Kentucky vs Kansas State |
Kentucky -150 |
Premium |
69-75 |
Loss |
-150 |
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Rating: 2 Units Kentucky is coming off a strong outing against Providence, holding the Friars to 53 points and 36% field goal shooting. Kentucky cleaned up on the boards against Providence with 46 rebounds including 16 off the offensive glass, while holding Providence to 27 rebounds and only seven offensive boards. Kentucky is 33rd in the nation in offensive rebounds allowed at just 6.9 per game, which is not surprising as Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebewe is averaging 13.5 rebounds per game which is first in the nation. Kansas State allows an average of 8.6 offensive rebounds per game which is 226th. Kentucky has covered the spread in six of its last eight overall and in each of the last five when playing against a team that has a winning percentage above .600.
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TCU vs Gonzaga |
TCU +4½ -115 |
Premium |
81-84 |
Win
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100 |
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Rating: 2 Units TCU's offense was not their strength this season and had a few lulls on Friday, but overall their performance was impressive considering Arizona State's defense wreaked havoc on a lot of teams this season. That the Horned Frogs hit open threes and free throws could make them very dangerous going forward. Of course, Gonzaga's offense on Grand Canyon, but Grand Canyon's defense was barely 200th in adjusted efficiency this season. TCU's is much tougher at 23rd. Gonzaga's defense isn't great, and Timme's size could pose problems inside for TCU's offense, but I think if they play like Friday the Horned Frogs will take this game. Taking the points is safer though, so I'm going to roll with the spread.
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Suns vs Thunder |
Thunder -115 |
Premium |
120-124 |
Win
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100 |
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Rating: 2 Units Oklahoma City has been one of the most profitable teams in the NBA in recent weeks, covering the spread in six of its last eight games. The Thunder have been a team that I have been backing for several years, as they are continuously underrated by the betting market. They have been dominant against Phoenix at home, winning 17 of the last 19 meetings. The Suns have been trending in the opposite direction, only covering once in their last five games. They are going to be a contender when Durant returns, but they are a team to fade right now.
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Bruins vs Sabres |
Bruins -165 |
Premium |
7-0 |
Win
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100 |
Show
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Rating: 2 Units The Bruins split their last four games, but they’ve won eight of their last 10 road games. They are playing well offensively, scoring nine goals in their last three road games. They have also played well on special teams, converting over 22 percent of their power play opportunities. The Sabres aren’t good at killing penalties and they’re not playing well defensively at the moment, giving up 15 goals in their last three home games, so expect them to have a hard time slowing down the Bruins in this game. The Sabres have lost six of their last seven games and four of their last five home games. Despite their slump, they are playing well offensively, scoring 10 goals in their last three games. They have also played well on special teams, converting 25 percent of their power pay opportunities. Unfortunately for them, the Bruins are great at killing penalties and they don’t give up a lot of goals, so expect them to keep Buffalo’s offense in check.
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Jets vs Blues |
Jets -122 |
Premium |
0-3 |
Loss |
-122 |
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Rating: 2 Units Both teams have had similar fates lately. Both have gone 3-2-0 in their past five contests after losing two straight games following a victory prior, with St. Louis having posted four wins in its previous 14 games, while Winnipeg has won four of its most recent 13. Still, earlier success currently sees the Jets occupying the 2nd Wild Card spot of the Western Conference, a wholesome 16 points ahead of the Blues, who not only have been shocking while playing on own ice lately, managing to gather just a single victory on the past seven occasions, but have also dropped a whopping 10 of their last 11 matchups versus sides with a winning record. Winnipeg, meanwhile, has been a healthy and promising 13-3 on its most recent 16 trips to St. Louis.
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Creighton vs Baylor |
Creighton +100 |
Premium |
85-76 |
Win
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100 |
Show
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Rating: 2 Units Does Baylor have anyone that can stop Ryan Kalkbrenner? Unlike NC State, they have the size, with starter Flo Thamba, but I don't think he's good enough to hang with Kalkbrenner. If he gets in foul trouble, Baylor's options are either a freshman or a size mismatch. Unlike certain schools, Creighton knows how to feed their big men when they've got a good matchup. Then there's Creighton's three-point shooting, which is due to improve significantly from their Thursday performance. Baylor's defense is much worse than Creighton's, and their offensive output won't be able to offset that against another dangerous offensive squad. The spread is only one point, so the best value is in taking Creighton to win straight up.
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Pittsburgh vs Xavier |
Pittsburgh +5½ -115 |
Premium |
73-84 |
Loss |
-115 |
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Rating: 2 Units Pittsburgh is allowing an average of just 50.0 points per game in its first two games of the NCAA tournament as the Panthers' defense has tightened. Pittsburgh held Iowa State to 23% shooting overall and 10% shooting from long range. Xavier is a strong shooting team, hitting 50% of its field goal attempts during a regular season, but against first-round opponent, Kennesaw State shot only 17% from behind the three-point line and cannot afford to shoot poorly against the Panthers. Pittsburgh has covered the spread in 23 of its last 30 and in four of the last five against a team with a winning percentage above 600. Xavier struggled down the stretch to cover the spread, failing to cover the spread in four of its last five. In intangibles, Xavier must play without Zach Freemantle, who before being injured was the second-leading scorer and leading rebounder for the Musketeers. Freemantle was also one of the court leaders.
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St. Mary's vs Connecticut |
Connecticut -180 |
Premium |
55-70 |
Win
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100 |
Show
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Rating: 2 Units The Gaels are 0-5 ATS in their last five games following an ATS win and 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a straight-up win. The Huskies are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games following a straight-up win, 5-1 ATS in their last six games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games overall. The Huskies impressed me on Friday, outscoring the Gaels by a wide margin in the second half. They'll own a rebounding advantage again on Sunday, earning extra possessions and holding the slow-paced Gaels to fewer possessions. Sanogo played like a monster on Friday (28 points and 13 boards) and won't be held back by this Gaels squad.
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Michigan State vs Marquette |
Marquette -145 |
Premium |
69-60 |
Loss |
-145 |
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Rating: 2 Units The Golden Eagles have won 10 straight games. They are very good offensively, scoring more than 79 points per game while making 49 percent of their shots. They’ve taken advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe, making over 77 percent of their free throws in their last three games. They do a good job finding the open man and they’re aggressive on the offensive glass, which will give them more scoring chances. They also do a good job protecting the ball and won’t give the Spartans a lot of easy-scoring opportunities. The Spartans usually play well defensively, but they struggled in recent games, giving up more than 69 points per game in their last three games, so expect them to have a hard time slowing down the Golden Eagles in this game. The Spartans have won three of their last four games. They are playing well offensively, scoring more than 71 points per game in their last three games. But they struggled at the charity stripe, making less than 70 percent of their free throws during that span. Their rebounding has been good and will keep them in this game, but they’ve been careless with the ball on the road, which will lead to easy-scoring opportunities for the Golden Eagles, who average more than nine steals per game. The Golden Eagles did a great job defensively in recent games, holding their last three opponents to 60 points per game, and won’t have trouble keeping Michigan State’s offense in check. Go with Marquette to cover the spread.
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