Awake Now??

The first weekend of the NCAA tournament is over, finally.  It feels like it goes on forever now with all the whining after the selections are announced and the four "opening round " games before we even get to the weekend action.  Why can't the NCAA just call those games for what they are, play-in games?  The teams playing one another have identical seeds so it's pretty obvious to everyone what is happening.  Quit trying to make those teams feel better about themselves and call them play-in games already.  As for the real tournament, Thursday morning started off well with some close games and a major upset as Morehead State knocked off Louisville.  Then things got extremely boring for two days.  There were some close games, but no major upsets that sent you running to the television to watch what would happen next.  Even the Butler-Pitt game was tough to watch with the awful play at the end of the game by both teams.  When did college basketball players lose their basketball IQ?  The two ridiculous fouls in the final seconds of that game made me feel like I was watching a YMCA youth league game.  Even with the close games between San Diego State and Temple along with Wisconsin and Kansas State, the favorites still covered in 7 of the 8 games.  But then we had Sunday's action.  The day started with close games for both North Carolina and Duke, in which neither covered.  Then THEE Ohio State University blew out George Mason before the dogs really took over.  Arizona beat Texas in a thrilling game while VCU blew the doors off of Purdue and Florida State easily handled overrated Notre Dame.  In the other two games Marquette beat back Syracuse and Kansas pulled away late to take out Illinois.  When the day ended, the dogs were 6-2 ATS with four outright wins.  While the day saved the sportsbooks, it may have also saved the tournament for this season.

Hopefully you ignored the game under .500 record and followed my games last week as we were 3-1, with the only loss coming by the hook after a meaningless three pointer from Wofford.  But I'm not here to whine about the one loss but enjoy the three wins to bring the overall record to 20-19-1.  For this weeks picks let's jump right to the sweet sixteen games on Thursday night.  At the moment, Connecticut is a pick 'em against San Diego State.  The game looks to be pretty even down low, but the Huskies have a huge advantage in the backcourt.  Also taking into account the three final four appearances for Connecticut saw them come out of the west bracket, I'll be happy to take the fighting Kemba Walkers.  As for our second pick, I'll stay in the same bracket as Duke takes on Arizona.  Both teams can score points and the total reflects that as it is at 145.  I'll play the over and hope that neither team has a tough time adjusting to the rims or the shooting background.  Good luck, and remember, never bet what you can't afford to lose.   

The Crying Game

It's that time of year again, when coaches of college basketball teams that were not invited to the tournament cry.  Lucky for us, we get to hear from Seth Greenberg of Virginia Tech...yet again.  This is the third consecutive year his team has been on the bubble and been left out of the dance and for good reason.  Tech is consistently under achieving and more about hype than substance.  This season, after beating Duke at home, you would have thought they won the national championship.  The celebration was ridiculous but reflective of the maturity level of both the coach and the team.  To prove this the Hokies took the court the next time out against another bubble team, Boston College, and lost by 15...at home!!  Good job coach to keep the players focused on the task at hand.  Surely after that debacle they would respond on the road against another bubble team and get a legitimate road win, right?  Nope, yet another loss, this time to Clemson.  For a team that can't or won't focus on the big picture and puts everything into trying to beat Duke and North Carolina every year they get what they deserve, a fun time in the NIT.  One of Greenberg's favorite lines this time of year is that he just feels so bad for the kids...so do I Seth...that they chose your school and have you as their leader. 

Yet another 1-1 week to put the overall mark at 17-18-1.  Taking a look at the first set of games on Thursday, the lines seem pretty tight.  I was looking for some dogs, but they aren't getting as many points as I anticipated.  That being said, here are two winners.  First game is Florida against UCSB in a 2 versus 15 matchup.  The Gators are favored by 12.5 and should cover easily.  The game is in Tampa, so plenty of fans for Florida and that also means a long trip for UCSB.  Lay the points and look for a closer game to enjoy on television at that time slot.  Next up is BYU versus Wofford.  Originally I was looking to go against the Cougars, but getting to play in Denver is huge for them.  Playing in the Mountain West they are quite used to playing in altitude and look for Jimmer Fredette to go big in the first game.  BYU is laying 8 points, and although I like Wofford, I will lay the points.  Since I will be neck deep in watching the games Friday, I doubt there will be a blog that day, so here are two more picks for that days action.  Oakland is playing an inconsistent Texas team and getting 9.5 points.  The Grizzlies have beaten Tennessee this year and the early time slot will be to there benefit, so take the points.  A second Friday game I like is the Akron Zips against Notre Dame.  The Irish are notorious for packing it in during the dance, and while they should get past the MAC champs, look for Akron to stay within shouting distance.  The Zips are getting 13.5 and that should be plenty.  Good luck, and remember, never bet what you can't afford to lose. 

Hypo-vest or Sweater-crite...Your Choice

What fun times these are in Columbus.  Players that break rules being led by coaches that choose to lie and coverup.  It came out this week that Jim Tressel failed to notify THEE Ohio State University of violations for over nine months.  As a leader of the program, and essentially the entire athletic department with his stature, that is unacceptable.  This guy is making a fortune off of, besides being a good coach, an image of a clean, disciplined program.  But what is going on in C-Bus is no better than any SEC school.  In fact, it could be worse.  Since 2000, THEE Ohio State University has reported more than 375 violations to the NCAA.  That is roughly 37 a year!!!  I don't care how minor these are, this is a culture of misconduct.  And who could expect any more than that from players who have a coach that doesn't care about the rules.  The reason for not reporting the most recent transgressions?  Among a litany of excuses meant to distract from getting to the true point, Tressel said, "...I was doing the right thing for the safety of the young people and the overall situation."  Really?  What a saint, protecting HIS cheating players from NCAA investigators.  I have a different theory.  Perhaps it was to ensure those players would be playing in yet another disappointing season for the Buckeyes.  I have to believe that there is some pressure on him to finally win some big games, other than Michigan.  Since he sold his soul to the Devil to get Maurice Clarett and that national title, THEE Ohio State University hasn't always lived up to expectations.  To make the entire situation look worse, the University suspended Tressel for two games...two non conference games against MAC schools.  This after suspending the players for five games.  What a joke.  Those players were told that if they didn't commit to returning this year they couldn't play in last years Sugar Bowl, and now their leader and example setter gets less punishment for a bigger crime.  I am no lawyer, but seems to me something smells quite foul, and it isn't the Olentangy River for a change.  And before anyone from Buckeye nation goes off the deep end on me, let us not forget Tressel has a history of this.  Youngstown State served penalties after the "Senator" failed to properly investigate an incident there involving a star quarterback.  I guess if you continue to dress and present yourself as a "Senator", your behavior becomes just as tainted.

Another 1-1 week keeps us one game under the .500 mark.  Plenty of action this weekend though with the conference tournaments wrapping up.  First up today is a game in the BIG 10 tournament.  Illinois and Michigan are playing and the Wolverines are getting 3 points.  They are playing much better basketball down the stretch and I expect them to win outright, so I will happily take the 3.  A second pick on Friday is from the Mountain West Conference.  New Mexico has beaten BYU twice this season and matches up very well with the Cougars.  It is tough to beat a team three times in a season, but I will take the Lobos and the four points they are getting.  Expect a tough, close game there and feel confident in cashing that ticket.  Good luck, and remember, never bet what you can't afford to lose.

Best Week Ever

While next week will draw all the attention with the commencement of the NCAA Championship, this week will prove to be much more exciting.  This week is when most conferences begin and end their own tournaments.  Championship Week is the marketing tag EsPN throws on it, and despite their ridiculous hype, it truly is great television.  With so many games and so much on the line, the drama is immeasurable.  Numerous leagues are only going to receive the one automatic bid that their tourney champion gets which makes every game crucial.  A team that rolled through their regular season still has to win two or three games to get their just rewards and at the same time a team that underachieved or was plain bad all year can redeem itself with one hot streak.  Tonight, for instance, has the championship games from both the CAA and WCC.  Despite the success that both conferences have had in March against the big boys, the loser of tonight's games will be resting squarely on the bubble and have to wait out the next week as the power conferences hold their tourneys.  While the winners of the big 6 conference tourneys are usually already in, there can be surprises.  Those surprises are not welcome events to those teams on the bubble, so every game does matter to everyone.  And perhaps the best part of this week is all the action during the day, beginning with the Big East tomorrow.  There will be wall to wall basketball on the EsPN channels through Saturday.  So, despite the NCAA tournament getting all the attention, if you are ever going to plan a week to sit back and enjoy all the action, make it this week.  Hell, come out to Vegas where you can not only see all the games but you can get action on all of them too. 

Speaking of action, another 1-1 week to make our record 15-16-1.  First up is the title game in the CAA tonight between Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth.  ODU has won 7 straight overall and is favored by 4.5.  VCU is coming off a sound beating of George Mason, the top team in the league.  The teams split their regular season games and tonight should be a close game.  Give me VCU and the points.  Next up is a game from the MAC, where Toledo travels to Athens to play Ohio.  The Bobcats are laying 19, which is just a bit too much.  Toledo is not very good and has lost to Ohio twice this year.  One game went to overtime,  while in Athens the Rockets lost by 13. On top of all that Ohio is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games, so give me the Rockets and the points.  Good luck remember, never bet what you cant afford to lose.

March Madness is Big Enough

Sixty-four teams was enough...and so was sixty-five.  Now we have sixty-eight teams in the NCAA college basketball championship tournament.  This is yet another step toward a plan to take the tourney up to 96 teams, which is waaaaaay too many.  We know the driving factor is money, but they won't say that out loud.  It has to be money because there is no other reason that holds water.  Let's examine a few of the common arguments for expansion.  First up is that good, competitive teams are getting left out.  Really?  So this year when Memphis gets left out, I am supposed to feel bad??  This tournament is for the national championship of the sport, not for participation.  With roughly 30 games a year and a post season conference tournament (except in the Ivy League) that gives an automatic berth, every team has ample opportunity to play your way into the dance.  If you happen to be one of the first four...or next four...out, tough.  Picking between the final 12 teams for the final 8 spots is splitting hairs anyway.  It's basically deciding which of the lesser evils to allow a chance to play.  I can only imagine the teams that would be on the bubble if we get to 96.  Perhaps Bowling Green can finally make it back to the tournament.  Another argument, and perhaps the most laughable, is actually a comparison.  Supporters of expansion like to point out the percentage of football teams in bowl games and how much lower that percentage is for teams in the tournament.  Who f'ing cares??  Anyone using this argument should beaten down and never allowed to speak again.  The idea of even comparing an actual tournament that determines a champion to a bunch of ridiculous exhibition games is a joke.  Of course, expanding the tournament will make it more like the bowl system and become laughable.  And let's not get started on the fact that there shouldn't be as many bowl games as there are.  But if basketball junkies want to compare the best thing going in college sports to the worse thing going, good luck.  One final argument I hear is that the fans want it and deserve it.  Ummmm...not anyone I talk to.  Expanding the tournament will actually lessen the appeal to the casual fan and in turn lessen the income the tourney generates.  The biggest part of the tournament is the bracket, without question.  Millions of people compete amongst one another by filling out their bracket and tracking their picks.  Most of these people do not even follow college basketball.  Adding teams, games and another weekend to the whole thing will make following along with your picks more time consuming and less exciting.  I have no doubt that making the tournament larger will make the number of brackets filled out smaller.  This year is already going to be a pain with play in games to determine two of the #12 seeds.  Every year there seems to be a #12 that upsets a #5 in the first round, but now you will have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday night to even know who those #12's are.  Ridiculous.  At a time when most things in sports should be contracting, college basketball is trying to expand.  I hope that everyone takes a deep breath and doesn't ruin a good thing, but I won't be holding my breath.

Still sitting around the .500 mark as we are at 14-15-1 for the year.  This weekend marks the end of the regular season in college basketball plus a few conference tournaments have begun.  This makes for plenty of games to choose from without even turning to the NBA or NHL.  First up is tonight's game between Ohio and Miami of Ohio.  The game is in Oxford and Ohio is favored by 1.  The Bobcats have been playing great lately and are peaking at the right time, just as they did last year en route to winning the MAC tourney and then beating Georgetown in the Big Dance.  Look for the roll to continue as I will lay the point.  Next up is Wyoming at BYU.  The Cougars lost at home during the week to New Mexico in their first game without Brandon Davies.  I am hoping that causes this line to be around 12 or 13 so I can lay the points.  BYU should bounce back big as they recover emotionally from the loss.  New Mexico also matches up with BYU well and beat them earlier when Davies was in the lineup.  Wyoming is awful and expect Jimmer to want to go off in his last home game.  I will lay as many as 15 but hoping it will be less.  Good luck, and remember, never bet what you cant afford to lose.