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The Wildcats have gone over the posted total in three of their four Tournament games, only staying under when they laid a 23-point beatdown on Duke in the Sweet 16. ‘Nova has averaged 81.0 points so far in the Tournament, which is a little higher than their season average of 77.0 points. Dwayne Anderson and Reggie Redding have stepped up to support Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham, and the Wildcats, who are 17^th in the country in free-throw shooting, have been money at the charity stripe: ‘Nova has hit 84.6% of their foul shots.

Strangely, the Tar Heels have gone under the total in three of their four Tournament games so far, and it’s strange because they’re No.2 in scoring in the NCAA. North Carolina is just under their season average of 90.0 points, scoring 88.75 points a game. However, their defense has taken some criticism this season as North Carolina has allowed 72.1 points a game, but in the Tournament, the Tar Heels are allowing only 66.2. The Elite Eight win over Oklahoma may have been UNC’s best defensive performance of the season, as they kept Sooners star Blake Griffin from taking over the game, and they harassed the rest of the Sooners into a 2-of-19 shooting performance from long distance. With defense like that, it’s easy to see why North Carolina are the Final Four betting favorites.

The Final Four betting total for this game is 159, and these two went under the total of 154.5 when UNC edged ‘Nova by one point in the 2005 Sweet 16. The Tar Heels obviously came into the Tournament looking to improve their defense, and with Ty Lawson back and healthy, their offense looks much more in control than they did in the opening win over Radford, in which they scored 101 points. ‘Nova can score points, but they would be wise to avoid a shootout with the Tar Heels, which would lead to a North Carolina romp. The Wildcats will look to keep the tempo down to give them their best chance of winning, while Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough, two high-percentage shooters, should dominate the UNC offense. One of last year’s Final Four games went under the total, and that was in UNC’s loss to Kansas. Make the under your Final Four betting pick in this showdown.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Lakers take on the Bobcats in Charlotte, the Habs host the Hawks, and the NIT semifinals get underway in New York City.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will be looking to get in the way of the Bobcats’ playoff aspirations on Tuesday night when the two teams collide in Charlotte. The Lakers, who are cruising to the top overall seed in the Western Conference, fell 86-76 in Atlanta on Sunday, with Bryant scoring just 17 points. The Bobcats are looking to catch the Pistons or Bulls for eighth place in the Eastern standings, and they helped their cause Saturday by picking up a 96-85 win over the Knicks.

There are eight other games on the NBA’s schedule for Tuesday, including Detroit at Cleveland and Chicago at Indiana. As well, it’ll be Atlanta at Philadelphia, Dallas at Minnesota, Oklahoma City at San Antonio, New York at Denver, New Orleans at Sacramento, and Utah at Portland. The Jazz and Trail Blazers are both looking to catch Denver for first place in the Northwest Division.

Betting picks…

For the second consecutive day, the Great One Stevie Vincent sweeps the board. The founder of forensic sports handicapping is 4-0 the last two days. Tonight, he is taking it to the next level. Stevie has the College Insider Tournament GAME of the YEAR.

With Stevie, less continues to be more. He will release fewer plays than most tipsters, but give more winners. Click now to purchase

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference continues on Tuesday night as Montreal hosts Chicago and Florida gets a visit from Ottawa. The Canadiens fell 4-3 in overtime to the Sabres on Saturday, but at least managed to pick up one point in the standings. The Panthers knocked off Dallas 6-3 on Saturday, and they now trail the Canadiens by one point for eighth place.

It’s Nashville at Columbus, Vancouver at Minnesota, and Anaheim at Edmonton in the key Western Conference clashes on the National Hockey League schedule for Tuesday night as those teams scramble to get into postseason position down the stretch. As well, East-leading Boston will play host to Tampa Bay, and the fading Stars will be looking for some signs of life when they travel to Los Angeles.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

The National Invitational Tournament stages its semifinal round at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, with Baylor vs. San Diego State and Notre Dame vs. Penn State. Baylor edged Auburn 74-72 in the quarterfinals, while San Diego State got past St. Mary’s 70-66; the Bears are 1-point favorites on Tuesday with the total at 136 points. Notre Dame knocked off Kentucky 77-67 last round, and Penn State rolled past Florida 71-62; the oddsmakers have the Fighting Irish pegged as 4-point favorites, with the game’s total now at 138 points.

As well, the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament will take place on Tuesday night, with Old Dominion at Bradley. The Braves got past Pacific 59-49 in the semifinal round of the tournament, and the oddsmakers have them listed as a slim 1-point favorite in the championship game (with the total at 127.5 points). The Monarchs are coming off an 81-43 win over James Madison.

In the 2009 Final Four, Villanova and North Carolina follow the Connecticut-Michigan State game. The Vegas odds for North Carolina-Villanova has the Tar Heels as a seven-point favorite at BetUs Sportsbook  and 7.5 at Sports Betting Sportsbook. The total is 160 at all sportsbooks.

Villanova is 30-7 straight up and 19-14 versus the Vegas betting line. UNC is 32-4, but just 16-19 where it counts.

The high total is justified. North Carolina scores a scary 90 points per game to teams that normally allow just 60.2 on shooting 48.3 percent to 42.6.

Their defense is suspect, allowing 72.1 points per game. Villanova scores 77 points per game to teams that normally allow just 68.3. While they permit 66.9, the number is indicative of their pace. They hold teams to 3.8 percent shooting below their normal average. 

As far as against the spread information: The Wildcats are 10-3 off a spread win. The Tar Heels are 7-0 as an NCAA Tournament favorite of 7-12.5 and 3-8 off a spread win. They are also just 7-17 off a straight up win.

Villanova has gone under 9-2 in non-conference games. UNC has gone over 5-0 to the Big East.

Get the winning spread picks from OffshoreInsiders.com and the latest college basketball odds.

March Madness odds feature a couple of surprises on the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and now the field is set to make your Final Four picks. Here is a look at Saturday’s Final Four games, to be held at Ford Field in Detroit.

Michigan State vs UConn odds – Saturday, April, 4, 6:07 PM ET

The No. 2 Spartans took the Midwest region with a 64-52 win over top-seeded Louisville, as they held the Cardinals to 38.3 percent from the field, while Goran Suton put up 19 points and 10 boards in the post. The No. 1 Huskies emerged from the West with an 82-75 win over a pesky Missouri team, as they got 23 points off the bench from freshman Kemba Walker (tying his career high). The Huskies outrebounded Mizzou 45-26.

UConn is the Final Four betting favorite in this contest with a four-point spread, and these two powerhouses split a pair of meetings in 1998 and 2000, with the home team winning each time. This is essentially a home game for the Spartans, as eight Michigan State players hail from Michigan, where the game will be played. Look for the crowd to spark Michigan State to a March Madness betting upset over the Huskies.

Villanova vs North Carolina odds – Saturday, April 4, 8:47 PM ET

The No. 3 Wildcats needed a last-second shot by Scottie Reynolds to upend top-seeded Pittsburgh in the East, and Villanova was money at the foul line, hitting 22 of it 23 attempts. No. 1 North Carolina had perhaps its best defensive performance of the season in a 72-60 win over No. 2 Oklahoma to take the South region. The Tar Heels harassed the Sooners into a 2-of-19 shooting day from three-point range, while keeping Blake Griffin relatively quiet.

The Tar Heels have a Final Four betting spread of 7.5 points and, even though they are 1-2 in three career games against the Wildcats, North Carolina beat ‘Nova by 16 points in the Sweet 16 back in 2005. The Tar Heels have improved in each Tournament game and, if they play defense like they did against Oklahoma, there is no better team in the country. Bet on North Carolina to cover their Final Four odds.

Michigan State takes on Connecticut in the first game of the Final Four from Ford Field.  The winner will take on the victor of Villanova-Connecticut. The 2009 Final Four Vegas odds and point spread has Connecticut as a four-point favorite according to BetUs Sportsbook with the total at 135 at Sports Betting Sportsbook.

The elite sports handicappers have compiled the official betting preview of that game. The Spartans come in 30-6 straight up and 19-13 against the spread. Stevie Vincent, Senior Handicapper at OffshoreInsiders.com and the founder of the revolutionary forensic sports handicapping reminds us, “Michigan State is not exactly playing on a neutral court,” as the Final Four is in their home state.

Connecticut is 31-4 straight up and 17-14 to the Las Vegas betting odds. Michigan State enters hotter spread wise, covering 12-of-15. Though the Huskies have cashed the ticket in all four NCAA Tournament games, they are still just 5-6 their last 11 against the sportsbooks.

Connecticut has the edge in the statistical categories professional bettors utilize most: offensive and defensive field goal percentage net ratio. Michigan State makes 3.1 percent more of their shots than their opponents normally allow, but that’s compared to 4.9 for UConn.

On defense, MSU holds teams to 4.6 percent below their normal shooting percentage, but the Huskies have an even better net ratio of 6.4.

2009 Final Four tickets, FatHeads and fan gear are up now in the Guy Store.

As far as some against the spread records: the Spartans have covered six straight non-conference games and are a fantastic 23-6 versus an opponent winning percentage of .600 or greater. The Huskies are 41-20 as a favorite of 6.5 or less.

Over/under bettors will want to note that Michigan State has gone under 8-2 off a spread win. Conversely, Connecticut has gone over 7-1 in the Big Dance as a favorite and over 22-8 on neutral courts.

Check out the changing odds at ScoresOddsPicks.com.

The only site hotter than Fox Nation is OffshoreInsiders.com for endless winning picks. Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Heat get a visit from the rival Magic, the Devils clash on the ice with the Rangers, and the CBI begins its championship.

2009 Final 4 Odds…

Connecticut is a four-point favorite over Michigan State in the updated college basketball odds. North Carolina is laying 7.5 to Villanova. The Wildcats are getting +305 on the moneyline.  The updated odds to win the 2009 NCAA Tournament has North Carolina -140 to win it all. The rest of the pack is Connecticut +230, Michigan State +575, and Villanova +650.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

The Heat will host the Magic in an all-Florida matchup on Monday night in one of just four games on the NBA schedule. Orlando is coming off a 110-94 win over the Bucks on Friday night, with Rashard Lewis tossing in 19 points to go along with eight boards in that win. The Heat took care of Milwaukee in their last outing as well, beating them 102-85 on Saturday. The Magic and Heat last met on the hardwood in Orlando February 22, with the Magic winning convincingly 122-99.

Also on the NBA’s slate for Monday: Milwaukee at New Jersey, Memphis at Golden State, and New York at Utah. The Jazz are coming off a big 104-99 overtime win over the Suns on Saturday, with Mehmet Okur pouring in 26 points and Deron Williams providing 21 points and 13 assists. The Knicks and Jazz last met on November 9, with New York winning 107-99 as a 4-point home underdog.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are just three games on the National Hockey League’s schedule for Monday night, including the Devils on the road at Madison Square Garden to take on the rival Rangers. New Jersey has been looking to lock down top spot in the Atlantic Division, but they’re coming off a 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday. The Rangers are just trying to hold onto an playoff spot in the Eastern Conference; they fell 4-3 to the Pens when those teams met Saturday afternoon.

Also on tap for Monday are San Jose at Calgary, and Dallas at Phoenix. The Sharks have already claimed the Pacific Division crown, and they topped the Coyotes 3-2 on Saturday. The Flames hold just a slight edge on the Canucks for first place in the Northwest, and they slipped past the Wild 3-2 on Saturday. The Stars’ drive for a playoff berth in the Western Conference was delivered a blow in their Saturday matchup when they were doubled up 6-3 at home by the Panthers.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

The lone college hoops game on Monday night will take place at Oregon State, where the Beavers will host the UTEP Miners in the first game of the ‘Best of Three’ championship series of the College Basketball Invitational. The Miners advanced to the championship with an 81-69 win over Richmond in the semifinals; Stefon Jackson had 34 points in that contest. The Beavers dropped Stanford 65-62 in overtime last round, behind 16 points from Lathen Wallace. UTEP is pegged as a 1-point favorite on Monday, with the total at 131.5 points. Games 2 and 3 (if required) will be contested at UTEP on Wednesday and Friday….Final four tickets are at Guy Store, which also has MLB tickets and all sports fan gear, plus much more.