Sweet 16 Betting Odds
Written March 23, 2009 by Jack Jones
All year long pundits were saying the Big East was the strongest conference in America and it’s tough to argue any differently now that they have five teams in the Sweet 16. Pittsburgh, Louisville, Connecticut, Villanova, and Syracuse all withstood the first two rounds to stay alive for a national championship. If you think these teams will keep winning then maybe you should bet on NCAA basketball over at BetUS, where a $500 deposit will get you a $500 bonus!
The college basketball spreads show that Louisville is the biggest favorite to make the Elite Eight as nine-point favorites over Arizona. North Carolina is laying 8.5 points against Gonzaga and Pitt is listed as a seven point chalk against Xavier.
Sharp handicappers are making their NCAA basketball picks on some underdogs as the line has been driven down half a point from nine in the Tar Heel game and from the opening spread of eight in the Panther game. The general betting public though will most likely be on the favorites to help the books balance the action.
The odds makers want to make sure that they set lines to encourage action on the teams the top seeds are facing, because the public normally loves taking the No. 1’s and lopsided action will put the book at risk of losing money, or at least not making as much as they should.
Pittsburgh however hasn’t covered a spread in the post-season, now sitting at 0-3 as they seem more interested in scraping out wins and making the next round than covering a double digit spread. Louisville has also failed to cover in the first two rounds but should benefit from playing in Indianapolis this round.
The two toughest games to set a line on were North Carolna/Gonzaga and Oklahoma/Syracuse as these games have the potential to go either way. The Zags could potentially frustrate the Tar Heels, but UNC has beat up on good teams in the past. The Sooners would have probably been a No. 1 seed if Blake Griffin hadn’t gotten hurt, but now they will be playing an Orange team that is playing as good as anyone in the country. Syracuse has also outperformed expecations in covering nine out of their last 10 games.
The biggest line move came in the Kansas/Michigan State game with the opening line a pick em, but heavy action on the Spartans has driven the number up to 2.5. The game is close for Spartan fans with it being in Indianapolis, but Kansas has played well on the road and is playing well through two rounds.
Duke is listed at -2 against Villanova while Memphis started at -6 against Missouri but has gone down a point to five. Many think the Tigers were lucky to get past Marquette on Sunday and could be in trouble playing against the best defense in the nation.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- Betting the Sweet 16
- Sweet Sixteen Impact Players for Friday Night
- Sweet 16 Bracket Contests
- College Basketball Betting: Best Trends of 2009
- Sweet 16 Picks
Got something to say?
No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!