NCAA Tournament South Barcket Betting Breakdown

Okay college basketball betting fanatics, the 2010 NCAA championship is just one day away and NCAA basketball bettors are zeroing in on making their final selections on all of the first round action taking place across the board.

This brief breakdown on what bettors can expect out of the top eight teams and their opponents in the South Bracket could turn out to be just the impetus bettors need to get on a bankroll-boosting tourney run they make not only in the South bracket, but across the board.

1 Duke (29-5 SU, 18-13-2 ATS, 14-19 O/U)
16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (18-15 SU, 2-4 ATS, 2-4 O/U)

2 Villanova (24-7 SU, 18-12 ATS, 18-12 O/U)
15 Robert Morris (23-11 SU, 3-4 ATS, 2-1 O/U)

3 Baylor (25-7 SU, 16-9 ATS, 17-8 O/U)
14 Sam Houston State (25-7 SU, 3-2 ATS, 1-2 O/U)

4 Purdue (27-5 SU, 12-18-2 ATS, 14-15 O/U)
13 Siena (27-6 SU, 16-14-1 ATS, 8-18-1 O/U)

Analysis: I don’t think bettors will see any upsets out of the top four teams in this bracket, with Duke, Villanova, Baylor and Purdue being far superior to their opponents. Now, whether the top four cover the March Madness basketball betting line is another matter all together. Keep in mind … of the top four seeds in the South bracket, only Purdue did not record a winning ATS record.

The good news for the Boilermakers is that they recorded a fine 5-1 SU mark in neutral court games while Siena went 0-1 in similar games this season.

Duke has gone 7-0 SU on neutral courts while Arkansas-Pine Bluff has also recorded an unblemished record (4-0 SU) on neutral courts.

The Villanova Wildcats have also experienced plenty of success on neutral courts this season, going an impressive 5-1 SU this season. The Wildcats will battle a Robert Morris team has gone 0-1 SU in similar games. Baylor is 4-2 SU on neutral courts and faces a Sam Houston team that went a perfect 6-0 SU in neutral-court games.

5 Texas A&M (23-9 SU, 18-10 ATS, 11-16 O/U)
12 Utah State (27-7 SU, 18-11 ATS, 11-16 O/U)

6 Notre Dame (23-11 SU, 17-10-1 ATS, 11-16 O/U)
11 ODU (26-8 SU, 13-17 ATS, 13-16 O/U)

7 Richmond (26-8 SU, 18-10-2 ATS, 12-16 O/U)
10 St. Mary’s (26-5 SU, 19-10 ATS, 15-12-1 O/U)

8 California (23-10 SU, 19-13 ATS, 17-13-1 O/U)
9 Louisville (20-12 SU, 10-17 ATS, 14-11-1 O/U)

Analysis: The bottom half of the South bracket is a lot murkier than the top half, with at least two games – and possibly three – looking like they have possibilities of upsets.

Texas A&M looks like a lock to beat Utah State in my estimation but will have to improve on their mediocre 3-3 neutral-court record this season in order to take down their 2-1 neutral court rivals.

I also believe Notre Dame will handle ODU solidly at the very least and both teams have recorded identical 3-2 neutral court records this season. Richmond versus St. Mary’s and California against Louisville, will likely turn out to be closely contested battles to the finish, so I wouldn’t even call it much of an upset were either St. Mary’s or Louisville were to win their respective games as lower seeds.