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David Bastl
Nevada (7) vs. Cincinnati (2) Odds: March Madness Prediction
Great match-up in the South region between #2 Cincinnati and #7 Nevada. What makes it so great? Completely different styles of play. The Bearcats boast one of the best defences in the nation that will face an elite offence in the Wolf Pack.
NCAA Tournament Odds and Betting Analysis
These two teams have not played against each other this season. However, there are some interesting trends in this match-up, and they shouldn’t surprise anyone. The offensively gifted Wolf Pack are an over team, 8-2 in their last ten neutral site games. The defensively intimidating Bearcats are an under team, as it is 21-10-1 in their last 32 Sunday games. Cincinnati is also 20-42 ATS in their last 62 Sunday games overall.
Nevada Wolf Pack
The Wolf Pack are hoping to use the same momentum against the Bearcats that they had against #7 Texas in the opening round. If you missed it, they trailed by 14 points in the second half to the Longhorns, erased it, forced overtime and continued to pour it on, scoring a 87-83 win. The craziest stat of that game? The Wolf Pack used only one player off the bench in the entire game, including overtime. Four out of five starters averaged over 42 minutes of playing time in the game.
Guard Kendall Stephens led the Pack with 22 points in the win, while junior forward Caleb Martin poured in 18 points along with 11 rebounds. This is a fast moving offence that will test the Bearcats defence. Expect a tight game, and one that could be determined late in the second half.
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats are coming into this game as winners of eight in a row after getting past Georgia State 68-53 on Friday afternoon. Cincinnati faced some adversity in this game, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the second half to storm past the Panthers for the victory. The Bearcats got a career game from Jarron Cumberland, who set career highs with 27 points and 11 rebounds. AAC player of the year Gary Clark chipped in with 11 points and 13 boards.
The big question here is whether or not the Bearcats have learned a lesson from a surprising opponent in round one. Here in the second round they face an opponent who can make teams pay for their mistakes. Of note, the Bearcats have only advanced to the Sweet 16 one time in 12 years, but Head Coach Mick Cronin may have his best UC roster in years. This Bearcats team is second behind only Virginia in points allowed per game with 57.1.
