NCAA Tournament Sides: 33-26-1, 55.9%
Conference Tournament Totals: 165-127-5, 56.5%
Conference Tournament Sides: 165-129-3, 56.1%
NCAA Tournament Totals: 24-34-2, 41.4%
1H Totals: Everything to the UNDER
| Illinois/UConn | 74 |
| Clemson/Alabama | 78.5 |
| Tennessee/Purdue | 69.5 |
| NC State/Duke | 66.5 |
Sides:
Game 1: Illinois +9.5 vs. UConn
- No handicap required; I said before the Big 10 Tournament that I was picking Illinois to win the NCAA Tournament. At some point, I feared that they would be required to beat UConn. That time has come. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the UConn program and this team. UConn has won NINE straight NCAA Tournament games by 13 points or more. No school in the history of college basketball has ever done that. Bob Knight and the Hoosiers did it six straight back in 1981. That's the closest thing to what the Huskies have accomplished. I still view the 1991 UNLV team as the best college basketball team of my lifetime. 30+ years later and I can still name that starting five. In the Final Four that year, UNLV was 34-0, they had won 45 straight games, they had the #1, #9, and #12 picks in the NBA draft that summer, they were favored by 9.5 points over Duke. Funny, that's the same line as this one. Duke upset UNLV that night. This is deja vu all over again.
Game 2: Alabama -2.5 vs. Clemson
- This will be short and sweet. I congratulate the Clemson coaches, players, and fans. I was wrong again. Upset win over New Mexico with the Lobos shooting 29.7%. Upset win over Baylor with the Bears shooting just 38.9%. Upset win over Arizona with the Wildcats shooting 37.3%. 3 games, 3 upsets, 3 teams shooting well below average, 3 early double-digit leads. Some would call that a trend. I will call it the ultimate fade opportunity. Alabama, put your dancing shoes on, I have you headed to your first ever Final Four. Roll Tide!
Game 3: Duke -6 vs. North Carolina State
- ACC Showdown in Dallas. Duke won the first meeting of the season 79-64, North Carolina State won the second meeting in the ACC Tournament 74-69. If you think Clemson has been on a magical run, listen to this. NC State upset Syracuse winning by 18 as a 1.5-point dog, upset Duke by 5 as an 11-point dog, upset Virginia by 8 as a 2.5-point dog, upset North Carolina by 8 as a 10-point dog, upset Texas Tech by 13 as a 4.5-point dog, upset Marquette by 9 as a 6.5-point dog. Wolfpack have won 8 straight elimination games. On a neutral floor a couple weeks ago, Duke was favored by 11. 6 looks like value. I'll lay the points.
Game 4: Purdue -2.5 vs. Tennessee
- A rematch from Maui, Purdue won the first meeting 71-67. Purdue is 8-0 this year against teams that advanced to the Sweet 16, offense is ranked 3rd in the nation. Tennessee has 4 wins over teams still in this tournament and has a D that is ranked 3rd in the nation. Listening to the postgame show tonight, they almost sold me on the Volunteers. Virginia won the tournament the year after losing to a 16-seed, Purdue suffered last year after losing to FDU and on Sunday they will get celebrate a trip to Final Four for the first time since 1980.
