The Kansas State Wildcats and the Syracuse Orange meet in a Saturday morning showdown. What have the odds makers left on the table for us, and which sides of the lines do we want to be on when it comes time to place our picks.
The Syracuse Orange and Kansas State Wildcats survived the East
bracket’s second round, posting single-digit victories as part of Thursday’s
“Big Dance” action. Saturday’s third
round has the pair of foes squaring off in an early tip at Pittsburgh’s CONSOL
Energy Center, with the winner advancing to the tourney’s “Sweet Sixteen” in
Boston.
Sportsbooks opened Syracuse as a five-point favorite, making it
the team’s 33rd straight ‘board’ game as the NCAA Basketball betting ‘chalk.’ Kansas State enters the battle with a 6-4
spread record in its 10 spots as a single-digit dog, logging an 82-74 defeat in
this month’s Big 12 Conference Tournament as the span’s most recent result.
Lets examine at this matchup and decide which NCAA Basketball picks have the best chance of cashing for us.
Orange fail to cash in
rally
Syracuse notched a 72-65 victory as a 15.5 point favorite against
the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs, rallying from a 34-30 halftime deficit as the East
bracket’s top seed. The Orange shot 44.6
percent from the field, while my
followers from Thursday’s card cashed an easy ticket with the Bulldogs
trailing by no more than eight points throughout the contest.
Syracuse’s Kris Joseph and James Southerland united for 27 points,
while logging eight boards each. The
duo’s mate C.J. Fair was held to a 1-for-7 shooting day, finishing with three
points in 15 minutes on the floor.
The contest’s combined 137 points dipped below the ‘total’ of 147.5, making the ‘under’ 4-2 in Syracuse’s last six games. Orange guard Scoop Jardine recorded seven of
his squad’s 16 assists, while he and his mates sank 17-of-24 free throws.
Wildcats hold off
Southern Miss
Kansas State connected 50 percent of its field buckets in
Thursday’s 70-64 win as a 5 ½-point favorite against the Southern Mississippi
Golden Eagles. The Wildcats advanced as
the East’s No. 8 seed, cashing
tickets by a ‘hook’ for my late followers.
Wildcats guard Rodney McGruder piled in a team-high 30 points,
knocking down 11-of-16 shots from the field. The junior added all four of Kansas State’s steals, while mate Jordan
Henriquez nearly logged a double-double with 15 points and nine boards.
The tight affair’s combined 134 points ‘pushed’ the closing
‘total,’ bringing the ‘over’ to 4-1-1 in the Wildcats’ last six contests. Kansas State held the Golden Eagles to 36.7
percent field shooting, while Henriquez added six of his team’s seven blocks.
Back K-State to get the
money
Saturday’s tip is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. (ET), with CBS
providing the national television coverage.
I am adding Kansas State to my sports picks for Saturday’s “March
Madness” card, taking the points with Frank Martin’s squad in this spot. The Wildcats will look to peel apart the
Orange lineup down the stretch, taking Syracuse to the final buzzer in another
tight battle for both squads.
Syracuse’s Fab Melo (5.8 RPG) was a late scratch for Thursday’s
opener due to issues with eligibility, with the big man’s lack of presence
causing a close call for the Orange. Melo’s mates barely edged out lowly Asheville in rebounds, 33-31, while
needing 31 points from their bench to survive.
Kansas State has cashed with a 5-2 spread mark in its last seven
games, including road upsets against No. 3 Missouri and No. 11 Baylor as part
of that stretch. McGruder will look for
another sizable outing here after bringing his “A-game” for Thursday’s opener,
living up to being one of the Big 12’s top 10 scorers (15.4 PPG) throughout the
season.
Syracuse
remains overvalued by the oddsmakers as the East’s top seed, with Thursday’s
uncashed ticket bringing Jim Boeheim’s crew to spread records of 1-7 in its
last eight games and 0-4 in its last four neutral-site affairs. Look for the Orange to fall short again at
the betting windows here with Kansas State going 4-1 ATS in its last five
non-conference contests, while holding its last 11 foes to 63.3 PPG.
My Pick: Kansas State to cover