It is a bitter sweet day for us at FiveStarPick.com.  We couldn’t be more excited about watching tonight’s 2009 NCAA Basketball Championship, but this game marks the end of betting on college hoops this year.  So our advice to you tonight is to sit back, order your fat ass a pizza, have a few cold ones and tell your woman that there will be no Grey’s Anatomy tonight!!! 

Las Vegas sportsbooks list North Carolina (33-4 straight up, 16-19 against the spread) as 7.5-point favorites with the total coming in around 154.

Michigan State (31-6 SU, 21-12-1 ATS) is coming off an upset victory over UConn, 82-73, as a 4.5-point dog in Saturday’s 2009 Final Four.  Izzo has brought to the Final Four a team that exudes his personality the best.  The Spartans fight for every loose ball, they crush the boards and they play tenacious D.  For example, UConn’s A.J. Price had been challenging the nation’s premier defenses all year long, but on Saturday, Price was 5-20 from the floor.  Coincidence? Not hardly.  UConn was bigger and stronger than Michigan St., but the Spartans were better and most importantly, they wanted it more.  As Rudy Tomjanovich said about the Houston Rockets…”never underestimate the heart of a champion.” 

North Carolina was made the clear-cut favorite to win the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday.  The Tar Heels have dominated all callers as evidenced by their 5-0 ATS record in the Tournament.   UNC got on top of Villanova early and never let up.  The Wildcats tried to make a run in the second half, trimming the deficit to 5, but Danny Green answered with a long 3 and ‘Nova’s momentum was brought to a quick close.  The Heels ended up with the win and the cover, 83-69, as seven-point favorites.   Ty Lawson scored 22 points, had 8 assists, 7 boards a pair of steals.  Wayne Ellington added 20 points, nine rebounds and four assists.  And Tyler Hansbrough had 18 points, 11 boards and four steals.

Now let’s talk trends…The Tar Heels are 4-5 ATS as single-digit favorite this year, but they have cashed in all three such spots in this 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Michigan St. is 5-2 both SU and ATS as a single digit dog.

In tonight’s matchup you will see UNC run the floor at every opportunity behind the skills of Ty Lawson and the Heels will shoot the 3 any chance they get with Lawson, Ellington and Green.  Michigan St. will play the Heels tight with terrific defense and rebounding.  This is going to be a great game.

So who do YOU think is going to cover the spread in the 2009 NCAA Basketball Championship Game?  We would like to hear your thoughts, so leave us a Comment by clicking the Comment button below.  Or better yet, why not try our service out for 2-days for only $19.99 and see if our talent for picking the 2009 NCAA Basketball Championship against the spread exceeds your expectations?  With over 3400 active members, you owe it to yourself to find out why FiveStarPick.com is the most accurate sports handicapping service on the net.  By the way, our dime bettors were up over $100K in 2008.  Join today and start winning tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com

The 2009 Final Four is in Detroit this weekend and the lines and odds are already out.  FiveStarPick.com will be giving its members the ATS winners of both games this weekend and in the Championship Game on Monday night.  

North Carolina remains the favorite to win it all at -165 (risk $165 to win $100) by Las Vegas sportsbooks.  The Tar Heels advanced to the finals by beating the No. 2 seed Oklahoma, 72-60, in the South Region finals. The Heels easily covered the spread as seven-point favorites.   As always, Ty Lawson was the fuel to Roy Williams’ fire.  Lawson scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds, had five assists and three steals against one turnover in the victory.  Las Vegas currently lists North Carolina as a 7.5-point favorite over Villanova with the total hovering around 162.

The Villanova Wildcats knocked off top-seeded Pitt in Saturday’s closest game.  Scottie Reynolds scored the game winning shot with 0.5 seconds left to send ‘Nova to the 2009 Final Four for the first time since 1985. The Wildcats won outright as 2-point underdogs.  Coming into the tournament, Villanova’s odds to win it all was 40/1 (risk $100 to win $4,000).  Since, the number has moved to 5/1.

Michigan State dominated Louisville in the Midwest Region finals with a 64-52 victory as seven-point underdogs.  Tom Izzo has brought MSU to the Final Four 5 times now in his career. The Spartans won the title back in 2000 by beating Florida in the championship game.

Las Vegas sportsbooks have opened UConn as a 4-point favorite over Michigan State with a total of 131. UConn beat Missouri 82-75 in Saturday’s West Region finals and covered the 6.5-point spread by a half point thanks to 10 consecutive free throws in the final minute and a missed lay-up by the Tigers with a second left on the clock. Kemba Walker had 23 points off the bench.

So who do YOU think is going to cover these spreads in the 2009 Final Four?  We would like to hear your thoughts about how to handicap these games, so leave us a Comment by clicking the Comment button below.  Or better yet, why not try our service out for 2-days for only $19.99 and see if our talent for picking the 2009 Final Four winners against the spread exceeds your expectations?  With over 3400 active members, you owe it to yourself to find out why FiveStarPick.com is the most accurate sports handicapping service on the net.  By the way, our dime bettors were up over $100K in 2008.  Join today and start winning tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com