Steve Janus
Duke -6.5
Michigan State played North Carolina to a 55-67 final, but they never really had a chance of winning that game. The Spartans shot just 30.6% from the field. They got most of their points on the offensive boards, and area where Duke will be much more competitive. The Blue Devils got a wake up call from Belmont in their opener, as they held on for a 77-76 win at home. Duke won't be looking past the Spartans tonight, especially with this game being played at Madison Square Garden. Michigan State's defense will keep them in the game early, but their inconsistencies on offense will allow Duke to run away with this game late and cover the spread. Duke is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5 and 13-5-1 ATS in their last 19 games after scoring more than 90 points in their previous game, while the Spartans are just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games. BET THE BLUE DEVILS -6.5!
Larry Ness
UC Santa Barbara -7
Some dismiss those new CBB postseason tourneys like the CollegeInsider.com but you won't hear any of that from Santa Clara or especially from its head coach, Kerry Keating. Keating had a career record of 66-68 going into last year's campaign but hed led the Broncos to a 24-14 record (second most wins in school history) and to the CIT title. It earned him a contract extension through 2015 and his Broncos opened this year with an 80-48 win over UC-Merced. Meanwhile, Bob Williams opened his 14th season in charge of Cal Santa Barbara with an easy win over Division III Chapman. Williams is 218-170 at UCSB, including leading the Gauchos to back-to-back NCAA tourney bids the last two years. Santa Clara lost two solid players from last year, the 6-7 Dowdell (8.2-4.7) plus the 6-6 Payne (5,4-5.9) but leading scorer Kevin Foster (20.2) has never been shy about shooting the rock plus sophomore guard Roquemore (11.7-3.7 APG) only figures to get better. Up front, the 6-9 Trasolini (12.8-6.1) could just improve on those numbers. The Gauchos are led by two outstanding 6-5 guards, Orlando Johnson (21.1-6.2) and James Nunnally (16.3-5.7). The Gauchos beat the Broncos 80-69 in last year's meeting, as Nunnally scored a career- high 34 points in the win. The Gauchos are 41-13 SU in the Thunderdome the last four seasons and if they could beat last year's Santa Clara team on the road, why can't they beat this year's team here at home.? Take the home team.
WUNDERDOG
Dayton at Miami, Ohio
Pick: Dayton -3.5
One thing we have learned about the Dayton Flyers over the last three years is to go with them early. This team seems to come out of the gate prepared and strong, and over the last three years they have started 14-1, 13-3 and 13-3 again last year. They already have a win under their belts this season, and Miami, Ohio has yet to play a game so they could be a bit jittery in their opener. Many wonder if it is near the end for Miami, Ohio coach Charlie Coles. Last year his team appeared to underachieve and finished below .500 at 16-17. Coles turns 70-years-old his year and has had a good career at Miami, Ohio, but his critics are now starting to bark. Miami, Ohio has covered just one of their last seven conference games, while the Flyers have stepped up in this role at 19-7 ATS in their last 26. Play on Dayton to get it done tonight.