5* Best Bet NORTHEASTERN 

Taking SOUTH DAKOTA STATE. Coming in off loss to the top seed, So Dak St will lay a double digit beating on Fort Wayne. Jackrabbits won both regular season games. They shoot the lights out. IPFW not a great shooting team, especially from the charity stripe and deep. 5* Best Bet SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 

Taking MISSOURI STATE. Nice win last night. Looking for this to continue with this squad. Said yesterday not to overlook them. Here we are. Again, this team was suppose to be the top dogs of the MVC. Time to shine. It is wide open now with the 1&2 seeds gone. In their split this year, home team winners of both games. Riding the Bears. 5* Best Bet MISSOURI STATE 

Taking BRADLEY. Nice little run by Drake, but I will be backing the Braves this afternoon. I thought Bradley would be possibly the first team to knock off Northern Iowa. But here we are. Drake got some red hot shooting of their own coupled with the NIU not being able to connect from anywhere. That is a nice combination to have during a game. These 2 split out both winning on their home courts. Drake is feeling the slippers - Bradley won't overlook them. 5* Best Bet BRADLEY 

Taking MISSOURI STATE. The 6 seed a slight fave over the 3 seed. Now. In another smaller conference, we actually went against a 9 laying 4 to an 8 based on the 8 winning 10 straight in the series. Here. We see Missouri State, a team picked to win the conference, falter a bit. We see these 2 split the season series - Both winning in convincing fashion on the others home court. 71-58 Missouri State 3 weeks ago. Indiana State 78-68 at MSU in January. The public will be all over the Sycamores when they look at records and seeding. Maybe the line gets to pick. I am seeing some 1.5 pop up so the early money appears to be on our Bears. 8* Sure Shot MISSOURI STATE 

Taking MICHIGAN. This is a different team with Livers in the line-up. We have seen that first hand. Won't be shocked at an outright win this afternoon. 5* Best Bet MICHIGAN WOLVERINES 

Taking FLORIDA STATE. - Before I get to this, if you are in NY-NJ-PA area, be sure to come down to Bally's AC on Thursday March 19. Like the Super Bowl, I will have a Fan Cave - Plenty of food + drink and gifts! Stop by. -- So we are grabbing FSU here. Also, will be grabbing these guys as a National Champion Future. Can't dispute the record. 24-4, sitting atop the ACC. Lose at Duke. Ok, no shame. Loss at National Champ Virginia. OK, not bad. But how do you drop a 2pt game to Pitt to start the year on the road? You bounce back trucking Florida on their home court though. All we hear is Duke, San Diego State, Gonzaga, Baylor, Kansas. Nothing about the Noles. Notre Dame on deck so nothing much of a look ahead. Then closing out to BC. Again. This should be a 7 game win streak heading into the ACC tournament. 5* Best Bet FLORIDA STATE 

Taking the NUGGETS. These guys won 5 of the last 6 vs the Clippers. Also. And I have said this before about LAC, and other teams. You just can't turn it on. Morris and Jackson new in town for 6 and 3 games. They need to learn the flow. Paul George has been struggling. The load management/ injury things hurt the overall game play. Getting a nice amount of points. Easy play backing the road team. 8* Sure Shot DENVER NUGGETS

Taking WRIGHT STATE. Battle for the  Horizon here. Raiders sitting on top right now at 14-3, NKU 13-4. Wright took it Norse back on Jan 24 laying a whipping on them 95-63. What really leads me to Wright though is this. Looking over the season I see 6 losses.  Losses by 1 - 2 - 7 (OT) - 4 - 3 - and the what the heck, 18 to Youngstown. They are just more battled tested in these close games. Let us not forget that last year these guys split out, only for NKU to win the rubber match and go dancing, while Wright State hit the NIT. That still lingers. 5* Best Bet WRIGHT STATE 

5* Best Bet WESTERN KENTUCKY 

Taking DAYTON. The beat goes on as the Flyers are at 16 in row. Zero losses in regulation - 25-2 with a pair of neutral court losses in OT to Colorado by 2 and Kansas by 6. Mason with its 2nd win in last 8 won't put up much a fight. Get on those Dayton futures yesterday because this team at a minimum, should be Elite Eight bound. 8* Sure Shot DAYTON FLYERS 

5* Best Bet BROOKLYN NETS

Taking INDIANA STATE. 5 straight wins for the Sycamores in the series, including 23 point blow-outs the last two. 65-42 back on January 14th and 85-62 last February. That Evansville 3pt win over Kentucky way back in Game 2 seems like years ago. 15 straight losses and counting. 5* Best Bet INDIANA STATE 

5* Best Bet INDIANA PACERS 

8* Sure Shot TORONTO RAPTORS 

Taking PRINCETON. Bit of an odd number here. One, we see Harvard sitting at 16-7 and Princeton at 11-10. So you think, ok, number is pretty normal. Then we dig a bit. Wait a second - The Tigers are 6-2 in Ivy play and sits a game ahead of Harvard's 5-3? Princeton also pulled out a 1pt win back on February 1st. Previously, Harvard had won 4 straight in the series. But back to this number. All the Crimson have done is play close games lately. Lets just look at the point differentials -4 (OT, laying 14) 22 (laying 12.5) 1,3,1,3 (OT), 4,5,4,3 (OT). Close games, wins and losses. If Aiken was here, different story. This is probably a Top 20 team. But I have to grab the points here with the dog. We are either winning this baby outright or a dog-fight. I can't see a home win approaching double digits. 5* Best Bet PRINCETON 

Taking BYU, and yes, laying the big number even though Gonzaga lurks on deck. Best 3pt shooting in the land and #3 in overall FG% at 50+. They hit their FTs also. Clara can push it, yet are still monster-dogs. I'm not buying it. This is a tough home court, and Clara hasn't traveled well all year. 5* Best Bet BYU 

Taking AUBURN. Going with the low hanging fruit here. Tigers really need to get their road woes straightened out. 12pt loss at Missouri last time out. That goes with them getting routed by Alabama (we had the Tide) 83-64 and then 69-47 at Florida in the next game. A little road pattern develops here. Then again, I tend to let this one slide a bit based on the fact Auburn had played 3 straight overtime games, and 4 OT games in their last 5. All 5 games were wins by the way. But I can't put Georgia on, or even near the level of these 3 teams. 2-10 in SEC play. 4 straight losses. Tom Crean not a guy a love. While Bruce Pearl, though disliked by many, is someone I have had success backing. 5* Best Bet AUBURN TIGERS

Taking COLORADO STATE. CSU on a 8-2 SU run with those losses both coming to Utah State. They took care of the Runnin' Rebels 95-77 back on February 1st, and nothing has changed since then. UNLV 2-2 since then. With a 1pt win, a 5pt win and loss, and an OT loss. That is what they are. A .500 team.  13-14 on the year, 8-6 in conference. Maybe I am a little high on Colorado State. They have a bunch of scorers. All but 1 regular hits his FTs. Dog and road team on a nice 3-1-1 ATS run. We'll grab some of that tonight. 5* Best Bet COLORADO STATE 

Taking MICHIGAN STATE. All you need to do is look at this line. Maryland, a 'Top 10' team getting a handful of buckets on the road from a barely 'ranked' Spartans team. You know I love these kinds of games. Lets not forget that to start the year, Michigan State was THE #1 team in those rankings. Sometimes it takes a while to get things going. Never count out Sparty. 5* Best Bet MICHIGAN STATE 

Taking AKRON. I know CMU likes to push it, but I think the Zips keep pace. Chips defense a little less than to be desired. Akron needs to keep pace with BG atop the MAC East. CMU 2 back in the west of Northern Illinios. Both of these guys have over achieved in my eyes. They were for me, more a middle pack grouping. But here we are. That is why they play the games. 5* Best Bet AKRON ZIPS 

Taking SOUTH CAROLINA. Give me the Frank Martin team here. Tom Crean with a near barren cabinet. Has a one and done guy. That's it. And that isn't going to help him rebuild this Georgia team. Carolina has won 4 of 5 and 6 of their last 8. Bulldogs have dropped 6 of 7 and 8 of 10. 2-8 in SEC Play. Don't be fooled by 10 home wins. A&M and Tennessee in SEC action. Other than that, we have some smaller schools coming in for a payday. ML this puppy as the Gamecocks get it done for us. 5* Best Bet SOUTH CAROLINA 

Taking BOWLING GREEN. I thought BG or maybe Buffalo would be the top dogs here in MAC East. Well, I am looking good with BG sitting at 9-2 in conference play. Akron, next, at 7-3. The dog is on a 5-1 ATS run in the series. Maybe this line is a little too good to be true. Does seem a bit high to me. 8 straight and 9 wins in 10 games is enough for us to back the hot visitors. 5* Best Bet BOWLING GREEN 

Taking NORTH TEXAS. Mean Green trying to keep pace with La Tech in CUSA action. Taking on last place Mid Ten State and laying anything short of 10 looks solid based on my number having this game at 11. 13-3 ATS run helps the cause also. 5* Best Bet NORTH TEXAS

Taking WEST VIRGINIA. Just like the way these guys are playing. You know they will bringing the defense here at home. Not a spot to look ahead to here at home, next up Sooners on the road. But we should look there as Kansas looms. Tonight though, Iowa State and their 0-6 road record will have to keep searching for their first victory. 5* Best Bet WEST VIRGINIA 

5* Best Bet NORTHERN ILLINOIS 

5* Best Bet AKRON ZIPS 

5* Best Bet AKRON 

10* Money Bomb LOUISIANA TECH 

4* Money Maker CHARLESTON 

5* Best Bet ST FRANCIS PA

10* Money Bomb BOISE STATE 

10* Money Bomb  ST MARYS -- Cal is brutal. They got a rare win last game. Won't be close tonight. 

8* Sure Shot COLORADO 

Taking SEATTLE, again. These guys forgot they had a game last time out. What a disaster. But, new day. We are back on them. Seattle won last year by 20, and 19 in 2017. I'm looking for them to bring the defense after getting hammered by 30 the other night. Eastern Washington comes in off a huge 107-25 win! That wasn't on XBox. That was against something called Portland Bible College. Folks, that is just some bad mojo beating a school with Bible in it's name like that. 5* Best Bet SEATTLE 

5* Best Bet CAL BAKERSFIELD 

Taking BAYLOR. I have no idea where this line is coming from. I would think the Bears by at least 20. I think with everything around Kansas, maybe, MAYBE, the Jayhawks finally give up the Big 12 crowns. Now, I do like Central Arkansas. This is strong Southland team. But not laying points. I see nothing about Baylor missing 7 guys. So we are taking the low hanging fruit out of the gate. BAYLOR BEARS 

Taking the BULLS as a Best Bet to start the season. Like this young Chicago team. A lot of good young guys. Everyone healthy. Charlotte a lot of rebuilding going on. Lose their leader in Kemba. Who is stepping up in a close game? I think Bulls surprise some teams this season. LaVine, Markkannan, Dunn, Porter, Carter Jr. Some solid pieces. 5* Best Bet CHICAGO BULLS 

Taking the NETS. Where is the motivation for the Heat? Wade's last home game last night. A big night for him. Team wins but is knocked out of the playoffs. Now on the road. I don't think even being locked into the playoffs that Brooklyn will take things for granted. This franchise has been down and I think finishing above .500 is better than 41-41. 10* Money Bomb BROOKLYN NETS

Taking VIRGINIA. So we had both of these guys last weekend - Will go with VA to get it done. Look. I said in our Auburn write up last week that was the spot to move on them. Off a loss of key player, vs a conference foe. Double revenge on the season. Everything lined up. Now, not so much. I get that these guys have been great in this tournament. Really just a couple hiccup spots of poor play. But I said all season I believed Virginia looked a bit different. They are 2 wins away from getting away from last years epic loss. I think that is a huge motivation factor for them. They have been tested and responded. I think Auburn has peaked and this is a double digit loss for them  5* Best Bet VIRGINIA 

Taking NORTH CAROLINA. I really want to jump in with a larger play, nearly a Top 10* Money Bomb here. I just think - As much as Auburn wants to run with these guys, they just don't have the horses to last. NC is scoring 80, at a minimum tonight. If Auburn wants to push the tempo this game, I think they are getting run out of the building like 93-75 territory. As great as the Tigers have looked, they will need another SEC Championship Game performance to knock off the Tarheels. 5* Best Bet NORTH CAROLINA 

Taking MICHIGAN STATE. Death, Taxes, and Izzo's first Sweet 16 since 2015. I think he will have these guys primed tonight. So. I managed a back-door cover with Yale over LSU. Then LSU cost me by a half-point. My first fade was based on what will get with everything going on with the coaching situation. They hung tough enough to get to the second round. Where, they let a double digit slip away against a pretty average, at best Big 10 team. Michigan State doesn't play those childish games. They are going to maul you on both ends. They just crushed Minnesota, a common foe they see on a regular by 20. As I said. First Sweet 16 since 2015 for Izzo and friends. Not a chance they are losing focus vs these guys. LSU, I don't know. They have been playing with fire in the first two rounds. Think this is a 10pt win for Sparty. 8* Sure Shot MICHIGAN STATE. 

Taking VIRGINIA. Love that everyone is on Oregon. Holy cow people - First. Let's talk about the gift that the Ducks received. First. They were not even dancing until the knocked off Washington in the PAC 12 championship. Which, I think would have been unfair if Arizona State was in the play-in and not Oregon. So they run the table. Then they get a middle Big 10 team. Hot team prevails. They get Irvine - who I had over K-State. But still a 13 seed. Hitting 13 3s at a 52% clip helps to crush a small mid-major. Arizona State got run out of the building by Buffalo. Washington beaten by NC. And what do we have here -Well, hello Virginia. Good luck Oregon. Another ACC team to take a PAC 12 team behind the woodshed. Said it in their win over Oklahoma, and will say it again here. Virginia has 3 losses on the year. 2 of them to another 1 Seed in Duke. There was no let down before or after those Duke games. A 23 pt win over Wake isn't all that impressive. But how about a 6 point road win at North Carolina after a 10pt Duke loss - VA, on a mission. This game will be around 6-10 then its 15 and honestly, I don't Oregon scoring 60 in this game. Cavs should have 70+. 10* Money Bomb VIRGINIA CAVALIERS

Taking GONZAGA. So this line I see ticking up to 7.5 after an opening number of 6.5 I see a lot more money on Florida State. And I get it. FSU looking good in the NCAA. ACC battle tested. But are they? Say we throw out 2 bad road losses to Pitt, losing by 13 and losing at BC by 5. We have a 10pt loss to Duke in the ACC tournament - I see a 18pt loss at NC - losing by 13 at Virginia. Then 2 pt home loss to Duke and a 6pt neutral loss to Nova. Man- I see 1-4 vs the Top teams and losing all by double digits. We can say all we want about the Zags playing the WCC and ACC better top to bottom. Taking away that no-show game in WCC Championship we see 2 losses. 3 on a neutral to the Vols and 13 their next game at NC. That is a tough 2 step coming from the Northwest. I'm buying the Zags based on the reverse line move. 5* Best Bet GONZAGA 

Taking HOUSTON. I am not buying Ohio State one bit. I don't care how many games the Big 10 has won so far in the tournament. You have a pair of 2 seeds in Michigan and Michigan State who are both Final Four type teams. Purdue is a 3. But your mid levels, Wiscy, bounced in Round 1. Maryland needed everything and the kitchen sink to get past Belmont. Minny with a good match-up over Louisville. Iowa gets annual choke artist, Cincinnati Bearcats. OSU 9-13 in conference - dropped 3 straight and 4 of 5 coming into the conference tournament. 19-14 gets you a bid? What a joke. I know they opened with a win over Cincy - Also knocked off Creighton and UCLA. But Houston better than that. Houston 32-3. Took care of business vs LSU, Oklahoma State on the road. Plus tourney teams St Louis and Utah State. You can only beat who is front of you. Cougs beat nearly all. At one point, OSU lost 5 straight and 6 of 7 in Big 10 play. Then ended the regular season 2-6 in conference play. Way to inconsistent for my liking. Will lay it with Houston. 8* Sure Shot HOUSTON COUGARS 

Taking NORTH CAROLINA. Losses to Duke, Virginia, Kentucky and Michigan for NC. Plus a puzzling loss to Texas and a loss to Louisville. That's it. Washington put up 48 points vs Oregon in the PAC 12 Championship Game. That was after losing the regular season finale to them 55-47. They lost to an 8-23 Cal team. I can't see them sniffing staying within double digits. I think NC is going to outboard them on both ends of the court. I cashed Huskies ML in Round 1. But this is a terrible match-up for them. Can't see them keeping pace with Heels. This should be a 20pt win for NC along the 85-65 range. After a slow start in Round 1. I expect NC to be 100% ready to come for the PAC 12 regular season Champs. 10* Money Bomb NORTH CAROLINA 

Taking TENNESSEE. Not worried at this price with the Vols. So they took a close game vs Colgate. That doesn't shock me too much. Let's look at their season. Lost on a neutral to 'good' Kansas by 6 in OT. Auburn got them twice. I mean, who was beating Auburn in that SEC Championship Game? Nobody. They were in, as they say, 'the zone.' Lost by 2 in OT at LSU. And got run out of Kentucky by 17. They did their revenge at home winning by 19 over Kentucky though. Who is comparable to this Iowa team they played? Louisville, who they beat by 11? Mississippi State 17? Florida 12? How about Gonzaga? Beat them by 3 on a neutral. Iowa came into the Big 10 tournament dropped 4 straight and 4 of 5. They needed OT to beat a slumping Indiana team. They beat Rutgers by 2 and Northwestern by 1 in back to back games. You know how they do vs tourney teams. Losses to Michigan by 21 and 15. Michigan State 22 and 15. 20 at Wiscy, 20 at OSU. Vols too talented. This should be at least a 15 point win for Tennessee. 5* Best Bet TENNESSEE 

Taking MICHIGAN STATE. One team in off a super impressive win that they controlled basically from start to finish. The other guys, a huge fave in a dog fight most of the afternoon, Will side with an angry Izzo who will have his guys more than ready for Minny. Sparty beat these guys by 24 already this year. Last years bunch 30 points better. 8* Sure Shot MICHIGAN STATE 

Taking LIPSCOMB. Think these guys played a little better schedule and are a little better overall. We had both teams in Round 1, and unfortunately, they face each other here. Just another tournament putting mid-majors against each other so they don't beat Power 5 middling schools. Lipscomb lost 2 tough games to Belmont. They beat SMU, TCU. Really beat up a good Vermont team. Beat other middies Morehead State and Midd Tenn State. Lost at Louisville and Clemson. Shame they aren't in the NCAAs with who they played. NCG lost to LSU and Kentucky but were crushed by Wofford. I put Lipscomb obviously closer to Wofford than Kentucky. But fact remains NCG didn't  step up when it needed to. 5* Best Bet LIPSCOMB

Taking VIRGINIA TECH. So I think we saw STL really shoot the moon in the A-10 tournament. Would love to see them make a run here. But I can't see that happening. This VT team is very good. You hear about Virginia, Duke and NC out of the ACC, but don't sleep on the Hokies. 8* Sure Shot VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES

Taking UCF. Just think that they have too much size for VCU. Rams coming in off tough loss in A10 Championship game. They lose a key piece in Evans. Maybe he plays -No clue as I write this on Tuesday, but zero chance he will be close to 100% if he gets on the floor. UCF a tough team. Beat Houston on the road and Cincy in back to back to spots- then dropped a tough roadie at Temple who always brings it. Obviously they have to get by VCU first, but I will be interested in them vs Duke in the next round. 8* Sure Shot UCF 

Taking IRVINE. So, Wade plays and is 100%, I think this line is higher. But if he's out or plays in a limited fashion, have to still side with Irvine. Right off the bat - this game is in San Jose. I don't know California, but I know Irivine does play here. It isn't like their fans are flying in from Kansas. They will have the crowd behind them. And in an early game like this, it will be noticeable. You beat a team in your conference tournament championship by 30, that interests me. That is a team that you play twice a year and knows your ins and outs over the years. 16 straight wins and 19 of 20. 5* Best Bet CAL IRVINE 

Taking OLD DOMINION. This team won't mind playing a slow, banging pace. And the double digits are just a bonus. I think OD wins this outright. Really. If this game isn't withing 10 I would be shocked. CUSA always shows up in the NCAAs.. Last year Marshall 13 seed won first round. Year before, 12 seed Middle Tenn State wins 1st round. Before that - 15 Mid Tenn over #2 Michigan State. 14 UAB over 3 seed Iowa before that. We have to go back to 2013-2014 to find CUSA not getting bounced in the first round. 10* Money Bomb OLD DOMINION 

Taking CENTRAL MICHIGAN. Will gladly grab a MAC dog vs an average, at best Big East team. 4-6 run for DePaul and 7-3 for CMU. I always feel the smaller conference has the edge. The line is a bonus. I think we win outright. 10-0-1 ATS run for them last 11 games and 16-4-1 ATS last 21 overall. 5* Best Bet CENTRAL MICHIGAN 

Taking WICHITA. I love me some Furman, but this is too many points for me to pass up. I think this line is probably double what it should be. 4* Money Maker WICHITA STATE 

Taking TOLEDO. I am going to jump on some +190 ML also. Big brother/ little brother in state battle. You know the Rockets want to come hard at these guys. MAC trying to get some street cred. Starts with knocking out a bigger name program - this one, an in state rival. Creighton - what team is showing up? The one that lost 6 straight? The one that won 6 straight?  They are 4-10 ATS in their 14 games going off as a fave. Toledo much more consistent on the year. Buffalo only team to really run them out of a game. 8* Sure Shot TOLEDO ROCKETS 

Taking OREGON. These guys playing very well right now. Won't be shocked when they win PAC 12 - and maybe make a Sweet 16 run. A perfect 6-0 ATS/ SU run for Ducks. Beat ASU by 28 a couple weeks ago. Get your ticket and get out of the way of the Ducks. Simply rolling right now. 8* Sure Shot OREGON DUCKS 

Taking SOUTHERN MISS. 101-51 was the score back in January. Marshall comes in hot with 5 straight win, and that big revenge spot. Think this could be the best team in CUSA. 8* Sure Shot SOUTHERN MISS 

Taking WESTERN KENTUCKY. Had NT yesterday in a nice easy win, but not today. WKU is pretty talented. Won't be shocked to see them cut down the nets. 5* Best Bet WESTERN KENTUCKY

Taking WASHINGTON. You win a crap conference by a full 3 games, you better take care of a bad USC team. You take care of business, win this by a dozen and move on. 5* Best Bet WASHINGTON HUSKIES

Taking VIRGINIA. Time for the long road back. We know what happened in the NCAAs last year. So does the team. They look a little different to me this season. I think they easily dispatch NCST this afternoon. Should be a 15-20pt win for VA.  10* Money Bomb VIRGINIA 

Taking LAMAR. These guys might be the 5 seed, but I think they are top in Southland Conference. These 2 split, Lamar rolling 110-75 end of February, and Houston Baptist scoring a 88-82 OT win to begin the year. Lamar with 8 straight wins and 10 in their last 11. 5* Best Bet LAMAR

Taking VIRGINIA TECH. Not high on Miami. They didn't impress me yesterday. I think VT crashes the semis on Friday and will face Top Seed Virginia. That was Miami's first win on the road since what, before Thanksgiving! Hokies win this by 10+. 8* Sure Shot VIRGINIA TECH 

Taking GONZAGA. Had these guys last night, will do it again. As I said in yesterday's write up. 34-28-48-30-30-59-23-31-43-35-45-61-34-42-23-37-41 -- How about those margins of victory for Gonzaga? We can dd last nights 26 point winner to that list. Again. Beat Mary's already by 16 and 38. This is 15-20 win. 5* Best Bet GONAZAGA

Taking OMAHA. I have these guys favored and we are getting points. I know that most times I am on a higher seed that is favored. But this line is so short that I toss that aside. Omaha with a 74-71 home win back in February and 85-79 OT win on the road in January. Coming hot winning 8 of 9 while FT Wayne resounding win over South Dak snapped a 4 game losing streak. Omaha was 14-3 in conference play with 2 losses to Oral Roberts and one to the ousted 1 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Since 2010, teams trying to get that 3rd game revenge have failed at a 72% clip. I liked these guys at +600 before the Tourney so I am not shying away now. Ne-Om on a 10-3 ATS run in Summit Play. 10* Money Bomb NEBRASKA OMAHA MAVERICKS 

Taking WOFFORD. Tough to knock on NCG who we made some coin on this season. But Wofford a beast. 20-0 in conference play. Beat these guys by 30 and 29 already this year. Greenboro 17-3 in conference play with those blowouts hanging over their head. I know you think they will come out strong in revenge and, get that taste of their mouth type game. But I don't see it. These are more than convincing wins. Greenboro off a dog-fight win over 'money earning' Furman. So Con Champs 5* Best Bet WOFFORD TERRIERS 

Taking HOFSTRA. Faded Delaware yesterday and was looking good until they hit 8 straight 3's and 9 in 10 shots to turn a deficit into a nice lead. Not a chance they get hot like that again. Not happening. Pride went 16-3 in CAA play and destroyed these guys already this year - 92-70 on the road and 91-46 at home. Blue Hens 2-9-1 ATS run. Blowout. 10* Money Bomb HOFSTRA PRIDE 

Taking CINCINNATI. Can't take anything away from Houston 28-2 on the year with a 5 point loss to UCF and 4 point road loss at Temple. 15-2 atop AAC. Cincy 14-3. Big game for them in home finale. I'm going with the home team and better defense. Unders have gone 9-1 last 10 in this series so we know defense prevails. 5* Best Bet CINCINNATI BEARCATS 

Taking LSU. I am sick to my stomach seeing that Florida is a possible NCAA bubble team. Is that a joke? Please, give me some one out of the SoCon - Sun Belt- ASun - Ohio Valley instead. Give me CAA and CUSA. Liberty, Wofford, Greensboro, Lipscomb, Radford, Northeastern, North Texas, Furman. I can go on and on. Oh, Indiana. As a 10. Stop. LSU for the love of all that is holy, destroy this Gators team please. (there is my Tourney Rant for now) -- Florida on a 1-7 ATS run through SEC play while LSU enjoys a 9-3 ATS run in conference action. LSU on a 14-1 run with their lone by a point. 7-7 run over last 14 for Gators. Fave 4-0-1 ATS last 5 in the series. Home team 3-1-1 ATS last 5 in the series. LSU 5-2 ATS last 7 at home vs Florida. 8* Sure Shot LSU 

Taking SAN DIEGO. Home team on a 8-1 ATS run in the series which adds to our BYU run of 3-11 ATS last 14 on the road. BYU 8-3 in conference while SD 5-5. That doesn't matter to me - I think this team is on par with SF and St Mary's, who, dealt BYU road losses of 19 and 22. 5* Best Bet SAN DIEGO 

Taking NORTH CAROLINA. No way Virginia losses 2 in a row right? I mean, 2 losses to Duke and that's it. NC quietly sitting at 9-1 in the ACC. I know that VA dictates the pace in this series. But that being said, I am just not sold on the Cavaliers. Roy Williams is a bit over-rated in my eyes. I think he just lets his talent take over on the court and not really 'coach.' Back to the pace. Even with NC scoring over 70 just once the last 6 meetings, I am backing the home dog. 5* Best Bet NORTH CAROLINA 

Taking BAYLOR. Like the way these guys have playing. Crashing the offense glass and hitting 3s. Raise your hand if you had these guys at 4-2 in Big 12 play ending January? A new guy seems to step up every game. That is how you win with balanced offensive efficiency. Just too many points to give a hot team with a balanced attack. 5* Best Bet BAYLOR BEARS 

Taking MICHIGAN STATE. Like this team a lot. Forget about Purdue rolling a 'ranked' team as a 10pt faves. Sparty is a totally different animal. This is a complete Final Four team. 5* Best Bet MICHIGAN STATE 

Taking BALL STATE. Now. Everyone knows Buffalo as the MAC darlings. But this is a sneaky good team. 4 top scorers back from last year. Every year getting better. They are the #1 team out of the West. EMU is a poor shooting team. When your top 2 scorers are 37 and 38% from the field and 36 and 27% from 3, you are going to have problems keeping pace with the Cardinals putting up nearly 85ppg. Last year, 58-41 EMU as Ball State shot 27%. Payback in big fashion. 8* Sure Shot BALL STATE 

Taking TENNESSEE . This isn't football in January. Georgia beat these guys last year 73-62 at home, and hung tough 66-61 on the road blowing a nice half-time lead. Well. You caught them off a close game with Florida on deck. Then you got them off a pair of b2b road games. No such luck as this is a Vols team rested. This team is good. Georgia in a rebuild with a new HC. Vols can name their score, and I am thinking it should be 20. 8* Sure Shot TENNESSEE 

TEXAS TECH gets the call as our Top Rated 10* MONEY BOMB Game of the Week. Red Raiders crushed these guys last year 66-47 on the road and 74-58 at home. Kansas State down 2 key contributors. I get it. The next guy steps up. But good luck vs Texas Tech who brings the D. I don't think K-State gets more than 50 today. If Tech doesn't win by 20 I will be disappointed. 10* Money Bomb TEXAS TECH 

Taking IRVINE. This is a good little Big West team. They should about 25 games this year. That is nearly double of what this EMU team will put up. Don't be fooled by EMU 5-1 home record. Rochester College - Goshen - Central State for 3 wins. Drexel, who is a bad CAA team. And the Boston Terriers. This is a step up in competition. Should be a 10pt win. 5* Best Bet CAL IRVINE 

Taking KANSAS. As we said when we had Penn the other night. This is not last years Villanova team. Jayhawks by double digits. 5* Best Bet KANSAS

NFL and Bowl Games will be added today

Taking GEORGIA STATE. I have GaSt as a Top 20 mid-major program. And as we have seen other times this year, no better time to take these guys vs a 'bigger' school. Always with a chip on their shoulder, you know you will get their 'A' game. These guys will win the Sun Belt and are led by conference POY. They just knocked off Georgia, and have beaten the Bonnies. I would put Tulane below those 2 programs right now. Tulane will most likely be pulling up the rear of the AAC. 5* Best Bet GEORGIA STATE 

Taking ST LOUIS. Like this bunch. A lot of good talent. If HC Ford can piece it together, this is an NCAA team. Transfers. Isabell from Drexel 21ppg 7boards  -- Wiley from Maryland 6ppg . That doesn't include returnees, Goodwin 11ppg 7boards , Bess 13/7, French 9/7, Forman 7ppg, Welmer 8/5.  These guys are deep. On the flip side - Seton Hall lost nearly 60% of it's scoring. STL is ready to take a big step. Nearly played them +210 on the ML here on the sites. Pirates with Powell scoring 27 and Nzei 12. After that, it is a loose ball crap shoot of where the points are coming from. Billikens get the call. 10* Money Bomb STL BILLIKENS 

Taking IOWA. Although pegged for a middle tier Big 10 team, I like Iowa in this spot. Everyone real contributor back for them. They beat a pretty good Ducks team last night. Let-down. Nah. Then we would have to say let-down for UConn. Huskies ceiling was about basement level. But with a new HC, they took down old Big East rival Syracuse last night. Think size and experience wins out tonight. 5* Best Bet IOWA 

Taking OREGON. Both of these guys were probably thinking they were going to be playing in the 2K Classic Championship Game. Look. This is like a home game for 'Cuse. I think they are ok. I mean -middle of the road ACC team. Will be ranked, and go dancing. I have Ducks pegged for the top of the PAC 12. I like Dana Altman. I think this team is pretty good. And I will grab them this afternoon. 5* Best Bet OREGON DUCKS 

Taking TEXAS. I have these guys as a near Top 15 team. Arkansas - not so much. Further down the run in the 60s. Clear rebuild going on for the Razorbacks. Arkansas will be in store for a long year. Longhorns should really name their score tonight. 8* Sure Shot TEXAS LONGHORNS 

Taking MEMPHIS. Normally I don't like coming out swinging dropping a huge 10* Money Bomb play on opening. This just feels like proverbial 'perfect storm.' Tenn Tech comes in as probably the worse team in the OVC. Have to replace all their top scorers. New HC Penny Hardaway takes over for Tubby Smith and the hype is off the charts. He has a few seniors that will be more than happy to whatever the NBA All-Star has to say. The kids on Tenn Tech will probably be star struck looking for autographs instead of playing their assignments. 10* Money Bomb MEMPHIS 

Taking the BLAZERS. Nice spot for Portland. Well, coming back from a road trip isn't ideal, but what makes this so appealing is New Orleans off Golden State. Every team, especially a team that is trying to show it will be a playoff team, will bring the proverbial 'A' game against the Warriors. There will always be a let down when a good team plays GS, then is on the court the very next day. Then we add in that the Trailblazers are also a team that plays with the old disrespected chip on it's' shoulder. Siding with the home faves here. 4* Money Maker PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS 

Taking MICHIGAN. We had Loy-Chi to start Round 1 in game winning fashion. But the time has gone for Cinderella to go home from the dance. Looking back on huge runs like this (VCU + George Mason), I can't compare them to Butler who had an NBA head coach and NBA players Mack + Hayward. I can see this playing out ala G-Mason style, who Florida beat 73-58. Hoping Wolverines hit some FTs down the stretch and not cost us like they did vs Florida State. Might be close for a half. I just think the size and talent eventually make this a comfortable double digit game. 4* Money Maker MICHIGAN 

Taking DUKE tonight. First. Just because we are having a GOM doesn't me bet the house. We rate the plays. So adding a Game of the Week, Month, Year to it just means to play it for an extra unit or 2. We aren't like some cappers who when they lose a few games in a row and are down 400 Dimes or whatever, we don't say. only time this year we put out a 1000 Dime play. It wins. Capper fake math has him up 600 dimes, but he's 1-7 or some crap. 

So we are on the BLUE DEVILS. What a crap game by Sparty and Izzo. Not what I wanted or hoped for playing on them Sunday. If anytime is going to exploit this zone and short bench, it will be Duke. Already with a 60-44 win under the belts over the Orange. Hats off to them for winning 3 games in 5 days. But the PAC 12 was garbage. I thought TCU would knock them off, but we didn't have an official play. As for that Michigan State game. Holy cow. Offensive rebounds 26-4! 8-37 from 3. Take it to the rack already! They had a walk-on play 6 minutes last game. Zero depth. 

I said it last game with MSU, and I will say it here. This should be a 15-20 point game. Duke isn't going to shoot 26% from the floor. Sparty may have been too young to take advantage of Syracuse. Blue Devils won't make that mistake. Duke was upended last year by 7 seed South Carolina who went an improbable Final Four run. 2012 lost to Lehigh in First Round, next year Elite 8. 2014 lost to Mercer First Round, next year National Champs.  So, off an early exit, I expect the Final Four run. They know this team. They know their zone defense. They will exploit the Orange weaknesses. 10* Money Bomb DUKE BLUE DEVILS 

Taking KANSAS. Ok. Maybe this is a huge square play. I know that Kansas has had some bad let-downs before. But they have been to the Elite 8 the last 2 years. They were knocked off by Wichita, who, at 30-4 was pretty good under-seeded team in 2015. The loss in 2014 to Stanford is bad, I get it. -But It isn't like we are laying a huge number here. I get you wanting to back the Hall. This line looks a bit short to me, but that is also based on the name on the uniforms. Seton Hall beat UL on the road, over Texas Tech at MSG. People remember them playing Nova to a 69-68 OT loss a couple weeks ago. Lost by 12 at Xavier. They lost to Butler in the Big East tournament, but had beaten them in the final game of the regular season a few days before. They had a nice game vs NC State. But I see some chinks in the armor. As I said. A 12 point road loss to X, 16pt loss at Nova. Lost by 17 at Creighton. Lost by 20 at Marquette. The lost by 6 at Rutgers! You can say. Hey they won 4 of 5 heading into the BE Tourney. Well, we move the bar and we see a 4 game losing streak before 3 wins and you have 5-6 heading into NC State, 6-6 now. Kansas had won 5 straight before dropping their regular season finale. Then they win by 14, 16 and 11 in the Big 12 tournament. I don't think they take half the first half off here like the Penn game. But they did manage to win by 16. If we get a full game of Azubuike, I think we win by double digits going away. But I like him sitting out the B12 Tourney and only playing 3 minutes in Round 1. Shows the other guys they can win without a key player. The last 2 years in Round 2, Kansas beat 9 seed Michigan State 90-70 and 9 seed Uconn 73-61. 5* Best Bet KANSAS JAYHAWKS 

Taking the VOLS today. So, I have these guys in my Final Four. I think they are that good. I will say that we got lucky cashing our Loy-Chi in Round 1. Not sure they get every break in this spot. We also cashed Tennessee on Thursday. Steady effort all around. The rough grind of the Miami game might wear down the Ramblers. Look. I like these guys. But I think that Tenn is going to just be too much for them. I get it is tough not to like a team shooting 50% from the field. And we look back at the win over the Gators fondly. A bad seed for them, probably should have been an 8. But they lack the sexy name. Vols should control the defensive glass. I think people forget that Tenn beat the Boilermakers early. Lost a tough to Nova, up 12 at half. Maybe the OT win over Purdue the day before caught up with them (Nassau). They lost a tough one at home to NC. I think this is the best team the Ramblers have faced. But this is not the best team Tennessee has faced. It's going to be close. But I think we pull away for the 10pt win. 8* Sure Shot TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS 

Taking A&M. I think people forget how good this team was to start the year. Opened the year with that big win over West Va. I see their non-con littered with wins over March Tournament teams (NIT,CBI,CIT + NCAA) Oklahoma State - Penn State - Rio Grande Valley - Northern Kentucky - Buffalo. Bama, Auburn, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri. Not that I am a huge SEC fan. But I think as great as Providence was in the Big East tourney, knocking off Xavier, giving Villanova a good battle, I just think that A&M gets it done. 4* Money Maker TEXAS A&M 

Taking NORTHERN KENTUCKY. An absolute 'no-brainer' play for me. We have the little brother ready to face one of his older siblings. The Norse upset in the Horizon. But oh what a prize they get in the NIT. They get Louisville, who, according to The Courier Journal voted before the ACC Tournament not to play if they missed the NCAAs. Problem is nobody relayed the message to the bosses who signed off on the paperwork. When told they have to forfeit, they said they will play. Oh, we get the, we have to play hard for the city and locals and fans. But these guys are done. We won't get into the off the court things. We all know what they are. Getting a TD in a game I think we are winning outright. Are we all of a sudden getting a focused UL team that is coming out to win the NIT Championship? This reminds me of Robert Morris coming into Kentucky 2013 and winning outright. Opened the season ranked 3 that year. 5* Best Bet NORTHERN KENTUCKY 

Taking ARIZONA. Ok. So a lot going on here at the school. We won't get into the off-court stuff, but it appears they have circled the wagons. They had a brief hiccup in early February. But have no run off 4 straight Ws after going 11-0 in OT yesterday. USC just as hot winning 6 of their last 7. Probably played themselves into a spot or at least close to one in the NCAAs. But I think people forget how good this Arizona team is. Have to with them at this short price. 5* Best Bet ARIZONA 

Taking EASTERN MICHIGAN tonight. Last year in the MAC Quarters, Akron smashed these guys 79-62. Well. Time for a little tournament revenge. They played just once at EMU, and the Eagles laid a 63-49 loss on the Zips. Expecting more of the same here. EMU comes in red-hot winners of 6 straight and 8 of 9. The lone loss, in OT on the road. Akron on a 3-6 run before upsetting Western Michigan by a point. Zips dangerous. Of course you have to look at a team in the conference tournament championship game the year before as a threat. But it is also a team you don't overlook. 5* Best Bet EASTERN MICHIGAN 

Taking MISSOURI STATE. Now. I am down on this group. I was expecting them to be a top tier MVC team this season. Yet, here we are in the play-in round. Missouri State won both games this year. Crushing Valpo on the road by 17. A game they were nearly up 30. And at home by 7, having to nip and claw their way to the win. I think Alize Johnson is a beast that Valpo can't contain. 24-17 last game vs them. 15 and 11 averages on the season. We aren't laying any huge number here. I'm on the Bears. 4* Money Maker  MISSOURI STATE

Taking TENN STATE. So these guys have won 3 of the last 5 in the series including a 7 point home win last month. Their 2 losses, by 6 and 7 points. The Tigers 9-2 ATS last 11 in the series. They are 8-5 in Ohio Valley play, Jax State at 9-4. Not much difference between the 2 clubs. 5* Best Bet TENNESSEE STATE 

Taking MICHIGAN STATE. Big payback on tap this afternoon for Sparty. Lost by 20 at Purdue and 11 at home to the Boilermakers last year. Purdue picked off by Ohio State, so they will be chippy coming in. But I like bruising Sparty. These guys crash the boards like nobodies business. That is going to be the difference today. The ugly hustle points. 10* Money Bomb GOW MICHIGAN STATE 

Taking VCU. Now. Rams not at the top of the A10, but still a top tier team in conference. Can't say the same for GW who I have tagged for the bottom. I am looking for a big bounce-back game here from VCU. Off a pair of losses, their last one a 67-52 home loss to Richmond. 34% shooting will contribute to 50 point games. For a team that scores over 75ppg, that is a huge drop-off. GW scored 53-55 in last years two games. VCU is going to want to get out and push it. GW is one of the slowest tempo teams in the land. Nothing good will happen for them when they try to keep pace. 5* Best Bet VCU 

Taking the NUGGETS. Denver rolled last game vs Spurs. Look for a pride beat-down of the Mavericks. 5* Best Bet DENVER NUGGETS

Taking MERCER. These guys one of the monsters of the So Con. And they are facing a mouse from the bottom of the conference. This is it for them though. Off to an 0-2 start in conference play as they have dropped both game to the other top teams, Furman and East Tenn. So this the the old 'circle the wagons game.' Must win in every sense of the word. They beat Western by 15 at home, and 20 on this court. They need more of the same tonight. 8* Sure Shot MERCER 

Taking LA TECH. Where are the UTEP heads? The coach resigns. Are they going to stay after this year? New AD means a new HC. La Tech is looking to battle for the CUSA crown. I think they roll by 20. 5* Best Bet LOUISIANA TECH