3/17

Xavier ML (+102) vs. Minnesota: 0.99/1.01 (Matchbook)
The X-men are better at every position and I think Jordan Crawford can lock down Lawrence Westbrook thus putting a ton of pressure on two extremely young ballhandlers in Devoe Joseph and Cobbs. The X-men should win on the glass and step on the neck early because the A-10 may well be a better/tougher conference than the Big Ten. My one concern is the house being full of Gophers fans, but it seems to be equidistant from both campuses and I'm not sure the Gophers could win on a home floor against XU.

Georgia Tech ML (+106) vs. Oklahoma State: 0.971/1.029 (Matchbook)
GT is on a roll, while the Pokes got run out of the gym in their last game. I think there will be a bit of a hangover for the Cowboys as they rely on perimeter shooting, which depends a ton on the confidence of the shooter. The Jackets are one of the biggest teams in the tournament, while Okie State is undersized at almost every position. Paul Hewitt is a scary individual to put money behind, but a non-pressing Travis Ford isn't anything to be afraid of either. The most consistent guard play is on GT's side, but a heavy dose of Derrick Favors will overcome.

Northern Iowa +1 (-103) vs. UNLV: 1.03/1 (Matchbook)
This UNI team is full of seniors and they have been to the NCAA tournament before. They are experienced enough to break the UNLV pressure and then set-up their offense, which not many teams can do. I don't expect the Panthers to win a game in the 140s, but I am comfortable with the prediction that this will be a low-scoring game considering the 113 o/u number that Vegas threw out there. I just don't see the Rebels executing in the half-court because they don't have an interior presence and they're not good enough shooters. Lon Kruger is a hell of a coach, but he can't diagram a reliable scoring option all night and that will be too much for UNLV.

Utep +3 (-114) vs. Butler: 1.14/1 (Matchbook)
The Miners have zero quality wins, but they are a team that can really hurt Butler. They Derrick Caracter inside who can handle Matt Howard defensively, and they also have a backup named Claude Britten who is big-bodied and can push Howard away from the bucket without wasting fouls. The Bulldog offense is based on Howard having success and then him passing it out to Gordon Hayward and Zach Hahn, but without the interior success I don't think Butler can win this game. This is all said before introducing Randy Culpepper whose wrist should be fine and he will be a nightmare for Nored and Veasley to defend. While I get the 12-seed because Utep beat good teams that weren't as good as suspected this year, they will win this one and I love having 3 points of insurance for a relatively cheap price.

good luck

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