ACC title game pits Blue Devils against Yellow Jackets
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/14/2010 -
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils go for their record 18th ACC Tournament title today, as they take on
the seventh-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the finals at Greensboro
Coliseum.
The Blue Devils are not only trying to establish a new record with an 18th
championship in this event, but they are also gunning for their second
straight title. Duke made its way to the finals by defeating ninth-seeded
Virginia, 57-46, in the quarterfinals and nipping 12th-seeded Miami-Florida,
77-74, in the semifinals yesterday. The Blue Devils have now won a record 86
games in this event, and could secure a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with
a win today.
As for the Yellow Jackets, they entered the postseason knowing they needed to
do some work to ensure a spot in the Big Dance. Tech certainly stepped up to
the challenge and took care of business with a 62-58 win over 10th-seeded
North Carolina in the first round before upsetting second-seeded and
nationally-ranked Maryland, 69-64, in the quarterfinals. The team continued
its run yesterday with a 57-54 besting of 11th-seeded NC State. Tech is now in
its first championship game since losing to Duke back in 2005.
The Yellow Jackets held NC State to a dismal 30.6 percent shooting from the
floor and survived a three-pointer in the closing seconds for a 57-54 win
yesterday. Tech missed 13 free throws and turned the ball over 16 times in the
game, allowing NC State to rally before hanging on for the win. Derrick Favors
had 17 points and eight boards to lead the way, while Gani Lawal registered a
double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The ACC Freshman of the Year,
Favors has scored in double figures in each postseason game and is averaging
12.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg for the season. He ranks second on the team to Lawal, who
puts forth 13.3 ppg and 8.8 rpg. Iman Shumpert is in charge of setting up the
duo, handing out a team-high 3.7 apg, and he also chips in with 10.0 ppg.
Duke used a 15-0 run in the second half to take control and it hung on down
the stretch for a 77-74 win over Miami yesterday. The Blue Devils shot 48.1
percent from the field and dominated the boards, 38-24. Kyle Singler, who had
a team-high 18 points in the quarterfinals, led the charge once again with 27
points, eight rebounds and six assists. Jon Scheyer added 16 points and six
boards, while Nolan Smith chipped in with 12 points. The trio have carried
Duke all season long, and Scheyer paces the team with 18.7 ppg and 5.1 apg.
Singler produces 17.5 ppg and a team-best 7.0 rpg, while Smith averages a
healthy 17.4 ppg.
<< Wildcats and Bulldogs square off for SEC crown
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The championship game of the SEC Tournament
pits the second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats against the Mississippi State
Bulldogs, the top-seeded teams from the league's East and West Divisions,
respectively.
Miss
<< Buckeyes battle streaking Golden Gophers for Big Ten title
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - An unlikely matchup will take place at
Conseco Fieldhouse, as the sixth-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers will battle
the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in the championship game of the Big Ten
Conference Tourna
<< A-10 title up for grabs as Owls take on Spiders
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gunning for their ninth Atlantic 10
Conference Tournament title, the third in as many seasons, the 17th-ranked and
top-seeded Temple Owls take the floor at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this
afternoon agai
<< Blues wrap road trip versus Wild
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues conclude a six-game road trip this
evening that has kept them in the playoff race. They do so against one of the
better home teams in the league, the Minnesota Wild, at Xcel Energy Center.
The Blues hav
<< Lightning play host to Penguins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lightning are coming off a big win over the Eastern
Conference's top team. They wouldn't mind posting another one versus arguably
the East's second-best team.
Tampa Bay will try to record just its third win in its last
Surging Bucks shoot for season sweep of Pacers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Milwaukee Bucks continue their push to the
postseason Sunday when they attempt to sweep Central Division rival Indiana
for the first time in nearly 30 years.
The Bucks have already beaten the Pacers three times
Thrashers shoot for rare victory over Coyotes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Thrashers couldn't have picked a worse time to post
their second-longest losing streak of the season. A visit from the Coyotes on
Sunday could extend the winless drought by another game.
Atlanta will try to snap a five
Sharks visit Ducks aiming for season series sweep >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After three straight come-from-behind victories, the Sharks
finally ran out of magic on Saturday. Good thing they haven't need much when
facing the Ducks this year.
San Jose kicks off a six-game road trip this evening vers
Heat host hapless Sixers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat continue their push toward a postseason
berth when they host the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.
The Heat are coming off a huge win over Chicago on Friday in which Quentin
Richardson made 7-of-11 three-p
Magic shoot for 9th straight win; host Bobcats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats continue their push for the
franchise's first postseason berth tonight against a streaking Orlando team in
search of its ninth straight win.
The Magic, who are currently the second seed in the Eastern
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
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 MySportsbook.com’s “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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