The Kansas Jayhawks and the Missouri Tigers are set as the top seeds in the Big 12 NCAA Tournament betting begins at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Wednesday night.
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Kansas (5/6 odds to win the Big 12 tournament) is the defending champion, knocking off Texas 85-73 in the title game last season. They're the No. 1 seed at the tournament for the second year in a row this week after going 16-2 in Big 12 action this season.
The Jayhawks were also 26-5 overall and 15-14-1 against the spread on the year.
Kansas' biggest challenge is expected to come from Missouri (7/4), the No. 2 seed that finished second with a record of 14-4 against Big 12 teams this season. The Tigers and Jayhawks split their two games during the regular season, so another meeting in the championship game this week would essentially serve as a rubber match for them.
Missouri was a lucrative 16-9-1 ATS for hoops bettors this season, going 27-4 overall.
Kansas and Missouri will play their first games of the tournament on Thursday against the winners of Wednesday's two first-round matchups: No. 8 Oklahoma (200/1) vs. No. 9 Texas A&M (250/1) and No. 7 Oklahoma State (100/1) vs. No. 10 Texas Tech (300/1).
The other second-round matchups on Thursday have already been set, with No. 4 Baylor (7/1) meeting No. 5 Kansas State (11/1), and No. 3 Iowa State (12/1) taking on No. 6 Texas (14/1). The semi-finals are set for Friday night, with the championship game tipping off Saturday.
Bettors focused on the Big 12 field will be giving a long look to Iowa State this week, as they posted the best ATS mark in the conference at 19-8 this season. Texas, on the other hand, went just 9-17 ATS on the season, and Texas Tech was 7-18-1 ATS.
The Syracuse Orange are in line for a top seed in next week's NCAA Tournament, but in the meantime they'll be looking to pay off for NCAA Basketball bettors at Madison Square Garden this week when they hit the hardwood in the Big East Tournament.
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The Orange, who went 30-1 during the regular season, are the top seed and 5/4 favorites for the Big East event in New York, which means they won't be in action until the third round of the tournament on Thursday afternoon – in a Noon ET tip-off on ESPN.
Syracuse went 16-14 ATS this season, and 17-1 in Big East conference matchups.
Along with the Orange, the other top seeds at the Big East Tournament this year are No. 2 Marquette (3/1), No. 3 Notre Dame (8/1) and No. 4 Cincinnati (11/1), and those three schools get to rest until Thursday's third-round action as well.
No. 5 Georgetown (6/1), No. 6 USF (16/1), No. 7 Louisville (10/1) and No. 8 West Virginia (25/1) get an automatic bye into the second round of the tournament on Wednesday, where they'll face the winners of the four first-round matchups set to be played on Tuesday.
One of the schools in action on Tuesday will be No. 9 Connecticut (25/1), which ended up winning last year's Big East Tournament despite starting out as a nine-seed at that event as well. UConn beat DePaul 97-71 in first-round Big East action last season.
The No. 16 Blue Demons (500/1) will again be the Huskies' opponent in the first round this year, and they'll get Big East Tournament betting underway at Noon ET on Tuesday.
The other three matchups on Tuesday are No. 13 Pittsburgh (80/1) vs. No. 12 St. John's (150/1), No. 15 Providence (300/1) vs. No. 10 Seton Hall (65/1), and No. 14 Villanova (150/1) vs. No. 11 Rutgers (100/1).
With five teams ranked in the nation's top-15 schools and excellent March Madness futures, the Big Ten Tournament could turn into a true battle royale this week at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Ohio State (No. 7), Michigan State (No. 8), Michigan (No. 10), Wisconsin (No. 14) and Indiana (No. 15) all sit in the Top 25 in the AP Poll heading into their tournament this week, and they'll be looking to make an impression on the NCAA selection committee.
The Buckeyes (3/2 odds to win the Big Ten Tournament), Spartans (12/5) and Wolverines (4/1) all tied for top spot in the Big Ten with 13-5 records in conference play, but it's Michigan State that is the top seed for the conference tournament this week thanks to the tiebreaker.
Michigan is seeded at No. 2 for the Big Ten Tournament, with Ohio State at No. 3 and Wisconsin (13/2) at No. 4. Those four schools get a bye into Friday's quarter-final round. The semifinals will be played on Saturday, with the championship game set for Sunday afternoon.
The opening round on Thursday then features four college hoops betting matchups, with No. 8 Iowa (200/1) vs. No. 9 Illinois (60/1), No. 5 Indiana (5/1) vs. No. 12 Penn State (400/1), No. 7 Northwestern (30/1) vs. No. 10 Minnesota (125/1) and No. 6 Purdue (20/1) vs. No. 11 Nebraska (500/1).
Ohio State won the Big Ten Tournament last season as the top seed, beating Penn State 71-60 in the championship game of the event. Overall the Buckeyes went 25-6 this season, and 15-12 against the college basketball betting lines.
Michigan State led all Big Ten teams with a 19 ATS wins this season, going 19-10 vs. the spread for bettors. Indiana also paid out well at 16-8-1 ATS, and Michigan was 17-11 ATS. Nebraska (9-16 ATS) and Penn State (9-14-3 ATS) both killed their supporters this year.
The Temple Owls are the top seed for this week's Atlantic 10 Tournament at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, but the college basketball odds suggest they'll be fighting off Saint Louis for the conference title.
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Temple won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title this year with a 13-3 mark in conference play, putting them one game up on 12-4 Saint Louis in those standings. Overall the Owls were 24-6 SU and 17-13 ATS, with the Billikens 24-6 SU and 16-9-1 ATS.
Heading into Tuesday's opening-round action, however, Saint Louis was at 8/5 odds to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament, with Temple at 2/1 odds.
Saint Louis, Temple, Xavier (13/1) and St. Bonaventure (10/1) all received a bye through the first round of the A-10 tournament, and they'll finally hit the hardwood in the quarterfinals of the event on Friday – where they'll play the winners of Tuesday's games.
That has No. 1 Temple playing No. 8 Massachusetts (18/1) on Friday, with No. 2 Saint Louis meeting No. 7 La Salle (14/1), No. 3 Xavier taking on No. 6 Dayton (14/1) and No. 4 St. Bonaventure battling No. 5 St. Joseph's (10/1).
St. Joseph's beat No. 12 Charlotte 80-64 on Tuesday in opening-round action, with Massachusetts topping No. 9 Duquesne 92-83, Dayton getting past No. 11 George Washington 67-50 and La Salle knocking off No. 10 Richmond 80-72.
St. Joseph's led the Atlantic 10 with 18 ATS wins this season, going 18-10 against the NCAA basketball odds at Bovada; Xavier went just 9-16-3 ATS on the year. Temple went 18-11-1 on the OVER/UNDER for totals bettors this season.
The semi-finals of the tournament will take place on Saturday, with the championship game set for 1:00pm ET on Sunday afternoon.
Arizona and UCLA, the two Pac-12 preseason favorites, face off in the conference tournament’s quarterfinals today in Los Angeles and it would behoove the Wildcats to win or else they will be sitting home for the Big Dance. Bet on the game at Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds.
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As of today, Arizona (21-10, 12-6) is among the “next four out” on ESPN-com’s Bracketology. Thus a loss here means it’s the NIT for coach Sean Miller’s team. And Arizona will be without a rotation player as freshman guard Josiah Turner has been suspended from the team for the second time this season, this time indefinitely. He’s not even on the trip to the tournament. Turner, UA’s top recruit this year, is averaging 6.8 points and 2.4 assists. He had started 16 of the team’s past 17 games. The Wildcats are likely to start Nick Johnson at point guard in Turner’s place.
The fourth-seeded Wildcats enter having lost two of their past four and are on the bubble because the Pac-12 is so weak – not a single ranked team in the conference. Fifth-seeded UCLA (19-13, 11-7) is also squarely on the bubble. The Bruins opened the conference tournament on Wednesday with a 55-40 win over crosstown USC behind 15 points from Lazeric Jones.
These two schools split the two regular-season meetings. On Jan. 5 in L.A., the Bruins won 65-58 behind a career-high 20 points from Travis Wear. Solomon Hill had 16 points and 11 boards to lead Arizona. Turner had 9 points and 6 rebounds in 28 minutes for the Cats. On Feb. 25 in Tucson, Arizona won 65-63 – UCLA’s only loss in the past five games. UCLA stayed close despite leading scorer Jones scoring two points on 1-of-12 shooting and center Joshua Smith fighting foul trouble. Turner played 35 minutes in that one for UA and had 8 points and 5 rebounds.
The number 70 looms large in conference tournament action as Arizona is 9-4 since 2002 when scoring 70 or more points and 1-5 when it does not. UA and UCLA have met four times in Pac-12 Tournament play and UA is 1-3 in those games.
It’s pretty simple for the University of Miami (Fla.) on Friday night: Either beat state rival Florida State for the second time this season or the Hurricanes will be relegated to the NIT instead of the Big Dance come Sunday. The No. 17 Seminoles are 2-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds for the ACC Tournament quarterfinal game in Atlanta.
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As of now, Miami is on the “next four out” on ESPN-com’s March Madness Bracketology. UM (19-11) took care of business in its ACC Tournament opener on Thursday, thumping a bad Georgia Tech team, 54-36. The sixth-seeded Canes only shot 33 percent from the field but held Tech, which turned it over 20 times, to its lowest-scoring game since 1961.
Florida State (21-9) will be making its tournament debut, getting a first-round bye. The Noles are the No. 3 seed for the third year in a row. And in the previous two seasons, they lost their quarterfinal game in the late game on Friday night – just like this one is.
FSU and Miami split their two regular-season meetings, each winning at home. On Feb. 11 in Tallahassee, the Noles won 64-59 as Bernard James scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half to lead FSU. The Seminoles collapsed on Miami star big man Reggie Johnson, holding him to just four points. In the rematch Feb. 26 in Miami, the Hurricanes won 78-62 – that was FSU’s last loss. Durand Scott scored 17 points as UM ended a six-game losing streak in the series. UM played that one without Johnson, who was temporarily suspended. That would be the only game he would miss. He averages 10.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
The Canes, who haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2008, are 2-5 against ranked opponents this season. They have reached the ACC semifinals just once, losing to Duke in 2010.
Thursday’s NCAA Tournament second-round East Region matchup between Harvard and Vanderbilt in Albuquerque might not be the best matchup of the day but it’s easily the one that features players with the highest SAT scores. The Commodores, a surprise SEC Tournament champion, opened as 6-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball betting odds.
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It’s the first NCAA berth for 12th-seeded Harvard (26-4) since 1946 and just the school’s second overall. Led by coach Tommy Amaker, Harvard set a school record with 26 victories this season in winning the Ivy League title outright for the first time. Junior forward Kyle Casey, who received All-Ivy League first team honors, leads the Crimson with 11.3 points per game. This team is no fluke – it beat ACC Tournament champion Florida State back on Nov. 25 and also beat America East Tournament champion Vermont in its gym on Dec. 1.
No. 5 seed Vanderbilt (24-10) stunned NCAA Tournament No. 1 overall seed Kentucky 71-64 in the SEC Tournament final on Sunday for its first SEC title since 1951. And that was no fluke, as the Commodores played UK tough in both regular-season matchups. Junior guard John Jenkins leads Vanderbilt in scoring per game (20.0) and netted 17 against Kentucky. He is shooting a stellar 45 percent from the 3-point line this season. This is Vanderbilt's third straight NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth in the last six seasons. The Commodores have lost three straight opening NCAA games starting with Siena in 2008, Murray State in 2010 and No. 12 seed Richmond in 2011. Vandy is 9-13 all-time in the Big Dance.
The winner of this game will face the winner of No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Montana on Saturday. If Harvard advances to the Sweet 16, the Crimson will compete at TD Garden in Boston, just a few miles from campus. Harvard is 0-4 ATS in its past four games. Vandy is 5-1 ATS in its past six.
Source: NCAA Tournament Second Round: Harvard vs. Vanderbilt | Gambling Beat News
One of the most intriguing matchups of the NCAA Tournament’s second round certainly has to be the East Region matchup between seventh-seeded Gonzaga and No. 10 West Virginia in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. The Mountaineers opened as 1-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds.
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Even though Gonzaga (25-6) is the higher seed it will be playing essentially in WVU’s backyard (Morgantown is only 75 miles from Pittsburgh). The Zags saw their streak of West Coast Conference titles end this year, falling short to Saint Mary’s in the regular season and in the conference tournament final. Gonzaga will have had 10 days between games by the time it takes the court Thursday, having lost 78-74 in overtime to the Gaels in the WCC final on March 5. The Zags are led by 7-foot center Robert Sacre. He was the WCC Defensive Player of the Year and averages 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools. Gonzaga has faced nine Big East Conference opponents in its history and has a 7-13 all-time record against the conference. This will be the second consecutive year the Zags will open the NCAA Tournament against a Big East opponent – they beat St. John's 86-71 last season. This is Gonzaga’s 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
West Virginia (19-13) was one of the last teams to get an at-large bid. The Mountaineers fell in overtime in the opening round of the Big East Tournament to Connecticut, 71-67, and they lost eight of their final 12 games. West Virginia shot just 34.7 percent for the UConn game, including 0-for-11 in overtime, after surrendering a double digit second-half lead to the Huskies. Senior forward Kevin Jones scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against UConn and is averaging 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
The Gonzaga-West Virginia winner will face the Ohio State-Loyola, Md., winner on Saturday. WVU is just 1-7 ATS in its past eight as a favorite. The Zags are 1-4 ATS in past five as a dog.
Source: March Madness: West Virginia vs. Gonzaga in NCAA Second Round | Gambling Beat News
Last season, Virginia Commonwealth was the story of the NCAA Tournament. The Rams were somewhat of a surprise to receive an at-large bid but went from the First Four all the way to the Final Four in one of the tournament’s most surprising runs ever. This season, No. 12 seed VCU opens against a mid-major team that has the talent to do the same thing: No. 5 Wichita State. The Shockers are 6.5-point favorites for the game in Portland on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds.
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VCU (28-6) was a No. 11 seed a season ago and probably would have been on the outside looking in for this Big Dance had it not upset regular-season champion Drexel in the Colonial Tournament championship game. Coach Shaka Smart's Rams have lost just once in their past 18 games and that was by one point at a very good Old Dominion club. VCU will be making its 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the first back-to-back appearances since 1983-85. Guard Bradford Burgess leads the team in scoring at 13.3 ppg. The Rams lead the nation in steals (10.7 a game) and turnover margin (+6.5).
Read More: VCU Faces Another Potential NCAA Cinderella in Wichita State | Gambling Beat News
Connecticut won the Big East Tournament and then the NCAA Tournament last season, and Louisville will be trying to pull off that same feat this month - starting on Thursday afternoon when they take on Davidson at the Rose Garden in Portland. Get your March Madness odds for the tilt at Bovada.
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The Cardinals were the No. 7 seed in last week's Big East Tournament, but that didn't stop them from upsetting Marquette, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati en route to the conference title. Louisville got to avoid top-seeded Syracuse at that event.
Read More: Big East Foes Take Rivalry to March Madness Betting Line | Gambling Beat News
Huge news on Tuesday that could very much affect which team cuts down the nets in New Orleans next month as Syracuse, the Big East regular season champion and top seed in the South Region, won’t have star center Fab Melo for the NCAA tournament due to an eligibility issue. The Orange open play Thursday in Pittsburgh against No. 16 UNC-Asheville as 15.5-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds.
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Melo, a 7-foot sophomore center, averaged 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds and had 88 blocked shots in 30 games for the Orange (31-2). He missed three games in January due to an eligibility issue. Syracuse’s only regular-season loss came in one of those missed games, at Notre Dame. The Orange also struggled at Cincinnati without Melo and escaped a big scare at home against West Virginia without him. Melo, who is one of the nation’s top shot blockers, didn’t even travel with the team to Pittsburgh and has been ruled out for the Big Dance. The improvement of Melo inside has been a key reason for the team's consistent high-level play. He anchors Syracuse's trademark two-three zone defensively.
Read More: Syracuse NCAA Tournament Hopes Hurt With Fab Melo Suspended | Gambling Beat News
The Murray State Racers lost just once this season and won the championship game at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament; now can they translate that success to some victories during March Madness this month? Get your college basketball odds at Bovada.
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No. 6 Murray State begins their NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon with a 12:15pm ET tip-off against No. 11 Colorado State in West Region action at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.
And the Racers head into Thursday's matchup on a seven-game winning streak; Murray State went 30-1 SU this season and 15-12 ATS, and they were 12-15 on the OVER/UNDER.
Murray State was the top seed at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, dispatching Tennessee Tech 78-58 in the semifinals and then slipping past Tennessee State 54-52 in the title game. Donte Poole and Isaiah Canaan had 14 points apiece in that contest.
Colorado State fell 79-69 to top-seeded San Diego State in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament, and they're 20-11 SU, 17-11-1 ATS, and 15-12-2 on the OVER/UNDER this season.
Last year, we saw a double-digit seed win in the First Four – VCU -- and carry that momentum all the way to the Final Four. Can BYU follow the Rams’ lead? Off a record-setting comeback victory on Tuesday night in Daytona, the No. 14 Cougars face third-seeded Marquette less than 48 hours later in Louisville, with the Golden Eagles are 6-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds. There will be live betting available on this game (2:45 p.m. ET tip on CBS).
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Brigham Young (26-8), an at-large team from the West Coast Conference, shockingly beat fellow at-large Iona 78-72 despite being down 25 points at one time. Star Noah Hartsock scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the biggest come-from-behind win in NCAA Tournament history. Previously, the largest deficit overcome was 22 points in 2001 when Duke fought back to beat Maryland 95-84 in the national semifinals. BYU allowed Iona, the nation’s top-scoring team, to score 55 points in the first half but just 17 in the second. Brandon Davies recorded his 8th double-double of the season for BYU with 18 points and 15 rebounds. You may remember he was suspended for last year’s NCAA Tournament.
Read More: Off Historic Comeback, BYU Faces Big Challenge in Marquette | Gambling Beat News
The Montana Grizzlies won the Big Sky Tournament last week, but as a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament they're going to find themselves in for a tougher matchup on Thursday afternoon when they take on No. 4 Wisconsin at University Arena in New Mexico. Get your NCAA basketball odds today.
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The Grizzlies went 25-6 SU, 17-9-1 ATS, and 14-12-1 on the OVER/UNDER this season en route to the Big Sky conference title, topping Weber State by a score of 85-66 in their conference's title game as the event's top seed.
Mathias Ward and Kareem Jamar each scored 23 points for Montana in that win, with Derek Selvig picking up 16 points and nine rebounds. Will Cherry, who led the team at 16.0 PPG this season, had 13 points against Weber State.
The Badgers fell 65-52 to Michigan State as a No. 4 seed in the semifinals of last week's Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin went 24-9 SU, 16-14 ATS, and 14-16 on the OVER/UNDER for bettors this season.
Read More: NCAA Odds: Big Sky Champs Face Tough Tourney Test in Wisconsin | Gambling Beat News
Kansas State's big-conference pedigree has them ahead of their Thursday opponent, Southern Miss, on the March Madness futures heading into this year's NCAA Tournament. Weigh in for yourself on the college basketball betting line today.
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Kansas State, the No. 8 seed in the East Region of the Big Dance's bracket this season, is listed at 75/1 odds to win the tournament. Southern Miss, just slightly behind Kansas State in the eyes of the selection committee at a No. 9 seed, is way back at 250/1 odds.
Those schools will tip off at 12:40pm ET at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon. The Wildcats are also at 18/1 to win the East bracket, with the Golden Eagles at 60/1 on that futures list.
The Wildcats were the No. 5 seed at the Big 12 Tournament last week and weren't able to go on any sort of a run, falling 82-74 to Baylor in the quarterfinals at that event. Overall Kansas State was 21-10 SU, 13-14 ATS, and 14-13 on the OVER/UNDER this season.
Read More: March Madness Odds: Wildcats Look to Prey on Golden Eagles | Gambling Beat News
In 1996, Chris Hehman built one of the first online bracket managers for the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, or March Madness, as it’s known to the millions of Americans who gamble on it every year. Hehman’s boss at the now defunct telecom company Nortel Networks wanted a better way to keep track of the 50-odd entries in the annual office pool. “Fifty doesn’t seem like a large number now,” says Hehman, “but back then you had to print it all and mark up all of the results and score them by hand.” Hehman’s program was such an office hit that he turned it into a business, PickHoops, which now processes 180,000 brackets annually.
Read More: The Legal Madness Around NCAA Bracket Pools - Businessweek
After blowing the Mountain West Tournament as the top seed, San Diego State will look for better results as a No. 6 seed when they start their NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon. Get your March Madness odds for the event today.
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The Aztecs earned the No. 1 seed at last week's Mountain West Tournament, but they ended up getting knocked off by New Mexico 68-59 in the title game at that event.
Chase Tapley had a team-high 25 points for San Diego State in that loss to the Lobos, while Jamaal Franklin added 16 points and 10 rebounds that day. Franklin (17.2 PPG) and Tapley (15.7 PPG) were the Aztecs' leading scorers this season.
Overall the Aztecs went 26-7 SU and 15-15 ATS on the season, and they put up a 15-14-1- OVER/UNDER mark for totals bettors on the college basketball betting lines at Bovada.
San Diego State will take on No. 11 North Carolina State in Columbus on Friday afternoon, and the Wolfpack are coming off a slim 69-67 loss to North Carolina in the semifinals of last week's ACC Tournament as a No. 5 seed.
C.J. Leslie scored 22 points for the Wolfpack against the Tar Heels, and he led the team at 14.6 PPG this season. Richard Howell was good for 11 points and 12 boards for North Carolina State in that defeat.
The Wolfpack were 22-12 SU, 15-14-1 ATS, and 18-12 on the OVER/UNDER this season.
Despite being the lower seed the Wolfpack actually have better March Madness futures at Bovada, as they're at 125/1 to win the tournament and at 20/1 to claim the Midwest. San Diego State sits at 150/1 to win the Big Dance and at 30/1 to win the Midwest.
As well, North Carolina State is a 2-point favorite against San Diego State on Friday.
Xavier was a preseason Top-25 team and a dark horse Final Four club back in November but disappointed this season. Notre Dame was supposed to be rebuilding after losing almost every key player off last year’s Top-10 team but surprised in 2011-12. Now these two private religious schools collide on Friday night with the Irish as 2.5-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA Tournament odds and there will be live betting available (9:45 p.m. ET tip on CBS).
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The Musketeers (21-12) looked like a Top-10 team in starting 8-0 – however, that eighth win saw an ugly brawl against Cincinnati that resulted in suspensions and derailed Xavier for a while. In fact, the Musketeers were just 10-11 in the next 21 games before winning three of four to close the regular season – losing to St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Tournament final but sneaking into the Big Dance as an at-large. What Xavier does have is a terrific veteran backcourt led by of Tu Holloway (17 points per game, 5.1 assists per game) and junior Mark Lyons (15.5 points per game, 2.7 assists per game). And the Musketeers have a matchup problem for most teams in 7-foot center Kenny Frease. He has been playing his best ball of late, averaging 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds over the last seven games.
Notre Dame (22-11) was a No. 2 seed last year in the NCAA Tournament after finishing second in the Big East and this was supposed to be a rebuilding year after losing four senior starters. Then the Irish lost their top returning player, Tim Abromaitis, to a knee injury after he played just two games. Forward Jack Cooley stepped up to be the main guy, averaging 12.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg and shooting better than 62 percent from the field. But this is a team effort as six players average between 6.9 and 12.5 points. Still, the Irish struggle to score and are not a good rebounding team, so Frease could have his way inside. Notre Dame’s young starting backcourt of Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins will have to play extremely well for the Irish to advance.
Xavier has much better depth than the Irish, so any Notre Dame foul issues will be a problem for the Irish. But Notre Dame also takes care of the ball as well as any team. Both teams are good defensively. The Irish held foes to 40.8 percent field goal accuracy, while opponents are shooting just under 40 percent against Xavier for the season and just over 30 percent from the 3-point line. Notre Dame was just 2-for-17 from long range in its Big East Tournament loss to Louisville.
For comparison’s sake, Xavier beat Cincinnati in that brawl game 76-53. Notre Dame lost at Cincinnati 71-55. Both teams also played Gonzaga. The Irish lost 73-53 at the Zags. And Gonzaga won 72-65 at Xavier.
Alabama will be matched up against a conference champion on Friday afternoon as the No. 9 Crimson Tide take on No. 8 Creighton in a Midwest Region contest in Greensboro. Get your March Madness betting line for the tilt today.
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The Bluejays were the No. 2 seed at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but they came out on top with an 83-79 overtime victory over Illinois State in the title game at that event.
Doug McDermott had a massive game for Creighton against Illinois State, pouring in a game-high 33 points in the win; McDermott led the Bluejays at 23.2 PPG this season. Grant Gibbs was good for 20 points and seven rebounds that day for Creighton.
The Bluejays went 28-5 SU and 15-14 ATS this season, plus 15-13-1 on the OVER/UNDER.
Alabama only lasted until the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament last week, falling as a No. 5 seed to Florida by a score of 66-63. JaMychal Green tossed in 22 points and grabbed 10 boards for the Crimson Tide in that loss, and he leads the team at 14.0 PPG.
The Crimson Tide went 21-11 SU this season, but they were below .500 against the college basketball betting lines at Bovada at 13-15 ATS. Alabama was also 15-13 on the OVER/UNDER this year.
As teams in the middle of the Midwest bracket both Alabama and Creighton are considered longshots to win either the NCAA Tournament or their region this month.
The Crimson Tide are listed at 150/1 on the March Madness odds at Bovada to come out on top at the Big Dance, and they're at 40/1 to win the Midwest Region. The Bluejays sit at 175/1 odds to win the NCAA Tournament, and they're at 35/1 to claim the Midwest.
Alabama is a 1.5-point favorite against Creighton on the NCAAB lines for Friday.
The 13th-seeded Ohio Bobcats are rolling into Friday’s Midwest Region game in Nashville against No. 4 seed Michigan, and Ohio U. knows full well how to beat a high seed like the Wolverines. However, Michigan is a 5.5-point favorite on Bovada’s NCAA March Madness odds.
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The Bobcats (27-7) opened the season winning 12 of their first 13 games and the only loss was by five points at then-No. 7 Louisville, which would end up being the Big East Tournament champion. Ohio then was a bit inconsistent around midseason, but it closed by winning nine of 10, including beating Mid-American Conference No. 1 overall seed Akron twice, including in the conference tournament final. Ohio has a player who could play on any BCS team in guard D.J. Cooper, the MAC Tournament MVP who averages 14.6 points, 5.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game. Other than Louisville, the Bobcats played two other NCAA Tournament teams, beating Lamar and UNC-Asheville.
Michigan (24-9) shared the Big Ten regular-season championship – the Wolverines hadn’t won or shared the Big Ten crown in more than two decades. However, UM struggled in the Big Ten Tournament, squeaking by Minnesota in overtime and then getting crushed by Ohio State. Michigan is one of the smallest teams in the tournament, often having four guards on the floor. They are led by freshman Trey Burke, who had his worst game of the season in the loss to OSU, and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Michigan lives and dies by the 3-point shot and is terrible on the boards. Ohio held opponents to just 28.7 percent from behind the arc (12th in the country) and led the MAC in offensive rebounding. The Bobcats will try and push the tempo and force Michigan into turnovers. This is the first meeting between the schools since 1971. Ohio U is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010, when it upset No. 3 seed Georgetown 97-83 behind 23 points from Cooper, then a freshman. UM is in the tournament for the second year in a row – it crushed Tennessee in the first round last year before falling in a two-point game to No. 1 Duke.
These two teams do have a common opponent in Oakland (Mich.) University. Ohio beat the Grizzlies 84-82 on Dec. 7. Three days later, Michigan beat Oakland 90-80. Both were Oakland home games.
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Kansas (5/6 odds to win the Big 12 tournament) is the defending champion, knocking off Texas 85-73 in the title game last season. They're the No. 1 seed at the tournament for the second year in a row this week after going 16-2 in Big 12 action this season.
The Jayhawks were also 26-5 overall and 15-14-1 against the spread on the year.
Kansas' biggest challenge is expected to come from Missouri (7/4), the No. 2 seed that finished second with a record of 14-4 against Big 12 teams this season. The Tigers and Jayhawks split their two games during the regular season, so another meeting in the championship game this week would essentially serve as a rubber match for them.
Missouri was a lucrative 16-9-1 ATS for hoops bettors this season, going 27-4 overall.
Kansas and Missouri will play their first games of the tournament on Thursday against the winners of Wednesday's two first-round matchups: No. 8 Oklahoma (200/1) vs. No. 9 Texas A&M (250/1) and No. 7 Oklahoma State (100/1) vs. No. 10 Texas Tech (300/1).
The other second-round matchups on Thursday have already been set, with No. 4 Baylor (7/1) meeting No. 5 Kansas State (11/1), and No. 3 Iowa State (12/1) taking on No. 6 Texas (14/1). The semi-finals are set for Friday night, with the championship game tipping off Saturday.
Bettors focused on the Big 12 field will be giving a long look to Iowa State this week, as they posted the best ATS mark in the conference at 19-8 this season. Texas, on the other hand, went just 9-17 ATS on the season, and Texas Tech was 7-18-1 ATS.