2011 NCAA Tournament Second Round – East Region
#7 Washington Huskies vs. #10 Georgia Bulldogs, Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
Friday, March 18, 2011, 9:45 pm Eastern, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Washington -5
Current Line: Washington -5
Opening Total: 139
Current Total: 141
Money Line: Washington -235 / Georgia +195
The seventh-seeded Washington Huskies (23-10) might not have been playing up to expectations for most of the season, but they seem to be peaking at the perfect time heading into their East Region second-round matchup with the 10th-seeded Georgia Bulldogs (21-11) on Friday at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena. The Huskies (-5) finished third in the Pac-10 during the regular season but earned an automatic bid to the Big Dance by winning the conference tournament.
Washington was a bit of a disappointment as the preseason pick to win the Pac-10, going 11-7 to finish behind Arizona (14-4) and UCLA (13-5) in the conference standings. The Huskies picked a great time to come alive though, as they edged Washington State 89-87 and routed Oregon 69-51 to get to the Pac-10 tournament championship game.
The team was even favored against the top-seeded Wildcats in the title game and needed a game-wining shot from star guard Isaiah Thomas to win it at the buzzer in overtime, 77-75. Washington did not cover the 3-point spread, which was common down the stretch.
The Huskies dropped two of their last three games of the regular season, going 0-3 against the spread. All three were played at home, where they surprisingly went 8-7 ATS. Washington’s expectations were lowered a bit after the first month of the season, as the team went 0-3 against Kentucky, Michigan State and Texas A&M – all teams that made the NCAA tournament field.
Georgia made it into the Big Dance despite blowing a 14-point lead in the second half against Alabama in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament last Friday. The Bulldogs allowed the Crimson Tide to tie the game with four seconds remaining in regulation and proceeded to lose in overtime, 65-59.
Surprisingly, Georgia made it to the NCAA tournament over an Alabama team that finished first in the SEC’s West Division. The Bulldogs finished fourth in the SEC’s East Division at 9-7 and lost to the Tide twice in the last three games, including the regular-season finale. Their only decent win since beating Kentucky at home 77-70 back on January 8 was a 69-63 upset victory at Tennessee on February 19 as 4.5-point underdogs.
The UNDER has cashed in four of Georgia’s last five games along with five of the past six for the Huskies. However, the OVER is an impressive 21-7 in the last 28 games the Bulldogs have been underdogs.
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