» Virginia Commonwealth Rams, Butler Bulldogs clash in Final Four on CBS

Virginia Commonwealth Rams, Butler Bulldogs clash in Final Four on CBS

Apr 012011

The No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth Rams and the No. 8 seed Butler Bulldogs square off Saturday in the NCAA Tournament Final Four (6:09 pm ET, CBS).

NCAAB Odds and Basketball Picks have Butler as a 2.5-point favorite and the total at 133.

The winner takes on the winner of the other Final Four game between the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 3 Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA Championship Game on Monday.

The Rams (28-11 SU, 18-20 ATS, 12-6 CAA) won their fifth straight when they stunned the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks 71-61 in the Elite Eight round last Sunday. VCU covered as an 11-point underdog.

The Bulldogs (27-9 SU, 19-14-1 ATS, 13-5 Horizon) beat the No. 2 seed Florida Gators 74-71 in their Elite Eight matchup, cashing as a 4-point underdog.

Butler has been of the hottest teams in College Basketball for two months. It’s hard to believe that in early February, the Bulldogs were 14-9 SU and 6-5 in the Horizon League and looked like they would be fortunate to make the NIT Tournament. Since then, however, Butler is 13-0 SU and have beaten the No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers and the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers, among others, at the NCAA Tournament.

No. 1 seeds North Carolina Tar Heels, Ohio State Buckeyes look to advance to Elite Eight on CBS

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Mar 242011

The Big East had a record 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament, and the lowest of those seeds, the No. 11 Marquette Golden Eagles, is now one of just two remaining teams from the conference going into the Sweet 16 round.

The Golden Eagles take on the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels in an East Region semifinal at the Prudential Center in Newark on Friday (7:15 pm ET, CBS).

NCAAB Odds and Basketball Picks have the Tar Heels are a 4.5-point favorite and the over/under is at 149.5.

Marquette (22-14 SU, 18-12 ATS, 9-9 Big East) has won four of its past five while North Carolina (28-7 SU, 15-16-1 ATS, 14-2 ACC) has won 11 of its past 12.

Later Friday, the marquee matchup of March Madness so far has the No. 4 seed Kentucky Wildcats facing the No. 1 seed Ohio State Buckeyes at the Prudential Center in Newark (9:45 pm ET, CBS).

March Madness Picks have the Buckeyes as a 5.5-point favorite and the over/under total at 140.

While this is the fifth meeting between the teams since 1980, it’s the first in 15 years, since the Wildcats beat the Buckeyes 81-65 in 1996.

Kentucky (27-8 SU, 15-14-1 ATS, 10-6 SEC) has won eight in a row while Ohio State (34-2 SU, 18-15 ATS, 16-2 Big Ten) has won nine straight.

Kentucky beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 71-63 in the round of 32 on Saturday, cashing as a 3.5-point favorite. Ohio State hammered the George Mason Patriots 98-66, easily covering as an 11.5–point favorite.

College Basketball Betting action enters Sweet 16 round

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Mar 232011

College Basketball Betting action on Thursday has the No. 8 Butler Bulldogs facing the No. 4 seed Wisconsin Badgers in a Southeast Region matchup in the Sweet 16 round (9:45 pm ET, TBS).

NCAAB Odds and Basketball Picks have the Badgers as a 4-point favorite and the over/under total at 124.

Butler (25-9 SU, 17-14-1 ATS) upset the Pittsburgh Panthers 71-70 in the round of 32 on Saturday, cashing as an 8-point underdog. Wisconsin (25-8 SU, 17-12 ATS) beat the Kansas State Wildcats 70-65 in their round of 32 game Saturday, covering as a 3.5-point favorite.

Another Sweet 16 matchup has the Florida Gators taking on the BYU Cougars in a Southeast Region game (7:30 pm ET, TBS).

The Gators are a 2.5-point favorite and the total is 149 in College Basketball Odds.

BYU beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs 89-67 and covered as a 1.5–point favorite on Saturday. Florida was a 73-65 winner against the UCLA Bruins and covered the 5–point spread as favorites.

And the Arizona Wildcats face the No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils at the Honda Center in Anaheim (9:45 pm ET, CBS).

The Blue Devils are an 8.5-point favorite and the over/under total is 144.5.

The Wildcats (29-7 SU, 18-15-1 ATS) pulled off one of many upsets in the round of 32, beating the Texas Longhorns 70-69 on Sunday. They covered s a 5.5-point underdog.

The Blue Devils (32-4 SU, 20-15 ATS) beat the Michigan Wolverines 73-71 on Sunday in their round of 32 game. The Blue Devils couldn’t cash as a 12.5–point favorite.

Washington Huskies, North Carolina Tar Heels meet in March Madness action

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Mar 192011

NCAA Tournament play Sunday has the No. 7 seed Washington Huskies and the 2^nd-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels clashing in an East Region matchup at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte (12:15 pm ET, CBS).

March Madness Odds have North Carolina as a 4-point favorite and the over/under total is at 158.

Washington (24-10, 15-16-1 ATS, 11-7 Pac-10) beat the Georgia Bulldogs 68-65 in their opener on Friday but failed to cover as a 6-point favorite. The score stayed under the total of 146. Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points to lead the Huskies.

North Carolina (27-7 SU, 15-15-1 ATS, 14-2 ACC) beat the Long Island Blackbirds 102-87 on Friday but couldn’t cash as an 18.5-point favorite. John Henson had 28 points and six blocks for the Tar Heels.

Later Sunday, the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils and the 8^th-seeded Michigan Wolverines also square off at the Time Warner Cable Arena (2:45 pm ET, CBS).

NCAAB Odds have Duke as an 11.5-point favorite and the total at 136.

The Wolverines (21-13 SU, 21-8 ATS, 9-9 Big Ten) blew out the Tennessee Volunteers 75-45 in their opener Friday, easily covering as a 1–point underdog. The Blue Devils (31-4 SU, 20-14 ATS, 13-3 ACC) routed the Hampton Pirates 87-45 on Friday. The Blue Devils covered the big 25-point spread and the score was under the total of 132.5.

Duke is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in the past five head-to-head meetings, but Michigan won the last meeting 81-73 on Dec. 6, 2008. The Wolverines cashed as a 9.5-point home underdog.

No. 19 Connecticut Huskies @ DePaul Blue Demons in Big East Tournament

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Mar 072011

The No. 19 Connecticut Huskies face the unranked DePaul Blue Demons in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden (12 pm ET, ESPN2).

NCAAB Odds and Basketball Picks have the Huskies as a 16-point favorite and the over/under at 138.

DePaul (7-23 SU, 14-13-1 ATS, 1-17 Big East) will be in tough, as the team has one win since Dec. 22. DePaul finished in the Big East basement, 14 games out of first place.

Connecticut (21-9 SU, 13-11 ATS, 9-9 Big East) started just fine this season, winning 10 straight and 15 of its first 17 games. But then Big East play started and the Huskies could not keep up with the top teams in the conference. They enter the tournament with four losses in their past five games. UConn finished 9^th in the conference, six games back of the first-place No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers.

As if things are not bad enough for DePaul, the team will be without leading scorer Cleveland Melvin, who is out for the season with a sprained left thumb.

UConn lost 70-67 to the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, while DePaul was routed 107-59 by the No. 11 Syracuse Orange.

In the head-to-head series, the Huskies are 5-1 SU against DePaul in the past six meetings. UConn won 82-62 the last time the teams met on Jan. 15, cashing as a 9.5-point road favorite.

The Huskies have won the Big East Tournament six times, the last time in 2004, but they are 1-6 SU in the event since then and last season were knocked out by the St. John’s Red Strom in a 73-51 blow out.

ACC, Big East conference titles on the line in NCAAB action

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Mar 042011

Two conference titles are up for grabs as the College Basketball season enters the final weekend of regular season play before the conference tournaments tip off next week.

The biggest involves what most would consider the best rivalry in College Basketball when the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils battle the No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels for the ACC crown Saturday night (8 pm ET, CBS).

Duke (27-3 SU and 15-13 ATS, 13-2 ACC) beat the Clemson Tigers 70-59 on Wednesday, but fell short of covering the spread as a 12.5-point home favorite. North Carolina (23-6 SU, 14-12 ATS, 13-2 ACC) edged the Florida State Seminoles 72-70 on Wednesday but failed to cash as a 2.5-point road favorite.

North Carolina is 6-4 SU and ATS in the head-to-head series and will be out for revenge after the Blue Devils won 79-73 when the teams met on Feb. 9.

In the Big East, the No. 5 Pittsburgh Panthers can win the conference title outright for the first time since 2004 when they face the slumping No. 19 Villanova Wildcats on Saturday at the Petersen Events Center (4 pm ET, CBS).

Pittsburgh (26-4 SU, 13-11 ATS, 14-3 Big East) beat the South Florida Bulls 66-50 on Wednesday and covered as a 10.5-point road favorite. Villanova (21-9 SU, 11-15 ATS, 9-8 Big East) lost 93-72 Monday against the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and failed to cover as a 5-point road underdog..

The teams are 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings and the Panthers are 6-4 ATS.

ESPN2 doubleheader opens with No. 16 Connecticut Huskies at West Virginia Mountaineers in Big East battle

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Mar 012011

Big East rivals the No. 16 Connecticut Huskies and the West Virginia Mountaineers square off at the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday in the first game of an ESPN2 doubleheader (7 pm ET, ESPN2).

NCAAB Odds and College Basketball Picks have West Virginia as a 4.5-point favorite and the total at 131.

Connecticut and West Virginia – along with the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Marquette Golden Eagles – are all tied for 7^th in the Big East with 9-7 SU conference records. With the top eight teams getting a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament next week, there is a lot at stake in Wednesday’s matchup.

UConn is 7-2 SU and ATS in the past nine head-to-head. The teams have not met since Feb. 22 last season, when the Huskies won 73-62 and cashed as a 2-point home underdog.

The Huskies (21-7 SU, 13-9 ATS, 9-7 Big East) beat Cincinnati 67-59 on Sunday, covering as a 3.5-point road underdog, while the Mountaineers (18-10 SU, 10-14 ATS, 9-7 Big East) got past Rutgers Scarlet Knights 65-54 on Sunday and covered as 4-point road favorites.

The second game has the No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies facing Big 12 conference rival the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks at the Phog Allen Fieldhouse (9 pm ET, ESPN2).

The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 by just a half game over the No. 8 Texas Longhorns, and can pretty much wrap up the conference with a win.

Texas A&M is 22-6 SU, 9-9-1 ATS and 9-5 in the Big 12. The Aggies lost 58-51 to the Baylor Bears on Saturday, failing to cover as a 3-point road underdog.

Kansas is 27-2 SU, 14-12 ATS and 12-2 in the conference. The Jayhawks picked up a 82-70 win over the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday but failed to cover as 14-point road favorites.

The teams have not met since the Big 12 Tournament last season, when the Jayhawks won 79-66 and cashed as 9-point favorites.

Illinois Fighting Illini, Purdue Boilermakers open NCAAB doubleheader on ESPN

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Feb 282011

March Madness is here and the final week of the College Basketball regular season features some key conference matchups, including the Illinois Fighting Illini battling the No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers in Big Ten action Tuesday (7 pm ET, ESPN).

NCAAB Odds and Basketball Picks have Purdue as an 8.5-point favorite and the over/under total is 136.5.

Illinois (18-11 SU, 13-13-1 ATS, 8-8 Big Ten) has been on a six-week slide after starting the season with just three losses in its first 16 games. The Fighting Illini have now lost eight of their past 13 since mid-January.

Conversely, Purdue (24-5 SU, 18-7 ATS, 13-3 Big Ten) is one of the hottest teams in College Basketball. The Boilermakers have six straight wins and have covered the spread in all six matches.

Head-to-head, Purdue is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in the past four meetings, and beat the Illini 81-70 on Feb. 13, cashing as a 2.5-point road favorite.

The second nationally televised game Tuesday has SEC foes No. 20 Vanderbilt Commodores and No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats squaring off at Rupp Arena (9 pm ET, ESPN).

Vanderbilt will be taking on a Kentucky team that will be looking for a school record 34^th straight win at home.

The Commodores (21-7 SU, 14-7-1 ATS, 9-5 SEC) have won six of their past seven. The Wildcats (20-8 SU, 10-12-1 ATS, 8-6 SEC) have won three of their past four.

No. 20 Syracuse Orange, No. 11 Georgetown Hoyas kick off College Basketball tripleheader on CBS

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Feb 252011

The No. 20 Syracuse Orange take on the No. 11 Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East battle on Saturday at the Verizon Center, one of three key nationally televised College Basketball matchups (12 pm ET, CBS).

NCAAB Odds and Basketball Picks have the Hoyas as a 1-point favorite and the over/under total at 134.5.

Syracuse (23-6 SU, 9-16 ATS, 10-6 Big East) beat the Villanova Wildcats 69-64 on Monday, covering the spread as a 3.5-point road underdog.

Georgetown (21-7 SU, 14-12 ATS, 10-6 Big East) was upset 58-46 by the Cincinnati Bearcats on Wednesday as a 6.5-point home favorite.

The Orange will be looking for revenge after losing to Georgetown 64-56 at the Carrier Dome on Feb. 9.

Another key NCAA Basketball tilt Saturday has the No. 7 Brigham Young Cougars visiting the No. 4 San Diego State Aztecs in a battle for top spot in the MWC (2 pm ET, CBS).

BYU (26-2 SU, 12-1 MWC) beat the Colorado State Rams 84-76 at home on Wednesday. San Diego State (27-1 SU, 12-1 MWC) beat the Air Force Falcons 70-58 on the road last Saturday.

And finally, the No. 13 Florida Gators and the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats square off in an SEC East matchup at Rupp Arena (4 pm ET, CBS).

Florida (22-5 SU, 9-13 ATS, 11-2 SEC) beat the Georgia Bulldogs 71-62 at home on Thursday, with Kenny Boynton scoring 18 points. Kentucky (19-8 SU, 10-12 ATS, 7-6 SEC) were edged 77-76 by the Arkansas Razorbacks in overtime on Wednesday. Brandon Knight led Kentucky with 26 points.

The Gators won the previous meeting this season, beating the then-No. 11 Wildcats 70-68 at home on Feb. 5.

Illinois Fighting Illini take on No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes on ESPN

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Feb 212011

The slumping Illinois Fighting Illini take on the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes in Big Ten action at the Value City Arena on Tuesday (7 pm ET, ESPN).

NCAAB Odds and Basketball Picks have the Buckeyes as a 10.5-point favorite and the over/under total is 135.

Ohio State is 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS in the past 10 head-to-head. The Buckeyes beat Illinois 73-68 in their first meeting on Jan. 22, cashing as a 3.5-point road favorite.

Illinois (17-10 SU, 12-12-1 ATS, 7-7 Big Ten) started out with just three losses in its first 16 games but has tanked since then, dropping seven of its past 11.

Ohio State (25-2 SU, 11-13 ATS, 12-2 Big Ten) is in first place in the Big Ten, but the Buckeyes lead is down to just one game over the streaking No. 8 Purdue Boilermakers.

And a later game on ESPN has the Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC matchup against the No. 18 Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gym (9 pm ET, ESPN).

Vanderbilt is a 6.5-point favorite in College Basketball Betting.

The Volunteers beat the Commodores 67-64 in the teams’ last meeting on Jan. 15, cashing as a 1.5-point home favorite. Tennessee is 6-4 SU and ATS in the past 10 head-to-head meetings.

Tennessee lost 69-63 to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, failing to cover as a 5-point road underdog. Vanderbilt won its fifth-straight with a 77-60 victory over the Auburn Tigers on Saturday. The Commodores cashed as an 11-point road favorite.

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