Cards, Ducks, Spartans Advance; Duke or Creighton to Follow

Three of the four sides heading to the Midwest Regional semifinals were decided on Saturday. Louisville and Michigan State took care of business as expected while Oregon pulled-off another upset.

Sunday will see the remaining berth filled as Duke and Creighton meet in Philadelphia.

Read on for the BettingSports.com recap of Saturday’s games and a preview of Sunday’s round-closer.

(1) Louisville 82, (8 ) Colorado State 56

Peyton Siva and the Louisville Cardinals made short work of Colorado State on the way to the Regional semifinals.

Louisville (31-5, 14-4 Big East) cemented its status as tournament favorite on Saturday, dismantling Colorado State (26-9, 11-5 MWC) in Lexington, Ky.

The 82-56 final score demonstrated the side’s prowess on both ends of the floor. Junior guard Russ Smith led the Cardinals with 27 points while three other players scored in double digits and the team shot a combined 56 percent, including 5-9 from beyond the arc.

Despite respectable shooting averages (48% from the field, 42% from three), the Rams never stood a chance. Uncharacteristically, the side gave up 19 turnovers, forcing just nine of their own. Down 14 at the half, Colorado State never looked like coming back.

Louisville (-10.5) covered the spread in this one, and is now 2-0-0 ATS in tourney play. The total (133.5) went over. The Cardinals (2-0-0) are favoring the over this tournament.

(12) Oregon 74, (4) Saint Louis 57

Arsalan Kazemi and the Oregon Ducks completed a second tournament upset on Saturday.

While the Ducks fell flat down the stretch during the regular season, Dana Altman’s side has found form at just the right time.

Having won the Pac-12 tournament, Oregon (28-8, 12-6 Pac-12) completed its second upset of the NCAA tournament on Saturday, handing Saint Louis (28-7, 13-3 A-10) a 74-57 thumping.

The Ducks had too much firepower for the Billikens, shooting an impressive 8-11 (78%) from beyond the arc and 53 percent from the field. Saint Louis managed just 38 percent shooting, including an anemic 3-21 (14%) from downtown. If that didn’t seal the side’s demise, a 37-23 deficit on the boards certainly did.

Oregon (+5) easily covered the spread in this upset win. The Ducks are now 2-0-0 ATS in the tournament. The total (125.5) went over, meaning Oregon (1-1-0) has split the over/under in its first two tournament games.

Having handed Oklahoma State a 13 point defeat and beaten Saint Louis by 17, many will be asking if the selection committee really got it wrong seeding the Ducks at No. 12. That becomes a moot point when the team meets top-seeded Louisville.

Louisville will meet Oregon in the Regional Semifinals on Friday (Mar. 29) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.

(3) Michigan State 70, (6) Memphis 48

Keith Appling and the Michigan State Spartans had no problem defeating Memphis.

Unbeaten in Conference USA play, regular season and tournament champions, and a 54-44 victor over Saint Mary’s in the Second Round, Memphis (31-5, 16-0 C-USA) finally came unglued on Saturday, falling to Michigan State (27-8, 13-5 Big Ten) 70-48.

The Tigers were plain awful from the field, shooting just 30 percent, and 22 percent from three-point range. A lot of that had to do with the Spartans’ impressive defense which forced 18 turnovers, including 10 steals, and blocked seven shots.

Meanwhile, Michigan State was paced by freshman guard Gary Harris’ career-high 23 points, and a 41-25 rebounding advantage proved to be huge.

Michigan State (-6) didn’t just cover the spread, it smashed it. The Spartans are now 2-0-0 ATS in tournament play. The total (130.5) went under, the second time this tournament Michigan State (0-2-0) has been involved in a game that didn’t meet the marker.

Michigan State will play the winner of Sunday’s Creighton-Duke game on Friday in Indianapolis.

(7) Creighton vs. (2) Duke

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, 9:40 PM ET

Having held-off Cincinnati in the Second Round, Creighton will now look to upset Duke.

The remaining spot in the Regional Semifinals will be decided Sunday night, after the rest of the “Sweet 16” field has been decided.

Having disposed of Albany 73-61 in the Second Round, second-seeded Duke (29-5, 14-4 ACC) – a team not unfamiliar with the later stages of the tournament – will look to etch its name into that vacant berth for the first time since 2011.

Meanwhile, Creighton (28-7, 13-5 MVC) – which scored a 67-63 win over Cincinnati in the Second Round – will look to make it to a first regional semifinal since 1974. Beating Duke would we a great way for the team to announce its arrival, not to mention impress its future Big East counterparts, only Marquette of whom is still alive in the NCAA tournament.

The school will look to follow in the footsteps of one of its current conference compatriots however. After Wichita State upset top-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday, Creighton will hope to earn some more prestige for the Missouri Valley Conference.

Duke enters the game as the favorite, with the spread opening at five points.

The Blue Devils went 17-16-0 ATS this season, including a 16-15-0 ATS record when starting the game as the favorite. However, Duke failed to cover the spread (-20) in Friday’s win over Albany.

The Jays tallied an 18-14-1 ATS record this season, but were 0-2-0 ATS when playing as the underdog. The side did cover the spread (-3) in its second round victory.

The total opened at 144. Duke (18-15-0) has favored the over this season, while Creighton (11-20-0) has favored the under. Both schools saw the total go over in their opening tournament games though.

Results (First Round)

(11) St. Mary’s 67, (11) Middle Tennessee 54

(16) North Carolina A&T 73, (16) Liberty 72

Results (Second Round)

(1) Louisville 79, (16) North Carolina A&T 48

(2) Duke 73, (15) Albany 61

(3) Michigan State 65, (14) Valparaiso 54

(4) Saint Louis 64, (13) New Mexico State 44

(12) Oregon 68, (5) Oklahoma State 55

(6) Memphis 54, (11) St. Mary’s 52

(7) Creighton 57, (10) Cincinnati 63

(8 ) Colorado State 84, (9) Missouri 72

Results (Third Round)

(1) Louisville 82, (8 ) Colorado State 56

(3) Michigan State 70, (6) Memphis 48)

(12) Oregon 74, (4) Saint Louis 57

Schedule (Third Round)

Sunday

(7) Creighton vs. (2) Duke

Schedule (Regional Semifinals)

Friday

(12) Oregon vs. (1) Louisville

(3) Michigan State vs. (2) Duke or (7) Creighton