2009 NCAA Tournament Recap: First Two Rounds
Written March 23, 2009 by Jack Jones
The first two rounds of this year’s NCAA tournament are in the books and most of the top seeds have survived, with no real upsets in the second round of the tournament. With four more rounds to determine the national champion, fans will still have plenty of NCAA basketball betting opportunities left to get their fill this season. If you are looking for a solid book, look at BetUS where a $500 deposit will get you $500 in bonuses!
The highest seed to get knocked out in the first round was Wake Forest as a four. Even though the Demon Deacons had been ranked No. 1 earlier in the season, they couldn’t hold off No. 13 seed Cleveland State and lost 84-69 despite being a 7.5 favorite. The college basketball odds on the Vikings in the second round were +3 against Arizona, but that wasn’t enough as the Wildcats ousted Cinderella 71-57.
Another big upset during the first round came when the No. 6 seed West Virginia was knocked out by Dayton. The Mountaineers were the biggest favorite to lose, being given a 10-point spread. Like Cleveland State, the Flyers didn’t make it past the first round as they got shut down by the Kansas Jayhakws 60-43 in the second round.
As far as a seed that was disappointing that would have to be the fives. Purdue was the only team to make it out of the first round with their 61-56 win over Northern Iowa, then with a 76-74 win over Washington the Boilermakers were in the Sweet 16. Florida State, Illinois, and Utah however all went down in the first round.
All four No. 1 seeds are still alive, but there were some tests in getting here. North Carolina and UConn dominated their No. 16 seeds then won by double digits in the second round. Both Louisville and Pitt though have failed to cover a spread. The Cardinals blew a lead against Siena only to pull away in the closing minutes. Pitt on the other hand had tough times against both East Tennessee State and Oklahoma State.
No. 12 seed Arizona is the lowest seed still alive and it’s not even close. No other seed past a five remains other than the Wildcats. The road has been fairly easy for this team though as they were favored by 1.5 points against Utah and by three against Cleveland State.
If you want to finish the year off on a winning note, sign up for the NCAA basketball picks offered by our handicappers. They have dominated the first two rounds and will continue to do so to close your year out strong.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2009 NCAA Tournament Upset Predictions
- Arizona vs Utah: NCAA Tournament Picks & Predictions
- Odds to Win the 2009 NCAA Tournament
- NCAA Tournament Facts & Figures
- Betting the Top NCAA Tournament Seeds
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