The Bum's 2016 NCAA Basketball News-Trends-Picks !

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2017 NIT, CBI, CIT Results
March 21, 2017

National Invitation Tournament (NIT)

REGION 1 - CALIFORNIA
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 14 CSU Bakersfield (+6.5, +240 ML) at California 73-66 Underdog-Over (125)
Mar. 14 College of Charleston at Colorado State (-4.5) 81-74 Favorite-Over (136)
Mar. 15 Texas-Arlington (+5.5, ML +220) at Brigham Young 105-89 Underdog-Over (166.5)
Mar. 15 Akron (+7.5, ML +300) at Houston 78-75 Underdog-Over (144)
Mar. 20 CSU Bakersfield (+4.5, ML +170) at Colorado State 81-63 Underdog-Over (135.5)
Mar. 20 Akron at Texas-Arlington (-5) 85-69 Favorite-Under (157)
Mar. 22 CSU Bakersfield at Texas-Arlington - -

REGION 2 - SYRACUSE
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 15 UNC Greensboro at Syracuse (-12) 90-77 Favorite-Over (146)
Mar. 14 Mississippi (+1) at Monmouth 91-83 Underdog-Over (167)
Mar. 14 Indiana at Georgia Tech (+2.5, +125 ML) 75-63 Underdog-Under (143)
Mar. 15 Belmont (+5, ML +180) at Georgia 78-69 Underdog-Under (147.5)
Mar. 18 Mississippi (+7.5, ML +290) at Syracuse 85-80 Underdog-Over (158.5)
Mar. 19 Belmont at Georgia Tech (-4) 71-57 Favorite-Under (138.5)
Mar. 21 Georgia Tech at Mississippi - -

REGION 3 - ILLINOIS STATE
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 14 Boise State (+12, +575 ML) at Utah 73-68 Underdog-Under (156)
Mar. 14 Valparaiso at Illinois (-9) 82-57 Favorite-Over (138.5)
Mar. 15 UC Irvine at Illinois State (-10) 85-71 Favorite-Over (130.5)
Mar. 15 Colorado at UCF (-3.5) 79-74 Favorite-Over (139)
Mar. 20 Boise State at Illinois (-8.5) 71-56 Favorite-Under (145.5)
Mar. 20 UCF (+5.5, ML +190) at Illinois State 63-62 Underdog-Under (128)
Mar. 22 UCF at Illinois - -

REGION 4 - IOWA
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 14 Richmond (+8, +315 ML) at Alabama 71-64 Underdog-Under (139)
Mar. 14 Oakland (+10.5, +525 ML) at Clemson 74-69 Underdog-Under (157)
Mar. 15 South Dakota at Iowa (-11) 87-75 Favorite-Under (164)
Mar. 15 Fresno State at Texas Christian (-8.5) 66-59 Underdog-Under (145)
Mar. 19 Oakland at Richmond (-4.5) 87-83 Underdog-Over (159)
Mar. 19 Texas Christian (+3, ML +130) at Iowa 94-92 (OT) Underdog-Over (155)
Mar. 21 Richmond at Iowa - -

SEMIFINALS & FINALS
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 28 TBA vs. TBA - -
Mar. 28 TBA vs. TBA - -
Mar. 30 TBA vs. TBA - -

College Basketball Invitational (CBI)

FIRST ROUND
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 15 Utah Valley (+4.5, ML +170) at Georgia Southern 74-49 Underdog-Under (156.5)
Mar. 15 Loyola-Maryland (+10, ML +450) at George Mason 73-58 Underdog-Under (141)
Mar. 15 Hampton at Coastal Carolina (-9) 83-67 Favorite-Over (145)
Mar. 15 Toledo at George Washington (-6) 73-69 Underdog-Under (146.5)
Mar. 16 Stony Brook at Illinois-Chicago (-2.5) 71-69 Favorite-Under (147)
Mar. 15 Green Bay at Missouri-Kansas City (+1.5, ML +110) 92-82 Underdog-Over (169)
Mar. 15 San Francisco at Rice (-1.5) 85-76 Favorite-Over (154.5)
Mar. 15 Eastern Washington at Wyoming (-4.5) 91-81 Favorite-OVer (163)

QUARTERFINALS AND SEMIFINALS
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 20 Loyola-Maryland at Coastal Carolina (-5.5) 72-63 Favorite-Under (141)
Mar. 20 George Washington at Illinois-Chicago (+6, ML +220) 80-71 Underdog-Over (149)
Mar. 20 Utah Valley (+4.5, ML +175) at Rice 85-79 Underdog-Over (162)
Mar. 20 Missouri-Kansas City at Wyoming (-9.5) 72-61 Favorite-Under (171.5)
Mar. 22 Illinois-Chicago at Coastal Carolina - -
Mar. 22 Utah Valley at Wyoming - -

FINALS (BEST-OF-THREE)
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 27 TBA at TBA - -
Mar. 29 TBA at TBA - -
Mar. 31 TBA at TBA - -

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT)

FIRST ROUND
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 13 Norfolk State at Liberty (-7) 73-64 Favorite-Over (131)
Mar. 14 St. Francis, PA (+4, +165 ML) at Jacksonville 78-76 Underdog-Under (157.5)
Mar. 14 Houston Baptist at Campbell (+1.5, +105 ML) 98-79 Underdog-Over (150.5)
Mar. 14 Canisius at Samford (-3.5) 78-74 Favorite-Under (164)
Mar. 15 Ball State at IUPUI Fort Wayne (-4.5) 88-80 Favorite-Under (171)
Mar. 15 Fairfield at Maryland-Baltimore County (-3) 88-83 Favorite-Over (153)
Mar. 15 Georgia State at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (+3, ML +135) 80-64 Underdog-Under (146.5)
Mar. 15 Stephen F. Austin at Idaho (-4.5) 73-50 Favorite-Under (138.5)
Mar. 16 Lamar at Texas State (-9.5) 70-60 Favorite-Under (135.5)
Mar. 16 St. Peter's (+2, ML +110) at Albany 59-55 Underdog-Under (121.5)
Mar. 16 Furman (-6.5) at South Carolina-Upstate 79-57 Favorite-Under (148.5)
Mar. 16 UNC Asheville at Tennesse-Martin (+5, ML +180) 89-75 Underdog-Over (151)
Mar. 16 Weber State (+2.5, ML +120) at CS Fullerton 80-76 Underdog-Over (148)

SECOND ROUND AND QUARTERFINALS
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 18 St. Francis, PA at Maryland-Baltimore County (-6.5) 87-79 Favorite-Over (165)
Mar. 20 Tennessee Martin at Campbell (PK) 73-56 Favorite-Under (149)
Mar. 20 Samford at Liberty (-1.5) 66-58 Favorite-Under (140.5)
Mar. 20 Weber State at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (-1.5) 82-73 Favorite-Over (150.5)
Mar. 22 Idaho at Texas State - -
Mar. 23-26 TBA at Furman - -
Mar. 23-26 TBA at St. Peter's - -
Mar. 23-26 TBA at IUPUI-Fort Wayne - -
Mar. 23-26 TBA at TBA - -

SEMIFINALS & FINALS
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 29 TBA at TBA - -
Mar. 29 TBA at TBA - -
Mar. 31 TBA at TBA - -

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, MARCH 21

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

RICH at TCU 07:00 PM

TCU -8.0

O 149.0

GT at MISS 09:00 PM

MISS -5.5

O 144.0

[StarDust Bum]

Vegas casino owner eyes $1M wager
March 21, 2017

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) This is March Madness on a whole different level.

A bet between two Las Vegas casino owners will cost one of them $1 million if Michigan wins the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Derek Stevens, who owns The D Las Vegas and Golden Gate casinos, plunked down $12,500 on the Wolverines at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas, which was offering 80-to-1 odds before the tournament started.

''It's a little scary, because they're only putting up twelve-five, and you're putting up a million,'' said Tilman Fertitta, the Texas billionaire who owns the Golden Nugget. ''But that's the nature of the business we're in. It's OK, 'cause he's a good customer.''

Stevens, a Michigan native and University of Michigan alumnus, bet $11,000 each on all 32 first-round games, but got off to a rocky start, down $109,000 after the opening round. But his wager on the seventh-seeded Wolverines could turn that tide.

Michigan has advanced to the Sweet 16, bringing Fertitta closer to making a payout 10 times larger than any his casino's sports book has ever made. Michigan plays No 3 seed Oregon Thursday and still needs four wins to win the national championship.

''Michigan seems to be kind of a darling right now,'' Fertitta said. ''It's giving us a good sweat.''

The Golden Nugget could have rejected the bet, but Fertitta personally approved it.

Stevens posted a copy of his betting slip from the Golden Nugget on Twitter.

Fertitta himself is tied for second place in a nationwide charity brackets pool, the Bloomberg Brackets for a Cause March Madness challenge. Picking his own alma mater North Carolina to win it all, he promises to give the $380,000 prize to the Houston Police Foundation if he wins.

Fertitta also owns Atlantic City's Golden Nugget casino, which he bought from President Donald Trump's former company, and Landry's Inc., one of the nation's largest restaurant companies. He also stars on the reality TV show ''Billion Dollar Buyer'' on CNBC.

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College Basketball Future Odds

ODDS TO WIN 2016-17 NCAA MEN'S TOURNAMENT (4/3/17)
School Odds
Kansas 15/4
North Carolina 9/2
Arizona 11/2
Gonzaga 6/1
UCLA 13/2
Florida 12/1
Kentucky 12/1
Baylor 15/1
Michigan 18/1
West Virginia 18/1
Wisconsin 18/1
Oregon 20/1
Purdue 20/1
Butler 50/1
South Carolina 55/1
Xavier 100/1

ODDS TO WIN 2017 MENS NCAA BASKETBALL MIDWEST REGION (3/25/17)
School Odds
Kansas 10/11
Michigan 13/4
Purdue 4/1
Oregon 17/4

ODDS TO WIN 2017 MENS NCAA BASKETBALL WEST REGION (3/25/17)
School Odds
Arizona 6/5
Gonzaga 8/5
West Virginia 15/4
Xavier 12/1

ODDS TO WIN 2017 MENS NCAA BASKETBALL EAST REGION (3/26/17)
School Odds
Florida 9/5
Baylor 21/10
Wisconsin 23/10
South Carolina 11/2

ODDS TO WIN 2017 MENS NCAA BASKETBALL SOUTH REGION (3/26/17)
School Odds
North Carolina 6/5
UCLA 5/2
Kentucky 14/5
Butler 17/2

How To Bet College Basketball Futures
The “Odds to Win” wager in pro baseball is also commonly referred to as a future wager. Bettors must correctly select a team to win an event that takes place a later time. The money wagered will be tied up until there is an outcome and bettors will receive fixed odds when they place the wager. The future odds are normally updated on a weekly basis and wagers can be placed throughout the season.

To figure out your Win Amount, take the odds and multiply by the amount wagered. Ex. Kentucky Wildcats (5/1) to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. The Wildcats are listed as a 5/1 betting choice to win the NCAA Men's Championship. If you wager $100 on Kentucky to win the NCAA and it captures the championship, then you would win $500 (5 ÷ 1 x 100). You would collect $600, which includes your win and stake ($100).

Odds provided by Sportsbook.ag
Updated Tue, Mar. 21, 7:15 AM ET

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Coach Mike White has Florida 'playing through his eyes now'
March 21, 2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Mike White sees Billy Donovan every day on his way to work, just one reminder of the former Florida coach's lasting legacy.

A 10-foot, black-and-white picture of Donovan takes up the better part of one wall in the foyer of Florida's basketball facility, and all of the hardware the Gators claimed during Donovan's nearly two decades in Gainesville covers another. White passes two national championship trophies and six Southeastern Conference titles on the way to his upstairs office every morning.

For some, it would be a daunting commute.

For White, it's a motivational journey.

White embraced Donovan from Day 1, and after leading the Gators to the Sweet 16 in his second season, he's just as open - maybe even more honest - about the dubious task of replacing Donovan in Gainesville. No. 4 seed Florida (26-8) plays eighth-seeded Wisconsin (27-9) in New York City on Friday night.

''Someone had to follow him,'' White said Tuesday. ''Again, he made it a better job. It's the University of Florida. I'm not competing with Coach Donovan. I'm just trying to do the best job I can do, and my staff is doing the same, and we try to keep it that simple.''

It would be hard to question the job White has done with a program Donovan built before he finally took an NBA job with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 40-year-old White has Florida two wins away from the Final Four, and he's done it with little NBA talent.

He took a mediocre team that missed the NCAA Tournament in Donovan's final year, re-recruited highly touted guard KeVaughn Allen, who is now the team's leading scorer, added a couple of key transfers in guard Canyon Barry and forward Justin Leon, and got the entire group to buy into his defense-first approach.

''Mike has them playing through his eyes now,'' South Carolina coach Frank Martin said. ''Last year, he was trying to get guys to see what he sees. Mike's got those guys playing through his eyes. As an opponent, it's fun to watch. It's not fun to play against, but it's fun to watch.''

White's philosophy wasn't much different than Donovan's - both believe in playing solid defense, being unselfish on the other end and letting everything else fall into place - which made the transition considerably easier.

''I'm sure that helped, that we didn't come in here and just say, `We're going to do everything completely different,''' White said. ''In fact, we tried to learn as much as possible about the way he was doing things.''

Florida players and recruits were admittedly unsure about White when they heard he was hired as Florida's coach in May 2015. White hadn't been a big-time player in college and had failed to make the NCAA Tournament in four years as head coach at Louisiana Tech.

''Should I stay? What should I do?'' guard Chris Chiozza said. ''We decided to wait to see who the coach was going to be. When we learned it was Coach White, we did a little research on him and saw he had a lot of similarities to coach Donovan, the way he coached and the way he liked to play.

''So we figured if coach Donovan recruited us to play this way, and this guy was going to do the same thing, we might as well stay.''

Chiozza, Allen, guard Kasey Hill and forward Devin Robinson - now the nucleus of the team - all agreed to stick with Florida. Those decisions paid dividends this year.

And Florida has looked as good as anyone through two tournament games, beating East Tennessee State and Virginia by a combined 41 points.

Hill and Chiozza have set the tone with their perimeter defense. Robinson and Leon have proven to be mismatches in transition. Kevarrius Hayes and Gorjok Gak have helped fill the void of injured center John Egbunu. And the Gators have played well despite getting little contributions from their top two scorers, Allen and Barry.

White, meanwhile, has managed to keep the team loose and motivated. Minutes before players took the court for their NCAA opener, White replayed video of a commentator picking against the Gators during the tournament selection show. Just before the second-round game, White had players cracking up in the huddle by screaming how much he liked a rap song they played earlier that day.

The moves were about what everyone had to come to expect from Donovan, who was a master motivator during his 19 years at Florida.

White is following a similar path, welcoming the comparisons, and even though he walks by those constant reminders of Donovan's daily, he's starting to step out of Donovan's shadow.

''A month from now when you have time to take a deep breath ... you might start considering some of the big-picture stuff a little bit more,'' White said. ''In terms of proving myself and our staff proving ourselves, we don't even get into that. We're fine. We're happy to be here.''

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KU fans dealing with off-court woes
March 21, 2017

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Hundreds of people file through the doors of the 23rd Street Brewery for lunch and dinner every day, most bound together by their unrequited love of ales, IPAs and the Kansas Jayhawks.

A glance at the menu confirms they're among friends: There's the ''Crimson Phog,'' an Irish-style red ale, and ''Rock Chalk Raspberry Wheat,'' while food choices include the ''Danny Manning Marsala Chicken'' and ''The Bill Self,'' a mac-and-cheese dish topped with buffalo chicken tenders.

But as the Jayhawks prepare to play in nearby Kansas City on Thursday for a spot in the Elite Eight, not every conversation has to do with how the team has played.

Many have to do with the behavior of players around campus, particularly star freshman Josh Jackson, who is likely in his final games before making NBA millions. Not only is Jackson a crucial part of a team with national title aspirations, he has also been part of three off-court issues that haunt the Jayhawks - including one case where he threatened to beat a woman who tossed a drink a teammate, then caused more than $1,000 in damage to her car.

The legal woes have caused a divide among one of the most tightknit fan bases in college sports, one side choosing unequivocally to support Jayhawks coach Bill Self and his players, the other struggling reconcile the unsavory headlines with the success.

''I love KU basketball. I love the players and the team,'' said Matt Llewellyn, who owns and operates 23rd Street Brewery. ''I want to think positive things. I don't want to think negatively about them.''

Yet even Llewellyn acknowledges his disappointment in some of the recent news.

The flood began in early December, when forward Carlton Bragg Jr. was charged with misdemeanor battery, only to be exonerated later by video evidence.

Things became much more serious about eight days later, when local police said they were investigating a reported rape at McCarthy Hall - the $12 million dormitory next to Allen Fieldhouse built primarily to house members of the men's basketball team. No suspects have been identified and no charges filed, but five players have been listed as witnesses, including Jackson and star guard Frank Mason III.

During the investigation, drug paraphernalia was found belonging to Bragg, and the sophomore was briefly suspended. That case was settled last month when Bragg was granted diversion.

The case that's been making the most headlines, though, involves an altercation outside a Lawrence bar in early December. Women's basketball player McKenzie Calvert is accused of throwing a drink at sophomore guard Lagerald Vick, and their dispute continued into the parking lot, where Jackson allegedly kicked in her taillight and caused other damage.

An affidavit released last week states Jackson threatened to ''beat'' the woman, prompting many - particularly on social media - to cast judgment on both sides of the dispute.

''We live in a society where everything is done in 140 characters, and headlines, and there's been a lot of misleading headlines,'' said Bob Fescoe, who hosts a sports-talk radio program in Kansas City and spent part of his show discussing the case earlier this week.

''Especially here, there are a lot of divided fans - you have Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State fans, and they're not budging,'' Fescoe said. ''If you believe something happened, you're staying on that side of it, and if you don't, then you're staying on that side of it.''

Jackson was suspended for the Jayhawks' Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal for what Self called ''an accumulation'' of incidents, and they promptly lost to TCU in a major upset.

Jackson returned to put up flashy numbers in lopsided NCAA Tournament wins over UC-Davis and Michigan State , helping his draft status. If he's bothered by the legal issues, he's not showing on the court.

It's not easy to have your name across the ticker each and every day,'' Self said, pointing out that most of Jackson's trouble happened months ago and that discipline has long been handed out.

''I don't think it should be motivation,'' the coach added, ''but I also don't think it should be an excuse or a distraction. It's just sometimes families go through stuff and you got to put blinders on and go at the job at hand, and I think they've found their basketball court as their safe haven.''

The issues that have dogged the Jayhawks have created an us-against-the-world mentality.

''Josh is a great kid. We all love him,'' said Mason, the team's senior leader. ''We just tell him to focus on the things that he can take care of, and that's exactly what he does.''

Legacies matters at Kansas, a program founded by James Naismith, the game's inventor, and where Phog Allen, Dean Smith and Larry Brown made their names. Five national championship banners hang in the rafters at one end of Allen Fieldhouse.

What will the legacy of this year's team be?

Fans who proudly proclaim ''In Bill we trust!'' will no doubt remember it for Jackson, Mason and an NCAA Tournament run that could conclude at the Final Four.

Other fans and many outside the program will recall a season sullied by behavior that cast the program in disparaging light.

''I can separate the two. I can separate the two totally,'' Llewellyn said, taking a break in his 23rd Street kitchen. ''They're expected to go to the Final Four. But getting there is hard. God knows, we should have a lot more Final Fours under our belt. So I think the fact that they're in the Sweet 16, they accomplished what they need to accomplish for me to be satisfied with the season.''

[StarDust Bum]

Men's squad toast of South Carolina
March 21, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Sindarius Thornwell knew South Carolina fans would be excited about the team's Sweet 16 appearance. The response since he has been on campus, though, surprised even him.

As Thornwell walked to the student union after class, he couldn't take more than a couple of steps without students swarming him for selfies or asking for some tidbit about the win against Duke on Sunday.

''We're trying to embrace the moment,'' Thornwell said Tuesday. ''But that was wild.''

Everyone on campus, around Columbia and even the state seem to be savoring every minute. It's understandable, the Gamecocks haven't been in the Sweet 16 since 1973.

It's been a wild ride for the Gamecocks (24-10), who some wondered if they'd even get invited to the NCAA Tournament let alone produce one of the signature moments so far with their 88-81 win over the second-seeded Blue Devi ls in the East Region.

Next up is third seeded Baylor (27-7) on Friday night at Madison Square Garden for the chance to advance.

Coach Frank Martin said he's gotten more than 1,100 text messages about Sunday night's win and two or three from people wondering, ''So I guess you're not going to respond?'' he joked.

''That's a good problem to have,'' he said.

South Carolina is gaining the attention Gamecock fans have recently showered on the football, baseball or women's basketball programs.

Steve Spurrier, featuring NFL standouts like defensive end Jadeveon Clowney , receiver Alshon Jeffrey and cornerback Stephon Gilmore, won the Southeastern Conference East Division in 2010 and had three straight 11-2 seasons from 2011-13.

Baseball won back-to-back College World Series under now athletic director Ray Tanner in 2010 and 2011. Thousands turned out for victory parades to the Statehouse when the team returned home.

Most recently, South Carolina's women's basketball team, led by new U.S. women's national team coach Dawn Staley, has gained much of the attention with four straight SEC regular season titles. The Gamecocks have led the women's game in attendance the past three seasons.

Now, men's basketball is getting some love.

''We're happy to be part of that,'' sophomore point guard P.J. Dozier said.

There was a time when men's basketball led the way at South Carolina when New York City native Frank McGuire turned a sleepy program into a national power with a pipeline of NYC kids like John Roche, Tom Owens, Bobby Cremins, Brian Winters and Mike Dunleavy Sr.

McGuire led the Gamecocks to the NCAA round of 16 three straight seasons from 1971-73 - there were just 25 schools involved - and his team was considered the cream of the crop in South Carolina athletic circles.

But McGuire's touch ran out in the mid-1970s and the Gamecocks have struggled for an identity for more than 40 years.

South Carolina won its only Southeastern Conference crown in 1997, but lost in the NCAAs as a No. 2 seed. The Gamecocks returned to the tournament the next season, that time falling as a No. 3 seed.

The Gamecocks high-water mark until now may be the consecutive NIT crowns won by coach Dave Odom in 2005 and 2006.

Martin and these Gamecocks are out to add another level of success to the program.

The fifth-year coach said that being around Spurrier - ''Steve calls me every day,'' Martin said - Tanner and Staley make him a better leader and give him examples of building winning cultures.

''I'm a big believer in winning leads to winning,'' he said.

An emotional Martin, overcome by his team's Duke win, told the players in the locker room, ''Let's go win this thing.''

He said Tuesday he wanted his players to know that by beating Duke, they proved they're good enough to play with anyone left in the field.

Thornwell heard that over and over from friends, family and hundreds of new acquaintances he's made the past 48 hours.

''We're just having fun,'' he said, ''enjoying the game, enjoying every moment.''

[StarDust Bum]

Butler, Purdue use true grit for S16
March 21, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Coach Matt Painter kept believing in his team even as he watched Purdue fritter away a 19-point lead.

He did, after all, recruit these players to excel in tough times. And he did spend two years using the lessons from consecutive overtime losses in the NCAA Tournament to show his team what it took to survive in March.

So when the Boilermakers steadied themselves, retook the lead and reached their first Sweet 16 in seven years, Painter wasn't surprised. He simply knew the Boilermakers, finally, were tough enough.

''No question, having that grit back after not having it for a couple of years helps,'' Painter said. ''We put a lot of skill on the court, but we also have guys who are competitive.''

Painter, after all, grew up a fan of former Hoosiers coach Bob Knight, went on to play for Gene Keady and then served on Keady's staff briefly before succeeding his former coach.

Experience has taught Painter just how delicate it can be to find the proper balance.

After finishing last in the Big Ten in 2013-14 with guys who were content to rely more on their athleticism than mental toughness, Painter changed course.

He brought in gritty overachievers who embraced old-school principles built on effort and led Purdue to its first outright conference title since 1996. Nothing reinforced those beliefs more than last weekend's comeback against Iowa State.

''Leads are blown throughout March Madness, which is all about close games. I always tell the guys, `If it's not a blowout, then it is a close game,''' junior forward Vince Edwards said Monday. ''We have learned to be able to take a run - like Iowa State's - and be able to withstand it.''

The best teams always do, which is why fourth-seeded Purdue will now face top-seeded Kansas (30-4) in one of Thursday night's Midwest Regional semifinal games .

Finding players who are the right fit is a challenge for every coach and program.

At Butler, it's a tradition that has been passed down through nearly a half-dozen coaches over a span of two decades. Former coach and current athletic director Barry Collier started the process by turning the Bulldogs from perennial also-ran into a regular conference contender and NCAA Tourney hopeful.

Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter kept the momentum going before taking other jobs, and Brad Stevens perfected the script as the Bulldogs posted consecutive national runner-up finishes.

Things didn't always go smoothly. Fans still remember watching the Bulldogs blow an upset against Florida in the 2000 tourney and the inexplicable 2002 tourney snub.

Eventually, though, those painful moments gave way to a litany of program-defining memories.

Against Louisville in the 2003 tourney, a teammate handed his dry shoes to the late Joel Cornette so Cornette could help close out an upset against Louisville in 2003. In the 2010 title game, junior center Matt Howard had the foresight to set a pick and give Gordon Hayward a clean look on his half-court heave that just missed.

The next year, Howard managed to draw a foul in the waning seconds against Pittsburgh to keep Butler's postseason run alive.

''The stories are unbelievable,'' point guard Tyler Lewis said. ''That was a special group because they really made the community believe Butler was not just some small school. Butler was a school you didn't mess around with.''

Stevens and his predecessors moved the school up the pecking order by recruiting late-bloomers or players who were often overlooked by bigger schools. They asked them to play selflessly, a style that defines The Butler Way.

While that philosophy worked well in the Horizon League and the Atlantic 10, Chris Holtmann needed to make some adjustments to thrive in the stronger Big East. Holtmann has recruited better athletes and is looking for more physical players, but the same basic philosophy hasn't changed.

''I think it (toughness) has been valued here at a really high level, from those who came before me,'' Holtmann said. ''I just hope I'm doing my job to carry it on.''

The good news is he hasn't had do too much.

Here, players like leading scorer Kelan Martin don't complain about coming off the bench if asked. Grad transfers like Avery Woodson and Kethan Savage are both happy to help any way they can in their first and only NCAA appearance.

And it will be that way again when fourth-seeded Butler (25-8) tries to upset top-seeded North Carolina (29-7) in the South Region on Friday night.

''What makes us so tough is that we believe in each other,'' said Lewis, who started his career at North Carolina State. ''It's an honor putting on this Butler uniform because it reminds us of what the guys did that came before us.''

[StarDust Bum]

Moe-mentum: Wagner stands tall for Sweet 16-bound Michigan
March 21, 2017

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Ask Moe Wagner who he looked up to when he was younger, and suddenly the Michigan big man's fiery demeanor makes a little more sense.

''Kevin Garnett was always my biggest idol, even though our play isn't really similar. Just the way he brings intensity and energy to his team,'' Wagner said. ''That always was something that really impressed me.''

Now Wagner is providing his own emotional leadership to a Michigan team that has become one of college basketball's most remarkable stories this March.

The Wolverines have won six in a row since they were involved in a plane accident on the eve of their Big Ten Tournament opener.

After winning that conference tourney, they opened the NCAAs with victories against Oklahoma State and Louisville - with Wagner scoring 26 points in the win over Louisville that sent Michigan to the Sweet 16.

The 19-year-old Wagner is in his second season with the Wolverines. He showed some promise in 2015-16, but averaged only 8.6 minutes a game as a freshman. He's been a starter the whole way this season, teaming up with D.J. Wilson to give Michigan some unexpected production in the frontcourt.

The Wolverines entered the season with high hopes thanks to the presence of seniors Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin.

The 6-foot-11 Wagner has made them even tougher to defend. The sophomore from Berlin is averaging 12.2 points a game, and unlike Mitch McGary and Jordan Morgan - two of Michigan's top big men of the recent past - Wagner is a threat from beyond the arc. He's made 41 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2016-17, putting even more pressure on opposing teams.

An expressive player on the court, Wagner admits he's still learning how to keep his emotions under control.

Coach John Beilein says Wagner can be hard on himself, but he has an upbeat attitude the Wolverines can appreciate.

''I don't want to rob him of his energy and his passion,'' Beilein said. ''If you heard him in timeouts - I mean, he is really into it. And it's encouraging things he's saying.''

The key for Wagner is to stay on the court. He's been whistled for 100 fouls this season - no other Michigan player has more than 80 - and he picked up two in the first 3:11 when the Wolverines faced Oklahoma State in their NCAA Tournament opener Friday. Wagner played only 14 minutes in that frenetic game, which Michigan won 92-91 .

Against Louisville in the round of 32 , Wagner went 11 of 14 from the field and kept his poise after being called for his second foul late in the first half.

''He's always just been an excited guy - play hard and play with a lot of passion,'' Walton said. ''I don't think anything has changed. I think he's just channeling it a little better.''

The seventh-seeded Wolverines face third-seeded Oregon on Thursday night in a regional semifinal. Michigan has won seven in a row, a streak that began with the team's last game of the regular season.

What happened next is well documented. The day before its opening game in the conference tournament, Michigan's plane slid off the runway .

There were no serious injuries, and the Wolverines arrived in time to play. Then they won four games in four days to take the title.

Now, Michigan is two victories away from an improbable Final Four appearance. If the Wolverines actually make it that far, Wagner will be a big reason why - and he'll probably be as excited as anyone.

''One of my youth coaches actually used to say that I was somebody who, like, sees the basketball court as a stage and really enjoys it,'' Wagner said. ''Last year, I started to understand what that actually means, and kind of embraced that this year. That's just me. I really love it. I really enjoy it.''

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s six-pack

Odds to win the Match Play championship this week:

6-1— Rory McIlroy

7-1— Dustin Johnson

10-1— Jordan Spieth

13-1— Jason Day

20-1— Hideki Matsuyama

22-1– Jon Rahm

**************************

Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings………

13) Cam Newton is having rotator cuff surgery next Thursday; not sure of the recovery timeframe, or why the operation is happening now and not two months ago, but question is: Will he be ready for the regular season? Big question for the Panthers.

12) If I owned a major league baseball team, all my coaches would know both English and Spanish; have to be able to communicate with players. Would also want our players to know English; how the hell can you live in a country and not know at least some of the language?

Sometimes, players know more of the language than they let on, so they can avoid talking to the media. Being bilingual is a big advantage in today’s baseball.

11) Oklahoma State’s star guard Juwan Evans is leaving school for the NBA; at 6-1, he is a marginal prospect who could wind up in the D-League. He helped us some this year when we picked the Cowboys; we wish him well, but wish he was coming back for another season in Stillwater.

10) Will Wade leaves VCU for LSU and everyone on Twitter asks why; is it a better basketball job? Money is (surprisingly) similar, they care more about basketball at VCU, since there is no football and he had a top 20 recruiting class coming to VCU in September.

I’ve said this before here; sometimes big fish/smaller pond works better.

9) UMass hires Winthrop coach Pat Kelsey to take over its hoop program; Kelsey went 102-59 at Winthrop, 56-30 in Big South games- he replaced Gregg Marshall there.

8) New Jersey Jets have drafted six QB’s since 2009, yet still paid 37-year old Josh McCown $6M to come in and play for one year. This is called mismanagement; not the McCown part, but draft one guy who can play, will ya?

7) Went into a LIDS store in the **** the other day; had good talk with young person who works there, who happens to be a fellow A’s fan. Major league fitted caps are now $35; caps for the World Baseball Classic are $37. Glad my hat collection is already too big- no thanks.

6) They were talking on the Padres’ spring training game the other night how sometimes guys go down to the minor league camp and play in B games to get extra at-bats. A major leaguer would play in one of those games and lead off every inning, just to get more AB’s. Minor leaguers are not necessarily fond of that, since it costs them some AB’s, but thats how it works.

5) Cincinnati Reds’ announcers are different than most local baseball announcers- they’ll rip the home team if they deserve it. “Boy, this is like a circus.” moaned Thom Brennaman during a bad inning by the Reds in their game with the Angels Tuesday.

Two oddities from this Reds-Angels game:
a) Both teams wore red jerseys; it is 2017, we can’t get different color jerseys?
b) Angels used a DH, Reds did not. People bet on these games. Wonder how many people bet on this game not knowing that little nugget?

4) RIP Jerry Krause, 77— he was GM of the Jordan-era Bulls who later became a baseball scout after leaving the NBA. Krause brought Toni Kukoc over from Europe to join Jordan/Pippen, which didn’t go over well with his two stars. Krause probably didn’t get enough credit for the Bulls’ success.

3) Fans sitting behind the announcers at the Bakersfield-Colorado State NIT game Monday nite weren’t very happy with the officiating and were letting the refs know it— the mikes picked up some of their R-rated criticisms. I’m thinking someone with ESPN must’ve asked them to cool it, since they weren’t as vocal near the end of the game

2) Nicole Auerbach reports that of the 351 Division I basketball teams, only five haven’t had a kid transfer out in the last two years. North Carolina hasn’t lost a transfer since 2011.

1— The night the Knicks beat the Lakers to win the 1970 NBA title, when Willis Reed limped out and inspired the Knicks to win by scoring the first two hoops of the game on basically one leg, one of the ballboys that night was Steve Albert, now the Phoenix Suns’ play-by-play guy on TV.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, March 22

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UCF (23 - 11) at ILLINOIS (20 - 14) - 3/22/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ILLINOIS is 29-17 ATS (+10.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
ILLINOIS is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) on Wednesday games over the last 3 seasons.
UCF is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) when the total is 130 to 139.5 over the last 2 seasons.
UCF is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in all tournament games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CS-BAKERSFIELD (24 - 9) at TX-ARLINGTON (27 - 8) - 3/22/2017, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TX-ARLINGTON is 18-10 ATS (+7.0 Units) in all games this season.
TX-ARLINGTON is 18-10 ATS (+7.0 Units) in all lined games this season.
TX-ARLINGTON is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) when the total is 140 to 149.5 this season.
TX-ARLINGTON is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
TX-ARLINGTON is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
CS-BAKERSFIELD is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
CS-BAKERSFIELD is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
CS-BAKERSFIELD is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
CS-BAKERSFIELD is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) in March games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IDAHO (19 - 13) at TEXAS ST (21 - 13) - 3/22/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS ST is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
TEXAS ST is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
IDAHO is 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) in a road game where the total is 130 to 134.5 since 1997.
IDAHO is 58-38 ATS (+16.2 Units) after allowing 60 points or less since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IL-CHICAGO (17 - 18) at COASTAL CAROLINA (18 - 17) - 3/22/2017, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
IL-CHICAGO is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
IL-CHICAGO is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) when the total is 150 to 159.5 this season.
IL-CHICAGO is 29-13 ATS (+14.7 Units) in March games since 1997.
IL-CHICAGO is 120-89 ATS (+22.1 Units) in non-conference games since 1997.
IL-CHICAGO is 47-27 ATS (+17.3 Units) in all tournament games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UTAH VALLEY ST (17 - 16) at WYOMING (20 - 14) - 3/22/2017, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WYOMING is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) in all games this season.
WYOMING is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) in all lined games this season.
WYOMING is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) as a favorite this season.
WYOMING is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
WYOMING is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) in non-conference games this season.
WYOMING is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WYOMING is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games this season.
WYOMING is 42-24 ATS (+15.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




NCAAB
Short Sheet

Wednesday, March 22

Illinois at Central FL, 7:00 PM ET
Illinois: 1-5 ATS after successfully covering the spread in 2 or more consecutive games
Central FL: 5-1 ATS off 2 or more consecutive home wins

CS Bakersfield at UT Arlington, 9:00 PM ET
CS Bakersfield: 9-2 ATS in non-conference games
UT Arlington: 3-6 ATS after covering 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread

Idaho at Texas State, 8:00 PM ET
Idaho: 8-1 ATS off a home win by 10 points or more
Texas St: 10-3 UNDER as a favorite

Illinois Chicago at Coastal Carolina, 7:00 PM ET
Illinois Chicago: 6-0 ATS off an upset win as a home underdog
Coastal Carolina: 1-6 ATS after having won 4 or 5 of their last 6 games

Utah Valley at Wyoming, 9:00 PM ET
Utah Valley: 1-4 ATS after scoring 80 points or more
Wyoming: 10-3 ATS in non-conference games




NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, March 22

Central Florida coach Dawkins has already won two NIT titles; his Knights won eight of last nine games, winning on tough Illinois State court Monday. UCF played two starters 40:00, a third 38:00, the other two 30:00- they only used seven guys in game by 13 at half. UCF is 11-3 outside AAC; their two NIT wins are by total of six points. Illinois has an interim coach while new coach Underwood observes from stands; Illini won last two games by 25-15 points, both at home- they are 12-3 outside Big 14 and start three seniors. Last two years, AAC teams are 9-7 vs Big 14 teams.

Texas-Arlington is 10-3 outside Sun Belt; they’re 14-0 at home this year and won their first two NIT games by 16 points each- none of their guys played 30:00 Monday vs Akron. Mavericks are #14 experience team, starting three juniors, two seniors. Cal-Bakersfield is the #15 experience team, starting two juniors, three seniors; Roadrunners played two guys 33:00+ in surprisingly easy win at Colorado State Monday. Bakersfield is only 9-6 outside WAC but they’ve won road games at Cal/Colorado State in this tournament, scoring 77 pts/game- they have #3 eFG% defense in country.

Idaho is 4-6 outside Big Sky, but they won by 8 at Little Rock of Sun Belt back in November; Vandals won six of last seven games, winning last two true road games, at No Arizona/So Utah. Texas State lost six of last eight games; they KO’d #1-seed Arlington from Sun Belt tourney, then lost final by 6 to Troy State. Bobcats play one of 10 slowest tempos in country and Idaho plays #270 tempo, so this should be half-court game. Big Sky/Sun Belt teams split six meetings over last two years and Sun Belt team was favored in all six games.

17-18 Ill-Chicago needs win here to get to .500 for season; they’re least experienced team in the country, turning ball over 22% of time (#339)- they lost last three true road games, with last true road win Feb 17 at Detroit. Coastal Carolina is 5-8 outside Sun Belt; they won first two home games in this tournament by 16-9 points. Chanticleers won six of last seven home games; they can’t shoot (#327 on foul line, #254 on arc), but they’re 10-1 vs teams ranked outside top 200. Coastal is #115 experience team in country. Last two years, Sun Belt teams are 3-0 vs Horizon teams (2-1 vs spread).

Utah Valley won six of its last seven games; they’re 8-7 outside WAC, winning road games at Georgia Southern/Rice in this tournament. Wolverines are deep team that plays #13 pace- the Wyoming altitude won’t bother them. Wyoming is 10-3 outside Mountain West; they beat UMKC of WAC by 11 in last game. Cowboys play #14 pace, so we have two teams in high altitude who will go up and down court. Wyoming won its last four home games. Utah Valley won its last five true road games. WAC has higher rating than Ivy League; it is best league in country that isn’t in Las Vegas rotation during season.




NCAAB

Wednesday, March 22

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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TBA
CENTRAL FLORIDA vs. ILLINOIS
Central Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Central Florida's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Illinois's last 15 games
Illinois is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games

TBA
COASTAL CAROLINA vs. ILLINOIS-CHICAGO
No trends available
Illinois-Chicago is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Illinois-Chicago is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home

7:00 PM
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO vs. COASTAL CAROLINA
Illinois-Chicago is 6-19 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Illinois-Chicago's last 9 games on the road
No trends available

7:00 PM
ILLINOIS vs. CENTRAL FLORIDA
Illinois is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Illinois is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Central Florida8-1-1 SU in its last 10 games
Central Florida is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home

8:00 PM
IDAHO vs. TEXAS STATE
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Idaho's last 8 games on the road
Idaho is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games on the road
Texas State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Texas State's last 8 games at home

9:00 PM
CS BAKERSFIELD vs. TEXAS-ARLINGTON
CS Bakersfield is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Texas-Arlington is 19-1 SU in its last 20 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas-Arlington's last 6 games at home

9:00 PM
UTAH VALLEY vs. WYOMING
Utah Valley is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Wyoming's last 6 games
Wyoming is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Dunkel

Wednesday, March 22


Utah Valley @ Wyoming

Game 781-782
March 22, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Utah Valley
49.729
Wyoming
56.304
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Wyoming
by 6 1/2
152
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Wyoming
by 3
158 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Wyoming
(-3); Under

Illinois-Chicago @ Coastal Carolina

Game 779-780
March 22, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Illinois-Chicago
47.734
Coastal Carolina
55.308
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Coastal Carolina
by 7 1/2
158
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Coastal Carolina
by 3 1/2
154 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Coastal Carolina
(-3 1/2); Over

Idaho @ Texas State

Game 771-772
March 22, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Idaho
49.770
Texas State
61.386
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas State
by 11 1/2
137
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas State
by 5
131
Dunkel Pick:
Texas State
(-5); Over

CS-Bakersfield @ TX-Arlington

Game 769-770
March 22, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
CS-Bakersfield
60.282
TX-Arlington
63.307
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
TX-Arlington
by 3
136
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
TX-Arlington
by 6 1/2
144
Dunkel Pick:
CS-Bakersfield
(+6 1/2); Under

Illinois @ UCF

Game 767-768
March 22, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Illinois
60.482
UCF
68.048
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
UCF
by 7 1/2
124
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
UCF
by 3 1/2
130 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
UCF
(-3 1/2); Under

[StarDust Bum]

2017 NIT, CBI, CIT Results
March 22, 2017

National Invitation Tournament (NIT)

REGION 1 - CALIFORNIA
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 14 CSU Bakersfield (+6.5, +240 ML) at California 73-66 Underdog-Over (125)
Mar. 14 College of Charleston at Colorado State (-4.5) 81-74 Favorite-Over (136)
Mar. 15 Texas-Arlington (+5.5, ML +220) at Brigham Young 105-89 Underdog-Over (166.5)
Mar. 15 Akron (+7.5, ML +300) at Houston 78-75 Underdog-Over (144)
Mar. 20 CSU Bakersfield (+4.5, ML +170) at Colorado State 81-63 Underdog-Over (135.5)
Mar. 20 Akron at Texas-Arlington (-5) 85-69 Favorite-Under (157)
Mar. 22 CSU Bakersfield at Texas-Arlington - -

REGION 2 - SYRACUSE
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 15 UNC Greensboro at Syracuse (-12) 90-77 Favorite-Over (146)
Mar. 14 Mississippi (+1) at Monmouth 91-83 Underdog-Over (167)
Mar. 14 Indiana at Georgia Tech (+2.5, +125 ML) 75-63 Underdog-Under (143)
Mar. 15 Belmont (+5, ML +180) at Georgia 78-69 Underdog-Under (147.5)
Mar. 18 Mississippi (+7.5, ML +290) at Syracuse 85-80 Underdog-Over (158.5)
Mar. 19 Belmont at Georgia Tech (-4) 71-57 Favorite-Under (138.5)
Mar. 21 Georgia Tech (+5.5, +220 ML) at Mississippi 74-66 Underdog-Under (144)

REGION 3 - ILLINOIS STATE
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 14 Boise State (+12, +575 ML) at Utah 73-68 Underdog-Under (156)
Mar. 14 Valparaiso at Illinois (-9) 82-57 Favorite-Over (138.5)
Mar. 15 UC Irvine at Illinois State (-10) 85-71 Favorite-Over (130.5)
Mar. 15 Colorado at UCF (-3.5) 79-74 Favorite-Over (139)
Mar. 20 Boise State at Illinois (-8.5) 71-56 Favorite-Under (145.5)
Mar. 20 UCF (+5.5, ML +190) at Illinois State 63-62 Underdog-Under (128)
Mar. 22 UCF at Illinois - -

REGION 4 - IOWA
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 14 Richmond (+8, +315 ML) at Alabama 71-64 Underdog-Under (139)
Mar. 14 Oakland (+10.5, +525 ML) at Clemson 74-69 Underdog-Under (157)
Mar. 15 South Dakota at Iowa (-11) 87-75 Favorite-Under (164)
Mar. 15 Fresno State at Texas Christian (-8.5) 66-59 Underdog-Under (145)
Mar. 19 Oakland at Richmond (-4.5) 87-83 Underdog-Over (159)
Mar. 19 Texas Christian (+3, ML +130) at Iowa 94-92 (OT) Underdog-Over (155)
Mar. 21 Richmond at Texas Christian (-8) 86-68 Favorite-Over (149)

SEMIFINALS & FINALS
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 28 Georgia Tech vs. TBA - -
Mar. 28 Texas Christian vs. TBA - -
Mar. 30 TBA vs. TBA - -

College Basketball Invitational (CBI)

FIRST ROUND
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 15 Utah Valley (+4.5, ML +170) at Georgia Southern 74-49 Underdog-Under (156.5)
Mar. 15 Loyola-Maryland (+10, ML +450) at George Mason 73-58 Underdog-Under (141)
Mar. 15 Hampton at Coastal Carolina (-9) 83-67 Favorite-Over (145)
Mar. 15 Toledo at George Washington (-6) 73-69 Underdog-Under (146.5)
Mar. 16 Stony Brook at Illinois-Chicago (-2.5) 71-69 Favorite-Under (147)
Mar. 15 Green Bay at Missouri-Kansas City (+1.5, ML +110) 92-82 Underdog-Over (169)
Mar. 15 San Francisco at Rice (-1.5) 85-76 Favorite-Over (154.5)
Mar. 15 Eastern Washington at Wyoming (-4.5) 91-81 Favorite-OVer (163)

QUARTERFINALS AND SEMIFINALS
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 20 Loyola-Maryland at Coastal Carolina (-5.5) 72-63 Favorite-Under (141)
Mar. 20 George Washington at Illinois-Chicago (+6, ML +220) 80-71 Underdog-Over (149)
Mar. 20 Utah Valley (+4.5, ML +175) at Rice 85-79 Underdog-Over (162)
Mar. 20 Missouri-Kansas City at Wyoming (-9.5) 72-61 Favorite-Under (171.5)
Mar. 22 Illinois-Chicago at Coastal Carolina - -
Mar. 22 Utah Valley at Wyoming - -

FINALS (BEST-OF-THREE)
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 27 TBA at TBA - -
Mar. 29 TBA at TBA - -
Mar. 31 TBA at TBA - -

CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT)

FIRST ROUND
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 13 Norfolk State at Liberty (-7) 73-64 Favorite-Over (131)
Mar. 14 St. Francis, PA (+4, +165 ML) at Jacksonville 78-76 Underdog-Under (157.5)
Mar. 14 Houston Baptist at Campbell (+1.5, +105 ML) 98-79 Underdog-Over (150.5)
Mar. 14 Canisius at Samford (-3.5) 78-74 Favorite-Under (164)
Mar. 15 Ball State at IUPUI Fort Wayne (-4.5) 88-80 Favorite-Under (171)
Mar. 15 Fairfield at Maryland-Baltimore County (-3) 88-83 Favorite-Over (153)
Mar. 15 Georgia State at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (+3, ML +135) 80-64 Underdog-Under (146.5)
Mar. 15 Stephen F. Austin at Idaho (-4.5) 73-50 Favorite-Under (138.5)
Mar. 16 Lamar at Texas State (-9.5) 70-60 Favorite-Under (135.5)
Mar. 16 St. Peter's (+2, ML +110) at Albany 59-55 Underdog-Under (121.5)
Mar. 16 Furman (-6.5) at South Carolina-Upstate 79-57 Favorite-Under (148.5)
Mar. 16 UNC Asheville at Tennesse-Martin (+5, ML +180) 89-75 Underdog-Over (151)
Mar. 16 Weber State (+2.5, ML +120) at CS Fullerton 80-76 Underdog-Over (148)

SECOND ROUND AND QUARTERFINALS
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 18 St. Francis, PA at Maryland-Baltimore County (-6.5) 87-79 Favorite-Over (165)
Mar. 20 Tennessee Martin at Campbell (PK) 73-56 Favorite-Under (149)
Mar. 20 Samford at Liberty (-1.5) 66-58 Favorite-Under (140.5)
Mar. 20 Weber State at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (-1.5) 82-73 Favorite-Over (150.5)
Mar. 22 Idaho at Texas State - -
Mar. 23-26 TBA at Furman - -
Mar. 23-26 TBA at St. Peter's - -
Mar. 23-26 TBA at IUPUI-Fort Wayne - -
Mar. 23-26 TBA at TBA - -

SEMIFINALS & FINALS
Date Matchup Score ATS Result
Mar. 29 TBA at TBA - -
Mar. 29 TBA at TBA - -
Mar. 31 TBA at TBA - -

[StarDust Bum]

SEC Rises: Football league has 3 teams vying for Elite Eight
March 22, 2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) Tennessee's Rick Barnes has coached in the Big East, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12. He's made the NCAA Tournament nearly two dozen times and advanced to the Final Four.

He's been around. He's seen it done a number of different ways.

So Barnes has credibility when he raves about his current league, the Southeastern Conference.

''I've said it all year: This league is better than everybody's giving it credit for,'' Barnes said Tuesday. ''It's not like I told you so, but the fact is this basketball league is better. What I'm ecstatic about is we've had to overcome the perception that it wasn't very good, and we've got teams that have gone out and played good basketball.''

Long considered a football power, the SEC is showing some basketball promise. The league, which many thought might get just three teams in the NCAA Tournament a few months ago, could have three in the Elite Eight.

Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina play in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. The second-seeded Wildcats (31-5) face No. 3 seed UCLA in Memphis, Tennessee. The fourth-seeded Gators (26-8) take on No. 8 seed Wisconsin in New York City, shortly after the seventh-seeded Gamecocks (24-10) play No. 3 seed Baylor.

The SEC joins three other conferences that have three teams in the Sweet 16 - the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac 12.

Given how the SEC has performed in the tournament so far, it might be foolish to bet against them.

Kentucky is one of the hottest teams remaining, having won 13 in a row since losing at Florida in early February. The Gators looked as solid as anyone in the first two rounds, beating East Tennessee State and Virginia by a combined 41 points. And the Gamecocks pulled off one of the bracket's biggest upsets by knocking off No. 2 seed Duke in Greenville, South Carolina.

Throw in oh-so-close losses by Arkansas and Vanderbilt, and the SEC has reason to brag.

The Razorbacks rallied from a 17-point deficit to take a 65-60 lead in the final minutes and looked like they would stun top-seeded North Carolina in the second round. But the Tar Heels closed out the game with a 12-0 run that left Arkansas imagining what might have been .

The Commodores had similar thoughts after giving away their NCAA opener against Northwestern. Commodores guard Matthew Fisher-Davis intentionally and inexplicably grabbed Northwestern's Bryant McIntosh despite his team leading by 1. His mistake - Fisher-Davis thought Vandy was down 1 - sent McIntosh to the free-throw line for the go-ahead points with 14.6 seconds left. Vanderbilt lost 68-66.

''Our conference is pretty good,'' South Carolina coach Frank Martin said. ''I don't need to keep repeating that. I think anyone with any kind of understanding of basketball can start making those assessments on their own without me having to force feed it down their throats.''

The league has come a long way in a short time, especially considering it ranked seventh in conference RPI in 2013.

After landing just three teams in the 2016 NCAA Tournament once again, the SEC hired former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese to bolster the league's basketball profile and postseason presence.

Tranghese's plan started with scheduling games against better competition and winning more of those key, nonconference matchups. The SEC now mandates that nonconference opponents must have a three-year RPI average of 175 or better. That number will drop to 150 in the future.

The SEC also went 5-5 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge after winning just 10 of 30 meetings in the first three years of the inter-conference showcase.

''We don't really get talked about a lot, basketball-wise,'' Florida forward Devin Robinson said. ''They talk a lot of football and things like that. The SEC is a tough league. ... That conference got us ready to play against anybody in different matchups and different types of offenses and different types of defenses, so it just gets us ready for just playing against other opponents.''

The league, which has 11 national titles in men's basketball, might have its best days ahead.

Georgia and Mississippi just missed getting into the 68-team field, and with high-profile coaches like Barnes, Ben Howland (Mississippi State), Bruce Pearl (Auburn) and Avery Johnson (Alabama) trying to building sustainable programs, the SEC could be on the verge of a basketball uprising.

''We feel like it's a league that's trending up,'' Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said. ''There's a lot of really, really good veteran coaches in this league, and there's a lot of great talent in this league. Even as we look to the future, there's some great recruiting classes coming in that's going to make the league even better next year.''

[StarDust Bum]

Wagner stands tall for Michigan
March 21, 2017

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Ask Moe Wagner who he looked up to when he was younger, and suddenly the Michigan big man's fiery demeanor makes a little more sense.

''Kevin Garnett was always my biggest idol, even though our play isn't really similar. Just the way he brings intensity and energy to his team,'' Wagner said. ''That always was something that really impressed me.''

Now Wagner is providing his own emotional leadership to a Michigan team that has become one of college basketball's most remarkable stories this March.

The Wolverines have won six in a row since they were involved in a plane accident on the eve of their Big Ten Tournament opener.

After winning that conference tourney, they opened the NCAAs with victories against Oklahoma State and Louisville - with Wagner scoring 26 points in the win over Louisville that sent Michigan to the Sweet 16.

The 19-year-old Wagner is in his second season with the Wolverines. He showed some promise in 2015-16, but averaged only 8.6 minutes a game as a freshman. He's been a starter the whole way this season, teaming up with D.J. Wilson to give Michigan some unexpected production in the frontcourt.

The Wolverines entered the season with high hopes thanks to the presence of seniors Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin.

The 6-foot-11 Wagner has made them even tougher to defend. The sophomore from Berlin is averaging 12.2 points a game, and unlike Mitch McGary and Jordan Morgan - two of Michigan's top big men of the recent past - Wagner is a threat from beyond the arc. He's made 41 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2016-17, putting even more pressure on opposing teams.

An expressive player on the court, Wagner admits he's still learning how to keep his emotions under control.

Coach John Beilein says Wagner can be hard on himself, but he has an upbeat attitude the Wolverines can appreciate.

''I don't want to rob him of his energy and his passion,'' Beilein said. ''If you heard him in timeouts - I mean, he is really into it. And it's encouraging things he's saying.''

The key for Wagner is to stay on the court. He's been whistled for 100 fouls this season - no other Michigan player has more than 80 - and he picked up two in the first 3:11 when the Wolverines faced Oklahoma State in their NCAA Tournament opener Friday. Wagner played only 14 minutes in that frenetic game, which Michigan won 92-91 .

Against Louisville in the round of 32 , Wagner went 11 of 14 from the field and kept his poise after being called for his second foul late in the first half.

''He's always just been an excited guy - play hard and play with a lot of passion,'' Walton said. ''I don't think anything has changed. I think he's just channeling it a little better.''

The seventh-seeded Wolverines face third-seeded Oregon on Thursday night in a regional semifinal. Michigan has won seven in a row, a streak that began with the team's last game of the regular season.

What happened next is well documented. The day before its opening game in the conference tournament, Michigan's plane slid off the runway .

There were no serious injuries, and the Wolverines arrived in time to play. Then they won four games in four days to take the title.

Now, Michigan is two victories away from an improbable Final Four appearance. If the Wolverines actually make it that far, Wagner will be a big reason why - and he'll probably be as excited as anyone.

''One of my youth coaches actually used to say that I was somebody who, like, sees the basketball court as a stage and really enjoys it,'' Wagner said. ''Last year, I started to understand what that actually means, and kind of embraced that this year. That's just me. I really love it. I really enjoy it.''