Big East brawl pits Orange against Golden Eagles

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/07/2009 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of strong Big East Conference teams are set to close out the regular season in Milwaukee this afternoon, as the 13th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles play host to the 25th-ranked Syracuse Orange.

Syracuse has won its last three games to move to 22-8 overall and 10-7 in league play, seemingly eliminating any doubt about the team's prospects for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Orange crushed Rutgers on Tuesday in a 70-40 final and won 16 of their 19 home games during the regular season. Today, they will attempt to even their road record at 5-5.

Marquette has fallen on hard times in recent games, as the club has lost its last two outings to fall out of the race for the conference title. The Golden Eagles are 23-7 overall and 12-5 in league play, but they haven't been the same since losing standout guard Dominic James for the season with an injury. To be fair, however, it is important to point out that the three losses during the current slide have come against UConn, Louisville and Pittsburgh, the three best teams in the Big East.

Today's game marks the only scheduled meeting of the season between the Orange and the Golden Eagles, and Syracuse owns a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series.

There is no shortage of talent in the Syracuse lineup, as the team is capable of beating anyone, anywhere. Point guard Jonny Flynn is a sensational performer who averages 17.0 ppg and has dished out 191 assists. He has started all 30 games thus far, the only member of the team who can make that claim. Eric Devendorf scores 15.4 ppg for the Orange, who are getting 13.0 ppg and 7.9 rpg from Paul Harris. Arinze Onuaku (10.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Andy Rautins (10.0 ppg) bring further balance to the lineup for Syracuse, which is posting 79.9 ppg while allowing 70.5 ppg. Harris scored 18 points to lead the onslaught against Rutgers on Tuesday. The Orange played stellar defense, forcing 20 turnovers while limiting the Scarlet Knights to 25.4 percent shooting from the field.

On Wednesday, Marquette suffered a 90-75 loss to an outstanding Pittsburgh squad on the road. The Golden Eagles struggled mightily at the defensive end of the floor, as they permitted the Panthers to shoot 63 percent overall. Jerel McNeal scored a team-high 23 points in the setback, but he made good on only 8-of-24 field goal attempts. Lazar Hayward contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Wesley Matthews added 16 points. Those three players are sure to be the keys to the team's success in the postseason. McNeal is scoring 19.9 ppg, and he has dished out 120 assists to go with 64 steals. Matthews checks in with 18.7 ppg, and he is shooting 51.5 percent from the floor. Hayward, the team's leading rebounder with 8.6 rpg, is netting 16.1 ppg for Marquette, which is posting 79.1 ppg while allowing 69.5 ppg.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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