Orange and Hoyas clash in Big East quarterfinals

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked and top-seeded Syracuse Orange make their much anticipated debut in the Big East Tournament today, as they lock up with the 22nd-ranked and eighth-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden. The survivor of this battle will move on to meet either Marquette or Villanova in the semifinals on Friday.

Syracuse is coming off a simply remarkable campaign, establishing a new school-record for regular-season victories (28) and conference wins (15). On its way to the program's first outright Big East title since 1990-91, the Orange also earned a No.1 ranking for the first time in two decades. Although the team's stay atop the national rankings only lasted a week following a loss to Louisville in its finale, Syracuse still enters the postseason with a firm grip on a No.1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. The Orange, which earned a double-bye with its finish, is one of the most decorated teams in the Big East Tournament, winning 45 games and five titles.

The only team that has won more games than Syracuse in the Big East Tournament is today's opponent. The Hoyas notched their tourney-record 47th win in the second round yesterday, posting a 69-49 win over ninth-seeded South Florida. The win improved Georgetown to 21-9 overall and moved it one step closer to a record eighth championship in this event.

As far as the all-time series is concerned, Syracuse claims a 46-37 advantage over Georgetown and that includes two wins during the regular season. The two teams have split 12 prior encounters in the Big East Tournament as well.

The Hoyas knocked down 45.8 percent of their attempts from the floor and 7- of-14 from long range, as they pushed past USF yesterday. Greg Monroe and Jason Clark each tallied 16 points in the win, while Chris Wright logged 15 points and six boards. Austin Freeman though, was limited to just eight points, well off his regular-season average of 17.3 ppg. Monroe, a first-team all-league choice, ranks second to Freeman in scoring at 16.0 ppg and the 6-11 center also pulls in a team-high 9.5 rpg. Wright and Clark are two other options for Georgetown, as they check in with 14.2 and 10.5 ppg, respectively.

Syracuse can light up the scoreboard against anyone, entering the postseason with a hardy 81.4 ppg average behind an electric 51.5 percent shooting from the floor. Wes Johnson, who sat out last season after transferring from Iowa State, is one of the most versatile players around and he paces the Orange with 15.7 ppg and 8.5 rpg. A 38.1 percent three-point shooter, who also ranks second with 58 blocks and 52 steals, Johnson was recently tabbed as the Big East Player of the Year. Getting the ball to Johnson is Andy Rautins, who distributes a team-high 4.8 apg. Rautins, a second-team all-league pick, also leads the team in steals (64) to go with 11.6 ppg. Kris Joseph is another important player for the Orange, as provides 11.0 ppg and 5.4 rpg coming off the bench. He was recognized for his success with the Big East Sixth Man award.

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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