College Basketball Betting Odds and Previews: March 23
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How about that first week of college basketball? It's not over yet but Florida Gulf Coast and Harvard were the early Cinderellas. Harvard will get their chance to upset Arizona today, while there are many other betting opportunities. We'll highlight the top ones on an exciting third-round of NCAAB games. Get out your March Madness Bracket and check all the sports betting resources. If you are looking for assistance, ATS Sportsline has all your March Madness basketball needs.
The third round of action continues today with more great NCAA Tournament basketball!
#6 Memphis Tigers (31-4 SU, 16-16 ATS) vs. Michigan State Spartans (26-8 SU, 13-16-12 ATS)
Intangibles:
Michigan State is playing in their home state.
Spartans coach Tom Izzo is 17-3 in the second game at an NCAA tournament site.
Memphis point guard Joe Jackson is a speed merchant that will look to set the tempo.
Keys to Success:
The Michigan Spartans are the forgotten team in the Big 10 after Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State. The Spartans want to control the tempo and make it a physical game. Keith Appling sets the tone for MIchigan State. He had 15 points and three 3-pointers against Valparaiso. This is a big team led by Derrick Nix (6-9, 270), who averages 9.9 points and 6.5 rebounds. But he destroyed Valpo with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Memphis can't afford to get into a halfcourt game. They want to push it with Joe Jackson, who scored 14 points against St. Mary's and 22 in their win over Southern Miss in the Conference USA tournament title.
Michigan State defeated a tough Valparaiso team on Thursday, 65-54, giving 10 in the second round.. Memphis held on to defeat St. Mary's, 54-52 on Thursday, giving 1.5. . Memphis.is 1-4 ATS last 5 vs. Big 10.. College Basketball Lines: Michigan State is a 5.5-point betting odds favorite. Total: 130.
#9 Wichita State (27-8 SU, 16-14-2 ATS) vs. #1 Gonzaga (32-2 SU, 17-13-2 ATS)
Intangibles:
Cleanthony Early scored 21 points against Pittsburgh, coming back from an illness.
Gonzaga is third in the nation in field goal percentage (50.4 percent).
Wichita State is 1-6 when playing the nation's top team.
Keys to Success:
Gonzaga is led by 7-foot forward Kelly Olynyk, who averages 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. They Zags really struggled in their second round game against Southern. Gonzaga has won 15 straight games, while Whicita State lost to Creighton in the Missouri Valley Conference finals before beating Pitt. Senior forward Carl Hall (6-8, 238) has to step up against a big Gonzaga frontcourt. Hall averages 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds. Sophomore guard Tekele Cotton is a defensive pest, who held Pittsburgh's leading scorer to 1-of-12 shooting and grabbed a career high five steals.
Wichita State dominated a very good Pittsburgh team in the second round, crushing them 73-55, getting 4 on Thursday. Gonzaga struggled to beat #16 Southern, 64-58, giving 21.5. Gonzaga is 10-4 ATS last 14 neutral site games. College Basketball Odds: Gonzaga is a 7.5-point betting odds favorite. Total: 133.
March Madness Basketball Strategy: Top Values for Saturday
Atssportsline.com
March Madness Office Pools are up so we now bring you our incredible March Madness betting strategies!
Have you filled out your March Madness bracket? Fill up yours and keep track of the games, scores and the winners that might get to the Final Four.
The Saturday games are now set with the third round of action. Now the betting odds are sharper and but there are some very good values as well. The winners will enter the Sweet Sixteen next week. Let's take a look at some of the great third-round matchups and solid betting values for Saturday.
#6 Butler Bulldogs (27-8 SU, 19-13-1 ATS) vs. #3 Marquette Golden Eagles (24-8 SU, 13-15 ATS)
Betting Outlook:
Marquette is coming off a near-miraculous win over Davidson, as star guard Vander Blue scored seven points in the final 1:33. He had the game-winning layup with one second left to lead the Golden Eagles to the win but they didn't cover as a 3-point betting odds favorite. Marquette has failed to cover four straight games and has only covered three of the last nine games.
On November 19, Butler defeated Marquette, 72-71 on the road getting four. Blue scored 21 points to lead Marquette, who shot just 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. Butler was led by Khyle Marshall, who had 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting and Rotnei Clarke added 20 points. Butler shot just 14-of-25 from the line and should have win by more than one point, but Marquette's 14 turnovers to seven for Butler was the key.
Butler beat Bucknell 68-56 laying 3 on Thursday. They held Bucknell star center Mike Muscala to 4-of-17 shooting as they doubled him almost every time he touched the ball. That's the genius of coach Brad Stevens, who is one of the tops in the profession. Will Marquette's 30 percent three-point shooting come back to haunt them?
Key Betting Trends:
Butler is 17-5 ATS last 22 NCAA Tournament games.
Marquette is 1-4 ATS last 5 following a SU win.
#12 Oregon Ducks (27-8 SU, 14-18-1 ATS) vs. #4 St. Louis Billikens (28-6 SU, 22-10 ATS)
Betting Outlook:
These two teams are both playing very well. Oregon has won four straight games including beating Oklahoma State, 68-55 in the second round on Thursday, getting 2. The Ducks are rejuvenated now that point guard Dominic Artis is back from injury. The big concern here is whether St. Louis can handle big Arsalan Kazemi (6-7 , 226), who grabbed 17 rebounds against the Cowboys. Tony Woods (6-11, 243) adds great size for the Ducks, who were a very low 12th seed and probably took that as a motivational factor and used it as a chip on their shoulder. That was unfortunate for Oklahoma State, who were in their path.
St. Louis is not Oklahoma State. They dominated New Mexico State on Thursday, winning 64-44 as a 9-point betting odds favorite. The Billikens have won and covered five straight games. But can they rebound with Oregon? St. Louis ranks just 251st in the nation in rebounding. They were outrebounded, 41-30 as 7-foot-5 freshman Sim Bhullar had 11 rebounds for the Aggies, but scored just four points. St. Louis is playing for their former coach, Rick Majerus, who died in November due to heart problems after being on leave since the summer. The Billikens have some size led by 6-11, 245-pound Rob Loe, but he only played 14 minutes on Thursdsay. This is a defensive-minded team that holds team to just 57.7 points per game. But when will their lack of rebounding catch up with them?
Key Betting Trends:
Oregon is 4-1 ATS last 5 non-conference games.
St. Louis is 4-0 ATS last 4 NCAA Tournament games.