ELITE EIGHT BETTING

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Elite Eight Betting: Sunday NCAAB Gameday

Two more teams will earn their ticket to Indianapolis on Sunday as the Final Four of the 2006 Big Dance is set. Will top seeds Connecticut and Villanova be those teams? Here's a closer look at both of Sunday's matchups at the NCAA Tourney:

No. 11 George Mason vs. No. 1 Connecticut
Verizon Center, Washington - 2:40pm ET

George Mason won the battle of mid-majors over Wichita State by a 63-55 score on Friday night to advance to this game. The Patriots' stellar defense proved to be too much for the Shockers, whose players shot a miserable .312 from the field and .125 from three-point range. The Patriots had little trouble finding the basket, starting the game on a 9-0 run and taking a 35-19 lead into the break. Folarin Campbell led the way again with a team-high 16 points. Tony Skinn and Lamar Butler each chipped in with 14 points, while Will Thomas had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. George Mason easily covered the 2.5-point spread and are now 3-0 ATS in the tournament. Friday's game was the first in which the Patriots had been favored. To advance to the Final Four, however, the Patriots will have to win as an underdog for the third time.

UConn didn't always look like an Elite Eight team on Friday night, but they still managed to defeat Washington 98-92 in overtime. Rashad Anderson kept the Huskies alive by hitting a game-tying three-pointer with seconds remaining to send the contest to the extra frame. In OT, UConn stepped up their game and were able to cover the 5-point spread. Marcus Williams led the Huskies with 26 points and eight assists. Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong both provided offense and rebounds, with Boone pouring in 13 points to go along with 11 boards, while Armstrong had 13 points and nine rebounds. The Huskies may be the top seed, but that doesn't mean they can take the Patriots lightly. Connecticut didn't dominate the likes of Albany and Kentucky, and if they play as sloppily as they did versus Washington (26 turnovers) another upset could be in the cards.

The oddsmakers have gone with the Huskies in Sunday's game, setting them as an 8.5-point favorite.

No. 3 Florida vs. No. 1 Villanova
Metrodome, Minneapolis - 5:05pm ET

After a pair of easy wins in the first two rounds, the Gators finally found a challenge versus Georgetown on Friday. Corey Brewer hit a three-pointer late in the second half to give the Gators the lead and the eventual 57-53 win. The Gators covered the 2.5-point spread in the win and are now 3-0 ATS in the tournament. Joakim Noah was solid once again for Florida, leading the team with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. The Gators' versatile offense has a number of potent scorers, and a different player has led Florida in scoring in each of their tourney games; Lee Humphrey led with 20 points versus South Alabama, Brewer had a team-high 23 against Wisconsin Milwaukee, and Noah was tops on Friday.

The Wildcats were taken down to the wire by Boston College on Friday and pulled out a 60-59 win in overtime. Randy Foye led the Wildcats' offense most of the night, but Will Sheridan ended up as the hero. Sheridan got open under the basket, and his shot gave Villanova the lead and eventually the win after Eagles forward Sean Williams was charged with goaltending. The Wildcats failed to cover the 2.5-point spread Friday, and dropped to 0-3 ATS for the tournament. Foye scored a team-high 29 points and never left the floor, playing all 45 minutes. He was the only Villanova player to score in double-figures, as Allan Ray turned in another poor shooting performance. Ray, who suffered an eye injury in the Big East Tournament, went 3-of-15 from the field and finished with nine points. Unless Ray can start hitting his shots it will be up to Foye to carry the load versus Florida.

Sunday's game is a rematch of a Round 2 contest from last year's tournament, when Villanova knocked off Florida 76-65 as a 1-point underdog. Villanova is the slim pick of the oddsmakers this time around, opening as a 1.5-point favorite.

 

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