Sweet 16 Odds: Can The Gators Repeat?
Writing by admin on Tuesday, 20 of March , 2007 at 11:17 am
Boring? Excuse me?
Somebody needs to explain why it’s boring to watch the very best college basketball teams play one another. That’s what we have in store during the Sweet 16 portion of the NCAA men’s Tournament; all four top seeds remain in the hunt, including the defending champion Florida Gators.
Are we in for the first repeat champions since the Duke Blue Devils pulled the trick in 1991 and 1992? Florida does have the shortest odds of the 16 survivors at 5-2, and the Gators appear to have an easier path to the Final Four than any of the other No. 1 seeds. It starts with Friday’s matchup against the plucky No. 5 Butler Bulldogs, who just don’t seem designed to handle big men like 6-foot-10 Al Horford (13.3 points, 9.8 rebounds per game) and 6-foot-11 Joakim Noah (12.1 points, 8.3 boards).
After that, things get a lot more dicey for Florida. A potential Elite Eight matchup with the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels could spell doom for the Gators. Florida point guard Taurean Green is having a lousy Tournament, shooting just 4-for-18 and committing nine turnovers to go with 14 assists. When Florida’s outside shots don’t find their mark, the team struggles to win – that 74-67 final over the Purdue Boilermakers in the second round was no cakewalk. UNLV happens to excel at perimeter defense, while sixth-man and Montreal native Joel Anthony gives the Rebels some added heft in the paint.
Get past UNLV, and look at the obstacles the Gators will have to overcome once they reach Atlanta. Can they beat Kansas, and then North Carolina? How about UCLA, and then Ohio State? Even a Big East combo of Pittsburgh and Georgetown would be hard to digest. But we’ve seen this movie before. Last year’s Gators plowed through three tough opponents in the Bruins, Hoyas and the Villanova Wildcats on the way to the title. They weren’t intimidated then, and they won’t be intimidated now.
Think the Gators will win it again this year? This site’s got your NCAA Tournament odds.
Category: Online College Basketball Betting
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