MARCH MADNESS IS HERE!! First Round Predictions

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

37-34-1 this season down 0.43 units

I am going to go up 20 units at least over the next two weeks. I feel it deep down in my plums.

Louisville at -232 for 3 units. My view of this Louisville team is skewed because I watched them dominate UNC, but take away that win and Louisville has still outperformed many people’s expectations for them this season. Daniel Oturo is Minnesota’s only good big man (no offense to Matz Stockman or Eric Curry). If Louisville can attack him early and get him in foul trouble, they will pull away. When Jordan Nwora scores over 20 points Louisville wins (unless they are playing Duke or Tennessee). Minnesota lasts longer than Rick Pitino does with a woman.. not saying much as they will still be knocked out in the first round. Rick Pitino tweeted today that he thinks Kentucky would lose in the Final Four… Nobody gives a shit Rick. Kentucky won’t make it there anyway.

LSU -7 for 2 units. Everyone and their mom is on Yale because of the Will Wade news. Yale’s Miye Oni will be in the NBA one day, but LSU has enough talent on defense to limit him. LSU bounces back from an SEC loss to Florida and gets the double digit win today. Naz Reid is a grown man down low for LSU. He has a couple inches and about 40 lbs on Yale’s best big man Jordan Bruner. Reid and Tremont Waters do enough for LSU. Is water wet? I don’t know, but Tremont Waters is wet.

Auburn -6 for 2 units. New Mexico State is very good. They lost to Kansas by 2 when Kansas had not kicked anyone off of their team yet. New Mexico State is also on a 19 game winning streak. This game is in Utah. Utah is a lot a closer to New Mexico than Alabama. Even with all that said, Auburn’s ability to rebound and drain 3s will get them the win. I doubted them against Tennessee, won’t do it here.

Side note: Tennessee looked so damn poor against Auburn in that SEC championship game. Rick Barnes couldn’t take a team with D.J. Augustine and Kevin Durant to the Sweet Sixteen. Tennessee looked unprepared and rattled in that game. I am staying away from the Volunteers in this tournament..

Florida State -8 for 2 units. FSU’s basketball team might be able to beat FSU’s football team at football. That’s how deep they are. FSU doesn’t have a player averaging over 13 points a game, but they have 8 players averaging over 6 points a game. I watched the Vermont win over UMBC and Anthony Lamb is a beast. FSU has too many guys that can rotate to him on defense for him to go off like that in this game. FSU pulls away in the second half.

Nevada at -148 for 9 units. Not only is this a Florida fade, I love Nevada in this tournament. Trey Porter has been the main reason Nevada’s defense has been so much better this season in my opinion. Porter is a beast in the paint. Jazz Johnson shoots 45% from 3 for Nevada. Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin both average over 17 points a game for the Wolfpack. Nevada limped through their post-season tournament, but I think they were looking ahead to the NCAA tournament. Their seeding is not as good as they thought it would be at the start of the season (due to the PAC-12 out of conference games not being as good of wins as they thought they would be). Nevada has more experience and better top-end-talent. Nevada will go on 2 or 3 big runs and win the game because of it. If Nevada loses, I’m gonna be like this kid..

Image result for march madness gif

Old Dominion +12.5 for 5 units. I kept betting on ODU in the Conference-USA tournament and they kept winning. Even ODU fans were like I don’t know if they are going to win this game, but I believed! Purdue has a great point guard in Carsen Edwards. Their offense revolves around him, as it should. ODU has 4 good guards in B.J. Stith, Ahmad Caver, Marquis Goodwin, and Justice Kithcart. Also, ODU has two 7-footers, while Purdue has none. I think ODU has a chance to pull off the upset here and I love them to cover 13 points.

NCAA Tournament First Four Preview

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

37-33-1 this season up 3.57 units

St John’s at +115 for 4 units. Shamorie Ponds is averaging 19.5 pts, 5.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds a game for St. John’s. He is a baller. Ponds is from Brooklyn and plays like it. Shamorie Ponds hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament before, but the Red Storm’s Justin Simon and Marvin Clark II have. St. Johns played poorly against Marquette in their almost 30 point loss to them recently, but ASU is a better matchup for the Red Storm.

Arizona State has been in the news recently because Lori Loughlin wanted her daughter to get into any school but ASU, so she bribed and frauded her daughter into the University of Southern California. I love a good ricochet shot. ASU fouls a lot and struggles to shoot from deep, not a good combo. If St. John’s can limit ASU’s pace and fastbreak opportunities, they win this game. ASU’s size could be a problem (4 guys over 6-foot-7), but I like St. John’s guard play to seem them through.

Bubble Watch + SEC, American, and Big 10 Tournament Championship Predictions

12-3 over the past five days. 5 winning days in a row. I love March Madness.

Payton Pritchard was named the PAC-12 Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after Oregon’s win over Washington. During the broadcast, Bill Walton said this about Pritchard, “Some people when they face pressure, they shrivel up like a midget. Others soak it up like sponge”. I assume he meant Pritchard overcame the pressure, but it is tough to tell with the man that saw the Grateful Dead live over 800 times. Never change Bill.

Belmont, NC State, Alabama, Indiana, Texas, Ole Miss, Florida, St. John’s, Arizona State, Temple, TCU, Ohio State, Lipscomb, UNC-G, and Clemson all are right on the bubble. They all have to be nervous about making the NCAA tournament. Only 8, at most, of those teams mentioned are getting in. VCU, Washington, and Gonzaga all losing in their conference tournaments hurt those bubble teams immensely. Good luck guessing which teams the committee will pick. NC State is ranked highly by the new metric the committee is using. Belmont lost to Green Bay, Purdue, and JSU x2 this season.. that’s it. Ole Miss beat Auburn twice and barely lost to Tennessee/Kentucky, but that’s about it. I do think all 3 of those teams get in… but they don’t ask me.

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

37-30-1 this season up 20.57 units

Michigan at -102 for 6 units. Michigan lost to Michigan State twice this season already, but the Wolverines have been dominating in this tournament. Cassius Winston, the BIG-10 player of the year, was a problem for Michigan in their two losses to MSU this season. His pick-n-roll game is too smooth. Michigan got called for some cheap fouls and lost their composure in their loss in East Lansing. The coaches and players know this and they won’t let that get to them in this one. Ignas Brazdeikis fouled out with over 5 minutes left in that game. Michigan has to attack Xavier Tillman and hopefully get him in foul trouble. Michigan does the things they didn’t do in their two losses to MSU this season to get the win.

Houston U at -202 for 4 units. Houston beat Cincinnati by 17 just 7 days ago. Houston looked so good against UConn too. This is strictly an eye test bet for me. I have watched Houston’s past two games and I don’t think Cincinnati is good enough to beat them at this point in time.

Tennessee at -223 for 8 units. Auburn rely on 3-point shooting. Their legs are going to be tired. That is not a good combo. Tennessee were beating Auburn by 6 at halftime of their recent game, but blew the lead and lost by 4. Tennessee had 13 turnovers in that game compared to Auburn’s 5. Auburn shot 38% from deep in that game that was at home. Tennessee’s defense will step up in this one like it did over the final 3 minutes against Kentucky. Auburn shoots worse from deep and turns the ball over more than the last time these two met for the Tennessee win.

College Basketball Championship Szn

Zion Williamson got his win over UNC and his signature dunk against them. I have never seen someone that can secondary jump as high as him. His first jumps have insane vertical, then he lands and does it again way too quickly for a man his size. Some UNC fans were mad Roy didn’t call a timeout on the final possession. He never does. They practice end of game scenarios for that reason. I trust Roy over people on twitter. Roy can’t know Coby would slip. UNC has never won the ACC tournament title during Roy’s 3 National Championship seasons in Chapel Hill. I wouldn’t hate a Duke/UNC rematch in the NCAA as an UNC fan. No way UNC or dook doesn’t win the title this season. Will make a futures play on both of them when the bracket comes out. I went from watching the UNC/Duke game to watching Clippers/Bulls last night. The change in atmosphere between the two games was bigger than Mama June before she started doing crack. 

4-1 yesterday. WVU couldn’t get the cover for the perfect day, but that’s okay.

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

36-29-1 this season up 20.05 units

11-2 over the past four days.

Rhode Island at +114 for 4 units. Fatts Russell did not play much against VCU due to foul trouble. The small quick guard, coupled with Cyril Langevine playing better than he did against VCU, gets Rhode Island the win. I have some stats, but want to get this posted as I’m writing late today so I’ll refrain.

Old Dominion at +113 for 4 units. Can’t quit this team. They played so poorly in their win over UAB yesterday, but they still won. They play better today and beat Western Kentucky. ODU beat WKU twice this season. If they were gonna lose in this tournament, it was yesterday.

Tournament Time – Bubble Watch

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

32-28-1 this season up 13.32 units

7-1 over the past three days.

Old Dominion at -183 for 7 units. UAB beat ODU by 14 at home, but loss by 11 on the road against the Monarchs. Now we get a neutral site rubber match. ODU did not come to play in that loss. They come ready to play tonight. UAB’s biggest starter is 6-foot-7. ODU’s is 7-foot-1. ODU got outrebounded in their loss to UAB, which highlights their lack of hustle in that game. They come ready to play today. Aaron Carver, Ahmad Caver, B.J. Stith, and Xavier Green get it done for ODU. Taking the team with better guard play.

Nebraska +8 for 2 units. Wisconsin struggles to score at time. Nebraska’s James Palmer Jr. does not struggle to score. James was on fire in Nebraska’s upset over Maryland. Nebraska lost by 11 to Wisconsin at home this season, but Wisconsin got them playing their worst basketball of the season. Nebraska are playing better now. 

Davidson at -257 for 3 units. This line should be closer to -400 than -200. It is that simple.

North Carolina +4 for 2 units. Zion is back, but beating Syracuse without Syracuse’s best player doesn’t impress me too much. North Carolina’s Coby White and Cam Johnson are silky from deep. Kenny Williams is one of the best defenders in the country, but somehow didn’t make the All-ACC defensive team. The voters had to be drunk. Luke Maye is nowhere near as athletic as Williamson or Barrett, but can still have a huge impact on the game. Marques Bolden being out hurts Duke. UNC can be taken advantage of inside, but his ankle injury makes that a little tougher to do. UNC makes 3s and hits the offensive glass for the cover.

West Virginia +11 for 2 units. WVU’s hustle and rebounding were amazing last night. Jarrett Culver settled for too many jumpers for Texas Tech, but credit to the Mountaineers for their great defense on him. This WVU team is playing too hard right now to lose by 11 or more.

Can We Call it March Madness Yet? Tournament Play is in Full Swing

Honestly not a lot of spots I like today like the past few days. Not going to force, just going to keep building the bank.

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

30-28-1 this season up 7.44 units

Buffalo/Virginia/Wichita State Parlay risking 5 units to win 3.08 units. Buffalo won both meetings over Akron in the regular season. Buffalo have won 9 in a row. The Bulls have the advantage in the paint and on defense. UVA’s best defense in the nation goes up against a NC State that struggles to score. Keatts is a winner even if they lose though. UVA lost to a 16-seed the last time they played here in Charlotte. They won’t lose back 2 back games here. Wichita State beat ECU by 17 when they played just 9 days ago. The Shockers have been getting hot at the right time, ECU has not been hot.

Image result for shocker

Rhode Island -4.5 for 3 units. La Salle are not 5 points worse than Rhode Island when you simply look at their records and resumes; however, Rhode Island are a bad matchup for the Explorers. Rhode Island had 18 turnovers and still won by 11 in their only meeting this season at La Salle. That game was close for about half the game and then Jeff Dowtin, Cyril Langevine, and Fatts Russell flipped the switch for the Rams. They start with the switch on today. I could see Rhode Island winning this game by double digits.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – College Basketball Edition

Wow. Can’t believe Gonzaga lost to St. Mary’s by 13 last night. Gonzaga scored 47 points. Gonzaga beat St. Mary’s by more than 47 in the regular season. That is insane. Zach Norvell Jr. was 1-11 shooting for Gonzaga. I don’t know why he was taking 3s at the end of the game when he was clearly cold. Seems like feeding Rui Hachimura would have been the better option. St. Mary’s played a great game. They made some unbelievable shots down the stretch as the shot clock expired and their defense was impressive throughout the game. Congrats to the Gaels for making the NCAA tourney and making all the bubble teams hate them for taking a spot. Shoutout to Binghamton sucking against Vermont and Notre Dame for holding on. Notre Dame blew a huge lead because they stopped feeding Mooney, thankfully they went back to him towards the end of the game for the win.

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

28-26-1 this season up 3.53 units

Cal +10 for 4 units. Cal lost by 9 to Colorado earlier this season. Cal shot 38% and Colorado shot 50% in that game. I think those numbers are a lot closer in this one. Both of these teams have won 3 in a row. Cal beat Washington and Washington State, two teams Colorado has lost to in the past month. California lacks depth, but that does not matter as much in these first round games. Justice Sueing and Paris Austin have stepped up for Cal over the past few games. Colorado has not won a game this season when they score less than 64 points. Cal only averages 11 turnovers a game. Cal takes care of the ball and slows the game down for the cover.

Norfolk State -8 for 4 units. Norfolk State is coming off of a tough loss to Howard. South Carolina State is coming off of a rare win against Maryland Eastern Shore. Norfolk State averages 3 more blocks a game and 3 more rebounds a game than South Carolina State. The Spartans will have the advantage inside. Norfolk State beat South Carolina State by 5 in South Carolina this season, they win this one by more in Norfolk.

Air Force -11 for 4 units. San Jose State lost by 14 to Air Force recently. San Jose State gives up over 81 points a game. Their defense is like a sieve trying to hold water. San Jose is 11-17 ATS this season. Send it.

ACC Tournament Begins and Six More Teams Guarantee Their NCAA Tourney Spot

Hofstra and Northeastern play in the CAA final tonight. Fairleigh Dickinson and St. Francis (PA) play in the Northeast Conference Championship. Wright State and Northern Kentucky play in the Horizon League Final. Gonzaga and St. Mary’s play in the WCC Championship. Finally, Omaha and North Dakota St. play in the Summit Championship. Obviously, Gonzaga is the best team playing tonight, but if you haven’t watched Northern Kentucky play this season, tonight is a good night for it. Drew McDonald is fresh off his game winning 3 against Oakland. McDonald is 6-foot-8 and is averaging a healthy 19/9 while shooting over 41% from 3. He’s worth the watch. Here’s a low quality (prolly not allowed on Youtube) view of his game winner last night.

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

26-26-1 this season down 2.46 units

Notre Dame -1 at -120 for 5 units. Notre Dame has lost 7 in a row. The last time the Irish won, was in February against Georgia Tech. They play the Yellow Jackets again today. Nate Leszewski and John Mooney are going to have to make shots for this to win. The Fighting Irish struggled against GT’s zone a little bit in their 10 point win in February. Neither team is deep, but in a first round ACC matchup, depth does not matter as much as it will later in the tourney. Georgia Tech has the better guard play, but Notre Dame has the advantage down low. Notre Dame does this frustrating thing… they will be in a close game and not give the ball to their best player, John Mooney, like at all. I know people hate when James Harden just dribbles for 20 seconds and then shoots.. I wish Notre Dame would do that with John Mooney. Feed your best player and you will win tonight Notre Dame.

Vermont -15 at -110 for 2 units. Binghamton is bad. They average 65.7 points a game while giving up 71.6 points a game. Vermont are a great passing team that plays solid defense. Anthony Lamb has been great in his junior year for Vermont (21/8/2). Binghamton won’t be able to guard him. Huge lines are always tough in March, but I like this spot.

College Basketball Monday – Wofford and Fletcher Magee Keep Winning

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

24-25-1 this season down 3.71 units

Wofford at -321 for 6 units. Fletcher Magee has best combo of name and silky shot in college basketball since Jimmer Fredette.

Magee needs 6 more 3 pointers for the NCAA record. He will get it with at least 2 more games to play this season. Wofford’s coach, Mike Young, had this awesome quote. “We’re not a democracy. […} Load him up. We’ve had a number of guys we’ll load up. We don’t get into feelings around here. It was Hubie Brown who said you run special plays for special players.” UNC-Greensboro are a solid team and they won this tournament last season, but Wofford has too much firepower. Wofford gets their 20th straight victory and win the SOCON.

Hofstra -10 at -120 for 2 units. Delaware lost to Hofstra by 22 to end the regular season. Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman is one of the best guards that no one is talking about. The Queens NY native is putting up 26.5/4 this season. He is good enough to carry Hofstra to an upset in the NCAA tournament. Hofstra has a lot better offense, an advantage inside, and better perimeter defense. Take the Pride to cover against Joe Flacco’s old school.

Northeastern at -156 for 2 units. Northeastern are shooting the ball well at the right time. This is basically a home game for Charleston so the line has some value in it even though it is more than -150. Vasa Pusica and Anthony Green are the best inside-out combo in the CAA. Charleston has some solid wins against VCU and Memphis, but they seem to slip up as well, with losses to William & Mary and Drexel. The margin for error is so small for Charleston in this game with how Northeastern are playing. I think Charleston is the better team over the course of the season (their record shows that), but it is March and the hotter team usually wins in March… Go Huskies in this one.

College Basketball Friday – March Madness is Here (Barely)

No top 10 teams play tonight, but they all play tomorrow except for Gonzaga. Duke/UNC, Michigan/Michigan State, and LSU’s first game without the FBI-probed Will Wade all take place this Saturday. Stephen A. Smith called Will Wade a fool and that is way worse than anything the FBI can do. LSU has suspended Will Wade for making more “offers” to players than just a scholarship offer. The best game tonight is either Bowling Green/Buffalo or Minnesota/Maryland. There are some favorable spots, conference tournaments, and win streaks on the line tonight. VCU are going for 12 in a row at home against Jameer Nelson’s former school St. Josephs. Buffalo are going for 10 in a row against Antonio Daniels’ former school Bowling Green. Belmont are going for 14 against – I don’t know any athlete that went to Austin Peay, but you get it. Finally, Murray State are going for 10 wins, but they play Jacksonville State, who are going for their 9th straight win.

70-62-2 on NCAAB last season and went up 8.95 units

24-23-1 this season up 2.29 units

Murray State -6 at +103 for 3 units. Jacksonville State beat Murray State by 20 in Alabama this season. Now Murray State gets a chance at them away from Jacksonville State’s home. The Gamecocks shot the ball the best they have all season in that win over Murray State. They shot 63% in the second half! Murray State will make the defensive adjustments needed in this one. Murray State has the best player on the court in Ja Morant. The Racers have won all of their past 5 games by double digits. They get revenge tonight.

Loyola Marymount -5 at +106 for 3 units. Pepperdine can get hot from 3, but Marymount’s defense should limit them in this one. Loyola has not covered this spread in either game against Pepperdine this season (lost by 15 at Pepperdine). That will change tonight. Batemon and Scott have both been playing well for Loyola of late. Batemon had his worst game of the season at Pepperdine, he won’t play that poorly tonight. Marymount are on the outside looking in on the NCAA tournament bubble and they have to win this 2nd round WCC tournament game if they want to keep their season alive.