildcats right now. If Florida Atlantic can cool this team off, then they deserve to go to the NCAA Men’s Final 4.

Kansas State needed overtime to beat Michigan State. However, it is not easy knocking off a Tom Izzo squad that was playing with confidence. The Wildcats showed plenty of grit and determination to get that win.

In a game that should be close, look for Kansas State to edge away in the final seconds. We are predicting a 66-61 win for Kansas State in the Elite 8 as the Wildcats eliminate the FAU Cinderella team. 

Connecticut Huskies (No. 4) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (No. 3)

The UConn Huskies and Gonzaga Bulldogs Elite 8 matchup is setting up to be one of the most entertaining games of the 2033 NCAA Men’s Tournament. This has the makings of a classic in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.

Gonzaga is coming off a dramatic, wild Sweet 16 showdown that will be replayed for years to come. In their largest comeback of the season, Gonzaga erased a 13-point second-half lead to beat one of the tourney favorites in the UCLA Bruins, 79-76⁶.

After coming back, and then giving up an 8-point lead in the final minute, Julian Strawther played hero for the Bulldogs. Strawther connected on a deep 3-point bomb to give Gonzaga the lead for good.

With the win, the final season for senior Drew Timme is extended to at least another game. Timme came back for his senior season to win an NCAA National Championship.

The 6-foot-10 senior is having a standout final. He has averaged 21.5 points on 62.3% shooting and 7.5 rebounds per game this season.

STRAWTHER FROM WAY DEEP

GONZAGA HAS THE LEAD 😱#MarchMadness @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/jBYf4gpn4q

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2023

Determination goes a long way this deep in the tournament, and Timme might have the most out of any player left. He helped lead Gonzaga to 87 points per game, the most in college basketball in 2022-23⁷.

UConn is entering the Elite 8 with unwavering confidence. The Huskies made it look easy against an Arkansas team with NBA talent. Arkansas was coming off a win over No. 1 Kansas, too.

Guard Jordan Hawkins scored a game-high 24 points, while Adam Sanogo was physical in the frontcourt with 18 points and 8 rebounds⁸. Sanogo vs Timme is likely going to be the matchup of the game.

UConn vs Gonzaga Elite 8 Prop Bets

First To Score 20 Points

Between two equally talented teams, it would be surprising to see UConn run away with a win as they did against Arkansas.

The Razorbacks looked hungover from their upset over the Jayhawks. Perhaps head coach Eric Musselman should have kept his shirt on and acted like there was another game in front of them.

In any event, Arkansas could have played a much better game. This is not going to happen against Gonzaga on Saturday night. Timme will not allow that to happen.

Look for the highest-scoring team in the nation to get hot from the field early. UConn is good defensively, but not elite. They are 39th in the NCAA with 64.7 points allowed per contest in 2022-23⁹.

UConn should not have -140 odds to reach 20 points first in this one. All of the value is with Gonzaga (+110) at the top college basketball betting sites.

Gonzaga Bulldogs Team Total

We are not confident in the Huskies preventing the Bulldogs from getting their offense going. This Gonzaga team total should be considered, especially for bettors that aren’t confident in their defense.

The Bulldogs were cool through the first 20 minutes against UCLA because of sloppy turnovers. They were conceding far too many easy points to UCLA because of careless mistakes.

Once Gonzaga got it out of their system, they were unstoppable on the offensive end. They scored 46 points behind a 36-point effort from Timme. Strawther’s dagger was his 16th point of the night¹⁰.

TIMME TIME‼️

Drew Timme becomes the first player EVER with double-digit 20-point games in the NCAA tournament 😲 pic.twitter.com/cpcTKipnF4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 24, 2023

This was the 16th straight game in which the Bulldogs scored more than 76 points¹¹. Overall, Timme and the Bulldogs averaged 87 points per game this season¹². Expect Gonzaga to record more than 76 points for the 17th straight outing.

UConn vs Gonzaga Elite 8 Prediction

In an Elite 8 matchup that is expected to go down to the final seconds, there is value on Gonzaga to cover.

Additionally, there is some value in Gonzaga’s odds to win the NCAAM Tournament. Those odds will drop dramatically if they win. So, if you like Gonzaga, wager on that NCAA men’s futures bet now.

Timme will likely be too much for UConn to handle in crunch time. He is not going down without doing everything possible to get the Bulldogs to the Final Four.

Gonzaga has not gotten as much hype as they typically do this season. That is good news for bettors because there is strong value in their Elite 8 odds at +2.

In addition, we do not oppose betting on the Gonzaga moneyline, either. For this Elite 8 prediction, we have Gonzaga by a score of 81-77 in Las Vegas.

Creighton Bluejays (No. 6) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (No. 5)

On Sunday afternoon, the Creighton Bluejays and San Diego State Aztecs meet in a matchup of contrasting styles at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.

Do you want to back the squad that likes to run up-tempo or a half-court offense that likes to slow the game down? The latter represents San Diego State and the former Creighton.

The Aztecs beat the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament with this approach. Slowing down their quick and athletic offense was the key to success.

Holding Alabama to 64 points for a 71-64 win was a textbook San Diego State effort. The Aztecs held Alabama to a 32.4% field goal percentage and 11.1% three-point percentage.

Setting up a tough defense on the perimeter and in the paint with Nathan Mensah was the difference. Mensah recorded a game-high 5 blocks to lead the Aztecs to the Elite 8.

Overall, in 2022-23, San Diego State has conceded an average of 63.1 points per game. They have scored at a decent clip, at 71.9 points per game.

Creighton’s game plan will be to get San Diego State out of its half-court offense. The Bluejays turning this game into a run-and-gun contest will be bad news for San Diego State.

The Princeton Tigers were unable to keep pace with the Bluejays up and down offense. Creighton pulled away for an 86-75 win on Friday night.

Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheierman, and Ryan Kalkbrenner combined for 62 points in the win. It was a strong showing, but do not expect this trio to score at will against the San Diego State defense.

San Diego State stamps their place into the Elite 8! 👏#MarchMadness @Aztec_MBB pic.twitter.com/aWSpR655cV

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2023

Creighton vs San Diego State Elite 8 Prediction

Princeton did what they could against Creighton. They just didn’t have the personnel to get enough stops defensively.

However, San Diego State has the bodies to give Creighton issues on the perimeter and around the rim. Creighton will not be able to cut through San Diego State’s defense as they did against Princeton.

Princeton does not have a rim protector with the potential to make an impact like Mensah does this weekend. He may not score the most points, but his presence on defense will be invaluable in the Elite 8.

We are expecting San Diego State to slow this game down to prevent Creighton from running. In a predicted final score of 67-64, look for the Aztecs to book a trip to Houston for their first Final Four in school history.

Miami Hurricanes (No. 5) vs. Texas Longhorns (No. 2)

The Miami Hurricanes and Texas Longhorns is another unlikely Elite 8 matchup in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Tournament. Texas making it this far isn’t a shocker, but there weren’t many brackets that had Miami and Texas dancing together in the Elite 8.

Texas cleared the Xavier Musketeers for a wire-to-wire win in the Sweet 16. Xavier never looked ready to go. They missed a series of easy layups and open shots early on and never recovered in the 83-71 loss.

Tyrese Hunter and Marcus Carr combined for 37 points in the backcourt to lead the Longhorns on Friday night. This is a well-rounded team that can win with their defense, as well.

The Longhorns have scored 77.8 points and conceded 67.2 points per game this season. They didn’t get to this point by taking an easy road. Texas’ strength of schedule was sixth in men’s college basketball in 2022-23.

Miami might be feeling some slight disrespect as 4.5-point underdogs in the Elite 8. After an impressive double-digit win over the Houston Cougars, they have to feel confident going into their second consecutive Elite 8 appearance.

The Hurricanes pulled away for an 89-75 win behind a 26-point performance from Nijel Pack. Isaiah Wong, who might be the most underrated player in the Elite 8, scored 20 points and 6 rebounds.

Miami has been in good form offensively this season. They’ve scored more than the Longhorns, with 79.1 points per game. With 71.6 points allowed per game, Texas has an advantage on the defensive end, though.

THIS TEAM IS ELITE!

Miami takes down No. 1 Houston to go to its second straight Elite 8!!!! pic.twitter.com/BTIQpnIBTs

— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) March 25, 2023

Miami vs Texas Elite 8 Prediction

Miami and Texas have as good of a chance as any other team to win the national title. This is the first year in NCAA Tournament history that a No. 1 seed hasn’t reached the Elite 8.

As we said from the start of the Big Dance, this was going to be a wide-open tournament with no true leading contender.

The Hurricanes should be able to use their efficient offense to give Texas problems. The Longhorns were bailed out by a team that couldn’t hit one-foot shots at the rim. Jack Nunge’s failure to get going in the paint really hurt the Musketeers in the early stages.

Credit the Longhorns, but there were some self-inflicted mistakes from Xavier to allow Texas to get out to a double-digit lead. Xavier couldn’t expect to beat Texas with those miscues.

Miami’s offense is unlikely to make the same errors in the Elite 8. The underdog in a matchup like this is the best route to consider.

Expect a thriller in Las Vegas. For our Miami vs Texas prediction, a final score of 77-75 or 75-72 appears about right.

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