Middle Tennessee State pulled off what may go down as the greatest upset in tournament history when it knocked off the Michigan State Spartans on Friday. Sparty was considered one of the two or three most likely teams to win the NCAA Tournament and this game wasn't supposed to give the Spartans too much trouble. MTSU dominated this one for its entirety though and controlled the pace to pull off the upset. Now the Blue Raiders will take on the Syracuse Orange to see which team will make the Sweet Sixteen.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Syracuse Orange -6
Middle Tennessee St Blue Raiders +6
Over/Under 131
HOW THE SYRACUSE ORANGE WILL COVER THE SPREAD
Syracuse backed its way into the tournament with three straight losses to end the regular season and many thought the Orange shouldn't have received an invite to the NCAA Tournament. Jim Boeheim's boys hushed that sentiment with a dominant 70-51 win over Dayton and are now favored to make the Sweet Sixteen.
The Orange didn't shoot well from the floor against Dayton on Friday, but showed why they can be such a dangerous team with their amazing rebounding and free throw shooting. Syracuse outrebounded Dayton 45-27 on the night and shot 87 percent from the free throw line in addition to playing staunch defense and allowing just 32.1 percent shooting.
Every Syracuse starter reached double digits in scoring with Tyler Roberson and Malachi Richardson playing the best games. Roberson finished with 10 points and a whopping 18 rebounds, eight of them offensive. Richardson led the team with 21 points and was 8-9 from the line.
The Orange don't have much of a bench so they will need their starters to keep up this high level of play if they’re to win it all.
HOW THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE ST BLUE RAIDERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD
It's hard to overstate just how shocking Middle Tennessee State's win over Michigan St was. The Blue Raiders were 17 point underdogs and considered to be just a stepping stone until the Spartans' bigger test against Syracuse. MTSU shocked the world by playing an absolutely bonkers game, shooting 57.9 percent from three point range and hitting over 55 percent from the floor cumulatively.
Reggie Upshaw and Giddy Potts were two of the team's best players all season and they certainly played like it against the Spartans. The duo combined to go 14-24 from the field and were a big part of MTSU's success. Now the question is whether or not the Blue Raiders can shoot like this against the Orange and its 2-3 zone.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Despite losing their last three at the end of the regular season, the Orange have covered four of their last five. Syracuse is 4-2 ATS in neutral site games on the season and has seen the over cash in five of the six games.
Middle Tennessee State won, and covered, its three conference tournament games to make it here and now the Blue Raiders are playing with house money. The under has been a solid bet in MTSU games away from Murfreesboro with an 11-7-1 record.
The Blue Raiders have the formula it takes to make magic happen in March, but Syracuse is a whole different beast. The Orange will make you beat them with good passing and perimeter shooting and if you don't have that, Syracuse will win.
It's hard not to get caught up in the moment, but Cuse will slowly suffocate MTSU and just barely cover the spread.
Syracuse 68, Middle Tennessee St 61
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Bet on college basketball today as the Syracuse Orange and the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders square off Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 6:10 p.m. ET at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The matchup will be televised nationally on TNT.
