Hughes, Bohannon may give Badgers tournament edge

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/17/2010 -

MILWAUKEE (AP) -It's perhaps the most oft-repeated nugget of conventional NCAA tournament wisdom and it bodes particularly well for Wisconsin this year: Experienced guard play can be a decisive edge.

The Badgers start one of the tournament's most experienced guard pairs, Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon. Both are seniors making their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearances. Going into Friday's first-round matchup with Wofford in Jacksonville, Fla., both must excel if the No. 4-seeded Badgers are to make an extended run this month.

``It always gives you a pretty good chance,'' Badgers coach Bo Ryan said. ``If you want to put it down as percentages when you make out the batting lineup - who bats first and who's in the third spot and who's batting before the pitcher - you take all the percentages and you say, 'What is it in tournaments?' Guard play is extremely important.''

Wofford starts three guards in Brad Loesing, Junior Salters and Jamar Diggs. Salters is a senior, but none of the guards has the experience of the Badgers' backcourt.

Hughes and Bohannon have played in all seven of Wisconsin's NCAA tournament games during the previous three seasons. Hughes played sparingly in the tournament as a freshman, but Bohannon hasn't played fewer than 26 minutes in any NCAA tournament game during his career.

The two have experienced highlight-reel highs, including Hughes' overtime game-winner against Florida State in the first round last year. And when they've struggled, so has Wisconsin: They shot a combined 5 of 28 from the field in last year's second-round loss to Xavier.

Now given one last chance to play in the tournament, they're looking to create a few more highlights.

``Obviously, we're excited,'' Bohannon said. ``Me and Trevon have been fortunate enough to play four years in the NCAA tournament consecutively, and that's a great accomplishment. We're really looking forward to another chance to go out there and perform again.''

Hughes said he expects to make some noise in the tournament, especially after following up his fireworks against Florida State with a disappointing performance against Xavier. Hughes was 3 of 16 from the field in that game, while Bohannon shot 2 of 12. The duo combined to go 1 for 14 from 3-point range.

``Every time we step on the floor, we feel like we could do some damage,'' Hughes said. ``Everybody on our team, the coaching staff, we feel like we could win every game. We prepare for everybody the same way, so we figure we've got a chance every time we go into a match.''

Hughes is a point guard who can play good defense, create his own shot and come through under pressure. Bohannon is mostly known for his outside shooting, including 40.2 percent from 3-point range this year. He hasn't found as many shooting opportunities of late, putting up only 12 3-point attempts in the Badgers' last four games.

Bohannon was 1 of 10 from the floor in an ugly Big Ten tournament loss to Illinois that ranks among Wisconsin's worst outings of the season. Hughes wasn't much better, shooting 4 for 16 from the field, but his late flurry of 3-pointers at least managed to make the game close.

``Even though we lost a game, we've got to bounce back stronger and better than we have before,'' Bohannon said. ``And we've done that throughout the course of the season. When we had a loss, we would bounce back very strong, and we've got to have the same mentality going into this one.''

Never one to gush, Ryan sounds optimistic going into Friday.

``If you just take a look over the years, I know there are a lot of people who subscribe to the theory that talent is what's really important because lack of preparation time, things like that,'' Ryan said. ``But that's not always true. You need defense to keep you in it and you need some players to get hot offensively. I haven't seen a team advance without a combination of those things, so, we've got senior leadership, we've got some guys who potentially can be very hot in a game.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

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