2011 NCAA Tournament Third Round – East Region
#1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #8 George Mason Patriots, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Sunday, March 20, 2011, 5:15 pm Eastern, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Ohio State -11
Current Line: Ohio State -11
Opening Total: 135.5
Current Total: 135
Money Line: Ohio State -800 / George Mason +600
The top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes (33-2) will try to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row when they meet the eighth-seeded George Mason Patriots (27-6) on Sunday in this East Region third-round game at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena. Ohio State (-11) was a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament a year ago and lost to #6 Tennessee 76-73 in the Sweet 16.
The Buckeyes are coming off a 75-46 rout of Texas-San Antonio on Friday in the second round behind a team-high 18 points from junior William Buford. Freshman Jared Sullinger made a successful debut in the Big Dance, totaling 11 points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes of action. Senior guard Jon Diebler also had 14 points, 12 of which came on four 3-pointers.
Ohio State played an outstanding game defensively against the Roadrunners, holding them to 34 percent shooting and outrebounding them by a 34-24 margin. Diebler was the only Buckeye to play more than 31 minutes in the blowout with 35, ensuring that they would be fresh for this next game. The team has won its last eight games, going 6-2 against the spread. The UNDER has cashed just twice in the past nine even though only one opponent has scored more than 70.
George Mason has covered just two of its past five games, but one of them was a 61-57 upset of #9 Villanova in the second round. The Patriots entered the contest as 2-point underdogs despite being the higher seed and beat the spread in 14 straight games toward the end of the regular season prior to the recent slide.
Luke Hancock led George Mason to the come-from-behind win over the Wildcats after trailing 35-29 at halftime. Hancock connected on a 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining that put the Patriots up for good and finished with a team-high 18 points. Mike Morrison added 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds while Isaiah Tate also scored 10.
The UNDER has cashed in four of George Mason’s last five games, as the team has allowed just one opponent to score more than 61 points during that stretch. VCU accomplished that feat in a 79-63 victory in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Prior to that loss, the Patriots had allowed less than 70 points in 11 of their previous 12 games. They are looking to get back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since making it all the way to the Final Four in 2006.
Now that you have read this NCAA tournament college basketball betting preview featuring Ohio State & George Mason, check out the NCAA basketball odds on this and all the games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
