Posted on 3/20/2008 1:04:09 PM

NCAA College Basketball Betting - No. 14 Georgia vs. No. 3 Xavier

By BetUS Staff

It’s on like neckbone. The men’s college basketball Tournament has thrust NCAAB betting into the spotlight; the first round is arguably the two best days on the calendar. This is when Cinderella shows up at the ball.

The Xavier Musketeers have been fitted for the glass slipper on more than one occasion. But this Atlantic-10 program has been too good for too long, and this year’s team is capable of going deep into the Tournament. No more Cinderella; in fact, No. 3 Xavier is favored by 8.5 points in the first round against the No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs.

This still has the earmarks of the classic No. 14 David vs. No. 3 Goliath story, just with the seedings changed. Although Temple pulled off the A-10 tourney upset, the Musketeers were the class of the conference. XU arrives at the big dance with a 27-6 record (13-16 against the spread) and the No. 12 ranking in the polls. But this small Jesuit University in Cincinnati doesn’t get a lot of press – think of Xavier as the Gonzaga of the East.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, represent one of the six major conferences in Division I: the Southeastern. And they come into the Tournament as SEC champions after four straight upset victories, the first two in overtime against Ole Miss and Kentucky. The Dawgs are indeed fortunate to be here after finishing last in the SEC East at 4-12 (17-16 overall, 16-13 ATS).

Casual bettors are prone to overvaluing bigger-name programs, while ignoring the “little guys” like Xavier. Even if the coaches did treat the Musketeers favorably in the polls (XU is ranked No. 18 in Pomeroy efficiency), the farther you go down the rankings from No. 1, the less attention people pay. The typical square will also overvalue the SEC representative – never mind that the conference was ranked last among the six majors in terms of efficiency.

Georgia’s SEC title win got the Bulldogs into the March Madness Tournament, but at No. 81 in the league in terms of efficiency, this contest shouldn’t be close. Tip-off for this West Region tilt at the Verizon Center in Washington is 12:20 p.m. Eastern on CBS. The NCAAB odds also have Xavier favored by –420 on the moneyline, and the total is 129.5 points.

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