Anthony Redd
25 Dime Louisiana State
25 Dime Texas
25 Dime Oklahoma
15 Dime UCLA
10 Dime Texas A&M
Al DeMarco
5 Dime - Gonzaga
Bob Valentino
30 DIME - UCLA
Brandon Lang
20-Dime LSU
20-Dime Mississippi State
20-Dime California
10-Dime Michigan
10-Dime VCU
5-Dime Gonzaga
5-Dime Northern Iowa
FREE - Binghamton
Chris Jordan
600♦ VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
100♦ WESTERN KENTUCKY
100♦ MORGAN STATE
Jeff Benton
30 Dime: UCLA (minus the points vs. VCU) ... NOTE: If this line is sitting at 7 1/2, invest in some insurance and buy the half-point and only lay 7. DO NOT get beat by the hook in this game!
10 Dime: WASHINGTON (minus the points vs. Mississippi State)
5 Dime: WESTERN KENTUCKY (plus the points vs. Illinois)
5 Dime: CHATTANOOGA (plus the points vs. UConn)
Michael Cannon
20 Dime – MICHIGAN
Take the points with Michigan over Clemson in the South Region.
I like the Wolverines mainly because of their coaching edge with John Beilein. This is a guy who gives his opposition fits with his 1-3-1 zone defense. You can be sure that Clemson hasn’t seen anything like this, and with the Tigers propensity for slipping down the stretch I don’t expect them to have an answer for it.
The Tigers also ranked last in the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage allowed, which is a death sentence going against Beilein’s perimeter oriented offense.
Michigan has jelled late in the season, covering six of its last eight games (4-1 ATS in its last five as a dog). The Wolverines have proven capable of competing with some of the nation’s best programs, knocking off Duke and Ucla this year.
Clemson is 0-4 ATS in its last four neutral-site games and 1-4 ATS in its last five overall.
Take the points with Michigan and don’t be surprised to see them win outright here.
10 Dime – LSU
Take Lsu as the small chalk over Butler.
I know Butler is a favorite among the public, as this marks their 3rd straight appearance in the Big Dance. They advanced to the second found last year, but fell to Tennessee in overtime.
But there’s no substitute for experience, and the Tigers have the edge here. First-year head coach Trent Johnson led Nevada and Stanford to the Sweet Sixteen in his previous six seasons before taking over in Baton Rouge. Lsu also has a talented, athletic frontcourt led by Marcus Thornton, the SEC Player of the Year, and Tasmin Mitchell.
Those two will make life tough for Butler’s Matt Howard, who didn’t face this kind of talent in the Horizon League.
Butler has three freshmen in its starting lineup and believe me they’re going to feel the pressure of tournament play here.
Lsu defends the perimeter well which will keep the long-range shooters of Butler at bay, and the Tigers won’t give the ball away easily, as they averaged just 12 TO’s per game this year.
Butler failed to cover in five of its last seven overall and I like the experience and coaching of Lsu to get them the win here.
Take Lsu minus the points as they grab the win and cover.
5 Dime - TEXAS A&M
Take Texas A&M as the small dog over Byu in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
This is a rematch of an opening-round tournament game last year, and I expect the same outcome, as the Aggies prevailed 67-62 in that game.
The Cougars haven’t fared well in past tourneys, going 11-26 SU all-time, including 0-2 SUATS under coach Dave Rose.
Texas A&M enters the tournament on a nice run, despite blowing a 21-point second-half lead to Texas Tech and losing 88-83 in the Big 12 tournament. Prior to that loss the Aggies had won six in a row and are on a current 10-3 ATS run.
I like the balance A&M has on offense and I believe that will allow them to get consistent open looks.
Byu has failed to cash in four of its last five tournament games and is also on ATS slides of 1-4 at neutral sites, 5-11 on Thursday and 1-6 after a non-cover.
Texas A&M is on ATS runs of 17-5 at neutral sites, 7-3 in non-conference play, 6-1 in the NCAA tournament, 4-1 on Thursday, 6-0 as a dog, 10-1 as a neutral-site underdog and 19-7 after a SU loss.
Take the points with Texas A&M as they get it done over Byu.
MARYLAND
Take Maryland as the small dog over Cal this afternoon in the West Region.
The Terps made a nice run in the ACC tournament to gain entry into the Big Dance and I expect them to continue their run.
Maryland’s interior deficiencies aren’t likely to be exposed by Cal, as the Bears rely on their perimeter game for the brunt of their offense.
The only problem is Cal hasn’t been knocking down enough 3-pointers recently, going 2-4 SU and 1-5 ATS down the stretch.
Maryland has the edge in the backcourt anyway with Greivis Vasquez, who is capable of lighting up anyone on any given day. The Terps as a team have risen to the occasion at various times this year with upsets of Michigan State, North Carolina and Wake Forest.
Cal hasn’t shown that it can beat that kind of opposition this year and I like the Terps big-game experience to pull them through this one.
Maryland is on positive ATS runs of 9-4 overall, 4-0 at neutral sites, 5-1 after a SU loss, 4-1 against winning teams and 7-3-2 in non-conference action.
Take Maryland as they grab the win.
Sports Gambling Hotline
PHILADELPHIA SERVICE
10♦ on Maryland as the small dog. Bonus
5♦ on Memphis minus the points
5♦ on Connecticut minus the points.
CHARLOTTE SERVICE
3♦ on Gonzaga minus the points.
2♦ on Minnesota plus the points
2♦ on Morgan State plus the points.
Tony Weston
30 Dime Western Kentucky
15 Dime Mississippi State
10 Dime Texas
Scott Rickenbach
1* (regular play) LSU Tigers (-) vs Butler @ Greensboro, NC
Butler is a “trendy” choice here but it’s for the wrong reasons. The Bulldogs have been a “Cinderella Story” in the past and so people have latched onto that and love having Butler as an underdog. The result for us is line value as this line continues to creep lower and lower. We successfully faded Butler in the Horizon League Championship Game when they lost outright to Cleveland State! Among the top tier teams in the Horizon League, those with 11 conference wins or more, the Bulldogs lost to all but one of them at least once. In addition to losses to Wisconsin Green Bay, the Vikings, and Wisconsin Milwaukee, the Bulldogs also lost in non-conference action against Ohio State. Simply put, this team is a notch below prior versions and it has a lot to do with the Bulldogs youth. The inexperience of Butler will show up in a big way now that the Big Dance is underway! LSU is a gritty SEC team that has good size and does the “little things” on the floor that often don’t show up in a box score but yet equate to wins in the standings! This is a big part of the reason they enjoyed so much success in Trent Johnson’s first season as the head coach of the Tigers. LSU has Chris Johnson in the paint and that senior is joined on the floor with seniors Marcus Thornton and Garrett Temple. Thornton is a big-time scorer and Temple is a strong defender. Also, Bo Spencer does a fantastic job running the team even though he’s only a sophomore. Also, even though Thornton is considered the “go-to guy” on offense, Tasmin Mitchell, a junior, has hit critical shots throughout the season and is a very strong rebounder. We understand the “affection” for Butler here but the Bulldogs are much younger than the Tigers and also will be at a size disadvantage at every position on the floor. Yes, LSU was “tripped up” some late in the season but, after a ten game winning streak from late Jan to the end of Feb, the Tigers came up flat against Vandy after a big road win at Kentucky. That didn’t leave a lot of “fuel” in the tank for their regular season finale at Auburn and so they fell well short. As for the SEC Tourney, they knocked off Kentucky again before falling short against Mississippi State. However, the Bulldogs are a very solid team and strong defensively. That had a lot to do with the Tigers taking ten more shots from the field than the Bulldogs and yet still losing. You can bet that LSU is not going to shoot 31% from the field again here! We are betting on that too and the Tigers are offering tremendous value here against an over-rated Butler team! Play LSU minus the points as a regular selection
Winners Inc. Guaranteed Selections
$500,000 NCAA SOUTH REGION PLAY OF THE YEAR
Washington -6
Matt Fargo
10** 1ST RND GAME OF THE YEAR *16-6 RUN*
Wisconsin comes into the NCAA Tournament as a number 12 seed meaning it along with Arizona was the last teams to get into the field of 65. It may come as a surprise to many that the Badgers were seeded so low but not me. I didn’t think they deserved to be here in the first place. The Badgers finished strong, going 7-2 over their last nine games but included in those seven wins were four victories against teams not making the tournament including two against Indiana. Wisconsin quietly bowed out of the Big Ten Tournament with a loss against Ohio St. which was its 9th loss this season when it had a lead with under six minutes remaining. Sure, that said the Badgers have hung around in their games this season but it also tells us that they do not have what it takes to win these games down the stretch. Solid defense has been the difference in year’s past but that is not the case this year. After leading the nation in scoring defense last year, the Badgers haven’t been nearly as efficient this year. When Indiana shot 54 percent against Wisconsin in Sunday’s regular-season finale, they hit the postseason allowing opponents to shoot 44.0 percent from the floor which was good for ninth place in the Big Ten. After the Buckeyes game, they are allowing 44.4 percent shooting and here is the real kicker. Wisconsin is one of only four teams in the entire tournament that is getting outshot on the season (Michigan, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Portland St. are the others). The schedule has been tough as it is ranked 11th in the nation but in comparison. The Seminoles have played the 13th ranked schedule and they have outshot opponents by +4.9 percent. Over the last five games, Florida St. is +10.5 percent in shooting margin while the Badgers are -5.7 percent in shooting margin. That is an enormous difference. Florida St. made a great run through the ACC Tournament and this is a dangerous NCAA Tournament team. The Seminoles are long and athletic and they are dangerous both up top and down low and a combination of the two is often the main ingredient for advancing in this tournament. Guard Toney Douglas finished the regular season by scoring in double figures in 19 straight games, including 19 or more points in his last 15 ACC games while averaging 23.5 ppg during that span. Center Solomon Alabi leads the ACC with 67 blocked shots, and the Seminoles finished the regular season with twice as many blocked shots (180) as their opponents (89). The Badgers will no doubt be keying on Douglas but as mentioned, the defense is far from what it used to be like as there is no lock down defender similar to Michael Flowers from last year. The Seminoles are allowing opponents to shoot 9.3 percent less than what the Badgers are allowing opponents to shoot over the last five games. Considering Florida St. has played Duke twice and North Carolina in that span, it is even more impressive. Wisconsin is just 3-10 ATS in the second half of this season when playing a team with a winning record. It has struggled against the better defensive teams, going 1-9 ATS in the second half of the year against teams allowing 42 percent shooting or better. Florida St. meanwhile is 7-1 ATS following a loss this season and it has won those games by nearly 10 ppg. If there is a team that matches up well with Pittsburgh in this bracket, it is the Seminoles, just look at the first meeting this season, and we could see a Sweet 16 rematch next weekend. 10* Florida St. Seminoles
SIXTH SENSE
2% TEXAS A&M/BYU OVER 139.5 No Higher than 139.5
2% RADFORD/N. CAROLINA UNDER 163
3% MICHIGAN/CLEMSON OVER 138 This is a 2% play if the total is higher than 138
2% VILLANOVA -16.5 No Higher than -17
3% BINGHAMTON/DUKE UNDER 137.5
2% MORGAN STATE/OKLAHOMA UNDER 135.5
2% W. KENTUCKY/ILLINOIS UNDER 126
2% UCLA -8
2% OKLAHOMA -16.5 No Higher than -17
2% ILLINOIS -5
Karl Garrett
40 DIMER - WESTERN KENTUCKY
10 DIMERS - CLEMSON & MEMPHIS
40 DIMER - WESTERN KENTUCKY HILLTOPPERS
I was not a big believer in this Illinois team during the regular season, and now that guard Chester Frazier is hurting, I am less of a believer in Bruce Weber's bunch.Even if Frazier can go, how much can he really contribute with his hurt hand? I say not much, and I say the Illini are in for a dog fight in Portland tonight.Western Kentucky is no fluke, as they come into this one having won their last 7, and they have also covered their last 5.Illinois is struggling, as the Illini have dropped 3 of their last 4 both straight up, and against the spread.The Hilltoppers have the experience to give this relatively inexperienced Illini team a tussle for the full 40-minutes.Take the points here, as Western Kentucky may just be able to spring the outright as well.
10 DIMER - CLEMSON TIGERS
Yes, Clemson faltered down the stretch, but I will give Oliver Purnell's team a shot here against a Michigan team who are only in because of early season upset wins over UCLA, and Duke.The Wolverines have struggled down the stretch as well, as Michigan is just 5-5 straight up their last 10 games. There is a good chance Clemson stretches this one out early, and we don't have to sweat at all laying the 5-points the Tigers are currently favored by as I type this.Don't worry about the late season swoon the Tigers are going through, it won't bite them in this one, as the matchups favor Clemson hands down.
10 DIMER - MEMPHIS TIGERS
Talk about laying it, I say to "lay it" with the # 2 seeded Tigers.John Calipari's team owns the nation's longest winning streak, yet the tourny committee does not believe they are strong enough to garner a # 1 seed. You know damn well that Calipari will make this his rallying cry, and last year's finalists will take no prisoners along the way.Memphis has really been bothered this season against the spread as they are 22-11 overall in lined games this year, and they have covered 18 of their last 24 coming into this game, including their last pair, and 4 of 5.Northridge is happy to be "dancing", but it will be a quick one for them, as they have not seen the likes of the Tigers in their regular season conference play.As Dicky V would say; "It's Rout City, BAY-BEEEE!!!!!!"
THE SOCCER EXPERTS
Butler(9) vs Louisiana State(8)
Bet:Over 127
Chattanooga(16) vs Connecticut(1)
Bet:Under 145