Last Updated on March 19, 2010 11:12 am by drew
Pitt-Oakland Pick
The Pittsburgh Panthers begin their quest to reach the Final Four on Friday when they face Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 2:45PM ET.
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These two teams will battle it out in the West Region with their game taking place at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Panthers are the No. 3 seed and the Grizzlies are the No. 14 seed.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com have made Pittsburgh 10.5-point favorites over Oakland on Friday afternoon. The over/under has been set at 134.
Pitt is making its ninth straight tournament showing. The Panthers have taken part in 22 NCAA Tournaments. The Panthers are 24-8 overall and 13-5 in the Big East Conference. The Panthers average 68.1 points per-game, which ranks 175th while giving up 61.4 points, which ranks 32nd in the country. Ashton Gibbs leads Pitt, averaging 15.8 points per-game. Brad Wanamaker adds 12.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per-game as well. Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown each score over 10 points per-game as well.
Oakland is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance, the first of which came in 2005. Oakland won the Summit League title to get the tournament bid. The Grizzlies are 26-8 overall and 17-1 in conference play. Oakland scores 76.8 points per-game, which ranks 30th in the NCAA, while giving up 71 points per-game, which puts them 217th in the country. Keith Benson averages 17 points and 10.5 rebounds per-game to lead Oakland Jonathon Jones and Derick Nelson each post 12.4 points per-game for the Grizzlies as well.
Oakland appears to be a solid opponent for Pitt, which has a lot of hype coming into the tournament because it comes out of the Big East. Look for the Panthers to win, but be challenged by a high-powered Oakland offense. We expect the Grizzlies to cover, but ultimately lose because fo their poor defense.
Our NCAA Tournament Free Pick for this matchup is: OAKLAND +10.5 and OVER 134
March Madness Betting Trends
Pittsburgh is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games
March Madness Injury Report
PITTSBURGH
[G/F] 01/28/2010 – Lamar Patterson expected to redshirt ( None )
OAKLAND
[F] 03/18/2010 – Derick Nelson probable Friday vs. Pittsburgh ( Back )
March Madness Game Odds
Pittsburgh Panthers -10.5 Over 134
Oakland Grizzlies +10.5 Under 134
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Posted: 3/19/10 11:12AM ET