Have you noticed the Georgetown Hoyas sort of materialized before our very eyes? Sure, we knew they were good, after all the Hoyas are ranked 8th by both major polls, the AP and ESPN/USAToday, they won the BIG EAST Conference regular season crown and league tournament. Now, as a two-seed, they have made it to the greatest stage in basketball, the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four. Not only have they made it to the Final Four but pundits and insiders think they have a pretty good chance to beat the Buckeyes. Oddsmakers think they can win too, installing the Hoyas a slight favorite with a -1.0 chalk (130 total).
So why is Georgetown getting so much attention here on the eve of Final Four Saturday? Why do the Buckeyes, ranked No. 1 in both polls seem to be losing the battle of public opinion? The betting public has put 53 per cent of the money on Georgetown as opposed to 47 per cent on Ohio State.
I can think of only one big reason why the Hoyas are favored . Georgetown presents a matchup problem for the Buckeyes. Ohio State super freshman All American Greg Oden hasn’t seen an inside presence like he is going to see when he has to battle 7’2” junior center Roy Hibbert and 6’9” junior forward Jeff Green. The feeling is Hibbert and Green will neutralize Oden leveling the playing field. Oden has been a man among boys during the Big Ten season but he could be intimidated by the Hoyas.
One team that made Oden look like the true freshman he is was the Florida Gators back on Dec. 23 at O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla. In that game, Florida’s trio of big men, Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Chris Richard held the Buckeye’s center to 2-of-4 field goals (both dunks), six rebounds and seven points. Oden also found himself in foul trouble spending 12 minutes on the bench.
Often I disagree with oddsmakers and especially the public but on this game we all agree. I think Georgetown will win this game. My pick: Hoyas -1.0
