Scott Delaney
Hoops hysteria for the state of Iowa, with all these teams left in the tournament.
But after tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if Iowa State is headed home.
I like the 12th-seeded Arkansas Little Rock Trojans plus the points against the Cyclones in this one, as they have a great shot at advancing to the next round.
Trojans coach Chris Beard has done a good job at keeping his players focused after beating the Purdue Boilermakers.
And leading the charge for Little Rock is Josh Hagins, who scored 29 of his 31 points after halftime in leading the Trojans past Purdue in double overtime.
This team is on a mission right now. And that's why I was impressed with the interviews I saw yesterday, as this team woke up Friday focused on Iowa State, watching film after a light shoot around and preparing for the biggest game in program history.
This comes down to the end, and I like Little Rock.
1* ARKANSAS LITTLE ROCK
Wunderdog
Yale vs. Duke
Pick: Yale +7
Yale has won 18 of its last 19, including a 79-75 upset of fifth seeded seed Baylor on Thursday. Yale is on a 10-3 spread run and 15-5-1 ATS at neutral sites. The Bulldogs won't want to get into a run-and-gun game with the defending champs. The Bulldogs are 34-15-4 ATS following a straight-up win. Duke is off a run-and-gun win over NC Wilmington. When these teams met earlier in the season, Yale shot 39.7% but was even on the glass, holding Duke to just 7-for-22 three-pointers (31.8%). Duke has failed to cover the spread in seven straight neutral-site games. Look for Yale to control the tempo to keep this close.
Jimmy Boyd
UConn vs. Kansas
Pick: UConn +8.5
The Huskies are showing great value here as a near double-digit dog against the Jayhawks. Connecticut didn't play well at all in the 1st half against Colorado, but returned to the form that won them the AAC Tournament in the 2nd half. The Huskies are playing with all kinds of momentum and aren't going to be the least bit intimidated by the Jayhawks. Kansas is simply overvalued due to the fact that they are the #1 overall seed in the tournament and fresh off a 26-points win over Austin Peay, where they put up a ridiculous 107 points. Connecticut isn't going to let the Jayhawks run all over them. They are going to limit their easy looks in transition and really slow the game down. It's not out of the question that the Huskies win this game outright. Connecticut is 24-10 ATS in their last 34 games when listed as a underdog on a neutral court and a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last 7 NCAA Tournament games. Kansas on the other hand is just 2-9 ATS over the last 2 seasons against teams who average 12 or less turnovers after 15+ games.
Andrew Lange
Gonzaga vs. Utah
Play: Under 139
Both teams played it close to the vest in the first round as Gonzaga won a 68-52 grinder over Seton Hall and Utah did the same against Fresno State. The lone difference was the Zags avoided the dreaded late foul fest and went way under the total while the Utes traded baskets and free throws against a desperate Fresno squad that made a late rally. Keep in mind the Utah-Fresno game was 33-22 at half but both teams combined for 94 points after the break. Utah played zone against Fresno for most of the game while running the offense inside-out through center Jakob Poeltl. Those are two factors that will help towards the under. Gonzaga will try to do the same thing with center Domantas Sabonis who took a team-high 20 field attempts against Seton Hall. I'm projecting the game to be in the low 60's possession wise which gives us wiggle room to play under on the current total of 139.