In recent years, underdogs have covered more often than not in the round of eight. Tonight the underdog not only covers; they send the favorite home.
Surviving scare after scare, the UCLA Bruins march into the Elite Eight with their dreams still intact. Equally tested, the Xavier Musketeers have found ways to win and now have the chance to advance to the Final Four.
Led by a talented group of seniors, the representatives from Ohio have played poised basketball through the first three rounds and are not likely to be in awe of the stage they’ll see tonight. In their Sweet 16 battle with West Virginia, Xavier shot over 50% from deep and locked down the Mountaineers perimeter attack. Ohio Native, Josh Duncan, dominated the game offensively draining three treys and getting to the line whenever he wanted. The X-men will need Drew Lavender to play a clean game at the point and get his team into their offense smoothly if they hope to pull off the upset tonight. The Bruins put a lot of pressure on the opposition’s guards; Drew will be tested tonight.
UCLA enters this game with tradition on their side, but this version of the Bruins is lacking the aura of a Champion. Ben Howland’s team has survived for weeks now on the back of one questionable call after another and their luck is due to run out if they keep letting less talented teams stick around. There is no doubt that the Bruins have the talent to take the title this season, but they don’t seem to have the “it” factor right now; no one is scared to play them. In fact, I would go as far as to call them the weakest of the one seeds at this point.
The Bruins have not covered any of their last four games against major division one schools and they’ll be tested once again tonight. UCLA gets a lot of notice for their defensive play, but Xavier actually held their opposition to a lower percentage from the field holding teams to just 40.6% shooting. Each of these teams has been tested in previous rounds; I expect another close game tonight. I see the chance to get +270 on taking the dog to win this one and that’s what I’ll do despite the fact that my best bracket has UCLA winning it all. I’ll toss out the bracket and back the Musketeers on the moneyline.
My play: Xavier +270
Surviving scare after scare, the UCLA Bruins march into the Elite Eight with their dreams still intact. Equally tested, the Xavier Musketeers have found ways to win and now have the chance to advance to the Final Four.
Led by a talented group of seniors, the representatives from Ohio have played poised basketball through the first three rounds and are not likely to be in awe of the stage they’ll see tonight. In their Sweet 16 battle with West Virginia, Xavier shot over 50% from deep and locked down the Mountaineers perimeter attack. Ohio Native, Josh Duncan, dominated the game offensively draining three treys and getting to the line whenever he wanted. The X-men will need Drew Lavender to play a clean game at the point and get his team into their offense smoothly if they hope to pull off the upset tonight. The Bruins put a lot of pressure on the opposition’s guards; Drew will be tested tonight.
UCLA enters this game with tradition on their side, but this version of the Bruins is lacking the aura of a Champion. Ben Howland’s team has survived for weeks now on the back of one questionable call after another and their luck is due to run out if they keep letting less talented teams stick around. There is no doubt that the Bruins have the talent to take the title this season, but they don’t seem to have the “it” factor right now; no one is scared to play them. In fact, I would go as far as to call them the weakest of the one seeds at this point.
The Bruins have not covered any of their last four games against major division one schools and they’ll be tested once again tonight. UCLA gets a lot of notice for their defensive play, but Xavier actually held their opposition to a lower percentage from the field holding teams to just 40.6% shooting. Each of these teams has been tested in previous rounds; I expect another close game tonight. I see the chance to get +270 on taking the dog to win this one and that’s what I’ll do despite the fact that my best bracket has UCLA winning it all. I’ll toss out the bracket and back the Musketeers on the moneyline.
My play: Xavier +270
I don't even think you're making a bad bet, but the use of the word "us" in the first sentence of this post tells you all you need to know about why I hope you lose your bet. 
