No. 9 Missouri Tigers vs. No. 8 Colorado State Rams
Thursday, 3/21/13, 9:20 PM EST, TV: TBS
Opening Point Spread: Missouri -3
Current Betting Line: Missouri -3
Opening Total: 143
Current Total: 142.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Missouri is back in the NCAA Tournament for a school record-tying fifth consecutive year, as it prepares to play at Rupp Arena for the second time this season, as it dropped a 90-83 overtime decision to Kentucky on Feb. 23. The Tigers are 3-0 in NCAA Tournament games played on a home court of a league rival, which is hard to ignored when making your college basketball picks against the spread. Missouri is 6-9 ATS in March the last two-plus seasons, with the OVER going 8-5 in that situation.
The Tigers are one of the nation’s best rebounding squads, as they rank second with 41.4 boards per game. Missouri ranks third in rebounding margin, which is just behind Thursday’s opponent, who leads the nation at +12.4. Head coach Frank Haith has led the program to 11 wins in 14 tries on a neutral floor, including an impressive 4-1 mark versus top-25 opponents. Offensively, the squad finished second in the Southeastern Conference in scoring, averaging 76.2 points.
Colorado State went 2-7-1 ATS over its last 10 games, which is important to consider when looking over the college basketball betting lines, as it suffered a 75-65 setback to the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in the Mountain West Conference tournament semifinals. “This is my fifth time at being a first-year coach at this level and this has been the most difficult, as far as expectations,” stated Rams coach Larry Eustachy. He has gone 3-4 in four previous NCAA Tournament appearances. Colorado State is 3-5 ATS as underdogs this season.
The Rams’ four-year seniors have been a part of 80 wins during their careers in Fort Collins, which is the second-most in program history. Colorado enters with a 23-8 overall record, which includes an 11-5 conference mark. The team went 6-7 on the road, but 3-0 when playing on a neutral floor.
Sports bettors will likely back the Tigers due to their 10-3 ATS mark on a neutral floor, while the Rams are 2-5-1 ATS versus teams with a winning record.
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