March Madness Hoops Predictions – George Mason Patriots vs OSU Buckeyes
Welcome to the CappersPicks.com college hoops weekly predictions pages! We KNOW you will find our FREE weekly ncaa basketball predictions, tips, betting advice, strategies, CBB gambling articles and more to help you become the best March Madness bettor on your block!!
CLICK HERE NOW TO BET AT BETONLINE.COM – THE #1 SITE ONLINE FOR NCAA BASKETBALL BETTING ODDS AND MARCH MADNESS PROMOTIONS!!!!!
NCAA Tournament Bracket – East Region
Sunday March 18, 2011 – 5:15 PM ET
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Broadcast: CBS
George Mason Patriots vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Betting Lines From TheGreek.com:
Money Line: Buckeyes -700
Spread: Buckeyes -10.5
Over/Under: 135
Go Inside This Matchup With Our CBB ATS Stats —>
Bet now at BetOnline.com
A remarkable comeback in a 61-57 win over the Villanova Wildcats pushed the George Mason Patriots through to the second round, but things won’t get any easier for a team that many projected could be a Cinderella this year. Entering the NCAA national title tournament as the highest ranked team in the country has long been considered a curse, but not something that the Ohio State Buckeyes are going to pay any attention to. The Buckeyes will look to use their size and strength to outmuscle a Patriots’ team that has done exactly that to smaller opponents, but could be outmatched in this contest.
The Patriots forgot about their Colonial tournament loss to the Virginia Commonwealth in a hurry by taking down Villanova in their tournament opener, but it won’t be nearly as easy against Ohio State. George Mason was able to use their size to crash the boards and finish a ton of put back shots, but they have little chance of dominating the boards the same way in the second round. The Patriots struggled to get set in a lot of their packages, and there wasn’t much scoring from the guards, which will be relied on much more in this game.
Unlike George Mason, the Buckeyes can rely heavily on one man to get a lot of the work done down low, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see superstar forward Jared Sullinger dominate this matchup. Sullinger has led the Buckeyes all year with an average of 17.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, and will be the go-to guy once again as they fight for their ninth straight win. William Buford has been the perfect compliment to Sullinger all year with his ability to hit from beyond the arc, and if the Ohio State offense can dominate the paint early on it will force the Patriots’ defense to collapse and open things up for the Buckeyes’ offense.
George Mason has been a trendy pick to upset, but that’s probably because too many people are underestimating just how strong the Buckeyes are. Ohio State will win this game outright, and if Sullinger can dominate the way I think he will they should have no problem clinching a double-digit victory.
Trends:
GMASN are 21-6 ATS in their last 27 games overall.
Over is 6-2-1 in OHIOS last 9 overall.
OHIOS are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
Over is 8-3 in OHIOS last 11 NCAA Tournament games.
March Madness Betting Pick: Ohio State
