subject: March Madness Betting: Red Storm Rides Crowd to Big East Win at MSG [print this page] March Madness Betting: Red Storm Rides Crowd to Big East Win at MSG
The team to pick here is the St. John's Red Storm for the college basketball March Madness betting in Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY. This will be beginning on March 8, Tuesday at 12:00 PM Eastern time.
Online March Madness betting players have been watching a very brutal Big East season, and it is brutal in the sense that they've been beating up on each other to get to the top of the country's best conference. The Big East could have 11 teams going in the NCAA tournament, but we're talking about a team who has made a living of wiping out other teams at the Madison Square Garden, while giving the New York fans something to cheer about.
March Madness Betting:
Pittsburgh (+200)
The Panthers have won the regular-season title and are the top seed in their conference. They have been the best team in the nation's toughest conference all season long. Pitt has been efficient on both ends of the floor, shooting 47.2% from the field while holding the opposition to 39.6%. They're second in the country on rebounding margin and their assist-to-turnover ratio is ranked seventh. Their scoring leader is Ashton Gibbs, but Brad Wanamaker can carry the team. Gilbert Brown carries a lot of potential while Nasir Robinson and Gary McGhee give the Panthers an inside presence. The Panthers are definitely a threat to cut down the nets in Houston.
Notre Dame (+200)
Not too far behind, the Fighting Irish are coming in a spot after Pitt in the final regular-season top 25. Notre Dame's bread and butter are their three point shots where they make 8.1 per game at a 39.2% clip, powered by the trio of Ben Hansbrough, Tim Abromaitis and Carlton Scott. The Fighting Irish are also great on the glass and at the foul line, and they can take care of the ball. But we're always skeptical of a team that depends on the long-range shot so much because if it's not falling, things get far more difficult. Ironically, their Achilles heel is when they are defending the three-point shot, so that could play a role.
Syracuse (+300)
The Orangemen blasted out of the game, struggled in midseason and when everyone counted them out, the team won five straight to snag a fourth seed and the last double bye in the Big East tournament which they've won five times. As their 2-3 zone goes, the Orangemen gets it going. And when it's going, there aren't a lot of tougher teams to score on as Syracuse ranks eighth in field-goal defense.
They have tall, athletic wing players such as Kris Joseph to challenge the three-point shooters, but they can also get back in the post where their dominating presence has made them second in the country in blocks. They also have a guard in Scoop Jardine who has made a few big shots down the stretch.
Louisville (+475)
Also grabbing a double bye are the Cardinals, winning four of their last five games. They seem to fancy an uptempo game at both ends of the floor. They run a perimeter-based offense with Preston Knowles, Kyle Kuric and Peyton Siva, but they're not as good as the rest of the Big East when it comes to rebounding. The game slows down in the postseason and the Cardinals have to figure out how to play that type of game. They're going to need more out of forward Terrence Jennings to control the game in the post if the Cardinals want to win their first Big East tournament since 2009.
St. John's (+650)
Given their success at Madison Square Garden, they definitely have the x-factor plus the Red Storm get a bye. They've also gotten the habit of beating the big teams this season. Dwight Hardy has probably been the best player in the conference over the second half of the Big East schedule, while Justin Brown and D.J. Kennedy give the Red Storm an edge down low. The Red Storm is a team packed with seniors who won't be nervous when on the big stage, even if they've lost in the first round in the last two years of the Big East tournament.
March Madness Betting: The Rest
To be honest, you could take West Virginia at +1000, Georgetown at the same price and Connecticut at +1800 and have a legitimate shot to win the Big East tournament. The Mountaineers may not have much of a scoring ability but they can defend as well as anyone in the conference. Georgetown has lost four of their last five and the loss of senior Chris Wright to a broken hand can't be underestimated. U Conn is too dependent on Kembla Walker for scoring and the rest of their guards are still inexperienced.
Outlook and Pick
We will be taking St. John's to win their first Big East tournament since 2000, which would give them four, just because they've been so good at the Garden this season. Pitt has been very consistent; however, they have fallen at the Garden to St. John's. Notre Dame lost at the Garden as well, but Syracuse did manage to beat the Red Storm by 17 at MSG back in January. The Red Storm may have to go through Pitt and Syracuse to get to the final while the other side of the bracket is just as hard, although, we're taking Notre Dame to the final. Because of the home court advantage, we will have to go with St. John's in our March Madness betting picks
