Football Betting News

March Madness – Thursday Preview

Posted on 3/16/2010 12:00:00 AMby Getchalk

The Madness starts Thursday afternoon when the first round of the NCAA Tournament begins. Of course, it’s damn near impossible to follow each and every game in the Big Dance, but here are a couple matchups you might want to TiVo if you can't catch them live this Thursday:

Butler Bulldogs vs. UTEP Miners (+3)

The Bulldogs are on many people's sleeper list – if you can call them a sleeper. Butler is the class of the Horizon League but has a great NCAA resume over the last few seasons. The Bulldogs didn't leave the first round last year but have been as far as the Sweet 16 back in 2007. This year's squad has the talent and experience to go deep, taking wins over Ohio State, Xavier, and Siena in non-conference play. Butler hasn't tasted defeat since December, winning 20 games in a row while going just 9-11 against the spread in that span.

Texas-El Paso earned an at-large bid after cracking the Top 25 at the end of the season. However, the Miners fell apart with the C-USA title on the line, falling to the Houston Cougars in the conference championship game. If UTEP can put that loss behind it, it could make some noise in the NCAA. The Miners have some major-conference talent in forward Derrick Caracter and guard Randy Culpepper. Their non-conference schedule wasn't nearly as solid as their C-USA run. Texas-El Paso failed to pick up resume wins, with their lone standout victories coming in conference play.

Richmond Spiders vs. St. Mary's Gaels (+1.5)

The Gaels snuck into the field of 65 with a win over Gonzaga in the WCC title game. St. Mary's is playing its best basketball, thumping the Bulldogs and Portland Pilots en route to a birth in the NCAA. It is one of the best outside shooting teams in the country with snipers like Mickey McConnell and Matthew Dellavedova opening up things inside for center Omar Samhan, one of the most underrated big men in the nation. The Gaels went toe-to-toe with Vanderbilt and beat San Diego State and Utah State in non-conference play.

Richmond is coming off a loss to Temple in the A-10 title game but has the potential to burn a couple brackets based on its resume. The Spiders defeated Missouri, Mississippi State, Old Dominion, and Florida this season and stayed near the top of the Atlantic 10, which sent three teams to the tournament. Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez led Richmond's scoring attack; however, it is defense that will get the Spiders out of the first round.

Texas Longhorns vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+4.5)

The Longhorns didn't see themselves earning a No. 8 seed back in October, when many projected Texas to be contending for a Final Four spot come March. The Horns fell to Baylor in the Big 12 tournament – the second time in three games they lost to the Bears. Texas' defense has been MIA in recent games, allowing opponents to average just over 80 points in the past five contests. If the Longhorns can tighten up on defense and get all their weapons firing at once, there is a good chance they could make a run in the tournament. Texas has one of the deepest and most talented teams in the nation.

Wake Forest was relieved on Selection Sunday after earning a No. 9 seed in the NCAA. The Demon Deacons were among the many teams on the bubble after losing four of their last five ACC games and dropping their opening-round matchup with Miami in the conference tournament. Wake Forest has a talented starting five with Al-Farouq Aminu and Ishmael Smith headlining, but it doesn't boast a deep bench and could get worn out by Texas' waves of talent. The Deacs did have some success against strong non-conference foes, picking up wins over Gonzaga, Richmond, and Xavier this fall.