NCAA March Madness

No. 9 Northern Iowa Panthers vs. No. 5 Michigan State Spartans
2010-03-23

The No. 9 seed, of the Midwest division, Northern Iowa Panthers will be facing off against the No. 5 seed Michigan State Spartans this Friday, March 26, 2010. Tipoff will be at 9:30 pm eastern time and they will be battling at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.


Michigan State came into the season ranked No. 2 in both national polls and was expected to contend for a national championship this season but inconsistent play, especially on the road, proved to be the main issue for the Michigan State Spartans. 



Michigan State has won a pair of nail biters (70 to 67 over New Mexico State and 85 to 83 over Maryland) in the first two rounds of the 2010 NCAA Tournament to advance to its 9th Sweet Sixteen since 1998. The biggest blow to the Michigan State Spartans will be playing without their star player, point guard Kalin Lucas for the rest of the tourney. However, if the team's win over Maryland in round two was any sign, Korie Luscious is the next best thing to fill in.  Luscious hit a three pointer as time ended to give Michigan State an 85 to 83 victory after point guard Lucas went down with two minutes to play in the first half.


Northern Iowa has to be the biggest surprise of all the mid-major teams still alive in NCAA Tourney.  The Panthers faced a streaking UNLV team that seemed to finally be getting healthy in round one and, while it wasn’t the biggest of upsets, what happened next against Kansas destroyed many brackets around the world, especially mine.  Northern Iowa has played great basketball through the first two rounds, taking care of the basketball, taking advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line and forcing opponents into mistakes.  More importantly, however, the Panthers have gotten big plays when they have needed them most, especially from guard Ali Farokhmanesh who has made game winners in each of the Panthers first two games.  Northern Iowa has been playing tight defense and controlling the tempo and they will have to continue to do so against a well-coached Michigan State team in the Sweet Sixteen.


Northern Iowa Panthers are shooting 39.5 percent from the field, while the Michigan State Spartans are shooting about 44 percent. MSU has the rebounding advantage, 32.3 to 28.6. They are also committing fewer turnovers, 10.8 to 13.2. But the biggest stat which I think will make or break the game for the Panthers is the three point department. Northern Iowa is making 6.2 three pointers on 33.7 percent from behind the arc, while MSU is making only 4.7 three pointers at 32.3 percent behind the line. For the Panthers to beat the favorite Spartans in this game their three point stroke is going to have to be on point.


The bookies haven’t set the lines as of today, but I’m sure by the end of the day www.sportsbook.com will have the lines up. The favorites will be the Michigan State Spartans, that’s a no brainer, but watching Northern Iowa play against Kansas the other day, makes me want to think they might be the Cinderella team of this year’s tournament.




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2010-03-15








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CBB: West Virginia at Villanova (12:00 PM ET, CBS)
2010-03-05

It’s OK to feel a little choked up, real men do. The end of the regular season for college basketball is already here. It seems like football just ended and now this. But it’s fine, it’s time for March Madness, with more crazy twists and turns than Charlie Sheen’s marriage. In some conferences, like the Big East, there is still a ton of tournament seeding yet to be determined by games of Saturday and Sunday. One of the best contests matches West Virginia and Villanova at noon ET on CBS. Be sure to follow the latest lines and key betting information for this contest and the rest of Saturday’s board on the LIVE ODDS & GAME MATCHUPS pages of Sportsbook.com.

The impact on the Big East standings will be minimal, but for West Virginia (23-6, 12-16 ATS), this trip to Philadelphia is very meaningful. The Mountaineers, who are 6-4 and 4-6 ATS as visitors, lack a defining road win all season, with a December victory at Seton Hall probably the best of the lot. West Virginia plays many of the aspects of basketball expertly, however they lack a true point guard and a shooter at the end of the game. WVU lost earlier at home to Villanova and is 1-5 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs. opponent as a favorite.

Has the lack of Wildcats scoring and defense in the low blocks finally caught up to them? The immediate answer would be yes, as Nova has fallen four times since Feb. 6. Opposing teams are brazenly attacking Villanova (24-5, 18-10 ATS) at the rim and coach Jay Wright’s team is drawing fouls like clicks to Megan Fox’s website. Most of the points in the lane come on dribble penetration or put-backs, not conventional scoring. The Wildcats are 21-11 ATS playing a team with a winning record past the mid-point of schedule since last year.

One interesting trend to note regarding this head-to-head series is that the straight up winner is 15-0 ATS dating back to 1999. In other words, pick the game winner, pick the spread winner. According to the StatFox Power Line, which shows Villanova by 4, the winner will be the hosts.


CBB: Illinois at Purdue (4:00 PM ET, ESPN)
2010-02-19

The Big Ten title remains up for grabs amongst a handful of teams, and games today and tomorrow will have a big impact on the shape of the eventual final standings. In Saturday’s big contest, Illinois travels to Purdue to take on the 4th ranked Boilermakers. Purdue comes off a huge win at Ohio State and should be a sizeable favorite for the contest. Get the latest price and key game information on the Sportsbook.com LIVE ODDS and GAME MATCHUP pages.

Considered as relevant as having an Indian for a mascot until a few years ago after three Big Ten losses in the middle of January, the Fighting Illini (17-9, 9-14-1 ATS) and the departed Chief Illiniwek have proved they are not done yet. The light bulb has gone on for Demetri McCamey after a lackluster start and he’s become the team leader. Coach Bruce Webber benched McCamey and more recently Mike Davis and Brandon Paul and each has responded positively, with more assertive play on both ends of the floor, bringing Illinois into title contention, one loss behind leaders Purdue and Michigan State. The Illini lost to the Boilermakers 84-78 earlier and are 25-10 ATS revenging a loss where opponent scored 75 or more points.

Purdue (22-3, 13-12 ATS) has also overcome a three game losing streak in Big Ten play to work its way back into virtual tie with Michigan State, winning eight straight (5-3 ATS). The Boilermakers are back to playing team basketball and their “Big Three” of Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore, are delivering like Dominoes. Coach Matt Painter has everyone on the same page, understanding their roles and the defensive intensity has returned, along with greater precision on offense. Purdue is 12-3 ATS in February at Mackey Arena.

The home team in this series is a mere 7-6-1 ATS since Feb. of 2002, with the road team 5-1 ATS in last six meetings.

The StatFox Power Line shows Purdue by 11, and this is what Steve Makinen had to say about this game in the StatFox Platinum Sheet: I truly believe that Purdue is going to find a way to puts its name on the Big Ten’s regular season title this year, and the next three games will be big in making that happen. I expect the Boilermakers to get wins in all of those. In recent years, HC Matt Painter’s team has played its best in February: Painter is 12-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in home games in February games as the coach of PURDUE. The average score was PURDUE 69.5, OPPONENT 57.8 - (Rating = 1*). As you can see, the average win is about 12 points, and you figure those are mostly or all conference games. Purdue is on a different level than Illinois despite the closeness in record in Big Ten play and will prove it here.


CBB: Villanova at St. John’s (12:00 PM ET, ESPN)
2010-01-22

A quick check of the Big East standings in college basketball shows that only one team remains unbeaten in league play heading into Saturday’s games, that being Villanova, at 6-0. The Wildcats could be in for a test on Saturday afternoon though, as they face one of those “land mine” type of games at St. Johns. The Red Storm are 9-2 at home this season, and hungry for the upset? Can they get it? Be sure to check the BETTING TRENDS page on Sportsbook.com to see what other bettors are thinking.

Though seldom mentioned with the coaching elites, it’s time Jay Wright starts getting his props nationally as one of the finest coaches in college basketball. He recruits young men with a certain type of work ethic, they leave Villanova (17-1, 13-4 ATS) a far better player than when they arrived, and as any opposing coach will honestly admit, watching film on Nova is a treat with the intensity and execution they play. Senior Scottie Reynolds is the tougher than nails leader who gives the Wildcats a chance to win each time out. This season, Villanova is 8-2 ATS against teams with winning record.

This was supposed to be the year. Coach Norm Roberts had preached patience as he collected more talent for St. John’s (12-6, 8-6-1 ATS) and this season the Red Storm were to move up the Big East pecking order. With a number of good non-conference outings, expectations were percolating, however a 0-3 start turned the attention on Roberts and where the program is truly headed. St. John’s players openly have questioned each other’s commitment to winning, which means that unless they can make something positive happen immediately, it’s setting up to be another sorry season for the Johnnies. The St. John’s have responded lately though, by winning two of last three and upset of Villanova could be a signature win. The Red Storm is on a 13-3 ATS run when on playing on Saturday’s.

Villanova has won seven of last eight (6-2 ATS) encounters between these teams, and the StatFox Power Line shows Villanova by 11. The hosts will have to come up with a truly special effort to hand the Wildcats their first league loss.