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Sportsbooks release opening pointspreads for first round of NCAA Tournament

The NCAA Tournament committee released the teams and matchups for the 2018 edition of March Madness on Sunday night. The show itself was greatly criticized for the format change and, as always, there was outrage over some of the selections. Through it all, sportsbooks were quick to react with opening pointspreads for all available opening round matchups.

Opening lines listed are from the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas:

First Four

16 LIU-Brooklyn
16 Radford -3.5

11 Arizona St.
11 Syracuse PICK

11 St. Bonaventure
11 UCLA -3

16 NC Central
16 Texas Southern -5

South Region

1 Virginia -22.5
16 UMBC

8 Creighton -1.5
9 Kansas St.

5 Kentucky -5.5
12 Davidson

4 Arizona -8
13 Buffalo

6 Miami -1
11 Loyola-Chicago

3 Tennessee -13.5
14 Wright St.

7 Nevada -1.5
10 Texas

2 Cincinnati -16
15 Georgia St.

West Region

1 Xavier
16 NCCU/TXSO

8 Missouri -1.5
9 Florida St.

5 Ohio St. -8.5
12 S. Dakota St.

4 Gonzaga -11.5
13 UNC-Greensboro

6 Houston -3.5
11 San Diego St.

3 Michigan -11
14 Montana

7 Texas A&M -4.5
10 Providence

2 North Carolina -17.5
15 Lipscomb

East Region

1 Villanova
16 LIU/RAD

8 Virginia Tech -2
9 Alabama

5 West Virginia -9.5
12 Murray State

4 Wichita St. -12
13 Marshall

6 Florida
11 STBON/UCLA

3 Texas Tech -12
14 Stephen F. Austin

7 Arkansas
10 Butler -1

2 Purdue -21
15 Cal St. Fullerton

Midwest Region

1 Kansas -15.5
16 Pennsylvania

8 Seton Hall
9 NC State PICK

5 Clemson -4.5
12 New Mexico St.

4 Auburn -11
13 Charleston

6 TCU
11 ASU/SYR

3 Michigan St. -13.5
14 Bucknell

7 Rhode Island
10 Oklahoma PICK

2 Duke -21
15 Iona

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Las Vegas oddsmaker provides some insight behind March Madness opening lines
Patrick Everson

The bracket is out, the games are on the betting board, so it’s time to take a closer look at the matchups. We check in on the opening lines and early action for a few interesting NCAA Tournament games, with insights from Matthew Holt, CEO of CG Analytics in Las Vegas.

No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 7 Rhode Island Rams (-1)

Many people felt Oklahoma had no business getting an at-large NCAA bid after losing eight of its last 10 games SU and ATS. The Sooners (18-13 SU, 10-20 ATS), one of the worst spread-covering teams in the nation, bowed out on the first day of the Big 12 Tournament, losing to Oklahoma State 71-60 as a 1-point favorite. But Lon Kruger’s squad apparently did enough early in the season to get in.

Rhode Island, meanwhile, was much steadier all year long, winning the Atlantic 10 regular-season title. The Rams (25-7 SU, 16-13-1 ATS) then advanced to the A10 Tourney final before falling to Davidson on Sunday, 58-57 as a 2.5-point favorite.

“Everyone’s talking about Oklahoma not deserving to get in. They’re a 1-point underdog to Rhode Island,” Holt said, explaining the reasoning for the Sooners being such a short pup. “There is gonna be some public support for Oklahoma, especially because of Trae Young. Arizona’s Deandre Ayton is the best player in college basketball. Young is the most famous player in college basketball.

“Also, the power ratings between these two teams are really close.”

On Sunday night, CG moved the line up a tick to Rhode Island -1.5 for this Thursday Midwest Region game.

No. 11 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers vs. No. 6 Miami Hurricanes (-2)

Miami, of the mighty ACC, is certainly the more known quantity in this Thursday South Region contest. The Hurricanes (22-9 SU, 11-15 ATS) had a nice four-game run to cap the regular season, but fell to North Carolina in their ACC Tournament opener, 82-65 catching 6 points.

Loyola-Chicago is the pride of the Missouri Valley Conference, winning both the regular-season and tournament titles. The Ramblers (28-5 SU, 19-9-1 ATS) have won 10 in a row and 17 of their last 18, going an impressive 14-4 ATS in that stretch. In the March 4 MVC final, Loyola dispatched Illinois State 65-49 laying 8.5 points.

“That line is gonna be fairly close. It’s a 6 vs. 11 matchup, but just a 2-point spread,” Holt said. “Loyola-Chicago being one of the sleeper teams people like, so that’s already built into the spread. The power rating shows Miami should be -4.5.”

No. 12 Davidson Wildcats vs. No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats (-6)

Kentucky was certainly erratic for a fair amount of the season, but played some great ball down the stretch, capped by winning the SEC Tournament on Sunday. The Wildcats (24-10 SU, 17-17 ATS) went 7-1 SU and ATS in their last eight games, beating Tennessee in the SEC final 77-72 as a 2-point underdog.

Davidson was 10-9 through its first 19 games, then went 11-2 SU and 10-3 ATS in its last 13, including a three-game run to the Atlantic 10 Tournament title. In Sunday’s final, Davidson (21-11 SU, 18-12-1 ATS) topped aforementioned Rhode Island 58-57 as a 2.5-point pup.

“Both these teams are red-hot, both teams playing their best basketball right now,” Holt said, noting the 6-point opening line – just a couple of 3-pointers -- shows respect for Davidson in this Thursday South Region meeting. “It’s a good game.”

No. 11 San Diego State Aztecs vs. No. 6 Houston Cougars (-3.5)

Houston flew a little under the radar in the American Athletic Conference, but could certainly be a team to watch over the first weekend of the NCAA Tourney in the West Region. The Cougars (26-7 SU, 18-10-1 ATS) went 10-2 SU and 9-3 ATS over their last dozen games, narrowly falling to Cincinnati in Sunday’s AAC final, 56-55 as a 4.5-point ‘dog.

San Diego State had no shot at an at-large bid unless it won the Mountain West Conference Tournament – which it did. The Aztecs (22-10 SU, 20-10 ATS) pulled off three wins in three days, including a semifinal blowout of top-seeded Nevada, followed by an 82-75 victory over New Mexico as a 4-point chalk in Saturday’s title game.

“Houston-San Diego State is interesting because people have this love affair with the Aztecs,” Holt said of this Thursday West Region pairing. “In their power ratings, nobody is gonna have Houston as only 2 or 3 points better than San Diego State. The lowest I had this line in my power ratings was 4.25. But we’re gonna open at 3.5. The Aztecs are getting that positive momentum, playing well at the end of the year. They steamrolled through the Mountain West Tournament.”

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NCAAB
Dunkel

Monday, March 12


Central Michigan @ IPFW

Game 509-510
March 12, 2018 @ 12:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Central Michigan
52.842
IPFW
55.491
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
IPFW
by 2 1/2
167
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
IPFW
by 5
159
Dunkel Pick:
Central Michigan
(+5); Over

Abilene Christian @ Drake

Game 511-512
March 12, 2018 @ 2:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Abilene Christian
47.823
Drake
54.759
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Drake
by 7
149
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Drake
by 10
143
Dunkel Pick:
Abilene Christian
(+10); Over

NC A&T @ Liberty

Game 513-514
March 12, 2018 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NC A&T
41.376
Liberty
56.747
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Liberty
by 15 1/2
135
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Liberty
by 11 1/2
140
Dunkel Pick:
Liberty
(-11 1/2); Under

Hartford @ San Diego

Game 515-516
March 12, 2018 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Hartford
46.735
San Diego
58.624
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Diego
by 12
133
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Diego
by 9 1/2
138
Dunkel Pick:
San Diego
(-9 1/2); Under

[StarDust Bum]

Bracket Analysis
March 12, 2018

Bracket Breakdown

This is my favorite column of the year, Bracket Analysis. This one if written annually on the night of the Selection Show. Let’s knock another one out!

The No. 1 seeds are Virginia, Villanova, Xavier and Kansas. Jay Kornegay and his staff at The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas opened Villanova as the +350 ‘chalk’ to win the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Duke (5/1), Virginia (6/1) and Michigan State (6/1) have the next-shortest odds.

Other future numbers include Michigan (10/1), Purdue (12/1), Arizona (15/1), Kansas (18/1), North Carolina (18/1), Xavier (20/1), Cincinnati (20/1), Kentucky (25/1), Gonzaga (25/1), West Virginia (40/1), Texas Tech (40/1) and Wichita State (40/1).

Those numbers above came from a tweet from Jeff Sherman, the manager at The Westgate. This next set of odds are from Sportsbook.ag, which has Tennessee at 40/1. Florida, Missouri and Auburn share 50/1 odds, while Ohio State and Houston are at 55 and 60/1, respectively. Oklahoma, Providence and TCU are at 75/1, and Alabama shares 85/1 odds with Clemson.

North Carolina State, Rhode Island, San Diego State, Va. Tech and Texas A&M each have 100/1 odds at Sportsbook.ag. Other future numbers include Butler (125/1), Miami (125/1), Arizona State (150/1), Arkansas (150/1), Creighton (150/1), FSU (150/1), Kansas State (150/1), Nevada (150/1), Seton Hall (150/1), Texas (150/1), UCLA (150/1), Syracuse (200/1), Davidson (250/1), St. Bonaventure (250/1) and Loyola-Chicago (300/1).

The Tournament starts Tuesday night in Dayton with a pair of First Four games. Long Island and Radford will collide at 6:40 p.m. Eastern for the right to advance and face Villanova on Thursday in Pittsburgh. 5Dimes.eu had the Highlanders installed as 3.5-point favorites at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday night.

The second game of Tuesday’s even session in Dayton will pit St. Bonaventure against UCLA. The Bruins were favored by 3.5 points at 5Dimes.eu. The winner advances to meet sixth-seeded Florida on Thursday night in the late game of the evening session in Dallas. The Gators have beaten UCLA in all four head-to-head meetings in the NCAA Tournament, smashing the Bruins in the 2006 national-title game before thumping them again in Atlanta in the 2007 national semifinals.

The last four at-large berths went to UCLA, St. Bonaventure, Arizona State and Syracuse. The ‘Cuse will take on ASU in Dayton on Wednesday night for the right to advance and face sixth-seeded TCU late Friday night in Detroit. The Wynn in Las Vegas opened the Sun Devils as one-point ‘chalk’ vs. the Orange.

Let’s examine the paths the No. 1 seeds will have to navigate to get to San Antonio. Assuming UVA doesn’t become the first top seed to lose to a 16 seed since the Tournament extended the field to 64 (and then 68 in the last decade) teams in the 1980, Tony Bennett’s squad will face the winner of Creighton vs. Kansas State. If the Cavaliers advance to the South Region semifinals, they’ll meet the Kentucky-Arizona winner (if form holds, obviously) in Atlanta.

Cincinnati and Tennessee are the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, in the South Region. The Bearcats, who won the AAC Tournament with a 56-55 win over Houston in the finals Sunday, face Georgia State in the opening round. Meanwhile, Rick Barnes’s club will take on Wright State and then gets the Miami-Loyola-Chicago winner.

Xavier, the West Region’s top seed, is looking at meeting the Missouri-FSU winner in the Round of 32. If the Musketeers advance to the Sweet 16 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, a battle with fourth-seeded Gonzaga will happen if form holds. Ohio State, the 5-seed, could certainly have something to say about that, but I’m not sure the Buckeyes will make the Round of 32 (see Bonus Nuggets below).

Chris Mack’s squad might be an underdog if it makes the Elite Eight and has to play second-seeded North Carolina or third-seeded Michigan.

Kansas is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region with a likely Round of 32 matchup vs. the Seton Hall-N.C. State winner. There’s no telling who the Jayhawks, should they advance past the first weekend, would play in the Sweet 16 because the No. 4 and 5 seeds, Auburn and Clemson, could be in danger of taking one-and-done treatment.

If it makes the Elite Eight, Kansas would likely have to take on Michigan State or Duke. The second-seeded Blue Devils meet Iona and would play the Rhode Island-Oklahoma survivor if they get past the Gaels.

The final No. 1 seed is Villanova, which will be in nearby Pittsburgh the first weekend. Jay Wright’s squad will play the Alabama-Va. Tech winner. A potential Sweet 16 showdown with West Virginia looms. ‘Nova could be looking at Texas Tech, Purdue or Florida if it advances to the East Region finals.

With the way Arizona and Kentucky have played in recent weeks, UVA seems to have the toughest draw of the top seeds, which is wrong since UVA is the No. 1 overall seed. Nevertheless, I still see the Cavs making the Final Four.

Due to the presence of UK and Arizona, who both won their conference tournaments and were preseason top-five teams, UVA is probably most likely to go out first among the No. 1 seeds. But if I had to pick the No. 1 seed that I’m most confident won’t be playing when the Tournament gets to San Antonio, I’ve got to say it’s Xavier. I do so because North Carolina and Michigan are the best teams in the West Region.

Davidson is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. This year’s Wildcats have one of the nation’s most underrated players (Peyton Aldridge), in addition to one of the country’s most underrated head coaches (Bob McKillop) and freshmen (Kellan Grady). They won the Atlantic-10 Tournament by edging Rhode Island, 58-57, in Sunday’s finals to steal a bid.

McKillop’s team will face Kentucky in a 5/12 game Thursday in Boise. John Calipari’s squad has been installed as a six-point favorite. UK knocked off Tennessee on Sunday as a 1.5-point underdog at the SEC Tournament finals in St. Louis. They’ve won four consecutive SEC Tournaments.

What do I see happening? I like Michigan to win the West Region. I’ll take Duke in the Midwest, Villanova in the East and UVA in the South. Look for Villanova to get to the finals by beating Duke, while Michigan will knock off UVA. I’ll go with John Beilein’s Wolverines to cut the nets down.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- Best Potential Sweet 16 matchups:
1-Michigan vs. North Carolina
2-Michigan State vs. Duke
3-Florida vs. Purdue
4-Villanova vs. West Virginia

-- Coaches I trust the most in March:
1-John Beilein (Michigan)
2-Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
3-Roy Williams (North Carolina)
4-Tom Izzo (Michigan State)
5-Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)

-- Player you need to know: Mike Daum is a 6’9”, 250-pound power forward for South Dakota State, a 12 seed that meets Ohio State in Boise at Taco Bell Arena on Thursday afternoon. Daum has led the Jackrabbits to three straight NCAA Tournaments, losing by five to Maryland in the 2016 tourney. After averaging 25.1 points per game as a sophomore in 2016-17, Daum averaged 23.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this year. The junior is a straight-up bucket maker, shooting at a 46.2 percent clip from the field, 42.1 percent from downtown and 85.6 percent from the free throw line. South Dakota State has an RPI of 46 and owns neutral-court victories over Buffalo and Iowa. The Jackrabbits also won at Ole Miss in overtime with Daum scoring 26 points.

-- Another player you need to know is Nevada’s Caleb Martin, who is more than capable of leading the Wolf Pack to the Elite Eight.

-- I think Nevada and Florida are the most unpredictable teams in the field. Both can beat anybody when they’re playing well, but both lack size and could get sent home early.

-- Who are some other players that are capable of single-handedly leading their teams on deep runs like Martin for Nevada? Alabama’s Collin Sexton certainly comes to mind. Others include St. Bonaventure’s Jaylen Adams, Texas Tech’s Keenan Evans, Oklahoma’s Trae Young and Murray State’s Jonathan Stark.

-- Who’s hot? San Diego State has won nine games in a row while going 8-1 ATS, including a pair of wins over Nevada and one vs. Boise State. Davidson is 16-4 since the calendar hit January and has won four straight and eight of its past nine. The Wildcats’ only loss in the past month was a triple-overtime setback at St. Bonaventure.

-- Who’s not (hot)? Auburn hasn’t been the same since losing leading shot blocker Anferenee McLemore to a season-ending injury in February. Bruce Pearl’s club has dropped four of its last six games while posting a 1-5 spread record. Since Jan. 16, Oklahomais 4-11 SU and 3-12 ATS. The Sooners have lost eight of their past 10 games, with the last five losses coming by double-digit margins. Arizona State is 1-5 both SU and ATS in its past six contests, while Clemson has limped to a 3-5 record both SU and ATS in its last eight games since Feb. 18.

Injuries of Note: Alabama starting center Donta Hall is ‘questionable’ vs. Butler after sustaining a concussion on a scary fall during Friday’s SEC Tournament quarterfinals wins over Auburn. Hall averages 10.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game. Hall has made 72.1 percent of his field-goal attempts. Seton Hall’s Desi Rodriguez (17.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG) missed three games in a row after spraining his ankle at Providence on Feb. 21. Rodriguez returned for the Big East Tournament, playing just 16 minutes and scoring eight points in a 75-74 loss to Butler. TCU won’t have Jaylen Fisher in the Tournament and Miami won’t have Bruce Brown. Kentucky’s Jarred Vanderbilt missed the SEC Tournament with an ankle injury and is ‘questionable’ vs. Davidson. Vanderbilt is averaging 5.9 points and 7.9 RPG.

-- Missouri won’t have second-leading scorer Jordan Barnett for its NCAA Tournament opener against FSU following his arrest for DWI early Saturday morning. The Tigers, who are down to just seven scholarship players, will allow Barnett to travel with the team and he might be available in the Round of 32 if they get past the Seminoles. Barnett averages 13.7 points and 5.9 RPG while making 41.4 percent of his treys and 89.0 percent of his FTs.

-- Georgia announced Sunday that, if offered, it won’t accept a bid to the NIT. The Bulldogs fired Mark Fox on Saturday after they finished a disappointing 18-15 in his ninth season at the helm. Fox won a bunch of games – 163 total and at least 18 in each of the past five seasons -- at UGA, but his squads lost dozens of nail-biters and went to the NCAA Tournament just twice on his watch. Georgia loses only two notable players, SEC Player of the Year Yante Maten and second-leading scorer Juwan Parker. The Bulldogs will have excellent size next year with the return of senior center Derek Ogbeide, rising sophomores Nicolas Claxton, the son of Charles Claxton, who played for the Bulldogs in the 1990s, and Rayshaun Hammonds. There are also two talented guards in Tyree Crump, an excellent 3-point shooter, and Teshaun Hightower, who came on strong late in his freshmen year over the past several weeks. Candidates are believed to include Thad Matta and Tom Crean, both of whom would be excellent hires.

-- While we’re on the subject, Fox will land on his feet and be a quality hire for another school, and it’ll probably happen in the next two weeks. He is only 49 and has been a head coach for 14 seasons, including five at Nevada, where Fox took the Wolf Pack to three NCAA Tournaments.

-- According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and FanRag, Pepperdine is poised to bring former Washington head coach and current Arizona assistant Lorenzo Romar to Malibu to be its next head coach. I’m not a huge fan of Romar as a game coach, but this is undoubtedly an excellent hire for Pepperdine based simply on Romar’s ability to bring in high-profile recruits on the West coast.

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Things to know about NCAA tourney: No. 1s remember the Alamo
March 12, 2018

Kansas, Villanova, Virginia and Xavier - the No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament - should remember the Alamo.

Especially the Jayhawks.

The last time all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four was 10 years ago. That was the last time the NCAA Tournament wrapped up in San Antonio, and the last time coach Bill Self and Kansas cut down the nets as national champions.

Before getting to this season's Final Four, there are 64 NCAA Tournament games to be played over the next two weeks to determine if the Alamodome will be filled with No. 1 seeds again. Or if some lower seeds, or even a potential Cinderella, make it to those national semifinal games March 31.

Here are a few things to watch with the NCAA Tournament about to get underway:

- AGAIN AND AGAIN: Coach K, Self and Tom Izzo keep going back to the NCAA Tournament. All have won national titles, and they're in the same regional this season.

Mike Krzyzewski and Duke are in the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd year in a row, two more than Izzo and Michigan State.

The school with the most consecutive appearances is Kansas, which stretched its active streak to 29 in a row as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional.

Self is in his 20th NCAA Tournament in a row, the 15th with Kansas after the Jayhawks won their unprecedented 14th straight Big 12 Conference championship . Before that, Self went to the NCAA twice with Tulsa and three times with Illinois.

The Spartans (29-4) are the No. 3 seed and get to stay in their home state for Friday's game against Bucknell. Kansas (27-7) also has a short trip for the opening weekend, staying in the Sunflower State to play Penn on Thursday in Wichita, Kansas.

The Jayhawks last year beat Michigan State in the second round of the Midwest Regional, but the only way to meet this year would be if both make it to the regional final in Omaha, Nebraska.

Duke (26-7), the No. 2 seed that plays Iona on Thursday, could face a potential Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan State.

- WHERE ARE THE 1s?: Only twice since the 2008 tournament has the NCAA title game even been a matchup of No. 1 seeds.

That included last season in Arizona when North Carolina beat Gonzaga, a year after the Tar Heels were the national runner-up. UNC tied the 2016 title game in Texas on a double-clutch 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left before Villanova won on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Duke beat Wisconsin for the 2015 championship, the only other title game matchup of No. 1 seeds since the Jayhawks' overtime win over Memphis in 2008. North Carolina and UCLA were the other No. 1 seeds in San Antonio.

- WE ARE MARSHALL: While this isn't Marshall's first NCAA Tournament since the 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people, including 36 members of the Thundering Herd football team, this appearance is special for fourth-year head coach and alumnus Dan D'Antoni.

Marshall won the Conference USA Tournament for an automatic NCAA berth, ending a 31-year drought.

''A lot of people think the plane crash was just the football team, but I think you have to understand all the biggest supporters of basketball were on the airplane too, and we lost all of them,'' said D'Antoni, who at the time was a young basketball assistant coach there only months after finishing his playing career as a Herd point guard.

Along with the players killed in the worst disaster in U.S. sports history , there were 39 coaches, administrators, community leaders, fans and crew who died when the team's chartered jet crashed on Nov. 14, 1970, when returning from a game.

D'Antoni said he lost some close friends and a mentor in Dr. Ray Hagley, the team physician who was on the plane with his wife.

''They always wanted me to coach at Marshall,'' said D'Antoni, now 70. ''It didn't look I was going to get the chance. It took 50 years for me to finally get back here, but that's a lot of what it meant to me, and then it's building back the program that he really gave his life for.''

- HURLEY BRACKET: The Hurley brothers both have their teams in the NCAA Tournament . The only way they can match up against each other is if Arizona State and Rhode Island both make it to the Sweet 16.

Bobby Hurley's team at Arizona State would have to win an extra game to get there. The Pac-12 Sun Devils (20-11) have to play in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday against Syracuse.

Rhode Island (25-7), an at-large team from the Atlantic 10 coached by Dan Hurley, plays Thursday against Oklahoma.

- WILDCATS IN THE SOUTH: Four teams of Wildcats are in the South Regional. Three of them play first-round games in the same arena.

No. 5 seed Kentucky plays No. 12 Davidson on Thursday in Boise, Idaho. The winning Wildcats in that game face a potential second-round matchup against the Arizona Wildcats, the No. 4 seed that plays Buffalo in another first-round game in Boise.

The other Wildcats in that regional are No. 9 seed Kansas State, which takes on Creighton on Friday in Charlotte.

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This version corrects Davidson's opponent to Kentucky in the ''Wildcats In The South'' segment.

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Business as usual? Not really in this year's NCAA Tournament
March 12, 2018

The coaches, players and TV announcers waited breathlessly for the reveal, then broke down the snubs, seedings and matchups with the same glee as kids unwrapping gifts under the Christmas tree. In all, the unveiling of the NCAA Tournament bracket felt pretty much like business as usual.

That's really not the case this season.

March Madness will provide a three-week break from the troubling headlines that have consumed college basketball. All four of the tournament's No. 1 seeds - Virginia, Villanova, Kansas, Xavier - have been caught up in allegations of rule-breaking that have come up through an FBI investigation and resulting news coverage detailing potential NCAA violations.

They aren't alone.

No fewer than a dozen of the 68 programs who kick off the tournament this week have had their names mentioned in these reports. There's an undeniable chance the team cutting down the nets in San Antonio on April 2 could be forced to forfeit its title a few years down the road, after the NCAA sorts through the damage.

But in considering who was in and out, the selection committee only looked at who was eligible, not who was being investigated. It made for a bracket that looks fairly typical - defending champion North Carolina and runner-up Gonzaga are in, and a few blast-from-the-past underdogs such as Davidson and Butler are playing that role again this year - even if the underpinnings of college basketball may be out of whack.

''March Madness and the Final Four, it's supposed to be one of the best times to be a sports fan,'' Michael L. Buckner, a Florida-based attorney who has worked on infractions cases, said last week. ''Now it's going to have this cloud hanging over it, so that's why I say it's a little surreal.''

For now, though, the games go on.

Those filling out brackets in office pools that will amass more than $10 billion in action, most of the $10 and $20 entry-fee variety, were handed their palette Sunday during a bracket-unveiling show on TBS.

Some highlights:

-The Midwest Region stands out as the toughest, headlined by Kansas, Duke and Michigan State, all of which were ranked in the top 4 in the AP preseason poll. Michigan State will go into Friday's game against Bucknell not having played a game in two weeks because of the Big Ten's early conference tournament. ''It's a concern. But with what this team has gone through this year, who cares?'' coach Tom Izzo said. It was a nod to the sex-abuse scandal that has rocked Michigan State's athletic program, along with an NCAA eligibility issue involving Miles Bridges.

-Teams that didn't make it included St. Mary's (weak schedule), Notre Dame (not enough quality wins), Oklahoma State (Dick Vitale went on a rant ) and Louisville (its 39 rating in the RPI is the best to miss the tournament). It was yet another blow to a Cardinals program that has lost its coach (Rick Pitino), athletic director (Tom Jurich) and even its latest national title (2013) due to a string of scandals that have played out over the past several years.

-Teams that squeaked in included Oklahoma, which means the nation's most electric player, Trae Young, will be on the court for at least one game, on Thursday against Rhode Island. The Sooners (18-13) went 2-8 down the stretch, but NCAA selection chair Bruce Rasmussen said games in November and December weighed just as heavily as those in February and March. Arizona State also made it off the bubble. And Syracuse, snubbed last year, was the last team in, Rasmussen said.

-Some of the first week's best action could be in Boise, Idaho, which features a possible second-round South matchup between No. 5 Kentucky and No. 4 Arizona, each of which won their conference tournaments. ''I had to ask my guys, `How many of you know what state Boise is in?''' coach John Calipari said, as part of an entertaining riff during an ESPN interview about the long trip his team faces.

It's that sort of back and forth about brackets, matchups and slights - both real and perceived - that have turned March Madness into the party it has become over the last few decades.

In a way, nothing changed Sunday.

Only this time, when the party ends, it will do so with a thud.

An NCAA commission led by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to deliver recommendations shortly after the Final Four about what reforms are needed to save college basketball. At stake: A three-week extravaganza worth nearly $20 billion in TV money alone. In other words, the lifeblood of the NCAA.

John Tauer, the championship-winning coach at Division III St. Thomas in Minnesota, said there's too much on the line for the NCAA to stand pat.

''There are enough competing pressures and enough legs to this story, that I'd be shocked if, over the next couple years, things don't change somewhat markedly,'' Tauer said.

[StarDust Bum]

Shhh! How to stream March Madness when the boss isn't around
March 12, 2018

NEW YORK (AP) March Madness begins Tuesday. And that may mean strategizing to sneak in some games when the boss isn't looking.

Fortunately for you - though not your boss - all 67 games in the NCAA men's basketball tournament will be available online. Many of the games, including the Final Four, will require a password through your cable or satellite TV subscription.

Among the changes this year: a special stream to get the hot moments live when multiple games are played simultaneously during the first round. There are also new ways to subscribe to online TV packages, which stream many of the channels you'd get from a cable subscription.

Here's a viewer's guide:

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HAPPY STREAMING

The best places to watch: http://www.ncaa.com/marchmadness or the NCAA March Madness Live app. All the games will be there, regardless of where they are televised.

CBS is televising 21 games, including two of the quarterfinals. These games won't require a cable or satellite password. To view on a streaming device such as Apple TV, Roku or Fire TV, you need a $6-a-month subscription to CBS All Access, or a subscription to one of those cable-like online packages.

You'll need a password for the remaining games, which are split among the Turner-owned cable channels - TBS, TNT and truTV. That includes the semifinals and championship game, known collectively as the Final Four. There's a three-hour grace period on most devices. Games also will be available on individual apps for TBS, TNT and truTV - again with a password.

On desktops and laptops, the March Madness website will have a ''boss button.'' One click replaces the game with a fake screenshot of a search engine, spreadsheet or PowerPoint-like app - your choice, but set it up ahead of time.

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NO PASSWORD?

Consider subscribing to an online television package. There are some new ones since last year's tournament, including Google's YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV, joining AT&T's DirecTV Now and Sony's PlayStation Vue from before. The services cost $35 or $40 a month. Dish's Sling TV costs $25, but doesn't come with CBS. A sports-focused service, fuboTV, has CBS but not the Turner networks, so strike that.

Even services that include CBS might not offer the local CBS station where you live. Check before you subscribe by entering your ZIP code. To get CBS, you can also subscribe to All Access or use an antenna.

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KEEPING UP

With Vue on a PlayStation 4 device, you can watch three channels on the same screen at once. This means you can keep up with games being televised simultaneously on different channels, or have a talk show taking up one of the three streams. Vue offers just one game at a time on other devices.

The March Madness app on Apple TV also offers three games simultaneously, up from two last year.

Otherwise, you can have multiple browser tabs open or watch simultaneously on a phone and a personal computer.

A new feature called Fast Break will switch from game to game automatically during the first round, depending on the action. It's similar to the NFL RedZone or the Olympics' Gold Zone. It's available through the March Madness app on various devices and browsers.

With Hulu, you can choose your favorite teams, and its live-TV service will send phone alerts and automatically record games involving those teams. Those with the basic Hulu service, without the live channels, will get condensed versions of games after they end.

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HEARING IT

Westwood One's radio coverage of all games will be available with no password needed. You can also get this on Amazon's Echo devices by asking the Alexa digital assistant for the score.

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VIRTUAL REALITY

Intel will be producing some games in virtual reality. This time, it'll work with Google Daydream headsets as well, not just Samsung's Gear VR. Details on prices and the specific games haven't been announced yet. Keep in mind that VR is no replacement for television; TV can get you much closer to the action with camera zooms than VR, which typically anchors you in a fixed location.

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Industry: $10B will be bet on March Madness, most illegally
March 12, 2018

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) America's gambling industry predicts $10 billion will be bet on the March Madness college basketball tournament - nearly all of it illegally or off-the-books.

That's one of the reasons the American Gaming Association favors the full legalization and regulation of sports betting in the United States.

The U.S. Supreme Court is weeks away from ruling on New Jersey's challenge to a law limiting legal sports betting to just four states: Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon, and a ruling that legalizes sports betting nationwide could provide new revenue opportunities for cash-strapped state governments, as well as casino companies.

The group found 54 million people - or about a quarter of the U.S. adult population - participated in a sports betting pool last year, spending $18 billion on entry fees. That includes 24 million who filled out basketball brackets pools and spent $2.6 billion on entry fees.

It also conducted a survey that found that roughly two-thirds of U.S. states make it illegal to participate in sports betting pools if money is involved. Enforcing those laws, however, has not been a priority for law enforcement.

''Our current sports betting laws are so out of touch with reality that we're turning tens of millions of Americans into criminals for the simple act of enjoying college basketball,'' said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. ''The failed federal ban on sports betting has created an illegal, unregulated sports betting market that offers zero consumer protections and generates zero revenue for state and tribal governments.''

Freeman said only 3 percent of the $10 billion the group predicts will be wagered on the games will be done through legal Nevada sports books, or about $300 million.

The group also counted 48 pieces of sports betting legislation active in 18 state legislatures across the country as lawmakers anticipate a favorable Supreme Court ruling and prepare for the advent of legal sports betting.

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey says ''sports betting is a cause for concern.'' While neutral on gambling, the group has been contacting New Jersey lawmakers to discuss needs that will arise if sports betting is legalized.

''Sports betting may have more appeal to our children, it has the potential to affect the integrity of the games, and it may put many more people at risk for problem and disordered gambling,'' said Neva Pryor, the group's executive director.

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MONDAY, MARCH 12
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

HART at USD 10:00 PM
USD -10.0
O 138.5

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, MARCH 12
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

HART at USD 10:00 PM
USD -10.0
O 138.5


10:00 PM EDT
515 HARTFORD 135.5o21 138u15 / 137.5 / 137.5o13 137.5 +416 74.5o15 72Over 137.5
516 SAN DIEGO -9 -10 -05 / -10 -15 / -10 -13 -10 -550 -4 88Final
TV: CBSC, DTV: 221

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march madness record: ( overall record+ best bets ) all wagers based on 5 units

03/12/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +1000


best bets:

Ats

03/12/2018.............................................. 1 - 0..............................+ 5.00

over/under

03/12/2018.............................................. 1 - 0.................................+ 5.00

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Seniors have pivotal roles for high seeds
March 12, 2018

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina's Joel Berry II - last year's Final Four most outstanding player for the reigning national champions - is one of several seniors set to play pivotal roles for some of the NCAA Tournament favorites.

There are veterans in pivotal roles sprinkled amid all the one-and-done talent that grabs the headlines.

Here's a look at some of those seniors on high-seeded teams:

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GRAYSON ALLEN, DUKE

Look, the 6-foot-5 guard is college basketball's closest thing to a villain with multiple incidents of tripping opponents - along with a hipcheck against rival North Carolina in last weekend's Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament to earn a flagrant foul.

Yet he's also a proven scorer capable of delivering game-changing moments.

He is second on the team in scoring (15.7 points) while shooting nearly 38 percent from behind the arc. He had a career-best 37 points with seven 3-pointers in a November win against Michigan State. And he's proven he can come up big in March before as a freshman during Duke's 2015 title run.

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TREVON BLUIETT, XAVIER

The 6-6 guard guided Xavier to its first No. 1 seed atop the West Region .

Bluiett averaged a team-best 19.5 points while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range and 86 percent from the foul line. He helped the Musketeers win the Big East regular-season race and they enter the tournament aiming to top last year's surprise run to the Elite Eight.

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JEVON CARTER, WEST VIRGINIA

The Cousy Award finalist to be honored as the nation's top point guard does it all for the Mountaineers, the No. 5 seed in the East .

The two-time Big 12 defensive player of the year finished fourth in the league in scoring (17.0), third in assists (6.6) and tops in steals (2.9). He averaged 17.3 points and 8.0 assists in three Big 12 Tournament games and led West Virginia to its third straight berth in the title game.

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GARY CLARK, CINCINNATI

The 6-8 forward works both ends of the court for the American Athletic Conference champion Bearcats, the No. 2 seed in the South Region .

He averages a team-best 13 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 43 percent from 3-point range. That was enough to earn plenty of hardware from the AAC as its overall player of the year and its defensive player of the year while also claiming its sportsmanship award.

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DEVONTE' GRAHAM, KANSAS

Like Berry and Carter, Graham is a Cousy finalist for the Jayhawks, the Midwest's top seed.

The Big 12 player of the year has Kansas on a roll by winning eight of nine to sweep the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles. He averaged 17.3 points for the season, including averages of 14.3 points and 10 assists in the league tournament.

And he has a little incentive: The Raleigh, North Carolina, native will face his hometown team this weekend if Kansas and North Carolina State win their openers.

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ISAAC HAAS, PURDUE

Here's a throwback to the days when traditional big men worked exclusively in the paint.

The 7-foot-2, 290-pound Haas is the No. 2 scorer (14.9 points) and rebounder (5.6) for the Boilermakers, the No. 2 seed in the East Region. He also shoots 62 percent from the field and 76 percent from the foul line.

Purdue has a wealth of shooters and ranks second nationally in 3-point percentage (.420), so it's up to Haas to provide the reliable interior production.

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Tar Heels PG Berry ready for last run
March 12, 2018

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Joel Berry II is ready to take any big shot North Carolina needs in his final NCAA Tournament.

The senior was last year's most outstanding player at the Final Four after helping the Tar Heels win the national championship that had painfully eluded them in 2016. Now the first player in more than four decades to score 20 points in consecutive national title games wants one more deep run.

''I think this year for me it's just about leaving a legacy,'' Berry said in an interview with The Associated Press. ''I know I've done a lot for this program and I know I've put a lot into this program. But I want to leave on a good note. I don't want people for their last thought to be that, `Well you know, they won the championship in 2017 . and that was pretty much it.'''

Berry and the Tar Heels, the No. 2 seed in the West Region, earned a home-state NCAA opener against 15-seed Lipscomb on Friday in Charlotte. They are trying to join Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07) as the only repeat champions since UCLA's seven straight from 1967-73. They can also become the first to reach three straight finals since Kentucky from 1996-98.

Berry is UNC's No. 2 scorer (17.1 points), its toughest competitor and a Cousy Award finalist as the nation's top point guard.

The 6-foot native of Apopka, Florida, isn't an elite NBA prospect blessed with jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism. Rather, he's a veteran floor leader who doesn't shy away from contact and ranks among tradition-rich program's top 15 in both career scoring and assists.

More importantly, he plays with a determined edge that UNC (25-10) needs as it leans on a small-ball lineup - though it also led to an embarrassing preseason incident when Berry broke his hand by punching a door after losing a video game.

That edge fuels everything he does, even launching a shot in a tight game.

''If I miss it, I'm going to come back and shoot that same shot every single time,'' Berry said. ''And if I make it, of course I'm going to come back and shoot it.

''There are a lot of people who think about what's going to happen if they don't hit the shot. And I never think about that because there are a lot of people who would love to be in my position to take that shot. A lot of people don't have the heart to be able to step up in those moments, to even try to attempt that shot.''

That mentality has worked well for him twice on the game's biggest stage.

In 2016, he scored 20 points with four 3-pointers in the title-game loss to Villanova despite suffering a left-foot injury that had him on crutches and wearing a boot when he returned to campus the next day.

Last April, despite playing on two sprained ankles that hindered him throughout the tournament, Berry scored 22 points and four more 3s as UNC beat Gonzaga for the title.

That made him only the seventh player to score at least 20 points in back-to-back NCAA title games, a list that includes San Francisco's Bill Russell (1955-56), UCLA's Lew Alcindor (1967-69) and UCLA's Bill Walton - the last before Berry in 1972-73.

''He is tough and he's been that way ever since I've known him,'' said senior Grayson Allen of rival Duke, a fellow Florida native who first played against Berry in the eighth grade. ''If you go at him, he comes right back.

''He's the type of guy where if he makes a mistake on the next play, he's coming at you to get it right back.''

Berry's edge is always there, and sometimes it rises to the surface.

Like it did during the second half of the Tar Heels' win against Allen's Blue Devils in Friday's Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals. Berry and Duke freshman Gary Trent Jr. both got their hands on a rebound and refused to let go before Trent tried to push free as referees whistled for a jumpball.

Berry immediately turned back for a defiant staredown with Trent - who has about 6 inches and 15 pounds on Berry - and had a few words for Trent as officials stepped in.

There will likely be a couple more of those moments in the NCAA Tournament. And Berry isn't about to back down, not with his college career down to its final games.

''I just hate when people count us out because we don't have the so-called NBA talent on our team,'' Berry said. ''And that irks me so much because it's not about having NBA talent. It's about having guys who are coming together to compete to get one goal: and that's to win a national championship. And if you have that, that takes care of everything else.''

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SC goes from Final Four to sitting out
March 12, 2018

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) In a year's time, South Carolina has gone from Final Four to finished earlier than expected.

The Gamecocks (17-16) season came to a close Sunday night when the team was not picked for the NIT after an up-and-down season with too many key players to replace from their stunning run to the national semifinals in 2017 and too few big moments this season to qualify them for a second straight NCAA Tournament.

''My guys and our staff gave it everything we had and unfortunately, the Arkansas game was our last opportunity to represent that Gamecock uniform,'' Martin said Sunday night in a Twitter post.

Martin had said following the loss to the Razorbacks at the Southeastern Conference Tournament the Gamecocks would not play in any non-NCAA postseason event other than the NIT.

Still, Martin focused on the positives and potential of his program after he became the first South Carolina coach since the late Frank McGuire to lead the Gamecocks to four consecutive winning seasons.

McGuire had 14 straight winning seasons from 1967-80.

''That's 4 consecutive winning seasons for the first time in a long long time,'' Martin's Tweet continued. ''We r still building.''

It's a project that stalled some after last season.

The surge to the Final Four was led by All-SEC player Sindarius Thornwell and two other seniors in Duane Notice and Justin McKie. Former McDonald's All-American point guard P.J. Dozier, a two-year starter, left school for the NBA while heir apparent at the spot, Rakym Felder, was suspended for the year after his second arrest in less than a year.

The departures continued during the season as Delaware transfer Kory Holden, expected to provide scoring punch to pick up for Thornwell in the backcourt, left the team in February with continuing knee problems.

The result left Martin mixing-and-matching players, many of them new, to find winning combinations. South Carolina had three ranked victories this year over Kentucky, Florida and Auburn. It also had a six-game losing streak (it's longest in six years) over January and February which knocked them off the bubble and out of the NCAAs.

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MOVING FORWARD

The Gamecocks expect to take a step forward next year with the return of Felder and additional experience from freshmen David Beatty, Justin Minaya and Felipe Haase. South Carolina's plan also includes having one-time Louisville prospect Brian Bowen Jr. eligible at midseason. Bowen joined the Gamecocks in January after being held out by Louisville because of the college basketball corruption case. He has practiced with South Carolina the past two months, but must still be reinstated by the NCAA.

SILVA TIME

South Carolina's 6-foot-9 junior Chris Silva was named to the all-SEC team and was co-defensive player of the year. If history is any guide, Silva should be more of a handful next season. Martin has excelled at getting seniors to play their best in their final years. Michael Carrera was an all-SEC forward his final year in 2016 while Thornwell was voted SEC player of the year by league coaches in 2017. Silva led South Carolina with 14.3 points and eight rebounds a game this year.

QUICK GOODBYES

South Carolina lone roster losses weren't around long. Graduate transfers Frank Booker and Wesley Myers, who combined to make 30 starts this season, played their only years with the Gamecocks this season.

YOUNG MINAYA

Count on the Gamecocks to find a bigger role for Justin Minaya next year. The son of baseball executive, Omar, the 6-5 Justin Minaya started 30 games and became one of South Carolina's best defenders.

CORRUPTION CASE

South Carolina was part of the FBI's probe into college basketball, both with Martin's former assistant Lamont Evans getting arrested at Oklahoma State and former player Dozier's receiving $6,135 from an agent according to documents reviewed by Yahoo Sports. Martin has strongly denied any wrongdoing and doubled-down on that by adding Bowen. The federal complaint stated that $100,000 was planned to be funneled to a recruit's family to gain his commitment to play for Louisville. Bowen was not named in documents, but details made clear that investigators were referring to the freshman.

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UCLA hopes to slow down Bonnies
March 12, 2018

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) No. 11 seed St. Bonaventure (25-7) vs. No. 11 seed UCLA (21-11)

First Four, East region; Dayton, Ohio; 9:10 p.m. EDT.

BOTTOM LINE: UCLA makes its 49th tournament appearance but its debut in the First Four. The Bruins lost to Kentucky in a regional semi-final last season. St. Bonaventure won Atlantic 10 regular season and back are back in the field for the first time since 2012 and seventh all time. Both are looking for their first NCAA Tournament victories. The winner gets No. 6 seed Florida on Thursday.

BONNIES BELONG: St. Bonaventure is driven by the guard play of seniors Jaylen Adams (19.8 points per game) and Matt Mobley (18.5). The Atlantic 10 regular-season winner has victories this season over Maryland, Syracuse and Rhode Island.

UCLA IN DAYTON?: Coach Steve Alford, who has led the Bruins to the tournament for the fourth time in five seasons, said he was surprised they were picked last and were sent to Dayton. He thought UCLA's resume - wins over Kentucky and Arizona, and a two-game sweep of USC - warranted a better seeding. After all, the Bruins have been to 18 Final Fours.

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD: The Bruins are second in the Pac-12 in scoring (81.9 points per game) and lead the conference in rebounding. Junior guard Aaron Holiday is an All-Pac-12 selection who averages a conference-best 20.3 points per game.

DID YOU KNOW: Florida, which awaits the winner of the play-in game, has beaten UCLA three times in the NCAA Tournament since 2006. The most recent was a regional semifinal in 2014, Alford's first season.