in March Madness Props

BetUS Final Four Betting Odds

TO WIN IT ALL

North Carolina +175

Kansas +250

UCLA +300

Memphis +300

Before I dive into this whole thing, please allow me to make an observation.

As I was watching Stephen Curry of Davidson pour all those points into the basket during the Midwest Regional, I couldn't help but think of Seth Greenberg, the Virginia Tech coach who uttered these words the day his team LOST against North Carolina in what was a golden opportunity to play its way into the NCAA tournament:

"If you don't think this team (Virginia Tech) is one of the top 65 teams in the country, you're certifiably insane."

That's a bold (and silly) statement from someone whose team couldn't beat anyone better than Miami during the season.

So I was wondering, how certifiably insane must Seth Greenberg have been to tell Curry (who had a pedigree, as his father Dell was an all-time Hokies' great) that he could only play for his team as a WALK-ON, with a chance to possibly earn a scholarship in his sophomore year? To refresh memories, during what would have been his walk-on season, Curry was second in scoring to Kevin Durant among the nation's freshmen and played for Team USA in the FIBA World Championships. And in this, a sophomore season in which he MAY have gotten a scholarship from Greenberg, he made second team All-American and led his team into the Elite Eight, being named Most Outstanding Player in the regional.

And then I'm thinking that if Seth Greenberg was smart enough to have recruited Curry in the first place, you wouldn't have heard him crying about being left out of the NCAA festivities. And his team wouldn't have settled for the NIT, where when it had a chance to prove itself, instead losing AT HOME to Ole Miss in the quarterfinals, but may have quite possibly been on the way to San Antonio for the Final Four.

So it's his own damn fault.

Now moving on to better coaches, and better teams, that are still standing - let's make a quick dissection of each team going to San Antonio, examining what WILL or WON'T spell success for these clubs that are so good they will not settle for anything less.

NORTH CAROLINA

Why the Tar Heels WILL win the title -- Because they've shown they can play at different speeds and still be effective. And in Tyler Hansbrough, they have the most talented inside scorer in the tournament. Hansbrough knows how to draw contact, and converts his free throws. You need stars to win at this level, and North Carolina has 'em - aside from Hansbrough, there's the sure-handed point guard in Ty Lawson and the potentially-explosive Wayne Ellington. That's quite a trio to throw at opponents.

Why the Tar Heels WON'T win the title -- They can get beaten defensively against teams that run the floor as well as they do. And there is always the danger of first-round caliber big men like Kevin Love, Joey Dorsey or darrell Arthur getting Hansbrough in foul trouble. Then what?

KANSAS

BetUS odds to win NCAA title: +250

Why the Jayhawks WILL win the title -- Sensational balance, with all those double-digit scorers. Kansas presents an offense that makes the opponent defend every inch of the court. And there's the feeling that we have yet to see the best of pre-season All-American Brandon Rush.

Why the Jayhawks WON'T win the title -- This has not been the most assertive team when playing outside the Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. There is not one certified "go-to" scorer that can carry a team when others go cold. And there's the fear that we may never see the best of Brandon Rush.

UCLA

BetUS odds to win NCAA title: +300

Why the Bruins WILL win the title -- Because they clearly have the ability to dictate the tempo and Ben Howland's defense can choke a lot of offenses in the half-court. And because Kevin Love is the best all-around big man of the four who will line up in San Antonio. He rebounds, blocks shots and can trigger the break with his outlet passes. That makes UCLA awfully versatile.

Why the Bruins WON'T win the title -- They don't necessarily shoot consistently enough from the outside if defenses collapse on Love. They're not as good at playing "lockdown" defense against more balanced offenses. And the backcourt, though outstanding, is smallish compared with others.

MEMPHIS

BetUS odds to win NCAA title: +300

Why the Tigers WILL win the title -- Because they run the floor as well as anyone, and now it's with Derrick Rose, a likely top-three NBA draft pick, at the controls. Rose is getting better and better, and he plays above the rim. That's different. There is size all through the lineup, and John Calipari throws waves of players at the opponent.

Why the Tigers WON'T win the title -- Well, earlier in the season, USC showed what could possibly happen when they are able to slow the game down (took Memphis to overtime). And then there's the old bugaboo - free throw shooting. As good as they were on Sunday (30-for-36), a 59.7% figure over the course of the season doesn't lie.

Looking at this thing on a preliminary basis, the only team that made me say "wow!" in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds was Memphis, which was more awesome than it needed to be in dispatching Texas. And like Bob Knight said on ESPN, there are a lot of things they can do to make up for substandard free throw shooting.

But I'll be talking to you again before it all tips off. You can bet on THAT.

Go to the online sports betting action!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)