Basketball Weekly Preview – Mar 11th
Championship Week has taken over campuses across the United States. Some teams need to perform extremely well at these conference tournaments to get invited to the Big Dance. Teams like Maryland, Providence, Oklahoma State and about half of the Big Ten are in danger of falling off the bubble.We definitely want to keep our eyes on this type of high-pressure situation in this week’s basketball betting preview. Be sure to visit sports.bodog.com for the latest betting lines.
First, as always, our Top 10 teams against the spread:
NCAAB
1. Weber State: 19-5
1. Auburn: 19-5
3. Kansas: 18-6-1
4. Florida State: 17-7-1
4. The Citadel: 17-7-1
6. St. Peter’s: 15-6-1
7. Northern Colorado: 17-8
7. Louisiana Tech: 17-8
9. Memphis: 20-10
10. Bowling Green: 18-9
NBA
1. Cleveland: 41-21
2. Orlando: 39-23-1
3. Oklahoma City: 38-23-1
4. Charlotte: 38-25
5. Indiana: 36-27-2
6. New York: 34-27-1
7. New Jersey: 34-28-1
8. Milwaukee: 35-29-2
9. Utah: 34-29
10. Denver: 34-29-1
NCAAB: Miami-Florida vs. Virginia Tech
Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Thursday, 12:00 p.m. ET
Miami: 18-11 SU, 12-11-1 ATS, Under 12-12-1
Virginia Tech: 17-13 SU, 10-15 ATS, Over 16-8
Whichever team loses this game can forget about looking in the mail for a March Madness invite. The Hokies (+7) prevailed 88-83 in overtime back on Jan. 25 when they last faced the ‘Canes in Coral Gables. Since then, Miami is 4-6 SU and 5-5 ATS, but Tech is even worse at 3-8 SU and ATS. The Hurricanes have the superior statistical resume and should have the talent to win this matchup. They’ve played the No. 40-ranked strength of schedule in Division I according to efficiency; Virginia Tech, however, had it even tougher at No. 33.
March Madness betting at Bodog Sports!
NBA: Cleveland at Phoenix
US Airways Center, Phoenix
Thursday, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Cleveland: 49-13 SU, 41-21 ATS, Under 35-27
Phoenix: 34-29 SU, 24-36-2 ATS, Over 36-26
This is a classic matchup between offense and defense. The Cavaliers are very good at both, although defense is their calling card under coach Mike Brown. The Suns tried the same approach with Terry Porter, but let him go at the All-Star break and returned to their old way of doing things: running up and down the court and scoring as quickly as possible. The main difference is the Cavaliers are healthy and getting it done at 10-2 SU and 9-3 ATS in their last 12, while the Suns without Amare Stoudemire are 4-6 SU and 5-5 ATS.
NCAAB: Iowa vs. Michigan
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Thursday, 2:30 p.m. ET
Iowa: 15-16 SU, 15-10 ATS, Under 13-12
Michigan: 19-12 SU, 14-10-1 ATS, Over 12-11-1
The Wolverines are very close to getting into the Tournament in their second year under John Beilein, who took over from Tommy Amaker after six years on the outside looking in. Beilein wisely loaded up on tough non-conference matchups this year – victories over Duke (-9.5) and UCLA (-8.5) look fantastic on a resume and speak to UM’s talent level. The Hawkeyes aren’t going dancing, but they’re going to be a tough team to beat now that forward Cyrus Tate (68.0 percent true shooting percentage) is back in action. Iowa beat Michigan 70-60 in overtime last month as a 1-point home favorite in Tate’s return from a high ankle sprain – although he only played four minutes in that matchup.
Don’t Miss
NCAAB: Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State (Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.)
NCAAB: Arizona vs. Arizona State (Thursday, 3:00 p.m.)
NBA: L.A. Lakers at San Antonio (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.)
NBA: Dallas at Golden State (Friday, 10:30 p.m.)
NBA: New Orleans at Chicago (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.)
NBA: Utah at Orlando (Sunday, 6:00 p.m.)