Basketball Betting Odds and Preview Capsules: March 28
Atssportsline.com
The Sweet 16 is finally here and the next four days captures the essence of March Madness. Make sure it doesn't capture your wallet as there are several good betting opportunities tonight. Make sure you check all the betting resources. If you are looking for some assistance for March Madness, ATS Sportsline has all your college basketball betting statistics, matchups and odds.
#3 Marquette Golden Eagles (25-8 SU, 13-15-1 ATS) vs. #2 Miami-Florida Hurricanes (29-6 SU, 21-10-1 ATS)
Intangibles:
Reggie Johnson is out for Miami-Florida with a knee injury.
The Verizon Center is the site where Miami coach Jim Larranaga led George Mason to the Final Four in 2006.
Marquette goes 11 deep and has a knack for getting hot late in games
Keys to Success:
Miami has to play without wide body Reggie Johnson (6-10, 290), who is out after minor knee surgery. The Hurricanes still have plenty of scoring options led by Shane Larkin and Rion Brown, shocked 21 points off the bench against Illinois. Marquette's defense allows 63 points per game and teams to shoot 32.5 percent from beyond the arc. They'll have to be even tougher against the Hurricanes, who shoot 46 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. Marquette has won despite shooting just 30.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Marquette is coming off a 74-72 win over Butler, giving 2 to make the Sweet 16. Miami-Florida edged Illinois, 63-59, giving 8, to advance to their first Sweet 16 since 2000.. Miami-Florida is 4-1 ATS last 5 neutral site games. College Basketball Lines: Miami-Florida is a 5-point betting odds favorite. Total: 127.0.
#6 Arizona Wildcats (27-7 SU, 16-16 ATS) vs. #2 Ohio State Buckeyes (28-7 SU, 20-12-1 ATS)
Intangibles:
Thad Matta and Sean Miller are close friends when they were assistants at Miami-Ohio under Herb Sendek.
Guard Mark Lyons took Xavier to the Sweet 16 last season and has done it with Arizona.
Arizona has the height advantage led by 7-foot freshman Kaleb Tarcszewski.
Keys to Success:
Arizona has advanced here with wins over Belmont and Harvard, so this is their first big-name test. They have to do a better job defending the three-point shot (35.4 percent). Ohio State makes 36 percent of their three-point attempts. Point guard Aaron Craft hit the game-winner against Iowa State from deep. Craft will likely defend Lyons, who's averaging 25 points in the first two games. Craft is one of the best defenders in the nation and Lyons is one of the best scoring lead guards. Arizona senior forward Solomon Hill is a solid inside player who provide the difference for the Wildcats.
Arizona downed Harvard, 74-51, giving 10.5 on Saturday to reach this point. Ohio State edged Iowa State, 78-75 on Sunday on the Craft three-pointer. They were a 7.5-point betting odds favorite. Arizona is 9-3 ATS last 12 non-conference games. College Basketball Odds: Ohio State is a 4-point betting odds favorite. Total: 134.0
#4 Syracuse Orange (28-9 SU, 18-15 ATS) #1 Indiana Hoosiers (29-6 SU, 17-15-1 ATS)
Intangibles:
Syracuse has the third-best field goal percentage defense in the nation (37.3)
Indiana is 11-1 all-time as a number one seed
Indiana star guard Victor Oladipo is playing about 30 minutes from his home over Upper Marlboro, Md.
Keys to Success:
Indiana needs to solve that Syracuse 2-3 zone. If they get on a roll from the three-point line, this one might be over. They average 40.8 percent from beyond the arc, led by Oladipo (43.3 percent), Christian Watford (48.3 percent) and Jordan Hulls (46 percent). But shooting over the Syracuse zone is difficult because Syracuse has tall guards in Brandon Triche (6-4, 210) and Micheal Carter-Williams (6-6, 185). Syracuse needs Triche to break out of a shooting slump and for C.J. Fair and James Southerland take it to Indiana in the paint. Southerland can hurt Syracuse with his three-point shooting.
Syracuse has won five of the last six including beating California, 66-60 on Saturday, giving 7.5 to reach the Sweet 16. Indiana has won four of the last five, including a hard-fought, 58-52 win over Temple, on Sunday giving 12.. Indiana is 5-1 ATS last 6 Thursday games. Basketball Odds: Indiana is a 5.5-point betting odds favorite. Total: 135.5.
#13 La Salle Explorers (24-9 SU, 15-12-2 ATS) vs. #9 Wichita State Shockers (28-8 SU, 17-14-2 ATS)
Intangibles:
La Salle managed to win three games last week to get here including beating Boise State in the First Four.
The Shockers made 14 three-pointers against Gonzaga, tied for 2nd most in school history
La Salle's defense allows teams to shoot just 29.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Keys to Success:
La Salle struggles at times with size, which is displayed in their field goal percentage defense (45.6 percent). Their four-guard attack can hurt teams that is slow up front. Wichita State isn't that slow. Cleanthony Early averages around 13.9 points per game, while senior forward Carl Hall adds 12.6 points per game. Both are agile forwards who can stroke it from the perimeter. Wichita State will need to go inside if their three-point shots aren't falling. Ramon Galloway is an outstanding guard, who leads the Explorers with 17.4 points per game. Tyrone Garland added 17 against Ole Miss including the game-winning layup.
La Salle edged Ole Miss, 76-74, getting 4 on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16. They also defeated Kansas State (63-61) on Friday and Boise State (80-71) on Wednesday. Wichita State downed #1 Gonzaga, 76-70, getting 6.5, on Saturday. La Salle is 6-2 ATS last 8 overall. Basketball Odds: Wichita State is a 4-point betting odds favorite. Total: 135.0.