Posted on
3/20/2008 12:13:49 PM
NCAA Basketball Betting - Oral Roberts vs. Pittsburgh
By Charles Jay
BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: Pittsburgh -9.5, Total 128
The Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts (24-8 SU, 2-2 ATS) will try to improve on recent performances of the Summit League in NCAA tournament action when it opens play in the Big Dance on Thursday afternoon, facing the red-hot Pittsburgh Panthers (26-9 SU, 17-13 ATS), tournament champion of the Big East, in a South Regional game that gets underway at 3 PM ET at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
At BetUS Sportsbook, Pittsburgh is listed as a 9.5-point favorite, with a total of 128 points.
Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* ORU has won six of its last eight games SU
* PITT has covered four of its last five games
* PITT has won its last five games SU
* PITT has played nine of its last ten games OVER the total
Oral Roberts (the school, not the preacher) comes in with some credible performances in non-conference play, losing by 11 to Arkansas, ten to Texas and just one point to Creighton. Of course there was also that 21-point loss at Utah State and a 68-55 defeat to North Dakota State in a Summit League game.
But the Eagles have some wins to hang their hat on as well, beating Oklahoma State and Tulsa, who also made to post-season tournaments. Like a lot of teams that are successful, it is largely about slowing the pace down and creating difficult shot opportunities for opponents, as ORU has allowed 40% field goals and 61 points a game.
Sometimes, though, that stuff doesn't work at this level. Utah State lit up this team for 52% shooting and a 42-16 halftime lead. What will Sam Young, who took over much of the burden in the midst of Pittsburgh and led the Panthers in scoring while shooting 51%, be able to accomplish? We all know that Pitt is carrying a head of steam coming into this game, and has certainly proven to some critics that they can win away from the friendly Petersen Center, by sweeping their way to the Big East title with wins over Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown on consecutive days.
But did Pittsburgh peak there? That's a legitimate question. And can Levance Fields, who rebounded from injury to hand out 22 assists with just FOUR turnovers in the Big East tourney, continue such error-free play? Maybe, but his teammates will not be able to dominate things in the lane, not with ORU fielding a front line (and an effective one at that) measuring 6'8", 6'9" and 6'10" across. Plus, there is the not-so-secret weapon off the bench in the person of Robert Jarvis, who provided instant offense off the bench to the tune of 15.4 points a game. Remember, Pitt is not terribly deep.
Oral Roberts may be able to make a game of it. We’ll take the points with the Golden Eagles, the 9.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: ORAL ROBERTS
(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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