Posted on
3/21/2008 1:16:11 PM
NCAA March Madness Betting - San Diego vs. Connecticut
By Charles Jay
BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: Connecticut -11.5, Total 130.5
The pesky San Diego Toreros (21-13 SU, 21-9 ATS), the champions of the West Coast Conference, will take the long trip to Tampa to hook up with the Huskies of Connecticut (24-8 SU, 14-12-2 ATS) in first-round action in the NCAA tournament's West Regional - a matchup set to tip off at 3 PM ET at the St. Pete Times Forum.
At BetUS Sportsbook, U-Conn is listed as a 11.5-point favorite, with a total of 130.5 points.
Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
Here are some of the NCAA college basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* SD has covered nine of its last ten games
* SD has won its last five games SU
* SD has played four of its last five games OVER the total
* CONN has won 13 of its last 16 games SU
* CONN has played its last five games OVER the total
The Huskies hustle the ball up court and have great inside-outside balance, with plenty of production from guard A.J. Price (15 ppg, six assists a game) and power forward Jeff Adrian (15 ppg, 9 rpg). And then there's center Hasheem Thabeet, who alters the opponent's shots, swatting away 4.6 of them per game to go with his 10.5 ppg and 8 rpg.
But you know, San Diego, coached by long-time Gonzaga assistant Bill Grier, makes a habit of taking teams out of their game. San Diego will test anyone's patience, and this sleeper has done so successfully against Saint Mary's in two out of three meetings, as well as Gonzaga in the WCC championship game. They're mentally tough as well, having traveled to Rupp Arena, always a tough place to play, to pick up a road win against Kentucky.
Brandon Johnson (16.8 ppg, 3.6 apg) won't be intimidated in the last in going up against a guy like Price. And though they are not big on three-point shooting (only five baskets per game), they should be able to pick up some points in transition.
The bottom line with San Diego is that this well-drilled club can find a way to keep it close. We'll take the points with the Toreros, the 11.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: SAN DIEGO
(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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