The Nevada Wolf Pack are on cloud nine after their first NCAA Tournament win in more than a decade. Nevada showed the NCAA Committee why it needed to be included in March Madness after losing the MWC’s automatic bid in the conference tournament. No doubt, the MWC is hoping that this will help the conference be a multiple bid league in the future.
A win over the Cincinnati Bearcats would send both Nevada and the Mountain West into the stratosphere. Cincinnati is in the AAC and that conference has been seen as the best of the mid-majors.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, March 18, 2018, at 6:10 p.m. ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The game will be televised live on TNT. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game throughout March Madness.
Opening NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Nevada +7
Cincinnati -7
Over/Under 138
Cincinnati got a little bit of a test from No. 15 seed Georgia State. D’Marcus Simonds kept the Panthers hanging around for a while with some nice perimeter shooting, but in the end the Bearcats were too much. The Bearcats were just way too strong on the glass and that overcame a day where they shot less than 39 percent from the floor. Cincinnati had 20 offensive rebounds and finished the day with 20 more total rebounds than Georgia State. Cincy was a 14-point favorite according to the college basketball betting odds and just barely covered.
It will be a while before the Wolf Pack forget its miracle win over Texas. Nevada seemed down and out of it, trailing by 14 points in the second half. However, the Wolf Pack caught fire at just the right time in order to come back and pull out the victory. Twin brothers Caleb and Cody Martin combined to lead the team back from the brink along with Kendall Stephens. With the win, Nevada was able to cover the spread.
Key Stat
Nevada has precious little depth on its bench. The Wolf Pack played just six players in their First Round game against Texas, with five players on the court for at least 38 minutes of action. That’s sure to lead to some tired legs for this game.
In the regular season, Nevada used a seven-man rotation. The Wolf Pack are a little bit used to this, but no one played more than 35 minutes on average during the regular season. With only one night to rest, this is an area of concern.
Conversely, Cincinnati has a very deep bench. Only one player on the Bearcats plays more than 30 minutes on average, with nine players averaging at least 10 minutes per game. That will ensure this team has fresh legs prior to this one.
Player to Watch
Gary Clark has been phenomenal for Cincinnati this season. The Bearcats have relied on him in crunch time and he has been just the leader this team needs as a senior.
Clark leads the team in almost every major offensive category. He is the team leader in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. Clark has notched a double-double in each of Cincinnati’s last four games and isn’t a big man that is going to turn the ball over or get in foul trouble. That’s vital during the NCAA Tournament.
Free March Madness ATS Picks
You have the feeling that one of these No. 2 seeds is going to lose, but Cincinnati is a bad matchup for Nevada. The Bearcats are going to be able to control the glass and will wear down the Wolf Pack over the course of the game. Cincinnati is one of the top teams to bet on this Sunday, and the under might be worth a thought too.
NCAAB Basketball Betting Odds: Cincinnati 71 Nevada 62
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