The big NCAA Championship game goes tonight and bettors have jumped on UNC.
NCAA
Championship Night
64 became 32, 32 became 16, 16 became
eight, eight became four, four became two and by the end of tonight, two will
give way to one; such is the NCAA's March Madness tournament.
When lines were established for the Final
Four, the UConn Huskies saw themselves installed as a 3.5-point favorite
against the Michigan St. Spartans but by the time opening tip-off came around,
bettors had pushed UConn up to -5 at most online sportsbooks.
It was a tough game for the betting public,
as MSU shocked the Huskies, winning straight up 82-73...the flushing sound you
heard as the final buzzer went was parlay and teaser bets all over the land
going down the toilet.
In the other Final Four tilt, the North
Carolina Tar Heels opened as 7.5-point faves, but by game time, at
SPORTSBETTING.com, the line had settled in at -7 as bettors felt Villanova had
a real shot at keeping this one close. They didn't. The ‘Heels covered handily
in an 83-69 win over the Wildcats.
Those results set the table for tonight's
big Championship game.
The line opened up with the Tar Heels
listed at -7.5 but UNC money quickly moved it to -8. The Total also got pushed
up quickly as "Over" money showed early. It opened at 153 and now sits at 154.
Seeing North Carolina as a solid favorite
at the sports books is nothing
new obviously. This team has been the favorite to win it all virtually the
entire year. They started the year as the odds-on favorite to be crowned
champs, and the same for the tournament future odds. And after each round they
opened as the favorite to win it all.
Not only were they seeded No. 1 in the
South region for the tournament, UNC has gone 5-0 SU and ATS during tourney
play, racking up an Over/Under record of 1-4.
The Spartans have been just as profitable
during March Madness equaling UNC's SU and ATS records at 5-0 but differing in
the Total department with 3 Overs and 2 Unders.
In the past 10 games, North Carolina is 6-4
ATS while Michigan State is 8-2 ATS.
While many opponents throughout March
Madness have had little or no history between one another, the Tar Heels and
the Spartans have met seven times since 1995, with North Carolina holding an
edge of 5-2 against the spread.
They've met this past season as well,
although MSU fans would like to forget about that one. The Tar Heels were a
10.5-point favorite when they took to the floor in early-December. It was a not
a god night for the Spartans - the Tar Heels ran them out of the building,
posting a 98-63 victory-fittingly enough that game was at Ford Field, the site
of today's championship game.
The last time the two met in the latter
stages of the tournament was during the Final Four in 2005, North Carolina
again won, defeating Michigan State 87-71 covering as a 5-point fave.
Fate has not been kind to Michigan St. when
it is favored by 8-points or less, as it is 8-12 ATS in its last 20 games,
however, it is also 6-14 on the Over/Under at the same time.
More recently, the Spartans are actually
profitable when listed at +8 and below going 6-2 ATS in its last eight.
North Carolina is 10-9-1 ATS in its last 20
games when favored by 8-points or less and more recently it is also 6-2 ATS in
its last eight when favored by the same amount.
The Tar Heels are 13-7 on the Over/Under in
the same span of time.
Heading into the game tonight the Tar Heels
continue to see most of the betting action, as 76% of the volume is backing a
North Carolina win and cover.
One prop wager of interest at SPORTSBETTING.com is for the total
number of different players to score 10 or more points in the title game with
the Over/Under set at 6.5.
Taking a look at Michigan State's roster, only
guard Kalin Lucas and forward Raymar Morgan average over 10-points a game (14.7
and 10.4 ppg respectively) while NC's roster has five players who average ppg
in double-digits, Tyler Hansbrough (20.8 ppg), Ty Lawson (16.5 ppg), Wayne
Ellington (15.8), Danny Green (13.3) and Deon Thompson (10.6).
Ty Lawson missed the first game of the
tournament thanks to a toe injury but has been playing well after returning to
the lineup averaging 20.75 points and 7 assists per game.
Lawson has also been chipping in at the
free throw line shooting 75% from the charity stripe.
Enjoy the last game of the season for
college basketball.
