Bulldogs battle Bears in clash of ranked foes

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

12/28/2011 - Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Baylor Bears and the 15th- ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs will meet at American Airlines Arena in Dallas for a highly-anticipated non-conference showdown.

MSU has won its last 11 games to move to 12-1 on the season, and the lone loss came to Akron back in early November. The Bulldogs were most recently in action last Thursday when they knocked off Northwestern State as expected by an 82-67 final. They have played three neutral-site affairs to date and all three have resulted in wins.

Baylor is one of six undefeated teams left in the nation, and the 12-0 start matches the best in program history previously accomplished by the 2000-01 team. Obviously, this current group of Bears are aware that the record can be theirs alone with a win tonight. The club was pushed to the limit by West Virginia last Friday, but managed to escape with an 83-81 victory in overtime.

Mississippi State has won all five of its previous meetings with Baylor, but the programs haven't squared off since 1990.

Dee Bost was widely considered one of the top guards in the SEC last season, so the fact that he is averaging 17.2 ppg and more than four assists per contest for Mississippi State through the first 13 games of this year comes as no surprise. Teammate Arnette Moultrie has exceeded expectations, however, as he is pouring in 17.8 ppg on 57.5 percent shooting from the field while ranking among the national leaders with 11.7 rpg. Rodney Hood adds 12.4 ppg to the mix, and Renardo Sidney provides 10.2 ppg. MSU is generating 77.2 ppg while allowing 63.7 ppg to opponents on 40.9 percent field goal efficiency. In the 15-point victory over Northwestern State last time out, Mississippi State earned a 45-35 rebounding advantage and a 16-8 edge in points from the foul line. Moultrie posted 24 points and 14 boards in that affair, overshadowing the fact that Bost was held to eight points on just 3-of-14 shooting.

Outstanding offensive balance and strong team defense have been the most obvious keys to Baylor's impressive start. There are five double-digit scorers in the fold for the Bears, who are generating 79.6 ppg on 50.2 percent field goal efficiency, while allowing 59.3 ppg to opponents on 36.5 percent shooting. Perry Jones III leads the pack with 14.1 ppg to go along with 6.9 rpg, and Quincy Acy checks in with 12.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 2.5 bpg. Pierre Jackson (12.0 ppg, 4.3 apg), Brady Heslip (10.8 ppg) and Quincy Miller (10.8 ppg) round out the group. Heslip came through with 19 points against West Virginia last week, while Jackson led the squad with a 23-point effort off the bench. Acy netted 15 points for BU, which simply hit one more shot from the field than WVU in overtime.

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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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