Online betting fans had a rough opening to the first round of the NCAA Tournament as they saw their brackets and March Madness picks go up in flames.
With seven upsets on the first day and more pouring in on the second, there were lots of brackets being put through the shredder recently.
One team that didn’t disappoint was the Kentucky Wildcats, who as the No. 1 seed in their region, had no problems dropping East Tennessee State.
The Wildcats are supposedly a young team that needs experience and they got their feet wet in the opening round.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest needed some miracles to get past Texas. The Longhorns had a chance to hit the game-winning free throw at the end of regulation, but slipped up. Then they also had a chance to take a two point lead as the end of the first overtime was nearing, but they missed the shot again. Then, Wake Forest took advantage and scored the game-winning shot.
Now they find themselves in a tough second-round matchup with Kentucky, who will likely send them packing.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Kentucky Wildcats
BetPhoenix Odds (BetPhoenix Reviews): Kentucky -9
The Wildcats have been one of the best teams in the nation all year long and they are going to get a shot against a team that is limping into their matchup.
The Demon Deacons lost five of six prior to the tournament and needed some missed free throws from Texas just to even get to this point. They are going to be loose and relaxed, but they simply don’t have the talent to compete with Kentucky.
The big matchup will be inside between Patrick Patterson and Al-Farouq Aminu, both of whom could be lottery picks in the 2010 NBA Draft.
The main difference between Wake Forest and East Tennessee State – in Kentucky’s eyes – should be the fact that there is a much smaller margin of error in this game. Kentucky is the far better team talent-wise once again they have the advantage almost everywhere against Wake Forest, but they can’t afford to be sloppy in any way. If they leave an opening, Wake Forest will be competitive but if Kentucky isn’t half asleep, they are going to run away with this one. Wake Forest is simply overmatched.
March Madness Betting Pick: Kentucky -9