The Raleigh Regional hosts 4 games on Friday that promise to be full of excitement. Certainly the North Carolina vs Mt. St. Mary’s will not be a matter of who wins, but by how much with NC blow them out. The UMBC-Georgetown matchup could be more closer than many experts project. Indiana vs Arkansas is not as evenly matched as a #8 vs #9 seed should be. The Davidson-Gonzaga showdown looks to be a dogfight.Games to be held at RBC Center, Raleigh NC, March 20, 2008
7:10pm ET
North Carolina favored by 24 over Mt. St. Marys, with a total of 151
Mt. St. Marys is fresh off their 9-point win over Coppin State to join the big boys in the Big Dance. Of course their “reward” is to play the top ranked team in the country. The bigger question isn’t whether North Carolina will win, but if they will cover. Coming into this game they had lost 5 of the last 6 against the spread, and only two of those games did they win by more than 10 points. So despite being the #1 team going into this game (and the tournament), North Carolina has displayed chinks in its armor, and a 24-point line isn’t insurmountable from the dog’s view. Of course one must wonder how much the home crowd will pump this team up when they blow this game wide open.
9:40pm ET
Indiana favored by 1.5 over Arkansas, total of 141
Indiana is ranked #22 in the country and enter the tournament with a #8 seed. Arkansas is unranked nationally, but come in right behind Indiana with a #9 seed. Indiana enters this game coming off two SU losses and 5 ATS losses out of their last 6 games. They finished with 3 straight unders, following 6 straight overs. Arkansas lost their previous game (to Georgia), but won the prior 3. As a dog, the over is 11-3-1 for the Razorbacks.
2:55pm ET
Georgetown favored by 16.5 over Maryland-Baltimore (UMBC), total of 129.5
The Hoyas are ranked #9 in the country and begin as a #2 seed in the Midwest, versus UMBC’s #15 seed. The UMBC Retrievers are not your household name. Their stadium only holds 4000 fans, but they were this year’s powerhouse in the America East Conference. They did nonetheless play some more familiar teams earlier in the season, holding their own against the likes of Lasalle, St. Peter’s, and Richmond. Georgetown, on the other hand, comes into the tournament with the best record in the Big East, though off a loss to 7th seeded Pittsburgh in the Big East Championship. It wasn’t a matter of them slacking off or looking ahead, but of being outplayed. The 16.5-point line is pretty soft. The Hoyas don’t enter this game with complete confidence, and it could be very easy to take UMBC for granted due to their low profile. Georgetown should win, but it may not be as comfortable as Vegas thinks. Even if Georgetown wins, don’t look for them to go as deep as a #2 seed should.
12:25pm ET
Davidson favored by 2 over Gonzaga, total of 140
Davidson is ranked #23 in the nation and enter the Midwest with a #10 seed. Gonzaga sits just behind Davison in the national rankings, at #24, but 3 seeds ahead in the tournament at #10. Gonzaga is another team coming off a conference championship loss. In this case, they lost to San Diego by 7 points in a game they were favored to win by 7. Davidson, on the other hand, owned the Southern Conference this year. They had a 6-point lead over the second place team, and handily beat Elon in the Conference Tournament. One note is that Davidson enters this game with 7 of the last 8 games going under the total. They are 9-1 following an ATS loss (they missed covering the Elon game by half a point), and the under is 17-4 following a straight up win.
