Two of Kentucky's college basketball teams, Louisville Cardinals and Morehead State Eagles, may only be a two-hour drive down I-64 from each other, but will travel 1200 or so miles to Denver to play each other as part of the Southwest Regional of the 2011 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament. The 13 seed Eagles and 4-seed Cardinals (25-9) tip-off at 1:40 PM at the Pepsi Center. Morehead State (24-9) captured the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and the OVC's automatic bid to the Big Dance. Louisville of the BIG EAST entered the NCAA Tournament via at-large bid.
Most offshore College Basketball Odds makers list the Cardinals as 10-chalk favorites versus the Eagles with a 131 1/2 total. Eagles backers are getting +415 odds on the offshore moneyline while the price of a SU Cardinals win is -530. At -530 odds, the bettor wins $100. A $100 wager on Morehead State would would result in a $415 pay-off providing the Eagles win.
Morehead State played a tough schedule, especially early, going head to head with the likes of Florida and No. 1 Ohio State. The Eagles battled hard with the Gatorst losing by six, 61-55. The Eagles weren't as successful versus the Buckeyes losing by 19. The good news for backers is the team covered the spread as heavy double-digit underdogs. The Eagles dominated once OVC play commenced going 13-5 but fell short of a regular season OVC Championship to Murray State. The Eagles are under the direction of fifth-year coach Donnie Tyndal
Early Betting Trends, great betting tools for players making 2011 NCAA College Basketball Picks show the wagering public backing the Cardinals on the offshore moneyline by 96 percent while 88 percent are wagering the Cardinals cover the betting spread. Totals players are wagering by 67 percent the combined game total goes OVER 131 1/2.
Louisville, coached by Rick Pitino, is coming off a trip to the championship game in the BIG EAST Tournament, where the Cardinals fell to Connecticut, 69-66, on March 12. The Eagles are under the direction of fifth-year coach Donnie Tyndall, who's led the program to three consecutive 20-win seasons.
Morehead State has a team Louisville should be wary of. They have talent that could play with anybody and they have a coach that that has the tools to have his team ready. NCAA Basketball Picks pundits are sure to have Morehead State penciled in as a potential bracket buster. NCAA Picks BEST BET – Morehead State +10.
