After previewing and making our 2009 Sweet 16 picks in the NCAA Tournament East and West Regional's yesterday, Sports-Odds.com will preview and pick the Midwest and South semi-finals today.
At Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, In.,overall tournament top-seed Louisville of the BIG EAST will play the only 12-seed and lowest seed remaining in the tournament, the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-10.
The Cardinals advanced to the Midwest semifinals by topping 16-seed Morehead State 74-54 in the first round and besting nine-seed Siena 79-72 in the second. Arizona surprised 5-seed Utah 84-71 in the opener and ended 13-seed Cleveland States dream season 71-57 in the second round.
2009 Sweet 16 picks oddsmakers at online sportsbook SBGglobal.com list Louisville as 9-point favorites with a 139 1/2 total. Louisville is a -500 favorite on the SBGglobal moneyline while Arizona backers are getting +350 moneyline odds.
Sports-Odds.com pick: Arizona has already over-achieved with an fill-in head coach. Well done for the Wildcats; but the party ends here. Louisville should dominate and cover as a -9 favorite.
Second-seed Michigan State and third-seed Kansas will do battle in the nightcap of the Midwest Regional's semi-finals following the Louisville/Arizona game at approximately 9:45 p.m.
Kansas advanced to the Midwest Semifinals by winning over pesky North Dakota State 84-74 in the first round and easily handled Dayton 60-43 in the second. Michigan State had an easy go of it in the first round as a 77-62 victor over Robert Morris but was challenged in winning its second-round game 74-69 against the Trojans of USC.
Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com list Michigan State as 1 1/2-point favorites over the Jayhawks with a 138 1/2 total. The Spartans are -125 favorites on the SBGglobal moneyline while Kansas backers are getting +105 moneyline odds.
Sports-Odds.com pick: We like the Big 12 this year better than the Big 10 so we go with KU +1 1/2 in this one.
At the South Regional semifinals in Memphis, Tenn at FedEx Forum, two-seed Oklahoma will try to hold off three-seed Syracuse in the early game with tip-off set for 7:27 p.m. ET followed by top-seed North Carolina and four-seed Gonzaga at 10 p.m.
Oklahoma opened first round play by whipping Morgan State 82-54 then advancing to the regional semifinals by topping Michigan 73-63. The Orangemen of Syracuse defeated Stephen F. Austin University in the first round 59-44 and topped Arizona State in the second 78-67.
The Sooners get the favorites nod by a single-point (-1) by oddsmakers at SBGglobal with a 153 total. Oklahoma is a slight -120 favorite on the SBGglobal moneyline while Orange backers are getting EVEN moneyline odds.
Sports-Odds.com pick: We like the Sooners by -1.
North Carolina and Gonzaga highlight the night following the OU/Syracuse game. The Tar Heels advanced to the South Regional semifinals by dominating Radford 101-58 in the first round followed by an 84-70 win over 8-seed LSU in the second round.
SBGglobal.com has the Tar Heels as solid 8 1/2-point favorites over the Bulldogs with a 162 1/2 total. North Carolina is a -400 favorite on the SBGglobal moneyline while Gonzaga backers are getting +320 moneyline odds.
Sports-Odds.com pick: While North Carolina is not unbeatable, Gonzaga will find the road difficult. The Bulldogs will battle hard and are an excellant value getting +8 1/2 points but a SU win is unlikely.
