2011 March Madness Betting – Can Florida Slow Down Jimmer?

2011 March Madness betting players should be familiar with BYU’s Jimmer Fredette, who is the favorite to win the national Player of the Year award, and he has been spectacular in the Cougars’ first two games of the NCAA Tournament. But Fredette will face a very stiff test on Thursday night in the Southeast region in New Orleans, when they take on a balanced Florida squad.

BYU Florida Betting – Thursday, 7:27 PM ET

The third-seeded Cougars are making their sixth appearance in the Sweet 16 after an 89-67 rout of Gonzaga, and it’s also their first time in this section of the NCAA Tournament since 1981. Fredette had 34 points, his sixth game in the last seven with 30 points or more, and he also added six assists for the Cougars, who shot 52.5% from the field and hit 14 of their 28 three-point attempts. Many who write a March Madness blog figured the Cougars wouldn’t have a shot after the Brandon Davies suspension, but Fredette is showing why he is one of the best college players to come along in recent memory.

The second-seeded Gators are a more balanced squad, but Erving Walker put the team on his back in a 73-65 win over UCLA, scoring 10 of Florida’s last 12 points. Walker scored 21 points overall, but he had to step up when fellow guard Kenny Boynton hurt his ankle in the second half. Boynton came back to play, but he wasn’t himself, so Walker took it upon himself to make some big shots for the Gators, who shot 50% from the field, and they also shot 13-of-17 from the foul line, a part of their game that many thought would be their Achilles Heel. As long as the Gators continue to make them when it counts, no one will remember how bad they were in the regular season.

We’re willing to bet 5dimes that this will be the best game on Thursday night’s slate, and the Gators come in as a 2.5-point favorite. These two have met once, in the first round of last year’s Tournament, and BYU came away with a 99-92 double-overtime victory in which Fredette had 37 points, while Boynton had 27 for the Gators, who shot themselves in the foot with 21 turnovers. We’re betting on the Gators to avenge last year’s loss because they’ll do a better defensive job on Fredette, even if they have to sacrifice some of their offense. We also haven’t seen the best of Florida’s Chandler Parsons yet, and the forward is one of the most versatile players in the country. The Gators will have a bigger advantage in the post with Davies not in the lineup, and that will be enough to give Florida a win in your online sportsbook.