Basketball Betting: NCAA South Region Preview

The 3rd-ranked Duke Blue Devils will be seeking to end some recent NCAA disappointments as the top seed in the South region. Duke appears to have the easiest road of any of the top seeds in a region that appears to be a little questionable at the top. The semi-finals and championship contest will be held in Houston. Top contenders Duke is an even money choice to reach the Final Four. The Blue Devils have an experienced club that has plenty of confidence after winning regular season and tournament crowns in the ACC this season. Second-seed Villanova (+260) has weathered the storm from a brutal Big East slate to be a viable national title contender. Guard Scottie Reynolds is a big time leader and performer for the 9th-ranked Wildcats. Third-seed Baylor (+525) is in the tournament for just the third time since 1950. If the 19th-ranked Bears can win a couple of games in New Orleans this week, the club could have plenty of support in Houston from the nearby Waco campus. Fourth-seed Purdue (+2000) is still reeling from the season-ending injury to standout forward Robbie Hummel a couple of weeks ago. The 10th-ranked Boilermakers may not even be able to get out of the first round without a key component of its squad. Sleepers With some question marks surrounding some of the top four seeds in this region, there are some lower seeds that could be worth a strong look. Fifth-seed Texas A & M (+2000) is a capable squad out of the Big 12. The Aggies were ranked 23rd in the nation in the final poll entering the tournament. Sixth-seed Notre Dame is also at +2000. The Irish finished the regular season in good form and are led by solid forward Luke Harangody. Seventh-seed Richmond, eighth-seed California, ninth-seed Louisville and tenth-seed St. Mary's are all at odds of +2500. The 24th-ranked Spiders could be a significant hurdle for Villanova in the second round. The Cardinals have lacked consistency in the 2009-10 campaign after being the top overall seed in last year's NCAA tournament. With head coach Rick Pitino on the sidelines, Louisville could be a live sleeper. The bottom six seeds fill out the field at +3000. 11th-seed Old Dominion is a strong club out of the Colonial conference. 12th-seed Utah State gained one of the last at-large invites after a regular season title in the WAC. Finally, 13th-seed Siena has plenty of confidence after reaching the second round of March Madnees in each of the last two years.?