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2009 Sweet 16 Predictions: East Region
There are just 16 teams remaining in the Big Dance and it appears the selection committee did a good job as the 1-3 seeds all remain in each of the four regions. The South and East Regions have both seen the 1-4 seeds advance to the round of 16. In this article, we’ll break down both Sweet 16 matchups in the East Region. Bet the Sweet 16 at BetUS and receive up to 145 percent in sign up bonuses.
No. 4 Xavier Musketeers vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers – Reaching the Sweet 16 has been anything but easy for No. 1 seed Pittsburgh, which will face its toughest task yet when it faces off with No. 4 seed Xavier at TD Banknorth Arena in Boston. Odds makers have listed the Panthers as the -7 favorite in this contest. Pitt got a serious scare in round one against No. 16 seed Eastern Tennessee State, winning by just 10 points as a 20.5-point favorite and the game was even closer than the final score indicated. In round two, the Oklahoma State Cowboys gave Pitt all it wanted and more, but once again the Panthers outlasted its opponent to win 84-76. Xavier, who advanced to the Elite Eight last season, is just one win away from getting back to the same point. The Musketeers had their way with Portland State in round one and then sent Wisconsin home with an 11-point win over the Badgers. What I see in this matchup is two very similar teams, which play a very physical brand of basketball. Perhaps, there is no more physical player in all of college basketball than Pitt’s double-double machine, DeJuan Blair. Blair carried the Panthers to a win in round one with 27 points and 16 rebounds. He stepped aside and let Sam Young star in round two, but still ended up with 10 points and 12 boards against Oklahoma State. Xavier really digs in on defense and you can expect them to be as physical with Blair as possible. The guy the Panthers will have to pay close attention to is B.J. Raymond, who leads the Musketeers in scoring, and shoots over 42 percent from beyond the arc. Raymond has scored 13 and 15 points respectively in the first two rounds. I don’t expect this one to be a high scoring affair so which ever team plays the best defense should come out on top. Bet Pittsburgh -7/Xavier +7 at BetUS.
No. 3 Villanova Wildcats vs. No. 2 Duke Blue Devils – Duke’s tournament ended in the second round a season ago, but the Blue Devils made it over the hump this year. Duke dominated Binghamton in round one before getting a major scare from Texas in the round of 32. After getting a major wake up call from American in the first round, Xavier dominated a UCLA team which had been to three straight Final Fours to get back to the Sweet 16 for a fourth time in five years. Duke has now won 10 of its last 11 games and odds makers have made Duke the 2.5-point favorite in this one. The Wildcats got to enjoy a nice home court advantage in the first two rounds, playing at the Wachovia Center where they play several games throughout the year. Now we will see how they fare on a true neutral court. Villanova’s Dante Cunningham looks to pose matchup problems for the Blue Devils. The 6′9” forward leads the team with 16.4 ppg and has been sensational in the first two rounds. Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler are going to score so Jon Scheyer becomes the guy that could be the difference maker if he turns in a solid performance. Bet Duke -2.5/Villanova +2.5 at BetUS.
Jimmy Boyd is off to a blistering hot 13-2 start in the NCAA Tournament so make sure you check out his college basketball picks to see who he’s playing in the Sweet 16. Do you college basketball betting with Jimmy Boyd for the most winners against the NCAA basketball odds.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2009 March Madness Bracket Predictions: East Region
- 2009 Sweet 16 Predictions: Midwest Region
- 2009 Sweet 16 Predictions: South Region
- 2009 Sweet 16 Predictions: West Region
- 2009 Sweet 16: Odds to Win the NCAA Championship
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