Bettors crushing Kansas in Sweet 16 matchup against Purdue
Kansas is getting much of the betting support so far, after winning and cashing in its first two NCAA Tournament games.
All season long, Kansas was one of the worst teams in the nation against the spread. But a good NCAA Tournament start has caught bettors’ eyes. Patrick Everson checks in on where Sweet 16 action is with Johnny Avello, executive director of race and sports at Wynn Las Vegas on the Strip, and with the lines manager for offshore sportsbook GTBets.eu.
No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks – Open: -4.5; Move: -5
Kansas is getting much of the betting support so far, after winning and cashing in its first two NCAA Tournament games. The Jayhawks (30-4 SU, 13-18-1 ATS) opened with a 100-62 wipeout of No. 16 seed UC Davis as a massive 22.5-point favorite Friday, then bounced No. 9 Michigan State 90-70 giving 7.5 points Sunday.
Purdue (27-7 SU, 19-10-2 ATS) also won and covered twice last week to reach the Sweet 16. The Boilermakers topped No. 13 seed Vermont 80-70 Thursday as an 8.5-point fave, then held off a furious rally by No. 5 Iowa State on Saturday to win 80-76 as a 1-point chalk.
“Kansas opened as a 4.5-point favorite, and with the action coming in on the Jayhawks at 2.5/1 from the start, the line was pushed to 5,” GTBets’ lines manager said. “No real sharp action to speak of yet, but it certainly seems that the public is on the Jayhawks.”
The Wynn opened Kansas at -4.5 late Sunday night and reached 5.5 late Monday morning, but the line has settled at 5 for the past 48 hours. This Midwest Region game tips off at 9:39 p.m. ET Thursday.
No. 11 Xavier Musketeers vs. No. 2 Arizona Wildcats – Open: -7.5; Move: None.
Xavier is the big surprise story, as the only double-digit seed to survive the first weekend. The Musketeers (23-13 SU, 17-18 ATS) have won five of their last six, going a perfect 6-0 ATS in that stretch while posting a pair of double-digit victories to open the NCAA Tournament. Xavier opened with a 76-65 West Region win over No. 6 seed Maryland as a 2-point underdog Thursday, then blasted No. 3 Florida State 91-66 as a 7-point pup on Saturday.
Arizona (32-4 SU, 19-14-3 ATS) has peeled off six straight wins (5-0-1 ATS). The Wildcats opened the tourney with a 100-82 victory to push as 18-point chalk Thursday against No. 15 North Dakota, then topped No. 7 St. Mary’s 69-60 giving 4.5 points Saturday.
“We’ve got Arizona -7.5 over Xavier, no movement there,” Avello said, while looking ahead to a potential regional final pitting Arizona against No. 1 seed Gonzaga. “If Arizona and the Zags meet again, Arizona will be the favorite in that game. They did meet earlier in the year, and the Zags got the best of it. Arizona’s healthy right now, so they are the favorite to win that region, slightly, 13/10. Gonzaga is 3/2.”
Avello said No. 4 seed West Virginia is 3/1 in the West, while Xavier is 8/1 to get through this weekend.
GTBets.eu saw a little bouncing back and forth after posting the Xavier-Arizona contest, which wraps up Thursday’s four-game slate, tipping off at 10:09 p.m. ET.
“The line opened with Arizona a 7.5 point favorite, which is where it is currently after a short tenure at 7 on Sunday afternoon,” GTBets’ lines manager said. “An interesting development is that 55 percent of the parlays are on Xavier, while the straight-bet action is just about dead even. The total has already gone up 1.5 points, from 143.5 to 145, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it creeps up another half-point before the opening tip.”
No. 3 UCLA Bruins vs. No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats – Open: +1; Move: Pick.
This is arguably the matchup everyone is interested in, between two of college basketball’s most storied programs, who will tip at 9:39 p.m. ET Friday in the South Region semis. Kentucky will be looking for some payback in this game, after a 97-92 home loss to UCLA as a healthy 11-point favorite on Dec. 3. The Wildcats (31-5 SU, 18-17-1 ATS) beat No. 15 seed Northern Kentucky 79-70 as a 20-point fave Friday to open the Big Dance, then held off No. 10 Wichita State 65-62 to push as a 3-point chalk Sunday.
UCLA (31-4 SU, 17-18 ATS) dropped No. 14 Kent State 97-80 giving 18.5 points on Friday, then won and cashed as a 3.5-point favorite Sunday against No. 6 Cincinnati, 79-67.
“The line has seemingly settled at pick ‘em, after UCLA opened as a 1-point favorite,” GTBets’ lines manager said. “A bit of sharp money came in on Kentucky +1. However, the betting action has been dead even on the game for the last day and a half.”
Avello opened this game a pick ‘em at the Wynn on Monday morning and went to UCLA -1 a couple of hours later, where the line remains today.
