Rams Biggest Cinderella Ever

Virginia Commonwealth is just not meant to be in the Final 4. They were not even supposed to be in the NCAA Championship at all.  There have been two other #11 seeds that made the Final Four but neither George Mason in 2006 nor LSU back in 1986 was nearly as major of an unexpected. LSU shouldn’t genuinely even count as a Cinderella story since they in fact got to play at home in that 1986 competition. The merely comparable Cinderella is George Mason in 2006 however the Patriots were never a double-digit underdog like VCU was versus Kansas. And in 2006 the Colonials went 15-3 to win the Colonial Athletic Conference.  VCU ended 4th in that same conference this year.  Plain and just, VCU isn’t meant to be in the Final 4 and is the biggest Cinderella story ever in the NCAA Competition.

Seasoned Bulldogs

Butler certainly has more knowledge than VCU since the Bulldogs played in the Final Four a year ago. They were a missed shot away from upsetting Duke and winning the national title.  Butler has experienced competitors in Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack and one of the top young coaches in the game in Brad Stevens.

Wagering Numbers

The Rams are 9-0 ATS in their previous 9 NCAA Tournament games. The Rams are 6-0 ATS in their past 6 non-conference games. The Rams are 5-0 ATS in their last five contests as an underdog. The Rams are 1-4 vs the point spread in their last 5 Saturday contests. The Bulldogs are 6-0 ATS in their last six matches total. The Bulldogs are 15-2 ATS in their last 17 neutral website games. The Bulldogs are 19-7 ATS in their prior 26 Saturday contests. Considering the total, the Under is 7-2 in the Bulldogs past 9 NCAA Tournament matches. The Under is 7-3 in the Bulldogs previous ten overall in NCAA March Madness betting.

What ought you watch for in the first round when you’re picking games?  Let’s consider each one of the 1st round bouts in March Madness betting probabilities and a few things to keep in mind.

1v16

A number 1 seed has never lost to a number sixteen seed outright.  The typical margin of victory is 25.3 points per match.  You can pray that a #16 seed covers but it is tough to argue for them.

2v15

Once in a long while a #2 seed will lose in this competition but it has just occurred four times in NCAA Tournament history. A typical margin of victory is 16.8 points per match.  A #15 seed nearly won a year ago but Robert Morris lost in ot to Villanova.

3v14

The number 3 seeds are winners about 84% of the time, though upsets can occur in this match. The average margin of victory is down to 11.2 points per game.  Georgetown was beaten a year ago as a number three seed.

4v13

The number 4 seeds are practically as excellent as the 3 seeds. They win by an average of 9.2 points per match.  That doesn’t mean 13 seeds cannot win in March Madness probabilities.  A year ago Murray State beat Vanderbilt and two years ago it was Cleveland State beating Wake Forest.  Three years ago 2 number 13 seeds were the victors.

5v12

This is the matchup where the longshot has done pretty well.  The average margin of victory for the number five seed is just 4.8 points per match.  In the last 9 years the five seeds are only 23-17.  The community has caught on to this pattern but at least one upset still happens close to every year.

6v11

Six seeds are practically as good as 5 seeds.  They are 22-10 over the last seven years and that’s a lot better than the statistics for 5 seeds.

7v10

This is really a toss-up match in March Madness betting at the sportsbook with the standard margin of victory for 7 seeds at only 2.5 points per competition. Since 2007 the 7 seeds are only 9-7.

8v9

This matchup is just about as even as it can be and actually the 9 seed has the advantage.

What ought you watch for in the first round when you’re picking games?  Let’s consider each one of the 1st round bouts in March Madness betting probabilities and a few things to keep in mind.

1v16

A number 1 seed has never lost to a number sixteen seed outright.  The typical margin of victory is 25.3 points per match.  You can pray that a #16 seed covers but it is tough to argue for them.

2v15

Once in a long while a #2 seed will lose in this competition but it has just occurred four times in NCAA Tournament history. A typical margin of victory is 16.8 points per match.  A #15 seed nearly won a year ago but Robert Morris lost in ot to Villanova.

3v14

The number 3 seeds are winners about 84% of the time, though upsets can occur in this match. The average margin of victory is down to 11.2 points per game.  Georgetown was beaten a year ago as a number three seed.

4v13

The number 4 seeds are practically as excellent as the 3 seeds. They win by an average of 9.2 points per match.  That doesn’t mean 13 seeds cannot win in March Madness probabilities.  A year ago Murray State beat Vanderbilt and two years ago it was Cleveland State beating Wake Forest.  Three years ago 2 number 13 seeds were the victors.

5v12

This is the matchup where the longshot has done pretty well.  The average margin of victory for the number five seed is just 4.8 points per match.  In the last 9 years the five seeds are only 23-17.  The community has caught on to this pattern but at least one upset still happens close to every year.

6v11

Six seeds are practically as good as 5 seeds.  They are 22-10 over the last seven years and that’s a lot better than the statistics for 5 seeds.

7v10

This is really a toss-up match in March Madness betting at the sportsbook with the standard margin of victory for 7 seeds at only 2.5 points per competition. Since 2007 the 7 seeds are only 9-7.

8v9

This matchup is just about as even as it can be and actually the 9 seed has the advantage.