The 2nd Round of the NCAA tournament takes place today and we will see the Missouri Tigers take on the Colorado State Rams. The game is scheduled for a 9:20 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on TBS. Currently the Odds for the game have Missouri favored by 2.5 points while the total sits at 143.
Analysis: Missouri has been a one-and-done team in the Big Dance in each of the past two seasons. The Tigers came into last season's NCAA Tournament with high hopes as a No. 2 seed only to be upset by Norfolk State in their first game. Frank Haith's squad was not quite as impressive during the regular season this year, its first in the SEC, as it finished 23-10 overall. However, Missouri did finish 5-5 versus teams in the field. The Tigers earned an at-large bid into the field after being defeated, 64-62, by Ole Miss in the SEC quarterfinals, as Derrick Millinghaus made a driving basket in the closing seconds. The loss came despite a stellar performance from Alex Oriakhi, who went 7-of-7 from the floor en route to 16 points and nine boards. Oriakhi is going to be vital for Mizzou's hopes at a run as he will be ale to provide leadership having won an NCAA Tournament while at Connecticut. Laurence Bowers paces a group of six double-digit scorers for the Tigers with 14.4 ppg, but he tallied just 19 total points over his last two outings. Phil Pressey is an important player for Missouri with averages of 11.6 points and 7.1 assists per tilt.
Colorado State had its three-game winning streak snapped in the Mountain West Tournament as it dropped a 75-65 decision to UNLV. Dorian Green attempted to return from an ankle injury but was limited to 18 minutes in the setback. Colton Iverson paced the team with 24 points and 16 rebounds. The Rams have to battle history as they enter the NCAA Tournament with an unimpressive 3-10 record. After his strong showing for the Rams in the MWC semifinals, Iverson remains the leading scorer for the program with his 14.7 ppg, as his 59.9 percent shooting from the floor is unrivaled. Iverson is also first with 9.8 rpg for the Rams, but not that far behind is Pierce Hornung (8.9 ppg), who is responsible for 9.2 rpg as the team is fourth in the nation with 40.4 boards per tilt. Green's return to full health will be vital as he contributes 12.8 points and 3.8 assists per game.
Pick: I like the Under in this one. Both teams have played pretty good defense this year and I feel the Rams will be able to slow the game down a bit. I look for at most 135 points.
Beat Johnny Detroit Contest: Free to Enter CASH PRIZES & BOUNTY who beats JD! ENTER HERE
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Perfect Bracket Odds:
There are 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 possible brackets.
That's the number nine follow by eighteen zeros.
That's over 9.2 quintillion.
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for March Madness with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
College Basketball Free Picks: California vs UNLV Betting
What college basketball bettors need to know about California Golden Bears vs UNLV Runnin Rebels on Thursday (3/21/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Marco D'angelo, with Ken Thomson and host Scott Spreitzer.