March Madness Betting – The Final Four Power Poll
The Final 4 is set with only three games to play to decide the National Champion of the 2008-09 college basketball betting season at BetUS Sportsbook. Without further ado, take a look at how these teams stack up against one another in this sports betting season’s final power poll…
1) #2 Michigan State Spartans (30-6 SU, 20-12-1 ATS, 4-0 ATS in NCAA Tournament) Not many CBB bettors gave the Spartans a chance of getting past the pressure defense of Louisville, but they not only beat HC Rick Pitino’s squad, they crushed them. A stifling defense and timely shooting put the 6.5-point favorites away for good, and now MSU will get to play the Final Four in its own backyard. Forward Raymar Morgan’s broken nose clearly hurt him against the Cards, as he never found the scoreboard in just ten minutes of action. The guy to keep an eye on this weekend is the man in the middle, center Goran Suton. Suton has picked up a whopping 46 rebounds in four games in this tournament, and has picked it up on the offensive end of the court this past weekend by scoring an average of 19.5 points in the Elite 8 and Sweet 16. Head Coach Tom Izzo’s club has now knocked off the defending champs (Kansas) and this tourney’s #1 seed in each of their last two games. As long as the success doesn’t go to their heads and they use the home court advantage to their fullest, the Spartans could slay two Big East dragons in back-to-back games.
Next Up: Connecticut (+4)
2) #3 Villanova Wildcats (30-7 SU, 19-14 ATS, 3-1 ATS in NCAA Tournament) Courtesy of guard Scottie Reynolds and his buzzer-beating lay-up against Pittsburgh, the East Region’s #3 seed is on its way to Detroit. Reynolds hasn’t exactly put up eye-popping numbers in this tournament (12.5 points per game), but Head Coach Jay Wright will be the first in line to tell you that his swingman is his most valuable player and the biggest reason the Wildcats are in the Final Four. In the regular season, the Wildcats posted some amazing point totals that eclipsed the 90+ point barrier, but others in the 50s that were atrocious. So far, the good offensive team has showed up as Nova has scored at least 77 points in all four games against some stout defensive competition in this tourney. Will that be the team that shows up in Detroit, or will the one that only scored 54 against Georgetown, 55 against Louisville, 59 against St. Joe’s and 58 against Texas rear its ugly head? if the offense picks right back up where it left off in Detroit, the Cats are going to be an incredibly difficult team to bet against this weekend.
Up Next: North Carolina (+7)
3) #1 Connecticut Huskies (31-4 SU, 14-14 ATS, 4-0 ATS in NCAA Tournament) Though they weren’t overly impressive in Glendale this past weekend, the #1 seed got the job done for the program and their betting backers. The last time Head Coach Jim Calhoun led UConn to a National Championship, it was out of the West bracket. Though many prognosticated this region belonging to either Memphis or Missouri, it was the #1 seed that prevailed. The Huskies have been absolutely dominant on both ends of the floor in March Madness betting, outscoring their opponents by an average of 25.3 points per game. The CBB betting world was introduced to freshman PG Kemba Walker on Saturday, as he came off the bench to score a team-high 23 points lead the huskies to the hard fought victory against Missouri. They were fortunate to beat the NCAAB betting line against the Tigers on Saturday, but are very deserving of their spot in the Final Four. The scariest part about this team? C Hasheem Thabeet really hasn’t gotten going yet, as he’s only averaged 11.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in this tournament. Could that 30/20 game occur in front of a very hostile Ford Field crowd?
Up Next: Michigan State (-4)
4) #1 North Carolina Tar Heels (32-4 SU, 15-19 ATS, 4-0 ATS in NCAA Tournament) Now that Louisville is out, is there any doubt the Heels are the best team left standing? The oddsmakers have finally wised up and made Carolina the odds-on favorite to cut down the nets on Monday night (-125). Is there any reason to blame them? Without putting together a flawless effort in any of their four games in this tourney, Head Coach Roy Williams’ boys are a perfect 4-0 ATS and have been absolutely dominant. Did anyone even realize that Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington only combined to score 17 points in Sunday’s romp of Oklahoma? If a team that would’ve been a shoe-in for a #1 seed until its star got hurt for a week couldn’t stop the Heels without much in the way of contributions from two of its stars, does anyone have a chance at this point? So long as the boys in white and Carolina blue show up with their game faces on, Villanova will be just another speed bump en route to the National Championship.
Up Next: Villanova (-7)
