March Madness Predictions - No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State

NCAA basketball betting enthusiasts will enjoy this March Madness predictions article where I will break down tonight’s matchup between the 10th-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the seventh-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys which gets underway at the Bradley Center at 7 PM ET.

Friday, March 19, 7:15 PM ET
NCAAB Betting Odds: Oklahoma St. -1½

Georgia Tech (22-12 SU, 16-11-1 ATS, 11-16 O/U)
Oklahoma St. (22-10 SU, 15-10-1 ATS, 12-12 O/U)

The smaller Oklahoma State Cowboys will take on the much bigger Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in what promises to be a thrilling affair between ‘polar opposite’ ballclubs for the right to advance to the second round of the annual NCAA Tournament.

Georgia Tech 411
Yellow Jackets are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big 12.
Yellow Jackets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games as an underdog.
Yellow Jackets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games.
Yellow Jackets are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games.

Georgia Tech had its three-game winning streak snapped in its 65-61 loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament final on Sunday.

ACC Freshman of the Year, 6-10 forward Derrick Favors, led Georgia Tech with 22 points and 11 rebounds while Iman Shumpert added 12 points in the loss.

The Yellow Jackets cashed in as an 8.5-point underdogs to move to a bankroll-boosting 3-1 ATS over the last four games. The Yellow Jackets average 73.3 points per game while allowing 65.6 points per contest defensively.

Oklahoma St. 411
Cowboys are 8-2-2 ATS in their last 12 non-conference games.
Cowboys are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 neutral site games.
Cowboys are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a S.U. loss.
Cowboys are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite.

Oklahoma State had its modest two-game winning streak snapped in its 83-64 loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Conference tournament semifinals on Thursday. The Cowboys failed to cover the March Madness betting line as 4.5-point underdogs to snap its two-game ATS winning streak. James Anderson scored a team-high 27 points while adding four rebounds and three assists in the loss. The Cowboys average 74.3 points per game and give up an average of 68.1 points per game defensively.

Analysis: I’ll ‘keep it real’ for my beloved college basketball betting brethren by saying I fully expect this contest to be one of the more thrilling – and compelling – first round matchups to take place this year.

Oklahoma State's 6-6 junior shooting guard James Anderson (22.6 ppg) is one of the most explosive scorers in the country and teams with his senior backcourt mate, 6-5 Obi Muonelo (13.4 ppg) to form one of the best backcourts in the country

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they are small up front and have only one starter taller than 6-foot-6 while Georgia Tech features the gifted Favors (12.5 ppg), a player expected to be picked in the coming NBA Draft Lottery and team scoring leader, 6-9 forward Gani Lawal (13.1 ppg).