Posted on
4/2/2008 6:50:22 PM
NCAA Invitational Basketball Betting - Tulsa at Bradley
By Charles Jay
BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: Bradley -5.5, Total 141.5
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (24-13 SU, 18-13-1 ATS) will go after the first-ever championship of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) on Wednesday night when they play Game 2 of the best-of-three series against the Bradley Braves (20-16 SU, 19-14-1 ATS) at the Carver Arena in Peoria, IL. Game time is 8 PM ET for this matchup between Conference USA and Missouri Valley teams.
At BetUS Sportsbook, Bradley is listed as a 5.5-point favorite, with a total of 141.5 points.
Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* TUL has won eight of its last nine games SU
* TUL has lost 11 of its last 16 road games SU
* TUL has played nine of its last 13 road games OVER the total
* BRAD has won 12 of its last 18 games SU
* BRAD has covered six of its last eight home games
* BRAD has won eight of its last nine home games SU
* BRAD has played five of its last six home games OVER the total
In Game 1 of this series, Bradley, which averages nine three-pointers a game, made just four-of-19 from beyond the arc, something that should improve as the Braves play in the more friendly environs of the Carver Arena. But there are some fundamental advantages Tulsa was able to exploit that may not change at all.
For one thing, Bradley got just 16 points on 39% shooting from its frontcourt starters. And Jerome Jordan was fully able to take advantage of Bradley's lack of quality inside defense, with 18 points and SEVEN offensive rebounds (not to mention four blocked shots). All told, Tulsa won the rebounding battle by a resounding 46-25 margin, and pulled down a crushing 18 boards on the offensive end. And the Hurricane was able to attack the basket, going to the line 37 times and fouling out Bradley's 6'7" power forward Matt Salley.
Those things happen because Bradley just doesn't have the muscle underneath to defend, and Jordan will change shots on the inside when Tulsa is at the defensive end. So even if Bradley is able to get hotter from the perimeter, and Daniel Ruffin has another turnover-free game, Tulsa will still have the capacity to get easy baskets, enough to win straight-up or at least keep it within the number.
We are going to take the points with Tulsa, the 5.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: TULSA
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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)