Posted on 3/20/2008 4:27:37 PM

NCAA March Madness Betting - Winthrop vs. Washington State

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: Washington State -9.5, Total 112.5

The Winthrop Eagles (22-11 SU, 3-2 ATS) try to make their Cinderella story come alive again when they take on the Washington State Huskies (24-8 SU, 16-15 ATS) in first-round action in the NCAA tournament's East Regional. The game is set for 7:20 PM ET at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Washington State is listed as a 9.5-point favorite, with a total of 112.5 points.

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

* WIN has won eight of its last ten games SU

* WSU has covered two of its last six games

* WSU has won seven of its last ten games SU

* WSU has played eight of its last 13 games OVER the total

Torrell Martin and Craig Bradshaw left the fold after last season, and Winthrop, which beat Notre Dame in the first round of the 2007 tournament, has shown the effects of having to replace them, indeed going from 29-5 last year to 22-11 this season. And they have a new coach in Randy Peele.

Michael Jenkins is now the go-to guy for the Eagles, averaging slightly over 14 points a game and exploding for 33 when Winthrop won the Big South tournament over UNC-Asheville. Sure, Winthrop struggled a bit in conference, tying for the regular season title with Asheville, but a lot of the other stuff is the same. They limit opponents to 40% shooting, an absurdly low 58 points a game, which is just one point more than Washington State, and emerge with a lot of takeaways (8.5 steals a game).

Washington State is pace-conscious, disciplined, defensively stout and takes real good care of the basketball (just 10.1 TO's per contest). But that style tends to work best when it is a counter-balance to teams who really want to step it up. Winthrop is perfectly comfortable in this atmosphere.

And the Eagles, though perhaps down from last year's edition, are tournament-savvy, having now made eight trips to the Big Dance in the last ten years. This is no cakewalk at all for Washington State. And so we'll grab the points with Winthrop, the 9.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: WINTHROP

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)