NCAA Tournament 2011 Sweet 16 Spread Vegas Previews

It’s the attack of the low seeds! Of the record four double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16, all four will play this Friday night. Let’s look at the first two March Madness betting matchups for that day.

(11)         Marquette Golden Eagles vs (2) North Carolina Tar Heels

Friday, March 25, 7:15 p.m. ET

Sportsbook favorite: North Carolina -4.5

Of the low seeds to reach the Sweet 16, Marquette is perhaps the most under-the-radar. Maybe that’s because the Golden Eagles were dwarfed by all their high-profile Big East rivals entering the NCAA tournament. Low and behold, Marquette is one of just two Big East squads still alive. It hasn’t exactly been dominant, but it forced 31 turnovers against Xavier and Syracuse over its first two tourney games.

Marquette shouldn’t expect North Carolina to beat itself the same way. The Tar Heels are flying high so far in March Madness. Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes have dropped boatloads of points on the competition and Kendal Marshall has been the real catalyst. The guard has 24 assists in two games so far in the tourney and he’s done a phenomenal job taking care of the basketball.

North Carolina got a major scare against Washington in the round of 32. Does that mean the Tar Heels are on shaky ground against Marquette? Or will they be sharper with the nailbiter out of the way?

(12)         Richmond Spiders vs (1) Kansas Jayhawks

Friday, March 25, 7:27 p.m. ET

Sportsbook favorite: Kansas -10.5

Of the No. 1 seeds in the tournament, Kansas has arguably gone about its business the quietest so far. Pittsburgh is out, Duke got a scare, Ohio State has been flashy – but Kansas just cruised to two relatively easy victories in its first two games.

Not surprisingly, Marcus and Markieff Morris have been the focal points of the Jayhawks’ offense so far. Both guys have led the team in shots taken and points over the first two games and sports betting sharps should expect more of the same against Richmond.

Kansas can’t sleep on the Spiders, however. Richmond continues to impress, having won nine straight games and beaten nine straight spreads. It slipped past Vanderbilt in a close one and didn’t break a sweat against Morehead State in the round of 32.

If Richmond wants to make Kansas nervous, however, it needs to get its long-range shooting back on track. The Spiders are the country’s 10th-ranked three-point shooting team and it showed against Vandy when they went 12 of 24 from beyond the arc. Against Morehead State, however, Richmond was just 4 of 16 on three-point attempts.

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