Jason Sharpe
North Carolina (+6) over Wisconsin
Wisconsin hasn’t looked very sharp in their first two tournament games as the Badgers lack of athletes seems to be exposed when they face the more talented teams. They very easily could have lost the Big Ten tournament also as they come from way back late to steal a win over Michigan State in a game the Badgers were outplayed. North Carolina may be the most talented team Wisconsin has faced all season as the Tar Heels are loaded with lots of young potential future stars. UNC also has the needed size to match-up well with the Badgers in this one as the Tar Heels usually start four players who are 6-foot-6 or taller. Take North Carolina and the points here.
Sleepyj
La.Lafayette -3
The Rajin Cajuns are a tough matchup for any team in CBB to be honest....Ul Laf will eat up Evansville on the boards in this one..Across the board Ul Laf is far superior..They are playing the best basketball of the season and i see no reason they don;t win and cover this game...This team is very good and Evansiville i think is short in to many areas here..Rebounds, PPG, FG%, turnovers, steals, blocks, all favor UL-laf...I'm not a big fan of Evansiville size..I had them in a few games this year and they can't battle down low with tough defensive guys..They need to shoot the ball very well in this game to keep this one close...I just don't see that happening her for the Aces tonight....Rajin Cajuns now come back home to the home crowd after two road wins Vs. two teams i think are better than Evansville as well...I think this is a step up in class here for the Aces....UL- laf will limit Balentine or Mockevicius and leave it to one player to beat them..I doubt it happens here..Cajuns roll.
Ian Hudson
A CORNET vs. E VESNINA
PLAY: A CORNET -185
Cornet is 38 places above the player she meets in this first round match in Miami outdoors on hardcourts. The selection reached the last 16 of this tournament in 2013 and won two matches at the venue last year. Vesnina has made the last 32 in the previous two renewals of this tournament but her opponent has better form on the surface since the start of last year. Cornet's game is suited to hardcourts and she has won the two previous meetings on the surface between these two players, not dropping a set and outscoring Vesnina by 24 games tp 8. That difference in ability is not reflected in the odds so Cornet must be backed to go 4-1 up in head-to-head matches on all surfaces.
Mr Vegas
Pacers vs Bucks
Play: Under
A tough spot for the stumbling Indiana Pacers, the second of a back to back situation. They won't want to get into a running game, which they don't do anyway, ranked fourth in the NBA in points allowed. Indiana is 4-0 under the total on the road and 4-1 under playing on no days rest. The Pacers are one of the league's best defensive teams at 43.5 percent. Milwaukee is rested while playing great defense, sixth in the NBA in points allowed. Milwaukee is 18-7 under the total against the Eastern Conference, plus 4-1 under against a team with a losing record.
Cajun Sports
Wichita St vs. Notre Dame
Play: Under 138
The Wichita State Shockers face off against the Irish of Notre Dame on Thursday evening in Sweet 16 action. Notre Dame coming off a su win in their last game and are now installed as an underdog have gone Under the posted total at a rate of 14-30-1 Under. If the Irish are coming off back-to-back su victories in their last two games and are now installed as an underdog they have gone Under the posted total at a rate of 6-16 Under. We want to Play UNDER on a postseason team that is coming off three consecutive contests that went Over the posted total. These teams have seen the Under cash at a rate of 8-19 Under. If they are on the postseason road the Under record is 14-33 Under. We will take the Under in this game as the Shockers and Irish play a tightly contested affair.
3G-Sports
Xavier vs. Arizona
Play: Arizona -10.5
Xavier is a team that is always in the dance, but honestly, they struggle guarding vs high poweered teams, they also lack some speed, especially with their frontcourt. When teams start running the ball, and getting into transition vs them, they get flustered, and could get a bit intimidated here. Arizona is a very tough matchup for anyone they play. Their defensive rebounding is underrated, opposed to their strong offense, that basketball fans are known to see from them. Arizona can challenge anyone in the brackets. They carry great chemistry, T.J. McConnell is a true court leader. And they have Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on defense, who can play bigger than his size. Arizona is a high powered team and wins by 13 or more tonight as your comp.
John Ryan
West Virginia vs. Kentucky
Play: Kentucky -13½
The simulator shows a high probability that Kentucky will win this game by at least 15 points. The following game situations match the SIM projections and my compiled research for the outcome of this game. Please see my article released yesterday for the fundamental reasons Kentucky will win. Briefly, they will minimize the 'press' by going over the top of it and not allowing the multiple traps to occur. This means Kentucky will pass the ball quickly while moving it up the court. Holding the ball or dribbling too long - even for an extra second - can allow WVU to get that player trapped and then the remaining players fill passing lanes looking for the steal. Once Kentucky gets the ball over the top of the press they will many opportunities to attack the rim with numbers. I think it is true that the only way West Virginia can compete in this matchup is to throw the hay maker right from the opening tip and attempt to frustrate and stun Kentucky. I just don't see this happening. If Iowa State was successful TWO times in defeating the press and winning both games easily, then it is not logical to think that this high risk press will work against a vastly better team. Further, WVU ranks 275th in the nation in effective FG%. So, it is all or nothing with this press. Kentucky is a near-perfect 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) when they make 47% to 53% of their shots in a game this season.
Steve Rosen
Los Angeles Kings vs. NY Islanders
Play: Los Angeles Kings +100
The Islanders have lost 5 of their last 6 games, and 7 of their last 10. They have lost 4 straight at home and tonight vs a desperate and talented Kings team it will be 5 in a row. The kings have won 6 of their last 10 games and are on a tear now. They just beat the NHL's best New York Rangers 4-2 at Madison Square Garden.The Kings are 6-2-1 in the last 9 meetings in New York. Also keep in mind, time is of the essence for the reigning Stanley Cup-champion Kings, who trail Calgary by one point for third place in the Pacific Division while sitting two behind Winnipeg for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. While Los Angeles is trending in the right direction, the Islanders have mustered just eight goals while dropping five of their last six to see their lead dwindle to just two points over third-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders are 1-for-16 on the power play in their last four games. Kings G Jonathan Quick owns a 4-1-2 career mark and 1.53 goals-against average versus the Islanders. The Islanders have been a great and solid team this year, but at this point in the season and with the Kings scorching hot, I don't think the isles stand a chance in this one!
Brad Diamond
Indiana vs. Milwaukee
Play: Under 187
Note, this series turned around lately from total standpoint. Granted back on March 12th the number went HIGH at 212, but that was inside an OT affair. And, Thursday, seemingly a dead patch on the NBA schedule to have just one game on the docket might cause of the opponents to "wonder" through the appointment rather than being on point with spirit and drive. Therefore, we'll take a ticket with the UNDER as the Bucks have shot UNDER at a 18-7 clip versus the Eastern Conference and 4-1 UNDER off a SU loss. Indiana is 7-2 UNDER off a SU win, while showing short 4-of-5 in road battles...
Wunderdog
West Virginia vs. Kentucky
Pick: West Virginia +13.5
Kentucky is a big public favorite again, but the Mountaineers are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 NCAA Tournament games. The Mountaineers beat up Maryland in the third round, and will attack Kentucky with their full-court pressure. West Virginia specializes in forcing turnovers and led the nation in steals (10.9) during the regular season. The Mountaineers forced 23 turnovers in the 69-59 victory over Maryland after badgering Buffalo into 17 during the NCAA Tournament round of 64. The Kentucky Wildcats faced a similarly tough defensive front against Cincinnati in the third round and got off to a slow start before easing to a 64-51 win. Kentucky is 0-3-1 ATS in NCAA Tournament games. Take the points on West Virginia.
Jimmy Boyd
Arizona Wildcats -10.5
You have to give credit to Xavier for making it this far when a lot of people thought they wouldn’t make it out of their first game, but I’m not convinced a couple of wins over Ole Miss and Georgia State are going to have them ready for the likes of Arizona. I know 10.5-points is a lot, but 11 of the Wildcats victories during their current 13-game winning streak have come by double-digits. You also have to take into consideration that the closest team Xavier has played that would compare to Arizona is Villanova and the Musketeers lost all 3 meetings against the Cats by at least 12-points.
I just think Arizona is too strong defensively for Xavier to keep this one competitive. The Musketeers allowed Georgia State to shoot 56.5% from the field in the Round of 32, including 62.5% inside the 3-point line. The Wildcats on the other hand beat Ohio State by 15, despite leading scorer Stanley Johnson scoring just 4 points and as a team Arizona shot just 36.5% from the field.
Arizona’s only real weakness is their not a great shooting team, but after watching Xavier struggle to slow down Georgia State, this has blowout written all over it. Wildcats are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 after 15+ games against teams who force 14 or fewer turnovers/game and 9-1 ATS in the same spot against teams who average 6 or fewer steals.
Brandon Lee
Kentucky Wildcats -13
There's been plenty of talk about how the West Virginia press is going to give Kentucky trouble and that Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins has Calipari's number. I believe this will have the Wildcats 100% locked in on this matchup and I look for it to get ugly in a hurry. Kentucky has the size and talent at the guard positions to pick apart this West Virginia press, which is going to create a lot of easy baskets. The other big key here is that the Mountaineers are going to struggle to score against this Kentucky defense and the ball has to go in the basket for them to set their pressure. One team that has a lot of six and athleticism in the Big 12 is Baylor and the Bears won all 3 meetings against the Mountaineers by double-digits.
Jeff Alexander
Notre Dame +2
The Irish should not be listed as the underdog in this matchup. Notre Dame is a team on a mission right now and have even more to play for after learning head coach Mike Brey's mom just passed away. Wichita State put up an impressive performance against Kansas in a game that meant a lot more than to them than just another tournament win. I look for the Shockers to come out a big flat, while Notre Dame shakes off the rust and returns to the form that saw them win the ACC Tournament with back-to-back wins over Duke and North Carolina.
Dave Price
Wisconsin -6
Wisconsin (33-3) hasn't been as dominant as most would expect up to this point. It has failed to cover the spread in each of its first two games. It won 86-72 as 20.5-point favorites over Coastal Carolina while allowing 48.3% shooting. It won 72-65 over Oregon as 12.5-point favorites as Joseph Young went off for 30 points for the Ducks. Because the Badgers are 0-2 ATS in the tournament, I believe this line has been set lower than it should be as the oddsmakers have adjusted. UNC was nearly knocked out by Harvard in the first round in a 67-65 victory. The Tar Heels are expected to be without key big man Kennedy Meeks, who is nursing an ankle injury. Not having him against this big Wisconsin lineup would be a huge blow for the Tar Heels. The Badgers are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 non-conference games. Wisconsin is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 vs. ACC opponents. The Tar Heels are 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Steve RosenView Archive
Los Angeles Kings vs. NY Islanders
Play: Los Angeles Kings +100
The Islanders have lost 5 of their last 6 games, and 7 of their last 10. They have lost 4 straight at home and tonight vs a desperate and talented Kings team it will be 5 in a row. The kings have won 6 of their last 10 games and are on a tear now. They just beat the NHL's best New York Rangers 4-2 at Madison Square Garden.The Kings are 6-2-1 in the last 9 meetings in New York. Also keep in mind, time is of the essence for the reigning Stanley Cup-champion Kings, who trail Calgary by one point for third place in the Pacific Division while sitting two behind Winnipeg for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. While Los Angeles is trending in the right direction, the Islanders have mustered just eight goals while dropping five of their last six to see their lead dwindle to just two points over third-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders are 1-for-16 on the power play in their last four games. Kings G Jonathan Quick owns a 4-1-2 career mark and 1.53 goals-against average versus the Islanders. The Islanders have been a great and solid team this year, but at this point in the season and with the Kings scorching hot, I don't think the isles stand a chance in this one!