Category: March Madness

Oregon v North Carolina: Predictions on Point Spread and Totals

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Every year armchair fans across the USA and further afield complete a March Madness bracket in which they predict the teams that will progress in the tournament. Tens of millions filled in online brackets this year and just 0.000003% anticipated that we would see North Carolina, Gonzaga, Oregon and South Carolina in the Final Four, illustrating what a rollercoaster ride this competition really is. Earlier this week we previewed Gonzaga v South Carolina, a game Gonzaga is expected to win, so now we move on to North Carolina v Oregon, which is a little closer in the betting lines.

Oregon Ducks v North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina was the favourite before the start of the tournament and has justified that status by cruising through to the Final Four. The Tar Heels have had to do it the hard way, overcoming second-seeded Kentucky in the Elite Eight and a very strong Butler team in the Sweet Sixteen. North Carolina is still the outright favourite to win the NCAA Championship (6/4 with SkyBet, compared to 13/8 at Ladbrokes on Gonzaga, 5/1 at BetVictor on Oregon and 9/1 at William Hill on South Carolina) and with good reason. The Tar Heels are by far and away the most experienced team left standing in this tournament.

Last year North Carolina suffered the heartbreak of losing to a three-point buzzer beater in the Championship Game against Villanova, and their four leading scorers this time around – Justin Jackson, Joel Berry II, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks – all played a part in last year’s run to the final. They have tasted what it feels like to be runner-up and will be desperate to go one better this time around. In Roy Williams, they have a coach making his ninth appearance in the Final Four. None of the other three coaches left has ever been this far before. Third-seeded Oregon beat very good teams in Rhode Island and Michigan to reach the Elite Eight and then surprised everybody with a 14-point win over top-seeded Kansas. It has proved it can frustrate and beat the sport’s best offensive teams and will be very dangerous, especially due to the confidence gained from upsetting Kansas. The outright looks close to call, and UNC may shade it, but Oregon +5.5 at 5/6 with Betfred looks a really good bet. Kansas was considered by many the best team in the tournament and Oregon shut it down completely, so it could well do a similar job on UNC.

Prop Bets

This being a big game there are all sorts of weird and wonderful specials bets, from guessing the winning margin to whether the points in a particular half will be odd or even. The crazier ones are best avoided, but the traditional total points look good in this game. They are both strong offensive sides, but this is such a good game that it should prove a cautious affair under 153.5 points at 5/7 with Bet365 looks good.

March Madness Final Four: Gonzaga v South Carolina Predictions

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

March Madness has most certainly lived up to its name over the past week, and after several crazy twists and turns, just four teams remain. Sixty-four have packed their bags and gone home, and just the four regional winners are left standing: Gonzaga, North Carolina, Oregon and South Carolina. Gonzaga and North Carolina are top seeds and were expected to be standing, but third-seeded Oregon’s presence is a shock, and few would have predicted South Carolina would be representing the east rather than Villanova, Duke, Baylor or Florida.

Clearly, South Carolina is the huge underdog at 9/1 with William Hill and Ladbrokes, while North Carolina (6/4 with Sky Bet) and Gonzaga (13/8 with Ladbrokes) are heavily favoured, but this is March Madness and anything can happen. First up is South Carolina v Gonzaga, so we have previewed that one and we will feature the other game later this week.

South Carolina Gamecocks v Gonzaga Bulldogs

Gonzaga went into the tournament with the best regular season record of anyone and was among the favourites to win it. The Zags’ route to the final was made all the easier when 11th seed Xavier beat second seed Arizona in the Sweet 16. Arizona was the second seed and many expected the Wildcats to topple Gonzaga. Instead, they played Xavier in the Elite Eight and won by a huge 24-point margin, by far the heaviest win in the round.

South Carolina’s journey to the Final Four has been far less orthodox. The seventh-seeded Gamecocks were expected to crash out in the Second Round, where they faced pre-season favourite Duke, which had the best team on paper in the entire tournament. But South Carolina exploited Duke’s defensive weaknesses and earned a resounding 88-81 victory. They then played third seed Baylor in the Sweet 16 and defied their status as seven-point underdogs by absolutely thrashing the Bears, winning 70-50. They then knocked out fourth seed Florida in the Elite Eight and have earned themselves a place in the Final Four for the first time ever.

South Carolina’s superb defence has got them this far. It has the second best defence in the country now, but Gonzaga has the best. Gonzaga’s offence is also scoring a lot more points than the Gamecocks. Gonzaga should win this, but whether they can cover the spread is another matter as South Carolina is scrapping really well. South Carolina +8.5 at 8/13 with Betway looks good.

Futures Update

If Gonzaga gets past South Carolina it will face North Carolina or Oregon. The Tar Heels were pre-tournament favourites and have excelled in beating some excellent teams, so expect them to get the better of Oregon. That would be a sensational final and it’s easy to envisage a tight game that could be won by a single point. North Carolina’s Roy Williams is on course for a third NCAA Championship, while Gonzaga’s Mark Few has never before reached the final four, so that experience could swing it, but it will be tight.

March Madness Sweet 16: Outright and ATS Picks and Predictions

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

There are four highly anticipated Sweet 16 games taking place on Friday as March Madness rages on, and there looks to be plenty of value on offer. Here we run through the four games and offer predictions on each.

Butler v North Carolina

Chris Holtmann taking Butler to the Sweet 16 is a tremendous achievement. He has fostered a versatile and balanced team, and they will not be intimidated by the Tar Heels here. They can slow the pace down and make life very difficult for them. North Carolina can win it, but it will be a tall order to cover the 7.5-point spread set by Vegas. UNC failed to cover an 11.5-point spread against Arkansas in its last game and was really pushed to the brink. The Bulldogs could well do the same here, as they are savvy and disciplined. North Carolina is joint-favourite for the tournament and should win this against a Butler team punching above its weight, but the best prices – 5/17 at Bet365, 2/7 at SkyBet – are not particularly appealing. You could see North Carolina win by four or five points, so Butler against the spread looks interesting at 19/20 with Coral.

South Carolina v Baylor

The east is a mess and Baylor will fancy its chances of progressing to the final four now. Seventh seed South Carolina pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the tournament in the last round by beating second-seeded Duke, pre-season favourite and many experts’ pick to win the tournament, thanks to a strong defence and a great performance from Sindarius Thornwell. But this could be a step too far. Baylor is now the highest remaining seed in the east after Villanova also crashed out, and has a clear route to the Final Four. All it has to do is beat a team that was 2-5 in its seven games before the tournament. Baylor has won its last three games against South Carolina, a team that is 3-7 against the spread versus winning teams. Baylor -3.5 at 10/11 with Bet365, William Hill and Ladbrokes looks good.

UCLA v Kentucky

The third and second seeds in the south face each other in what should be a fantastic game. It is the closest in the betting – Kentucky is 10/11 at William Hill and UCLA is 20/21 at Ladbrokes – and the spread is just -1 for Kentucky. It should be very close, but UCLA is such an exciting team at present and the slight underdogs can pull off a victory thanks to the superb form of Lonzo Ball, who is surely the best player in the tournament. Back him to lead UCLA to the next round.

Florida v Wisconsin

Fourth seed Florida plays eighth seed Wisconsin, giant killers of Villanova, in the final game. Wisconsin has gone this far thanks to its strong defence and will have momentum after toppling Nova, while Florida’s leading scorer KeVaughn Allen is struggling, so Wisconsin +2 with William Hill and Ladbrokes looks a good bet.

March Madness: Sweet 16 is Set and Betting Frenzy Continues

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We are now into the second week of March Madness and the Sweet 16 is set, with only the NCAA’s top teams left standing. They are now just four games away from winning the NCAA Championship and enjoying hero status in their respective hometowns. But this year’s tournament is ferociously competitive, and the eventual winner will have to fight every inch of the way.

Futures Update

Three-quarters of the teams have been eliminated from March Madness and only the strongest are left. There have been some huge upsets along the way, particularly in the East, where defending champion Villanova and pre-season favourite Duke have both already been knocked out. Wisconsin, Florida, and South Carolina are now fighting it out there, and it now looks the weakest region. In the other three regions the big guns have made it through: Kansas is still standing in the Midwest, in the West the prospect of Gonzaga and Arizona meeting in the Elite Eight looks a distinct possibility still, and North Carolina, UCLA and Kentucky are all through in the South.

Despite having the hardest run to the Big Dance (for the uninitiated it goes First Round, Second Round, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and the Big Dance), North Carolina is still the favourite at 6/1 with Ladbrokes. At those odds, it looks risky. The Tar Heels should beat fourth-seeded Butler but then will face either UCLA or Kentucky, both of whom could easily knock them out. Gonzaga is second favourite, 7/1 with Sky Bet, but it too has a nightmare road to the final, with the Arizona Wildcats (8/1 with Ladbrokes) in the way. The winner is unlikely to come from the East, where the best-priced team is Baylor, trading up to 33/1. A shrewd bet could be Kansas, 11/2 with Bet365, which has arguably the easiest run. Purdue is a strong team but beatable, and then they would have to overcome Oregon or Michigan to make the Final Four. You can also go each-way and get half the odds if they make the final. An interesting long-shot could be UCLA, 16/1 with Bet Victor, which has an incredible offence and could be dangerous in the West.

Upcoming Games

The first four Sweet 16 games take place on Friday and feature the two favourites in Kansas and Gonzaga. Both face tough games. Gonzaga is up against the strongest fourth seed, West Virginia, which annihilated Notre Dame with its pressing defence. It is likely to be a close encounter, but the Zags should scrape it (13/20 with Bet Victor). Kansas plays Purdue, a dark horse for the tournament thanks to its formidable front court and the form of Caleb Swanigan. The Jayhawks should get the job done (4/9 with Bet365) but Purdue -5 looks an interesting spread at 20/21 with Ladbrokes. Arizona should beat Xavier (2/7 with Bet365), so a treble of Arizona-Kansas-Gonzaga looks good, but Michigan v Oregon looks too close to call so is probably best avoided.

March Madness: Rhode Island can spring an upset against Creighton

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The First Round of March Madness concludes on Friday with 15 games that feature some of the leading contenders to win the NCAA Championship. There is plenty of value to be had, and here we pick out some of the most intriguing games:

Michigan v Oklahoma State

This is one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the tournament as it comes less than 10 games after the Michigan team escaped unscathed from a plane crash. They were evacuated from the runway and ended the week as Big 10 champions. Michigan was seeded eighth and had to beat top seed Purdue, then fourth-seeded Minnesota and finally second-seeded Wisconsin to win the automatic bid for March Madness. The Wolverines pulled it off in style and go into the NCAA Tournament full of belief and heart. Confidence pride is on the line as this pits the Big Ten against the Big 12, and Michigan can win it. Oklahoma State has had a turbulent season and is 0-7 in March, while Michigan has won five straight against top notch opposition, so the 8/11 that 888Sport has on Michigan looks great.

Creighton v Rhode Island

The Creighton Bluejays go into this game as slight favourites (10/11 with William Hill), while Rhode Island is the underdog at 19/20 with BetVictor. Creighton is the sixth seed, while Rhode Island is 11, but Rhode Island looks to have been under-seeded here. The Rams are a very good team and can harbour realistic hopes of not only beating Creighton but going as far as the Sweet Sixteen or even the Elite Eight. They would be unlikely to get past Kansas, but they can really go on a run in this bracket. These two teams come into March Madness as polar opposites. Creighton started the season sensationally as it raced to an 18-1 record. Then they lost star player Maurice Watson and have since gone 7-8. The Rams have momentum, having finished the regular season with eight straight wins and then earned three victories in a row to claim the A-10 Championship. That 19/20 on Rhode Island at BetVictor looks great value.

Seton Hall v Arkansas

This is a classic 8/9 game featuring an eighth and ninth seed that are virtually impossible to split, such are the similarities between the two teams. It is an interesting game as the winner will surely go on to face tournament favourites North Carolina in the next round, where they are overwhelmingly likely to be knocked out. But they will give this game all they have got and it is likely to be ferociously competitive. Arkansas plays with intensity and energy and has the better record, but Seton Hall has more impressive wins under its belt and loves to slow the game down. The two styles contrast and we could be in for a low-scoring game here, so the best bet could well be the under 146.5 total points at 10/11 with Bet365.

March Madness Betting Begins: First Round Picks and Futures Predictions

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The most frenzied betting period in the US sporting calendar begins this week and there are several intriguing clashes to look forward to as college basketball’s finest teams go all out to win the NCAA Championship. March Madness begins with the First Four, a series of four games that whittles the pool down from 68 teams to 64. Then a round robin style tournament starts, with 64 becoming 32, then 16 and so on until the best two teams compete in the final.

First Four

This is similar to the wildcard round in the NFL playoffs and features the four lowest ranked at-large teams and the lowest automatic bid teams. There are four games and the winners progress to the First Round, while the losers go home. This year the fixtures are New Orleans v Mt St Mary’s; Wake Forest v Kansas State; NC Central v UC Davis; and Providence v USC. These games are hard to call, but New Orleans should beat Mt St Mary’s and the 5/6 on offer at Ladbrokes looks good. NC Central was superb in winning its three games by an average of 23.7 points in the MEAC Tournament and they can be confident of beating UC Davis. You can get 5/9 with Bet365, but for more value go NC Central -4 at 10/11 with Bet365. Providence v USC looks close but USC should shade it (4/6 with Bet365), while the 10/11 Coral has on Wake Forest beating Kansas State looks risky but interesting.

First Round

The First Round starts on Thursday and this is where the real excitement begins. With the First Four out of the way, all the remaining teams in March Madness go into a knockout tournament, and by the end of this round, only 32 will be left standing. You can expect Villanova, Kansas, SMU and UCLA to instantly knock out the teams that progress from the First Four. Highly rated teams Gonzaga, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and Arizona should also win their games pretty comfortably. That sounds like an interesting 10-team accumulator right there.

Elsewhere the 10th seeded Wichita State Shockers play the 7th seeded Dayton Flyers and should win that one at 4/11 with Bet365 as the Shockers have looked very dominant in recent weeks. The Wisconsin Badgers are 4/9 with Bet Victor to beat Virginia Tech and should pull it off as you would expect seniors Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig to prove too strong for the inexperienced Virginia Tech. A tight looking game sees Vanderbilt face Northwestern, and the 10/11 on Northwestern +1 at Bet365 looks good. Another trendy upset pick is Rhode Island to beat Creighton. Rhode Island won the A-10 Championship with a 70-63 victory over the VCU and has a strong defensive record along with excellent three-pointer stats. Creighton lost four of their last six games and struggled offensively, so Rhode Island could shut them out for large periods, and Rhode Island +1 looks interesting at 20/21 with Ladbrokes.

Futures

Select committee chairman Mark Hollis has declared that this year’s March Madness bracket is the most competitive he has ever seen, and experts are divided over who will seize the crown. The NC Tar Heels have been made 15/2 favourite with Betway, followed by Kansas (17/2 with Bet365), Gonzaga (9/1 with William Hill), Villanova (9/1 with Betway), Duke (10/1 with Bet Victor), Kentucky (11/1 with Bet365) and Arizona (14/1 with William Hill). It is very close and congested, emphasising Hollis’ point. Villanova has been made the overall top seed and the defending champion looks a good bet at 9/1. But the team with real momentum is Kansas and they look a great option at 17/2. Pre-season favourite Duke has secured a comfortable draw and can go far, while Arizona is a great longer shot at 14/1. To make things really interesting, you could back Kansas, Villanova, Duke and Arizona and if any come in you would still be well in profit. If you had to go for just one, Kansas is the team to beat.