Basketball Betting Odds and Preview Capsules: March 15
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Another big day of college basketball tournament play, especially in the high majors. If you bet college basketball, this is nirvana. Don't forget to check all the updated betting lines throughout the day and the injuries before you make your pick. If you need assistance for March Madness, check out one the hottest program in the nation at ATS Sportsline, who just swept again on Thursday.
Have fun watching all the great college basketball!
Syracuse Orange (25-8 SU, 16-13 ATS) vs. Georgetown (25-5 SU, 16-10 ATS)
Intangibles:
Georgetown has Syracuse's number this year, winning both games by a combined 33 points.
Otto Porter is coming off a rare bad shooting day. Not good news for Syracuse.
James Southerland has made 12 of 15 three-pointers in the first two games.
Keys to Success:
Syracuse has to continue to shoot the three with confidence as they've made 21 three-pointers in their last two games. Georgetown has to defend Southerland, who has been getting wide open looks. The Hoyas have owned the last two games as they've forced Syracuse to shoot just 5 of 31 in their last two meetings.
Last game: (3/9/13) Georgetown (-2) over Syracuse, 61-39. Syracuse is coming off a solid win over Pittsburgh, 62-59 on Thursday and a 75-63 win over Seton Hall on Wednesday. Georgetown downed Cincinnati, 62-43 on Thursday, giving 4. Can Syracuse continue their outstanding long-range shooting? Georgetown is 6-2 ATS last 8 on Friday games. College Basketball Lines: Georgetown is a 1.5-point betting odds favorite. Total: 115.5.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25-8 SU, 16-14 ATS) vs. Louisville Cardinals (27-5 SU, 18-14 ATS)
Intangibles:
Louisville has played one easy game and Notre Dame has played two games in a row.
The Cardinals have won eight straight games.
Notre Dame doesn't fear Rick Pitino's pressure defense.
Keys to Success:
Notre Dame must slow this game down to a halt. They can't run with the Cardinals even if they hadn't played two straight games. Louisville has to keep Jack Cooley off the boards and limit the turnovers. Notre Dame has to slow down Russ Smith, who had 28 points in their quarterfinal win over Villanova.
Last game (3/9/13) Louisville (-11) over Notre Dame, 73-57. Notre Dame beat Marquette (73-65) and Rutgers (69-61) in the last two days to get here. Louisville (-9.5) coasted over Villanova, 74-55 on Thursday. Of course, these teams played five overtimes on February 9 with Notre Dame winning 104-101 getting 6. Neither team wants to play that long again. Underdog is 4-0 ATS last 4 in series. College Basketball Odds: Louisville is an 8-point betting odds favorite Total: 123.
Arizona Wildcats (25-6 SU, 14-15 ATS) vs. UCLA Bruins (24-8 SU, 14-17 ATS)
Intangibles:
UCLA has won 9 of the last 11 games.
Arizona had a much easier quarterfinal win over Colorado. UCLA came back from 15 down in the 2nd half to edge Arizona State.
UCLA won both games over Arizona this year.
Keys to Success:
UCLA needed a career-high 20 points from Larry Drew II to beat Arizona State on Thursday. They can't afford to get behind against Arizona, who is a much better team. UCLA tends to be erratic but they appear to be putting it together at the right time thanks to freshmen Muhammad, Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson. Arizona needs a better effort from All-Pac-12 point guard Mark Lyons (Xavier transfer) who totaled 29 points for the Wildcats in two games vs. UCLA, but handed out one assist and committed 10 turnovers.
Last game: (3/2/13). UCLA (+1) over Arizona, 74-69. Arizona beat Colorado, 79-69 on Thursday, giving 4.5. UCLA is coming off a come-from-behind win over Arizona State, 80-75, giving 4.5. Can Arizona finally beat UCLA for the first time this year? Favorite is 11-2 ATS last 13 in series. College Hoops Odds: NL. Total: NT.