2013 March Madness California vs. Syracuse Picks & Predictions
By ATSSportsline.com
SAN JOSE, CA (ATS Consultants) – Twelfth-seeded California will look to pull off another upset when it takes on fourth-seeded Syracuse at 9:40PM ET tonight in the third round of the 2013 March Madness tournament.
ODDS: Oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv have installed Syracuse as a 7-point favorite over California for tonight’s game, while the over/under total is currently sitting at 126.5 points. The Golden Bears enter play with a 21-11 record this year while the Orange are 27-9.
LINE MOVEMENT: Syracuse opened as a 7.5-point favorite and while some sports books still list the spread at that number, most places have dropped the line to 7. As for the total, it opened at 124.5 but has been bet up to 125.5 or 126.5 depending on what sports book you view.
PUBLIC BETTING: Of the wagers placed on tonight’s game, 56% of college basketball public bettors currently favor Syracuse. This information is subject to change, however, so make sure you click on the link provided for the most up-to-date public betting numbers.
MARCH MADNESS FREE PICK: Take Syracuse. According to latest college basketball trends, The California Golden Bears are are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 NCAA Tournament games, 2-6 ATS in their last 8 vs. Big East, 3-11-1 ATS in their last 15 games following a ATS win and are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games. Syracuse is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
The Syracuse Orange (27-9 SU, 18-14 ATS) looked like a championship contender on Thursday, crushing Montana, 81-34, giving 13. California (21-11 SU, 13-16-1 ATS) upset UNLV, 64-61 on Thursday, getting 3.5. Syracuse has looked like a Final Four team since the Big East Tournament. Part of the reason is the play of forward James Southerland (6-8, 215), who averages 13.7 points per game and shoots 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. The other is the Syracuse 2-3 zone defense which forced Montana to just 20.4 percent shooting. They have the length on the perimeter to bother teams defensively. They allow teams to shoot just 29.2 percent from beyond the arc and 37.2 percent from the field. So the zone usually works and they average 71.6 points per game. California shoots just 31 percent from beyond the arc and they are going to have to find other ways to score. The key is the backcourts of Justin Cobb and Allen Crabbe, who combine for 34.1 points for Cal against Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams for the Orange. Those backcourts will cancel each other out. and that means the battle of the frontcourts. That's where Syracuse has the edge with C.J. Fair (6-8, 215), who averages 14.4 points, 7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks along with Rakeem Christmas (6-9, 242). They have a better defensive team and a much better balance.
2013 MARCH MADNESS FREE PICK: SYRACUSE ORANGE -7
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