Posted on 3/12/2008 8:13:59 PM

NCAA Basketball Wagering - SETON HALL vs. MARQUETTE

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: MARQUETTE -10.5, Total 149.5

The Seton Hall Pirates (17-14 SU, 11-15-1 ATS) are not coming into the Big East tournament with a head of steam. On Wednesday night they will try to make things are little more tolerable for themselves in what has been a disappointing season as they face the Marquette Golden Eagles (22-8 SU, 13-11 ATS) in first-round action that tips off at 9:20 PM at Madison Square Garden in New York.

In the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds, Marquette is listed as a 10.5-point favorite, with a total of 149.5 points.

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

* SH has lost eight of its last ten games SU

* SH has covered one of its last seven games

* SH has played four of its last five games UNDER the total

* MARQ has won and covered six of its last eight games SU

* MARQ has played six of its last eight games OVER the total

* MARQ has won the last four meetings SU

* MARQ has had the shooting edge in three of its last four meetings

* MARQ made more three-pointers in three of the last four meetings

Seton Hall is limping right now. The Pirates have lost three straight, and two of those were to St. John's and Rutgers, who did not qualify for this tournament. In fact, Seton Hall has not beaten a team that DID qualify since January 27, when it eked out a 64-61 win over Cincinnati. it would have been nice to have floor leader Paul Gause in the lineup, especially since Gause is such a good defensive player, but that wasn't the case. And even though Brian Laing, the team's best scorer (19 ppg) has usually been consistent, he is just 32% from the field in his last two games.

We might usually suggest that with the tournament at nearby Madison Square Garden, the New Jersey-based Pirates would have some home support. But that didn't seem to mean very much when Marquette came to the Prudential Center in Newark and blew them out by 25 points on February 12. Or when Seton Hall blew a big first-half lead against lowly Rutgers to roll over in the second half.

We'd love to fashion a way for Seton Hall to get the cover here, as it is catching double digits, but the truth is that this has the potential to become an ugly blowout. We'll lay the points with Marquette, the 10.5-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: MARQUETTE

Go to the BetUS.com online sportsbook today to bet on NCAA basketball. We have the most current NCAA basketball odds and lines, as well as player and game props. Join BetUS.com to experience the best in online sports betting action!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)