Posted on
3/24/2008 1:04:54 PM
March Madness Sweet 16 Picks - Best Bets and Dark Horses
By D.S. Williamson
The first weekend of March Madness betting has come and gone leaving us BetUS college basketball bettors with a lot of figure teams and a few dark horses.
The real dark horse is the Davidson Wildcats. Led by, without a doubt, one of the most charismatic college basketball players I have ever seen in Stephen Curry. The Wildcats did a number on the Gonzaga Bulldogs then Curry took over towards the end of their game versus the highly-touted Georgetown Hoyas. Will the magical ride continue?
Maybe. Curry is that good. He reminds me of Danny Manning only he has better form with his outside shot and plays with a different sort of intensity. The way he rolls around picks is pretty incredible. This kid is going to be something on the next level if, of course, he puts on a few pounds. He’s still too light to match-up against some of the bigger two-guards in the NBA.
But there’s more than Stephen Curry out there this weekend.
Here’s a run down of the best picks, with BetUS odds, in the Sweet 16:
Michigan State Spartans (+ 4.5) vs. Memphis Tigers (- 4.5) - - Bad match-up for the Tigers. Sure, they are as athletic as any team in the league, but they don’t really like to play defense. At least that’s what it looks like to me. Michigan State is about as well coached as any team in college basketball. Drew Neitzel, State’s excellent guard, will find numerous holes in that Tiger D. I like the Spartans to upset.
Stanford Cardinal (+ 1.5) vs. Texas Longhorns ( - 1.5) - - The Lopez brothers have shown themselves to be much more than card carrying wusses who read comic books about talking ducks that don’t smoke. So what? D.J. Augustin will run all over these guys and did you see A.J. Abrams toss in six three-pointers? Forget it. The Longhorns cruise.
Villanova Wildcats (+ 11.5) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (- 11.5) - - The love the line. This is my bet of the weekend. I really believe that as good as the Jayhawks are the Wildcats have been playing at an ultra-high level. They have the terrific guard play to counteract the Jayhawks outside shooters. Villanova also has that magical 1986 feeling about them that I just can’t shake. I like Nova to pull off the huge upset.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (+ 12.5) vs. UCLA Bruins (+ 12.5) - - UCLA (pronounced ooklu to those in the know) is my pick to win it all, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have a battle on their hands against the Hilltoppers. The Hilltoppers are a super resilient team. That means that the Bruins probably escape with a less than perfect four or six point win in that one. 12.5 is a lot of points. I’m taking them.
*** Other Games
Davidson (+ 5) vs. Wisconsin (- 5) - - The absolute worst match-up for the Wildcats. As good as Curry is, Wisconsin is the most disciplined, hard-nosed team in this tournament. If Davidson sports Wisconsin a lead, then there is no way the Badgers give it up. The dream should end with this game.
West Virginia (- 1) vs. Xavier (+ 1) - - I like West Virginia in this game, but not enough to pick them. I’ve been wrong about Xavier. Heck, my whole bracket in the West is a mess!
Washington St. (+ 7.5) vs. North Carolina (- 7.5) - - The Cougars are an okay team. They just aren’t great. You have to be great to beat this Tar Heels team.
Louisville (- 2) vs. Tennessee (+ 2) - - This is going to be a terrific game. So terrific in fact that I can’t really take a stand. My gut tells me to go with the Cardinals, but the Volunteers sure are tough. I also really like Bruce Pearl. He’s a cool dude.
Until next week, good luck!
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