Free College Basketball NCAA Tournament Pick
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes (29-7, 14-4 Big Ten) vs. #6 Tennessee Volunteers (27-8, 11-5 SEC) Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, MO, 3/26, 7:07 PM
Along with looking for a win in the Sweet 16, Tennessee also can claim dominance over the state of Ohio if they win this game. Ohio State and star Evan Turner will try to stay alive and become Elite.
Tennessee defeated San Diego State in the first round of the tournament by three and then knocked Ohio out with a 15 point win. It seems like the Volunteers are coming together at the perfect time. Tennessee finished third in the SEC behind Kentucky and Vanderbilt, but are now in the conversation for being one of the best teams in the country. And they deserve the recognition. The Volunteers are the only team that beat both Kansas and Kentucky this season. With those sorts of victories, Ohio State shouldn’t be a big deal. Scotty Hopson (12.5 points per game) and Wayne Chism (12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game) lead this team.
Ohio State, meanwhile, easily beat UC Santa Barbara 68-51 in the first round, and then got by Georgia Tech 75-66 in the second round. Ohio State has beaten teams like Purdue, Wisconsin, and Cal, but they have also lost to teams like West Virginia and Butler.
Early on in the year they lost to North Carolina, who at the time was ranked fourth in the nation, but now we know, wasn’t that good. Turner will attract a lot of attention. He along with John Wall of Kentucky and Wesley Johnson of Syracuse has been favored as the best players in the nation all season long. Turner averages 20 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6 assists per game.
Kansas losing last weekend opened up this region for the taking. Ohio State would be happy to oblige. While it would have been fun to see a Kansas versus Ohio State match-up, Tennessee is not to be taken lightly. Ohio State is trying to make its first run back to the Final Four since Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. led the team in 2007. Tennessee has never been to the Elite 8. The winner faces Michigan State or Northern Iowa.
Ohio State is favored by 5 points. The total is listed at 134.
Ohio State Betting Trends:
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games |
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ohio State's last 5 games |
Tennessee Betting Trends:
Tennessee is 6-11-1 ATS in its last 18 games |
Tennessee is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games |
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Tennessee's last 16 games |
Pick: Take Tennessee +5
Betting Trends by Bodog.com |
