The second round of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament begins Saturday at noon, and all eight games promise to be interesting.

The only underdog of more than 9 points is Creighton in its battle with Auburn, and every other favorite is laying 6.5 points or fewer as of Saturday morning.

So, who do we like today? Let’s get into it.

Note: betting odds below are courtesy of FanDuel as of Friday morning.

McNeese (12) vs. Purdue (4) Odds, Best Bets, Pick

TV: CBS, 12:10 p.m.

Betting odds:

• spread: MCN +6.5 (-120); PUR -28.5 (-102)
• moneyline: MCN +195; PUR -240
• total: 141.5 (o-110; u-110)

McNeese didn’t just beat Clemson in the first round, it dominated the Tigers prior to a late run that produced a misleading final score of 69-67.

Coach Will Wade’s undersized Cowboys (backup big Bryant Selebangue is the only player in the rotation taller than 6-foot-7) held Clemson to just 13 first-half points, and they managed to more than hold their own on the glass against a much bigger opponent.

If they can do that again today, they’ll have a great chance to advance, but that will be easier said than done against the Boilermakers, who grabbed 19 offensive rebounds in their first-round win over High Point.

I love McNeese to keep this close for 20 minutes and/or go into halftime with a lead, but I don’t think they quite have enough to pull the upset.

• Best bets: McNeese 1H +3.5 (-112 at FD) — 1 unit; McNeese 1H ML (+180 at FD) — 0.5 units
• Pick: Purdue

Arkansas (10) vs. St. John’s (2) Odds, Best Bets, Pick

TV: CBS, 2:40 p.m.

Betting odds:

• spread: ARK +6.5 (-110); SJU -6.5 (-110)
• moneyline: ARK +215; SJU -265
• total: 144.5 (o-115; u-105)

Coaching matchups don’t get better than this one, as John Calipari and Rick Pitino meet in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in their careers and first since 2014.

Arkansas is a dangerous 10-seed, as it showed in its first-round win over Kansas, but the Johnnies have been able to grind people down by the final minutes all year, and I think we’ll see another example of that today.

I like this physical, senior-laden St. John’s squad to not only win, but cover.

• Best bet: St. John’s -6.5 (-110 at FD) — 1 unit
• Pick: St. John’s

Michigan (5) vs. Texas A&M (4) Odds, Best Bets, Pick

TV: CBS, 5:15 p.m.

Betting odds:

• spread: MICH +2.5 (-106); TA&M -2.5 (-114)
• moneyline: MICH +125; TA&M -150
• total: 141.5 (o-110; u-110)

The Wolverines and Aggies both survived tough first-round matchups to set up a battle between two of the most physical teams in the field. This has the feel of a rock fight that won’t be decided until the last few possessions.

In what should be a close, low-scoring game, I’ll take the Aggies to survive and advance.

• Best bet: Under 141.5 (-110 at FD) — 1 unit
• Pick: Texas A&M

Drake (11) vs. Texas Tech (3) Odds, Best Bets, Pick

TV: TNT, 6:10 p.m.

Betting odds:

• spread: DRAKE +6.5 (-102); TT -6.5 (-120)
• moneyline: DRAKE +240; TT -300
• total: 126.5 (o-115; u-105)

After hyping up Bennett Stirtz and Drake throughout the run-up to this tournament, I somehow came away from watching their win over Missouri thinking I may have actually underestimated this team. Stirtz was outstanding in Thursday’s upset over the Tigers, but the MVC champs are no one-man show.

Drake recorded 18 assists on its 25 made baskets, and it was even more impressive on the defensive end, holding Missouri to just 33 percent shooting from the floor.

Texas Tech is a dangerous 3-seed in the West if it can survive this matchup, but I don’t recommend betting against Drake tonight. Give me the Bulldogs to pull the biggest upset of the second round.

• Best bet: Drake +6.5 (-102 at FD) — 1 unit
• Pick: Drake

Creighton (9) vs. Auburn (1) Odds, Best Bets, Pick

TV: TBS/truTV, 7:10 p.m.

Betting odds:

• spread: CREI +8.5 (-102); AUB -8.5 (-120)
• moneyline: CREI +330; AUB -430
• total: 150.5 (o-110; u-110)

Auburn has been outstanding all year, but Creighton should be able to keep this one close. Bluejays C Ryan Kalkbrenner can make someone besides Johni Broome carry the Tigers. Auburn is certainly deep enough to win, even if Kalkbrenner does manage to limit Broome, but this one will be close.

The Tigers’ remarkable depth will allow them to hold off Creighton, I think, but the underdogs are a great bet to cover (or win) the first half, and I also like them to cover the spread. Another possible play here is the over, as I expect a ton of points.

• Best bet: Over 150.5 (-110 at FD) — 1 unit
• Pick: Auburn

BYU (6) vs. Wisconsin (3) Odds, Best Bets, Pick

TV: CBS, 7:45 p.m.

Betting odds:

• spread: BYU +1.5 (-115); WIS -1.5 (-105)
• moneyline: BYU -105; WIS -114
• total: 154.5 (o-115; u-105)

This should be a track meet, as both these teams are top-15 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Cougars and Badgers both take nearly half their shots from 3-point land, but the former shoots it much better from downtown.

After torching a good defensive team (VCU) in the first round, I expect BYU to light up the scoreboard tonight against a UW squad that doesn’t force turnovers (331st in defensive TO rate) or defend the 3-point line very well.

BYU is a great value play on the moneyline.

• Best bet: BYU ML (-105 at FD) — 1 unit
• Pick: BYU

Gonzaga (8) vs. Houston (1) Odds, Best Bets, Pick

TV: TNT, 8:40 p.m.

Betting odds:

• spread: GONZ +4.5 (-102); HOU -4.5 (-120)
• moneyline: GONZ +172; HOU -210
• total: 139.5 (o-115; u-105)

An upset by Gonzaga shouldn’t shock anyone tonight.

Houston is once again outstanding defensively. But this year’s Cougars are much more balanced offensively than the past couple UH teams, which gives them a great chance to go on a long run in this tournament.

Gonzaga showed how absurd it was that it received an 8-seed in its first-round beatdown of Georgia, and I expect them to challenge Houston, but Cougars guards LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan will make enough plays to get Houston to the Sweet 16.

• Best bet: HOU -4.5 (-120 at FD) — 1 unit
• Pick: Houston

UCLA (7) vs. Tennessee (2) Odds, Best Bets, Pick

TV: TBS/truTV, 9:40 p.m.

Betting odds:

• spread: UCLA +5.5 (-120); TENN -5.5 (-102)
• moneyline: UCLA +172; TENN -210
• total: 130.5 (o-105; u-115)

This might not necessarily be a cakewalk for Tennessee, but I see less upset potential in this contest than any other game taking place today.

UCLA thrives on forcing turnovers (the Bruins are No. 7 in the country in defensive TO rate), but that’s not a recipe for success against Tennessee’s excellent, veteran backcourt.

Give me Tennesee to cover without too much trouble against a UCLA team that dominated its first-round foe, Utah State, but went just 23-10 (13-7 Big Ten) this year.

• Best bet: Tennessee -5.5 (-102 at FD) — 1 unit
• Pick: Tennessee

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