Last Updated on March 18, 2010 11:06 am by drew
K. State-N. Texas Pick
Kansas State has been an upset-minded team all season, but now the Wildcats play the favorite trying to avoid an upset when they face North Texas Thursday in the NCAA Tournament.
Bet March Madness
These two teams will battle it out in the West Regional at 2:40PM ET. The game will be played from the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with the Wildcats holding the No. 2 seed and North Texas holding the No. 15 seed.
Oddsmakers from online sports book BroburySports.com have made Kansas State a 16-point favorite over North Texas on Thursday afternoon. The over/under has been set at 149.
Kansas State is 25-7 on the season and 11-5 in the Big 12 Conference. The Wildcats are making their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance and second showing in three years. K-State averages 79.6 points per-game on offense, which puts them 14th in the nation. The Wildcats give up 69.4 points per-outing, which ranks 182nd in the country. KSU has been led this season by Jacob Pullen, who averages 18.9 points per-game. Denis Clemente adds in 16.2 points and 4.2 assists per-contest, while Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly each average over 11 points per-game.
North Texas is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance this year. The Mean Green are 24-8 this season and were 13-5 in the Sun Belt Conference, winning the tournament title. North Texas scores 74.2 points per-game on the season, ranking 60th in the country while the Mean Green give up 69.4 points per-outing, which ranks 181st. North Texas has been led this season by Josh White and Tristan Thompson, who each post over 14 points per-game. George Odufuwa also averages a double-double of 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per-game.
This game should easily go to Kansas State straight up, but the question is, can the Wildcats cover the 16-point spread. The Wildcats have been an impressive team this season, especially against inferior teams, so look for Kansas State to not mess around and take control early. While the Mean Green will put up a bit of a fight, we like the Wildcats to cover in this game.
Our NCAA Tournament Free Pick for this matchup is: KANSAS STATE -16 and OVER 149
March Madness Betting Trends
North Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of North Texas’s last 5 games
North Texas is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Kansas State is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
Kansas State is 12-6 ATS in its last 18 games
March Madness Injury Report
KANSAS ST
[G] 12/05/2009 – Justin Werner has left team ( Shoulder )
N TEXAS
[F] 02/18/2010 – Richard Thomas has left the team ( Personal )
[G] 12/26/2009 – Dominique Johnson out for season ( Ankle )
[F] 01/07/2010 – Kedrick Hogans out for season ( Shoulder )
March Madness Game Odds
North Texas Mean Green +16 Under 149
Bet March Madness
Posted: 3/18/10 11:06AM ET