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

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, MARCH 12
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MD at MICH 11:30 AM
MICH -8.5
O 132.0

UAB at WKU 12:00 PM
UAB +2.5
U 134.5

USF at WICH 12:00 PM
WICH -11.0
U 139.5

MSST at ALA 12:00 PM
MSST +7.5
O 141.0

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

OSU at PUR 02:00 PM
PUR +1.0
U 140.0

FLA at TENN 02:30 PM
TENN -4.5
U 133.0

CIN at SMU 03:00 PM
SMU -5.5
O 143.0

UNT at LT 03:00 PM
UNT +1.0
O 127.5

TXSO at JKST 03:00 PM
TXSO -2.0
U 134.0

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

OHIO at TOL 05:00 PM
OHIO +2.5
O 156.0

MORG at COPP 06:00 PM
MORG -3.5
U 156.0

IONA at NIAG 06:00 PM
NIAG +5.0
O 133.5

GTWN at HALL 06:00 PM
GTWN +3.5
O 141.0

NWST at NICH 06:00 PM
NWST +9.0
O 154.0

OKST at BAY 06:30 PM
OKST +9.0
O 147.5

RUTG at ILL 06:30 PM
ILL -7.5
O 137.5

GT at UVA 06:30 PM
UVA -4.0
U 128.0

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

MIZZ at ARK 07:00 PM
ARK -5.0
U 150.0

MTST at SUU 07:00 PM
SUU -7.0
U 150.5

TULN at HOU 07:00 PM
HOU -18.0
U 133.0

AKR at BUFF 07:30 PM
AKR +4.0
U 152.5

SEA at GRC 08:00 PM
SEA +6.5
U 133.5

FAIR at SPC 08:30 PM
FAIR +6.5
O 120.5

ORST at ORE 08:30 PM
ORST +8.5
O 137.0

UCD at UCSB 09:00 PM
UCD +10.5
O 135.5

CONN at CREI 09:00 PM
CREI -1.0
O 144.5

WIS at IOWA 09:00 PM
IOWA -4.0
U 142.5

UNC at FSU 09:00 PM
FSU -2.5
U 151.0

LAM at ACU 09:00 PM
LAM +13.5
O 133.0

TEX at KU 09:30 PM
TEX -1.5
U 135.5

MISS at LSU 09:30 PM
LSU -1.0
U 144.0

GRAM at PV 09:30 PM
GRAM +6.0
O 135.0

NEV at SDSU 09:30 PM
NEV +8.0
O 139.0

UCF at MEM 10:00 PM
MEM -7.0
U 134.0

MONT at EWU 10:00 PM
MONT +7.5
O 145.5

NMSU at UVU 11:00 PM
NMSU -6.0
U 138.5

COLO at USC 11:30 PM
USC +1.5
U 134.0

UCRV at UCI 11:59 PM
UCI -1.5
U 124.5

CSU at USU 11:59 PM
CSU +4.5
O 138.0



MARCH BEST BETS RECORD:

Mar. 11,2021............32 - 27...........54.23%............ +11.50
Mar. 10, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............- 5.00
Mar. 09, 2021............6 - 12.............33.33%...........- 36.00
Mar. 08, 2021............9 - 9..............50.00%............- 4.50
Mar. 07, 2021............9 - 16.............36.00%...........- 43.00
Mar. 06, 2021...........42 - 30............58.33%..........+ 45.00
Mar. 05, 2021...........21 - 25............45.65%...........- 32.50
Mar. 04. 2021...........22 - 17............56.41%...........+16.50
Mar. 03, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............-13.00
Mar. 02, 2021...........16 - 18............47.05%............-19.00
Mar. 01. 2021...........13 - 13............50.00%............- 6.50

TOTALS..................200- 199............50.12%............- 86.50

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

Feb.Best Bet Totals......439 Wins....371 Loses.......54.19%....+154.00

Jan.Best Bet Totals......124 Wins....152 Loses........44.92%... -216.00

Dec. Best Bets Totals.....21 Wins....9 Loses...........70.00%.....+55.50

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, MARCH 12
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MD at MICH 11:30 AM
MICH -8.5...........66 - 79.....WINNER
O 132.0.....................WINNER

UAB at WKU 12:00 PM
UAB +2.5
U 134.5

USF at WICH 12:00 PM
WICH -11.0..............67 - 68....LOSER
U 139.5

MSST at ALA 12:00 PM
MSST +7.5.........48 - 85.......LOSER
O 141.0.......................LOSER

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

OSU at PUR 02:00 PM
PUR +1.0............87 - 78.....LOSER
U 140.0

FLA at TENN 02:30 PM
TENN -4.5
U 133.0

CIN at SMU 03:00 PM
SMU -5.5.............74 - 71
O 143.0...................WINNER

UNT at LT 03:00 PM
UNT +1.0............54 - 48.......WINNER
O 127.5..............LOSER

TXSO at JKST 03:00 PM
TXSO -2.0..........84 - 81....WINNER
U 134.0

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

OHIO at TOL 05:00 PM
OHIO +2.5.......87 - 80....WINNER
O 156.0......................WINNER

MORG at COPP 06:00 PM
MORG -3.5.............82 - 61
U 156.0......................WINNER

IONA at NIAG 06:00 PM
NIAG +5.0.............70 - 64......LOSER
O 133.5.........................WINNER

GTWN at HALL 06:00 PM
GTWN +3.5............66 - 58......WINNER
O 141.0..................LOSER

NWST at NICH 06:00 PM
NWST +9.0..........76 - 88
O 154.0...........................WINNER

OKST at BAY 06:30 PM
OKST +9.0.............83 - 74.........WINNER
O 147.5...........................WINNER

RUTG at ILL 06:30 PM
ILL -7.5..........68 - 90.........WINNER
O 137.5................................WINNER

GT at UVA 06:30 PM
UVA -4.0.........................PPD
U 128.0

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

MIZZ at ARK 07:00 PM
ARK -5.0........64 - 70........WINNER
U 150.0

MTST at SUU 07:00 PM
SUU -7.0............80 - 77.....LOSER
U 150.5.....................LOSER

TULN at HOU 07:00 PM
HOU -18.0.............52 - 74
U 133.0.....................WINNER

AKR at BUFF 07:30 PM
AKR +4.0..................74 - 81.......LOSER
U 152.5

SEA at GRC 08:00 PM
SEA +6.5................47 - 81......LOSER
U 133.5

FAIR at SPC 08:30 PM
FAIR +6.5............52 - 47.....WINNER
O 120.5............................WINNER

ORST at ORE 08:30 PM
ORST +8.5.............75 - 64............WINNER
O 137.0...........................WINNER

UCD at UCSB 09:00 PM
UCD +10.5
O 135.5

CONN at CREI 09:00 PM
CREI -1.0............56 - 59....WINNER
O 144.5................LOSER

WIS at IOWA 09:00 PM
IOWA -4.0........57 - 62...........WINNER
U 142.5..............WINNER

UNC at FSU 09:00 PM
FSU -2.5..............66 - 69...........WINNER
U 151.0

LAM at ACU 09:00 PM
LAM +13.5........71 - 93..........LOSER
O 133.0....................WINNER

TEX at KU 09:30 PM
TEX -1.5....................PPD
U 135.5

MISS at LSU 09:30 PM
LSU -1.0............73 - 78.....WINNER
U 144.0

GRAM at PV 09:30 PM
GRAM +6.0
O 135.0

NEV at SDSU 09:30 PM
NEV +8.0........70 -77.........WINNER
O 139.0.........................WINNER

UCF at MEM 10:00 PM
MEM -7.0
U 134.0

MONT at EWU 10:00 PM
MONT +7.5
O 145.5

NMSU at UVU 11:00 PM
NMSU -6.0
U 138.5

COLO at USC 11:30 PM
USC +1.5
U 134.0

UCRV at UCI 11:59 PM
UCI -1.5
U 124.5

CSU at USU 11:59 PM
CSU +4.5
O 138.0



MARCH BEST BETS RECORD:

Mar. 12,2021............29 - 13...........69.04%.............+73.50
Mar. 11,2021............32 - 27...........54.23%............ +11.50
Mar. 10, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............- 5.00
Mar. 09, 2021............6 - 12.............33.33%...........- 36.00
Mar. 08, 2021............9 - 9..............50.00%............- 4.50
Mar. 07, 2021............9 - 16.............36.00%...........- 43.00
Mar. 06, 2021...........42 - 30............58.33%..........+ 45.00
Mar. 05, 2021...........21 - 25............45.65%...........- 32.50
Mar. 04. 2021...........22 - 17............56.41%...........+16.50
Mar. 03, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............-13.00
Mar. 02, 2021...........16 - 18............47.05%............-19.00
Mar. 01. 2021...........13 - 13............50.00%............- 6.50

TOTALS..................229- 212............51.92%............- 13.00

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

Feb.Best Bet Totals......439 Wins....371 Loses.......54.19%....+154.00

Jan.Best Bet Totals......124 Wins....152 Loses........44.92%... -216.00

Dec. Best Bets Totals.....21 Wins....9 Loses...........70.00%.....+55.50

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s 6-pack
Top six scoring teams in Division I:
92.1— Gonzaga
86.4— Colgate
85.0— Iowa
84.8— Baylor
84.5— Southern Utah
83.9— Bryant

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 532,151
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“Nobody ever changed the world by doing what everyone else was doing.”
Mark Cuban

Saturday’s quiz
When was the last time a team that was lower than a #2-seed won the national title in college basketball?

Friday’s quiz
Of the 31 conference tournaments this month, four were/are being played in Las Vegas.

Thursday’s quiz
Bob Brenly was manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks when they won their only World Series title.

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

Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a busy basketball day

13) Pac-12 tourney:
Oregon State 75, Oregon 64
— Beavers were picked last in pre-season polls, finished a surprising 5th in regular season, now they’re playing for the league title Saturday.
— Oregon State is 20-44 on the arc the last two days.

Colorado 72, USC 70
— Buffs had a 17-0 run in first half, needed a tip dunk with 0:02.3 left for the win.
— Colorado has now beaten USC seven times in a row.

12) Big 14 tourney:
Michigan 79, Maryland 66
— 11:30am opener saw Michigan coach Howard get tossed after he got into a kerfuffle with Maryland coach Turgeon. Michigan is 20-3; Howard should be happier.

Ohio State 87, Purdue 78 OT
— Buckeyes led by 18 at half, needed OT for the win.
— Purdue was only 15-27 on the foul line.

11) ACC tourney:
— Georgia Tech advanced to finals because Virginia couldn’t play due to COVID issues.

Florida State 69, North Carolina 66:
— Florida State has unusually good depth; they’ll be a popular pick to make the Final Four.
— North Carolina shot 34% inside arc, had 21 offensive rebounds.

10) Big X tourney:
Oklahoma State 83, Baylor 74:
— Cowboys outscored Baylor 31-14 over final 7:49.
— OSU star Cunningham tweaked his ankle last week and missed a game, but played 77:00 out of 80:00 the last two days.
— Baylor heads into the NCAA Tournament at 22-2.

Texas advanced to the finals, because Kansas couldn’t play due to COVID issues.

9) Big East tourney:
Georgetown 66, Seton Hall 58
— #8-seed Hoyas are in Big East finals for first since since 2010.
— Seton Hall lost five of last six games, finishes 14-13. No bueno.

Creighton 59, UConn 56
— Bluejays won the MVC tournament last two years they were in that league, but they’ve never won the Big East tournament- they’re favored to do that tonight.
— Creighton outscored UConn 11-3 over final 5:26 of this game.
— Bluejays are #40 experience team; they’re an experienced group.

8) Big Sky tourney:
Montana State 80, Southern Utah 77 OT
— Top-seeded Thunderbirds get upset here.

Eastern Washington 78, Montana 50
— Eagles won 12 of their last 13 games

7) Upsets of the Day:
— Oregon State (+8) 75, Oregon 64
— Montana State (+6.5) 80, Southern Utah 77 OT
— Fairfield (+6.5) 52, Saint Peter’s 47
— Cincinnati (+5.5) 74, SMU 71
— Georgetown (+3.5) 66, Seton Hall 58

6) SEC tourney:
— All four favorites won Friday; I’m hoping Ole Miss gets in the NCAA Tournament- they looked like a tournament team in their 76-73 loss to LSU. Non-conference losses to Dayton/Wichita aren’t going to help their cause any.

Arkansas 70, Missouri 64:
— Razorbacks have won nine games in a row.
— Officials totally dominated this game- the TV guys stopped counting when they got to 17 offensive fouls in this game. Guys were flopping all over the place.
— Underrated thing about Eric Musselman; he’s coached two NBA teams and he also coached in the CBA— the guy is an X’s-and-O’s savant.

5) MAAC tourney:
Iona 70, Niagara 64
— Rick Pitino re-surfaces on national TV Saturday; his Gaels are playing for their fifth MAAC tournament title in last six tries.
— Iona didn’t play a game in January; they had a 7-week COVID pause, and didn’t play for 17 days before this tournament. Gaels have a new coach (albeit a Hall of Fame coach) and #274 continuity team, but they’re favored to win their league title tonight.

4) MAC tourney:
Ohio 87, Toledo 80
— Toledo hasn’t made the NCAA’s since I was in college (1982); they were the top seed here, but got upset here, despite shooting 69.4% inside arc.

Buffalo 81, Akron 74 OT
— Buffalo survived miserable 8-19 shooting on foul line; they were down 5 with 6:32 left.
— Bulls have won seven games in a row; they’re trying for 5th NCAA bid in last six tournaments.

3) Conference USA tourney
Western Kentucky 64, UAB 60
— Hilltoppers made 10-20 on arc; they also have an NBA-type big man in Bassey, who had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocked shots.

North Texas 54, Louisiana Tech 48:
— Mean Green won last three nights, giving up 53 ppg. They’re experience team #16 and they play a very slow tempo. North Texas last made the NCAA’s in 2010.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Dunkel

Saturday, March 13




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


NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, March 13

AAC tournament
Cincinnati vs Wichita State (@ Fort Worth, TX)
Cincinnati (11-10, 9-6)
— ranked #111 by KenPom
— Tempo: #59
— Experience: #258
— Continuity: #209
— Cincinnati is 7-3 in their last ten games.
— Bearcats are shooting 31.6% on arc (#272), 65.8% on line (#312)
— Cincinnati is turning ball over 20.6% of time (#258)
— Bearcats were up 20 with 6:05 left Friday, won by 3.
— Cincinnati won the last two AAC tournaments.

Wichita State (16-4, 12-2)
— ranked #70 by KenPom
— Tempo: #222
— Experience: #134
— Continuity: #224
— Wichita won last eight games, giving up 65.3 ppg in last seven.
— Shockers are shooting 45.0% inside arc (#319)
— Wichita has #49 eFG% defense in country.
— Shockers were down 9 with 6:38 left Friday, survived 68-67.
— Wichita is 14-5 in its last 19 AAC tournament games.

— Bearcats lost 82-76 in Wichita January 10.
— Cincinnati won six of last seven series games.

Big 14 tournament (@ Indianapolis)
Ohio State vs Michigan
Ohio State (19-8, 13-8)
— ranked #7 by KenPom
— Tempo: #233
— Experience: #88
— Continuity: #173
— Buckeyes led by 18 at half Friday, needed OT to beat Purdue.
— Ohio State is shooting 52.7% inside arc (#65), 36.0% on arc (#68)
— Buckeyes are getting 21.4% of their points on foul line (#43)
— Last 7+ years, Ohio State is 7-6 in Big 14 tourneys.

Michigan (20-3, 15-3)
— ranked #2 by KenPom
— Tempo: #249
— Experience: #55
— Continuity: #152
— Michigan split its last four games. After an 18-1 start.
— Wolverines have #6 eFG% defense in country.
— In its three losses, Michigan was held to 64 or fewer points.
— Michigan is 13-2 in last 15 Big 14 tourney games- they won two of last three tournaments.

— Wolverines won 92-87 in Columbus February 21.
— Ohio State is 6-4 in last ten series games.

SEC tournament (@ Nashville)
Tennessee vs Alabama
Tennessee (18-7, 11-7)
— ranked #20 by KenPom
— Tempo: #246
— Experience: #251
— Continuity: #105
— Tennessee won three of its last four games.
— Opponents are shooting only 44.7% inside arc (#14)
— Tennessee is forcing turnovers 22.9% of time (#15)
— Tennessee went WWL in last two SEC tournaments.

Alabama (22-6, 17-2)
— ranked #8 by KenPom
— Tempo: #8
— Experience: #141
— Continuity: #151
— Alabama won seven of its last eight games.
— Crimson Tide has #11 eFG% defense in country.
— Alabama gets 40.4% of its points on arc (#13)
— Last 5+ years, Crimson Tide is 7-4 in SEC tournament games.

— Alabama won 71-63 in Knoxville January 2.
— Teams split last ten series games.

ACC tournament (@ Greensboro)
Georgia Tech vs Florida State
Georgia Tech (16-8, 12-6)
— ranked #36 by KenPom
— Tempo: #212
— Experience: #4
— Continuity: #10
— Georgia Tech won its last seven games.
— Yellow Jackets force turnovers 22.2% of time (#31)
— Tech is shooting 54.6% inside arc (#26)
— Tech didn’t have to play yesterday, because of Virginia’s COVID issues.
— Last 9+ years, Tech is 3-9 in ACC tourney; last time they won two games in one ACC tourney was 2010.

Florida State (16-5, 12-4)
— ranked #13 by KenPom
— Tempo: #83
— Experience: #97
— Continuity: #103
— Seminoles split last four games, after a 9-1 run.
— Opponents are shooting 43.5% inside arc (#9)
— Florida State is shooting 38.5% on the arc (#12)
— Last 8+ years, Florida State is 8-7 in ACC tournament.
— FSU beat Carolina 69-66 Friday; no Seminole played more than 28:00.

— Teams split pair of home wins this season.
— Seminoles won five of last six series games.

Big X tournament (@ Kansas City)
Oklahoma State vs Texas
Oklahoma State (20-7, 13-7)
— ranked #30 by KenPom
— Tempo: #46
— Experience: #323
— Continuity: #289
— Cowboys won eight of their last nine games.
— Oklahoma State has #42 eFG% defense in country.
— Last three games, OSU scored 80 ppg.
— Cowboys played star Cunningham 77:00 out of 80:00 last two days.
— Oklahoma State hasn’t won conference tournament since 2005.

Texas (18-7, 12-6)
— ranked #25 by KenPom
— Tempo: #146
— Experience: #106
— Continuity: #4
— Texas won its last four games, giving up 65.5 ppg.
— Opponents are shooting 45.2% inside arc (#24)
— 42.3% of Texas’ shots come behind the arc (#52)
— Texas didn’t play yesterday, because of Kansas’ COVID issues.
— Under Smart, Longhorns are 4-5 in Big X tournament- they went WL in six of last eight Big X tourneys.

— Teams split pair of home wins this season.
— Teams also split last ten series games.

Big East tournament (@ New York City)
Creighton vs Georgetown
Creighton (20-7, 16-6)
— ranked #10 by KenPom
— Tempo: #134
— Experience: #39
— Continuity: #19
— Creighton won ten of its last 13 games.
— Bluejays are shooting 56.9% inside arc (#9)
— Creighton gets 37.4% of their points on arc (#36)
— Last 5+ years, Creighton is 4-5 in Big East tourney- they won MVC tourneys in 2013-14, but haven’t won a Big East tournament.

Georgetown (12-12, 10-9)
— ranked #68 by KenPom
— Tempo: #107
— Experience: #68
— Continuity: #248
— Georgetown won the last three days, giving up 66.0 ppg.
— Hoyas are shooting 45.9% inside arc (#299) are turning ball over 21.8% of time (#311).
— Georgetown is 2-7 vs top 50 teams this season.
— Hoyas are in finals of Big East tourney for first time since 2010.

— These teams split pair of road wins this season.
— Creighton won seven of last nine series games.

Conference USA tournament (@ Frisco, TX)
North Texas vs Western Kentucky
North Texas (16-9, 12-5)
— ranked #73 by KenPom
— Tempo: #347
— Experience: #16
— Continuity: #94
— North Texas won last three days, giving up 53 ppg.
— Mean Green has #22 eFG% defense in country.
— UNT played all five starters 30:00+ yesterday- they’ve played last three days.
— Last time North Texas won a conference tournament: 2010.

Western Kentucky (20-6, 13-3)
— ranked #92 by KenPom
— Tempo: #193
— Experience: #56
— Continuity: #83
— WKU won 11 of its last 13 games.
— Hilltoppers are a top 30 rebounding team in country.
— WKU is turning ball over 21.1% of time (#283)
— Hilltoppers lost in final of last two C-USA tourneys; they last won a conference tournament in 2013- that was the Sun Belt tournament.

— WKU won seven of last eight series games.

MAAC tournament (@ Atlantic City)
Fairfield @ Iona
Fairfield (10-16, 10-11)
— ranked #308 by KenPom
— Tempo: #333
— Experience: #166
— Continuity: #220
— Fairfield won its last four games, after starting season 6-16.
— Stags are shooting 44.9% inside arc (#323)
— Fairfield was down 11 early Friday, won by 5; they played three starters 36:00+.
— Fairfield lost 83-71 to Iona in MAAC final three years ago.

Iona (11-5, 9-3)- coached by Rick Pitino
— ranked #185 by KenPom
— Tempo: #177
— Experience: #190
— Continuity: #274
— Iona won five in row, nine of last 11 games.
— Last three days, Gaels gave up 54.7 ppg.
— Iona is turning ball over 22.5% of time (#327)
— Iona is 23-3 in last 26 MAAC tourney games; they won this event four of last five years.

— These teams split pair of games back on December 11-12.
— Iona won 12 of last 17 series games.

MAC tournament (@ Cleveland)
Ohio vs Buffalo
Ohio (15-7, 11-5)
— ranked #83 by KenPom
— Tempo: #121
— Experience: #271
— Continuity: #85
— Bobcats won eight of their last nine games.
— Ohio U has #244 eFG% defense in country.
— Bobcats are shooting 56.8% inside arc (#11)
— Ohio upset #1-seed Toledo 87-80 Friday, despite Rockets shooting 69% inside arc.
— Last 9+ years, Ohio is 11-7 in MAC tourney; they last won this event in 2012.

Buffalo (16-7, 14-5)
— ranked #60 by KenPom
— Tempo: #10
— Experience: #47
— Continuity: #47
— Buffalo won seven in row, 10 of last 11 games.
— Bulls have #18 eFG% defense in country.
— Four starters played 40:00+ in Friday’s OT win over Aron.
— Last 3+ years, Buffalo is 8-1 in MAC tourney games.

— These teams split pair of road wins this season.
— Buffalo won seven of last nine series games.

Big Sky tournament (@ Boise)
Montana State vs Eastern Washington
Montana State (13-9, 10-6)
— ranked #222 by KenPom
— Tempo: #159
— Experience: #75
— Continuity: #215
— Bobcats won four of their last five games.
— Montana State is getting 23.1% of its points on foul line (#8)
— Bobcats are 2-5 vs top 200 teams this season.
— MSU upset top-seeded Southern Utah Friday; they were down 10 at half.
— Before this week, over the previous 11 years, Bobcats were 1-8 in Big Sky tourney- they’re 2-0 this week.

Eastern Washington (15-7, 14-3)
— ranked #109 by KenPom
— Tempo: #25
— Experience: #217
— Continuity: #71
— Eagles won 12 of their last 13 games.
— Eastern Washington has #31 eFG% in country.
— Eagles had stress-free win over Montana last night.
— EWU is 11-4 in last fifteen Big Sky tourney games; they last won this tournament in 2015.

— EWU beat Montana State twice this year, 93-77/85-69

Mountain West tournament (@ UNLV)
Utah State vs San Diego State
Utah State (20-7, 17-4)
— ranked #39 by KenPom
— Tempo: #131
— Experience: #256
— Continuity: #138
— Utah State won its last six games.
— Utah State has #30 eFG% defense in country.
— Aggies are #2 team in country on defensive boards.
— Utah State won this tournament the last two years.

San Diego State (22-4, 16-3)
— ranked #24 by KenPom
— Tempo: #295
— Experience: #15
— Continuity: #145
— San Diego State won its last 13 games.
— Aztecs are forcing turnovers 22.3% of time (#26)
— Aztecs are #32 team in country on defensive boards.
— Aztecs went WWL in this event 6 of last 7 years, WWW the other year.

— Aggies beat San Diego State in finals of last two Mountain West tourneys.
— Utah State swept Aztecs this year, 57-45/64-59, January 14-16.
— Aggies won five of last seven series games.

Pac-12 tournament (@ T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)
Oregon State vs Colorado
Oregon State (16-12, 12-10)
— ranked #85 by KenPom
— Tempo: #313
— Experience: #69
— Continuity: #154
— Beavers won five of their last six games.
— Oregon State gets 21.2% of its points on foul line (#46)
— Beavers never trailed in its win over rival Oregon Friday.
— Under Tinkle, Beavers are 4-5 in Pac-12 tourney. Oregon State has made NCAA’s once (2016) in the last 24 years.

Colorado (22-7, 16-6)
— ranked #17 by KenPom
— Tempo: #271
— Experience: #31
— Continuity: #84
— Colorado won its last six games, giving up 61.5 ppg.
— Colorado is shooting 36.8% on the arc (#47)
— Opponents are shooting 46.2% inside arc (#50)
— Colorado hasn’t won the Pac-12 tourney since 2012.

— Colorado beat Oregon State twice this year, 78-49/61-57
— Buffs won eight of last 12 series games.

Big West tournament (@ Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas)
Cal-Irvine vs UCSB
Cal-Irvine (18-8, 12-4)
— ranked #106 by KenPom
— Tempo: #217
— Experience: #338
— Continuity: #182
— Irvine won its last six games, giving up 59.5 ppg.
— Anteaters get 60.2% of their points on 2-point shots (#7)
— Opponents are shooting 42.6% inside arc (#3)
—

Cal-Santa Barbara (21-4, 15-3)
— ranked #75 by KenPom
— Tempo: #293
— Experience: #25
— Continuity: #55
— Gauchos won four in row, 17 of last 18 games.
— Gauchos have #65 eFG% defense in country.
— UCSB was 28-34 on foul line last night, Cal Poly 6-8.
— UCSB held three of last four opponents to 57 or fewer points.
— Gauchos are 6-6 in last dozen Big West tourney games; they last won this tournament in 2011.

— Gauchos lost 75-56/73-69 at Irvine, way back on December 27-28.
— Irvine won six of last seven series games.


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


NCAAB

Saturday, March 13

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




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



NCAAB
Long Sheet

Saturday, March 13

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

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, MARCH 13
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

UMASS at HART 11:00 AM
HART -2.0
U 136.5

MORG at NORF 01:00 PM
MORG +2.5
U 143.0

TENN at ALA 01:00 PM
ALA -3.5
O 140.0

OSU at MICH 01:00 PM
MICH -6.5
U 142.0

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

CIN at WICH 03:00 PM
CIN +3.5
U 142.0

LSU at ARK 03:30 PM
ARK -3.5
O 162.5

IOWA at ILL 03:30 PM
ILL -3.5
U 153.0

IONA at FAIR 04:00 PM
IONA -8.5
O 130.0

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

MEM at HOU 05:30 PM
HOU -7.5
U 133.5

OKST at TEX 06:00 PM
OKST +3.0
U 144.5

TXSO at PV 06:00 PM
TXSO +3.0
O 141.5

USU at SDSU 06:00 PM
SDSU -1.5
U 128.5

GTWN at CREI 06:30 PM
GTWN +9.0
O 144.0

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

OHIO at BUFF 07:30 PM
OHIO +2.5
U 156.0

MTST at EWU 08:00 PM
EWU -7.0
U 148.5

GT at FSU 08:30 PM
FSU -4.5
U 146.5

UNT at WKU 09:00 PM
WKU -1.0
U 126.5

ACU at NICH 09:30 PM
ACU -6.5
U 145.0

NMSU at GRC 10:00 PM
NMSU -2.0
U 126.5

UCI at UCSB 11:30 PM
UCSB -2.5
U 126.0



MARCH BEST BETS RECORD:

Mar. 12,2021............29 - 13...........69.04%.............+73.50
Mar. 11,2021............32 - 27...........54.23%............ +11.50
Mar. 10, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............- 5.00
Mar. 09, 2021............6 - 12.............33.33%...........- 36.00
Mar. 08, 2021............9 - 9..............50.00%............- 4.50
Mar. 07, 2021............9 - 16.............36.00%...........- 43.00
Mar. 06, 2021...........42 - 30............58.33%..........+ 45.00
Mar. 05, 2021...........21 - 25............45.65%...........- 32.50
Mar. 04. 2021...........22 - 17............56.41%...........+16.50
Mar. 03, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............-13.00
Mar. 02, 2021...........16 - 18............47.05%............-19.00
Mar. 01. 2021...........13 - 13............50.00%............- 6.50

TOTALS..................229- 212............51.92%............- 13.00

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

Feb.Best Bet Totals......439 Wins....371 Loses.......54.19%....+154.00

Jan.Best Bet Totals......124 Wins....152 Loses........44.92%... -216.00

Dec. Best Bets Totals.....21 Wins....9 Loses...........70.00%.....+55.50

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, MARCH 13
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

UMASS at HART 11:00 AM
HART -2.0
U 136.5

MORG at NORF 01:00 PM
MORG +2.5..............63 - 71............LOSER
U 143.0

TENN at ALA 01:00 PM
ALA -3.5...........68 - 73.............WINNEER
O 140.0................................WINNER

OSU at MICH 01:00 PM
MICH -6.5..................68 - 67.........LOSER
U 142.0

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

CIN at WICH 03:00 PM
CIN +3.5
U 142.0

LSU at ARK 03:30 PM
ARK -3.5............78 - 71......LOSER
O 162.5..........................LOSER

IOWA at ILL 03:30 PM
ILL -3.5................71 - 82.........WINNER
U 153.0

IONA at FAIR 04:00 PM
IONA -8.5..............60 - 51...........WINNER
O 130.0..........................LOSER

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

MEM at HOU 05:30 PM
HOU -7.5..............74 - 76.........LOSER
U 133.5

OKST at TEX 06:00 PM
OKST +3.0..............86 - 91.....LOSER
U 144.5

TXSO at PV 06:00 PM
TXSO +3.0............80 - 61...WINNER
O 141.5.....................WINNER

USU at SDSU 06:00 PM
SDSU -1.5..................57 - 68.....WINNER
U 128.5...............................WINNER

GTWN at CREI 06:30 PM
GTWN +9.0...................73 - 48.........WINNER
O 144.0..........................LOSER

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

OHIO at BUFF 07:30 PM
OHIO +2.5............84 - 69........WINNER
U 156.0

MTST at EWU 08:00 PM
EWU -70............55 - 65............WINNER
U 148.5

GT at FSU 08:30 PM
FSU -4.5.........80 - 75.....LOSER
U 146.5

UNT at WKU 09:00 PM
WKU -1.0..........61 - 57....LOSER
U 126.5.......................WINNER

ACU at NICH 09:30 PM
ACU -6.5............79 - 45........WINNER`
U 145.0

NMSU at GRC 10:00 PM
NMSU -2.0
U 126.5

UCI at UCSB 11:30 PM
UCSB -2.5
U 126.0



MARCH BEST BETS RECORD:

Mar. 13,2021............13 - 10...........56.52%.............+10.00
Mar. 12,2021............29 - 13...........69.04%.............+73.50
Mar. 11,2021............32 - 27...........54.23%............ +11.50
Mar. 10, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............- 5.00
Mar. 09, 2021............6 - 12.............33.33%...........- 36.00
Mar. 08, 2021............9 - 9..............50.00%............- 4.50
Mar. 07, 2021............9 - 16.............36.00%...........- 43.00
Mar. 06, 2021...........42 - 30............58.33%..........+ 45.00
Mar. 05, 2021...........21 - 25............45.65%...........- 32.50
Mar. 04. 2021...........22 - 17............56.41%...........+16.50
Mar. 03, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............-13.00
Mar. 02, 2021...........16 - 18............47.05%............-19.00
Mar. 01. 2021...........13 - 13............50.00%............- 6.50

TOTALS..................242- 222............52.25%............- 3.00

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

Feb.Best Bet Totals......439 Wins....371 Loses.......54.19%....+154.00

Jan.Best Bet Totals......124 Wins....152 Loses........44.92%... -216.00

Dec. Best Bets Totals.....21 Wins....9 Loses...........70.00%.....+55.50

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s 6-pack
— Georgetown 73, Marquette 48— #8-seed Hoyas win the Big East.
— Texas 91, Oklahoma State 86— Longhorns had lost last six Big X title games.
— Grand Canyon 74, New Mexico State 56— Bryce Drew’s Antelopes win WAC.
— Iona 60, Fairfield 51— Rick Pitino gets his Gaels into the NCAAs.
— North Texas 61, Western Kentucky 57 OT— Mean Green’s first title since 2010.
— Oregon State 70, Colorado 68— Beavers win Pac-12 tourney for first time.

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 533,868
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“Try not to do too many things at once. Know what you want, the number one thing today and tomorrow. Persevere and get it done.”
George Allen

Sunday’s quiz
We know Hawai’i is the 50th state; which state was the first state?

Saturday’s quiz
2014 was the last time a team that was lower than a #2-seed won the national title in college basketball, when #7-seed UConn won the title.

Friday’s quiz
Of the 31 conference tournaments this month, four were/are being played in Las Vegas.

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

Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday

13) Last three days have been very excellent; sat around my house in hooded sweatshirts and sweats, watched ball for 14-16 hours a day, ate pizza, took a lot of notes. Life almost seemed normal again.

In most years, this is my favorite week of the year; last year it was a disaster, when everything shut down because of the pandemic. This week, college basketball was everywhere, the way it is supposed to be in March. Filled in the voids with spring training baseball. Good stuff.

Sunday night the brackets come out, something we all missed last year.

Meanwhile, there was other stuff going on besides college basketball:

12) Every summer, HBO does Hard Knocks, a behind-the-scenes look at NFL training camp, usually one team each summer. They do five one-hour shows during the summer; it is fun to learn some things that normally behind-the-scenes. It helps promote the league.

Baseball needs to do this!!! Give HBO access to a team every spring; Lord knows there is enough free time for managers/coaches/players to talk on camera. Let HBO spen six weeks with the Angels so America can learn about Trout, and Ohtani. Next year do the Padres.

Promote the game!!! Young people need to learn how great baseball is; there is so much stuff going on these days, so much competition for the entertainment dollar. Expose baseball to as many people as possible; that would seem like a good business move.

Speaking of which, why do they black out TV broadcasts of games on MLB Network? Let as many people watch games as want to do it— it is STUPID to black games out.

11) Major league baseball now controls the minor leagues; starting this season, they’re going to use the minors as a laboratory for new rules. Different levels will have different experiments:
— All four infielders will have to have both feet on the infield dirt.
— Teams will have to have two infielders on each side of th einfield.
— 0:15 pitch clock, which seems to be a bit much.
— Throws to first base vs baserunners will be limited.
— Robotic ball/strike umpires (I really dislike this one, maybe even hate it)

10) The motivation for all this is that MLB wants more baseballs put in play; less strikeouts and walks, more game action. If there are only two fielders on the right side of the infield, guys can go to the other way more— hard grounders that are pulled are more likely to be hits. Fewer batters will try to hit home runs all the time.

Batting average in the major leagues the last three years:
2018: .248
2019: .252
2020: .245— In 2000, it was .270. Shifts have badly hurt offense; offense makes the game more fun to watch.

9) Worlds colliding: a guy named Frank McCourt used to own the Dodgers- it didn’t go well. He had to sell the team, after he spent too much money in his personal life, and his toxic divorce proceedings pushed the Dodgers into bankruptcy. No bueno.

McCourt now owns a soccer team in France, a team previously owned by a guy who was the CEO of Adidas. When the guy passed away in 2009, his wife inherited the team— she is worth $5.9B, according to Forbes magazine, the richest Russian-born woman in the world. She later sold the soccer team to McCourt.

Anyway, it turns out that the Adidas guy was 2nd-cousins with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine on the Seinfeld TV show. Like I said, worlds colliding.

8) Chicago Cubs hired Jon Sciambi as their new TV play-by-play guy, a huge upgrade over the last guy, who moved to White Sox radio. Sciambi is awesome and will team with former big league pitcher Jim Deshaies. The reason I care about this a decent amount is that I have both Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant on my fantasy team, so I’m going to be watching the Cubs a lot this season.

7) Was watching the Milwaukee Brewers play in the middle of the night this week, the replay of an exhibition game, and got this sick feeling that I get every March when I watch the Brewers.

They’re analytically-driven, which means their front office guys all went to fancy colleges, and they do unusual things with the team, then use their college degrees to defend them when they don’t work. Translation: I will never have another Milwaukee pitcher on my fantasy team.

6) Random sports trivia; Arkansas hoop coach Eric Musselman is the son of the late coach Bill Musselman, who coached the Minnesota Gophers, also in the NBA and in the CBA, with the Albany Patroons, who played three miles from my house. Musselman’s Gophers won the 1972 Big Ten championship, back before there was a conference tournament.

When Bill Musselman was at Minnesota, one of the subs on his team was this guy who was pretty good in another sport, a 6-6 outfielder you may have heard of. Guy named Dave Winfield, a baseball Hall of Famer.

5) Tip of the cap to Nick Markakis, who retired this week after a 15-year career where he hit .288 for the Orioles/Braves, with a career on-base % of .357. Pretty freakin’ good.

Markakis played in 147+ games in 12 of his 15 seasons; he wound up with 2,388 hits. He was on my fantasy team for several years, was a big help— one of the best “abilities” is dependability.

4) NCAA Tournament schedule is a little different this year:
— Play-in games will all be on Thursday.
— First round games are Friday/Saturday
— Second round games are Sunday/Monday
— Second weekend of the tournament will be Saturday-Tuesday.

3) Georgia Tech 80, Florida State 75
— This was only second time EVER (Georgia Tech-Virginia in 1990) that the ACC title game didn’t have a team from North Carolina in it.
— Georgia Tech wins ACC title for first time since 1993.

2) 12-15 years ago, when I used to go to Florida every summer to watch the AAU national tournament at Disney World, I’d venture to different high schools in the Kissimmee area to watch games. When I went back to work the next week, I’d tell people how I spent my vacation, and more than one person gave me an odd look. Go figure.

One day I’m at Poinciana HS watching games, sitting on a cafeteria table, behind one of the baskets and this young coach sits on the other end of the table. I struck up a conversation with him and picked his brain for a couple hours, learned a lot. Probably asked too many questions, but learned a lot.

Maybe 4-5 years ago, I’m at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas watching games, and once again I’m sitting next to the same guy, and we had another good conversation. Now I’m a nobody, he had no reason to be nice to me, or answer my numerous questions, but he did.

Josh Pastner is a hell of a nice guy; was so happy to see him win this game and win the ACC title. He was a sub as a player on great Arizona teams under Lute Olson and now has been a head coach for 12 years, seven at Memphis, five at Georgia Tech. Congrats coach!!!

1) Since AFL-NFL merger, most starts for a QB-coach combo without making playoffs:
85— Jim Zorn/Jack Patera, (expansion Seahawks)
59— David Carr/Dom Capers (expansion Texans)
52— Ryan Tannehill/Joe Philbin (Dolphins)
48— Derek Carr/Jon Gruden (Raiders)

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Dunkel

Sunday, March 14






NCAAB
Long Sheet

Sunday, March 14

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

VA COMMONWEALTH (19 - 6) vs. ST BONAVENTURE (15 - 4) - 3/14/2021, 1:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST BONAVENTURE is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in all neutral court games over the last 2 seasons.
ST BONAVENTURE is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) after a conference game this season.
ST BONAVENTURE is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) when playing on a neutral court over the last 2 seasons.
ST BONAVENTURE is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) after allowing 60 points or less over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
VA COMMONWEALTH is 2-1 against the spread versus ST BONAVENTURE over the last 3 seasons
VA COMMONWEALTH is 3-1 straight up against ST BONAVENTURE over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

LSU (18 - 8) vs. ALABAMA (23 - 6) - 3/14/2021, 1:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ALABAMA is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ALABAMA is 3-3 against the spread versus LSU over the last 3 seasons
ALABAMA is 3-3 straight up against LSU over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

CINCINNATI (12 - 10) vs. HOUSTON (23 - 3) - 3/14/2021, 3:15 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CINCINNATI is 19-33 ATS (-17.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 19-33 ATS (-17.3 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 19-35 ATS (-19.5 Units) after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 12-26 ATS (-16.6 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 3 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 14-24 ATS (-12.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 131-182 ATS (-69.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games since 1997.
CINCINNATI is 56-86 ATS (-38.6 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game after 15+ games since 1997.
HOUSTON is 53-36 ATS (+13.4 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 53-36 ATS (+13.4 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 5-1 against the spread versus CINCINNATI over the last 3 seasons
HOUSTON is 4-2 straight up against CINCINNATI over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

OHIO ST (21 - 8) vs. ILLINOIS (22 - 6) - 3/14/2021, 3:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ILLINOIS is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) in all games this season.
ILLINOIS is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) in all lined games this season.
ILLINOIS is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) when the total is 150 to 159.5 this season.
ILLINOIS is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) against conference opponents this season.
ILLINOIS is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) after a conference game this season.
ILLINOIS is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) off a win against a conference rival this season.
ILLINOIS is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ILLINOIS is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
OHIO ST is 3-2 against the spread versus ILLINOIS over the last 3 seasons
OHIO ST is 3-2 straight up against ILLINOIS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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

LOYOLA-MD (6 - 10) at COLGATE (13 - 1) - 3/14/2021, 12:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOYOLA-MD is 126-86 ATS (+31.4 Units) in road games since 1997.
LOYOLA-MD is 126-86 ATS (+31.4 Units) in road lined games since 1997.
LOYOLA-MD is 103-63 ATS (+33.7 Units) in road games against conference opponents since 1997.
LOYOLA-MD is 101-70 ATS (+24.0 Units) in road games after a conference game since 1997.
LOYOLA-MD is 48-30 ATS (+15.0 Units) in road games off a win against a conference rival since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOYOLA-MD is 3-1 against the spread versus COLGATE over the last 3 seasons
COLGATE is 2-2 straight up against LOYOLA-MD over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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




NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, March 14

Patriot League tournament
Loyola MD @ Colgate
Loyola MD (6-10, 6-10)
— ranked #210 by KenPom
— Tempo: #140
— Experience: #197
— Continuity: #100
— Loyola is 5-3 in last eight games, after a 1-7 start.
— Greyhounds have two losses in triple OT this season.
— Loyola is shooting 31.2% on the arc (#289), 60.6% on foul line (#344)
— This is Loyola’s 8th year in row under .500; they last made NCAA’s in 2012.

Colgate (13-1, 13-1)
— ranked #86 by KenPom
— Tempo: #20
— Experience: #147
— Continuity: #46
— Raiders won their last 12 games; their loss was January 3 to Army.
— Nine of their 13 wins are over Boston U/Holy Cross.
— Colgate is shooting 38.5% on the arc (#13)
— Colgate made NCAAs two years ago, their only bid since at least 1997.

— Colgate won seven of last nine series games.
— Loyola lost last seven visits here, five of them by 6 or fewer points.

AAC tournament
Cincinnati vs Houston (@ Fort Worth, TX)
Cincinnati (12-10, 10-6)
— ranked #110 by KenPom
— Tempo: #62
— Experience: #265
— Continuity: #212
— Cincinnati is 8-3 in their last 11 games.
— Bearcats are shooting 31.6% on arc (#273), 65.6% on line (#316)
— Cincinnati is turning ball over 20.7% of time (#264)
— Bearcats won last two days, by total of four points.
— 7 of their last 9 wins were by three or fewer points.
— Cincinnati won the last two AAC tournaments.

Houston (23-3, 16-3)
— ranked #6 by KenPom
— Tempo: #322
— Experience: #149
— Continuity: #117
— Houston won last six games, scoring 81.5 ppg.
— Cougars are grabbing 39.5% of their missed shots (#2)
— Houston has #1 eFG% defense in country.
— Cougars played three starters 36:00+ in Saturday’s 76-74 win over Memphis.
— Houston went WWL in last two AAC tournaments; their last tourney title was in 2010.

— Bearcats lost 90-52 at Houston February 21.
— Houston is 5-3 in last eight series games, but they lost to Cincy in last two AAC tourneys.

Big 14 tournament (@ Indianapolis)
Ohio State vs Illinois
Ohio State (21-8, 15-8)
— ranked #7 by KenPom
— Tempo: #245
— Experience: #95
— Continuity: #173
— Buckeyes won last three days, by 4 points, by 9 in OT, by 1 point.
— Ohio State is shooting 52.1% inside arc (#81), 36.7% on arc (#50)
— Buckeyes are getting 21.1% of their points on foul line (#45)
— Ohio State beat their rivals Michigan yesterday by a point.
— Last 7+ years, Ohio State is 8-6 in Big 14 tourneys- last time they won Big 14 tournament was 2013.

Illinois (22-6, 18-4)
— ranked #3 by KenPom
— Tempo: #79
— Experience: #218
— Continuity: #48
— Illinois won five in row, 12 of last 13 games.
— Illini has #31 eFG% defense in country.
— Illinois is a top 20 rebounding team in country.
— Illinois won last two days by 22-11 points; not much stress.
— Illini is 7-9 in last 16 Big 14 tourney games; their last tourney title was 2005.

— Teams split pair of road wins this year.
— Ohio State won 10 of last 13 series games.

SEC tournament (@ Nashville)
LSU vs Alabama
LSU (18-8, 13-6)
— ranked #29 by KenPom
— Tempo: #63
— Experience: #325
— Continuity: #133
— LSU won its last four games, scoring 80.8 ppg.
— Tigers are grabbing 31.4% of their missed shots (#67)
— LSU is worse on defensive boards (#319).
— LSU played two guys 40:00, another 38:00 yesterday.
— This is first time since 2003 that LSU won two SEC tournament games.

Alabama (23-6, 18-2)
— ranked #8 by KenPom
— Tempo: #7
— Experience: #136
— Continuity: #152
— Alabama won eight of its last nine games.
— Crimson Tide has #10 eFG% defense in country.
— Alabama gets 40.1% of its points on arc (#15)
— Last 5+ years, Crimson Tide is 8-4 in SEC tournament games.

— Alabama beat LSU twice this season, 105-75/78-60.
— Crimson Tide won eight of last ten series games.

Atlantic 14 tournament (@ Dayton)
VCU vs St Bonaventure
VCU (19-6, 12-4)
— ranked #43 by KenPom
— Tempo: #110
— Experience: #305
— Continuity: #282
— Rams are 3-2 in last five games, after a 14-2 run.
— VCU is forcing turnovers 24.0% of time (#7)
— Rams are 10-5 this season vs teams ranked in top 100.
— VCU are 3-2 in last four A-14 tourneys (22-6 in the nine before that)

St Bonaventure (15-4, 13-4)
— ranked #28 by KenPom
— Tempo: #321
— Experience: #115
— Continuity: #30
— Bonnies won five of their last six games.
— St Bonaventure has #14 eFG% defense in country.
— Bonnies are grabbing 33.6% of their missed shots (#31).
— Last 9+ years, Bonnies are 12-6 in A-14 tourney.

— These teams haven’t played in eight days.
— These teams split couple of games this season.
— Rams won six of last seven series games.




NCAAB

Sunday, March 14

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

Loyola-Maryland @ Colgate
Loyola-Maryland
No trends to report
Colgate
No trends to report

VCU @ St. Bonaventure
VCU
VCU is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing St. Bonaventure
The total has gone OVER in 6 of VCU's last 9 games when playing St. Bonaventure
St. Bonaventure
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Bonaventure's last 9 games when playing VCU
St. Bonaventure is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing VCU

LSU @ Alabama
LSU
LSU is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Alabama
LSU is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing LSU
Alabama is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing LSU

Cincinnati @ Houston
Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Cincinnati's last 15 games when playing Houston
Houston
Houston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Houston's last 15 games when playing Cincinnati

Ohio State @ Illinois
Ohio State
Ohio State is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing Ohio State

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, MARCH 14
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

L-MD at COLG 12:00 PM
L-MD +10.5
O 149.5

VCU at SBON 01:00 PM
SBON -3.0
O 128.5

LSU at ALA 01:00 PM
ALA -6.0
U 157.5

CIN at HOU 03:15 PM
CIN +13.5
U 135.0

OSU at ILL 03:30 PM
OSU +6.0
U 147.0



MARCH BEST BETS RECORD:

Mar. 13,2021............13 - 10...........56.52%.............+10.00
Mar. 12,2021............29 - 13...........69.04%.............+73.50
Mar. 11,2021............32 - 27...........54.23%............ +11.50
Mar. 10, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............- 5.00
Mar. 09, 2021............6 - 12.............33.33%...........- 36.00
Mar. 08, 2021............9 - 9..............50.00%............- 4.50
Mar. 07, 2021............9 - 16.............36.00%...........- 43.00
Mar. 06, 2021...........42 - 30............58.33%..........+ 45.00
Mar. 05, 2021...........21 - 25............45.65%...........- 32.50
Mar. 04. 2021...........22 - 17............56.41%...........+16.50
Mar. 03, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............-13.00
Mar. 02, 2021...........16 - 18............47.05%............-19.00
Mar. 01. 2021...........13 - 13............50.00%............- 6.50

TOTALS..................242- 222............52.25%............- 3.00

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

Feb.Best Bet Totals......439 Wins....371 Loses.......54.19%....+154.00

Jan.Best Bet Totals......124 Wins....152 Loses........44.92%... -216.00

Dec. Best Bets Totals.....21 Wins....9 Loses...........70.00%.....+55.50

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, MARCH 14
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

L-MD at COLG 12:00 PM
L-MD +10.5.............72 - 85......LOSER
O 149.5........................WINNER

VCU at SBON 01:00 PM
SBON -3.0.............65 - 74
O 128.5.......................WINNER

LSU at ALA 01:00 PM
ALA -6.0...........79 - 80....LOSER
U 157.5...................LOSER

CIN at HOU 03:15 PM
CIN +13.5.............54 - 91.....LOSER
U 135.0...........LOSER

OSU at ILL 03:30 PM
OSU +6.0...............88 - 91.....LOSER
U 147.0..................LOSER



MARCH BEST BETS RECORD:
Mar. 14,2921.............2 - 7..............22.22%.............-28.50
Mar. 13,2021............13 - 10...........56.52%.............+10.00
Mar. 12,2021............29 - 13...........69.04%.............+73.50
Mar. 11,2021............32 - 27...........54.23%............ +11.50
Mar. 10, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............- 5.00
Mar. 09, 2021............6 - 12.............33.33%...........- 36.00
Mar. 08, 2021............9 - 9..............50.00%............- 4.50
Mar. 07, 2021............9 - 16.............36.00%...........- 43.00
Mar. 06, 2021...........42 - 30............58.33%..........+ 45.00
Mar. 05, 2021...........21 - 25............45.65%...........- 32.50
Mar. 04. 2021...........22 - 17............56.41%...........+16.50
Mar. 03, 2021...........15 - 16............48.38%............-13.00
Mar. 02, 2021...........16 - 18............47.05%............-19.00
Mar. 01. 2021...........13 - 13............50.00%............- 6.50

TOTALS..................244- 229............51.58%............- 31.50

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

Feb.Best Bet Totals......439 Wins....371 Loses.......54.19%....+154.00

Jan.Best Bet Totals......124 Wins....152 Loses........44.92%... -216.00

Dec. Best Bets Totals.....21 Wins....9 Loses...........70.00%.....+55.50

[StarDust Bum]

Monday’s 6-pack
First round games in the NIT, which will begin in Texas:
— Colorado State-Buffalo
— Davidson-NC State
— Boise State-SMU
— Memphis-Dayton
— Saint Louis-Mississippi State
— Richmond-Toledo
— Saint Mary’s-Western Kentucky
— Ole Miss-Louisiana Tech

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 534,813
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I just have to identify qualities and people that I want to go to war with. I need to continue to recruit those guys. I need to find more people like Kimani Lawrence and Remy Martin, and guys that just lay it out on the line and play with their heart. Kimani is blue-collar. We have an opportunity to reshape our team this offseason and we’re going to work hard to do that.”
Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley

Monday’s quiz
Which two NBA teams has Rick Pitino coached?

Sunday’s quiz
We know Hawai’i is the 50th state; Delaware was the first state.

Saturday’s quiz
2014 was the last time a team that was lower than a #2-seed won the national title in college basketball, when #7-seed UConn won the title.

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

Monday’s Den: Random stuff on a Sunday night……..

Every year (except last year) when I see the field of 68 after watching wall-to-wall college basketball for four days, my brain gets scrambled for a few hours. There is a lot of info to go thru before I post knowledge on the first round games later this week.

For today, here are random, scrambled thoughts/information that crossed my mind at various times today:

13) Gonzaga is the fifth team since 1977 to enter the NCAA tournament unbeaten:
1979— Indiana State, lost in finals
1991— UNLV, lost in semi-finals
2014— Wichita State, lost in 2nd round
2015— Kentucky— lost in semi-finals

12) Over the last 16 years, the overall #1-seed in the country has won three national titles; they also failed to get out of the first weekend four times. 2013 was the last time the overall #1-seed won the national title, when Rick Pitino’s Louisville team won it all.

11) Speaking of which, Iona is the fifth program Rick Pitino has led to the NCAA Tournament; 31 of his assistant coaches have gone on to become head coaches. Iona plays Alabama in the first round, so they probably won’t be around very long, but they had a 51-day pause this season – they didn’t play a single game in January. Just getting here is a big accomplishment.

10) Arkansas hasn’t been to a Sweet 16 since 1996; since then, 96 different schools have had teams get to the Sweet 16. Razorbacks need to get by Colgate, then either Texas Tech/Utah State to get to the Sweet 16 this year.

9) No team has ever won the national title, after losing their first conference tournament game. Purdue/West Virginia are in that boat this season.

8) This is the first time since 1976 that neither Duke/Kentucky is in the tournament; 1976 is also the last time there was an undefeated national champ (Indiana).

7) Unusual baseball situation Sunday nite: Dodgers P Julio Urias struck out three batters in the first inning against the Royals, but he only got two outs in the first inning, because of a passed ball after one of the strikeouts. Dodgers took him out after 29 pitches, but because it is spring training, he got to re-enter the game and pitched the second inning.

Dodgers made couple errors in the first inning that led to Urias’ demise, plus the passed ball; not often a pitcher strikes out three guys but doesn’t finish the first inning.

6) I’m optimistic about a new baseball rule that would require teams to have two infielders on each side of the diamond; eliminating shifts will discourage guys from just trying to jack the ball over the fence all the time. Fewer strikeouts maes the game more fun to watch.

5) Add Tampa Bay to the list of teams (Milwaukee) that drive owners in fantasy baseball crazy; in a 9-inning game Sunday, Rays used nine different pitchers. You never have any idea how they are going handle pitchers on a given day— they took Blake Snell out of a World Series last year when he was dominating the other team- they just think differently than most people.

4) Last repeat champion in college basketball; the 2007 Florida Gators. Virginia is the current defending champ; over half their team was in quarantine Sunday for contact tracing. They hope to travel out to Indianapolis on Friday,

3) The great quarterback Drew Brees retired Sunday; when you retire on the day the brackets come out, that means you don’t want any attention. Brees will be in Canton in five years.

2) Sunday night, I’m flipping channels between the shows analyzing the brackets and some spring baseball, and I see that ESPN2 televises freakin’ cornhole!!!! Do people watch this? Please God in heaven, tell me they don’t bet on it (DraftKings is a sponsor). Yikes.

On a personal note, RIP to former town of Colonie supervisor Fred Field, who passed away this weekend at age 88. Mr Field was an industrial engineer for 30 years, served as town supervisor of my hometown for 18 years— he was a good guy, RIP, sir.

1) As the week goes on, I’ll be posting information on all the basketball games; takes some time to organize the information I have, then get the TV schedule, but eventually it gets done.

This is one of my favorite weeks all year; lets hope everyone stays healthy and the tournament is a fun one. Lord knows we could all use some fun.

[StarDust Bum]

Yep your right.................thanks....but when the tournament starts a new record will start.....



NCAA tourney starts Thursday with play-in games.

NIT starts tomorrow.

If anything comes out today, I'll put it in here.

Man, I can't wait to get this joke of a season over with!

[StarDust Bum]

[StarDust Bum]

2021 March Madness Betting Trends

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s 6-pack
NCAA Tournament trends:
— Last three years, #1-seeds are 5-7 ATS in first round.
— Last four years, #2-seeds are 9-6-1 ATS in first round.
— Last three years, #3-seeds are 7-5 ATS in first round.
— Last four years, #4-seeds are 6-10 ATS in first round.
— Last four years, underdogs are 10-5-1 ATS in 5-12 games.
— Last 20 national champs went 15-4-1 ATS in their 1st round game.

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 535,472
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“Everyone handles it differently. Some get emotional. Some get upset. Some thank you for the opportunity. You’ve got to be ready to react to everything. But you understand it’s what you’ve got to deal with. There’s a big difference between breaking with the club and going to Triple A.” Bruce Bochy, on players getting sent down during spring training

Tuesday’s quiz
UConn won the national title in 2014; who was their coach?

Monday’s quiz
Rick Pitino has coached both the Knicks and the Celtics.

Sunday’s quiz
We know Hawai’i is the 50th state; Delaware was the first state.

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

Tuesday’s Den: Conference trends for the NCAA’s first weekend
Conference trends for the first weekend of the NCAAs:

ACC
— Last three years (we’re not counting 2020 as a year, since there was no tournament), ACC teams are 7-17 ATS in the first round.
— Since 2013, ACC teams are 35-13 SU in first round
— Last five years, 16 of 37 ACC teams (43.2%) made the Sweet 16.

American
— UConn was 2014 national title out of the AAC.
— Last five years, AAC teams are 7-8 in first round, 1-6 in 2nd round.
— During that time, 2019 Houston is only Sweet 16 team they’ve had.

A-14
— Last five years, A-14 teams are 6-10 in the first round.
— A-14’s last Sweet 16 team was Dayton, back in 2014.

Big East
— Last three years, Big East teams are 18-14 in first round.
— Last three years, Big East teams are 5-13 in 2nd round.
— Thats 5 of 32 teams (15.6%) making the Sweet 16.

Big Sky
— Big Sky teams lost their last 13 first round games.
— Big Sky teams are 1-7-1 ATS in last nine first round games.
— You’re reading ***************.com
— Montana in 2006 was last Big Sky team to win an NCAA game.

Big West
— Since 2014, Big West teams are 4-4 in play-in/first round games.
— Since 2003, Big West teams are 0-6 ATS in their 2nd tournament game.

Big 14:
— Last three years, Big 14 teams are 16-3 in first round (11-8 ATS)
— Last three years, Big 14 teams are 8-8 in 2nd round
— Thats 8 of 19 teams (42.1%) teams in Sweet 16.

Big X
— Last three years, Big X teams are 12-7 in first round games.
— Last three years, Big X teams are 8-4 on 2nd round games.
— Thats 8 of 19 teams (42.1%) teams in Sweet 16, same as the Big 14.

CAA
— Since VCU left the CAA in 2012, things haven’t gone well.
— Last seven years, CAA teams are 0-7 in NCAA games (5-2 ATS)
— Last eight years, six different teams have represented the CAA

Conference USA

— C-USA teams won five of their last seven first round games.
— Those five C-USA teams that won went 0-5 ATS in second round.

Horizon League
— Butler made the Final Four in 2010/2011 out of the Horizon.
— Since then, Butler jumped ship to gr$$n$r pa$ture$.
— Last eight years, Horizon teams are 0-8 in NCAA’s (2-6 ATS)

MAAC
— Siena was last MAAC team to win an NCAA game, in 2009.
— Since then, MAAC teams are 0-11 SU, 2-9 ATS.

MAC
— Buffalo won its first round game in 2018/2019, ending the MAC’s five-game losing skid in first round games.

— MAC teams covered their last four first round games.
— Since 2003, MAC teams are 1-4 ATS in second round.
— Since 2003, Ohio U in ’12 is MAC’s only Sweet 16 team.

Missouri Valley
— Since 2013, MVC teams are 9-1 SU, 8-2 ATS in NCAA games.
— Those nine teams went 4-5 ATS in 2nd round games.

Wichita State-Drake is a first round game, old MVC rivals.

— Last eight years they were in the MVC, Wichita went 122-16 in Valley games; they totally dominated.
— Last five years Wichita was in the Valley, Drake went 26-64 in MVC games.
— In four years since Wichita (and also Creighton) bolted, Drake is 45-27.

Mountain West
— Since 2014, Mountain West teams are 3-8 in play-in/first round games.
— Those teams went 2-4 ATS when favored, 2-3 as an underdog, 4-7 overall.

Ohio Valley
— Since 2009, OVC teams are 8-2-1 ATS in NCAA tourney games, but they’ve lost seven of last eight SU.
— When Murray State whacked Marquette two years ago, it snapped a 7-game losing skid for the OVC in NCAA tourney games.

Pac-12
— Since 2013, Pac-12 teams are 19-13 in first round games.
— Since 2013, Pac-12 teams are 13-6 in second round games.
— Thats 13 of 32 Pac-12 teams (40.6%) that made the Sweet 16— that will surprise some people.

SEC
— Last four years, SEC teams are 17-6 SU in NCAA games, 11-12 ATS
— Thats 7-10 ATS when favored, 2-2 as an underdog, 2-0 when pick ‘em.
— Last four years, SEC teams are 10-7 in 2nd round games
— Thats 10 of 23 SEC teams (43.5%) that made the Sweet 16

Southern
— Wofford’s win in 2019 snapped So-Con’s 0-10 skid in NCAA games.
— That said, SoCon teams are 7-4-1 ATS in last dozen NCAA games.

Summit
— Summit teams lost 16 of last 17 first round games (6-9-2 ATS)
— Summit teams covered four of last six first round games.
— Summit teams are 2-0 SU in play-in games.

Sun Belt
— Since 2003, Sun Belt teams are 6-14 in NCAA Tournament games.
— You’re reading ***************.com
— Since 2010, Sun Belt teams are 4-8 ATS in NCAA Tournament games.
— Over last 20 years, Sun Belt has changed a lot, as schools jumped conferences.

WAC
— WAC teams lost their last 13 NCAA Tournament games.
— WAC teams are 3-6 ATS in last nine NCAA Tournament games.
— New Mexico State won this league seven of last eight years, so Grand Canyon winning WAC tournament is different— this is their first NCAA bid.

WCC
— Last time someone other than Gonzaga/BYU/Saint Mary’s repped the WCC? 2008, when the San Diego Toreros made the tournament.
— Gonzaga won its last 11 first round games (6-5 ATS)
— During that time, Gonzaga is only 3-7-1 ATS in 2nd round games.
— Gonzaga won its last five second round games SU- they’re expected to do a lot more than that this season.