Up to NCAA B Betting Trends

posted March 31, 2008 at 15:18 in NCAA B Betting Trends

BetUS NCAA betting odds: Tulsa -5.5, Total 140.5

The Bradley Braves (20-15 SU, 18-14-1 ATS) will go after the first-ever championship of the College Basketball Invitational as they face off against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (23-13 SU, 18-12-1 ATS) starting Monday night at 8 PM at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa. In a unique twist, the CBI will have a best two-out-of-three series to determine the tournament champion. This is Game One.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Tulsa is listed as a 5.5-point favorite, with a total of 140.5 points.

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

* BRAD has won 12 of its last 17 games SU

* BRAD has covered 12 of its last 16 games

* BRAD has played 11 of its last 12 games OVER the total

* BRAD has covered seven of its last nine road games

* BRAD has lost four of its last six road games SU

* BRAD has played its last five road games OVER the total

* TUL is 6-1-1 ATS in its last eight games

* TUL has won seven of its last eight games SU

* TUL has covered its last nine home games

* TUL has won its last 10 home games SU

Daniel Ruffin has not been a huge factor in the scoring department, but his presence has been felt on the defensive end, and also while running the show for the Braves. And between Jeremy Crouch, who had 27 points in the semifinal game against Virginia, and Andrew Warren, who came back recently from an injury and scored 22 against Ohio, Bradley has a backcourt that is versatile, quick and experienced, with all of its members capable of carrying the team on any given night.

There is no question, however, that on the defensive end, Tulsa extracts an edge. Jerome Jordan (3.6 blocks per game), the seven-foot center, offers a component in the paint that smallish Bradley will have a difficult time dealing with, and he has led a stop unit that has surrendered just 41% shooting to opponents, and which limited Houston to just 32% from beyond the arc in the semi-finals. Robert McKiver, a dominant player in this tournament, scored 30 points for the Cougars, but was just 33% from the floor.

And 6'3" guard Ben Uzoh has gotten hot for the Hurricane, coming up with back-to-back 22-point performances. He also knows how to get to the line (25 times in the last two contests), so he can be counted on to attack the hoop against a Bradley team that doesn't really have a strong deterrent in the middle (no one averaging more than a blocked shot a game).

We do appreciate Bradley's offensive balance, with four starters averaging in double figures. But those starters are guard-types. So for the Braves to get something going, they'll have to get hot from the perimeter. And with all due respect to Ruffin, he's committed four or more turnovers in five of the last nine games. Tulsa has the greater capacity to get the easy baskets, and unless Bradley can force an awful lot of miscues, they'll have problems preventing inside scoring. We will go with Tulsa, a team that has covered its last nine at home, and the 5.5-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: TULSA

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)