Controversial bid
When the 34 at-large teams were announced for the NCAA tournament, the most controversial bid went to Arizona which extended Wildcat’s NCAA-leading streak of tournament appearances to 25 in a row. Arizona was just 19-13 straight-up and many felt that a non-BCS team such as San Diego State, St. Mary’s-CA, or Creighton should have been dancing.
Thursday
Connecticut (-7) vs. Purdue – Strong defense tends to thrive in the tournament, and both of these teams have top-rate defenses – in the Top 5 by defensive efficiency. The difference here is going to be the pace of play. UConn plays a far more up-tempo style that capitalizes on their size advantage over virtually everyone they play.
With the 2009 NCAA Tournament entering the SWEET 16 round, let’s take a different perspective in analyzing the teams that have arrived. It pertains specifically to teams that are returning to the SWEET 16 for the 2nd straight year. Do they perform like a team with experience and panache, or do they execute like CEO’s expecting cushy bonuses while steering a sinking ship? Let’s take a look.
The NL Central has been dominated by the Chicago Cubs the last two seasons as they have clearly been the class of this division. While there have been some significant player moves by the rest of the teams to try and close the gap, it remains to be seen if it will enough to dethrone the Cubs.
Chicago Cubs -200: While shuffling their line up somewhat, this year’s team remains basically intact from last season’s team that won 97 games.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Friday March 27, 7:27 PM ET
Memphis, TN FedEx Forum – South Region
Syracuse is on an unbelievable 9-1 run ATS. They are 5-1 ATS on neutral courts and 9-3 ATS is the last contests vs. Big 12 teams. The over is 4-0 in the last 4 as an underdog overall. It is 14-2 as an underdog of .5-6.5 points.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Friday March 27, 10:07 PM ET
Memphis, TN FedEx Forum – South Region
Gonzaga is 1-7 vs. non conference opponents in the last 8 games. They are on a 4 game ATS losing streak in the NCAA Tournament. In the tournament the Zags are beating opponents by an average of 7.5 points.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Friday March 27, 9:37 PM ET
Indianapolis, IN Lucas Oil Stadium – Midwest Region
Kansas is an impressive 26-8-1 ATS in the last 35. They are 6-0 on neutral sites and underdogs. But they have lost the last 7 ATS vs. Big 10 opponents. The under is 8-2 on neutral courts and 9-1 in the last 10 in the NCAA Tournament.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Friday March 27, 7:07 PM ET
Indianapolis, IN Lucas Oil Stadium – Midwest Region
Arizona is 11-4 ATS in the last 15 games which includes a 2-0 record in the tournament. They are also 8-2 in the last 10 non conference matchups. The over is 11-4 overall with a 5-1 record in non-conference and neutral sites as an underdog.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Thursday March 26, 10:07 PM ET
Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium – West Region
Missouri is 13-2 ATS in the last 15 and 7-2 on neutral courts this year. But they are just 1-4 ATS in the last 5 vs. Conference USA opponents. The under is 4-1 in the last 5 and 5-1 in the last 6 neutral court games.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Thursday March 26, 10:07 PM ET
Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden – East Region
Villanova beat down a fairly decent UCLA team in the 2nd round after struggling vs. American in the opening round. They are 5-2 in the last 7 vs. ACC opponents. They are also 8-3 following an ATS win.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Thursday March 26, 7:27 PM ET
Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden – East Region
Xavier is 6-3-1 ATS in the last 10 games and 6-2 ATS in the last 8 as underdogs. They are 4-0 ATS vs. the last 4 non-conference opponents. The under has hit in the last 7 neutral site games and the last 4 games overall.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Thursday March 26, 7:07 PM ET
Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium – West Region
Purdue is 6-9 ATS in the last 15 games overall and 3-5 in the last 8 neutral court games. They are also 3-6 ATS in the last 9 non conference contests. The over is 8-3 in last 11 neutral games and 8-2 in last 10 as underdogs.
Few MLB odds competitors have had easier rides over the last five years than the Los Angeles Angels. Consistently fielding strong, well-rounded teams and sharing a division with weak competition have translated into four AL West titles in the last five years. Though the Angels made a few changes in the offseason, they remain strong in virtually every area, so there’s no reason for online sports betting fans to expect anything less than continued success in 2009.
The Betting Numbers
This game opened at -6.5 and is staying pretty steady with the line moving to -7 in some places. The total has also remained stable, opening at 134.5 and holding on that number.
Series History
This will be the fifth meeting between Purdue and Connecticut, but the first since 1992.
In MLB betting, general managers don’t come much crazier than Billy Beane. The man who popularized Moneyball was thinking outside the box again this offseason, but not in his usual sense. Sure, he grabbed another handful of on-base machines from free agency, but they weren’t they typical no-name guys whose peripheral stats suggested breakouts.
The NCAA Tournament has played out pretty much how you would expect with most of the top seeds still chasing the dream. Now let’s get down to business and go over the odds for each of the 16 teams to cut down the nets in Detroit.
