Eagles hope to fly Friday (7:15 pm ET) when 11-seed Marquette takes on the mighty 2-seeds North Carolina Tar Heels in the East Regional Semifinals of the 2011 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament. Marquette, the 11th and final BIG EAST selection to the 'Big Dance' was gifted a place in the 68-team field, but has held its own advancing to the Sweet 16 by defeating 6-seed Xavier and 3-seed Syracuse. The Tar Heels, winners of the regular season ACC Championship,have defeated 15-seed Long Island and 7-seed Washington.
Odds makers at most offshore sports shops list the Tar Heels as 4 1/2-chalk NCAA Point Spreads favorites for the game with a combined point total of 149 1/2. Marquette backers are getting +170 odds on the off shore money line while the price of a ML wager on North Carolina is -200. For bettors unfamiliar with ML format wagering; in order to win $100 wagering UNC to win SU, it requires a $200 wager. On the flip side, today's underdog, Marquette, lined at +170 ML, wins $170 with a SU win.
The BIG EAST, now considered the beast of NCAA Div-1 basketball, has turned out to be the bust in this year's tournament having only two-of-11 teams, Connecticut and Marquette, make it into the regional semifinals. The Huskies finished 9th in the regular season standings and Marquette 11th. (Note: UConn has since won its regional semifinal game in the West Regional).
Early betting trends, always good tools for making NCAA Basketball Picks, shows the public is leaning Carolina's way over Marquette with 65 percent of side (ATS) action and 60 percent money line. Betting action on the total shows 84 percent of early wagers on the game total going OVER the posted 149 1/2 points set by odds makers.
With Duke's departure from the tournament after losing to Arizona in the West Regional's Thursday, the Tar Heels are the only team left standing from what was a down year for the usually powerfull ACC. Only four teams represented the league and Clemson was sent to a 1st-round play in game.
Today's game should be a barn -burner with both squads having something to prove. Marquette has become hot just at the right time and has defeated two higher seeded teams to get here. The Tar Heels emerged from Duke's shadows to win the ACC Regular Season Championship and has a group of young players just now beginning to peak. For my NCAA Basketball Predictions on this game I'm calling for Marquette to cover as a +4 1/2 underdog. But they way they keep rolling 7's, I'm not so sure they win it SU.
