2021 NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Sweet 16 reset, odds, pick: Houston slight favorite to win upset-filled region over Loyola (Chicago)

The 2021 NCAA Tournament doesn't resume until Saturday with half of the Sweet 16 games from Indianapolis, and no region has been more filled with upsets through two rounds than the Midwest with No. 2 Houston, No. 8 Loyola (Chicago), No. 11 Syracuse and No. 12 Oregon State still standing -- the Midwest is the only region to lose its No. 1 (Illinois). The Cougars of the American Athletic Conference are the +105 favorites to win the region at William Hill Sportsbook, and according to the SportsLine Projection Model they have the best betting value to win the national championship of any school in the Big Dance.

Houston (26-3) blew out No. 15 Cleveland State 87-56 in Round 1 but was very fortunate to beat No. 10 Rutgers 63-60 in the Round of 32. The Scarlet Knights were up 10 with around nine minutes left and still five with under three minutes to go. In addition, Ron Harper Jr.'s tying 3-point try bounce off the rim at the buzzer. The Cougars have now won nine in a row and are in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive NCAA Tournament.

UH hasn't been to the Elite Eight since 1984 in the "Phi Slama Jama" days. It opened as a 6-point favorite against Syracuse with a 9:55 p.m. ET tip on Saturday. Houston is +900 to win the national title and has the third-best chance of any school to do so via the model at 12.2 percent.

The Orange (18-9) have become the second program to reach the Sweet 16 three or more times as a double-digit seed, joining Gonzaga, which has done it four times. Jim Boeheim is the third coach to reach three Sweet 16s as a double-digit seed, joining Mark Few and Tom Penders (three each).

Syracuse's .818 winning percentage (9-2) as a double-digit seed is the best in the NCAA Tournament since seeding began. Led by Boeheim's son Buddy, the Orange have upset No. 6 San Diego State and No. 3 West Virginia in this Big Dance. Buddy Boeheim has become only the second player in Syracuse history to score at least 25 points in each of his first two games of a NCAA Tournament, joining Gary Clark in 1957.

To win the East Region, Syracuse is +550 and for the national title it is +5000. The model gives the Orange a 1.13 percent chance of the latter. Syracuse is one of just two ACC teams left along with No. 4 Florida State in the East Region.

Loyola (Chicago) and Sister Jean of course Made a Final Four run in 2018. The Ramblers (26-4), Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament champions, have just one loss since Jan. 11 and that was in OT by a point at Drake. Loyola (Chicago) has barely been challenged in this Big Dance, beating No. 9 Georgia Tech by 11 and No. 1 Illinois by 13. Loyola is now 15-5 all time in the NCAA Tournament, tying Duke for the best winning percentage (.750) in Big Dance history.

The Ramblers are +170 to win the region and +1400 for a national title, and the model gives them a 3.74 percent chance of the championship. They are 6.5-point favorites for Saturday's 2:40 p.m. ET tip against Oregon State.

The Pac-12 has been the story of this tournament as it got only five schools in but four are still standing; the Beavers (19-12) were surprise winners of the conference tournament and have kept rolling in the Big Dance with a 14-point win over No. 5 Tennessee and a 10-point victory against No. 4 Oklahoma State.

Including the Pac-12 tourney, OSU has won five straight games in elimination settings. Their Basketball Power Index chances via ESPN of winning each was under 30 percent, and their odds of winning all five was approximately 1 in 2,800. 

To win the region, Oregon State is +850 and it is +6000 for the national championship. The model gives Coach Wayne Tinkle's team just a 0.14 percent chance of winning it all – better than only Oral Roberts (0.01 percent). No 12th seed has ever reached even the Final Four. 

Free pick to win region: Loyola (Chicago)

William Hill odds to win Midwest Region

• Houston +105
• Loyola (Chicago) +170
• Syracuse +550
• Oregon State +850

William Hill odds to win national title (SL model percentage)

• Houston +900 (12.2 percent)
• Loyola (Chicago) +1400 (3.74 percent)
• Syracuse +5000 (1.13 percent)
• Oregon State +6000 (0.14 percent)

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