:format(webp)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/sports/sports-betting/2023/03/22/march-madness-sweet-16-prop-picks-bet-on-adam-kunkel-and-jaime-jaquez/2023-03-CP166214601.jpg "Partner Content | March Madness Sweet 16 prop picks: Bet on Adam Kunkel and Jaime Jaquez")
March is when legacies can be made and we’re eyeing a trio of prop picks for this week’s Sweet 16 slate.
The pregame narrative: Jaime Jaquez is a veteran bucket-getter and we’re expecting him to exploit the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ underwhelming defence. Meanwhile, Julian Strawther should struggle to score against the UCLA Bruins and Adam Kunkel is a strong candidate to stay hot.
Check out our top March Madness Sweet 16 prop picks for NCAA tournament games on March 23 and 24.
NCAA basketball odds as of 11:32 a.m. ET on 03/22/2023.
March Madness Sweet 16 prop picks
Best Bet : Jaquez over 20.5 points (-105)
Jaquez scored a game-high 24 points against the Northwestern Wildcats in the second round. He probably would’ve topped this total in the Bruins’ opener, too, if they hadn’t blown out UNC Asheville (86-53).
The 6-foot-7 senior power forward has been shooting the lights out this tournament and is 19-for-33 from the field (57.5%) after the first weekend.
NCAA bracket: Play the bracket here
What’s impressive is that Jaquez doesn’t rely on the three-ball or the charity stripe to get the job done. He’s only made two 3-pointers and one free throw this tournament — it’s just some good old-fashioned midrange basketball.
That should play against the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga allows opponents to shoot 51% from inside the arc, ranking 218th in the nation, according to KenPom.
Mark Few’s team hasn’t really played defence that well as a whole this season. The Bulldogs own the 75th-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency (99.6) and their defence has an effective field-goal percentage of 51.4% (245th).
Key stat: Jaquez is averaging 19.6 points per game over his past 10 contests.
Quick picks
Strawther under 15.5 points (-117): The Zags don’t play much defence but the Bruins definitely do. UCLA ranks second in adjusted defensive efficiency (87.8) and holds its opponents to the fifth-fewest points per game (60.2).
Strawther is averaging right around this number for Gonzaga on the season (15.3) but he’s been playing against West Coast Conference teams, not UCLA.
The junior guard has also gone under this number in five of his past six games, failing to score more than 11 points in four of those contests.
Kunkel over 11.5 points (-117) : Kunkel caught fire in the round of 32 when he drained 5-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
He’s -137 to record a pair of threes against the Texas Longhorns as of Wednesday afternoon but we believe there’s better value on his points prop.
Kunkel has gone over this mark in four of his past six games and is averaging 13.2 points in that span.
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