**Old Dominion vs. Baylor**
--This second-round showdown between the third-seeded Bears and the 11th-seeded Monarchs will take place in New Orleans. Tip-off on CBS is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Eastern.
--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Baylor (26-7 straight up, 16-10 against the spread) as a five-point favorite with a total of 130. As of early Friday night, most betting shops had the Bears favored by four with the total as low as 127 ½ (Las Vegas Hilton) and as high as 129 ½ (Stratosphere). Bettors can take the champs from out of the Colonial Athletic Association to win outright for a plus-165 payout (risk $100 to win $165).
--Old Dominion (27-8 SU, 14-17 ATS) advanced to the second round by rallying to knock off sixth-seeded Notre Dame by a 51-50 count Thursday afternoon. Trailing 28-22 at halftime, the Monarchs took charge at the defensive end, limiting the Irish to 22 points in the second half. They collected the outright victory as a short 2 ½-point underdog, cashing money-line tickets as generous a plus-130. Frank Hassell scored 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the winners, who held Luke Harangody to just four points. Keyon Carter 11 points, six boards, three steals and one blocked shot.
--Baylor got all it wanted from 14th-seeded Sam Houston St. in their first-round matchup Thursday. The Bears pulled away late for a 68-59 victory, but the Bearkats still hooked up their backers, albeit barely, as 9 ½-point underdogs. Ekpe Udoh was the difference for the Bears, producing 20 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.
--Scott Drew’s squad has been a single-digit favorite 15 times, compiling an 8-7 spread record in those situations.
--ODU owns a 2-6 record both SU and ATS in eight underdog spots. Both wins came over Big East foes, Georgetown and Notre Dame.
--The ‘under’ is 17-13 overall for ODU, but the ‘over’ has cashed in seven of its last nine outings.
--The ‘over’ has cashed tickets at a lucrative 17-9 overall clip for Baylor this season.
--The winner will advance to the South Region semifinals in Houston to play the Saint Mary’s-Villanova winner.
**Washington vs. New Mexico**
-- LVSC opened this 3/11 matchup as a pick ‘em with a total of 150. However, due to the fact that Lobos’ star Darington Hobson was considered “questionable” as of early Friday night, most books had the game circled (low limits, no parlays) with Washington (25-9 SU, 15-18 ATS) listed as the 1 ½-point favorite with a total of 150.
--New Mexico (30-4 SU, 18-13-2 ATS) advanced past 14th-seeded Montana on Thursday night, but not before getting all it wanted from the Grizzlies. In the end, the Lobos captured a 62-57 win but they failed to cover the spread for the fourth straight time as 8 ½-point favorites. Roman Martinez was the catalyst for UNM, scoring a team-high 19 points while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. Hobson finished with 11 points, 11 boards, six assists and a pair of steals.
--Hobson, who leads UNM in scoring, rebounding and assists, has a sore and tender left wrist after a hard fall against Montana. Nevertheless, he is expected to play and bettors should look for him to be upgraded to “probable” in the hours leading up to tip time.
--Lorenzo Romar’s team has caught fire at the right time. UW has won eight in a row, posting a 7-1 spread record in the process. Despite trailing for most of the second half in their first-round game vs. Marquette, the Huskies rallied and won an 80-78 decision as one-point underdogs. Quincy Pondexter, who finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, scored the game-winning bucket with 1.7 second remaining. Isaiah Thomas had a team-high 19 points and eight assists.
--Steve Alford’s squad has played 12 games against teams in the NCAA field, winning nine of those contests. The Lobos have played one team from out of the Pac-10 this year, beating California 86-78 as 5 ½-point home favorites.
--CBS will have television coverage from San Jose 30 minutes after the conclusion of Butler-Murray St. The winner will face the West Virginia-Missouri winner in next week’s Sweet 16 round at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
**Kentucky vs. Wake Forest**
-- LVSC opened top-seeded Kentucky (33-2 SU, 18-15 ATS) as a nine-point favorite with a total of 147. As of early Friday night, most books had UK at nine still with the total adjusted to 143. Dino Gaudio’s team can be had to win outright for a generous plus-375 payout (risk $100 to win $375).
--Wake Forest (20-10 SU, 16-11 ATS) got past Texas 81-80 Thursday night in overtime, as senior guard Ish Smith came through in the clutch with a game-winning jumper from about 15 feet out. The Demon Deacons won outright as 5 ½-point underdogs, hooking up money-line backers with a plus-200 return (risk $100 to win $200). Smith finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists.
--Wake Forest owns a 7-3 spread record in 10 games as an underdog. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are 9-5 versus the number in 14 games as single-digit ‘chalk.’
--John Calipari’s squad was perhaps the most dominant team of the first round, destroying East Tennessee St. 101-70 as an 18 ½-point favorite. Freshman guard Eric Bledsoe stole the show, burying 8-of-9 attempts from 3-point range en route to a game-high 29 points. Patrick Patterson added 22 points, while John Wall had 17 points and 11 assists.
--The point-guard matchup will be interesting to watch between Wall and Smith. These players are the nation’s two fastest off the dribble, so it’ll be interesting to see who can get into the lane to finish and distribute most often.
--The ‘over’ is on a 4-2 run for UK in its last six games and is 17-15 overall.
--The ‘under’ is 15-11 overall for Wake Forest.
**BYU vs. Kansas State**
--LVSC opened second-seeded Kansas St. (27-7 SU, 19-9-1 ATS) as a 4 1/2–point favorite with a total of 154. As of Friday night, most spots had the Wildcats at either four or 4 ½ with the total at 154 ½. Gamblers can take the Cougars on the money line at a plus-170 price.
--BYU (30-5 SU, 19-13 ATS) won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1993 Thursday, taking out Florida 99-92 in double overtime. The Cougars hooked their backers up with a fortunate cover as 5 ½-point favorites. Jimmer Fredette scored a game-high 37 points, but reserve guard Michael Loyd was the difference with his 26 points off the bench. Loyd was money at the charity stripe to put the game away and give BYU backers the winner.
--Frank Martin’s team drilled North Texas 82-62 as a 15-point favorite in Thursday’s first-round game. Denis Clemente scored 17 points and dished out six assists, while Curtis Kelly and Jacob Pullen chipped in with 15 points apiece.
--BYU has been an underdog five times, posting an abysmal 1-4 record both SU and ATS. The Cougars’ lone win and cover came at UTEP.
--Kansas St. has thrived as a single-digit favorite, cashing tickets at an incredible 12-3-1 clip in 16 such spots.
--The ‘over’ is 15-12-1 overall for K-St., 16-14 overall for BYU.
--The winner advances to the West Region semifinals in Salt Lake City to face the Pitt-Xavier survivor.
Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.
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