Anteaters Gotta Lotta Zottin' to Do against the Ducks

Published on 24-Mar-2019 by Sportbet Staff

Basketball - NCAA Mens    NCAA Basketball Daily Stake

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Anteaters Gotta Lotta Zottin' to Do against the Ducks

Arguably, from spots 1 through 8, the three most all-around athletic teams in the Big Dance are Florida State, Oregon, and Gonzaga, in that order, with a nod to North Carolina.

That's one reason why the Zag-Seminole Sweet Sixteen pairing will be beyond enticing. Another will be that it's a rematch of last spring's clash, when Florida State advanced.

The UC-Irvine Anteaters are next up for the Ducks.

 

Bovada has set the line at Oregon -5 and the total at 127 with the moneyline at UC-Irvine +180 and Oregon -220.

They're gonna need a buncha fundamental defensive position work in this matchup, and the computer print-out indicates it'll be effective:

Why bet on UC-Irvine ...

Ask the computer. Those numbers are the results of simulated games between these two clubs.

The Anteaters have the size and athleticism themselves to compete with major conference programs, as they confirmed by taking out Big XII regular-season co-champ Kansas State in the first round. Dudes take care of the rock -- committing turnovers only 17.3% of the time -- and crash the o-boards very well.

While UC-Irvine doesn’t shoot a lot of treys, they've connected on 36.1% of their attempts to date. This is good, because they're kinda porous defensively.

 

Why bet on Oregon ...

When projected centerpiece and likely one-&-done dude Bol Bol was lost for the season with a foot fracture, it took the Ducks a while to reinvent themselves. It all came together in January, and they've been fearsome ever since, which includes storming through the Pac-12 tourney to win it and follow up by handing Wisconsin its lunch in the first round.

Standouts have been eagle-eyed Payton Pritchard, whose range extends to the stratosphere, and Kenny Wooten, who seems to sky that high. Like the Zags, especially, their roster is composed of interchangeable parts, which makes them so ferocious on defense.

 

Instant analysis ...

Both of these teams have been awesome plays in their last 10 games, with the Anteaters going 8-1-1 ATS and the Ducks boasting a 9-1 ATS record. UC-Irvine has won 17 straight games. Oregon has won 9 in a row.

Oregon just has more quickness, depth, and athleticism than UC-Irvine. Not to knock technology, but those traits are more intangible than computers can directly measure, and this is a game where intangibles carry the day.

ATS pick ... Oregon -5

Bet at 5dimes

Result: Oregon 73 UC-Irvine 54 ... Ducks cover

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