Posted on
3/10/2008 5:08:04 PM
NCAA Basketball Betting Middle Tennessee at South Alabama
By Charles Jay
BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: SOUTH ALABAMA -11, Total 131
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (16-14 SU, 16-11 ATS) look to pull off a big upset and advance to the Sun Belt championship game on Monday night when they meet up with the South Alabama Jaguars (26-5 SU, 18-8 ATS) in the conference semifinals. The game tips off at 7:30 PM ET at the Mitchell Center in Mobile.
In the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds, South Alabama is listed as an 11-point favorite, with a total of 131 points.
Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* MT has covered nine of its last 12 games
* MT has own four of its last five games SU
* MT has played four of its last six games UNDER the total
* SA has won its last six games SU
* SA has won 22 of its last 24 games SU
* SA has played three of its last four games UNDER the total
* SA has covered seven of its last nine games
* SA has covered four of its last five home games
* MT has covered four of the last five meetings
* Three of the last four meetings have gone UNDER the total
* MT has had the shooting edge in four of the last five meetings
* MT has had the rebounding edge in five of the last seven meetings
* SA has made more three-pointers in seven of the last eight meetings
The Blue Raiders got here by beating Louisiana-Monroe and Troy, and they have been a red-hot shooting team, hitting 55% and 52% in those two contests. Interestingly enough, however, even though it shot 62% in the first half against Troy, maybe the Sun Belt's weakest team coming into the tourney, they still trailed by two points. And they needed some heroics at the end to win it because they kept sending the Trojans to the free throw line. So clearly there are defensive issues that need to be addressed.
South Alabama is not rated by either of the major polls, but in perhaps the most important rankings of all - the Ratings Percentage Index, or RPI - the Jaguars are 25th in the country. USA has won all 17 home games this season, and boasts the best player in the conference in Demetric Bennett. Kermit Davis, Middle Tennessee's coach, is making noises that South Alabama is already assured a spot in the NCAA tourney, as if that is going to give his team a chance.
But the Jags will be taking nothing for granted, since this same program scored an upset of them last year when they were the #1 seed in the conference tournament. And Bennett will be looking to atone for his 4-for 13, nine-point performance in the last encounter with Middle Tennessee on February 14.
We will lay the points with South Alabama, the 11-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: SOUTH ALABAMA
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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)