The 2026 NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday with the Round of 16. The action gets underway with four matchups in primetime, beginning with No. 2 seed Purdue taking on No. 11 seed Texas at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS.
Let’s take a look at two of our best NCAA Tournament picks for Thursday’s Round of 16 matchups, including spreads and over/unders for PrizePicks Team Picks — a sports prediction market available in 35 states.
Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks in the NCAA Tournament and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Thursday's Best NCAA Tournament Picks for Round of 16 Games
There are four NCAA Tournament games on the docket in the Round of 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 26, with all four taking place in primetime.
These are our two best NCAA Tournament picks across Thursday’s four-game slate of college basketball action on spread and over/unders on PrizePicks Team Picks.
All NCAA Tournament spreads and over/unders are via PrizePicks Team Picks. Numbers represent what you will earn if you win — i.e. 2x means a $100 entry pays out $200.
Payouts are live as of publishing. All are subject to change.
No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue Pick on Over/Under for NCAA Tournament
Over/Under Pick: Over 146.5 (1.81x payout) | Under 146.5 (2x)
Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
- The over is 7-3 in Purdue’s last 10 games and has been cleared in both of its NCAA Tournament games.
- Meanwhile, the over is 4-6 in Texas’ last 10 games.
- According to KenPom, Purdue has the top offensive rating (132.0) in the nation, just beating out Illinois (131.6) and Alabama (129.6).
- On the other hand, Texas has an adjusted defensive efficiency of 105.0, ranking 92nd in the country. That is the lowest defensive ranking of any team remaining in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Longhorns have allowed their opponents to shoot 35.2% from beyond the arc, ranking fourth-worst in the SEC.
- The Boilermakers are shooting 50.3% from the field, ranking ninth in the nation.
- Purdue also connects on 38.8% of its 3-point shots (10th in the country). The Boilermakers have shot 57.9% from deep in their first two NCAA Tournament games.
- The over is 3-0 in the last three meetings between Purdue and Texas, dating back to 2018.
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No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston Pick on Spread for NCAA Tournament
CBB Spread Pick: Illinois +2.5 (1.92x) | Houston -2.5 (1.88x payout)
Time: 10:05 p.m. ET
TV: TBS/truTV
- Houston is only 17-16 against-the-spread record as a favorite this season, but the Cougars are 2-0 ATS in their first NCAA Tournament games with an average margin of +31.0 points per game.
- Illinois is 3-3 ATS as an underdog.
- The Cougars have allowed the second-fewest points per game (62.3), behind only Northern Iowa (61.8).
- According to Bart Torvik, Houston has the third-best adjusted defensive efficiency (91.7), behind Arizona (91.6) and Duke (91.6).
- Houston held No. 10 seed Texas A&M and No. 15 seed Idaho to a 31.5% combined shooting percentage in its first two NCAA Tournament games.
- Cougars senior G Emmanuel Sharp averaged 17.0 PPG and shot 45.5% from 3-point land over two games in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Fighting Illini shoot 35.0% from beyond the arc (ninth in the Big Ten). Meanwhile, the Cougars hold their opponents to a 31.4% clip on 3-pointers (fourth in the Big 12).
- Illinois records 3.7 steals per game, ranking dead-last in the Big Ten.
- Houston has reached the regional finals in two of its last four NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Kelvin Sampson.
Make Thursday NCAA Tournament Picks on PrizePicks
The 2026 NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday with the Round of 16, as eight teams will attempt to advance one step closer towards college basketball immortality.
March isn't just about your bracket. You can make your NCAA Tournament picks for every game on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money if you're right.
Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make real-money predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
Check out the Playbook throughout the NCAA Tournament for more college basketball predictions, picks, and news every day.
