Iona Gaels versus Oregon Ducks March Madness Preview
Date: Friday, 17th March
Place: Golden 1 Center
March Madness Odds:
Iona +15 (-110) 151½ (-110) +1050
Oregon -15 (-110) 151½ (-110) -1600
The Gaels defeated Rider, Saint Peter’s, and Siena to win their second straight MAAC Men’s Basketball Tournament and clinch their fourth appearance under head coach Tim Cluess. The No. 14 seed Iona College will face No. 3 Oregon in the first matchup between the two schools. The Ducks beat Arizona State and California in the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament but lost the championship game to Arizona. Nevertheless, UO will be returning to the NCAA tourney for the fifth consecutive time. The winner of this game will proceed to face the winner of Creighton vs. Rhode Island on Saturday. The Ducks made it to the Elite 8 last year, where they lost to the Oklahoma Sooners.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks versus Louisville Cardinals March Madness Betting preview
Date: Friday, 17th March
Place: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
March Madness Odds:
Jacksonville St +20½ (-110) 134 (-110) +3000
Louisville -20½ (-110) 134 (-110) -7000
The G-Cocks beat Southeast Missouri State, Belmont, and UT Martin to win their first Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament since joining the Division I in 1995, and receive an automatic bid to debut in the NCAA tourney. JSU is the No. 15 seed in the Midwest Region and will meet No. 2 Louisville. The Cards fell to Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, but unlike last year U of L will be present at the Big Dance, where they were the Belle of the Ball as recently as 2013. Louisville played 14 teams that are in the NCAA Tournament and went 8-8 against them, never losing to a team below 40 in the RPI. Head coach Rick Pitino will be making his 21st NCAA Tournament appearance where he has a 53-18 record. The Cards’ 42 appearances are the fifth-most in the nation, and their 10 Final Fours ranks them 6th all time.
Texas Southern Tigers versus North Carolina Tar Heels March Madness Betting preview
Date: Friday, 17th March
Place: Bon Secours Arena
March Madness Odds:
Texas Southern +27 (-110) 154½ (-110) +9000
North Carolina -27 (-110) 154½ (-110) -25000
The Tigers won their last nine straight games on the way to their seventh Southwestern Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament championship. TSU will return to the Big Dance – after a NIT detour last year – as a 16-seed in the South region to face No. 1 seed North Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated Miami in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament but lost in the semis to Duke. UNC didn’t let that get in the way of a seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA tourney, as well as a record 16th top seed. Carolina’s 48th NCAA Tournament appearance is the second-most in history. The winner of this game will advance to play the winner of the game between Arkansas and Seton Hall in Greenville.