Bears and Bearkats collide in South Regional action

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playing in their second NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons, the Baylor Bears will tangle with the Sam Houston State Bearkats in first round action of the South Region at New Orleans Arena this afternoon.

The Bearkats set a school record this season for wins, grabbing 25 victories, surpassing the team's previous high of 23 set back in 2003 and 2008. The Bearkats claimed the regular-season and the tournament title in the Southland Conference, earning them just their second trip to the NCAA Tournament. The only other appearance for Sam Houston State in this event came in 2003 and the team was promptly dismissed by Florida in the first round, 85-55.

As for the Bears, this will be their sixth appearance in the Big Dance, and the second in the last three seasons. However, Baylor is just 3-7 all-time in this tournament. This season the Bears racked up an impressive 25-7 ledger and finished 11-5 in Big 12 action, The team's reward was the third seed in the South Region, which is the highest seed in Baylor's history.

In regard to the all-time series between the two schools on the hardwood, the Bears currently hold a 6-3 edge over Sam Houston State.

The winner of this contest will move into the second round where they will face either Notre Dame or Old Dominion.

Since the start of the season the Bearkats have been a dangerous squad offensively and come into this tournament averaging 79.9 ppg. Sam Houston State is shooting a respectable 46.8 percent from the floor on the season, and from behind the arc the team has been just as solid, connecting on 37.8 percent of its attempts from long range. Gilberto Clavell provides balance in the frontcourt, as the big man is netting 16.9 ppg, to go along with a team- high 6.3 rpg. Corey Allmond is contributing 15.9 ppg and is the team's top threat from behind the arc, connecting on 94-of-250 attempts from long range (37.6 percent). Running the show on the floor has been Ashton Mitchell, who has distributed 162 assists, to go along with 12.7 ppg. Mitchell however, is more than just a passer, as the guard comes into this tournament posting an impressive 47.0 percent shooting effort from the floor.

With the likes of Kansas and Kansas State in their conference, the Bears often went overlooked this season, but they remain a very dangerous team. Baylor is known for its play offensively, but the team has been tenacious at the defensive end of the court as well, and heads into this game limiting opponents to just 65.9 ppg on a 38.4 percent shooting effort. The Bears have also done a terrific on the glass, outrebounding opponents by an average of 6.7 rpg. While the defensive effort is important, the true success of this team does lie at the offensive end of the court, as the team is producing 77.6 ppg. LaceDarius Dunn is currently pacing the team with 19.4 ppg, and is a terrifying threat from behind the arc, where he is connecting on 42.5 percent (105-of-247) of his three-point attempts. Tweety Carter has run the show on the floor, netting 15.7 ppg, to go along with a team-high 171 assists, while Ekpe Udoh has dominated the paint, averaging 13.9 ppg and 9.8 rpg.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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