What is the Line on the Belmont-Temple Game - March Madness 2019: Where to Bet

Written by:
Mary Montgomery
Published on:
Mar/17/2019

The line on the Belmont vs. Temple March Madness game was set at Belmont -3.5 early.

CLAIM YOUR SIGNUP BONUS UP TO $500 HERE

What The Line Should Be

The line on this game should be Belmont -1.5, so there is a bit of an overlay. 

About These Teams

Belmont - The Belmont Bruins shared the regular-season title in the Ohio Valley Conference but fell to Murray State in the championship game.  Their best wins were vs. Lipscomb, at Lipscomb, at Murray State, at UCLA but they also had some clunkers like at Green Bay, at Jacksonville State.

BPI ranked the Bruins at No. 49 as of March 11, while KenPom has them at No. 53. The NCAA's new NET ranking thinks more highly of the Bruins, slotting them at No. 45.

From ESPN.com:

Biggest strength: The Bruins are the college basketball model for supreme shot selection and offensive efficiency. They ignore midrange jump shots and thrive on a diet of assisted 3-pointers and 2-point shots attempted within the restricted area around the basket. That strategy generates the nation's second-best 2-point percentage (59.5) and 10.5 3-point field goals per game. Windler personifies the approach and ranks second nationally in true shooting percentage among players who take at least one-fourth of their team's shots.

Biggest weakness: Defense. Belmont allows opponents to hit nearly 35 percent of 3-point attempts and was average at best defending spot-up jump shots. Not pursuing offensive rebounds enabled the Bruins to play solid transition defense, but they were susceptible against a variety of plays in the half court. They are also near the bottom of Division I in forcing turnovers (16 percent of opponent's possessions).

ESPN notes that this year's edition has the star power and depth to cause bracket trouble. The Bruins will get a shot on nearly every possession, and the percentages say it will be a smart one.

Temple - The Temple Owls slid into the field with wins in six of their last seven regular-season Atlantic 10 games.

Best wins: at Missouri, vs. Davidson, at Wichita State, vs. Houston, vs. Memphis, vs. UCF.  They had one bad loss against Tulsa.

Temple does have one of the best back courts with solid guards. Their inability to score in the post, so the focus for Belmont will be to contain the Owls in the back court.

The Owls are also subject to defensive lapses with lots of fouling.

Odds to win 2019 NCAA Men's Tournament (4/8/19)
Team Odds
Duke 9/4
Gonzaga 9/2
Virginia 6/1
North Carolina 10/1
Kentucky 12/1
Michigan State 12/1
Tennessee 12/1
Michigan 16/1
Texas Tech 18/1
Houston 30/1
Kansas State 30/1
Purdue 30/1
Nevada 40/1
LSU 55/1
Marquette 55/1
Florida State 60/1
Villanova 60/1
Iowa State 80/1
Kansas 80/1
Wisconsin 85/1
Auburn 100/1
Louisville 100/1
Mississippi State 100/1
Syracuse 100/1
Virginia Tech 100/1
Buffalo 150/1
Maryland 150/1
Cincinnati 200/1
Washington 200/1
Iowa 250/1
Wofford 250/1
Arizona State 300/1
Baylor 300/1
Central Florida 300/1
Florida 300/1
Hofstra 300/1
Indiana 300/1
NC State 300/1
VCU 300/1
Ole Miss 400/1
Creighton 500/1
Liberty 500/1
Minnesota 500/1
Murray State 500/1
Oklahoma 500/1
Seton Hall 500/1
St. John's 500/1
TCU 500/1
Texas 500/1
Utah State 500/1
Yale 500/1

- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com

Basketball Odds News

Sweet 16 Line Moves and Liabilities

The 2024 NCAA Tournament field has been whittled down to the Sweet 16, and the sportsbooks are sweating considering most of the "chalk" is still dancing.

Syndicate