Dirty South Second Round - (3) Syracuse vs. (6) Arizona State

Syracuse Orange (27-9 SU, 16-15 ATS) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (25-9 SU, 18-11 ATS)

Fans won't soon forget the Syracuse Orange's six-overtime win over Connecticut in the Big East tournament. Now Syracuse is through to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and Jim Boeheim's team will have the Arizona State Sun Devils waiting for them, in NCAA college basketball sports betting action that is set to begin at 12:10 PM ET on Sunday at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds:  SYRACUSE -2, Total 139

Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* SYR has won and covered eight of its last nine games
* SYR has played five of its last six games OVER the total
* ASU has won and covered four of its last five games
* ASU has played six of its last nine games OVER the total

Well, you really have to give this Syracuse Orange club some credit. They gave up 102 points to Villanova on February 7, followed that by scoring just 49 points against U-Conn in the next game, and with its at-large invite to the NCAA's possibly in the balance, went on a roll where it lost only one more game until reaching the finals of the conference tournament. There is no question that despite a loss in that game, they brought momentum into the Big Dance.

Whether they have blown any of that momentum or not remains to be seen.

With vets like Jonny Flynn and Eric Devendorf in the backcourt, you wouldn't expect to break down their guards.  But Flynn, who averaged 6.7 assists on the season, turned the ball over seven times against Stephen F. Austin in the opener. This was a game where Syracuse wasn't pushed too hard at all; they got off to a 20-4 lead, and its opponent was ice cold, hitting just one of its first 13 shots and missing the first 15 from the arc, so you could excuse some of the Syracuse players if they got a little sloppy. A rebounding edge of 55-34 did not hurt this club in the process of winning pretty easily, but I think you'd agree that the 'Cuse deserved a break, after going six overtimes with Connecticut, followed by another OT affair with West Virginia the next day, before finally falling to Louisville in the Big East final.

There could be some "flat-ness" in them, and things may have been different if the Lumberjacks (yes, the Lumberjacks) would have been able to hit some shots early. In any event, the 21 turnovers are something to worry about.

Arizona State is a team that, as a group, came into the tournament without the kind of post-season experience Syracuse possessed, but any concerns about whether this team would fold when the bright lights were on were eliminated in first-round action when they turned back a hot Temple team by a 66-57 count. Jeff Pendergraph had 22 points in that game, and say what you will about Syracuse's advantage in size; Pendergraph is still better offensively than any big man the 'Cuse has.

Syracuse, which averaged 80 points a game, has indicated that it will occasionally let other teams dictate the pace, and their game could be affected by it. ASU plays deliberately, and will make Syracuse's defense work with its Princeton-style attack. I guess this comes down to whether you think James Hardin, who has made just four field goals in his last two games, can come alive. We think he will, and we'll take the points with the Sun Devils, the two-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA Tournament sports betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY:  ARIZONA STATE +2 **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)