NCAA Basketball Betting: Final four favourites North Carolina looking good for glory

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 02 April 2009 / Leave a Comment

Nick Shiambouros likes the look of Tyler Hansbrough and co as he previews the semi-finals of the college basketball tournament.

After one of the most exiting weekends of college basketball I have ever seen the stage is set for the Final Four which takes place on Saturday in Detroit.

Villanova and Pittsburgh took part in one of the greatest games ever seen in the history of this tournament. After a titanic struggle Villanova won the game 78-76 to book their place in the last four. Dwayne Anderson was one of the heroes for the Wildcats with 17 points and six rebounds. Sam Young scored 28 points for Pittsburgh and De Juan Blair had 10 rebounds in this high quality game. Both teams shot over 40% from the field but Villanova made some huge shots late in the second half to deny Pittsburgh.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will play Villanova on Saturday after they beat Oklahoma 72-60 in a dominant display. Blake Griffin played his heart out for the Sooners with 23 points but the Tar Heels overpowered them in the late stages of the game. Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson were both in sparkling form and contributed to the best performance I have seen so far from North Carolina. This team is peaking at the right time and are clearly the ones to beat in this tournament. North Carolina are currently trading at [1.87] to win the NCAA title which is about right in my opinion.

The Michigan State Spartans caused a major upset when they beat Louisville 64-52 in a hard fought contest on Sunday. The Cardinals always trailed in this game and had difficulty finding any rhythm against a gritty Michigan team. Goran Suton was the star for Michigan scoring 19 points and 10 rebounds. Louisville simply had no answer to this tall center who really hurt them inside the paint. Louisville coach Rick Pitino was bitterly disappointed after this loss, but the Spartans were the better team by far.

Michigan State will face the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday after they beat Missouri 82-75 in a close contest. Haheem Thabeet played very well for the Huskies as they held off a determined Missouri team. Thabeet fought for every possession and was exhausted as he left the court. Freshman Kemba Walker had a superb game for Connecticut scoring 23 points and this young man is a superstar in waiting.

As previously reported I have backed Connecticut and North Carolina at the beginning of the tournament but I am concerned about the Huskies' chances against Michigan State. The game will be played only 90 miles from the Michigan campus in East Lansing and the crowd will be a factor. In addition Connecticut have looked vulnerable in a couple of games and if they fall behind early they could be in trouble. Coach Jim Calhoun has tried to keep his team focused but they look a little fragile to me at the moment..

I believe the North Carolina Tar Heels will progress to the championship game on Monday to face either Michigan State or Connecticut. Both games are fascinating but if I were a Connecticut fan I would be slightly nervous.


Recommended Wagers:

Saturday, back North Carolina -8.5 points