Holy Cross is quite the Cinderella story. The Crusaders entered the Patriot League tournament as the No. 9 seed, then beat four higher-seeded teams to win the league title and earn their spot in the field of 68. Despite their win Wednesday in the First Four, the odds are stacked against them. HCU would have to reach the national title game just to finish the season above .500.
You can bet on college basketball odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
HOW THE HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The Crusaders extended their winning streak to five games and earned a showdown with No. 1 Oregon by knocking off Southern in Wednesday’s First Four. The victory improved their record to 15-19. That’s right, 15-19. It doesn’t matter to them, though. Holy Cross got its first NCAA Tournament victory in 63 years and is savoring the moment.
Entering the Patriot League tournament with losses in 13 of its previous 16 games and without a single conference road win all season, Holy Cross proceeded to win four road games in a row, including a play-in game against Loyola and a double-overtime thriller against top-seed Bucknell.
Suddenly the defensive lapses and shooting woes that had marred new coach Bill Carmody’s first season in Worcester, Mass., vanished. And one thing we know is that a Carmody-coached team isn’t going to beat itself.
Holy Cross has nothing to lose. Heck, they weren’t even supposed to be here. But Carmody said he saw the team coming together just before the conference tournament. “We definitely deserve to be here,” said guard Robert Champion, who came off the bench to score 19 against Southern on Wednesday night.
HOW THE OREGON DUCKS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Oregon is No. 1 in the Pac-12 and, on paper, No. 1 in the West. For the first time in school history, they will enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. Now that they’ve gotten here, it’s time for the Ducks to do something with it.
The historic seeding follows a season of superlatives. Oregon climbed to No. 5 in the AP Poll this week, won both the Pac-12 regular season title and tournament championship, downing Utah 88-57.
It’s hard not to like what coach Dana Altman’s club brings to the court. The Ducks combine balanced offense with a healthy amount of depth, and they feature four scorers who average in double figures.
Dylan Brooks is an impact player and one the Crusaders have seen very little of. He can beat opponents inside and out and leads an offense that ranks fifth in adjusted efficiency. Oregon has a nice combo of players. Brooks and Tyler Dorsey handle the backcourt with Elgin Cook and Chris Boucher forming an athletic pair of post players.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It’s crazy that after not winning a road game in the Patriot League all regular season, Holy Cross has now won five straight games away from home to continue its postseason run. This is why March is so fun. The schedule does the Crusaders no favors. They now have to fly to Washington to play against No. 1 Oregon in Spokane, with a 4:27 local tip time on Friday. Why this couldn’t be the last tip of the night, especially with Oregon’s team already living on Pacific time, well, we don’t know.
Oregon will likely have its way with Carmody’s Princeton offense if Holy Cross shoots 45 percent, as it did against Southern. Also, Oregon will have the size to dominate down low. The teams are very different in size, skill and style. It will be a contrast, to say the least, and HCU will try and slow the game as much as it can. The Ducks enter with a winning mentality, having only dropped back-to-back games one all season.
Oregon 74, Holy Cross 57
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Holy Cross Crusaders and Oregon Ducks will go down Friday, March 18, 2016 at 7:27 p.m. ET at Spokane Arena. The matchup will be televised live on TRU TV.
