The NBA Finals odds are getting hot and heavy, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking a look at the odds to win the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics series gets underway this week!

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Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Boston @ Miami (Monday 5/28, 8:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 2: Boston @ Miami (Wednesday 5/30, 8:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 3: Miami @ Boston (Friday 6/1, 8:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 4: Miami @ Boston (Sunday 6/3, 8:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 5: Boston @ Miami (Tuesday 6/5, 8:30 PM, ESPN) (If Necessary)
Game 6: Miami @ Boston (Thursday 6/7, 8:30 PM, ESPN) (If Necessary)
Game 7: Boston @ Miami (Saturday 6/9, 8:30 PM, ESPN) (If Necessary)

Key #1: Rajon Rondo has to be the best quarterback on the court
When the “Boston Three Party” first came together, all eyes were pointed at Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. Everyone knew that the C’s were going to need a fourth player – some sort of a role player to try to get everything to come together. That man turned out to be the fourth man in the “Big Four” in Rondo. All of a sudden, the man from Kentucky that no one seemed to want on their team at the beginning of the year has nine triple-doubles in his playoff career, including two here in this postseason. Rondo has the ability to take over a game at the point guard spot as a slasher or a passer, and in the end, he might be the most dynamic player on the court. Rondo is really the only one that has young enough legs for the Celtics to keep up with the Heat when they are running up and down the floor as well, and that might be a big time difference making factor in this series.

Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat Series Odds at
Wager Web Sportsbook
Boston Celtics +415
Miami Heat -525
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Key #2: Boston has to exploit any Miami weakness in the paint
When the Celtics were busy winning championships, Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis were doing the job in the paint. They weren’t always good for the biggest numbers in the world, but those two were pulling down the important rebounds and altering shots that opponents were taking in the middle of the court all game long. Now though, both are gone, and the bigs for Boston just aren’t as good as they once were. Brandon Bass really isn’t your prototypical center, and there isn’t one that is going to be on the court for either side. Chris Bosh is still hurting for the Heat, and he might end up being out of this entire series with that abdomen injury. If that’s the case, it is up to really just Udonis Haslem for the first two games of this series, and Dexter Pittman as well after that when he returns from his suspension. Whether it be Bass, Garnett, or one of the other big men that the Celtics have to bring off of the bench, someone is going to have to find a way to dominate in the paint the way that Roy Hibbert did at times for the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs against Miami.

Key #3: The Super Friends have to continue to be super
It seems to go without saying that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are going to have to be the two best players on the court for the Heat to win this series. Miami has had its wakeup call, though. The team was pushed just a bit by Indiana, but in the face of adversity, D-Wade and LeBron both game up with huge games down the stretch of the series to make that series look ultimately like Secretariat pulling away from the rest of the field at the Belmont Stakes. This Miami team was assembled specifically to beat Boston, and LeBron knows that he has already had his NBA Finals dreams shattered by these Celtics once before. Not only could the Super Friends figure out how to get their first NBA title together if they can get past Boston, but they might be able to end the legacy in Beantown once and for all. That being said, if LeBron and Wade go back to what they were doing at the end of last year, alternating which one has the ball at the most important junctures of the game instead of playing the best matchups that are on the court, all of a sudden, Miami might find itself to be in a lot of trouble for the second straight series against a clearly inferior team.

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Of all of the great games that we have seen on the 2012 NBA Playoffs Schedule, the best of the bunch may have yet to get started. The top two teams in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, are set to get it on in the Western Conference Finals, and the winner will move on to play for all of the marbles on the 2012 NBA Finals odds! Don’t miss our 2012 Western Conference Finals preview and series picks!

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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Oklahoma City @ San Antonio (Sunday 5/27, 8:30 PM, TNT)
Game 2: Oklahoma City @ San Antonio (Tuesday 5/29, 9:00 PM, TNT)
Game 3: San Antonio @ Oklahoma City (Thursday 5/31, 9:00 PM, TNT)
Game 4: San Antonio @ Oklahoma City (Saturday 6/2, 8:30 PM, TNT)
Game 5: Oklahoma City @ San Antonio (Monday 6/4, 9:00 PM, TNT, If Necessary)
Game 6: San Antonio @ Oklahoma City (Wednesday 6/6, 9:00 PM, TNT, If Necessary)
Game 7: Oklahoma City @ San Antonio (Friday 6/8, 9:00 PM, TNT, If Necessary)

Key #1: The post defenders for the Thunder have to stay strong
This could really be the key to the whole series. The Spurs are going to be using their depth for sure to consistently give the Thunder everything that they could ever want, and that means a heck of a lot of driving into the paint and trying to control the low block. Battling it out in the paint, there just hasn’t been a team that has been able to body with San Antonio yet. That being said, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, and Nazr Mohammad are going to be waiting in the lane this time around for the slashing guards and the bigs for the Spurs, and we think that this is going to be a remarkable matchup. It isn’t about the stats for the big men for the Thunder. They just need to play well defensively, clean up the glass, and alter (or block) a ton of shots to make the Spurs uncomfortable. If they don’t and San Antonio can slash into the lane freely, this series is going to be a one-sided romp.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs Series Odds at
5Dimes Sportsbook
Oklahoma City Thunder +175
San Antonio Spurs -210
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Key #2: The Spurs have to be careful with the pace of this series
Depth has been the key for the Spurs over the course of the first two rounds of the playoffs. They clearly had more bodies to throw at both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz, and they were able to just keep running up and down the court to take care of those teams without all that much in the way of problems. Save for Tony Parker and Tim Duncan though, no one averaged more than 26 minutes per game. The good news is that it kept legs fresh. The bad news in this series though, is that the Thunder are ready, willing, and certainly able to keep up at this type of a pace with the Spurs. San Antonio has to be careful to say the least. Yes, this is a team that has the experience of winning NBA Finals, but those wins all came in situations where defense won championships. Now, the Spurs are going to try to run their way to a title. When it ran into a younger team that was willing to run last year in the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio was in some trouble and eventually got knocked out of the playoffs. We know that this is what got the Spurs to this point, but the possibility is there that the Thunder could force this tempo even faster, and that could make things very uncomfortable for the flow of the Spurs.

Key #3: The Spurs cannot commit too many fouls and send the Thunder to the foul line
If the Spurs are going to lose this series, there is a good chance that they do it at the charity stripe. For all of the good things that they do, the Spurs really don’t shoot foul shots that well. Tim Duncan is a liability from the foul line for sure, and though the guards are usually all good shooters, there are too many on the court that could be fouled and sent to the line for crucial free throws that might be nervy. The argument could be made that Oklahoma City had that issue last year when it was deep into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history (since moving from Seattle), but this year, with the experience that the team has, there should be no jitters. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are all great free throw shooters, and these are the men that are going to have the ball in their hands. We have seen this team knock down foul shots all postseason, making teams pay for trying to get too physical with them, and the Thunder are going to continue to do that in this series. The Spurs have to find ways to stay out of foul trouble, not so much for their depth, but just to keep Oklahoma City off of the charity stripe.

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The San Antonio Spurs are going to be back in action against the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the playoffs, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are going to make our NBA playoff predictions and our Spurs vs. Clippers series picks for what could be quite the entertaining series!

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Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Los Angeles @ San Antonio (Tuesday 5/15, 9:30 PM, TNT)
Game 2: Los Angeles @ San Antonio (Thursday 5/17, 9:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 3: San Antonio @ Los Angeles (Saturday 5/19, 3:30 PM, ABC)
Game 4: San Antonio @ Los Angeles (Sunday 5/20, 10:30 PM, TNT)
Game 5: Los Angeles @ San Antonio (Tuesday 5/22, TBD, If Necessary)
Game 6: San Antonio @ Los Angeles (Friday 5/25, TBD, If Necessary)
Game 7: Los Angeles @ San Antonio (Sunday 5/27, TBD, If Necessary)

Key #1: CP3 has no choice but to take over
The Clippers are just tremendous underdogs in this series, and for good reason. If there is any chance to pull off the upset though, Chris Paul needs to be the man of the hour. CP3 went off for 36 points when these two teams last met at the AT&T Center, and it took all 36 of those points to be able to get out of Dodge with a ‘W’. Of course, Mo Williams also put together 33 points off of the bench that day to help out, and that made all of the difference in the world. Still, it is going to come down to what CP3 can do. He is still hurting with a hip pointer, and it is clear that that is going to hamper him for as long as the Clippers are in the playoffs. Still, this is why Paul was brought to Tinseltown, and he is going to have to be the man that does everything for the Clippers if they want to stand any chance.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs Series Odds at
5Dimes Sportsbook
Los Angeles Clippers +1350
San Antonio Spurs -2200
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Key #2: Gregg Popovich has to continue to rotate his players
Well, at least we know that that shouldn’t be all that much of a problem. The Spurs use at least 11 players seemingly every single night, and Popovich is known to use all 13 that he has available to him regardless of whether the game is close or not. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker can’t all play 40 minutes per game like they used to, and that means that the likes of Tiago Splitter, Danny Green, Gary Neal, etc. have no choice but to step it up. None of them really need to contribute more than perhaps about 20 minutes on the court, but those 20 minutes are key, especially the ones that come without the big time scorers on the hardwood.

Key #3: The Clippers absolutely cannot get killed on the glass
Even dating back to 2010, it is quite easy to see the key to winning games in this series. The team that controls the glass is the one that is going to have the best chance to win. The Clippers outrebounded the Spurs 41-35 in the 120-108 win back in March at the AT&T Center, and they held the 53-42 edge in a 103-100 loss at Staples Center in overtime in February. The Spurs were +13 in a 115-90 win right at the outset of the season in December, while the Clippers won the battle on the boards 50-43 in the last meeting of last season, a 90-85 win. That means that Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and the likes really need to make sure that they are sure-handed on the glass and don’t let a somewhat undersized San Antonio team have its way. If the Spurs win the rebounding battle every night, the Clippers are going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble.

Click Here to get the best NBA picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Los Angeles vs. San Antonio picks and the NBA playoffs picks for the rest of the postseason odds.

The Western Conference finally gets involved in the second round of the playoffs on Monday night, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers are set to square off. Check out our keys to the game for the Thunder vs. Lakers, as well as our Lakers vs. Thunder series picks and a preview of what should be a great, two-week battle.

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Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Los Angeles @ Oklahoma City (Monday 5/14, 9:30 PM, TNT)
Game 2: Los Angeles @ Oklahoma City (Wednesday 5/16, 9:30 PM, TNT)
Game 3: Oklahoma City @ Los Angeles (Friday 5/18, 10:30 PM, ESPN)
Game 4: Oklahoma City @ Los Angeles (Saturday 5/19, 10:30 PM, TNT)
Game 5: Los Angeles @ Oklahoma City (Monday 5/21, TBD)
Game 6: Oklahoma City @ Los Angeles (Wednesday 5/23, TBD)
Game 7: Los Angeles @ Oklahoma City (Sunday 5/27, TBD)

Key #1: Oklahoma City has to get its head back in the game quickly
About the only disadvantage that a team generally has when it finishes off a sweep in the first round is that it could show some rust. We aren’t as worried about this with the San Antonio Spurs as we are with the Thunder, knowing that the Spurs have some veteran leadership to lead the way during the absence. However, no matter who you are, nine days off is going to be tough to say the least. The Thunder are going to have to hit the ground running in this series though, knowing that they are going against an LA team that only finished its first round series two nights ago. If Oklahoma City is going to slip at home, Games 1 and 2 are going to be quite dangerous for sure, especially with Kobe and the gang starting to pick up some confidence.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Series Odds at
Wager Web Sportsbook
Los Angeles Lakers +390
Oklahoma City Thunder -430
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Key #2: Kobe needs some help from his bench
There are two things that we know for sure from the Lakers every single time we see them on the court. 1: Kobe Bryant is going to be amazing. He has averaged just under 30 points per game in the playoffs this year, and the truth of the matter is that it is always disappointing when he doesn’t play 42 minutes and score 35 points when he is out there this time of year. 2: The rest of the team is going to be a giant crapshoot. Sure, once Metta World Peace came back to the lineup, matters helped dramatically. He put up 15 in Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets. However, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are below the numbers that we are expecting, and that is putting the pressure on the bench. Steve Blake shot the ball well from beyond the arc in the first round, and that has to keep up. Where is the rest of the help coming from, though? Ramon Sessions? Jordan Hill? Devin Ebanks? No matter who it is from, the Lakers are going to need their supporting cast to really step up, or they will get blown away in this series.

Key #3: The team that keeps its composure will win this series
We have seen it with the Lakers time and time again. They are a team that is able to be frustrated. The Dallas Mavericks did it to the point last year that they were able to sweep LA out of the second round of the playoffs. However, we know that Oklahoma City can be ruffled as well. Metta World Peace has the ability to be a stifling defensive player (as long as his elbows are staying close to his own body), while the combo of Gasol and Bynum in the paint is usually fantastic defensively. If Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook start to have some issues driving to the basket and become strictly jump shooters, the Thunder are in trouble. Whichever team is able to really play its game and forget what the other is trying to make it do will be in the best shape in this series.

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The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers went back and forth with each other all year long in the Atlantic Division. Now, the two have to meet in the playoffs, and we are set to make our NBA picks for the postseason, including our Boston vs. Philadelphia series predictions!

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Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Philadelphia @ Boston (Saturday 5/12, 8:00 PM, TNT)
Game 2: Philadelphia @ Boston (Monday 5/14, 7:00 PM, TNT)
Game 3: Boston @ Philadelphia (Wednesday 5/16, 7:00 PM, TNT)
Game 4: Boston @ Philadelphia (TBD)
Game 5: Philadelphia @ Boston (TBD, If Necessary)
Game 6: Boston @ Philadelphia (TBD, If Necessary)
Game 7: Philadelphia @ Boston (TBD, If Necessary)

Key #1: The 76ers have to keep their emotions in check
All too often what we see in the playoffs with teams that just pulled off big wins is that they fall into the tank and get eliminated very quickly after that. In the case of the 76ers, they were truly emotional in their victory over the Chicago Bulls in the first round, and the celebration really looked more like an NBA Finals type of celebration than a simply first round series triumph. Though there is plenty of NBA experience on this team, there aren’t many that have ever been this far in the playoffs before, and we are just afraid that what we saw out of the Memphis Grizzlies last year when they were finally taken out of the second round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder could happen again if the Sixers just don’t have the oomph to keep the foot on the gas pedal throughout this whole series.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics Series Odds at
5Dimes Sportsbook
Philadelphia 76ers +175
Boston Celtics -210
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Key #2: More than six players will have to be big for the Celtics
Six players. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Brandon Bass, and Avery Bradley. That’s all that played in more than 17 minutes per game for the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, and those are the only players that averaged more than 3.5 points per game as well. Pierce was the catalyst of the bunch, coming up with 21.2 points per game, while KG and Rondo weren’t all that far behind at 18.7 and 16.8 points per game respectively. That being said, there is still a heck of a lot that others can do. Mickael Pietrus was awful in that opening series against the Hawks, and Marquis Daniels was really nowhere to be found either. These are players that play crucial minutes for Boston. It’s not that they are going to have to be double digit point scorers every time out there. However, it would be quite nice if in the end, the Celtics didn’t have to rely on just those main four scorers and two others to account for the mass majority of what they are doing offensively.

Key #3: Defense will be the ultimate key
The Celtics ranked No. 2 in the league in terms of points per game in the regular season at 89.3, and teams only shot 41.9 percent against them, best in the NBA. Philly was third in both categories at 89.4 points per game and 42.7 shooting percentage against. In the playoffs, that has been magnified even more. Boston kept the Hawks down to just 87 points or fewer in all six games of that series, something that isn’t often done. Granted, we know that the Sixers had some help in the form of injuries to Derrick Rose and then Joakim Noah as the series wore on, but regardless of those facts, holding the mighty Bulls, who still had one of the best offenses in the league this season even with Rose missing half the year, down to 82 points or fewer in four straight games to close out that series was quite impressive. Whichever team can impose its defensive will on the other is likely to be the one that ends up advancing in this series.

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The second round of the NBA playoffs gets started on Sunday, May 13th, when the Miami Heat take on the Indiana Pacers. Check out our Heat vs. Pacers series preview and see which one of these teams is going to take one more step towards beating the NBA Finals odds in 2012!

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Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Indiana @ Miami (Sunday 5/13, 3:30 PM, ABC)
Game 2: Indiana @ Miami (Tuesday 5/15, 7:00 PM, TNT)
Game 3: Miami @ Indiana (TBD)
Game 4: Miami @ Indiana (TBD)
Game 5: Indiana @ Miami (TBD, If Necessary)
Game 6: Miami @ Indiana (TBD, If Necessary)
Game 7: Indiana @ Miami (TBD, If Necessary)

Key #1: The Pacers have to control the perimeter
This is what the Pacers really did oh so well against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. However, Indiana also knew that Orlando’s only shot of winning that series was by knocking down shots from the outside. If that was shut down, the Magic may as well have just disappeared. In this series though, there are a heck of a lot more things to worry about. The Pacers are going to have to make sure that they don’t abandon the outside shooters, because as we saw with against New York Knicks, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, and Mike Miller all have the ability to hit the shots from the outside when given the chance. Those three have to be silenced by the Pacers, or they have absolutely zero chance of winning this series.

Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat Series Odds at
Wager Web Sportsbook
Indiana Pacers +600
Miami Heat -900
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Key #2: The Heat have to get contributions from their big men
And that means you, Chris Bosh. Of course, it won’t just be Bosh that is expected to post up in the lane, as we frequently think that we are going to see LeBron James matched up with David West. The Pacers were the bigger team against the Magic, and that is going to their one big time advantage in this series as well. The Heat might be more of the athletic team, but in terms of height and weight, the likes of West, Danny Granger, and Roy Hibbert are going to rule the day. Hibbert has been known to get into some foul trouble, and if Bosh or the likes of D-Wade and LeBron can get into the paint and cause the big man out of Georgetown to take some bad fouls, there is no doubt in our minds that the Heat have the huge advantage at that point with the paint opened up. Hibbert averaged over 10 boards and nearly four blocks per game against the Magic and is a real force to be reckoned with defensively.

Key #3: The Heat can’t have their eyes on the NBA Finals already
Get used to hearing this for as long as the Heat are playing in the playoffs. Assuming that it stays healthy, when Miami wants to come out and play, it is going to win games in this series by double digits. There’s just no two ways around that. That being said, you do have to go out and win four games out of seven against Indiana before worrying about the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, and this is a dangerous opponent that it is going against. The Pacers did have wins this year against some of the best teams in the league, and that includes going into Chicago (with Derrick Rose) and beating the Chicago Bulls and taking one of the four games in this series (and nearly two of the four) against the Heat in the regular season.

Click Here to get the best NBA picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our Indiana vs. Miami picks and the NBA playoffs picks for the rest of the postseason odds.

The NCAA Tournament continues into its second weekend starting on Thursday, and before you make your Sweet 16 picks, be sure to check out this March Madness trends and picks sheet to help you out through the big weekend on the collegiate hardwood.

Thursday, March 24th, 7:15 ET: #3 Connecticut Huskies vs. #2 San Diego State Aztecs
March Madness Odds: Connecticut -1
March Madness Trends of Note
The Huskies have covered four straight games as favorites
Connecticut is 6-0 ATS in its last six against teams with a winning percentage above .600
The Aztecs are 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600

NCAA Tournament Notes
The Huskies are putting on one of the more remarkable runs that we have ever seen a team go on in the postseason, as they won seven games and covered seven spreads in a span of just 12 days against some of the best teams in the land. Kemba Walker just seems to be unconscious right now, and the argument could be made that he is the most important player left in this tournament. The Aztecs have only won two NCAA Tournament games in their history, both of which happened to be here in this tournament. SDSU will have the decided home court advantage playing in Anaheim. These two teams have never met before on the hardwood.

Thursday, March 24th, 7:27 ET: #3 BYU Cougars vs. #2 Florida Gators
March Madness Odds: Florida -3
March Madness Trends of Note
BYU is just 30-62-2 ATS in its last 94 games as an underdog
The Gators are 6-0 ATS in their last six NCAA Tournament games as favorites
Florida is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games following an SU victory

NCAA Tournament Notes
Could it be sweet revenge in the Sweet 16 for the Gators? Head Coach Billy Donovan hopes so, as these Cougars knocked the Gators out of the dance last season the first round in a 99-92 game that was decided in overtime. Both of these teams look remarkably similar to their forms from last season, as the only real absence from last year is Brandon Davies, who was kicked off of the BYU roster a few weeks ago. Still, the Gators have a great history here in the Sweet 16, and they are trying to make it back to their fourth Final Four in the Donovan era. BYU is just trying to prove that it belongs and that it should have been the No. 2 seed of these two teams in this region.

Thursday, March 24th, 9:45 ET: #5 Arizona Wildcats vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils
March Madness Odds: Duke -8.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Wildcats are just 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the ACC
Duke has covered five in a row against the Pac-10
The Blue Devils are 6-2 ATS in their last eight NCAA Tournament games

NCAA Tournament Notes
The Blue Devils have all to play for right now, as they are just four steps away from retaining their National Championship, something that many didn’t give them that great of a chance to do just last week. The trick is going to be coping with the long trip out to Anaheim, as Arizona will have a decided home court edge, just as SDSU will against UConn earlier in the night. The Wildcats have now won two games thanks to the prowess of Derrick Williams in the post, and he is going to be the key, while the Dookies are going to hope that the good health of Kyrie Irving can set them apart in this one. These two last met in 2001 in the National Championship Game, and Duke knocked off the Wildcats 82-72 as short four point underdogs.

Thursday, March 24th, 9:57 ET: #8 Butler Bulldogs vs. #4 Wisconsin Badgers
March Madness Odds: Wisconsin -4.5
March Madness Trends of Note
Butler has covered six straight March Madness betting battles
Wisconsin is 5-1 ATS in its last six games played outside of the Big Ten
The Bulldogs are 21-5-2 ATS in their last 28 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600

NCAA Tournament Notes
Butler really has a great chance of pulling off the upset in this one if it can shoot the ball as well as it has in its first two games in this tournament against the Old Dominion Monarchs and Pittsburgh Panthers, especially late in games from long range. This is largely the same team that was in the finale last season that lost by a whisker, save for the fact that sharpshooter Gordon Hayward is now in the NBA. The Badgers haven’t had a great history once they reach this point in the dance, but they do have a tremendous defensive team and one that can really shoot free throws in clutch spots. If it’s a close game, Wisconsin will have the huge upper hand. Back in January 2001, Butler went into the Kohl Center and knocked off the Badgers 58-44 in the most recent meeting of these two Midwest schools.

Friday, March 25th, 7:15 ET: #11 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. #2 North Carolina Tar Heels
March Madness Odds: North Carolina -4.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Golden Eagles are 23-11 ATS in their last 34 games against teams with a winning percentage greater than .600.
North Carolina is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games in the NCAA Tournament
The Tar Heels are 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games overall

NCAA Tournament Notes
UNC really has had the look of an incredibly dominating team of late, as it really hasn’t played a truly remarkable game since the regular season finale against the Duke Blue Devils. Still, the Heels have a great set of bigs to work with that can get the job done on the inside (John Henson and Tyler Zeller) and on the outside (Harrison Barnes). Marquette is quickly developing into the sweetheart of this tournament, especially knowing that it has 14 losses to its credit already this season. Still, of all of the Big East teams that were in this field, this is clearly the least likely one to do any further damage and would be the most surprising team to reach the Final Four.

Friday, March 25th, 7:27 ET: #12 Richmond Spiders vs. #1 Kansas Jayhawks
March Madness Odds: Kansas -10.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Spiders are 10-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall
Kansas is 4-0 ATS in its last four games against the Atlantic 10
The Jayhawks are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 NCAA Tournament tussles as favorites of 7.0-12.5 points

NCAA Tournament Notes
These two teams do have a history with one another, and you can bet that the Spiders will not be intimidated by going against the No. 1 seed in the Southwest Bracket. Richmond won at Allen Fieldhouse back in 2004, scoring a 69-68 triumph. Little did we know that Kansas was going to eventually roll off 69 straight wins there through this season. Still, these two teams are built totally differently, as the Spiders really need to play this game in the 60s to have success, while the Jayhawks are content to run and gun into the 70s or even into the 80s. Kansas, of course, is still working to try to erase the memory of that brutal loss in the second round last year to the Northern Iowa Panthers, and you can bet that Head Coach Bill Self will have this team ready even though Richmond is another “mid major” team.

Friday, March 25th, 9:45 ET: #4 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #1 Ohio State Buckeyes
March Madness Odds: Ohio State -5.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Big Ten
Ohio State is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games following an SU win of 20 or more points
The Buckeyes are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 March Madness matches as favorites

NCAA Tournament Notes
This is one of the most intriguing games of the entire tournament to date, as this one pits one of the No. 1 seeds from last year’s tournament in Kentucky, against the No. 1 overall seed in the dance in Ohio State. The talent is there for these two to really put on a tremendous show, as both teams definitely have the full complement of big guys and sharpshooters. Either one could win a game in the 50s just as easily as it could win one in the 90s. One thing is for sure, and that’s that there certainly will be no lack of talent on display. Both of these teams have played some absolutely fantastic basketball to reach this point, and you can bet that both will want to put their best foot forward to get into the Elite 8.

Friday, March 25th, 9:57 ET: #11 VCU Rams vs. #10 Florida State Seminoles
March Madness Odds: Florida State -3.5
March Madness Trends of Note
The Rams are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last seven games in the NCAA Tournament
VCU is 5-1 ATS in its last six games against ACC opponents
Florida State is 2-6 ATS in its last eight neutral site games as a favorite

NCAA Tournament Notes
This is certainly the most unlikely of the eight matchups in the Sweet 16, as it isn’t all that often that we see a pair of double digit seeds pitted against each other, especially this late on. The Rams are the Cinderella stories for sure, as they had to come out of the First Four to reach this point. They’ve done so with great shooting from the outside and a tenacious full court defense, and the Georgetown Hoyas and Purdue Boilermakers haven’t even stayed remotely close to them. As a result, Head Coach Shaka Smart, who is suddenly the hottest young coaching commodity out there, has his team in the Sweet 16 for the first time Florida State had never won an NCAA Tournament game under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton before this year. This is its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1998 when it was ironically also a double digit seed. Chris Singleton is hoping to be able to make full contributions for the Seminoles this week after playing limited minutes in the first two rounds of the dance. FSU’s defense has been second to none in this tournament, as the Texas A&M Aggies and Notre Dame Fighting Irish just had no chance of getting around this very athletic team.