posted March 17, 2009 at 14:50 EST in March Madness Betting Trends
Midwest Region Power Poll - Can Anyone Knock off Louisville
by Mike Rose
March Madness sports betting has finally arrived at BetUS Sportsbook, and this is how the Midwest Region stacked up for college basketball bettors until now…
1) Louisville Cardinals (21-12 ATS, 28-5 SU, +150 to win Midwest Region) The Cards won the Big East Tournament by winning all three games by double digits and, and are riding a ten-game winning streak (8-2 ATS) for CBB bettors. Because they earned the #1 overall seed in the tourney, they don’t know who their first opponent will be. One thing’s for sure… anything less than a fourth straight double-digit victory would be shocking.
Up Next: Alabama State/Morehead State winner
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2) Kansas Jayhawks (18-7-1 ATS, 25-7 SU, +750 to win Midwest Region) Few teams in the country had a comparable sports betting mark like that of Kansas, and absolutely no one was as sparkling in conference play. Rock Chalk cruised through the Big XII at 13-2-1 ATS, and were a perfect 6-0 ATS (and 5-1 SU) against the tourney teams from the conference. Though their young this time around, the defending champs are going to be a tough team to bounce once again.
Up Next: North Dakota State (-10)
3) Utah Utes (19-13 ATS, 24-9 SU, +2400 to win Midwest Region) Talk about no respect! As a #5 seed, the Utes are underdogs to what probably amounted to be the final team to get into the field. That’s a bad role for the MWC champs, as they closed out the regular season losing their L/4 games both SU and ATS when they went off the board as underdogs.
Up Next: Arizona (+1)
4) Cleveland State Vikings (18-12 ATS, 25-10 SU, +10000 to win Midwest Region) Cleveland State caused someone’s bubble to burst by upsetting Butler on its home court to steal the Horizon League crown. They didn’t fare too well for basketball bettors against non-tourney teams, but against tournament teams, the Vikings went 4-1 ATS with an outright victory at Syracuse as 10.5-point pups.
Up Next: Wake Forest (+7.5)
5) Morehead State Eagles (18-12 ATS, 19-15 SU, +50000 to win Midwest Region) The Eagles probably have no chance of winning more than just their play-in game contest against Alabama State, but they’re a team to keep an eye on in the sports betting sense. Morehead had the second best ATS mark in the OVC this season, and has covered 11 of its L/14 games. The bad news is that a win only sets up a rematch with Louisville, which already crushed the Eagles 79-41 earlier this season.
Up Next: Alabama State (-3.5)
6) Ohio State Buckeyes (17-11 ATS, 22-10 SU, +2500 to win Midwest Region) The Buckeyes came up narrowly short of the Big Ten title, but were a lethal ATS team in the tourney, going a perfect 3-0 ATS against three tourney teams. In fact, they’re 7-1 ATS in their L/8 against the Big Ten teams that are dancing, and could be a huge threat for a deep run from the #8 seed.
Up Next: Siena (-3.5)
7) Arizona Wildcats (18-13 ATS, 19-13 SU, +4300 to win Midwest Region) With losses in five of their final six games, Wildcats bettors and fans should be happy just to see their team in the field. Many thought that Saint Mary’s or Creighton should’ve gotten the nod over Arizona, but the oddsmakers still installed it as a slight favorite. ATS wins against comparable teams like Kansas, Gonzaga, San Diego State, and Texas A&M should give the Pac-10 members some confidence though.
Up Next: Utah (-1)
8) Michigan State Spartans (16-12-1 ATS, 26-6 SU, +350 to win Midwest Region) Michigan State is probably every bit as good as all of these #1 seeds are, and will certainly be a tough out in this tournament. Even though the Big Ten has plenty of entrants in this year’s field, ATS and SU losses to North Carolina and Maryland earlier this year have to be concerning. Sparty only averaged outscoring its opponents by nine points per game this year, which should raise some eyebrows against these huge spreads.
Up Next: Robert Morris (-17)
9) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (15-11 ATS, 24-6 SU, +650 to win Midwest Region) Wake Forest is an incredibly talented squad, but it is probably still a year away from being able to make a really deep run into this tournament. Still, with an offense that averages 81.4 points per game and hung 85+ points on fellow tourney teams Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Boston College, North Carolina, and BYU, there’s no counting out the Deacs.
Up Next: Cleveland State (-7.5)
10) Alabama State Hornets (1-0 ATS, 22-9 SU, +50000 to win Midwest Region) The SWAC winners may have deserved a bit better than to be stuck playing in the play-in game, and could pose an interesting test for the Cards if they survive the Eagles. The Hornets stuck within double digits on the road against Auburn, Mississippi, Mississippi State, and Illinois State this year. Sports bettors don’t think much of them against the Eagles though, as they opened at +1 and quickly rose to +3.5.
Up Next: Morehead State (+3.5)
11) Southern California Trojans (17-14 ATS, 21-12 SU, +4000 to win Midwest Region) The Trojans knew they probably had to win the Pac-10 Tournament just to get in the field. That said; a loss to Arizona State still would’ve left the Selection Committee with a tough task, but the 66-63 victory took the decision out of its hands. With five straight covers under its belt, there’s no wonder USC’s the favorite in spite of the fact that it’s only on the 10-line.
Up Next: Boston College (-2)
12) Boston College Eagles (15-13 ATS, 22-11 SU, +4000 to win Midwest Region) The Eagles ended up being much more “in” the field than most experts thought in spite of a mediocre 3-3 mark both SU and ATS in their L/6 games. There wasn’t a whole lot on BC’s out of conference schedule, as none of the teams made the field. It did go 5-3 ATS in conference against teams that made the field, which bodes well against a USC squad that has recently played a ton of basketball.
Up Next: Southern California (+2)
13) Siena Saints (14-15-1 ATS, 26-7 SU, +3500 to win Midwest Region) Many thought that Siena was in the tournament with or without the MAAC crown, but regardless, this is a really tough draw. Scheduling the lines of Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Kansas, and Oklahoma State will certainly help prepare the Saints, but they only went 2-2 ATS and 0-4 SU in those games. After last year’s upsets, no one’s going to get caught overlooking their opponent in Round 1.
Up Next: Ohio State (+3.5)
14) West Virginia Mountaineers (15-16 ATS, 23-11 SU, +700 to win Midwest Region) WVU is another really interesting team in a bracket full of big boys. Trying to decide which team will show up is a total crapshoot. Will it be the one that crushed Pitt, humiliated Villanova, and demolished Ohio State, or is it the squad that got creamed by Marquette, barely beat South Florida at home, and only put up 43 points against Kentucky? With the equally inconsistent Flyers on deck, this game’s anyone’s guess.
Up Next: Dayton (-8.5)
15) Dayton Flyers (13-15 ATS, 26-7 SU, +9000 to win Midwest Region) Dayton earned a spot in the field of 65 thanks to a ton of surprising victories at the beginning of the season. Wins over Marquette and Auburn are distant memories though, as the Flyers went just 7-11 ATS since January 6th. With some really quality victories on the slate and a very good NCAA Tournament history, counting out UD would be a huge mistake.
Up Next: West Virginia (+8.5)
16) North Dakota State Bison (1-1 ATS, 26-6 SU, +12500 to win Midwest Region) Congrats NDSU! Your reward for making the NCAA Tournament in your first season of eligibility to make the dance is a date with the defending champs! The Bison may be a nice story for now, but when push comes to shove, losses to fellow tourney dwellers Minnesota and Stephen F. Austin just don’t bode well for the Summit League champs.
Up Next: Kansas (+10)
17) Robert Morris Colonials (0-1 ATS, 24-10 SU, +20000 to win Midwest Region) Robert Morris is a completely unknown commodity in this tournament, as it has no tournament experience to fall back upon, and only one game against a team in this year’s field (78-57 loss to Xavier). The Colonials held their opponents to 65 points per game this year, and though holding MSU to that number will likely prove impossible, keeping the game within two touchdowns is a certain possibility.
Up Next: Michigan State (+17)
