Spartans can claim share of Big Ten title with win over Wolverines

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bitter Big Ten Conference rivals close out the regular season against each other this afternoon in East Lansing, as the Michigan Wolverines come calling on the 11th-ranked Michigan State Spartans.

Michigan has been up and down all season long, coming in at 14-15 overall and 7-10 in conference. The Wolverines blasted Minnesota in their last outing, 83-55, putting the brakes on a three-game slide and giving the team some much- needed confidence heading into this rivalry game. UM is just 3-7 in true road games this year, which includes a 3-5 mark against conference foes.

Michigan State can claim a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a win today, as the team comes in with an overall record of 23-7 and a league mark of 13-4. The Spartans have been virtually unbeatable at home, logging a 14-2 ledger, the only two setbacks coming against top-10 league rivals Purdue and Ohio State. MSU has won its last two games, the most recent being a 67-65 thriller over Penn State, and has claimed victory in four of its last five overall.

Michigan owns a 91-73 advantage in the all-time series with Michigan State, but the Spartans have won 17 of the last 20 meetings, including 10 straight in East Lansing. MSU slipped by UM in the first encounter this season, escaping Ann Arbor with a 57-56 victory.

Relying heavily on only players to lead the way, the Wolverines are far from an explosive offensive team. In fact, they rank 10th in the conference in scoring (65.0 ppg), and their meager .417 field goal percentage has them sitting ninth. Defensively, Michigan is yielding just 61.6 ppg to rank fourth in the league, and there are only two teams in the conference who defend the three-point shot (.315) better at the moment. Manny Harris ranks third in the Big Ten in both scoring (18.2 ppg) and steals (1.8 spg), and he sits fourth in assists (4.1 apg). He has made more free throws (134) than any of his teammates have attempted at this point. DeShawn Sims (17.1 ppg) is the club's only other double-digit scorer, and both players also work hard on the boards, coming up with a combined 13.8 rpg. Sims made the most of his final home game on Tuesday night, scoring 23 points and grabbing six rebounds to lead Michigan to its 28-point shellacking of Minnesota. Harris added 22 points and Stu Douglass chipped in with 10 for the Wolverines, who shot a sizzling 60.4 percent from the field and drained 8-of-19 three-pointers along the way. One of the more impressive stats from that game is that Michigan committed just four turnovers.

Simply put, Michigan State is a very good team that knows how to play at both ends of the floor. The Spartans, who boast four double-digit scorers at the moment, are averaging 73.1 ppg on 47.6 percent field goal accuracy, and they are giving up just 63.9 ppg on typical shooting efforts of 40.7 percent overall and 32.5 percent from three-point range. MSU leads the Big Ten in assists (17.1 apg). Rebounding has also been huge for coach Tom Izzo's club, which comes into this regular-season finale with a league-best +9.2 rebounding margin. MSU's most productive offensive performer happens to be the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year in junior guard Kalin Lucas, who is shooting 46 percent from the field and averaging 14.9 ppg. Lucas also serves as the team's primary playmaker with his 4.0 apg, and he converts nearly 80 percent of his free throws as well. Raymar Morgan (10.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Durrell Summers (10.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Draymond Green (10.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 3.1 apg) complement Lucas perfectly, and all are capable of carrying the team if its star is off his game. Lucas tallied just nine points in 28 minutes of action in the recent win over Penn State, as Morgan (16 points, eight rebounds) and Green (14 points, nine boards, four assists) took control. The Spartans watched as the Nittany Lions dropped nine three-pointers, but held strong in logging a 39-26 edge on the glass, a 36-20 advantage in points in the paint, and a staggering 26-1 margin in bench points.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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