The oddsmaker opened this contest with the Cavs favored by 4.5 points over the Boilermakers. Each team had a battle on their hands in the Sweet 16 with Purdue needing overtime and Virginia prevailing over Oregon after the Ducks rallied to tie the game with inside of 4.5 minutes left. The NCAA odds board has the Cavs as the 4 to 4.5 point favorites with a total line of 125.5. Read on to get our prognosticator’s play on this game.
Two fantastic defensive clubs take to the floor at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday night when Gonzaga and Texas Tech tip off at 6:10 PM ET. The team with the better offense will be the key to this game and on paper the Bulldogs certainly do stand out in that category. See Dan’s take and get his against the spread prediction.
Remember what Bill Simmons has fondly said: always beware of the “nobody believes in us” team. LSU has taken that status and run with it so far, winning two games by a combined six points against Yale and Maryland to overcome losing its coach and reach the Sweet 16. It’s the 30-year anniversary of the last time an interim coach won the national title (Michigan’s Steve Fisher), and the Tigers appear to have rallied around coach Tony Benford and their chance to silence their critics. Does that create an opportunity here betting LSU against the spread at +6? DJ gives his basketball pick!
Texas Tech’s weakness on defense is that it’s not a great rebounding team, which came back to bite the Red Raiders in the Big 12 tournament when West Virginia dominated them on the glass and pulled a stunning upset. If the Wolverines are willing to hit the glass should we expect them to cover against the 1.5 spread? Dan Jamison has your free pick!
Oregon just might be the hottest team in the nation right now after dismantling both Wisconsin and UC Irvine, making the country sit up and take notice of how good the Ducks really are. Oregon is a team that can play either pace even if Virginia slows the game to a crawl. Sportsbooks are offering Oregon bettors a big 8.5 cushion versus the Cavs. Dan looks at this match up and predicts if that will be enough!
A year ago, Gonzaga had a great shot at making the Final Four before running into the Seminoles’ combination of depth and defense. Gonzaga stars Rui Hachimura and Zach Norvell got their points, combining to score 30, but they had to take 28 shots to do it, nowhere near efficient enough to beat FSU. But the Bulldogs have one factor that they didn’t have last time: Brandon Clarke. Is BC enough to take down FSU at the HC in CA? Bookmakers think so and opened the Zags -7.5.
Duke is still here. They probably shouldn’t be, given that Central Florida’s final shot covered almost all of the rim before dropping off, but the Blue Devils survived and advanced to another East Regional. So was this game the test that readies Duke for a run for the rest of the tournament, or the game that provided the blueprint on how to beat them? DJ tries to answer that question and if the Dukies can cover the -7.5!
It’s the Big 12 versus the ACC when the Oklahoma Sooners and the Virginia Cavaliers take to the floor of the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. The Cavs are a huge 11 point favorite over the Sooners in this match with the total line set at 126. Virginia was a bankroll building 6-1 against the spread before dropping their last two versus the line. Can they extend the margin and get the cover tonight? Read on to get Jamison’s team to back at the windows.
The UNC Tar Heels take on the Washington Huskies at Nationwide Arena in Columbus this afternoon. North Carolina is a double-digit favorite and justifiably so riding a 16-2 streak into this contest. Bettors wary to lay the double digits may want to consider their 11-6-2 record as a -10 or more favorite. See if Dan is laying the big number or taking the points with his prediction.
UCF brings a decent 4-1 straight up mark on neutral courts in to this game after a demolishing VCU 73-58 in their tourney opener. Duke rolls in off a 23-point victory over North Dakota State, but failed to get the cover as a -27.5 dog. Covering is something that has been an issue for them with their backers cashing on just one of their last six contests (1-4-1 ATS). Can the Blue Devils extend the margin on the Knights who have just two double digits losses on the year? Get Dan’s betting opinion.