In the East and West, matchups are the best

The NCAA Tournament is back! The Sweet 16 begins early this evening, and we have four games to take in. The East and West Regions are in action today, followed by the Midwest and South tomorrow. For alternative looks into the regions today, feel free to explore Yardbarker's betting previews here:

• East Region
• West Region

Picking each game ATS

Kansas State +1.5

The night begins with No. 7 Michigan State vs No. 3 Kansas State, and this game truly feels like a toss-up, evidenced by the shortest spread of the day. Since 2005, Sweet 16 favorites are just 60-71-5 ATS, and that's a trend we plan to follow with the majority of our picks this week. This game gives you the option to choose. Do you prefer backing experience? If so, Tom Izzo and Michigan State is the clear choice for you. Do you prefer looking for a superior backcourt? That edge goes to Markquis Nowell, Keyontae Johnson and the Kansas State Wildcats. We're backing the guard play and taking Kansas State to advance.

Arkansas +4

We're going to sound like a broken record, but man is this game going to be fun. UConn has been dominant thus far, but Arkansas knocked off the region's top seed and has been to two straight Elite Eights. We can't ignore the value on the Razorbacks here. They sport a plethora of NBA prospects and Eric Musselman will have them ready to go. We think Arkansas wins, but this spread gives us a bit of leeway. Either way, this will be an awesome game to take in.

Tennessee -5

We're hitching our wagon to Tennessee and its elite defense. KenPom has the Volunteers as the nation's best defensive team, and they figure to make life difficult for the FAU offense tonight. Tennessee has held both opponents in this tournament under 55 points so far and should be able to stifle an FAU team that hasn't been shooting its best through two rounds.

Gonzaga +1.5

OK, last time we'll say this: this game is going to be awesome. A rematch of the epic Final Four from two years ago, Gonzaga and UCLA are two of the favorites to win this entire tournament. Do not be surprised to see the winner of this advance to Houston. UCLA has yet to truly feel the absence of their top defender, Jaylen Clark, but this figures to be the game they do. We're not betting against Drew Timme and Gonzaga.

Enjoy the games!

In the news ...

Paul George's knee injury to keep him out multiple weeks — Now is certainly not an ideal time for the Clippers to lose one of their top players, but they have. Paul George suffered a sprained knee on Tuesday night and will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. With just nine games left, Los Angeles is in a precarious position in what is an extremely tight Western Conference playoff race. There is a two-game gap between the No. 6 and No. 12 seeds in the conference, and as a reminder, seeds 7-10 will be in the Play-In Tournament to win their way into the first round. The Clippers are just 1.5 games up on the seventh seed and are only 2.5 games away from falling out of the play-in altogether. The Clippers are -400 to make the playoffs but the better value is clearly on them at +300 to fall out of the postseason race.

Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry leaving to join Notre Dame — After leading the Penn State men's basketball team to the Big Ten finals and a Round of 64 win, Micah Shrewsberry is off to greener pastures. Shrewsberry is set to take over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's basketball program, signing a seven-year deal. Notre Dame missed the tournament this season and last made the Sweet 16 in 2016, losing in the Elite Eight.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll