Friday April 4th, 2009 - betED.com THE LINE



March Madness reaches a climax this weekend with the Final Four, and the National Championship game on Monday. In the first game Saturday, the Michigan State Spartans face the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies. The No. 1-seed North Carolina Tar Heels take on the Villanova Wildcats in the nightcap Saturday night. In the NBA on Friday, two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference clash Friday when the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic meet at Amway Arena. And the Houston Rockets visit the Los Angeles Lakers in a battle of Western Conference powers Friday at STAPLES Center. In Hot Props, pick the winner of Monday’s National Championship game.

Who won the 1966 NCAA National Championship?

Texas Western
Kentucky
UCLA
Utah

ANSWER AT BOTTOM

NCAA BASKETBALL:
FINAL FOUR - SATURDAY
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS @ CONNECTICUT HUSKIES
6:07 pm ET, CBS

The Michigan State Spartans face the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies in the first game of the Final Four at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday.

Michigan State made it to the Final with a 64-52 upset win over the Louisville Cardinals in Indianapolis on Sunday. The Spartans won as a 7-point underdog and the score went under the total of 137.5.

Connecticut held off a hard-charging Missouri Tigers team, winning 82-75 in the Elite Eight. Connecticut covered the 5.5-point spread, and the score went over the total of 152.

Michigan State will try to become the first team to win the title in its home state since the UCLA Bruins won the 1975 National Championship game in San Diego.

betED Line: Huskies (-4)(-110) (ML: -190) Total: 133.5

Bet this Game!

Saturday
FINAL FOUR
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS @ VILLANOVA WILDCATS
8:47 pm ET, CBS[/B]

The No. 1-seed North Carolina Tar Heels face the Villanova Wildcats in the nightcap of the Final Four on Saturday night.

Villanova scored 46 points in the second half and came away with a 78-76 upset over the No. 1-seed Pittsburgh Panthers in the Elite Eight. Villanova won the game as a 2-point underdog, and the score made it over the total of 141.

North Carolina defeated Oklahoma 72-60 as a 7-point favorite in the Elite Eight. The score went under the total of 163.5.

betED Line: Tar Heels (-7.5)(-110) (ML: -350) Total: 159

Bet this Game!

NBA BASKETBALL
Friday
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS @ ORLANDO MAGIC
7:05 pm ET, ESPN

Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference of the NBA clash Friday when the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic meet at Amway Arena.

The Cavaliers were defeated 109-101 by the Washington Wizards last time out, as 10-point favorites on the road. The score went over the total of 196.5.

The Magic were upset 99-95 by the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, as 10-point favorites. The score went under the total of 207.

Cleveland is 13-1 SU in its past 14, and 4-1 SU in its past five on the road. The total has gone under in four of the past five meetings, both overall and on the road.

betED Line: Magic (-3.5)(-110) (ML: -170) Total: 187

Bet this Game!

Friday
HOUSTON ROCKETS @ LOS ANGELES LAKERS
10:35 pm ET, ESPN

The Houston Rockets visit the Los Angeles Lakers in a battle of Western Conference powers Friday at STAPLES Center.

The Rockets fell 113-109 to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, as 1.5-point road underdogs. The score went under the total of 223.

Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 30 points and hauled down eight rebounds to lift the Lakers to a 104-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. The Lakers failed to cover the 7-point spread, but the 204 points went over the total of 203.

Houston is 6-2 ATS in its past eight on the road, and 4-2 SU in its past six on the road. The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in the past six meetings.

betED Line: Lakers (-5)(-110) (ML: -230) Total: 196

Bet this Game!


Hot Props::

The winners of the Final Four this weekend will meet in the 2009 NCAA National Championship game on Monday (9:21 pm ET, CBS).

Who will win the National Championship?

North Carolina Tar Heels -200
Connecticut Huskies +225
Villanova Wildcats +500
Michigan State +600

Bet ON THE 2009 National Championship Game!

TRIVIA ANSWER:

3. Texas Western

The 1966 National Championship game between Texas Western (now UTEP), with an all-black starting lineup, and Kentucky, with an all-white starting lineup, was a milestone event in NCAA history.