Free College Basketball NCAA Tournament Pick
#1 Syracuse Orange (28-4, 15-3 Big East) vs #16 Vermont Catamounts (25-9, 12-4 America East), HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY, 3/19, 9:30 PM
The last time Syracuse met Vermont in the NCAA tournament, it was 2005, Syracuse was a 4 seed and Vermont a 13 seed. In a shocking upset, Vermont took down the Orange. Five years later, Cuse is back for revenge, but there are some new questions about just how far the Orange can make it in the tournament.
It is never smart to bet in favor of the 16 seed over the 1 seed, so this matchup shouldn’t be too much of a contest. Still, this game will give everyone some answers. Syracuse lost has lost two straight games coming into the tournament. They were beaten by a Louisville team that had to win and were playing the last game in their home stadium. Then Syracuse lost, after having a double-bye in the Big East tournament, to Georgetown, who simply outplayed them in a great game. The question is how Syracuse will bounce back. Senior center Arinze Onuaku also suffered a quadriceps injury in the loss to Georgetown. All tests came back negative, but indications are he may sit out at least the first game of the tournament. With a short seven man rotation already, Syracuse will need to get good minutes out of all their players and stay out of foul trouble.
Vermont looks to win their second ever NCAA tournament game, with the first being against Syracuse, too. Vermont beat Boston University in the America East conference tournament to secure a spot in the dance. A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, so Vermont will have nothing to lose in this game. They will throw leading scorer Marqus Blakely (17.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.7 apg) at the Orange.
Syracuse is ready to put its 28 wins and Big East regular season championship on the line as it opens play in nearby Buffalo. By the end of the game, much more will be known about their chances for the remainder of the tournament.
Syracuse is favored by 17.5 points.
Vermont Betting Trends:
None to report at this time
Syracuse Betting Trends:
Syracuse is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games |
Syracuse is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games |
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Syracuse's last 6 games
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Betting Trends by Bodog.com
Pick: Syracuse shouldn’t have a hard time winning this one, but take Vermont +17.5 to beat the spread.
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