Ohio goes for second straight upset in clash with Tennessee

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/20/2010 - Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-seeded Ohio University Bobcats will try to continue their Cinderella run today, as they lock up with the sixth- seeded Tennessee Volunteers in the second round NCAA Tournament at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The victor of this Midwest Regional matchup will advance to the Sweet 16 next week and meet either Georgia Tech or Ohio State.

After just one round it is hard to call any team a Cinderella, but considering Ohio's situation, the label is certainly fitting. As just the No.9 seed, the Bobcats won four straight games to claim the Mid-American Conference Tournament and their spot in the Big Dance. That alone was a remarkable feat considering the team went just 7-9 in conference play during the regular season. Ohio continued its magical run on Thursday, as it knocked off third- seeded Georgetown, 97-83, in convincing fashion. It was quite a performance from the Bobcats, who won their first NCAA Tournament game since 1983.

The Vols meanwhile, were snubbed on the seeding considering their record and quality wins, but were able to put that behind them and defeat 11th-seeded San Diego State, 62-59, in first-round play on Thursday. It was a hard fought win for Tennessee, which is one victory away from its third Sweet 16 appearance in the last four years.

The all-time series between the two schools is knotted at 2-2, with the Bobcats taking a 72-70 decision in the most recent meeting in 1987.

Ohio shot a blistering 58.2 percent from the field, including an impressive 13-of-23 performance from long range, as they knocked off Georgetown on Thursday. The Bobcats also did a nice job of icing the game at the foul line, converting on 20-of-26 attempts. Armon Bassett continued his terrific run with 32 points after averaging 29.0 ppg in the MAC Tournament. D.J. Cooper added 23 points and eight assists, while DeVaughn Washington registered a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards. Bassett, who played in the NCAA Tournament with Indiana, leads the team with 17.4 ppg for the season. Cooper, the MAC Freshman of the Year, is another weapon for the Bobcats and he has recorded 13.4 ppg, to go with team highs of 5.9 apg and 91 steals. Washington tacks on 11.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg, while Tommy Freeman pitches in with 10.1 ppg.

Three-point shooting made the difference on Thursday, as Tennessee went 8- of-17 from downtown compared to just a 3-of-18 effort by SDSU in a 62-59 decision. Both teams shot an identical 38.5 percent from the floor, but the Vols were far more successful from beyond the arc. Melvin Goins and J.P. Prince each scored 15 points to lead the way for Tennessee, while Wayne Chism and Bobby Maze had 11 points apiece. For the season, Chism and Scotty Hopson are tied for the team-lead in scoring at 12.4 ppg, with Chism grabbing a team- best 7.0 rpg as well. The Vols are a fairly deep squad and look for them to use that to their advantage today.

Freeporm NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Northern Iowa seeks upset of top-seeded Kansas
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks clash with the ninth-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this evening at the Ford Center. The winner of this Midwest Regional pairing will

<< Gaels and 'Cats clash in second round of NCAA Tournament
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a trip to the "Sweet 16" on the line, the Villanova Wildcats will battle the Saint Mary's-CA Gaels in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament from the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island

<< ODU challenges Baylor in second round of NCAA Tournament
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-round action in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament will take place this evening when the Baylor Bears battle the Old Dominion Monarchs at the New Orleans Arena. The Monarchs earned just their th

<< Huskies and Lobos duke it out in NCAA Tournament East Regional
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-seeded New Mexico Lobos and the 11th-seeded Washington Huskies both put forth tremendous efforts to win close games on Thursday, and the two squads will meet in the second round of the NCAA Tournament's

<< Wake Forest seeks upset of top-seeded Kentucky
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats cruised to a first-round victory, and they are set for a matchup with the ninth-seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the second round of the NCAA Tournament's East Regional.

Sliding Bulls try to snap skid in Philly >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls will take their untimely losing streak to the road tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center. Chicago has lost 10 straight and is winless in its last six road games. The Bulls lost

Raptors make a stop in New Jersey >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors are clinging to the eighth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference, and hope to stay there when they open a short trip Saturday against the New Jersey Nets at the IZOD Center. The Rap

Heat close out homestand vs. Bobcats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat will try to avoid being swept in the season series against the Charlotte Bobcats when they close out a six-game homestand Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat have lost the first three meetings

Grizzlies, Warriors square off in Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies are still mathematically alive for a postseason berth and will play host to the Golden State Warriors tonight at FedEx Forum. Memphis and Houston are both 5 1/2 games behind Portland for the ei

Celtics face tough test in Dallas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics are closing in on their third straight Atlantic Division title and will resume a three-game western road trip Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Boston has won

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.