Da Bum's COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2020-2021 NEWS/TRENDS/BEST BETS THRU NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP !

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, MARCH 22
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STET at BGSU 11:30 AM
BGSU -8.5
U 151.5

ORE at IOWA 12:10 PM
IOWA -5.0
U 148.0

CCU at BRY 02:30 PM
BRY +2.5
O 157.0

OKLA at GONZ 02:40 PM
GONZ -14.0
O 154.0

ACU at UCLA 05:15 PM
ACU +4.5
O 133.0

LONG at PEPP 05:30 PM
PEPP -10.0
O 144.5

OHIO at CREI 06:10 PM
OHIO +5.5
O 149.0

[StarDust Bum]

PLAYED BUT NEVER POSTED:

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STET at BGSU
BGSU -8.5
U 151.5

ORE at IOWA
IOWA -5.0
U 148.0

CCU at BRY
BRY +2.5
O 157.0

OKLA at GONZ
GONZ -14.0
O 154.0

ACU at UCLA 05:15 PM
ACU +4.5
O 133.0

LONG at PEPP 05:30 PM
PEPP -10.0
O 144.5

OHIO at CREI 06:10 PM
OHIO +5.5
O 149.0

LSU at MICH 07:10 PM
LSU +4.5
O 148.0

COLO at FSU 07:45 PM
COLO +1.5
O 140.5

BELL at ARMY 08:30 PM
BELL -1.5
U 137.5

MD at ALA 08:45 PM
MD +6.0
O 138.5

USC at KU 09:40 PM
USC +1.0
O 135.0




2021 NCAA AND NIT TOURNAMENT BEST BETS

DATE...............W-L-T...................%.................UNITS

03/21/2021...........4-9-0.................30.76.............- 29.50
03/20/2021..........13-11-0...............53.16.............+ 4.50
03/19/2021..........12-13-0...............48.00%..........-11.50
03/18/2021............3-4-1................ 42.85%...........- 7.00
03/17/2021............4-0-0...............100.00%..........+20.00

TOTALS..............36-37-1.................49.31%...........-23..50

[StarDust Bum]

MONDAY, MARCH 22
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STET at BGSU 11:30 AM
BGSU -8.5..........53 - 52.........LOSER
U 151.5.......................WINNER

ORE at IOWA 12:10 PM
IOWA -5.0...........95 - 80...........LOSER
U 148.0

CCU at BRY 02:30 PM
BRY +2.5........93 - 82.....LOSER
O 157.0...................WINNER

OKLA at GONZ 02:40 PM
GONZ -14.0.........71 - 87
O 154.0..................WINNER

ACU at UCLA 05:15 PM
ACU +4.5..........47 - 67.......LOSER
O 133.0...............LOSER

LONG at PEPP 05:30 PM
PEPP -10.0...........66 - 80
O 144.5................WINNER

OHIO at CREI 06:10 PM
OHIO +5.5........58 - 72....LOSER
O 149.0.................LOSER

LSU at MICH 07:10 PM
LSU +4.5..........78 - 86
O 148.0.............WINNER

COLO at FSU 07:45 PM
COLO +1.5........53 - 71.....LOSER
O 140.5..............LOSER

BELL at ARMY 08:30 PM
BELL -1.5.......77 - 67...WINNER
U 137.5............LOSER

MD at ALA 08:45 PM
MD +6.0...77 - 96
O 138.5...........WINNER

USC at KU 09:40 PM
USC +1.0.........85 - 51.........WINNER
O 135.0...........WINNER




2021 NCAA AND NIT TOURNAMENT BEST BETS

DATE...............W-L-T...................%.................UNITS

03/22/2021...........9-10-0...............47.36%..........-10.00
03/21/2021...........4-9-0.................30.76.............- 29.50
03/20/2021..........13-11-0...............53.16.............+ 4.50
03/19/2021..........12-13-0...............48.00%..........-11.50
03/18/2021............3-4-1................ 42.85%...........- 7.00
03/17/2021............4-0-0...............100.00%..........+20.00

TOTALS..............45-47-1.................48.91%...........-33..50[/SIZE]

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s 6-pack
NBA leaders in 3-point shooting %age:
56.6%— Tony Snell, All
49.0%— Joe Ingles, Utah
48.8%— Joe Harris, Bkln
46.7%— Bobby Portis, Milw
46.5%— Maxi Kleber, Dal
46.0%— Luke Kennard, LAC

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 542,379
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I enjoyed last season, when we had the worst record in the league, more than I enjoyed that last season when we went to the Finals. Last year we had young guys who were trying every day, working hard and we had a great energy, great spirit and great camaraderie.”
Steve Kerr

Tuesday’s quiz
Who was USC’s coach in 2007, last time they made the Sweet 16?
(Hint: He used to coach the Chicago Bulls)

Monday’s quiz
When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they beat the Cleveland Indians.

Sunday’s quiz
Georgia coach Tom Crean was Dwyane Wade’s college coach at Marquette.

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

Tuesday’s Den: Nobody asked me, but……..

13) Oregon 95, Iowa 80:
— Ducks ended first half on an 18-4 run, never looked back.
— Oregon’s shot chart had an awful lot of dunks/layups.
— Luka Garza ended a great college career, scoring 36 points.

12) Michigan 86, LSU 78:
— Wolverines are only Big 14 team left in tournament; 9 teams started.
— Michigan shot 66.7% inside arc, are in Sweet 16 for 3rd time in last four tourneys.
— LSU’s two best players both played 40:00, and it showed near the end.

11) Gonzaga 87, Oklahoma 71
— Gonzaga is 28-0, with one win by less than 10 points.
— Zags shot 57.1% inside arc, scored 1.26 points/possession.
— Oklahoma finished season losing six of its last eight games.

10) USC 85, Kansas 51:
— Trojans made nine of their first 13 3-pointers, are in first Sweet 16 since ‘07
— Pac-12 teams are 9-1 SU in this tournament.
— Kansas had won 9 of 10 games coming in; not a strong effort here.

9) Creighton 72, Ohio U 58:
— Ohio U emptied its bag when they upset Virginia Saturday.
— Bishop was 6-7 from floor, had 15 rebounds for Creighton.
— Bluejays held four of last five opponents to 62 or fewer points.

8) Alabama 96, Maryland 77:
— Alabama made 16-33 shots on arc; tough to beat that.
— Bet you its been long time since Maryland gave up 1.43 ppp.
— Terps finished 17-14, losing four of last six games.

7) Florida State 71, Colorado 53:
— Seminoles are shooting 38.2% on arc (#16), are #19 on offensive boards.
— Florida State is deep; they scored 41 points in first 30:00, 30 points in last 10:00.
— 23-9 Colorado started three seniors; really good year for them.

6) UCLA 67, Abilene Christian 47:
— UCLA had last four games in a row before this tournament started.
— You get feeling Abilene Christian beating Texas was their Super Bowl.
— UCLA-Alabama in Sweet 16 is a stark contrast of styles.

Cruddy set of set games Monday; one game decided by less than 14 points.

5) College basketball coaching stuff:
— Marquette fired Steve Wojciechowski, who made two NCAA tourneys (0-2) in 7 years.
— Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich stepped down, took another job in the athletic department.
— UNLV hired Kevin Kruger as its coach; his dad Lon Kruger was UNLV’s coach as recently was 2011, is coaching Oklahoma now.

4) Mountain West used to be a fun league, but it has gone downhill lately; last five tournaments, Mountain West teams are 1-7 in first round games. Going to be a one-bid league soon.

3) This was first time since 2003 that North Carolina went consecutive seasons without winning an NCAA Tournament game. In 2002/2003, Tar Heels went a combined 10-22 in ACC games and then they fired the coach, which is why Roy Williams came back to Chapel Hill.

I understand that there was no NCAA Tournament last year, but UNC went 14-19 and wasn’t getting in the tournament anyway.

2) Last three NCAA tournaments, ACC teams were combined 5-16 ATS in the first round.

1) Memo to myself: The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is great fun, always. Next year, if I have half a brain, this column will be written in Las Vegas.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Dunkel

Tuesday, March 23

[StarDust Bum]

SIZE=2]TUESDAY, MARCH 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STET at CCU 05:30 PM
CCU -7.0
U 146.0

PEPP at BELL 08:00 PM
PEPP -4.5
U 150.0



2021 NCAA AND NIT TOURNAMENT BEST BETS

DATE...............W-L-T...................%.................UNITS

03/22/2021...........9-10-0...............47.36%..........-10.00
03/21/2021...........4-9-0.................30.76.............- 29.50
03/20/2021..........13-11-0...............53.16.............+ 4.50
03/19/2021..........12-13-0...............48.00%..........-11.50
03/18/2021............3-4-1................ 42.85%...........- 7.00
03/17/2021............4-0-0...............100.00%..........+20.00

TOTALS..............45-47-1.................48.91%...........-33..50[/SIZE]

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, MARCH 23
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

STET at CCU 05:30 PM
CCU -7.0..........72 - 77......LOSER
U 146.0.................LOSER

PEPP at BELL 08:00 PM
PEPP -4.5...........82 - 71.....WINNER
U 150.0...........LOSER



2021 NCAA AND NIT TOURNAMENT BEST BETS

DATE...............W-L-T...................%.................UNITS

03/23/2021...........1-3.0.................25.00%..........-11.50
03/22/2021...........9-10-0...............47.36%..........-10.00
03/21/2021...........4-9-0.................30.76.............- 29.50
03/20/2021..........13-11-0...............53.16.............+ 4.50
03/19/2021..........12-13-0...............48.00%..........-11.50
03/18/2021............3-4-1................ 42.85%...........- 7.00
03/17/2021............4-0-0...............100.00%..........+20.00

TOTALS..............46-50-1.................47.91%...........-45.00

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack
NBA teams who’ve gone over the total the most:
29-13— New Orleans
28-15— Brooklyn
26-16— Denver
26-17— Sacramento
25-16— Milwaukee
25-16— Indiana

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 542,379
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.”
Steven Wright

Wednesday’s quiz
Which three major league teams has Joe Girardi managed?

Tuesday’s quiz
Tim Floyd was USC’s coach in 2007, last time they made the Sweet 16; he coached the Chicago Bulls from 1998-2002.

Monday’s quiz
When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they beat the Cleveland Indians.

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

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings……..

13) The movie Little Big League was on FS1 last night; the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, leaves the team to his 12-year old grandson, who then names himself manager of the Twins. Pretty good movie.

The kid’s mom is played by Ashley Crow; the movie was made in 1994.

In real life, Ashley Crow’s son is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was drafted in the first round last year by the New York Mets. Crow-Armstrong played at Harvard-Westlake HS in Los Angeles, which once had Lucas Giolito, Jack Flaherty, Max Fried on the team at the same time.

Crow-Armstrong turns 19 tomorrow; in 11 at-bats this spring, he’s 1-11 with four runs scored. This year will be his first full season as a pro.

12) Mets’ 2B Jeff MacNeil was hit by pitches three times in a game last week, by three different pitchers; that doesn’t happen much.

11) Last Mets’ note; former New Jersey governor Chris Christie was recently named to the Mets’ board of directors; hopefully they didn’t put him in charge of parking.

10) Atlantic 14 tried something different this year; they played the first three rounds of their conference tournament March 3-6 in Richmond, then held the final March 14 in Dayton, assuming the two finalists would get on a bus after the game and make the short drive to Indiana, where they would hunker down safely for the NCAA’s. On paper, it made sense.

In reality, VCU couldn’t play in the NCAA Tournament because they had positive COVID tests in their program. Would it have been different had they just played the final in Richmond? We’ll never know.

9) Oregon State Beavers have covered 15 of their last 18 games as an underdog, with 11 wins outright. Beavers play Loyola Saturday, in the Sweet 16.

8) There is an NBA rule that no referee can work the same team’s games more than nine teams in a season; that rule has been waived this season, because of COVID protocols. Referees aren’t traveling as much.

7) Back in the 70’s, Astros’ pitching coach Brent Strom was a major league pitcher; he got hurt, was the second big leaguer to have what is now known as Tommy John surgery. Had he been the first, it would be known as Brent Strom surgery.

6) Al Leiter pitched in the major leagues for 19 years, won 162 games; his son Jack is a pitcher at Vanderbilt now, a highly-touted prospect who is expected to be a first round draft pick this year.

Saturday, Jack Leiter threw a no-hitter, struck out 16 South Carolina hitters, throwing 124 pitches; college managers aren’t as crazy about pitch counts as professional managers.

My question is this: How many major league pitchers will throw 124+ pitches in a game this year? Won’t be many, my guess is three or four.

5) First round of the 16-team NIT saw underdogs go 6-2 ATS; second round is Thursday.

4) One thing handicappers missed out on this season was taking a look at an Ivy League team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Over last ten tournaments, Ivy League squads are 8-2 ATS in their first round games.

When the Ivy League teams come back next season after a year off, it’ll be interesting to see how much different these teams are. Last time we saw them, Ivy League was the #16 conference in the country, right in the middle nationally.

3) One of best parts of watching spring training games on MLB Network is the interviews with managers during the game. You can pick up some info here; also good when teams combine broadcasting crews for games. Marlins-Cardinals, Mariners-Rockies have done this.

But when you think of managers being interviewed during a game, can you imagine going back a few years and having Earl Weaver, Dick Williams or Billy Martin being interviewed during a game, even an exhibition game? Thing would have to be on a 7-second delay, for sure.

2) Happy 90th birthday to William Shatner; the actor who became famous as Captain Kirk on Star Trek– he still does commercials that air on Milwaukee Brewer games.

1) Went to the grocery store today, picked up a few things, no big deal, but also walked around the store and located exits, just in case what happened in Boulder ever happens here. Doesn’t hurt to be prepared, but its a sad commentary on our current situation.

[StarDust Bum]

609COASTAL CAROLINA -610 PEPPERDINE
PEPPERDINE is 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) in road games after covering 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread in the current season.


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NCAAB
Dunkel

Wednesday, March 24

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CCU at PEPP 08:00 PM
CCU +4.5
O 150.5


2021 NCAA AND NIT TOURNAMENT BEST BETS

DATE...............W-L-T...................%.................UNITS

03/24/2021...........0-2-0.................00.00%..........-11.00
03/23/2021...........1-3.0.................25.00%..........-11.50
03/22/2021...........9-10-0...............47.36%..........-10.00
03/21/2021...........4-9-0.................30.76.............- 29.50
03/20/2021..........13-11-0...............53.16.............+ 4.50
03/19/2021..........12-13-0...............48.00%..........-11.50
03/18/2021............3-4-1................ 42.85%...........- 7.00
03/17/2021............4-0-0...............100.00%..........+20.00

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 5-pack
A person named Web Smith posted this on Twitter:
A few books that I credit to helping me when my mental health falters:
1: Atomic Habits (James Clear)
2: Can’t Hurt Me (Goggins)
3: The Daily Stoic (Holiday)
4: Driven (Douglas Brackmann)
5: GRIT (Angela Duckworth)
If your mental health is struggling, reach out to a friend, read a book, listen to music.

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 542,379
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“It’s no longer about me trying to move up any ladders, make more money. I’m at a great place in my life. I can coach six, seven more years, God willing, just try to make young men better, try to make the program reach heights it’s never reached. That’s all I have planned. It’s a great place to be. There’s some things that suck about being 68 (years old). The great thing about it is being at Iona, being able to teach with nobody bothering you, just make the players better.”
Rick Pitino

Thursday’s quiz
Jimmy Chitwood was the big star for Hickory High in Hoosiers; what number did he wear?

Wednesday’s quiz
Joe Girardi has managed the Marlins, Bronx and Philadelphia.

Tuesday’s quiz
Tim Floyd was USC’s coach in 2007, last time they made the Sweet 16; he coached the Chicago Bulls from 1998-2002.

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

Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud…….

13) Baseball had the universal DH last year and everyone seemed happy with it; no pitchers got hurt while batting and it was assumed that it would become a permanent thing.

But sometimes it seems like baseball is run by imbeciles; the owners used the universal DH as a bargaining chip to retain the expanded playoffs, and the players said no, so this season, the National League pitchers will bat, with it widely assumed that once there is a new labor deal this winter, the universal DH will become a permanent thing.

Arizona pitcher Zac Gallen has a hairline fracture in his right arm, something that only pains him when he swings a bat- go figure. The main reason this ticks me off is that Gallen is one of the better pitchers on my fantasy team, and good pitchers are hard to find. Oy.

But it is also annoying because in a business where teams are with a billion dollars, there seems to be no common sense. They want more offense in the game, but they won’t put the DH in for both leagues. They want more balls in play, but they let pitchers bat and most pitchers suck at hitting. It makes no sense.

12) Toronto Blue Jays have injury issues already:
— OF George Springer has an oblique issue.
— Closer Kirby Yates might need Tommy John surgery.
— P Nate Pearson has a pulled leg muscle.
— Injuries to 3B Cavan Biggio’s injured finger came back negative.
— P Robbie Ray is day-to-day with an elbow injury.

11) This will be catcher Kurt Suzuki’s 15th year in the major leagues; he’s bounced around a lot:
2007-12: Oakland
2012-13: Washington
2013: back to Oakland for 35 games.
2014-16: Minnesota
2017-18: Atlanta
2019-20: Washington
2021: LA Angels

Bet you he could write a hell of a book.

10) Houston Astros signed P Lance McCullers to a 5-year, $85M contract extension.

9) Last year, the average on-base % in the major leagues was .321; the average slugging percentage was .402, making the average OPS .723.

8) They were talking on the Spurs game last night, saying that Kawhi Leonard owns:
— a $17M home in Pacific Palisades
— a $7M condo in downtown Los Angeles
— a $13M home in Rancho Sante Fe

Must be fun to be really rich.

Leonard scored 25 last night; Clippers pounded San Antonio, 134-101.

7) There is a rule in college sports that was put into effect in 2006: Division I athletes can transfer without having to sit out a year if they graduated in four years and have a season of eligibility remaining.

One of the first ballplayers to take use this rule was Kevin Kruger, who transferred from Arizona State to UNLV, so he could he could play for his dad Lon Kruger. UNLV made the Sweet 16 that year; they’ve only won one NCAA Tournament game since then.

Which is why, 15 years later, Kevin Kruger is the new head coach at UNLV; he will be looking to poach transfers from other schools to strengthen his roster. Who wouldn’t to go to school in a town that loves basketball and has great weather?

Problem is, Kruger will be UNLV’s 5th head coach in eight years; they need better players, and they need some stability, with both their roster and coaching staff.

6) Two years ago, when Eric Musselman was coaching at Nevada, he started five 5th-year seniors, all of whom had transferred to Reno; his starting lineup that season was older than the Phoenix Suns had in the NBA. Having a talented, mature lineup helps you win.

5) Felt bad for Houston Rockets’ coach Stephen Silas the other night; his team was 11-10 at one point, but then lost 20 games in a row. Losing sucks; at his post-game press conference, Silas was obviously upset, he is sitting at the table, head in hand, trying to keep it together. This is his first year as an NBA head coach, and he knows damn well it also could be his last. Not good.

4) Odds to win each region of the NCAA Tournament:
East:
+175- Alabama
+195- Michigan
+315- Florida State
+750- UCLA

South:
-125- Baylor
+220- Arkansas
+500- Villanova
+4000- Oral Roberts

3) Midwest:
+115- Houston
+190- Loyola Chi
+550- Syracuse
+975- Oregon State

West:
-375- Gonzaga
+640- USC
+1000- Oregon
+2000- Creighton

2) USC-Oregon meet this weekend in the Sweet 16; since 2002, when conference rivals meet in the NCAA Tournament, from the Sweet 16 on, the underdog has been 7-4 ATS in those games.

1) Watching a San Francisco Giants game on TV the other night, with a few hundred fans there to watch, and a pitcher kept falling behind hitters. A wise guy in the stands yells out:

“Stop nibbling!!! Babe Ruth is dead!!!”

Everyone’s a freakin’ expert. LOL

[StarDust Bum]

611MISSISSIPPI ST -612 RICHMOND
MISSISSIPPI ST is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) in road games after 2 straight games where they were called for 15 or less fouls over the last 2 seasons.

613NC STATE -614 COLORADO ST
NC STATE is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) in road games versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=14 turnovers/game in the current season.

615BOISE ST -616 MEMPHIS
MEMPHIS are 8-0 ATS (8 Units) in road games after a game where they covered the spread in the current season.

617LOUISIANA TECH -618 W KENTUCKY
W KENTUCKY is 4-17 ATS (-14.7 Units) versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing <=14 turnovers/game over the last 2 seasons.




NCAAB
Dunkel

Thursday, March 25






NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, March 25

NIT tournament- Thursday

Mississippi State vs Richmond (@ Denton, TX))
Mississippi State (16-14)
— ranked #75 by KenPom
— Tempo: #297
— Experience: #312
— Continuity: #253
— Bulldogs are 5-4 in their last nine games.
— Miss State is grabbing 36.1% of their missed shots (#8)
— Bulldogs have #41 eFG% defense in country.
— Miss State starts three sophs and a freshman; they’re using these games to help build for next season.

Richmond (14-8)
— ranked #63 by KenPom
— Tempo: #159
— Experience: #16
— Continuity: #8
— Richmond lost three of its last four games.
— Spiders are 3-6 in games decided by 6 or fewer points.
— Richmond is shooting 53.9% inside the arc (#39)
— Spiders are not a deep team (#338 in bench minutes)
— 5-9 senior G Gilyard played whole 40:00 vs Saint Louis in first round.
— Richmond is 2-0 vs SEC teams this year (Kentucky, Vanderbilt)

NC State vs Colorado State (@ Frisco, TX)
NC State (14-10)
— ranked #66 by KenPom
— Tempo: #195
— Experience: #225
— Continuity: #127
— NC State won six of their last seven games.
— Wolfpack force turnovers 21.9% of time (#47)
— NC State is 6-9 vs teams ranked in top 100.
— Wolfpack shot 67.6% inside arc in their win over Davidson.

Colorado State (19-6)
— ranked #68 by KenPom
— Tempo: #134
— Experience: #308
— Continuity: #36
— Rams won seven of their last nine games.
— Colorado State is shooting 55.2% inside arc (#21).
— 43.5% of shots they take are 3’s (#40)
— Rams didn’t play any seniors in their win over Buffalo.

Memphis vs Boise State (@ Denton, TX)
Memphis (17-8)
— ranked #39 by KenPom
— Tempo: #47
— Experience: #323
— Continuity: #78
— Memphis won 11 of its last 14 games.
— Tigers have #5 eFG% defense in country.
— Memphis is turning ball over 22.1% of time (#318)
— Dayton shot 62.1% inside arc vs Memphis last game.

Boise State (19-8)
— ranked #59 by KenPom
— Tempo: #127
— Experience: #71
— Continuity: #245
— Boise lost four of its last five games.
— Broncos led last game 30-9, blew lead, won 85-84.
— Broncos are shooting 52.5% inside arc (#70)
— Boise State is 5-7 vs teams ranked in top 100.
— Broncos start four juniors and a senior.

Louisiana Tech vs Western Kentucky (@ Frisco, TX)
Louisiana Tech (22-7)
— ranked #78 by KenPom
— Tempo: #113
— Experience: #61
— Continuity: #116
— Bulldogs won six of last seven D-I games.
— Louisiana Tech has three senior starters.
— Bulldogs have the #13 eFG% defense- they’re #28 on defensive boards.
— Tech was held to 55-48 points in last two losses.

Western Kentucky (21-7)
— ranked #90 by KenPom
— Tempo: #210
— Experience: #56
— Continuity: #81
— WKU won 12 of last 15 games, lost finals of C-USA tourney in OT.
— Hilltoppers have a 6-11 center who is probably an NBA player.
— WKU turns ball over 20.7% of time (#268).
— Hilltoppers get 21.9% of their points on foul line (#30).

— These conference rivals split pair at WKU January 8-9th.




NCAAB

Thursday, March 25

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Louisiana Tech @ Western Kentucky
Louisiana Tech
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Louisiana Tech's last 6 games when playing Western Kentucky
Louisiana Tech is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Western Kentucky's last 6 games when playing Louisiana Tech
Western Kentucky is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Louisiana Tech


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[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, MARCH 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MSST at RICH 06:00 PM
MSST -3.5
U 136.5

NCST at CSU 07:00 PM
NCST +1.0
U 147.0

BSU at MEM 09:00 PM
BSU +4.0
O 143.0

LT at WKU 10:00 PM
LT -1.0
U 137.5



2021 NCAA AND NIT TOURNAMENT BEST BETS

DATE...............W-L-T...................%.................UNITS

03/24/2021...........0-2-0.................00.00%..........-11.00
03/23/2021...........1-3.0.................25.00%..........-11.50
03/22/2021...........9-10-0...............47.36%..........-10.00
03/21/2021...........4-9-0.................30.76.............- 29.50
03/20/2021..........13-11-0...............53.16.............+ 4.50
03/19/2021..........12-13-0...............48.00%..........-11.50
03/18/2021............3-4-1................ 42.85%...........- 7.00
03/17/2021............4-0-0...............100.00%..........+20.00

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, MARCH 25
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MSST at RICH 06:00 PM
MSST -3.5..........68 - 67......LOSER
U 136.5.....................WINNER

NCST at CSU 07:00 PM
NCST +1.0................61 - 65......LOSER
U 147.0

BSU at MEM 09:00 PM
BSU +4.0..........56 - 59....WINNER
O 143.0...............LOSER

LT at WKU 10:00 PM
LT -1.0...........72 - 65
U 137.5................WINNER



2021 NCAA AND NIT TOURNAMENT BEST BETS

DATE...............W-L-T...................%.................UNITS

03/25/2021...........3-3-0.................50.00%..........-1.50
03/24/2021...........0-2-0.................00.00%..........-11.00
03/23/2021...........1-3.0.................25.00%..........-11.50
03/22/2021...........9-10-0...............47.36%..........-10.00
03/21/2021...........4-9-0.................30.76.............- 29.50
03/20/2021..........13-11-0...............53.16.............+ 4.50
03/19/2021..........12-13-0...............48.00%..........-11.50
03/18/2021............3-4-1................ 42.85%...........- 7.00
03/17/2021............4-0-0...............100.00%..........+20.00

Totals...................49 - 55...............47.11..............-57.50

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack
Top NHL teams at going over the total:
— Philadelphia Flyers 22-9 over
— Winnipeg Jets 17-13
— Minnesota Wild 16-13
— Phoenix Coyotes 18-14
— St Louis Blues 17-14
— Las Vegas Golden Knights 16-13
— Washington Capitals 16-13

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 545,357
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
Bill Gates

Friday’s quiz
Which major league manager has been in his current job the longest?

Thursday’s quiz
Jimmy Chitwood was the big star for Hickory High in Hoosiers; he wore number 15.

Wednesday’s quiz
Joe Girardi has managed the Marlins, Bronx and Philadelphia.

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

Friday’s Den: Random stuff with weekend here…….

13) We know that spring training stats don’t mean anything, but when you’re 1-33 this spring at the plate, when do you get upset/concerned, even if you’re a 10-year major league veteran?

St Louis IF Matt Carpenter is struggling mightily in exhibition games; the season starts in less than a week. Are the Cardinals worried? Should they be? Should he be?

Watched the Cardinals’ game Wednesday; Carpenter had a fly ball caught at the fence in CF, so he might not be far off. If he goes 2-4 on Opening Day, all will be forgotten.

12) Bad news for the White Sox; LF Eloy Jimenez tore a pectoral muscle Wednesday, when he tried to reach over the fence to rob an opponent of a home run. He is expected to be out for 5-6 months, meaning he will miss just about all of this season.

11) 68-year old Lon Kruger retired from coaching, ending a really good 44-year career; his son Kevin just became head coach at UNLV— there are rumblings that Lon Kruger is moving back to his old Las Vegas home— he coached the Rebels as recently as 2011, still has a house there.

Kruger is one of only three coaches to lead five schools to the NCAA Tournament; he also coached the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA for a while.

10) Apparently Washington owner Dan Snyder is going to spend $840M to buy out the other owners in the Washington NFL team. What a character this guy must be.

At some point, someone has to write a book/make a movie about Snyder and how he runs his team; he’s had some interesting head coaches- Mike Shanahan, Steve Spurrier, Joe Gibbs, Marty Schottenheimer, Ron Rivera. You’d think they’d win more.

Snyder bought the team in 1999; since then, Washington is 2-4 in playoff games.

9) Back when I was a kid, in the mid-70’s before ESPN, before the Interweb, before lot of stuff, we had this channel on our cable system, channel 3 on the box. It was tremendous.

All it was was this: a light blue background with messages typed on it.

On weekdays, it was a stock market ticker, but at 7pm, that shut down and it became a sports ticker, with scores updated as they happened. On NFL Sundays, they’d post scores as they happened, as in:

TD LAR
Ferragamo 23 TD pass to Waddy
LAR 24-17, 10:43 left in 3rd

The amount of time I spent with that channel on was probably excessive, but after the 4:00 NFL TV game ended, with no Sunday night games back then, the quickest way you’d find out the other late scores was to have channel 3 on. We always had channel 3 on.

8) When MTV started in 1981, channel 3 used MTV as its background music, back when Rosie O’Donnell was actually funny. So you got entertained while you followed the day’s action.

Of course, it wasn’t always good news; New Year’s Eve 1974, I went bowling with friends, came home, put channel 3 on and found out that my hero, Catfish Hunter, had left the A’s as a free agent to sign for more money with another team. 15-year old me wasn’t happy.

No bueno.

7) NIT games Thursday:
— Mississippi State 68, Richmond 67— Bulldogs hit a 3-pointer with 0:01.3 left.
— Colorado State 65, NC State 61— Teams combined to make 8-45 on arc. Yikes.
— Memphis 59, Boise State 56— Tigers won 12 of their last 15 games.
— Louisiana Tech 72, Western Kentucky 65— Tech made 11-19 on arc, WKU 9-30.

6) This has to be a strange year for baseball front offices; not only are they playing a 162-game season, after last year’s shortened 60-game season, but the minor leagues are re-booting, after not doing anything last year. Thats over 100 teams, spread out all over the country. Lot of work to do getting everything re-organized.

5) They were talking on TV about sending players to the minor leagues and do players get upset when they sent down?

Can’t be as bad as when NFL players get cut; in the NFL, you’re cutting the guy loose, out on the street, where he has to find a new job. In baseball, they’re getting sent to the minors, but they could be back to the major leagues very quickly- they’re not losing their job, just getting sent down to the next level.

4) Joe Flacco signed on to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ backup QB this season.

3) As I type this, Charlotte Hornets are #4 seed in Eastern Conference, even though they’ve given up more points than they scored this season. If the playoffs started right now, Hornets would host a first round playoff series.

Last time a team scored fewer points than they gave up, and still hosted a first round playoff series that year was 2008, when Cleveland did it.

2) As of 2pm Thursday there were 840 kids in the college basketball transfer portal; there are 357 Division I basketball teams, so you do the math. Lot of players jumping ship.

1) Congrats to the great sportscaster Dick Stockton, who retired this week after a 55-year broadcasting career. 55 years!!!

He was doing Red Sox games on channel 38 in Boston when I was in high school, back in 1975. He called the game well, but it was never about him. Enjoy your retirement!!!