2022 March Madness predictions: College basketball expert picks against the

March Madness and the marathon of the 2022 NCAA Tournament continues Sunday with eight games involving 16 teams in action with  only eight spots left in this year’s Sweet 16. With the bracket slowly taking shape after a frenetic Saturday where eight teams secured spots in the second weekend, Sunday marks the final day of this season’s opening weekend with a loaded slate set to get underway just after noon on the East Coast.

Every game has a single-digit betting spread, which suggests the entire slate should be filled with close games. That includes Arizona — the only No. 1 seed in action Sunday — though it is favored by 9.5 over No. 9 seed TCU for the largest spread of the day. 

Other contests are expected on paper to be much closer. The headliner of the day between No. 2 seed Duke and No. 7 seed Michigan State features a Hall of Fame coaching battle with Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo meeting. There’s a closer-than-expected spread that’s been provided by oddsmakers. The ACC regular-season champion Blue Devils are favored by 6.5 points over the Spartans despite Coach K’s 12-3 all-time record vs. Izzo as well as a definitive advantage in talent.

To get you prepped for the final day of Round 2, I’ve called on our experts together to make picks straight up and against the spread to help you pick your bracket (and hopefully make some cheddar along the way). You can also check our expert brackets.

Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the rest of the month for NCAA Tournament coverage through the end of the Final Four. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for the final slate of second-round games on Sunday.

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern

NCAA Tournament: Round 2 picks

(4) Illinois vs. (5) Houston

Sunday, 12:10 p.m. | CBS, March Madness Live: Illinois had to dig its way out of a double-digit deficit vs. Chattanooga in Round 1 and escaped despite losing for all but 25 seconds of the game. It’s a stark contrast to Houston and its ho-hum 14-point cruise past UAB. But the Illini could not have played much worse on offense and Houston, with all its injuries, is due for some regression to the mean against a very talented Brad Underwood-coached team. This feels like a situation where the wrong team is favored, so I’ll take the points with Illinois. Pick: Illinois +4.5

(2) Villanova vs. (7) Ohio State

Sunday, 2:40 p.m. | CBS, March Madness Live: What Ohio State did defensively to a veteran-laden Loyola-Chicago team in the first round must not be ignored. The Buckeyes have the goods to be a force on that end of the floor when healthy, and they’re finally getting there. Paired with a top-15 offense led by a rising freshman in Malaki Branham and star E.J. Liddell, I like them to cover the number against an explosive Villanova offense that surprisingly looked out of sorts in Round 1 against Delaware. Pick: Ohio State +5.5