Now that NHL trade deadline 2012 is over, we can focus on March Madness and one of the favorites to win the national title is Syracuse, who have already sewn up the Big East regular-season title. They’ll wrap up their home schedule on Saturday against Louisville, who are looking to improve their seeding for the conference tournament. Louisville vs. Syracuse Odds – Saturday, 4:00 PM ET
The No.19 Cardinals (22-7, 10-6 Big East as of Wednesday) will play their last home game of the season on Wednesday against South Florida as they come off a 57-54 win at home over Pittsburgh, and a Bodog review of the game would show that the Cardinals may have been a little fortunate to win. They shot 38.6% from the field and hit just 18 of their 28 free throws, but the Cardinals’ pressure defense forced 18 turnovers and that helped them get some easy buckets. Russ Smith came off the bench with 18 points, while Kyle Kuric added 17 points for the Cardinals, who are an intriguing option for 2012 March Madness betting players because they don’t seem to have that one player that can carry the offensive load, but their defense is disruptive enough to make them a Sweet Sixteen wager.
The No.2 Orangemen (29-1, 16-1 Big East) escaped Connecticut with a 71-69 win, powered by 21 points and seven rebounds from Kris Joseph, while Fab Melo had 11 points and nine boards for Syracuse, who held the Huskies to 40.3% from the field to give them the regular-season title. Those that work with price per head software would probably say that Syracuse is the only team that they really trust to win the national title outside of Kentucky as they have been consistent all season, and the 2-3 zone can cause problems for teams with poor outside shooting.
Syracuse will be favored at home at the Carrier Dome, where they are 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS in their last four meetings with the Cardinals, and the last two have been under the posted total. The Orangemen nipped the Cardinals 52-51 at Louisville on February 13th in a game where neither team shot over 35%, and the rematch will be similar as these are two of the top defensive teams in the country. However, the Cardinals have more offensive firepower with Joseph, although they’ll need a better game from Scoop Jardine, who was 0-o-f8 from the floor in the first meeting. Joseph and Jardine will be playing their last game in front of their home fans as seniors, and they will carry the Orangemen to a big win in your NCAA basketball betting picks on Saturday afternoon.
