Posted on 3/25/2008 2:49:48 PM

NCAA Basketball SportsBook Betting – NIT Quarterfinal Showdown – UMass at Syracuse

By Eric Williams

A berth in the NIT Final Four will be riding on the line tonight when the Syracuse Orange, (21-13 SU, 15-17 ATS, 14-18 O/U), host the Massachusetts Minutemen, (23-10 SU, 15-14-1 ATS, 16-14 O/U), in a rematch of what may have been the most exciting basketball game all season.

UMass is also attempting to become the first team to beat Syracuse twice at the legendary Carrier Dome in the same season. Only one team has ever beaten Syracuse twice at home in the same season, the Penn State Nittany Lions in 1922-23, winning 32-15 on Jan. 6, 1923 and 44-14 on Feb. 23, 1923.

When the teams faced each other on Nov. 28, the high-scoring hoops programs combined for a whopping 207 total points as UMass won 107-100

While the Orange has been playing solid basketball recently in winning four of their last five games in the BetUS.com Sportsbook and enter this matchup coming off an 88-72 win against Maryland on March 20 in the tournament’s second round, Syracuse certainly isn’t hot as the Minutemen who have won eight of their last ten games, including a 68-63 come-from-behind home win against Akron on Saturday.

The winner of tonight’s matchup will advance to the NIT semifinals on April 1 to meet either Arizona State or Florida at Madison Square Garden.

The Minutemen are averaging 81.5 points per game on 44.7 percent shooting while allowing 75.4 points per game on 42.3 percent shooting.

The Orange are averaging 79.1 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting while allowing 74.1 points per game on 42.5 percent shooting.

UMass has covered the spread in six of ten but just once in their last four outings while Syracuse has gone 4-6 against the spread over their last ten but have picked up three of those ATS victories in their last five games.

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends followed by my analysis and NCAAB Betting Free Picks.

The Minutemen are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games following three or more consecutive home games.

The Minutemen are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 Tuesday games.

The Minutemen are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 vs. Big East.

The Orange are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games following a ATS win.

The Orange are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600.

The Orange are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 vs. Atlantic 10.

The Under is 4-0 in Minutemen last 4 games following a S.U. win.

The Under is 5-1 in Minutemen last 6 road games following three or more consecutive home games.

The Over is 5-0 in Orange last 5 home games.

The Over is 6-1 in Orange last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Analysis: While I don’t think the Syracuse Orange will not lose this contest tonight, I certainly don’t see a nine-point win over a team that is pretty much a mirror of their own high-scoring, no-defense ball club. Take the Minutemen to cover in another thriller, though the outright wins goes to the Orange.

NCAAB Free Picks: UMass +8 Points/Over 163 ½ Total Points

07:00 PM EST NCAAB Odds

Massachusetts +8 -110

Syracuse -8 -110

Over 163½ -110

Under 163½ -110

NIT Quarterfinals

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