Sweet 16 Betting Odds: Connecticut, VCU and Ohio State Buckeyes
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
by BetUS.com
#2 North Carolina Tar Heels -4.5 over #11 Marquette Golden Eagles
The more you see Harrison Barnes play, the more you have to love him. A lot of guys can be great for three-quarters of a game, but Barnes is the type of guy that goes bananas in the closing quarter. He’s a finisher, and that’s the one reason why UNC’s Sweet 16 betting odds have to be enticing especially in a matchup against a team like Marquette Golden Eagles.
The truth is that North Carolina Tar Heels has been a late bloomer mostly because Harrison Barnes has been one himself. With 20.0 points per game over his last 12 efforts, Barnes has led the Tar Heels to the round of sixteen, but their success has come at a price to their basketball betting investors. People love UNC and that’s been evident in their inability to cover in March Madness thus far. You almost have to pay a tax to back the Tar Heels in betting because there are millions of fans inflating their lines.
Marquette has silenced big names so far by outlasting Xavier and crushing the dreams of Syracuse, but there’s no doubt that they’ve needed a bit of luck to get where they are. I chose Marquette as one of my favorite underdogs to go deep in to the tournament but I’m not as enthralled by their Sweet 16 betting odds against UNC. Marquette is a very popular play in college basketball overall, so their name value will keep this line honest. All the better for Barnes and UNC.
#11 Virginia Commonwealth Rams +4.0 over #10 Florida State Seminoles
Why the hell not? The Virginia Commonwealth Rams were one of the teams to bust through in the first round with a convincing win over USC and haven’t looked back. Just because people don’t think they deserve to be where they are hasn’t deterred them from playing like they’re one of the best teams in the country. Gunning past an overrated Georgetown team 74-56 is one thing, but blasting Purdue 94-76 has VCU running on hype fumes.
Normally that would scare me, but the fact that Florida State Seminoles has overachieved to this point makes the Rams every bit as enticing as an underdog. In fact, VCU is a stiff 5-2 SU and ATS when posting as dogs. If you want to bet on a team that has swagger, and plenty of it to spare, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams are that team.
#1 Ohio State Buckeyes -5.0 over #8 Kentucky Wildcats
This is the tightest line that the Ohio State Buckeyes have faced in a while. Favored as double digit spread killers for their past five games, Ohio State has a record of 5-0 and 3-2 ATS with three straight covers. We normally don’t give Ohio State the love when it comes to the national title picture, but their defensive destructions of George Mason and Texas-SA have me excited to see Sullinger in a potential Final Four matchup with UConn or Duke.
For some reason, I can’t get too excited about Kentucky Wildcats. They had a big blow when they weren’t able to get their hands on the big man they wanted (Kanter) and haven’t properly filled the void. That’s the worst possible place to have a weakness when playing Ohio State which is why I can’t back their Sweet 16 betting odds no matter which way I try to cut it.
#12 Richmond Spiders +11.0 over #1 Kansas Jayhawks
The Richmond Spiders might be the most athletic team left in the tournament and I’m not even remotely joking about that. Beating Moorehead State and Vanderbilt might not have jarred the sharps who backed Richmond. Why wouldn’t you take on a team that is 12-2 ATS in 14 games since the start of February?
The Kansas Jayhawks will win this game. I’m not alluding to the idea of Richmond sending another top-seed home, but they’re certainly the most significant challenge that Kansas has left. The Kansas Jayhawks haven’t been a great bet all year, and are just 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 games. This line is actually much smaller than it should be, but that’s because most people haven’t fallen asleep on Richmond Spiders and you shouldn’t either with those sexy Sweet 16 betting odds hanging on the board.
Related Articles
- NCAA Final Four Predictions: The Year of the Underdog
- Final Four Predictions Matchups: Potentially Final 4 Matchups
- Which Top Seeds Are Bad Bets for March Madness Betting?
- 2012 March Madness Favorites and NCAA Tournament Prediction
- NCAA Basketball Future Odds for 2012 March Madness
Category
Tags
basketball betting - final four - florida state seminoles - harrison barnes - kansas jayhawks - kentucky wildcats - march madness - marquette golden eagles - north carolina tar heels - ohio state buckeyes
