Category Archives: NCAA Basketball

Cardinals Emerge Victorious on March Madness Betting Lines, Head to the Final Four

Posted on by
Reply

The Louisville Cardinals won the Big East Tournament this season and they’ve continued on that roll all the way to New Orleans as they’ll take on top-seeded Kentucky in a Final Four betting matchup at the Superdome on Saturday night.

Join Bovada NOW for an instant 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100.

The Cardinals topped Cincinnati 50-44 in the championship game of the Big East Tournament on March 10 and they haven’t looked back since then, rattling off four straight wins at the Big Dance to claim the West Region.

No. 4 Louisville began its NCAA Tournament with a 69-62 win over No. 13 Davidson, and then topped No. 5 New Mexico 59-56 before upsetting No. 1 Michigan State with a 57-44 victory in the Sweet 16. The Cards then beat No. 7 Florida 72-68 in the Elite Eight.

Russ Smith had 19 points for Louisville against Florida and Chane Behanan added 17 points in that victory. Peyton Siva was held to just nine points but had eight assists.

Louisville has managed to cover the posted spread in all four of their NCAA Tournament games to date, with the OVER/UNDER going 1-3 in their contests; the Florida win was the only OVER result.

As the lowest seed remaining in the NCAA Tournament the Cardinals are the +800 underdog at Bovada to win the championship; Kentucky is favored at -140, with Ohio State at +290 and Kansas at +500.

Back on March 12 Louisville was at 35/1 odds on Bovada’s NCAA Tournament futures.

On the college basketball props market Siva is currently the highest Louisville player at 18/1 to win the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. Gorgui Dieng is at 20/1 on that list, with Kyle Kuric at 25/1 and Behanan at 35/1.

Exciting is Here. Bet today on all of tomorrow’s basketball stars at Bovada.

betting lines Sports

NIT Betting Season Coming to a Close with Title Game on Thursday Night

Posted on by
Reply

It’ll be No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 6 Minnesota on Thursday night as NIT betting wraps up in the championship game for the tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Join Bovada NOW for an instant 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100.

The Cardinal reached the title game on Tuesday night with a 74-64 win over No. 5 Massachusetts in their semifinal matchup at MSG. At Bovada Stanford was a 2.5-point favorite in that contest, and the combined score was an UNDER result for totals bettors.

Anthony Brown tossed in a team-high 18 points for Stanford against UMass, with Josh Owens good for 15 points and 12 rebounds andAaron Bright adding 13 points of his own.

Stanford beat No. 6 Cleveland State 76-65 at home as a 6-point favorite in their first-round matchup and then topped No. 7 Illinois State (92-88 in OT) and No. 5 Nevada (84-56) at home as well before taking care of UMass. The Cardinal are 3-1 ATS so far in the NIT.

Minnesota slipped past No. 1 Washington by a score of 68-67 in overtime in the other NIT semifinal on Tuesday night; the Huskies were set as one-point favorites on the college basketball betting lines at Bovada that night. The final score was an UNDER result.

Andre Hollins led the Golden Gophers’ attack with a team-high 20 points in their victory over top-seeded Washington and Rodney Williams tossed in 18 points in that contest.

Minnesota beat No. 3 La Salle 70-61 in their tournament-opening game on March 14, and then rolled to two more road victories over No. 2 Miami (78-60) and No. 4 Middle Tennessee (78-72); the Golden Gophers picked up ATS wins as underdogs in each of those games.

Exciting is Here. Bet today on all of tomorrow’s basketball stars at Bovada.

betting lines Sports

Wildcats Head into Final Four as the March Madness Betting Favorites

Posted on by
Reply

After dispatching Baylor to win the South Region on Sunday the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats sit as the top favorites on the March Madness futures at Bovada heading into this weekend’s Final Four at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Join Bovada NOW for an instant 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100.

The Wildcats built a huge 20-point lead on the No. 3 Bears by halftime in their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday, and then cruised from there to an 82-70 victory and a cover of the posted 7.5-point spread on the college basketball odds.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points for Kentucky at the Georgia Dome on Sunday afternoon, with Anthony Davis picking up 18 points and 11 rebounds in that contest. Doron Lamb chipped in with 14 points for the Wildcats in that victory.

Overall the Wildcats are 3-1 ATS so far during the NCAA Tournament; the only time they failed to cover the spread was when they were favored by 26.5 points in their 81-66 win over No. 16 Western Kentucky in their opener.

Kentucky beat No. 8 Iowa State 87-71 as a 12-point favorite in their third-round matchup, and then got past No. 4 Indiana 102-90 in the Sweet 16 as a favorite of 9.5 points.

The high-scoring Wildcats have turned in four OVER results in four tourney contests.

Kentucky heads into their Final Four matchup against Louisville on Saturday as the -140 favorite at Bovada to win the NCAA Tournament this year – that puts them at the top of that list ahead of Ohio State (+290), Kansas (+500), and the Cardinals (+800).

Back on March 12 the Wildcats were 9/4 favorites, and they sat at 5/2 on March 2.

On the March Madness props market Davis is currently the 2/1 favorite to win the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award, with Kidd-Gilchrist at 5/1 and Lamb at 15/1.

Exciting is Here. Bet today on all of tomorrow’s basketball stars at Bovada.

betting lines Sports

Tuesday NIT basketball betting: No. 5 Massachusetts vs. No. 3 Stanford

Posted on by
Reply

The NIT’s semifinals tip off in New York on Tuesday night and the opening games features UMass of the Atlantic 10 against Stanford of the Pac-12, with the Cardinal as 2.5-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.

225% Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up now at WagerWeb

Stanford (24-11) advance to the semis with a dominant 84-56 win over Nevada last week. Josh Owens and Chasson Randle each scored 15 points to lead the way. Josh Huestis added 12 points for the Cardinal. Aaron Bright had 10 points for Stanford, which has won 10 more games than it did a year ago. Owens, a freshman on the 2008 team that included three future NBA players, is the final link to the Cardinal’s last appearance in the NCAA tournament.

The Cardinal is searching for its second NIT championship in school history after capturing the hardware in 1991. With four wins in its last five games, Stanford is playing some of its best basketball of the year.

Massachusetts (25-11, 9-7 Atlantic 10) won all three of its Postseason NIT games on the road, joining Fresno State (1998), Detroit (2001) and Georgetown (2003) as the fourth school to accomplish the feat since host sites were introduced in 1977. The Minutemen erased a 17-point deficit in their most recent contest, rallying to defeat Drexel 72-70 after trailing 53-36 with 16:26 left to play.

Massachusetts is making its 19th postseason appearance and 11th in the Postseason NIT. The Minutemen are 13-12 all-time in NIT play, reaching the semifinals in 1991 and 2008 … Massachusetts was picked 12th in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, finishing in a four-way tie for fifth place at 9-7. UMass averages 77.3 points and 39.3 rebounds per game while shooting 43.7 percent overall. Opponents are averaging 72.4 points and 38.8 rebounds per game. Be sure to watch: Chaz Williams (16.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 228 assists, 78.7 percent free throws), Raphiael Putney (10.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 50 blocks), Sean Carter (8.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 37 blocks).


Over the last seven contests, UMass has averaged 86.3 points, while shooting .444 from the floor and .426 from outside. Even the free throw shooting is up from the season mark of .675 to .713. Six players in the eight-man rotation – and all five starters – are scoring at least 9.3 ppg, with First Team All-Conference PG Williams leading the team in scoring (20.9), assists (7.3) and steals (2.9).

Stanford and Massachusetts share one common opponent (Utah). The Cardinal split its regular season series with the Utes, prevailing 68-65 at Maples Pavilion before suffering a 58-57 defeat the next month in Salt Lake City. UMass defeated Utah 89-75 in November at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas, despite the Utes shooting 60.0 percent.

The series is tied at 2-2, with three of those four meetings taking place in the postseason. The Minutemen have won the last two matchups, eliminating Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in both 1996 (79-74) and 1995 (75-53).

The winner of this game faces the Minnesota-Washington winner.

Place your March Madness bets at our online sportsbook!

betting lines Sports

Tuesday NIT basketball betting: No. 6 Minnesota vs. No. 1 Washington

Posted on by
Reply

The won the regular-season Pac-12 title but became the first BCS regular-season champion to not get an NCAA Tournament bid. A decent consolation prize would be the NIT championship, and Washington can advance to that title game with a win over the Big Ten’s on Tuesday night in New York. UW is a 1-point favorite on WagerWeb.com.

225% Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up now at WagerWeb

The Huskies (24-10) made it to the final four after winning three times at home: beating UT Arlington, Northwestern and Oregon. Minnesota took the long route to get to New York winning road games at LaSalle, Miami and Middle Tennessee State. This is the first time the Huskies have advanced past the third round in the NIT, so it’s the first time they will play in the World’s Most Famous Arena for the post-season. UW is 1-4 all-time at MSG, with their only win coming in their first appearance: a 72-38 rout of New York University on Dec. 30, 1941.

The Huskies are averaging 82.7 ppg and have won their three games by an average of 11.7 points. UW is shooting 72.5% from the line (58-for-80) after shooting 61% durving the first 31 games of the year. Terrence Ross has averaged 26.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg, including a career-high 32 points vs. Northwestern. He is 12-of-30 (.400) from 3-point range and 28-of-54 (.519) overall from the field. Abdul Gaddy is averaging 7.7 apg and recorded his first career double-double with 11 pts and 10 assts vs. Oregon. C.J. Wilcox is 2nd in scoring with 17.3 ppg.

Minnesota will be making its fifth trip to the NIT Final Four. The Gophers are 3-1 NIT semifinal games and have won two NIT Championships (1993 & 1998). Rodney Williams scored 24 points in the quarterfinal round against MTSU. He notched 21 points against Miami & La Salle and scored 20 against Michigan in Minnesota’s loss in the Big Ten Tournament to become the first Gopher player to have four straight 20-point efforts since Kris Humphries did it in eight straight games during the 2003-04 season.


The Gophers’ roster includes three players who are averaging double-digits in the team’s three NIT games, led by Williams at 22.0 ppg. Andre Hollins is close behind at 17.0 ppg, and Austin Hollins is averaging 11.3 ppg.

Of Minnesota’s 14 losses, 13 came to post-season tournament teams. Nine came vs. NCAA tournament teams, including 6 against that made the Sweet 16.

UW and Minnesota last met in a home-and-away series during the 1990 and 1991 seasons. Minnesota won at home in 1990 and UW won in Seattle in 1991. The Huskies hold the all-time advantage 9-6, including 7-3 at home, 2-2 at Minnesota and 0-1 on a neutral floor. The Huskies are 41-28 all-time vs. Big Ten teams.

The winner of this game faces the UMass-Stanford winner.

Place your March Madness bets at our online sportsbook!

betting lines Sports

March Madness NIT Semifinals Betting: Massachusetts Minutemen at Stanford Cardinal

Posted on by
Reply

Massachusetts vs Stanford Betting

When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

Check out Bovada’s Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100.

THE STORY: After winning three straight road games to reach the NIT semifinals, Massachusetts won’t be traveling far to face third-seeded Stanford at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The fifth-seeded Minutemen have won six of their last seven games, with the only loss coming to St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic-10 tournament semifinals. Stanford has been home for its three NIT wins, including a dominant 84-56 victory over Nevada last Wednesday. The teams share one common opponent in Utah. The Cardinal split its regular season series with the Utes, while the Minutemen beat Utah 89-75 in the Bahamas. The winner will face either Minnesota or Washington for the NIT championship on Thursday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Massachusetts Minutemen (25-11): Like Stanford, the Minutemen opened the season strong before slumping midway through league play. Massachusetts, which finished tied for fifth in the Atlantic-10, has reached the NIT final four for the third time in school history with wins over Mississippi State, Seton Hall and Drexel. Point guard Chaz Williams, a Brooklyn native, is averaging 22.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in three NIT games. The Minutemen lost forwards Sampson Carter and Cady Lalanne to season-ending injuries, but their frontline remains strong behind Raphiael Putney (10.2 points, 5.9 rebounds) and center Sean Carter (8.1 points, 6.5 boards).


Stanford Cardinal (24-11): The Cardinal is holding teams to an average of 63.5 points this season, and their offense has been a pleasant surprise during the NIT. Guards Chasson Randle and Aaron Bright will be a tough matchup for Williams, who leads the Minutemen in points, assists, steals and 3-point shooting percentage. Bright scored a career-high 29 points, including six 3-pointers, against Illinois State in the second round. Randle averages a team-high 13.9 points, and he’s shooting 54.2 percent (39 of 72) from beyond the arc over his last 12 games. Forward Josh Owens averages 11.7 points and 5.7 boards, and he’s received help lately from Dwight Powell, who scored a season-high 18 points against Illinois State.

TIP-INS: CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$.

1. Stanford is the fourth team to play at New York’s Madison Square Garden in both the Preseason and Postseason NIT during the same season.

2. Massachusetts is shooting 44.3 percent from the field and averaging 86 points over its last six games.

Check out Bovada’s Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100.

betting lines Sports

NCAA NIT Semifinals Online Gambling: Washington Huskies vs Minnesota Golden Gophers

Posted on by
Reply

Washington at Minnesota Betting

When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

Check out Bovada’s Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100.

THE STORY: After being upset in the Pac-12 tournament, the top-seeded Huskies have averaged 82.7 points in three straight NIT wins. The sixth-seeded Gophers, who are the second team in NIT history to win three straight road games to reach the semifinals, gave Middle Tennessee only its second home loss of the season in the third round. Washington features two of the conference’s top players in Tony Wroten and Terrence Ross, and the Huskies are making their second trip to New York’s Madison Square Garden this season. The winner will face either Massachusetts or Stanford for the NIT championship on Thursday.

TV: 9:20 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Minnesota Golden Gophers (22-14): Rodney Williams scored a career-high 24 points in Wednesday’s 78-72 win over Middle Tennessee. He’s averaging 22 points and shooting 68.4 percent from the field during the NIT. After a quiet regular season, freshman point guard Andre Hollins is averaging 17 points in the NIT. Hollins scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half against Middle Tennessee, and his matchup with Wroten will be one to watch. The Gophers lost six straight at one point in February, but they’re 5-1 and averaging 75 points over their last six games.

Washington Huskies (24-10): Ross has taken his game to another level in the NIT, averaging 26.3 points in three games. The sophomore guard is drawing interest from NBA scouts while shooting 51.9 percent from the field in the NIT, including 40 percent (12 of 30) from 3-point range. Washington’s top four guards – Wroten, Ross, C.J. Wilcox and Abdul Gaddy – account for 70 percent of the team’s scoring. The Huskies rank fifth nationally with an average of 40 rebounds, but they’ll be tested by Minnesota, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (plus-4.2) and leads the league in blocked shots (4.9).

TIP-INS: CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$.

1. The teams share two common opponents, South Dakota State and Southern California. Minnesota beat South Dakota State 71-55, while the Huskies lost 92-73. Washington was 2-0 against Southern California, and the Gophers beat the Trojans 55-40.

2. Minnesota forward Trevor Mbakwe, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 27, has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. One of the top forwards in the country, Mbakwe has not decided whether or not he’ll return.

3. The Huskies were 0-2 at Madison Square Garden earlier this season, losing to Marquette and Duke in the Jimmy V Classic.

Check out Bovada’s Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100.

betting lines Sports

Final Four basketball gambling: Kentucky Wildcats cruise past Baylor Bears

Posted on by
Reply

NCAA Basketball Betting Online: The Kentucky Wildcats continued their impressive run through the NCAA Tournament with an easy victory over the Baylor Bears, 82-70, in the Elite Eight on Sunday, March 25th. The pre-tournament favorites to win the national championship have continually looked like the best team in the country and will enter their Final Four matchup as the team to beat.

CLICK HERE to bet on Final Four at BOVADA SPORTSBOOK 

The Wildcats will face off with Louisville with a national championship berth on the line.

Kentucky used solid defense, great passing and efficient offense to blow past a Baylor team with some of the most talented players in the country. However, the Bears were no match for the Wildcats, who held a doube-digit lead for the majority of the game and were never threatened in the second half. Anthony Davis led the way with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks on the night.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a team-high 19 points while Terrence Jones added 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Kentucky was an eight-point favorite in this one, and while Baylor challenged that spread very late, the Wildcats did hold on to cover. The actual game was never in doubt, so those who chose Kentucky to win on the money line had easy money from late in the first half.

Baylor was led by Quincy Acy, who had 22 points and eight rebounds. Pierre Jackson added 21 points and five assists and Perry Jones III had 17 points and eight rebounds. While the Bears had players with good statistical performances, they never threatened the Wildcats. Baylor had a lead early in the game, but Kentucky was ahead by 20 points at the half for the easy win.

Kentucky has been dominant throughout the tournament and this game was no exception. Davis, Jones and Kidd-Gilchrist are three of the most talented players in college and were at the heart of this victory. The Wildcats are now two victories away from a national title in NCAA basketball gambling.

betting lines Sports

CBI Championship Betting: Pittsburgh Panthers visit Washington State Cougars

Posted on by
Reply

Pittsburgh at Washington State Betting

When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, March 26, 2012
Where: Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum, Pullman, Washington

Check out Bovada’s Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100

THE STORY: Power-conference teams seeking their first postseason tournament title kick off the best-of-three College Basketball Invitational as Pittsburgh visits Washington State. After missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade, the Panthers, finally healthy, put their regular-season disappointment behind and have been impressive in beating Wofford and Princeton at home and Butler on the road. The Cougars, who lost in the NIT semifinals last season, scored road victories over San Francisco and Oregon State with a home win versus Wyoming.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, HDNet

PITTSBURGH (20-16): The Panthers – who went 5-13 in Big East play – reached 20 wins for the 11th straight season with Wednesday’s 68-62 overtime triumph at Butler. Their three CBI wins have come by an average of 15 points. Sophomore Lamar Patterson and junior Tray Woodall have really stepped up their play to spark Pittsburgh, including scoring 14 of their 16 points in OT versus the Bulldogs. Patterson had 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the win and is averaging 15 points for the tournament. Woodall is contributing 14.3 points and 7.7 assists in the CBI. Pitt is 4-8 on the road.

 WASHINGTON STATE (18-16): The Cougars – who were 7-11 in the Pac-12 – have been equally hot in dispatching CBI foes by an average of 17 points. That was the margin in Wednesday’s 72-55 thumping of league rival Oregon State, during which only two Cougars scored in double figures. Senior Abe Lodwick netted 23 and junior Reggie Moore had 22 – well above their combined average of 14.3. Lodwick, who missed the first 10 games of the season with a foot injury, is closing his career in style, scoring 16.3 per CBI tilt along with a 12-rebound effort against the Beavers. Washington State is 11-3 at Beasley Coliseum.

TIP-INS: CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$.

1. Games two and three (if necessary) will be in Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.

2. Pittsburgh were named NCAA champions twice in the pre-tournament era, during the 1927-28 and 1929-30 seasons.

3. The teams’ lone meeting was a 57-43 Panthers victory in November 2008.

Check out Bovada’s Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus up to $100

betting lines Sports

Final Four 2012 Betting: Kentucky, Kansas Join Louisville And Ohio State In New Orleans

Posted on by
Reply

The Kansas Jayhawks earned its 14th Final Four appearance overall. John Henson scored 10 points for North Carolina. Taylor finished with six rebounds, five assists and five steals. North Carolina leads the all-time series 6-4. There were 15 ties and 13 lead changes. Kansas held a 12-4 advantage on fastbreaks. North Carolina shot 22.6 percent (7-of-31) from the floor in the second half.

The Louisville Cardinals last reached the Final Four in 2005. Only five coaches have been to more Final Fours than Pitino (6). The Cardinals moved to 9-3 in regional championship games. Louisville moved to 8-1 all-time against Florida. The Gators, who shot 66.7 percent in the opening half, were just 37 percent from the field in the second frame. Florida fell to Butler in the Elite Eight last season.

The Ohio State Buckeyes Deshaun Thomas scored 14 and Buford 13 with each having nine rebounds. The Orange held a 28-20 scoring advantage in the paint. Keita had 10 rebounds.

The Kentucky Wildcats will be making its 15th Final Four appearance. Teague and teammate Darius Miller scored eight points apiece. The Wildcats made 53.3 percent of their shots, while limiting Baylor to 39.1 percent shooting for the game. Kentucky had a 30-16 edge in made free throws. The Wildcats have won all seven meetings with Baylor. These teams last met on December 8, 1979. The Bears were seeking their first trip to the Final Four since 1950.

Louisville @ Kentucky
When: 6:09 PM ET, Saturday, March 31st, 2012
Check Live NCAA Basketball Odds on Bovada Sportsbook

Ohio State @ Kansas
When: 8:50 PM ET, Saturday, March 31st, 2012
Check Live NCAA Basketball Odds on Bovada Sportsbook

Bet on the NCAA 2012 Final Four at Bovada Sportsbook

betting lines Sports