posted March 22, 2008 at 12:20 in NCAA B Articles

BetUS NCAA college basketball betting odds: Duke -3, Total 147

The Duke Blue Devils (28-5 SU, 16-14-2 ATS), having survived a scare in the first round, will now try to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament when they meet up with the West Virginia Mountaineers (25-10 SU, 15-13-1 ATS) in West Regional action that will tip off at 2:10 PM ET on Saturday at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Duke is listed as a three-point favorite, with a total of 147 points.

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

* WVU has won five of its last six games SU
* WVU has played seven of its last eight games OVER the total
* DUKE is 3-8-1 ATS in its last 12 games
* DUKE has won 18 of its last 22 games SU
* DUKE has won six of its last ten games SU
* DUKE has played four of its last five games UNDER the total

Duke's near-disaster in the first round game against Belmont, a team that had simply been blown away in its last two NCAA appearances, exposed this team to an extent, as has a string where it has lost four of its last ten games. Clearly this is a ballclub that was hardly deserving of a #2 seed, and is a notch or two down from most of its most recent editions.

What's interesting about the Belmont game is that the Bruins, who were in the top three nationally in three-pointers, only made eight, below their season average, converted only ten free throws and were outrebounded by a 40-33 margin. Duke, which won by a point, was simply beaten in the hustle and heart departments.

Fortunately for Bob Huggins, his West Virginia team comes up pretty big in both areas. And wouldn't you know - they hit eleven threes in the first-round game against Arizona. Joe Alexander, who came into the tournament averaging 26 points in his previous five games, was held to just 14 on four-of-12 shooting against the Wildcats. But West Virginia's balance, with four starters averaging in double figures, took over. That's a good sign.

And if Alexander gets untracked, that's bad news for Duke, which is challenged for size. Hey, just because they have a seven-footer (Brian Zoubek, who hasn't once had more than two blocked shots in a game), that doesn't mean they're going to be tough defending inside scorers.

I like the Mountaineers to put an end to Mike Krzyzewski's season here, and will grab the three points with underdog West Virginia at BetUS Sportsbook.

JAY'S PLAY: WEST VIRGINIA

(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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