Sunday's Third Round Preview and Picks
(2) North Carolina Tar Heels vs. (7) Washington Huskies
THE STORY: The Round of 32 matchup between Washington and North Carolina will feature two of the nation’s most athletic front courts.
No. 2 seed North Carolina flexed its muscle in a second round win over Long Island with Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes and John Henson combining for 84 points in the win. The Tar Heels will get a better challenge from No. 7 seed Washington, which showed it can slow the game and play possession-to-possession in its 68-65 win over Georgia.
Washington was again sparked by Isaiah Thomas, who was one of two Washington players to reach double figures against the Bulldogs. Washington will have its hands full with Barnes and Co., never mind that the game will be played in front of a very Tar Heel-friendly crowd in Charlotte.
TV: 12:15 p.m. EST, CBS. ODDS: North Carolina -3.5
PREDICTION: North Carolina 76, Washington 68 - Washington has struggled to shoot the 3-pointer lately, and hasn’t faced a front court as formidable as North Carolina’s trio of Henson, Barnes and Zeller.
(1) Duke Blue Devils vs. (8) Michigan Wolverines
THE STORY: It will be hard to avoid the talk about Sunday’s Duke-Michigan game evoking the 1992 national final, thanks in part to Jalen Rose’s recent self-produced documentary on the Fab Five. For the record, the Blue Devils of Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill and Christian Laettner crushed the Wolverines of Rose, Chris Webber and Juwan Howard 71-51, part of Duke’s 3-0 mark against the Fab Five. But this Round of 32 matchup is about a dangerous young group of Wolverines trying to stop top-seeded Duke’s bid for back-to-back national championships. Michigan has used coach John Beilein’s 1-3-1 zone to hold its last six opponents to an average of 56.5 points. Duke, however, is averaging 81.5 points in four postseason games and just got electrifying point guard Kyrie Irving back from his severe toe injury.
TV: 2:45 p.m. ET, CBS. ODDS: Duke -11.5
PREDICTION: Duke 80, Michigan 65 - The Wolverines have overachieved to get here, proving once again that Beilein gets the most out of his talent. But they don’t match up with Duke’s speed or size. Their only hope is to slow the tempo and shoot a high percentage from beyond the arc. It’s unlikely they can do that for 40 minutes.
(1) Ohio State Buckeyes vs. (8) George Mason Patriots
THE STORY: Looking to replicate its unlikely Final Four run of five years ago, eighth-seeded George Mason will attempt to play giant-killer once again when it faces No. 1 Ohio State on Sunday in Cleveland. The Patriots have won 17 of their last 18 games, including a thrilling 61-57 comeback victory over ninth-seeded Villanova on Friday afternoon. Sophomore forward Luke Hancock scored 18 points and hit a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left to put George Mason in front for good. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, coasted to a 75-46 victory over Texas-San Antonio in their tourney opener.
TV: CBS, 5:15 p.m. ET. ODDS: Ohio State -11.
PREDICTION: Ohio State 79, George Mason 62 - The Patriots may have some leftover momentum after their comeback win Friday, but they haven't faced an opponent all year with the type of firepower the Buckeyes possess.
(4) Texas Longhorns vs. (5) Arizona Wildcats
THE STORY: Both Arizona and Texas were pushed to the finish before winning their NCAA tournament openers Friday. The Wildcats and Longhorns square off Sunday in the third round of the West regional in Tulsa for a trip to the Sweet 16. Arizona, the No. 5 seed, lost an eight-point lead in the second half but prevailed over Memphis 77-75. Derrick Williams finished with a double-double, and sealed the victory by blocking a Memphis shot with three seconds left. Fourth-seed Texas nearly blew a 17-point lead against Oakland, before holding on for an 81-77 victory. Jordan Hamilton and Tristan Thompson each finished with double-doubles for Texas.
TV: 6:10 p.m. EST, TNT. ODDS: Texas, -5.5
PREDICTION: Texas 76, Arizona 72 - Two outstanding interior players are better than one. Williams is a fantastic player, maybe one of the top five individual talents left in the tournament. But Hamilton and Thompson dominated the interior against Oakland, and Texas has more depth. The Longhorns are a better rebounding team and will use that ruggedness to reach the Sweet 16.
(3) Purdue Boilermakers vs. (11) VCU Rams
THE STORY: Virginia Commonwealth has gone from the team nobody wanted in the NCAA tournament, to the one nobody wants to face. Coming off a surprising rout of Georgetown that further validated their inclusion into the field of 68, the Rams will try to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history Sunday against No. 3 seed Purdue in Chicago in the Southwest Region. The Boilermakers cruised past Saint Peter’s in the second round. Purdue will have a large contingent of fans who will make the 120-mile trip from Indiana to see its team take aim at a third straight trip to the Sweet 16.
TV: 7:10 pm. ET, TBS ODDS: Purdue -9
PREDICTION: PURDUE 70, VCU 64 - If Moore (seven turnovers against St. Peter’s) and the rest of the Purdue guards can protect the ball against the Rams’ swarming full-court pressure, the Boilermakers should prevail in a close one.
(3) Syracuse Orange vs. (11) Marquette Golden Eagles
THE STORY: A trip to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament is on the line as Big East Conference rivals collide in Cleveland on Sunday night when No. 3 seed Syracuse takes on No. 11 seed Marquette for the second time this year. Both teams are coming off impressive second-round wins Friday; Syracuse disposed of Missouri Valley Conference tournament champion Indiana State 77-60, while Marquette led all the way in a dominating 66-55 win over No. 6 seed Xavier, a team which had been to the Sweet 16 the last three years. Marquette won the regular-season meeting over Syracuse on Jan. 29 in Milwaukee, 76-70.
TV: 7:45 p.m. ET, TRU TV ODDS: Syracuse -4.5
PREDICTION: Syracuse 71, Marquette 67 – There are no secrets in this game between conference foes. Syracuse, on a mission after losing as a No. 1 seed last year, to go along with avenging an earlier loss to Marquette, wins a close one.
(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs. (9) Illinois Fighting Illini
THE STORY: Top seed Kansas had a little more trouble than anticipated with pesky Boston University on Friday but eventually found its footing and showed the form that many expect will lead it to the Final Four. No. 9 seed Illinois was supposed to get a major challenge from UNLV in its opening game of the NCAA tournament but instead cruised, displaying just how explosive a team that starts four seniors can be when everything fits together. The Jayhawks will be looking to avoid a second consecutive exit in the round of 32 when they meet the Fighting Illini in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, TNT ODDS: Kansas -8.5
PREDICTION: Kansas 78, Illinois 65 - The Jayhawks have all the pieces to make a deep run this spring, and a date with the Illini should not be a difficult step. With a 12 or 13 seed looming in the Sweet 16, Kansas will not have to face a top-four seed until No. 2 seed Notre Dame or No. 3 seed Purdue in the regional final.
(2) Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. (10) Florida State Seminoles
THE STORY: Two football schools clash on the hardwood for a trip to the Sweet 16. Notre Dame didn’t look great in its victory over Akron in the second round, and it faces an even stiffer test against Florida State. The 10th-seeded Seminoles are the top defensive team in the country and got a boost with the return of star forward Chris Singleton. It will be a clash of styles – offense vs. defense. The No. 2-seed Irish rely on their perimeter game, as Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis form one of the best shooting backcourts in the country. The Seminoles, built on defense and rebounding, are a lengthy team that could cause problems for the Irish.
TV: 9:40 ET, TBS ODDS: Notre Dame -5
PREDICTION: Notre Dame 64, Florida State 55 - The Seminoles give the Irish a run for their money, but Notre Dame finds a way to win it down the stretch.
Sunday's Chicago Tips
By Judd Hall
Friday’s slate of games missed a lot of the excitement we saw out of Thursday’s tests, but it helped pare the field down to 32 teams. By the time we finish up with our action on Sunday, we’ll know who will be heading to the regional sites for the Sweet Sixteen.
Chicago’s final two games offer up some big name brands looking to head out to San Antonio for the Southeast Regional semifinals.
It will all start with the No. 2 seed Fighting Irish taking on the 10th-seeded Seminoles for a ticket to the Alamo Dome at 9:40 p.m. EDT on TBS. The oddsmakers have named the Irish as six-point favorites with a total of 133½ late on Friday evening. FSU is coming in at 2/1 (risk $100 to win $200) to earn a spot in the regional semis.
Notre Dame (27-6 SU, 16-12 ATS) punched its ticket to the third round by holding off the spirited Zips for a 69-56 win, but just failed to cover as a 14-point “chalk.” The 125 points scored just snuck ‘under’ the closing total for the matchup.
The Irish played a little tight in the first half, leading 34-30 at the break. But they pulled away in the second half thanks to Carleton Scott pulling in 14 boards with his eight points. Ben Hansbrough accounted for 15 points and Tim Abromaitis contributed 14 as well. As good as ND finished off Akron, they can’t be happy with the fact they turned the ball over 15 times to the Zips.
Florida State (22-10 SU, 15-10-2 ATS) was a team that not many people were sure what to expect out of in the tournament. What we do know is that the ‘Noles claimed their first NCAA tournament win since 1998 with a 57-50 triumph over Texas A&M. Bettors were happy with FSU in this game no matter what. The Seminoles opened as 1½-point pups, but were bet up to 1½-point faves by the time the game tipped off.
Derwin Kitchen helped FSU to the win with 15 points and seven rebounds. But the real star for the ‘Noles in this game was their defense, who held the Aggies to just 31 percent shooting from the field. Nobody should be surprised by that since Florida State is the best defense in the country, allowing the opposition to hit just 36 percent of their shots.
The Seminoles have posted a 4-7 SU and 6-5 ATS record when they’ve been listed as single-digit this season with the ‘under’ going 7-3.
Notre Dame is a fantastic 13-1 SU and 10-4 ATS this year as a single-digit favorite. We’ve watched the ‘over’ go 10-3-1 in those spots.
The winner of the opener will find out who they’ll meet up with in San Antonio immediately after their game. That’s when Virginia Commonwealth (25-11 SU, 15-20 ATS) takes on the Boilermakers at 7:10 p.m. EDT on TBS.
You have to wonder what Shaka Smart would do for an encore in riling up his Rams. Prior to the play-in game with Southern Cal, Smart played his team a video of all of the pundits at ESPN saying how they didn’t belong in the field. All they did was roll over the Trojans.
Smart motivated VCU well on Friday night as worked over the Big East’s Hoyas for a 74-56 win as a 5½-point underdog to become the first team to win a game after a play-in victory. Brandon Rozell went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc to score 26 points to pace the Rams. Meanwhile, they held Georgetown to just 19 percent shooting from three-point land and 39 percent from the field. And Virginia Commonwealth forced the Hoyas into turning the ball over 17 times.
Purdue (26-7 SU, 19-11 ATS) showed why they got a second-seed in the big dance by pushing through with a 65-43 win over the 15th-seeded Peacocks, easily covering as a 15-point favorite. JaJuan Johnson started the tourney off right with a double-double, scoring 16 points and 16 rebounds against St. Peter’s. The Boilermakers were stingy on defense as they held their second round foes to just 29 percent from the field. Making matters worse for the huge pups was that Matt Painter’s crew held a 40-26 rebounding advantage.
Most sportsbooks have posted Purdue as a nine-point favorite with a total of 135½. VCU can be taken to win this game and reach the Sweet Sixteen at plus-350 (risk $100 to win $350).
Gamblers would do well to pay attention to the ‘under’ in this game. Purdue has seen the scores go ‘under’ the closing total in five of its last six tests. Meanwhile, the Rams are cashing the ‘under’ with a 7-2 mark in their past nine matches.
Virginia Commonwealth has welcomed its role as an underdog at the end of the season, evidenced by a 4-2 SU and ATS record in the last six in this spot. The Boilers aren’t making backers happy at the moment when posted as faves as they’re just 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS in the last four matches in that role.
vegasinsider.com
Sunday's Cleveland Tips
By Kevin Rogers
The Cleveland pod involves four teams that have made the Final Four in the last eight years as Ohio State and George Mason tip off the action in the early evening. The night wraps up at Quicken Loans Arena with a Big East showdown between Syracuse and Marquette. We'll start things off with the Buckeyes trying to avoid the big upset.
(1) Ohio State vs. (8) George Mason
The last time the Buckeyes were a top seed, Thad Matta's club played for the National Championship in 2007 against Florida. Ohio State started this tournament on a solid note with a 75-46 blowout of Texas-San Antonio on Friday, easily covering as 24 ½-point favorites. The Buckeyes battle a George Mason squad that rallied late to stun struggling Villanova and move on to the round of 32.
The Patriots knocked off Villanova thanks to Luke Hancock's three-pointer in the final minute, 61-57 as two-point underdogs. George Mason continues to be an ATS stalwart with a 23-8 mark against the number, including a 5-2 ATS record as a 'dog. Jim Larranaga's team is riding a 16-3 ATS spurt, while the two losses came as favorites of at least 9½ points.
Advertisement
The Buckeyes haven't been too shabby from a pointspread perspective recently with six covers in the last eight games. In six instances of this stretch, OSU was laying double-digits, as the Buckeyes were 10-13 ATS this season as favorites of at least 10 points. Taking away games in which Ohio State closed as substantial 'chalk,' the Buckeyes owned a 3-6 ATS mark as a favorite between 10 and 13 points.
Since the Final Four run of 2006, GMU is 5-2 ATS in the Big Dance, with four of those wins coming outright as an underdog. Ohio State is 5-8 ATS in the tournament since 2006, including a 2-2 ATS ledger when laying double-digits.
The Buckeyes are listed as 11-point favorites, while the total is set at 135 as this game can be viewed on CBS. The winner of this game moves to the Sweet 16 of the East regional to battle Kentucky in Newark.
(3) Syracuse vs. (11) Marquette
In the second Big East showdown this weekend, the Orange and Golden Eagles hook up for the second time this season for a trip to the Sweet 16. Syracuse cruised past Indiana State, 77-60 to win their first tournament game for the third straight year. Meanwhile, Marquette moved forward with a wall-to-wall romping of Xavier, 66-55 as short favorites.
The last time these conference rivals met, Marquette held off Syracuse, 76-70 at the Bradley Center on January 29. Buzz Williams' club jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead, as the Orange couldn't complete the comeback despite shooting 57% from the floor. That was the final loss of a four-game skid for Syracuse in Big East play, while the Orange bounced back the following game in a road victory at UConn as short 'dogs.
The Golden Eagles jumped off the tournament bubble with consecutive wins in the Big East tournament over Providence and West Virginia. Even though Marquette was trounced by Louisville in the quarterfinals of the conference tourney, the Golden Eagles eliminated a Xavier squad that had advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of the previous three NCAA Tournaments.
The Orange rebounded nicely after a midseason swoon with wins in seven of the last eight games, while covering five of the previous six. Syracuse has cashed the 'over' in four straight contests, as Jim Boeheim's team saw its second-lowest total (129) of the season in Friday's trouncing of Indiana State. The defense has stepped up by limiting opponents to 64 points or less in five of the last eight games.
Syracuse is a perfect 5-0 SU/ATS the first weekend of the last three tournaments, while winning each game by double-figures. Marquette is seeking its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since the Dwyane Wade-led Final Four run in 2003, as the Golden Eagles have lost each of their last three second round (now third round) games by four points or less.
The Orange is laying 4½ points, while the total is set at 140 as this contest can be seen on TruTV. The survivor of this game moves forward in the East regional against the winner of Washington and North Carolina.
vegasinsider.com
Sunday's Charlotte Tips
By Brian Edwards
The 2011 NCAA Tournament will resume Sunday afternoon at 12:15 p.m. Eastern in Charlotte, where second-seeded North Carolina (27-7 straight up, 15-15-1 against the spread) will collide with Washington for the right to move on to the Sweet 16.
Most sports books are listing UNC as a four-point favorite with a total of 158. Gamblers can back the Huskies to win outright for a plus-160 return (risk $100 to win $160).
Roy Williams’ team failed to cover the number in Friday’s first-round win over Long Island U. The Tar Heels captured a 102-87 win as 18½-point favorites. Tyler Zeller exploded for 32 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. John Henson produced 28 points and 12 rebounds, while Harrison Barnes finished with 24 points and 16 boards.
UNC has now won 10 of its last 11 games with the only defeat coming against Duke in the finals of the ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels own a 9-8-1 ATS record in 18 previous games as single-digit favorites.
Washington (24-10 SU, 15-16-1 ATS) advanced to the second round by capturing a 68-65 win over Georgia as a 5 ½-point favorite. Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points and dished out seven assists for the winners, who went on a 12-4 run to take an eight-point lead at the start of the second half.
Lorenzo Romar’s team has now won four consecutive games, although it is mired in an abysmal 1-6 ATS slump. That stat is basically meaningless in handicapping this game, however, because UW was favored in each of those contests.
The Huskies have only been underdogs twice this season. They covered the spread in an 87-86 loss at Arizona as 2½-point ‘dogs on Feb. 19. Also, their backers pushed in a 67-66 loss to Texas A&M as one-point ‘dogs.
The ‘under’ is 17-15 overall for Washington, 6-1 in its last seven games. The ‘under’ is 17-13-1 overall for UNC, 8-4 in its last 12 outings.
CBS will provide television coverage.
The second game from Charlotte will pit top-seeded Duke (31-4 SU, 20-14 ATS) as a double-digit favorite against Michigan. As of early this morning, the Blue Devils were favored by 11 ½ with a total of 136. The Wolverines are available on the money line for a plus-600 payout (risk $100 to win $600).
Duke stroked Hampton by an 87-45 count to take the cash as a 23-point favorite in its first-round game. Kyrie Irving returned to the court for the first time since Dec. 4 and after some early struggles in the first half, exhibited the form he showed early this season.
The freshman point guard, who is expected to go in the top five of this summer’s NBA draft, played 20 minutes and scored 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field. Irving made both attempts from 3-point range and all four of his free throws.
"I was nervous when I got out there in the first half," Irving told the Associated Press. "I was pressing and trying too hard. You can't play basketball that way. But then in the second half, I don't know, I just started to feel good."
So did Duke fans, Mike Krzyzewski and bettors who have Duke repeating by cutting the nets down in Houston in 15 days. I wouldn’t be surprised if Irving’s minutes are increased into the 25-30 range today.
Michigan (21-13 SU, 21-8 ATS) continued its incredible ATS run in its blowout first-round win over Tennessee by a 75-45 score. The Wolverines trailed in the early going, but a run late in the first half gave them a four-point lead at intermission. They jumped all over the Volunteers to start the second half and led by as much as 32.
Matt Vogrich provided a huge spark off the bench, scoring 11 points in just 16 minutes of playing time. Vogrich made all five shots he took. Darius Morris had eight points, nine assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals. Zack Novak finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Stu Douglass and Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in 11 points apiece.
John Beilein’s team has been a double-digit underdog six times, posting a 5-1 spread record. Michigan has taken the cash in 10 straight games as an underdog and is 14-4 ATS on the season in 18 ‘dog spots.
vegasinsider.com
Purdue, VCU vye for Sweet 16
By: Willie Bee
Everywhere you turned on Selection Sunday there seemed to be one analyst or another pointing out that Virginia Commonwealth had no business in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, it's the Rams who have so far been giving the business to their opposition with a pair of upset wins to reach the Round of 32.
Shaka Smart's 11th-seeded squad will be out for another upset on Sunday when they face Matt Painter's Purdue Boilermakers, the SW Region's third seed. Purdue is a nine-point favorite for the 4:10 p.m. (PT) tip from Chicago's United Center. Totals bettors are looking at a 135½ for their number.
Defense has been the Rams' calling card in their two games so far. Virginia Commonwealth (25-11 straight up, 15-20 against the spread) opened its action last Wednesday with a First Four contest in Dayton against Southern Cal, notching a 59-46 victory as a four-point underdog. The Rams negated the Trojans' size advantage in the paint, limited USC to just one three-pointer in nine attempts and forced 15 turnovers to their eight.
Jamie Skeen was the only VCU player in double digits on the scoreboard with a game-best 16 points. The six-foot-nine senior added nine rebounds to just miss a double-double despite being on the court just 29 minutes due to foul trouble.
The boxscore told a similar story in Friday's 75-56 win over 6-seed Georgetown who was favored by 5½. The Rams frustrated the Hoyas on the perimeter, holding Georgetown long-range shooters to just 5-of-26 and once again winning the turnover battle by a 17-6 margin.
This time it was senior guard Brandon Rozzell providing the scoring highlights with 26 points off the bench, canning six of his 10 tries from beyond the arc with VCU converting on 12-of-26 as a team. The Rams also spent a lot of time at the free throw line, making 26-of-39 while Georgetown was hitting on 11-of-13.
The loss marked the second consecutive early exit from the tournament with John Thompson III's team who ended the season on a five-game losing skid. The Hoyas were favored by 14 against Ohio in last year's first round only to fall by 14. One of a record 11 Big East schools in this year's dance, Georgetown was one of four to lose its tourney opener joining St. John's, Villanova and Louisville.
While VCU was busy playing the part of the little engine that could this week, Purdue (26-7 SU, 18-10-1 ATS) was playing the role of bully in its 65-43 victory over St. Peter's on Friday. Though they handily covered the 15-point spread, led by as many as 27 in the game and stopped their brief two-game losing stretch, the Boilermakers' win over the Peacocks wasn't as pretty as the scoreboard might indicate.
Purdue committed 16 turnovers, seven by E'Twaun Moore who led the Boilermakers with 19 points. Painter's squad shut the overmatched St. Peter's group down with solid defense, but also didn't have an easy a time scoring, Moore and JaJuan Johnson combining to sink just 13 of their 31 field goal tries.
The Boilermakers made up for that with a big advantage on the boards, 40-26. Johnson was a beast with 16 rebounds on his own to go with his 16 points.
Friday's win upped Purdue's record this season when leading at halftime to a perfect 24-0. The Boilermakers will be looking to extend another unbeaten mark in Sunday's VCU matchup with Purdue having won all three of its previous NCAA Tournament games played in Chicago.
The 'under' 135½ looks particularly appealing in a battle between two squads are trending that direction recently though their overall season marks don't favor one side or the other. VCU (16-16 'over/under') is 2-0 'under' so far this tournament with seven if its last nine staying below the total. Purdue (15-14 'under') has played three straight to the low side and five of its last six 'under.'
George Mason awaits Ohio State Buckeyes
By: David Schwab
The No.9 seed George Mason Patriots will try and make another improbable run in a NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament when they take on the No.1 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in Sunday’s third round of the East Region.
Tip-off from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland is set for 2:15 p.m. (PT) and the game will be broadcast nationally on CBS. Ohio State opened as a 10½-point favorite and the ‘over/under’ line is set at 135½.
George Mason made it into this tournament with an at-large bid out of the Colonial Athletic Association after compiling an overall record of 26-6 straight-up (23-8 against the spread). The Patriots proved they belonged in the tournament with a dramatic 61-57 come-from-behind victory over No.8 seed Villanova as a two-point underdog in Thursday’s second round.
If George Mason is to have any chance against the Buckeyes, it will need another huge effort from sophomore forward Luke Hancock. Not only did he hit a crucial three-point shot with 21 seconds left to put the Patriots up for good against the Wildcats, he led the team in scoring with 18 points.
They will also need a better performance from senior guard Cam Long, who was held to seven points in Thursday’s game. He is the team’s leading scorer with an average of 15.3 points a game.
George Mason shot just 40.4 percent from the field against Villanova, well under its 47.2 percent season average. It also struggled from three-point range, hitting just 28.6 percent of its attempts after averaging 39.4 percent from beyond the arc in the regular season.
Ohio State earned the No.1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament after rolling through the regular season with an overall record of 32-2 SU (17-15 ATS) which included a 71-60 victory over Penn State as a 10-point favorite in the Big Ten Tournament Championship. The Buckeyes' second round game against No.16 seed UT-San Antonio amounted to nothing more than a brisk workout in a lopsided 75-46 win as a 24 ½-point favorite.
Much of Ohio State’s success this season can be attributed to the play of freshman phenom Jared Sullinger, who is averaging a team-high 17 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. It also has a solid supporting cast with players like junior guard William Buford, the second leading scorer with 14.5 points, and senior guard-forward David Lighty who is averaging 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and a team-high 3.3 assists per game.
The Buckeyes have the third-best shooting percentage in the nation (49.4 percent) and are averaging 77 points a game. They shot 55.8 percent from the field in Thursday’s game and hit a deadly 50 percent from three-point range. The one area where Ohio State has struggled a bit this year is under the boards, where it has averaged just 34.5 rebounds a game.
George Mason is 3-1 ATS in its last four games on the road but is just 2-3 ATS in its last five games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last five games.
Ohio State is 3-3 ATS in its last six road games and 6-2 ATS in its last eight games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of its last nine games.
The Patriots bring a ton of guts and determination into this game against a Buckeyes’ team that is loaded with depth and talent. George Mason should be able keep this game competitive deep into the second half, but stick with Ohio State to pull away in the end to win and cover the 10½-points.
Tar Heels and Huskies battle
By: Willie Bee
Coaches are usually pleased when their team scores over 100 points, hits better than 50 percent from the field, hauls in 52 rebounds and blocks 10 shots.
Roy Williams was indeed happy when his North Carolina Tar Heels did all of those things in their tournament opener on Friday, topping Long Island 102-87 to move on to the Round of 32. But just as he was during opening round wins in the recent ACC tournament, Williams was not content with the overall play of his Heels who beat the Blackbirds with their height more than anything else in the 2/15 seed contest.
North Carolina will still have a slight edge in the height department when the Tar Heels meet the Washington Huskies on Sunday for a berth in the Sweet 16, but it won't be near as pronounced as against LIU. The Heels will also still have a home crowd behind them when the game tips at Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena at 9:15 a.m. (PT).
All of that adds up to UNC favored by 3½. Sunday's total started at 155½ on the Don Best odds screen and is rising.
Unlike their ACC tourney start when they needed a last-second layup from Tyler Zeller to get past Miami, the Tar Heels led from start to finish against the Blackbirds. Turnovers, 18 of them, and poor outside shooting still left Williams dissatisfied.
"Am I pleased about the win? You're darn right," the UNC coach noted following Friday's triumph. "Am I pleased about some of the turnovers? Not at all. Am I pleased about going 3-for-17 from the three-point line? Not at all."
Tar Heel backers weren't pleased with UNC failing to cover the 18½-point chalk despite opening a 21-point gap six minutes into the second half. The game easily went past the 158-point total with North Carolina featuring three players scoring 24 or more, UNC just missing having a trio of double-double stat lines.
Zeller led everyone with a personal-best 32 points while grabbing nine boards. John Henson also scored a career-high with 28 points along with 11 rebounds and Harrison Barnes added 24 points plus a career-best 16 boards.
Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar cam sympathize with Williams a little after Washington also shot poorly from long range in Friday's win over Georgia. The 7-seed Huskies went 4-for-18 from beyond the arc but still managed to get past the 10-seed Bulldogs, 68-65. Oddsmakers were charging six points on Washington who won its fourth consecutive game straight up but fell short at the window for the third time in that four-game streak.
The 'under' 145½ winner marked the sixth time in seven Washington games low-side bettors were rewarded, leaving the Huskies 17-13 to the 'under' on the season.
Washington led by as many as 10 and trailed by as much as seven in the game that was level after the first 20 minutes, 28-28. Four Georgia players reached double digits in the contest led by Trey Thompkins' game-high 26, but the bulldogs got little else from any other player. Georgia's bench was blanked in the points column while Huskies reserves scored 28.
Romar's troops also limited their turnovers to five and made the most of their free throw opportunities by converting 12-of-14,
The victory marked the fifth consecutive win in NCAA Tournament openers for Washington who advanced to the Sweet 16 last year with triumphs over Marquette and New Mexico before falling to West Virginia in the East Region. North Carolina's dubya was it's first tournament game since winning the 2009 event.