NCAA Basketball Betting: No 5 West Virginia vs No 4 Kentucky
Saturday, March 19, 2011
by Bodog Sportsbook
The first game of the NCAA Tournament’s third round should be a great one Saturday in the East Region in Tampa as No. 5 West Virginia Mountaineers faces No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats for a berth in the Final Four. The SEC champion Wildcats have opened as 3.5-point favorites on Bodog Sportsbook’s NCAA basketball odds.
West Virginia Mountaineers (21-11) beat a winded Clemson team 84-76 on Thursday – the Tigers had played in a First Four game less than 36 hours before. Darryl Bryant scored 19 points and Kevin Jones added 17 for the Mountaineers. West Virginia trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, but entered halftime tied 40-40 thanks to a 9-0 run in the last 2 minutes. That pretty much changed everything. The West Virginia Mountaineers shot 49.1% from the floor against a Tiger defense ranked 20th in the nation in field goal defense. West Virginia was also 25 of 31 from the line. But Clemson’s 40 first-half points were the most West Virginia has allowed this season.
Kentucky Wildcats (26-8), meanwhile, was pushed to the absolute limit by Ivy League champion Princeton. Held scoreless for more than 39 minutes, freshman point guard Brandon Knight made a driving layup with 2 seconds remaining to lift UK 59-57 win over the 13th-seeded Tigers. Before making the winning shot, Knight was 0 for 7 from the floor. His previous career low in scoring was six points in a loss to Connecticut earlier this year. The star was unheralded senior Josh Harrellson, who posted his seventh double-double of the season (15 points, 10 rebounds) and second in his past three games.
These two teams met in the East Region finals last year. West Virginia upset Kentucky to earn a trip to the Final Four.
It would be Madness not to bet on the NCAA Tournament at Bodog Sportsbook
Related Articles
- 2011 Final Four Odds: Connecticut Huskies vs. Kentucky Wildcats
- West Virginia and Kentucky Favored In East Regional on Thursday
- NCAA Picks and Tips: Marquette Golden Eagles vs West Virginia Mountaineers
- Final Four Free Picks: Will It Be UConn or Kentucky to Play Monday?
- NCAA Elite 8 preview and pick: No 4 Kentucky vs. No 2 North Carolina
Category
Tags
brandon knight - darryl bryant - final four - josh harrellson - kentucky wildcats - kevin jones - ncaa tournament - west virginia mountaineers
