Posted on 3/25/2008 5:20:08 PM

XBOX NCAA TOURNAMENT ATS SIMULATIONS FOR MADNESS BETTING INSIGHT

By Mike Rose

West Regional Semifinals @ US Airways Arena, Phoenix, AZ

(7) West Virginia vs. (3) Xavier: The Musketeers got a scare in their Round 1 game against Georgia before rallying in the second half to secure the road win and cover. Then they pulled off a wire-to-wire job in the 2nd Round against Purdue. West Virginia handled Arizona with ease in Round 1, and did the same in the second half of their game against Duke to pull off the upset as 4-point underdogs. This game was flat out ugly from the opening tip as Xavier missed a number of looks down low, and the Mountaineers couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn throughout the first 5 minutes of the game. Then it all started to click! Stanley Burrell took matters into his own hands and scored the Musketeers next 8-points, but WV’s Joe Alexander countered by hitting back-to-back trifecta’s to cut Xavier’s lead to three at the 12 minute mark. Xavier kept trying to score in the paint, but the shots were either clanked off the rim or blocked by the Mountaineer’s aggressive defense. Joe Mazzulla, WV’s sparkplug off the bench, rallied the Mountaineer’s with his hustle and allowed them to take their first lead of the game at 31-29 with three minutes to go in the half. Not to be outdone or slowed by his ailing leg, Drew Lavender pushed the tempo on the Musketeer’s next two possessions to allow them to retake the lead at 33-31 with only a minute left. Both clubs exchanged 3-pointers as Alex Ruoff was true from the left wing and Xavier’s Josh Duncan hit from the top of the key. The final play of the half saw everyone get out of Joe Alexander’s way as he soared to the hoop to tie the game up at 35 apiece. The first 10 minutes of the second half was highly competitive as each club grabbed leads of no more than four points. That’s when the Musketeers defense took center stage. Clinging on to a 2-point lead, the Musketeers prohibited West Virginia to convert from the field for close to five minutes. During that stretch, the built their lead as high as 12-points, but West Virginia was able to get to the line and make good to cut their lead to six with under three minutes remaining. Xavier milked the clock on its next couple possessions but failed to convert from the field leaving the door open for a Mounty’s comeback. Easier said than done however, as the Mounty’s long range bombers just couldn’t hit pay dirt and the Musketeers went on to win to move onto the Elite 8.

Final Score: Xavier 73 West Virginia 69
BetUS NCAAB Odds: West Virginia (-1) 135.5

(12) Western Kentucky vs. (1) UCLA: The WKY Hilltoppers played in one of the more memorable 1st Round games of the tournament when they upended Drake by a 101-99 final count in overtime, and then they rolled past San Diego in their second round match-up. UCLA breezed past their first round opponent (Miss Valley State), but struggled mightily against Texas A&M in Round 2 escaping with the 51-49 victory. This game was extremely hot and fast paced from the opening tip as both clubs hit at a high clip from the field. WKY’s Courtney Alexander seemingly picked right back up where he left off scoring 10 of the Hilltoppers first 15 points. UCLA’s Darren Collison got it done from the outside nailing both of his 3-point attempts to give the Bruins a 27-21 lead at the 10 minute mark. The pace slowed down considerably from there on out as both clubs combined to score just 12 points over the next 8-minutes of play. UCLA then went on a 14-4 run to close the half and held a 9-point lead at the break. The second half started as slowly as the first half ended. WKY only managed 4-points as UCLA continued to frustrate them with their defensive play, but they weren’t able to take advantage of it on the scoreboard. No points were scored from the 15-12 minute marks, but UCLA still held on to its 9-point lead. The Bruins frosh phenom, Kevin Love, started eating the Hilltoppers up on the inside which allowed a couple of the Bruins three point threats to get wide open to hurt them from the outside. The Bruins 9-point lead then turned into 20, and the rout was on. Western Kentucky was able to trim down the lead to 13 at the 1-minute mark, but UCLA finished them off from the free throw line and went on to win by a 77-60 final count.

Final Score: UCLA 77 Western Kentucky 60
BetUS NCAAB Odds: UCLA (-12.5) 133

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