Posted on 3/18/2008 12:58:35 PM

College Basketball Invitational Picks - Brown at Ohio

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds: Ohio -7.5

The Brown Bears (19-9 SU, 13-8 ATS) will have a chance to do the Ivy League proud as they face the Ohio Bobcats (19-12 SU, 15-13 ATS) in a first-round game of the new College Basketball Invitational (CBI) that is set to tip off at 7 PM ET at the Ohio University Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Ohio is listed as a 7.5-point favorite.

Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* BROWN has covered seven of its last ten games

* BROWN has won 10 of its last 11 games SU

* BROWN has played four of its last five games OVER the total

* BROWN has covered six of its last eight road games

* BROWN has played four of its last five road games OVER the total

* OHIO has covered three of its last ten games

* OHIO has played four of its last five games OVER the total

* OHIO has covered 12 of its last 17 home games

* OHIO has won 15 of its last 17 home games SU

If not for the presence of a very strong Cornell team, Brown may have ruled the Ivy League this season. The Bears handled just about everybody else, gaining a split with Yale but sweeping every other team. Their out-of-conference performance was not awe-inspiring, but they had eight non-league wins, the second most for them in the last 53 years. And there were victories over Hartford, which almost won the America East title, and American, the Patriot League champ which made it to the NCAA's.

Speaking of Cornell, by the way, they were beaten early on by this Ohio team (103-89). The Bobcats later beat Maryland, Kent State and George Mason, so this is a capable team.

Brown has some things you look for when sizing up a tournament team that is going to compete against medium-level non-conference opposition: very solid guard play, in Mark McAndrew (16.5 ppg) and Damon Huffman (14.9 ppg), both of whom hit over 47% from the field and 41% from three-point range; a forward who aided the rebounding problem in Chris Skreija (6.7 boards per contest), decent ball control (just 12.8 turnovers per game), and outstanding free throw shooting (75%).

And even though they will not have played for ten days, Brown has been shooting lights-out coming in, with three straight efforts of 60% or better. With the three-point accuracy, they can make a game of it. So we'll take the points with the Bears, the 7.5-point underdogs in the BetUS March madness betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: BROWN

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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)