2008 Stanford Cardinal NCAA Basketball Betting

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Stanford was expected to be an team capable of making the Big Dance, but not too many experts had the Cardinal pegged as a team that could challenge for a Pac 10 title. Jimmy Boyd looks at the 2008 Stanford Cardinal odds to win the NCAA Tournament in this March Madness handicapping preview.

Stanford is 12-3 in Pac 10 play, just one game back from UCLA with three remaining. The three the Cardinal have left with be no cupcakes as take on third place Washington State at home and then end the regular season at UCLA and at USC. I think UCLA is playing too good right now for Stanford to catch them as it is going to be very tough for the Cardinal to win at UCLA, but Stanford should finish at a close second place in the final standings. The Cardinal has already beaten Washington State and USC this season.

If you have been backing the Cardinal at home this season with point spread betting, you have been getting taken to school. Stanford is only 6-10 against the spread at home this year. However, playing the Cardinal on the road has been a lucrative wager as they are 7-4 against the spread in road games.

At 23-4 on the season and eighth in the country, the Cardinal will be playing to ensure themselves a number two seed. I think they are more than deserving as the Pac 10 is highly regarded as the toughest league this season. Stanford is a team that has a chance to do some damage in the NCAA tournament because they are a great defensive team and a very good rebounding team. The twins, Brook and Robin Lopez gobble everything up inside.

Last season, taking care of the basketball was a big problem for the Stanford guards and this team is greatly improved in terms of valuing the rock. Mitch Johnson is the guard that has really stepped up. He leads the team in assists with nearly five a game and also is a good rebounding guard.

It doesn’t appear that Stanford is quite explosive enough offensively to stack up with teams like UCLA, Kansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee, but they certainly play solid enough defense to have a shot at making a Final Four run.

From a bettor’s perspective, we don’t anticipate the Cardinal being a solid bet in the early rounds of the tournament as they are likely to be overvalued against mid-major schools.

Be sure to check out the rest of Jimmy’s NCAA Tournament predictions articles to find out if Jimmy agrees with your pick to win it all.

Odds to win NCAA Tournament: 35/1 at Sportsbook.com

Take a look at our betting articles on other NCAA basketball teams:

• Maryland Terrapins

• Duke Blue Devils

• North Carolina Tar Heels

• Kansas Jayhawks

• Memphis Tigers

• UCLA Bruins

• Michigan State Spartans

• Drake Bulldogs

• Tennessee Vols

• Butler Bulldogs

March 3rd, 2007