Bet On NCAA Basketball: #9 Huskies vs. #8 Cylcones
Connecticut cut down the nets at the end of the NCAA Tournament last year. It will take an even more miraculous effort from the Huskies to repeat in 2012.
NCAA Tournament Matchup: UConn vs. Iowa State
South Region
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Time/TV: 9:20 PM EST on TBS
College Basketball Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NCAA Basketball Betting Favorite: UConn -2
Over/Under: 136
There’s no Kemba Walker to save the season this year.
Iowa State is an extremely talented team that has come together as the year has moved along. This should be a great #8 seed vs. #9 seed matchup!
Jim Calhoun has had to miss quite a bit of time this year with a bad back, but he’ll be on the sidelines in Louisville this Thursday night. Jeremy Lamb has been the team’s leading scorer all year. Lamb is averaging 17.7 points per game, and he is shooting 48% from the floor. The rest of the team is ultra-talented, but they have been inconsistent.
Shabazz Napier is capable of scoring 20 points or being held scoreless. Andre Drummond has shown tons of promise, but he hasn’t taken over games in the way he probably could. Ryan Boatright has come on of late, and the Huskies need a big tournament out of him. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The potential is there for this team, but it is hard to tell which UConn team will come to play.
Iowa State brought in all kinds of transfers last year, but this is the first year they have been eligible to play. Coach Fred Hoiberg is wildly popular around the campus in Ames, and the Cyclones were a nice story this year. Royce White is one of those players that you just don’t come across every day.
White is a point-forward type of player who stands 6’8 and 260 lbs. He leads the team in points, assists, steals, and blocked shots. He is definitely the ultimate all-around star.
It isn’t just a one-man team though. Scott Christopherson shoots a terrific 45% from three-point range, and he averages 12.5 points per game. Chris Allen and Chris Babb have been great additions in the backcourt, and both of them are very good on the defensive end. Iowa State averages 73.2 points per game.
The eight vs. nine matchup is always a tough call, and this one is no different.
In a game that I expect to come down to the wire, I think the points are valuable here.
Prediction: Iowa State 68 UConn 67
