Dan Jamison tells us why this game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the St. John’s Red Storm will come down to bench production. DJ takes a look at Mullin’s rotation for St. Johns and and ASU’s depth and considers it a major factor when making his NCAA selection. Read the breakdown and get DJ’s pick against the spead!
Experience matters. The Eagles’ seven seniors have been to Dayton twice before, and they know what it’s like to try to learn about an opponent and get ready for them in less than 72 hours. Nobody from North Dakota State has ever played in the NCAA tournament before. But DJ doesn’t think that is enough to bet on and tells us why he is putting his money behind North Dakota State and laying the points. See DJ’s first four pick!
For all of their trips to the NCAA tournament between them, Rick Byrd and Fran Dunphy haven’t exactly found their way to success in March. Byrd is 0-7 at Belmont and Dunphy sports a mark of 3-16 at Pennsylvania and Temple. Granted, that’s in large part because neither has ever had a very high seed. This year sportsbooks have these two teams separated by 3.5 points meaning its an opportunity to get the rare win! DJ breaks down the match up and offers his free pick.
Prairie View gets most of its contributions from juniors and is a year ahead of schedule, but the one key senior for the Panthers is a big one: Gary Blackston, who leads the Panthers with 15.2 points and seven rebounds per game. Blackston is one of just a few players in purple who was actually alive the last time Prairie View made the tournament in 1998, when the Panthers lost by 58 to Kansas. Can old man Blackston help get the Panthers into the field of 64? DJ breaks down the sportsbook opener and offers his college hoops pick.
Is Michigan the same team that it was at the start of the season, or did the Wolverines get exposed against Michigan State? That’s the question the Wolverines have to answer here. Michigan saw its hopes at first place in the Big Ten fall apart when Michigan State completed the season sweep, but even though Michigan couldn’t beat its in-state rival, it’s a defeat that proved little. Can Michigan show its potential tonight and cover the bookie’s spread of -8? DJ has the NCAA hoops pick!
Health-wise, these teams are heading in opposite directions. Syracuse is banged up after losing Battle, while Duke is starting to get healthier. Plus, the Blue Devils have plenty of motivation to come out and play well in this game. They lost once to Syracuse this season, and a win over Syracuse this time would likely give them another shot at North Carolina. There’s also a chance at a No. 1 seed to think about. Is this Duke team right where they need to be with the future #1 NBA draft returning? DJ gives his breakdown and basketball pick!
Complacency. This is always a concern in conference tournaments when you have a team that knows it’s getting a top seed against a team that thinks it’s already done its job for securing a bid. For Virginia, there’s the question of just how hard they’ll approach this game because they’re the one team among the ACC’s Big 3 that isn’t going to fall off the No. 1 seed. Is the biggest angle on this game purely motivation? DJ breaks down both squads position coming in to the game and offers his prediction.
Few teams faced as tough a stretch down the final five games as the Syracuse Orange, who had three games of five on the road, including one at North Carolina. The two home games were only against Duke and Virginia, both of whom rank in the top five nationally. Is Syracuse prim to air it out as 7 point favorites at home? DJ gives his college basketball prediction!
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Saint Mary’s has a legitimate chance to earn an NCAA bid by either winning or playing tough against Gonzaga in its third opportunity against the Bulldogs. Gonzaga, on the other hand, likely has a No. 1 seed locked up no matter what it does against the Gaels. In a game like this, where one incredible performance can lead to a fantastic reward, it sometimes happens that a lesser team pulls out a fantastic showing and pulls the upset. It hasn’t happened often against Gonzaga, which has claimed 16 of the past 20 titles in the WCC tournament, but it has happened.