The Houston Cougars can reach the Elite Eight for the first time since the program's Phi Slamma Jamma heydays in the 1980s when they take on the Syracuse Orange in a 2021 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup on Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Cougars (26-3) have not been to the Elite Eight since they lost to Georgetown in the 1984 championship game. Meanwhile the Orange (18-9) have reached the Elite Eight three times since 2012. Tip-off for that March Madness matchup is set for 9:55 p.m. ET.

William Hill Sportsbook lists the Cougars as 6.5-point favorites in the latest Houston vs. Syracuse odds. The game is one of four Sweet 16 matchups the Saturday NCAA Tournament schedule. The other three are Loyola-Chicago vs. Oregon State, Baylor vs. Villanova and Arkansas vs. Oral Roberts. Before making any 2021 NCAA Tournament picks or March Madness predictions, you need to see what red-hot SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein has to say.

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach. Over the past two seasons, he is 239-188 against the spread with his college basketball picks, returning $3,155 to $100 players. And he enters the second week of the NCAA Tournament on a major heater, going 16-6 with his last 22 college basketball picks (encompassing the NCAA Tournament, NIT and College Basketball Invitational).

Now, Hartstein has locked in three confident best bets for Saturday games in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament 2021. If you parlay his picks, you could be looking at a 6-1 payout. You can see them only at SportsLine.

Hartstein studied Saturday's four-game slate and is high on top-seeded Baylor (-7.5) covering against No. 5 seed Villanova in the South Region. Before going on a three-week hiatus because of COVID-19, the Bears tore through the regular season, going 17-0 and winning by an average of 24.2 points a game. After returning from the pause, they were not the elite team they were, going 5-2, which included a 13-point loss to Kansas.

But in two games in the NCAA Tournament 2021, they have looked more like their pre-COVID selves, beating Hartford and Wisconsin by an average of 18.5 points. In the 76-63 win over the Badgers, Baylor shot 45.5 percent from the field, including 47.1 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. "The Bears were more dominant against the Badgers than the final score indicated," Hartstein tells SportsLine. "Lay the points."

Elsewhere on Saturday, Hartstein has found a key x-factor that has him all over a double-digit seed to cover as a big underdog. This team is "comfortable in this underdog role," Hartstein tells SportsLine. You can see his best bets only at SportsLine.

So which NCAA Tournament picks should you make on Saturday for a shot at a 6-1 return? And which double-digit seed isn't getting enough respect? Visit SportsLine now to see Larry Hartstein's Sweet 16 NCAA Tournaments picks for Saturday, all from the handicapper on a massive college basketball picks run, and find out.