Category Archives: NCAA Basketball

NIT Betting Season Coming to a Close with Title Game on Thursday Night

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It’ll be No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 6 Minnesota on Thursday night as NIT betting wraps up in the championship game for the tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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The Cardinal reached the title game on Tuesday night with a 74-64 win over No. 5 Massachusetts in their semifinal matchup at MSG. At Bovada Stanford was a 2.5-point favorite in that contest, and the combined score was an UNDER result for totals bettors.

Anthony Brown tossed in a team-high 18 points for Stanford against UMass, with Josh Owens good for 15 points and 12 rebounds andAaron Bright adding 13 points of his own.

Stanford beat No. 6 Cleveland State 76-65 at home as a 6-point favorite in their first-round matchup and then topped No. 7 Illinois State (92-88 in OT) and No. 5 Nevada (84-56) at home as well before taking care of UMass. The Cardinal are 3-1 ATS so far in the NIT.

Minnesota slipped past No. 1 Washington by a score of 68-67 in overtime in the other NIT semifinal on Tuesday night; the Huskies were set as one-point favorites on the college basketball betting lines at Bovada that night. The final score was an UNDER result.

Andre Hollins led the Golden Gophers’ attack with a team-high 20 points in their victory over top-seeded Washington and Rodney Williams tossed in 18 points in that contest.

Minnesota beat No. 3 La Salle 70-61 in their tournament-opening game on March 14, and then rolled to two more road victories over No. 2 Miami (78-60) and No. 4 Middle Tennessee (78-72); the Golden Gophers picked up ATS wins as underdogs in each of those games.

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Wildcats Head into Final Four as the March Madness Betting Favorites

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After dispatching Baylor to win the South Region on Sunday the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats sit as the top favorites on the March Madness futures at Bovada heading into this weekend’s Final Four at the Superdome in New Orleans.

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The Wildcats built a huge 20-point lead on the No. 3 Bears by halftime in their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday, and then cruised from there to an 82-70 victory and a cover of the posted 7.5-point spread on the college basketball odds.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points for Kentucky at the Georgia Dome on Sunday afternoon, with Anthony Davis picking up 18 points and 11 rebounds in that contest. Doron Lamb chipped in with 14 points for the Wildcats in that victory.

Overall the Wildcats are 3-1 ATS so far during the NCAA Tournament; the only time they failed to cover the spread was when they were favored by 26.5 points in their 81-66 win over No. 16 Western Kentucky in their opener.

Kentucky beat No. 8 Iowa State 87-71 as a 12-point favorite in their third-round matchup, and then got past No. 4 Indiana 102-90 in the Sweet 16 as a favorite of 9.5 points.

The high-scoring Wildcats have turned in four OVER results in four tourney contests.

Kentucky heads into their Final Four matchup against Louisville on Saturday as the -140 favorite at Bovada to win the NCAA Tournament this year – that puts them at the top of that list ahead of Ohio State (+290), Kansas (+500), and the Cardinals (+800).

Back on March 12 the Wildcats were 9/4 favorites, and they sat at 5/2 on March 2.

On the March Madness props market Davis is currently the 2/1 favorite to win the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award, with Kidd-Gilchrist at 5/1 and Lamb at 15/1.

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CBI Championship Betting: Pittsburgh Panthers visit Washington State Cougars

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Pittsburgh at Washington State Betting

When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, March 26, 2012
Where: Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum, Pullman, Washington

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THE STORY: Power-conference teams seeking their first postseason tournament title kick off the best-of-three College Basketball Invitational as Pittsburgh visits Washington State. After missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade, the Panthers, finally healthy, put their regular-season disappointment behind and have been impressive in beating Wofford and Princeton at home and Butler on the road. The Cougars, who lost in the NIT semifinals last season, scored road victories over San Francisco and Oregon State with a home win versus Wyoming.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, HDNet

PITTSBURGH (20-16): The Panthers – who went 5-13 in Big East play – reached 20 wins for the 11th straight season with Wednesday’s 68-62 overtime triumph at Butler. Their three CBI wins have come by an average of 15 points. Sophomore Lamar Patterson and junior Tray Woodall have really stepped up their play to spark Pittsburgh, including scoring 14 of their 16 points in OT versus the Bulldogs. Patterson had 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the win and is averaging 15 points for the tournament. Woodall is contributing 14.3 points and 7.7 assists in the CBI. Pitt is 4-8 on the road.

 WASHINGTON STATE (18-16): The Cougars – who were 7-11 in the Pac-12 – have been equally hot in dispatching CBI foes by an average of 17 points. That was the margin in Wednesday’s 72-55 thumping of league rival Oregon State, during which only two Cougars scored in double figures. Senior Abe Lodwick netted 23 and junior Reggie Moore had 22 – well above their combined average of 14.3. Lodwick, who missed the first 10 games of the season with a foot injury, is closing his career in style, scoring 16.3 per CBI tilt along with a 12-rebound effort against the Beavers. Washington State is 11-3 at Beasley Coliseum.

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1. Games two and three (if necessary) will be in Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.

2. Pittsburgh were named NCAA champions twice in the pre-tournament era, during the 1927-28 and 1929-30 seasons.

3. The teams’ lone meeting was a 57-43 Panthers victory in November 2008.

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Final Four 2012 Betting: Kentucky, Kansas Join Louisville And Ohio State In New Orleans

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The Kansas Jayhawks earned its 14th Final Four appearance overall. John Henson scored 10 points for North Carolina. Taylor finished with six rebounds, five assists and five steals. North Carolina leads the all-time series 6-4. There were 15 ties and 13 lead changes. Kansas held a 12-4 advantage on fastbreaks. North Carolina shot 22.6 percent (7-of-31) from the floor in the second half.

The Louisville Cardinals last reached the Final Four in 2005. Only five coaches have been to more Final Fours than Pitino (6). The Cardinals moved to 9-3 in regional championship games. Louisville moved to 8-1 all-time against Florida. The Gators, who shot 66.7 percent in the opening half, were just 37 percent from the field in the second frame. Florida fell to Butler in the Elite Eight last season.

The Ohio State Buckeyes Deshaun Thomas scored 14 and Buford 13 with each having nine rebounds. The Orange held a 28-20 scoring advantage in the paint. Keita had 10 rebounds.

The Kentucky Wildcats will be making its 15th Final Four appearance. Teague and teammate Darius Miller scored eight points apiece. The Wildcats made 53.3 percent of their shots, while limiting Baylor to 39.1 percent shooting for the game. Kentucky had a 30-16 edge in made free throws. The Wildcats have won all seven meetings with Baylor. These teams last met on December 8, 1979. The Bears were seeking their first trip to the Final Four since 1950.

Louisville @ Kentucky
When: 6:09 PM ET, Saturday, March 31st, 2012
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Ohio State @ Kansas
When: 8:50 PM ET, Saturday, March 31st, 2012
Check Live NCAA Basketball Odds on Bovada Sportsbook

Bet on the NCAA 2012 Final Four at Bovada Sportsbook

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March Madness NCAA Tournament Gambling: Kansas Jayhawks vs North Carolina Tar Heels

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Kansas at North Carolina Betting

When: 5:05 PM ET, Sunday, March 25, 2012
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

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THE STORY: Two of the most successful programs in college basketball history meet in the Midwest Regional final in St. Louis when the No. 2 seed Jayhawks face former coach Roy Williams and the top-seeded Tar Heels. The teams have split four previous meetings in the NCAA tournament – all in the national semifinals or championship game. Both survived upset scares in the Sweet 16 on Friday, as North Carolina outlasted Ohio in overtime and Kansas held off a late charge from North Carolina State.

TV: 5:05 p.m., CBS. Line: Kansas -2

North Carolina Tar Heels(32-5): The Tar Heels were not themselves against Ohio – the offense was out of sync without point guard Kendall Marshall (wrist), and star Harrison Barnes endured a difficult shooting night. North Carolina was able to use its size advantage to dominate the boards, and center Tyler Zeller scored 20 points and grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds. But the Tar Heels won’t find such a mismatch inside against the Jayhawks, who boast a formidable post duo in national player-of-the-year finalist Thomas Robinson and 7-foot center Jeff Withey. Marshall’s status will be a game-time decision.

Kansas Jayhawks (30-6): The Jayhawks notched their 30th win for the third straight season with the 60-57 victory over N.C. State, advancing to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row and the fifth time in nine seasons under Bill Self. Kansas’ path has not been an easy one, though. The Jayhawks got off to slow starts before rallying to beat No. 10 seed Purdue, and against the 11th-seeded Wolfpack they squandered an eight-point lead with less than four minutes left before holding on. Robinson had another big game Friday with 18 points and 15 rebounds for his school-record 26th double-double of the season and his 24th consecutive game scoring in double digits.

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1. Kansas (2,068) and North Carolina (2,065) rank second and third in all-time victories behind Kentucky (2,087).

2. North Carolina is 18-7 in regional finals and is trying to advance to the Final Four for the 10th time since 1988.

3. Withey’s 10 blocks Friday matched a Kansas record and moved him into first on the school’s single-season blocks list with 126.

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Ohio State Favored vs. Top-Seeded Syracuse in Elite Eight

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The East Region has gone according to plan as No. 1 Syracuse and No. 2 Ohio State face off Saturday night in Boston for a trip to the Final Four. The Buckeyes are 3-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds and there will be live play-by-play betting available.

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Syracuse (34-2) played another Big Ten team in the Sweet 16 and barely survived in beating Wisconsin 64-63. The Orange’s Kris Joseph missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 18 seconds to go with Syracuse up by a point, giving the Badgers a chance at the victory. But UW star Jordan Taylor missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Even without the ineligible Fab Melo, Syracuse dominated down low. Syracuse outscored Wisconsin 30-10 in the paint and is now 33-0 this season when it scores at least 20 points in the paint. It’s the Orange’s first trip to the Elite Eight since winning the national title behind Carmelo Anthony in 2003.

But Ohio State (30-7) has one of the nation’s top frontcourt players in Jared Sullinger. He had 23 points and 11 rebounds in the Buckeyes’ 81-66 Sweet 16 victory over Cincinnati. The Buckeyes went on a 17-1 run to take a 65-53 lead with just under six minutes remaining and never were threatened again. Deshaun Thomas led OSU with 26 points as the school is in a regional final for the first time since losing to Florida in the 2007 national championship game. Thomas, who averaged just over 15 points coming into the tournament, is shooting 56 percent from the field and has hit 7 of 15 from 3-point range. Hitting the 3-point shot will be key against Syracuse’s vaunted 2-3 zone – Wisconsin hit 14 3-pointers on Thursday.

OSU and Syracuse haven’t met since 2007. Syracuse has covered only two of its past 10 games overall. Ohio State has covered just once in the past five games where it was a favorite of 6.5 points or less.

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Billy Donovan Faces Mentor Rick Pitino for Trip to Final Four

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Easily the biggest storyline of Saturday’s Elite Eight matchup between No. 4 Louisville and No. 7 Florida is that of the head coaches: the Cardinals’ Rick Pitino and the Gators’ Billy Donovan. Pitino is Donovan’s coaching mentor and in fact coached Billy the Kid at Providence when the Friars made a surprising Final Four run in 1987. UF is a 1.5-point favorite at Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds and live betting is available on the game.

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Both Florida and Louisville were underdogs in their Sweet 16 games. The No. 4 Cardinals (29-9) were the first team in this tournament to beat a No. 1 seed, handling Michigan State 57-44. The Louisville defense was stellar, led by center Gorgui Deng’s seven blocks. The Spartans shot just 28.6 percent from the field, their worst-ever mark in the Big Dance, and their 44 points are the fewest for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in the shot clock era. Pitino improved to 10-0 in Sweet 16 games. It was Louisville’s seventh straight win after claiming the Big East Tournament championship.

Florida (26-10) didn’t enter the NCAA Tournament looking like a threat as the Gators had lost three of their past four games. But UF has been barely challenged in three games, winning by a combined 70 points. Florida upset No. 3 Marquette 68-58 on Thursday behind 21 points from freshman guardBradley Beal. He is peaking at the right time. In five postseason games (three in the NCAA, two in SEC Tournament), Beal is averaging 17 points, 8.2 rebounds, shooting 53.8 percent overall and 43.3 from 3-point range.

If UF wins this game, it would be the first No. 7 seed to reach the Final Four since Virginia in 1984. However, Donovan is 0-6 in his coaching career against Pitino. Florida and Louisville haven’t met since 2004. UF is 4-0 ATS in its past four games, while Louisville has covered seven in a row.

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March Madness Elite 8 Betting: Baylor Bears vs Kentucky Wildcats

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Baylor vs Kentucky Betting

When: 2:20 PM ET, Sunday, March 25, 2012
Where: Georgia Dome , Atlanta, Georgia

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THE STORY: The Wildcats extracted some sweet revenge in the Sweet 16, and now take aim at the program’s 15th trip to the Final Four. To get there, Kentucky will have to contend with a Baylor team that has won eight of its past 10 games and is in its second regional final in the past three seasons. The Wildcats beat Indiana, which handed Kentucky its only regular-season loss in December, 102-90 in the regional semifinals Friday at the Georgia Dome as five Wildcats scored in double figures. The Bears face their stiffest challenge of the tournament, having beaten opponents seeded 14, 11 and 10 in their three games. Baylor won its first 17 games this season, and five of its seven losses have come to teams ranked in the top 10. The Bears beat Xavier in the regional semifinals 75-70.

TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, CBS. Line: Kentucky -7.5

BAYLOR  BEARS (30-7): In nine seasons as head coach, Scott Drew has resurrected a program rocked by the murder of Patrick Dennehy and harsh NCAA violations. The Bears are fluid and dangerous in the open court, but have a disturbing tendency to play loose with big leads. Junior forward Quincy Acy can dominate inside (as he did against Xavier with 20 points and 15 rebounds), but will be challenged by Kentucky’s athletic frontcourt. The Bears are one of the more accurate 3-point shooting teams in the nation, ranking 22nd nationally (38.6 percent). Freshman guard Brady Heslip is hitting 45.6 percent of his attempts beyond the arc (sixth in the nation). But Heslip made just one 3-pointer against Xavier. A hot day from the outside and the ability to push the tempo could give the Bears a puncher’s chance at derailing Kentucky’s express to New Orleans.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS (35-2): Even with national player-of-the-year favorite Anthony Davis saddled by foul trouble Friday, the Wildcats led most of the way. Kentucky has overwhelmed opposition with a tremendous balance of strong guard play, a dominant frontcourt and excellent interior defense. Keeping the freshman Davis – the nation’s leading shot blocker – on the floor is critical against the Bears. The Wildcats have six players who can shoulder the scoring load, making defending Kentucky a daunting proposition. Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist took the lead on Friday, tying a season-high with 24 points. With its defense controlling the backboard and multiple options on offense, Kentucky remains the tourney favorite and continue its march to coach John Calipari’s first national championship.

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1. Sunday’s winner faces Louisville and former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino in the national semifinals next Saturday.

2. Baylor and Kentucky have met once before in the NCAA tournament, with the Wildcats beating the Bears in the 1948 national championship game, 58-42.

3. Kentucky ranks 79th in the nation in free throw percentage (71.9 percent), but shot 35-for-37 (94.6 percent) from the line against Indiana. That’s the most free throws made in a NCAA tournament game since 2007.

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March Madness Final Four Betting: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Syracuse Orange

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Ohio St. vs Syracuse Betting

When: 7:05 PM ET, Saturday, March 24, 2012
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

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THE STORY: Top-seeded Syracuse defeated No. 4 seed Wisconsin 64-63 on Thursday and earned its first NCAA tournament victory against a Big Ten opponent in seven tries. Now, the Orange will play another Big Ten opponent, No. 2 seed Ohio State, with a trip to the Final Four at stake. The Buckeyes, who advanced to the regional final with an 81-66 victory over 6-seed Cincinnati, have made just one Final Four in Thad Matta’s eight seasons, back in 2007. That year, they lost to Florida in the national championship game. Syracuse, meanwhile, hasn’t made the Final Four since 2003, the year Carmelo Anthony led them to an improbable title. The last NCAA tournament meeting came in 1983, a 79-74 Ohio State victory.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, CBS. Line: Ohio State -2.5

SYRACUSE (34-2): Jim Boeheim’s vaunted 2-3 zone struggled against the Badgers, who converted 14-of-27 3-point attempts — including six straight late in the second half. Ohio State figures to be a more difficult defensive assignment, as the Buckeyes have capable inside scorers and a handful of players who can knock down outside shots. Syracuse, which is without sophomore center Fab Melo after the NCAA declared him ineligible last week, will have its depth tested, particularly on the front line. Forwards Rakeem Christmas and James Southerland will be asked to play productive minutes, and the Orange could use a big effort from C.J. Fair, who played 37 minutes against the Badgers and scored 15 points.

OHIO STATE (30-7): Against Cincinnati, the Buckeyes turned in a performance that has become oh-so-familiar over the last several months, ever since they dropped their first game against Kansas in early December. Ohio State started strong, taking a 37-25 halftime lead, and then fell asleep as the Bearcats surged into a four-point lead midway through the second half. Eventually, the Buckeyes’ overwhelming talent won out, but they can’t afford to play prolonged inconsistent stretches against the Orange, one of the more complete teams in the field. Jared Sullinger has 53 points and 26 rebounds in three tournament games for the Buckeyes, who have won each game by seven or more and by a combined 41 points.

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1. Syracuse is 5-0 against top 25 opponents, while the Buckeyes are just 7-6 against ranked teams.

2. Ohio State won the most recent meeting 79-65 on a neutral court in 2007.

3. If the Orange win, it will mark the fourth straight year that a Big East team advanced to the Final Four.

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Final Four Bets: Syracuse Is Done And Ohio State Is Championship Bound

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NCAA Basketball Betting Online: The Syracuse Orange (33-2) may have the edge on paper for wins and losses, but Ohio State (30-7) doesn’t have the handicap of losing one of their tallest and talented players as the NCAA Tournament winds down.

Before you make your Final Four Bets to advance in this game, look at the games Syracuse has played and the slight escapes they have been making. I say this because there are no more Sally or Suzy teams left at this point in your March Madness bracket betting.

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Ohio State was never really a doubt to be in this position, but every game I say Syracuse is going down they find another Orange in a grove of lemons. There is NO way they actually won that game is there?

Wisconsin is a defensive team holding the number 1 defense in the country allowing only 52.9 points a game on average. That is the way logic tells me this game would go in what I thought would be their victory. I was wrong about everything to this point regarding Syracuse, but I will not be wrong about my Final Four Bets.

The Badgers are not an offensive team ranking 115th in Division 1 NCAA basketball with a weak 64.0 average points scored per game. I don’t know what happened, but they became shot masters in one half. The transition of events is difficult to go over since I bet them on the money line and none of this is logical.

The 3-point shooting frenzy they exhibited ended up making 14 of 27 or just over 50 percent from a team that would rather outlaw (not quite) the big basket.

They even made 6 of these bombs in a row on 6 possessions in the second half on the way to what looked like a sure win. That didn’t happen, and it is actually a surprise they only lost by a point when you discover these chokers went 0 for 5 on 3-point field goals to close out the game.

Syracuse is a team known for winning in what doesn’t appear to be smooth circumstances many times, but no matter what your favorite color is, ORANGE WINS!

I should say they did win until run into the only team that has a chance (small to tiny) to take down the favorites (not popular but by Betting Odds) Kentucky Wildcats meet them. This team goes by the name of Ohio State Buckeyes, and they are definitely advancing in my Final Four Bets.

The Buckeyes will draw every bit of competitive and skillful spirit from the Orange that Syracuse can salvage trying to keep up with a superior Ohio State team. This may be a contest if Fab Melo was eligible, but he is not and it won’t. And this time, I MEAN IT!

I would like to say I will buy into the Syracuse team not being dependent on one man if they beat Ohio State, but that would be false. The Final Four Bets you need to make here all revolve around Syracuse losing by a big margin and BookMaker providing the means for you to win on this game.

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