BIG AL
Charlotte @ San Antonio
PICK: Over 191.5
After Monday's 30-point loss at Miami, Gregg Popovich made his players endure the longest practice session of the year, as well as intense film study to clean up the bad habits that had crept into his team's play. Not surprisingly, the Spurs got back to playing "Spurs Basketball" last night at Dallas, and won an intense 97-91 game. But off that win -- which was played by both teams with a playoff-like spirit -- I look for a bit of a letdown here tonight at home vs. the Bobcats. At the least, the Spurs will not treat this game like a Playoff game. And a more relaxed attitude will give us a great chance to cash the 'over' in this ball game, as San Antonio's defense has left a lot to be desired this month. Take the 'over.'
Tom Freese
Cincinnati vs. Connecticut
Play: Connecticut -3½
Cincinnati 26-8 straight up this year. The Bearcats are 4-9 ATS their last 13 games as an underdog. Cincinnati is 2-5 ATS their last 7 Big Dance games. The Bearcats are 1-4 ATS their last 5 games vs. Connecticut. The Huskies are 27-9 straight up this year. The Huskies are 17-5 ATS their last 22 neutral site games. The Huskies are 24-8 ATS their last 32 games following a straight up win. UCONN is 7-3 ATS their last 10 games off a straight up win by more than 20 points. The Huskies are 6-0 ATS their last 6 games overall.
Ray Monohan
Gonzaga vs. Brigham Young
Play: Over 148½
Got the Marquette upset right as my Friday free play back with another one for Saturday on the Tourney's 2nd round. I'm all OVER the OVER in the BYU vs. Gonzaga matchup. The 2 square off in Denver on Saturday with an NCAA tournament Sweet 16 berth on the line, the winner plays either Florida or UCLA. Both teams could easily get into the 80's in what should be a shootout. IN 2010/2011 the Bulldogs have averaged 77.0PPG, the Cougars have averaged 81.4PPG. The Zags put up 86 in round 1, and BYU put up 74. Marquise Carter and Jimmer Fredette could put up 50 between them as it is. Trends I like for this one include, Over is 18-6 in GONZ last 24 NCAA Tournament games, Over is 4-0 in Bulldogs last 4 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite, Over is 5-2 in Cougars last 7 NCAA Tournament games.
SPORTS WAGERS
West Virginia +4/+162 over Kentucky
All those games against all those strong Big East teams really paid dividends for the Mountaineers in their first round matchup against Clemson. WVU was so impressive. Joe Mazzulla, the Mountaineers floor general, is fearless, physical and intense. When he has to score, he usually does and the guy had that “refuse to lose” look in his eye and bounce in his step against the Tigers. St. John's received all the love for knocking off the top-ranked teams but the Mountaineers knocked off five top-16 teams themselves. The starters are all upperclassmen and contributed to the Final Four run last year and of all the teams we saw in the first two days nobody looked hungrier than the Mountaineers. The Wildcats beat Princeton by two points. Nothing would surprise about John Calipari's second edition of the Wildcats. They could lose to anyone, as they almost did against Princeton, or go all the way to the Final Four. Kentucky doesn't have much depth. Calipari has relied on just six players most of the season and thus, foul trouble or even a minor injury can render Calipari's rotation. His starters can falter from physical exhaustion late in games and we saw West Virginia wear down Clemson on Thursday. Expect them to do the same to the Wildcats here. Play: West Virginia +4 (Risking 1.06 units to win 2) Play: West Virginia +162 (Risking 1 unit).
Temple +6 over San Diego St.
The Aztecs opened the tourney with a 68-50 win over Northern Colorado but the win wasn’t as easy as the score suggests. The Aztecs had their hands full with the 15th-seeded Bears of the Big Sky early and looked to be in trouble when Devon Beitzel hit 3-pointers in rapid succession to open the second half and the Bears were within three with 14 minutes to go. During the regular season, BYU whipped SDSU twice before Brandon Davies was suspended and against the other tournament team in their conference, UNLV, the Aztecs won both games, one by two points and the other by six points against a Rebel team that got destroyed by Illinois in the first round. The point is, the Mountain West lost some credibility in the first two days. Despite the veteran makeup of this team, the Aztecs have a tendency to become too jump-shot oriented and they don't get a lot of second-chance points. SDSU is not going to shoot its way to a big win either from the 3-point or free-throw lines and that’s a concern when laying points against a quality team like Temple. The Owls fought hard in their two-point win over a game Nittany Lion squad and their will was tested from start to finish. The Owls have the luxury of a solid inside-outside punch. The backcourt of Ramon Moore and Juan Fernandez is as solid and exciting as any you will find in college basketball. The loss of a couple of key contributors off the bench has hurt their depth but this is still a very good team that can not only win this game but stay well within this range. Play: Temple +6 (Risking 2.2 units to win 2).
Brad Diamond
Butler vs. Pittsburgh
Play: Pittsburgh -7½
I realize this will not be a popular choice for some of our mid-major fans out there, but the Panthers are extremely talented, despite catching an early out in the Big East. Remember, their loss to UConn is now highly respected. The Huskies went on to win the Big East and torched Bucknell as we thought in game #1 of tourney. The Panther losses this season were to Tennessee, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Louisville and again, UConn. Now they catch well coached and former FINAL FOUR entry Butler who defeated Old Dominion in round one 60-58. The Bulldogs rely on Mack, Howard and Smith to generate points, but their bench is ineffective at times from the offensive standpoint. So, I’ll take the deeper Panthers to bury the Bulldogs....82-67.
James Patrick Sports
Butler vs. Pitt
The Bulldogs know how to succeed in this tournament. The ‘under’ is on an (8-1) ATS run in Pitt games and a (6-1) ATS roll in Butler’s last seven outings. The total for their second-round showdown is (128). Big Game James Patrick's complimentary selection in NCAA Tournament action is Butler - Pitt Under the Total.
Derek Mancini
UCLA (+5') vs. Florida at Tampa, FL.
Today's Freebie centers around the 2006 Title game rematch between UCLA and Florida. A lot has changed since then, including the gap in talent between these two schools. I know a lot of people are high on Florida after watching them destroy Santa Barbara. And similarly, a lot of bettors grew hesistant on the Bruins after watching them nearly blow that lead against the Spartans, but there's a couple things you need to consider.
First, please do not compare the 1st game opponents of these two schools. The Gauchos are a joke compared to the Spartans, so saying that the Gators dominated their 1st game match up means nothing to me, because they are supposed to dominate Santa Barbara. UCLA on the other hand, was not supposed to beat Michigan State and "tourney guru" Tom Izzo, but they did just that in (impressive fashion for most of the game).
Second, the Bruins happen to match up extremely well with Florida. You've got a lockdown defender in Malcolm Lee to defend Kenny Boyton. You've got an NBA size center in Josh Smith to disrupt the Gators interior defense. You've got two talented forwards to go along with Smith in Nelson & Honeycutt, both of which got it done against Michigan State. And you've got a defense that limited the Spartans to 40% shooting, won the rebounding battle, and blocked 8 shots along the way!
Finally, the public is all over the Gators here, believing UCLA to be a total pretender. However, I'd be very careful about putting too much stock in the Gators win over Santa Barbara. And I'd also be careful about underestimating a Bruins team that has all the pieces, but has simply underachieved until now. Florida may still win SU, but covering this number is a completely different story. Take UCLA plus the points over Florida Saturday.
2♦ UCLA
Stephen Nover
Florida (-5') vs. UCLA, at Tampa, Fla.
Forget Florida getting blown out to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament title game. The Gators easily captured the regular-season league title and are on a roll having won 11 of 13 since February with the only two losses coming to the Wildcats.
This is Billy Donovan's strongest Florida squad since the Gators' Big Dance championship team of 2007. The Gators are 11-3 against teams invited to the Big Dance. Kentucky and top-ranked Ohio State are the only teams to own victories against Florida in the field.
If you discount their recent games against Kentucky, the Gators are on a 6-0 ATS streak winning those matchups by nine or more points.
Keep in mind the venue for this Southeast Regional matchup is Tampa, Fla. So it's practically a home game for the Gators. UCLA had to fly cross-country.
The long travel nearly cost the Bruins as they blew a huge lead against Michigan State in their opening-round game. UCLA is not a good 3-point shooting team and its 15 turnovers per game is among the highest of any tournament team.
The Bruins are not the caliber of Florida going 4-7 versus foes invited to the Big Dance. This includes an 0-5 road mark when facing such an opponent. In their last 14 neutral site games, the Bruins are 4-10 ATS.
Michael Cannon
Ucla vs. Florida (-5'), at Tampa, FL
Take Florida as the listed chalk against Ucla in the second round of the Southeast regional.
I released Ucla as a 40 dime best bet for my paying clients on Thursday and watched the Bruins build a 23-point second half lead.
But they almost choked it away under a furious rally by Michigan State and it left me wondering how the Bruins will fare today against an opponent like Florida.
Ucla was really exposed down the stretch for its inability to switch off screens and that left a bevy of wide-open 3-pointers for the Spartans. You can bet Billy Donovan is going to have his Gators working similar sets, but it’s also going to create open looks inside for Vernon Macklin and it will open things up for Chandler Parsons on penetrations to the hoop.
If the Bruins have trouble switching at the top of the key, you better believe Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton will make them pay from beyond the arc.
Florida is just too solid and Ucla still too inexperienced.
Lay the points with the Gators for the win and cover.
3♦ FLORIDA
Karl Garrett
Butler (+8) vs. Pittsburgh at Washington, D.C.
Now for your comp play, and it is a play on the Butler Bulldogs plus the points to hang tough against the # 1 seeded Pittsburgh Panthers.
Butler showed their heart on Thursday in their last second win over a tough Old Dominion team, as the Bulldogs have now won 10 straight games, and they are a perfect 5-0-1 against the spread this season when installed as an underdog.
Pittsburgh looked strong in their opening win over NC Asheville but they are no better than 5-5 against the spread their last 10 when laying the wood.
Butler may not have the same make-up as last year's squad that went all the way to the title game, but Brad Stevens' team is plenty resilient, and I do not see them getting blown out in this spot.
Take the Bulldogs plus the points.
4♦ BUTLER
Joel Tyson
Morehead State vs. Richmond (-4) at Denver, CO
Free play time, and I will go to the well once again with the Richmond Spiders as they look to make it to the Sweet 16.
Highly impressed with Richmond's surge, as they have won and covered 8 in a row now, and are on a 12-1 straight up run their last 13. The Spiders have rung the bell 7 straight times when laying points, and their sticky - no pun intended - defense will make life miserable on the Eagles from Morehead State.
Morehead was able to slay # 4 seeded Louisville in their opening round, but I wonder just how much of an emotional drain that game was on them? If they come out flat at all, Richmond will put a foot on their throats and not let them up for air in this 40-minute battle.
I will take my chances with A-10 rep to handle this Ohio Valley entrant.
Take Richmond minus the points.
5♦ RICHMOND
Chuck O'Brien
Morehead State vs. Richmond (-4) at Denver
Now for Saturday’s complimentary selection from the Big Dance, take Richmond as a slight favorite over Morehead State in a battle of double-digit Southwest Region seeds.
Both these teams scored upset victories Thursday, though even the most objective observer would conclude that Morehead State’s stunning 62-61 win over fourth-seeded Louisville as a 9½-point underdog was more impressive than the Spiders’ 69-66 come-from-behind win over Vanderbilt (the latter result costing me a 25 Dime play).
However, as much credit as the Eagles deserve for knocking out a Big East team, you can’t underestimate the impact of the injury suffered by Louisville point guard Preston Knowles in the second half. As soon as Knowles left, Morehead State went on a 13-4 run to take the lead, and when it came down to crunch time in the final two minutes, the Cardinals didn’t have their floor leader.
As for Richmond, all it does is win and cash tickets – we’re talking eight consecutive victories and covers, and the Spiders are also 7-0 ATS in their last seven as a favorite. How are they doing it? With defense, as Richmond has held eight straight opponents and 12 of the last 13 to 66 points or less (in fact, the 66 points they allowed to Vanderbilt were the most they’ve given up since a 73-53 loss to Temple on Feb. 17). Take out the Temple game and Richmond is yielding 56.8 ppg in 12 contests since the beginning of February.
I bring up those defensive stats because against the four best teams the Eagles have played this year – Florida, Ohio State, Northern Iowa and Louisville – they’ve scored 55, 45, 53 and 62 points, respectively. In other words, I believe Morehead is going to have a difficult time scoring today. Finally, in addition to their eight-game ATS winning streak (and seven straight spread-covers as a favorite), Richmond has cashed in 26 of 37 after a victory and four in a row at neutral sites.
4♦ RICHMOND
Craig Davis
Richmond (-4) vs. Morehead State at Denver
Saturday's free play is Richmond on the Moneyline over Morehead State. If you saw my bracket here on the site this week, you knew what I thought about Richmond. I had the Spiders beating Morehead State.
Several friends of mine couldn't believe I was "dumb" enough to pick Morehead to beat Louisville or Richmond to beat Louisville.
I believe in this Richmond team. I believe in the Atlantic 10. In fact, in one bracket I had Richmond beating Kansas to advance to the Elite 8. The Spiders have everything you need for a team to make a deep run. They are talented at the guard position, strong in the middle, and play tenacious defense.
Richmond's defense absolutely doesn't take any breaks. The Spiders are near the top of every defensive category in the A-10, yet they've played even better defense over the past two weeks.
Check this out: Richmond held each of its last six opponents in conference play (Charlotte, Saint Joseph's, Duquesne, Rhode Island, Temple and Dayton) below 60 points. That's impressive.
One other reason I like Richmond so much is their senior leadership. Four of their five starters are seniors, including All-Atlantic 10 first teamer Kevin Anderson, who will absolutely wear down the Morehead defense by the second half.
Again, I just can't see them losing this game.
I fully understand what Kenneth Faried is capable of; he's a rebounding machine. He's likely to get 15-20, but if that's all he gets you can call it a "victory" for Richmond.
The Eagles did the unthinkable by beating Louisville in the first round, but they just don't have the depth to keep up with experienced Richmond for 40 minutes. I hate this pointspread and that's why I'm releasing the Spiders on the moneyline as your complimentary play of the day.
5♦ RICHMOND ON THE MONEYLINE
Bobby Maxwell
Kansas State vs. Wisconsin (-2'), at Tucson, Ariz.
For my comp selection, these two teams met in a very similar situation three seasons ago and it was all Wisconsin, winning 72-55 in the big dance and cashing as 4 ½-point favorites. I expect something very similar tonight as the Badgers will be able to shut down the Kansas State offense and win this one with ease.
The Badgers’ Jon Leuer was on the court for that game three years ago for all of one minute. In Friday’s win over Belmont he poured in 22 points and had seven rebounds as they beat Belmont 72-58 as four-point favorites, holding the opposition to 18-of-49 shooting and winning the rebounding war 29-17.
Kansas State didn’t look very good against Utah State in the opening game, winning 73-68 as two-point favorites but they were just 22-of-54 from the floor for 40.7 percent shooting. The Wildcats let Utah State shoot 46 percent from the floor and today they are playing a better shooting team from a much better conference.
Wisconsin is on ATS runs of 10-4 against teams with winning percentages better than .600, 4-1 in non-conference games, 5-1 against Big 12 teams and 6-1 on Saturdays. On the opposite side, Kansas State is on ATS skids of 1-4 on a neutral court, 1-4 in non-conference games, 3-7 as an underdog and 3-9 on Saturdays.
Love Wisconsin tonight, so go ahead and lay the small chalk with the Badgers.
4♦ WISCONSIN
Stephen Nover
Kansas State v. Wisconsin, at Tucson, Ariz
Wisconsin drew a lot of skeptics after scoring only 33 points in its first-round Big Ten Conference Tournament loss to Penn State.
That was a fluke, though. The Badgers are the third-best defensive team in the nation holding foes to 58 points a game. That was exact number Belmont scored in a 72-58 first-round Big Dance loss to the Badgers. The Bruins entered the game averaging more than 79 points per contest.
Wisconsin does a lot of things really right. The Badgers rank second nationally in points per possession, are the country's leading free throw shooting school making more than 82 percent and commit fewer than eight turnovers per game, which bodes well against the pressure of the Wildcats.
Kansas State, by comparison, gives up eight more points per game than Wisconsin and ranks 287th from the foul line making 65.4 percent.
The Badgers have two big-time talents in guard Jordan Taylor, who led the country with a 4.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, and 6-foot-10 forward Jon Leuer.
Guard Jacob Pullen is the Wildcats' star. Pullen wasn't 100 percent but still scored 22 points in Kansas State's 73-68 first-round tournament victory against Utah State. Pullen has been battling a flu bug.
Kansas State was a two-point favorite against the Aggies. As underdogs, the Wildcats are 3-7 ATS. Wisconsin is 10-4 ATS the past 14 times it has met an opponent with a winning percentage above .600.
The Wildcats want a quick pace and to dominate the paint. That's not going to happen in this matchup.
VEGAS EXPERTS
Cincinnati at Connecticut
UConn is in the midst of an incredible run right now, dating back to the Big East Tournament and is 9-0 ATS this season on a neutral court. They've already beaten Cincinnati once this season, by eight on the road, and now its a rare matchup of conference rivals in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UConn falls into a 65% winning system that says to play on favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points off a cover as a double digit favorite.
Play on: Connecticut
Tony Stoffo
Columbus vs. Minnesota
Play: Under 5
With the Blue Jackets 0-8 in their last 8 games against the Western Conference, and this being the Wild's first game back from a long road trip. Can't see either offense doing much in this spot making for a solid release on the Under here this afternoon. Under is 5-1-1 in Blue Jackets last 7 games as an underdog of +110 to +150. Under is 5-0 in Wild last 5 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days. Under is 5-1-1 in the last 7 meetings in Minnesota.
LARRY NESS
UCLA @ Florida
PICK: Florida -5
UCLA built a 23-point lead in its opener against Tom Izzo’s Michigan State team (one which had been to the last two, Final 4s), then held on by a bucket despite the Spartans’ furious second-half rally. UCLA’s twin 6-8 forwards Nelson (13.9-9.0) and Honeycutt (12.8-7.3) had 12 & 10 plus 16 & 6, respectively. The team’s 6-10 freshman center Smith (10.7-6.3) added 14 points while guard Lee (13.1), despite playing with a sore knee, had 16 points. One major area of concern was that Jones (9.2-3.6 APG), the closest thing Ben Howland has to resembling a PG, made just 1-of-7 FGs and finished with four points and only two assists. Meanwhile, Florida hardly broke a sweat in its 79-51 romp of UC-Santa Barbara. The Gators led 43-19 at the half and no starter played more than 28 minutes. Billy Donovan’s team drew a lot of criticism for getting a No. 2 seed (few, including myself believe the Gators deserved that high of a seed) but let’s not discount this team’s talented starting-five. It's a veteran group as well, bringing back memories of the veteran group of Gators which won back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. This group is NOT that good but in Walker (14.5-3.4 APG) and Boynton (14.1), Donovan has an excellent guard duo. The 6-10 Macklin (11.3-5.5) plays center and is surrounded by the multi-talented 6-10 Parsons (11.5-7.9-3.7), who was named the SEC player of the year, plus the steady 6-8 Tyus (8.6-5.5). I’m not close to calling for a Final 4 run by this team but a Sweet 16 trip sure seems reasonable. UCLA used its speed to jump out early vs Michigan St but the Bruins do not own an edge like that vs the mobile and athletic Gators. I mentioned Florida being a veteran team and it shows in that the Gators rank second only to No. 1 Ohio State in the fewest fouls permitted per game (only 14.4). Plus, Billy Donovan’s teams ALWAYS paly defense and this group is no different, allowing 62.7 PPG. The Gators defend the three-point line well (31.7%) plus as mentioned, the Bruins have no true PG. During the Pac 10 regular season, UCLA led all teams in turnovers and enter this game ranked 272nd nationally in turnovers (not a good stat!). UCLA’s 6-10 freshman center Smith continues to grow as a player but Florida’s 6-10 senior (Macklin began his career at Georgetown) will teach “the kid” a thing or two. If everyone stays around (and Howland can find a PG), next year’s UCLA team could be of Final 4 quality. However, this year’s team falls short of ‘tasting’ a Sweet 16 trip, far away from the Westwood campus (Tampa venue is a significant edge for the Gators). Lay the points.
Jack Jones
Boston Celtics -1
I like the Boston Celtics to bounce back from one of their worst losses of the season last night. The Celtics are a team that rarely gets beaten in back-to-back games, and they have been surprisingly good on little rest. Boston is 19-5 ATS in road games off an embarrassing road loss scoring less than 80 points since 1996. The Celtics are 33-16 ATS in road games when playing their 5th game in 7 days since 1996.
This is a Boston team that is also great to back when looking for revenge. The Celtics are 24-9 ATS in road games revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons. Boston is 22-9 ATS in their last 31 games following a S.U. loss. The Hornets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog of 0.5-4.5. Boston just has so much working in their favor going into this one, and I believe they get the job done tonight. Bet the Celtics Saturday.
Dave Price
1 Unit on Boston Celtics pk
After getting completely whipped in Houston, I fully expect the Celtics to get back on track tonight. Boston has lost its last 3 away from home, but it hasn't lost 4 straight on the road in over 2 years. Boston is an outstanding 19-5 ATS in its last 24 road games following an embarrassing road loss in which it was held to less than 80 points. Take the Celtics.
Jeff Alexander
1 Unit on Gonzaga -1
The Zags are really hitting on all cylinders, having won 10 in a row with 7 of those wins coming by double digits. Gonzaga is a much better defensive team than Wofford and it has a lot more size and talent. Gonzaga's size should prove to be the difference in this one against a BYU team that is without leading rebounder Brandon Davies. Also, don't be surprised to see the 6'5'' Steven Gray on Fredette. Gray is quick, strong and athletic and should have some success in slowing down the nation's top scorer. BYU is 4-14 ATS in all tournament games over the last 3 seasons and 1-9 ATS in its last 10 post season tournament games away from home. Take Gonzaga.
SPORTS WAGERS
Colorado +114 over EDMONTON
The Av’s have lost something like 100 games in a row but all the signs are there that suggest they’re on the verge of snapping it. They had a 2-0 lead on the Canucks on Wednesday before losing it late and the next night in Calgary they were just too whacked out to compete. They’ve now had a full days rest and tonight they’ll be ready. Colorado has both Paul Statstny and John Michael Liles back and they both looked good against Vancouver. The real kicker, however, is that the Oilers posted identical 5-1 victories in Colorado on Feb. 23 and March 5. That’s recent and that’s embarrassing. As much as the Av’s are injured, the Oiler injuries are worse. Edmonton is coming off a 3-1 loss to the Coyotes in a game they outshot Phoenix 36-17 and went 1-9 on the power play. That’s a third of the game with the man advantage. The Coyotes didn’t come to play yet they still won. The Av’s are sick of losing and they’re especially sick about losing to this host by a combined score of 10-2 in two very recent games. The Av’s will come to play tonight, that you can be sure of and chances are they snap the dreadful run they’re on. Play: Colorado +114 (Risking 2 units).
DALLAS +100 over Philadelphia
The Flyers have four wins over their last 11 games and those victories came against Florida, Toronto, Edmonton and the Islanders. That quartet they beat has something in common. They’ll all be on the rail when the playoffs start. And it’s not like the Flyers are losing to good teams either. Philly’s seven losses over that stretch were against Atlanta (twice), the Rangers (7-0), Buffalo, Toronto, Phoenix and Ottawa. Now they’re favored on the road against a warm Stars team that’s playing its best hockey of the year. They’re coming off a 4-0 win over Chicago and it doesn’t get much more impressive than that. Dallas has won seven of its last 11 games but comparing their schedule to Philly’s is like comparing Duke to Hampton. The Stars last 11 games were against Chicago, San Jose (twice), Los Angeles (twice), Minny, Calgary, Phoenix, Anaheim, Nashville, and Detroit. They won seven of those and what they’ve done over the past three weeks is about 100 times more impressive than Flyers have accomplished over that same stretch of 11 games. Wrong side favored. Play: Dallas +100 (Risking 2 units).
Wunderdog
West Virginia vs. Kentucky
Play: West Virginia +4
The West Virginia Mountaineers have been an under-the-radar Big East team for several years. They don't come with the label of a big program like many of the Big East teams, but come postseason this team performs year in and year out. West Virginia is 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 NCAA Tournament games, showing up for every game. Kentucky saw a lot of players leave early, but John Calipari has once again reloaded the Wildcats with top players, but they are a young team and have had a lot of trouble closing-out games this season. The Cats have dropped six games by 4 points or less, and five by 2 points or less. On the biggest stage, the points loom large on the Mountaineers. Take West Virginia and the points in this one.