Nick "BookieKiller" Parsons
8* Syracuse -6
For a number of different reasons I believe the value in this contest is on Syracuse
Butler had to hold on to beat No. 13 Murray State 54-52 and I believe its going to be in trouble tonight.
Butler is just 2-3 ATS this season as an underdog; 10-13 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record.
On the other side of the court: No. 1 seed Syracuse, which won the Big East title, is led by Wes Johnson, the league's player of the year.
The Orange are coming off 20-point victories over Vermont and Gonzaga.
Syracuse is famous for its zone defense, but with a few days to prepare for this game, I expect it to also be ready to shut down the hot perimeter shooting of Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward, Willie Veasley and Mack Hahn off the bench.
Syracuse is 6-2 ATS its last eight overall; 17-9 ATS as a favorite; 18-8 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record.
Without Arinze Onuaku in the lineup, the Orange continue to be an undervalued team; which perplexes me a bit, as its played so dominantly even without the big man in the paint.
Bottom line: This marks the third time in the past eight years that Butler has made it to the Sweet 16. The Bulldogs have never gone further, and won't be moving ahead after this game either; look for SYRACUSE to improve to 6-1 ATS on neutral courts this year and for Butler to fall to 2-5 ATS vs. good offensive teams that average 77-plus points per contest!
Mike Lineback
Clippers +6.5
The Clippers will have their best chance at a road win in a long time. Houston are playing b2b, 4 in 5 with travel last night. They are banged up big-time, and not coincidentally, they have struggled their L2 games -18 & 10 point losses vs. OKC & Chicago. Battier is out, and hurting & likely to miss tonight's game are Hill, Anderson & Jeffries. Even if the latter trio manage to play, I like the Clippers. Bottom line: Regardless, Houston will have hard time reversing 2-game slide. Plus, LAC have the size advantage to take advantage of Rockets health problems, and if Baron Davis shows up?? the Clippers will be able to matchup with Brooks & Martin. Too many points in this situation. Take the Clippers.
Tony George
Dallas / Portland Over 192.5
Like the over here as Portland is a world beater at home, Dallas plays little defense on the road, and there are scorers all over the Floor in this one. Short on time but love the over in what should be an uptempo style game. Play 1 Unit on the over.
Rocketman
Portland -2.5
Dallas is 19-36 ATS last 3 years against Northwest Division opponents. Portland has won 5 of their last 6 games and 8 of their last 10 games overall. Mavericks are 6-15-1 ATS in their last 22 games following a SU win. Mavericks are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games playing on 1 days rest. Mavericks are 5-13-1 ATS in their last 19 vs. Western Conference. Mavericks are 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games following a ATS win. Mavericks are 5-22 ATS in their last 27 Thursday games. Mavericks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. Mavericks are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 vs. NBA Northwest. Trail Blazers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. NBA Southwest. Trail Blazers are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games as a favorite of 0.5-4.5. Trail Blazers are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following a SU loss. We'll play Portland for 3 units tonight!
Marc Lawrence
Xavier +5
In a showdown between two moneymaking machines, we’ll lean with the Musketeers who are making their third straight trip to the Sweet 16 and are a mind-boggling 14-1-1 ATS in their last 16 NCAA tourney games, including 8-0 ATS off a SUATS win. First-year HC Chris Mack has joined the profit parade, garnering a 21-11-1 ATS mark, including 22-3 SU and 18-5-1 ATS versus .800 or less opposition - with only one loss by more than four points. Meanwhile, KSU has been stellar this season in games against .750 or less opposition, going 21-1 SU and 13-4 ATS. However, under head coach Frank Martin the Wildcats are just 14-16 SU and 14-15 ATS when facing greater than .750 opposition, including 2-5 ATS when KSU is off back-to-back wins. The clincher, though, is this Super System from our powerful database. It tells us to: Play Against any sub .850 Sweet 16 team that lost its conference championship game if they won the opening round of the NCAA tourney by 15 or more points versus an opponent that won 22 or more games last season. That's because these teams are 0-9 SU and ATS in these games. With that we'll grab the points with the Musketeers here tonight. We recommend a 3-unit play on Xavier.
Bob Balfe
Xavier +5.5
Both teams met about 3 months ago on the Wildcats' home floor. KState came out on top, primarily due to a 29% shooting night for Xavier. I don't expect the Musketeers to shoot that poorly tonight (especially on a neutral court). These teams are as evenly matched as they come and the 5.5 spread is significantly higher than it should be. Xavier, being no stranger to the Sweet 16, deserves a lot more credit, particularly after analyzing thier outstanding play late this year. Look for Xavier to control the pace tonight and for this game to go down to the wire. Getting 5.5 points is true value. Take Xavier.
Lenny Del Genio
Clippers +6.5
The Rockets were hammered last night in OKC, 122-104 as eight-point underdogs by the Thunder. It was their second straight double-digit road loss having also lost to a cold Chicago team by 10 two nights earlier. This will be their fifth game in seven nights and despite having an outside shot at the eight seed in the Western Conference, this appears to be a terrible spot for Houston. They are 5-13 ATS in the second night of back to backs this season. Since '96, they are a hideous 5-22 ATS at home when playing for the fifth time in seven nights. The Clippers take the court tonight with double revenge looking to win their first road game in over a month. While LA owns just one victory total in March, that win did come against what was a red-hot Milwaukee team, who is much better than Houston. League-wide, road teams with a win percentage between .250 and .400 that are playing with revenge for a road loss against a team with a wining record have gone 89-49 ATS the last five seasons. Last night, Houston allowed Oklahoma City to shoot 55.8% from the floor. Depth has become a major issue right now with three players - Jared Jeffries, Shane Battier and Jordan Hill - all missing Wednesday's game due to injury. They have two D-league call ups on the roster right now seeing minutes, which is two too many. Overall, the five Rockets reserves that saw action last night combined to shoot a horrendous 29% (9 of 31) from the floor. Simply put, we want no part of laying points with this team right now. Houston, you have a problem. LA Clippers are our NBA Oddsmaker Mismatch.
SEABASS
300 Xavier
50 Butler
50 Pacific
50 Philly Flyers
Steam Cornell Under
MARTY OTTO
Big O: Syracuse -6
ATS FINANCIAL
3 Units Syracuse -6
3 Units Mavs +3.5
Dwayne Bryant
Bulls -1.5
Wayne Root
Vegas Legend - Kentucky (-8½) over Cornell
Millionaire - Xavier (+5) over Kansas State
No Limit - Butler
Billionaire - Washington
Executive
300% Kentucky
KIKI SPORTS
GOY 4* Kansas State
EZWINNERS
2* Wash +4.5