Will Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim channel Jimmy Chitwood?
An underdog squad with a player named Buddy will compete for a spot in the Elite Eight on Saturday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse, where the final scenes of the championship game in “Hoosiers” were filmed.
Besides sharing the same name as the team captain for the beloved film’s fictional Hickory High School, Syracuse star Buddy Boeheim has the same game as sharpshooter Jimmy Chitwood, who made the last-second shot in “Hoosiers” that won the state title.
Bettors are banking on Boeheim, the son of Orange coach Jim Boeheim, to help No. 11 seed Syracuse cover as a 6½-point underdog to No. 2 Houston.
The Orange are the most popular underdog in the Sweet 16, attracting 71 percent of the money wagered on the game at William Hill. Handicappers Paul Stone and Bruce Marshall and VSiN host Mitch Moss each made Syracuse their best bet in the Review-Journal’s Madness Challenge.
“The Orange’s path to the Sweet 16 has been paved by the coach’s son, Buddy Boeheim, who scored a total of 55 points in the two tournament victories (over San Diego State and West Virginia), hitting 13 of 23 from 3-point territory,” said Stone (@PaulStoneSports).
“In his last four games, Boeheim has hit 56 percent of his 3-point attempts (24-for-43) and should pose problems for the favored Cougars.”
Stone, who went 8-4 ATS in the first round and hit his best bet, noted that Houston is an outstanding defensive team but is prone to offensive lapses. The Cougars (26-3) trailed Rutgers by nine with 4:55 left in the round of 32 before rallying for a 63-60 win.
“I think Syracuse could even win this game outright,” Stone said. “Especially if Boeheim can continue his hot shooting ways from the outside.”
Marshall expects Houston to struggle against Syracuse’s zone defense without a true post threat.
“Houston could easily find itself attacking Jim Boeheim’s defense with lower-percentage looks on the perimeter,” said Marshall (Goldsheet.com). “Merely winning this game, not to mention extending the margin, looks to be a real chore for the Cougars.”
Florida State (+2½) over Michigan
Circa, South Point and the Westgate each took sharp action on Florida State, a 2½-point underdog to Michigan on Sunday after the line opened at 3.
The Seminoles, who beat UNC-Greensboro and Colorado by double digits to open the tourney, are the best bet for handicapper Doug Fitz, who went 8-3-1 ATS in the first round.
“Florida State has held its two tournament opponents to 107 points combined while Michigan has allowed 144 points,” said Fitz (Systemplays.com). “The Seminoles will slow down the Wolverines and take them out of their offensive tempo.”
Fitz also noted that Florida State falls under a betting system that is 80-43-1 in the NCAA Tournament since 2006 and is 3-1 ATS this year.
UCLA (+6½) over Alabama
Handicapper Kelly Stewart, who went 8-4 ATS in the first round, likes the Bruins to cover against the Crimson Tide and recommends a small play on the money line (+230) as well.
“A lot has been made about how UCLA hasn’t played anybody, from the play-in game against Michigan State to BYU and Abilene Christian,” said Stewart (@KellyInVegas). “But here we are giving Alabama a ton of credit for beating Iona and a not-so-great Maryland team. I thought 6½ was too many points.
“You have a really great offense against a really great defense. I think it’s going to be a good game.”
Sharp plays
The numbers have moved, but Circa and South Point — which is offering reduced juice (-105) on straight bets through the NCAA title game — has taken sharp action on Baylor at -7 or less and Alabama at -6 or less.
South Point also took sharp bets on Arkansas -11, Oregon State +7 and Gonzaga -13.
The Westgate took sharp plays on Southern California -1 and UCLA +6.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.