NCAA First Round (Thursday-Friday)

[FlyersFan]

Will add plays as i figure them out....

THURSDAY:

11:50AM PST
BUT -1................ODU is the "trendy" 12 over 5 pick. I think BUT regroups here and will impose their tempo in this one and win a defensive game in the 50's.


9:25AM PST
BC -2 -120.............BC struggled down the stretch, but IMO i am still in shock that TacoTech made the tourney. Other than their big wins over TAM (2) and KU, they looked awful a lot of the time. Basically fading TacoTech


4:10PM PST

VCU +7 1/2 -120........................just haven't been impressed with this DUKE team (sorry GM) and i think that VCU is good enough to hang within 7 points in this one. DUKE lacks a big time scorer and someone who can take over the game, and they lack the inside game to dominate, as well. I wouldn't be shocked to see VCU win this one in all honesty (though i do think Doook marches on in a very very close game)


11:40AM PST

ORU +7.............3Units............Caleb Green is capable of taking any game over and they have a couple of great seniors on this team. Don't forget they beat KU at KU early in the season. WSU will try and dictate the pace here and IMO, this game ends up with the winner in the low 60's, and 7 is wayyyyy too many points if that is the case. In all honesty, WSU hasn't exactly lit the world on fire over the past 3 weeks. They lost at home to Oregon and UCLA, and had to go to 2OT's to beat USC at home, and were never in the USC game in the Pac10 tourney. First appearence as a high seed and i think they feel the pressure in this one. One of my favorite plays in the first round.

6:40PM
WRST/PITT Under120..................just think this one stays in the 50's.....both these teams go on long scoring droughts in about every game they play. Think 11 is too many and side with WRST, but like the Under better.


still trying to figure out the X/BYU game....leaning to X....same with the MSU/MARQ game...lean to MSU....will figure out Friday at another point..

GL to everyone!

[joepa66]

Flyer.....Butler is better in the middle than ODU and ODU although much faster will resemble Loyola-Chicago to the Bulldogs and I expect BU to win....

VCU has a full court D that could give fits to Duke, and Wazzu may also succumb to the up and down game that Gay Bobs will show....

GL bro

[PhillyFan3]

gl FF ... love the VCU play

im gonna play Oral Roberts as well, gonna go opposite in the Butler-ODU game, it does seem to be the trendy play, but Butler's play over the final stretch of the season worries me, thats why i think im leaning towards ODU..gl with all ur plays

[FlyersFan]

JoeP- THX!.....i agree on VCU's D pressure and your thoughts on BUT. BUT really struggled down the stretch, but ODU got blasted in their conference tourney and they certainly can be beaten. I think BUT is better inside and defensively, and ODU's GTown win was early, early in the season and i can tell you if they went and played GTown now, they are departing with a DD loss.

PhillyFan3Eagles2005sbSpice- THX!.....i really like ODU in that one with those 2 seniors they have and the monster in Green. ODU/BUT should be a great game, but i still like BUT. Hoping really that the tourney gives them a renewed energy as i think they really got worn down in the latter part of the season. They won a lot of big games early and then had a target on their back all conference season long. Graves is the key if he can get his legs back under him and start hitting from outside.





some Friday stuff.............


FRIDAY:

6:55 PM PST
USC -1 -120....................i think Tim Floyd is an exceptional coach especially around tourney time. Don't read too much into the Oregon loss in the Pac10 tournament as they actually guarded them very well, but Oregon couldn't miss (like Ty Webb on the putting green....naaaaaah naaaah naaaah naaaaaaahhhhh, buddddudddduddddduddddddd, doooododooodoodoo). ARK has the size advantage inside, but USC has the guard advantage with 2 of the best in the country. USC is the better defensive team and still has Taj who is very capable in the middle. This is another "trendy" upset pick and i just don't see it happening. Still don't know how ARK got into this thing.


2:05PM PST
ORE -8 -120...................followed both teams closely and there isn't a hotter team in the country right now than ORE. MIA doesn't have the offense or guard quickness to stay with ORE and i expect ORE to dictate pace and win rather comfortably.


9:25AM
UNLV +2.....................too much youth for GTECH IMO and a senior PG in Kruger on the other side. I like this UNLV team a lot, and i like the way they are playing now.


i really want to play PUR and UKY, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. The TENN/LBSU game is going to be a flat out track meet, but the Ken White and the LVSC oddsmakers are very well aware of that and i don't see much value in playing over the total of 171 at this point, unless someone can convince me otherwise (but i don't want the Under). Would love to hit VATECH, but puzzled as to why they are only a 2 point favorite in that one.

GL to everyone!

[Principal Belding]

Your boy JoshKnows likes YOUR picks a lot. Copied and pasted word for word on another forum. That guy is such a joke.


Good luck with your picks FF!!!

[FlyersFan]

Originally Posted by Principal Belding

Your boy JoshKnows likes YOUR picks a lot. Copied and pasted word for word on another forum. That guy is such a joke.


Good luck with your picks FF!!!

PB- THX!....what a loser.....


ADD:

MSU -2

GL to everyone!

[xHeroOfTheDayx]

Gl Ff

[GamblinMan03]

gl FF...Not many people giving Duke a chance in this one, I love it...

[Airborne Heel]

Good luck FF. I've been looking at every one of your plays before I saw your post.

dook is weak in all aspects of their game. If VCU can play their D, dook won't figure it out. While dook plays a good defensive game themselves, I see them breaking down in hostile evironments (see their road losses and close wins).

You might be on to something. And you're also correct about ODU. As much as I'd love to get on that bandwagon, Butler has shown me much more than ODU throughout the season.

I wish I found this site a little sooner.

[GamblinMan03]

Originally Posted by Airborne Heel

dook is weak in all aspects of their game. If VCU can play their D, dook won't figure it out. While dook plays a good defensive game themselves, I see them breaking down in hostile evironments (see their road losses and close wins).

Dont mean to flood your thread FF, but weak in all aspects of their game? Come on heel, be serious when talking basketball. Hostile environments? Its a neutral game. I guess wins at BC, Clemson and NC St werent that hostile.

And what exactly is so special that if VCU plays their D, Duke wont be able to figure them out? What is VCU's defense? lol. They barely beat Mason, got by with a little luck.

That is all, gl FF.

[CuseFan10]

Originally Posted by Principal Belding

Copied and pasted word for word on another forum.

Other forum? There is no other forum. This is the ONLY forum.

GL Flyers!

[Airborne Heel]

Originally Posted by GamblinMan03

Dont mean to flood your thread FF, but weak in all aspects of their game? Come on heel, be serious when talking basketball. Hostile environments? Its a neutral game. I guess wins at BC, Clemson and NC St werent that hostile.

And what exactly is so special that if VCU plays their D, Duke wont be able to figure them out? What is VCU's defense? lol. They barely beat Mason, got by with a little luck.

That is all, gl FF.

2 of the 3 games you mentioned were out of line.

they killed state b/c Atsur was gone. Atsur was nc state.

Clemson had already thrown in the town when you went to their site

I'll give you BC. That was huge. But look at the dook streaks at the beginning of the season and at the end. McBoB is a cancer in that locker room and many in the program don't really care if he leaves. I hate to say it, but Paulus is the only starter with the grit and heart on that team. Pocius can't guard worth ****. Z is slow and weak. Nelson didn't show up in the last game.

Scheyer and Paulus are the only two players on the dook squad you can rely on to play hard. Sometimes McBob shows up, but if he is frustrated, you know he will start to bitch and moan and that spells doom for the team.

I still think dook wins, but not by 8.

[EddieP]

vcu

[FlyersFan]

everyone- THX!....heading up to the Sacramento Regional to catch some games so here are the rest of the first rounders:

FRIDAY:

4:20PM PST
UAZ -2 -120..........................a dog with fleas is what one expert called UAZ a couple of days ago. They have one of the dumbest senior PG's in the country in Shakur and the ultra-selfish Williams to go along with him. But if they can dictate the pace of play, PUR won't be able to keep up, IMO. Wouldn't shock me to see either team win by DD. I guess i can't believe a team with as much talent as UAZ is going to lay an egg and basically cap one of the most disappointing seasons in UAZ history and probably Pac10 history. One last chance to right the ship. Just a gut play.


CREI +2 -120.....................UNR really struggled down the stretch and were anything but impressive, IMO. I like the way CREIG plays and Altman is a heck of a coach. Another gut play.


6:40PM PST
HCRSS +8................................SIU really, really, really struggles to put the ball in the hole for long stretches in just about every game they play. HCRSS plays very solid defense and, though, not as stingy as SIU, that plus the fact SIU is offensively challenged should make this one a very tight game. The total is only 108 in this one, and i love playing fat dogs in games with low totals, especially when the favorite has a hard time putting the ball in the bucket.


4:10PM PST
OSU/CCON Over126......................honestly, i think OSU might get this by themselves. CCON has given up points in bunches at times this season and there is no way they have an answer for Oden inside and Connolly on the perimiter. I think CCON can get some points in garbage time and push this one over the total.
OSU-76 CCON-56


11:55 AM PST
TXAMCC +13..............................WIS misses Butch and i don't see WIS warranting this many points over anyone right now. They aren't scoring and i think TXAMCC can hang with them.


that is all, hope everyone has a good tourney. No time to cap much else (probably missed about 1/3 of the games) as i am heading off to watch tomorrow. Hey Josh, since you are cut and pasting, i guess i will see you there too.......LMAO....

GL to everyone!

[wsox08]

good luck FF