Posted on
3/20/2008 12:46:33 PM
NCAA Basketball Betting - Kansas State vs. USC
By Charles Jay
BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: USC -2, Total 140.5
The Kansas State Wildcats (20-11 SU, 11-14 ATS) are involved in one of the great matchups of round one in the NCAA tournament when they kick off the proceedings on Thursday night against the USC Trojans (21-11 SU, 18-11-1 ATS) in a game where two of the nation's best freshmen will collide, starting at 7:10 PM ET at the Qwest Center in Omaha.
At BetUS Sportsbook, USC is listed as a two-point favorite, with a total of 140.5 points.
Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* KSU has lost five of its last seven games SU
* KSU has lost its last seven games ATS
* KSU has played seven of its last ten games OVER the total
* KSU has won 15 of its last 23 games SU
* USC has won six of its last eight games SU
* USC has covered two of its last five games
* USC has played five of its last eight games OVER the total
Kansas State has the front-runner for national player of the year in Michael Beasley (26.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg), while USC counters with O.J. Mayo, the highly-touted frosh guard who is a first-team All-Pac-10 selection. Beasley was joined on his squad by Bill Walker, another future NBA first-rounder who was a high school mate of Mayo, while O.J. gets support from freshman Davon Jefferson, a 6'8" forward who shot 57% from the field and 43% from beyond the arc.
Much has been made of USC's lack of depth, even by this author. But that means little in the tournament, because coaches tend to "tighten" things up in their playing rotations. Seven people are fine, so the Trojans are not going to be compromised all that much. We do recognize that Beasley has the capacity to put Taj Gibson in foul trouble, as has been his problem. And we understand that KSU came out with a win over a legitimate #1 seed in Kansas.
But USC has proven that it is a mentally-tough bunch, able to reaffirm its NCAA worthiness time and again with big wins over top-notch opponents like UCLA (at Pauley), Stanford, Oregon, Arizona State and Oklahoma. And to take Kansas and Memphis to the brink at a point where there was little experience in their starting lineup, and furthermore, to do so within 48 HOURS, was a real notch on their belt.
Tim Floyd has enough of a defensive mind to slow Beasley down. And his team, which allowed just 39% shooting, has a big defensive edge in this matchup.
We will lay the points with USC, the two-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: USC
(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)
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