NCAA Tourney Time
Top Initial Thoughts:
1.My UCSB Gauchos made the tourney again, by winning the Big West tournament for the second year in a row by knocking off Long Beach State. The Gauchos won easily, but I really don't know how they did it. Look for Florida to slaughter the Gauchos. The Line is 12.5 as of right now. The game is on St. Pattys Day at 4pm (PCT), take a wild guess what I will be doing.
2. The toughest bracket has to be the East---top seeds Ohio St, North Carolina, Kentucky and Syracuse. Then you throw Washington (7), West Virginia (5) and George Mason (8). Wow. That is ridiculously brutal. What happened to the PAC-10? Washington wins the PAC-10 tourney and gets North Carolina in round 2. I would love to see the Huskies stomp the Heels in the second round = my favorite possible upset for that round. How does Kentucky blow out Florida in the SEC title game and pull a #4 seed? That's just wrong. Florida gets a soft #2 seed. What happened in that seeding conference? Those guys seem to get worse each year.
3. My favorite bracket has to be the West. Top seeds are Duke, SDSU, UConn and Arizona. It's a real thin bracket, but a great top four teams should make it a sensational 'Sweet Sixteen' in Anaheim. I'm going to the games and can't wait to see the Aztecs dominate. Yes, Duke is good--but come on, they are not a power house. They are soft and rely on outside shooting to win games. The Aztecs can take them down as long as they hang around and play perimeter defense. The Aztecs play great D but have a hard time hitting 3-pointers, making it real hard for them to come from behind against elite teams.
4. The easiest bracket has to be the SouthEast. You gotta be kidding me with this group. Top seeds Pitt, Florida, BYU and Wisconsin are real weak. BYU has played terrible since losing F Davies, who was suspended for sleeping with his girlfriend (nice bylaws BYU, they deserve to be punished for those rules). BYU and Wisconsin are the worst #3 & #4 seeds in the tourney. So, we are left with basically two teams in the entire bracket....ugh. Terrible just terrible.
5. The SouthWest bracket really isn't much better. Top seeds Kansas, Notre Dame, Purdue and Louisville aren't that daunting. Best match up will be Kansas vs Louisville in round 3. My favorite team to watch might be the USC Trojans, they play Wednesday against VCU to get into the tourney. They are early 4.5 point favorites---love it, take them asap. Then they get the Hoyas and Purdue, both winnable games (if winnable is really a word). The Irish are the #2 seed despite losing to Louisville in the Big East tourney semis, while Louisville got the #4. The Irish have the potential to win this group...really.
6. At least there isn't one set of dominant teams this season, so that every idiot can't just fill in the #1 seeds across the board and win your tourney challenges. Man, I hated those guys who didn't watch a single college game all year and then stood on top of your tourney leader boards by simply picking the top seeds in every game.
**Feel free to pick USC (-4.5) and Clemson (-4) in the tourney play-in games this week to start off.
One NBA Pick: OKC Thunder (-7) at Washington Wizards, playing without Forwards Blatche and Lewis. Also, C Kendrick Perkins might return for the Thunder tonight. The Wiz just lost at home to the Clips by 21 points on Saturrday and have dropped three straight games. Go Thunder!!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
NBA Big Thursday
NBA Big Thursday
1. The Lakers (-2) head into South Beach to take on the Heat. The Lakers have won eight in a row and have everyone healthy for the first time in a while. The return of Matt Barnes has been key. The Lakers have won six straight road games and are 24-11 on the road this season. They have pounded the Spurs and Hawks on the road in the past week. Andrew Bynum is playing his best ball right now and has averaged 17 boards a game in the past three contests. When Bynum plays well, the Lakers are almost unstoppable. On the other side of the spectrum has been the Miami Heat. The Heat have lost five in a row and four of those have been at home. They have been struggling to score and lack toughness inside to make up for it. Chris Bosh has complained this week to the media about his lack of involvement in their offense. The Heat rely on Lebron and D-Wade to penetrate and create offense off of the dribble instead of using a formulated system. When the outside shots don't fall, then the Heat will have a hard time scoring. The Heat will end their losing streak soon, just not against a taller and tougher Laker squad. Go with the Lakers!!!
2. The Suns (-3) host the Nuggets in a crucial game for the western conference playoffs. Phoenix has won seven of their last ten games and are 18-13 at home this season. The Suns just lost F Channing Frye for a week or two, but are coming off a nice come from behind win against the Rockets. Denver has had four days off since they lost to the Clippers in LA last Saturday. They will be missing F Danilo Gallinari and G Aaron Affalo. Denver has played well recently, but are only 11-20 on the road this season. Roll with the Suns!!
3. The last game of the night showcases the NY Knicks at the Dallas Mavericks (-7). The Over/Under is 215. The Knicks just won on a last second shot by Carmelo Anthony in Memphis and Dallas just blew a ten point lead in New Orleans last night. The Mavs have struggled on defense lately, yielding over 100 points a game at home in the last month against some poor teams. Yes, Chandler just came back from his ankle injury but the Mavs will have a hard time stopping Amare and Carmelo in the paint. Dirk has been battling foul trouble in recent games and Dallas is relatively thin up front. The Knicks can flat out score and have averaged 109 points a game since acquiring Carmelo. The Knicks have also been using with a smaller, more athletic lineup since the trade generating a quicker tempo and more shots. It's hard to take the 'Over' with two teams coming off of back-to-back games--but, not these teams. Let's take the Over 215!!
1. The Lakers (-2) head into South Beach to take on the Heat. The Lakers have won eight in a row and have everyone healthy for the first time in a while. The return of Matt Barnes has been key. The Lakers have won six straight road games and are 24-11 on the road this season. They have pounded the Spurs and Hawks on the road in the past week. Andrew Bynum is playing his best ball right now and has averaged 17 boards a game in the past three contests. When Bynum plays well, the Lakers are almost unstoppable. On the other side of the spectrum has been the Miami Heat. The Heat have lost five in a row and four of those have been at home. They have been struggling to score and lack toughness inside to make up for it. Chris Bosh has complained this week to the media about his lack of involvement in their offense. The Heat rely on Lebron and D-Wade to penetrate and create offense off of the dribble instead of using a formulated system. When the outside shots don't fall, then the Heat will have a hard time scoring. The Heat will end their losing streak soon, just not against a taller and tougher Laker squad. Go with the Lakers!!!
2. The Suns (-3) host the Nuggets in a crucial game for the western conference playoffs. Phoenix has won seven of their last ten games and are 18-13 at home this season. The Suns just lost F Channing Frye for a week or two, but are coming off a nice come from behind win against the Rockets. Denver has had four days off since they lost to the Clippers in LA last Saturday. They will be missing F Danilo Gallinari and G Aaron Affalo. Denver has played well recently, but are only 11-20 on the road this season. Roll with the Suns!!
3. The last game of the night showcases the NY Knicks at the Dallas Mavericks (-7). The Over/Under is 215. The Knicks just won on a last second shot by Carmelo Anthony in Memphis and Dallas just blew a ten point lead in New Orleans last night. The Mavs have struggled on defense lately, yielding over 100 points a game at home in the last month against some poor teams. Yes, Chandler just came back from his ankle injury but the Mavs will have a hard time stopping Amare and Carmelo in the paint. Dirk has been battling foul trouble in recent games and Dallas is relatively thin up front. The Knicks can flat out score and have averaged 109 points a game since acquiring Carmelo. The Knicks have also been using with a smaller, more athletic lineup since the trade generating a quicker tempo and more shots. It's hard to take the 'Over' with two teams coming off of back-to-back games--but, not these teams. Let's take the Over 215!!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
NBA Wednesday
NBA Wednesday
1. Memphis (-4) hosts the NY Knicks tonight in a duel between two red-hot teams. Both teams have won seven of their last ten games, but the real difference is the quality wins this season. Memphis has now beaten the Spurs, Mavs and Thunder within the last week. The Knicks lost twice to the Cavs in the last month and still play very poor defense. The Knicks are very streaky and are 5-3 since the big trade for Anthony and Billups. Memphis is 22-9 at home this year, while the Knicks are 15-16 on the road. The Knicks will be without Billups, so go with Memphis!! Thank you Carmelo.
2. The Mavs (-4.5) head into New Orleans to take on the Hornets. The Hornets will be without star PG Chris Paul, and looked real sloppy without him last game losing 85-77 to Chicago. Jarrett Jack is the backup PG and is really more of a shooter than facilitator. Dallas has won 19 of their last 21 games and are the best in the NBA while playing on the road (23-8). The Mavs need C Tyson Chandler to play and he is questionable, but if he is in the lineup then they should dominate the Hornets. Go Mavs!! Up by 5 with a minute to go, nice.
3. Possibly tonight's best game is the OKC Thunder at Philadelphia (-1). The 76ers are 30-17 in their last 47 games, after starting the season 3-13. They are really playing well and have won eight of their last ten games. The Thunder have struggled on the road at 17-14, especially recently without an inside presence. The 76ers are 21-10 at home and should continue to dominate opponents in Philly. Go with Philly!!! How do you blow a 6 Point lead with 40 seconds left? Bullshit Officiating didn't help.
1. Memphis (-4) hosts the NY Knicks tonight in a duel between two red-hot teams. Both teams have won seven of their last ten games, but the real difference is the quality wins this season. Memphis has now beaten the Spurs, Mavs and Thunder within the last week. The Knicks lost twice to the Cavs in the last month and still play very poor defense. The Knicks are very streaky and are 5-3 since the big trade for Anthony and Billups. Memphis is 22-9 at home this year, while the Knicks are 15-16 on the road. The Knicks will be without Billups, so go with Memphis!! Thank you Carmelo.
2. The Mavs (-4.5) head into New Orleans to take on the Hornets. The Hornets will be without star PG Chris Paul, and looked real sloppy without him last game losing 85-77 to Chicago. Jarrett Jack is the backup PG and is really more of a shooter than facilitator. Dallas has won 19 of their last 21 games and are the best in the NBA while playing on the road (23-8). The Mavs need C Tyson Chandler to play and he is questionable, but if he is in the lineup then they should dominate the Hornets. Go Mavs!! Up by 5 with a minute to go, nice.
3. Possibly tonight's best game is the OKC Thunder at Philadelphia (-1). The 76ers are 30-17 in their last 47 games, after starting the season 3-13. They are really playing well and have won eight of their last ten games. The Thunder have struggled on the road at 17-14, especially recently without an inside presence. The 76ers are 21-10 at home and should continue to dominate opponents in Philly. Go with Philly!!! How do you blow a 6 Point lead with 40 seconds left? Bullshit Officiating didn't help.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Sick Day
Wow. I needed a sick day today. Good to see the Lakers and Warriors win on the road today.
I will be back tomorrow and we have a complete slate of NBA games.
I will be back tomorrow and we have a complete slate of NBA games.
Monday, March 7, 2011
NBA Monday
NBA Monday
1. Let's start with the Mavs (-7) at Minnesota. The Mavs have won 18 of their last 20 games, including a buzzer-beater loss to Memphis last Sunday. The Mavs have won eight straight games in Minnesota by an average of 17 points. The Wolves are the worst team in the western conference and are an incredibly awful 10-22 at home. Only the Cavs have played worse than the Wolves (15-49) this season. The Mavs are also the NBA's best road team at 22-8. Go with the Mavs!!
2. The OKC Thunder are visiting Memphis (-2.5) tonight in a great western conference battle. The Grizz are 21-9 at home, and have beaten the Spurs and Dallas in the last week. Memphis is one of the top teams against the spread at home and should dominate the Thunder inside without Kendrick Perkins. The Thunder have won three straight games, but are only 17-13 games on the road this season. The Thunder rely on jump shots way too much and seriously lack interior defense. Go with the Grizz!!
**That's it for today, still suffering from a brutal weekend in Scottsdale. Mad thanks to all.
1. Let's start with the Mavs (-7) at Minnesota. The Mavs have won 18 of their last 20 games, including a buzzer-beater loss to Memphis last Sunday. The Mavs have won eight straight games in Minnesota by an average of 17 points. The Wolves are the worst team in the western conference and are an incredibly awful 10-22 at home. Only the Cavs have played worse than the Wolves (15-49) this season. The Mavs are also the NBA's best road team at 22-8. Go with the Mavs!!
2. The OKC Thunder are visiting Memphis (-2.5) tonight in a great western conference battle. The Grizz are 21-9 at home, and have beaten the Spurs and Dallas in the last week. Memphis is one of the top teams against the spread at home and should dominate the Thunder inside without Kendrick Perkins. The Thunder have won three straight games, but are only 17-13 games on the road this season. The Thunder rely on jump shots way too much and seriously lack interior defense. Go with the Grizz!!
**That's it for today, still suffering from a brutal weekend in Scottsdale. Mad thanks to all.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
NBA Wednesday
NBA Wednesday
1. The Spurs (-9) roll into Cleveland to destroy the Cavs tonight. The Spurs just lost PG Tony Parker for 2-4 weeks with a calf injury and then lost badly at Memphis 109-93. The Spurs are a very underrated offensive team, and four of their last five games have gone over 201.5. The Spurs road games have gone 'Over' in 18 of 30 games this season. The Cavs play absolutely no defense and 10 of their last 12 games have gone 'Over' 201.5. The good thing is that the Cavs have scored a lot of points at home this year. The Over/Under is 201.5. The Cavs lead the NBA in games going Over the 'Total' with a 36-23 mark. Take the Over!!
2. The Warriors (-1) are taking on the Wizards in D.C. tonight. While attending this game would be a nightmare, it interests us in the betting world. The Warriors are in the midst of a seven game road trip, and are playing very poorly. PG Monta Ellis is having wrist issues and shooting terribly right now. He is the key to their offense, because he is the only one who can attack the basket. The Wizards have lost six in a row and only topped 100 points once in that stretch. The Over/Under is 212 and was 214 when it opened. The Warriors are the worst team in the NBA at beating the 'Over' on the road at 8-17, combine that with the Wizards scoring ineptitude. The Wizards rival the Bucks in not going 'Over' the total at home (9-21). Take the Under!!
**Off to Arizona--be back Monday. Goodluck.
1. The Spurs (-9) roll into Cleveland to destroy the Cavs tonight. The Spurs just lost PG Tony Parker for 2-4 weeks with a calf injury and then lost badly at Memphis 109-93. The Spurs are a very underrated offensive team, and four of their last five games have gone over 201.5. The Spurs road games have gone 'Over' in 18 of 30 games this season. The Cavs play absolutely no defense and 10 of their last 12 games have gone 'Over' 201.5. The good thing is that the Cavs have scored a lot of points at home this year. The Over/Under is 201.5. The Cavs lead the NBA in games going Over the 'Total' with a 36-23 mark. Take the Over!!
2. The Warriors (-1) are taking on the Wizards in D.C. tonight. While attending this game would be a nightmare, it interests us in the betting world. The Warriors are in the midst of a seven game road trip, and are playing very poorly. PG Monta Ellis is having wrist issues and shooting terribly right now. He is the key to their offense, because he is the only one who can attack the basket. The Wizards have lost six in a row and only topped 100 points once in that stretch. The Over/Under is 212 and was 214 when it opened. The Warriors are the worst team in the NBA at beating the 'Over' on the road at 8-17, combine that with the Wizards scoring ineptitude. The Wizards rival the Bucks in not going 'Over' the total at home (9-21). Take the Under!!
**Off to Arizona--be back Monday. Goodluck.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
NBA Tuesday
NBA Tuesday
1. The Lakers (-9) go to Minnesota to take on the mighty T-Wolves. The Lakers have won four straight games since the all-star break and have beaten the Wolves in 13 straight games. The Lakers look like they are rounding back into form since their ridiculous loss at Cleveland two weeks ago. The Wolves have won just a single game in their last eight contests. The Wolves don't just lose games, they give up a lot of points in doing so. Go with the Lakers!!!
2. The Detroit Pistons visit the Milwaukee Bucks in a terrible showdown of eastern conference teams that are struggling badly. The Pistons are in disarray, after numerous veteran players refused to practice last week. Detroit is 7-23 on the road this season and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Bucks are 14-14 at home and play great defense in Milwaukee. Both teams stink and have only won 22 games this season. The Bucks home games are extremely low scoring, only one game in their last twelve has combined for more than 188 points. Tonight's Over/Under is 188. Go Under!!
**I am off to Scottsdale Thursday for Danny Fitzgerald's bachelor party--wish me luck.
1. The Lakers (-9) go to Minnesota to take on the mighty T-Wolves. The Lakers have won four straight games since the all-star break and have beaten the Wolves in 13 straight games. The Lakers look like they are rounding back into form since their ridiculous loss at Cleveland two weeks ago. The Wolves have won just a single game in their last eight contests. The Wolves don't just lose games, they give up a lot of points in doing so. Go with the Lakers!!!
2. The Detroit Pistons visit the Milwaukee Bucks in a terrible showdown of eastern conference teams that are struggling badly. The Pistons are in disarray, after numerous veteran players refused to practice last week. Detroit is 7-23 on the road this season and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Bucks are 14-14 at home and play great defense in Milwaukee. Both teams stink and have only won 22 games this season. The Bucks home games are extremely low scoring, only one game in their last twelve has combined for more than 188 points. Tonight's Over/Under is 188. Go Under!!
**I am off to Scottsdale Thursday for Danny Fitzgerald's bachelor party--wish me luck.
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