Posted on 3/20/2008 12:23:23 PM

NCAA March Madness SportsBook Basketball Betting West Virginia vs. Arizona

By Charles Jay

BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds:  West Virginia -2, Total 138

The West Virginia Mountaineers (24-10 SU, 14-13-1 ATS) have one of the hottest players in the country, and they'll try to put him to good use on Thursday night when they take on the Arizona Wildcats (19-14 SU, 17-13-1 ATS) in first-round action in the NCAA tournament's West Regional. The game is set to tip off at 9:40 PM ET at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

At BetUS Sportsbook, West Virginia is listed as a two-point favorite, with a total of 138 points.

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

* ARIZ has lost four of its last six games SU
* ARIZ has covered five of its last 12 games
* ARIZ has played its last three games OVER the total
* WVU has covered two of its last six games
* WVU has won four of its last five games SU
* WVU has played six of its last seven games OVER the total

West Virginia, a team that really takes care of the ball (10.8 turnovers per game), has taken advantage of an exceptional hot streak by forward Joe Alexander, who has averaged 26 points a game over his last five, which includes two wins in the Big East tournament. That's the kind of thing, though, that can lead to over-dependence on one man, and that's somewhat dangerous for a team that has shown WVU's kind of balance (four starters in double figures).

Arizona ran into that same problem when its point guard, Nic Wise, went down to injury and coach Kevin O'Neill put the ball in freshman Jerryd Bayless' hands and told him to take over the whole show. Bayless averages twenty points a game, so he was effective, in fact rambling for 103 points in a three-game period, but that didn't necessarily result in wins for Arizona. 

Wise has been given extended playing time by O'Neill since coming back, going all 40 minutes against Oregon and Stanford, for example. Since his return he's dished out 22 assists with just nine turnovers. Chase Budinger (17 ppg, 5.4 rpg) has unique talents, as we know. And let's not forget Jordan Hill, who tallied 13 ppg and serves as a major impediment for Alexander in the paint.

there are enough positives going for Arizona, and enough upside, that we can recommend them to pull off what might be considered a mild upset. We'll grab the points with the Wildcats, the two-point dog in the betUS NCAA college basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: ARIZONA

(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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