NCAA Basketball – Massive Weekend Matchups
BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Matchup:
Arkansas Razorbacks (12-3 SU, 5-4 ATS) at Florida Gators (15-2 SU, 4-6 ATS)
O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL — 2 PM ET
Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* FLA has won six of the last eight meetings SU
* FLA has covered three of the last five meetings * ARK is 5-3-1 ATS in the last nine meetings
* Five of the last seven meetings have gone OVER the total
* FLA has won the last eight meetings SU as the home team
* FLA is 5-2-1 ATS in the last eight meetings as the home team
* FLA has had the shooting edge in seven of the last eight meetings
* FLA has made more three-pointers in four of the last five meetings
As usual, Florida is shooting well (49%). We have no doubt that Nick Calathes is an NBA prospect; at 6’5″ he can handle the ball and shoot the jumper from mid-range or beyond the arc (38%). One point of concern is that Florida does not out-rebound many teams. Arkansas brings one of the SEC’s best inside players in Michael Washington (17.1 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 59% FG’s). Courtney Fortson, the cat-quick freshman guard, will keep Florida’s defenders on their toes. The loss at Ole Miss was expected, as the Hogs had dropped 11 of their previous 12 in Oxford, but this team has shown it can rise to the occasion against marquee programs, with wins over both Texas and Oklahoma. Chances are, they’ll make it more difficult than usual for the Gators to hit from the perimeter. Keep in mind that Florida is on a rocky pointspread string at home (1-8-1 ATS in last ten).
Our PREDICTION: FLORIDA BY 2
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BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Matchup:
Arizona State Sun Devils (14-3 SU, 8-5 ATS) at UCLA Bruins (14-2 SU, 8-7 ATS)
Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA — 3:45 PM ET
Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* UCLA has won the last eight meetings SU
* ASU has covered four of the last six meetings
* Five of the last seven meetings have gone OVER the total
* UCLA has won the last five meetings SU as the home team
* UCLA has had the rebounding edge in five of the last six meetings
* UCLA has made more three-pointers in each of the last five meetings
The Sun Devils have shot 51%, putting them in the upper reaches of the NCAA rankings in that category. However, Arizona State generally does not do well in the City of Angels, having lost eight straight. James Harden has been dealing with a toe injury, and though he is talented enough to work through it, he has not done well against the Bruins. Ben Howland’s defensive schemes bottled him up pretty good last season, when Harden shot just 37.5% from the field in two meetings, scoring just 20 points. So perhaps it was no surprise that UCLA cruised by margins of 33 and 21 points. We’ve mentioned before that several of the ASU players, including Harden and Jeff Pendergraph, are from the L.A. area, and they consider these trips to be loaded with distractions. With a 2.5-to-1 assist-turnover ratio, 58% shooting (50% from the arc!), 94% from the line, and almost two steals a contest, Darren Collison can not be left out of the discussion for the Naismith Award.
Our PREDICTION: UCLA BY 15
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BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Matchup:
Ohio State Buckeyes (12-3 SU, 6-5 ATS) at Michigan Wolverines (13-4 SU, 7-4-1 ATS)
Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, MI — 8 PM ET
Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* OSU has won seven of the last eight meetings SU
* OSU has covered six of the last eight meetings
* Three of the last four meetings in Ann Arbor have gone OVER the total
* OSU has had the shooting edge in five of the last seven meetings
* MICH has made more three-pointers in each of the last four meetings
I’m not sure we should hang the big “buy” sign outside the Buckeye locker room just because they registered that 77-53 win over Indiana. We’re watching center B.J. Mullens closely; the freshman has scored 42 points with 16 rebounds and is 68% from the field in the last three games. William Buford, a highly-regarded freshman who has been in the lineup since David Lightly went down with his foot injury, has averaged 14 points as a starter, with 36 in his last two games. Michigan went incredibly cold in Wednesday’s 66-51 loss to Illinois, shooting just 32%. They’re back at home, where John Beilein goes after his 500th win in this game. After each of their previous three losses, the Wolverines have followed with a strong performance, but with Buford adding some more offense, the Buckeyes can keep things within the number.
Our PREDICTION: MICHIGAN BY 3
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BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Matchup:
Marquette Golden Eagles (15-2 SU, 6-5-1 ATS) at Providence Friars (11-5 SU, 5-7 ATS)
Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, RI — 9 PM ET
Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* MARQ has won its last seven games SU
* MARQ has covered four of its last five games
* MARQ has played nine of its last 11 road games OVER the total
* PROV has won four of its last five games SU
* PROV has played five of its last eight games OVER the total
* PROV has won its last nine home games SU
* MARQ has won three of the last four meetings SU
Providence brought back nine useful players from last year’s team, and coach Keno Davis came in fresh off the successful overhaul he did at Drake. Thus far the Friars have beaten the teams they were supposed to, but haven’t really passed any big tests. They will have to if they want to go to the tournament, because the Big East is incredibly crowded. A big challenge will come from Marquette, which comes with a backcourt even guard-oriented Providence will be able to deal with. Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James have combined for over 48 points a game and an assist-turnover ratio of almost 2-to-1. Davis feels his team is playing its best basketball of the year, even in the wake of a loss to Georgetown, but frankly, we’d want to see what this veteran Providence team, which is the best of the likely non-tourney qualifiers, can do against a team of national reputation.
