The Bum's NCAA Basketball Picks Thru March Madness & Madness GOY !!

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NCAAB
Long Sheet

Saturday, March 15

All Remaining Games

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GEORGIA (19 - 12) vs. KENTUCKY (23 - 9) - 3/15/2014, 3:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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GEORGE WASHINGTON (24 - 7) vs. VA COMMONWEALTH (25 - 7) - 3/15/2014, 4:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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MICHIGAN ST (24 - 8) vs. WISCONSIN (26 - 6) - 3/15/2014, 4:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MICHIGAN ST is 6-0 against the spread versus WISCONSIN over the last 3 seasons
MICHIGAN ST is 5-1 straight up against WISCONSIN over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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ARKANSAS ST (19 - 12) vs. GEORGIA ST (24 - 7) - 3/15/2014, 3:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
GEORGIA ST is 1-1 against the spread versus ARKANSAS ST over the last 3 seasons
GEORGIA ST is 2-0 straight up against ARKANSAS ST over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PROVIDENCE (22 - 11) vs. CREIGHTON (26 - 6) - 3/15/2014, 8:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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BAYLOR (24 - 10) vs. IOWA ST (25 - 7) - 3/15/2014, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
IOWA ST is 4-2 against the spread versus BAYLOR over the last 3 seasons
IOWA ST is 4-2 straight up against BAYLOR over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CAL POLY-SLO (12 - 19) vs. CS-NORTHRIDGE (17 - 17) - 3/15/2014, 10:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAL POLY-SLO is 5-1 against the spread versus CS-NORTHRIDGE over the last 3 seasons
CAL POLY-SLO is 5-1 straight up against CS-NORTHRIDGE over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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UCLA (25 - 8) vs. ARIZONA (30 - 3) - 3/15/2014, 6:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
UCLA is 5-2 against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
UCLA is 4-3 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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N DAKOTA (17 - 15) at WEBER ST (18 - 11) - 3/15/2014, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WEBER ST is 4-1 against the spread versus N DAKOTA over the last 3 seasons
WEBER ST is 5-0 straight up against N DAKOTA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Saturday, March 15

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AAC Championship betting preview: UConn vs. Louisville
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Connecticut Huskies vs. Louisville Cardinals (-7, 134)

Russ Smith and Louisville appear to be hitting on all cylinders heading into Saturday's American Athletic Conference tournament final against Connecticut at Memphis. Smith scored a school postseason record 42 points in a semifinal win over No.6 Houston for the second-seeded Cardinals, who can claim their third straight conference tournament title with a victory over the Huskies. "We weren't sharp defensively tonight and when you're not sharp defensively, you need a great offensive performance and we certainly got that from Russ," head coach Rick Pitino told the media. "He was brilliant, penetrating, passing, getting in the lane and shooting the ball. He's done it all his senior year with everything you could possibly ask of a basketball player."

The fourth-seeded Huskies used a big second-half run to survive a battle with top-seeded Cincinnati and will look to avenge a pair of lopsided defeats against Louisville, including a 33-point loss on the road. Shabazz Napier, the conference Player of the Year, didn't have his best game, scoring just 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting, but got some help from his teammates, including 7-0 freshman Amida Brimah, who was bigger than his four points, seven rebounds and four blocks might indicate. "It was a collective team win," head coach Kevin Ollie told reporters. "We got down by seven, wasn't nobody pointing fingers. We just came together and stayed connected and we go one to the next one. That's what's it's all about.”

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN.

LINE HISTORY: The suggested odds out of Las Vegas are Louisville -7 with a total of 134.

INJURY WATCH: Louisville - Kevin Ware (Out - shin)

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (26-7): Ollie loved the fight his team showed against the tenacious defense from Cincinnati, which had held opponents to 39.3 shooting entering the game. "It seems like every time we play Cincy, it comes down to one possession," he told the media. "They are well coached and they play so hard and I thought we just stood up to them. We stayed in the middle of the ring and kept throwing punches. It was a great victory for UConn. This is a players game and my players stepped up." Two of the biggest punches were throwing by Ryan Boatright, who nailed two big 3-pointers to give the Huskies the lead for good with eight minutes remaining.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (28-5): Smith, who contemplated leaving early for the NBA after last season, also set a school record for points in a half with 27 in the first half and scored 42 despite not playing the final six minutes. Smith has been part of 118 wins during his time with the Cardinals and with two more, he can help the Cardinals to a third straight 30-win season. "I play for a coach that has a hunger and drive to win that you won't find nowhere else," he told the media. "I'm thankful for my teammates, because they buy into the system. When you buy into a system that's been successful, you're going to always be successful. I personally took that challenge to buy into the system and get better as a player, so I'm extremely happy where I'm at."

TRENDS:

*Huskies are 21-9 ATS in their last 30 neutral site games
*Under is 12-1 in Huskies last 13 overall
*Over is 14-2 in Cardinals last 16 neutral site games
*Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings

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NCAAB

Saturday, March 15

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Pac-12 Championship betting preview: Arizona vs. UCLA
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Arizona Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins (+6.5, 137)

Arizona and UCLA have yet to be tested at the Pac-12 tournament, but that figures to change Saturday when the teams meet in the championship game in Las Vegas. The teams faced little resistance in their first two games, with top-seeded Arizona routing Utah (71-39) and Colorado (63-43) while No. 2 seed UCLA cruised past Oregon (82-63) and Stanford (84-59). The teams met once during the regular season in Los Angeles on Jan. 9, when Arizona held on for a 79-75 win despite committing a season-high 17 turnovers.

The Wildcats’ defense has been the story of the tournament after holding both Utah and Colorado under 30 percent shooting, but they’ll need another stellar effort in the title game. The Bruins shot 65.2 percent from the field in Friday’s semifinal win over Stanford, led by a season-high 22 points from guard Norman Powell. The game is a rematch of last season’s tournament semifinal, when UCLA won 66-64 after Arizona coach Sean Miller drew a controversial technical foul with under five minutes remaining.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

LINE HISTORY: The suggested odds out of Las Vegas are Arizona -6.5 and a total of 137.

INJURY WATCH: UCLA - Noah Allen (Out - eye)

WHY BET UCLA (25-8 SU, 20-12 ATS, 14-17 O/U): Guard Jordan Adams, who was named to the All-Pac-12 first team along with teammate Kyle Anderson, scored 24 points against Arizona in last year’s tournament semifinal before suffering a broken foot on the game’s final play. The sophomore had 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against the Wildcats earlier this season, and he leads the Pac-12 with 89 steals. Anderson struggled offensively against Arizona’s Aaron Gordon earlier this season, but the 6-9 wing enters the game on a high note after shooting 55.2 percent from the field over his last three games.

WHY BET ARIZONA (30-3 SU, 20-12 ATS, 9-20 O/U): Arizona notched its 30th win Friday and advanced to the championship game for the third time in the last four years after limiting Colorado to five second-half field goals. “We haven’t played better basketball at any time this year than we did in the final 20 minutes (against Colorado),” Miller told reporters. Junior guard Nick Johnson, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, scored a game-high 16 points against the Buffaloes and had 22 in the Wildcats’ loss to UCLA earlier this season.

TRENDS:

* Bruins are 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.
* Under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Bruins are 4-1 ATS in their last five neutral site games.
* Wildcats are 6-1 ATS in their last seven neutral site games.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Short Sheet

Saturday, March 15

ATS Betting Trends

VIRGINIA: 15-4 ATS against conference opponents

OHIO ST: 32-11 ATS revenging a home loss vs opponent

ST BONAVENTURE: 7-0 ATS when playing only their 3rd game in a week

PITTSBURGH: 7-0 ATS in tournament semi-final games

TENNESSEE: 21-11 ATS after a game where they covered the spread

ALBANY: 6-0 ATS as an underdog


Over/Under Betting Trends

MICHIGAN: 7-1 OVER in road games off a win against a conference rival

ARIZONA: 14-2 UNDER after 4 straight games committing 14 or less turnovers

SAN DIEGO ST: 12-1 UNDER after playing 3 consecutive games as favorite

PROVIDENCE: 10-1 OVER after having won 2 of their last 3 games

BAYLOR: 11-1 OVER in road games against conference opponents

LOUISVILLE: 14-2 OVER in all neutral court games

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Saturday, March 15

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Big East Championship betting preview: Creighton vs. Providence
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Creighton Bluejays vs. Providence Friars (+7, 150)

The good news for Providence is that the Friars are one victory from winning their first Big East tournament title since 1994. The bad news is that they are going up against No. 14 Creighton, which obliterated them a week ago behind Doug McDermott's career-high 45 points. The second-seeded Bluejays are on the verge of winning the tournament title in their first go-round after migrating from the Missouri Valley Conference, and all eyes will be on McDermott when the teams square off Saturday night.

The nation's leading scorer, McDermott was 17-of-25 from the field - 5-of-7 from 3-point range - in last Saturday's 88-73 win in his final home game. He has followed up that performance with 67 points in his first two Big East tournament games, including 32 in Friday's semifinal win over Xavier. Fourth-seeded Providence seemingly caught a break when Seton Hall knocked off top-seeded Villanova in the quarterfinals, as the Friars slipped past the Pirates, 80-74, on Friday behind LaDontae Henton's 26 points and 14 rebounds.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

LINE HISTORY: Suggested odds out of Las Vegas have Creighton as 7-point favorites with a total of 150.

INJURY WATCH: Creighton - Isaiah Zeirdan (Out - knee)

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (22-11): Henton, who averaged 20 points in the two matchups with Creighton this season, was 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point range against Seton Hall. "LaDontae was a man-child today, an absolute man-child," Providence coach Ed Cooley said. "I always think he's one of the more underappreciated guys on our team. He's just been a rock." Bryce Cotton, who supplied 18 points and 10 assists against the Pirates, was the star of the Friars' home win over the Bluejays on Jan. 18, scoring 23 points and dishing out six assists that night.

ABOUT CREIGHTON (26-6): The Bluejays, who won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in 2012 and 2013, are more than just a one-man show. Ethan Wragge was 5-of-9 from 3-point range en route to 17 points against Xavier while Jahenns Manigat supplied 14 points on 4-of-5 3-point shooting one night earlier against DePaul. That said, the clear focus of Providence's game plan will be McDermott, who Cooley called "one of the more electrifying players in college basketball, arguably the best player in college basketball" after last weekend's record-setting performance.

TRENDS:

*Friars are 10-24 ATS in their last 34 neutral site games
*Bluejays are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games following a ATS win
*Over is 35-16 in Friars last 51 vs. Big East
*Over 4-1 in Bluejays last 5 Saturday games

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Saturday, March 15

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Big 12 Championship betting preview: Iowa St. vs. Baylor
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Iowa State Cyclones vs. Baylor Bears (+1.5, 150)

Baylor has put forth an impressive tournament run and No. 16 Iowa State is also playing superbly as the two teams clash in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game in Kansas City. The seventh-seeded Bears will try for a fourth win in four days after rolling to a convincing 86-69 victory over Texas in the semifinals. The fourth-seeded Cyclones are in the tournament title game for the first time since 2000 after producing a solid 94-83 win over top-seeded Kansas.

Georges Niang scored 25 points and DeAndre Kane added 20 as Iowa State recorded only its second victory in the last 20 meetings with the Jayhawks and the Cyclones are expecting the momentum to continue. “We’re really rolling right now and I think that it’s just going to continue in that direction,” Big 12 Player of the Year Melvin Ejim told reporters. Brady Heslip tied his season best of 24 points and the Bears also dominated the interior in their rout of the Longhorns as center Isaiah Austin blocked seven shots and has already set a tournament record with 17 rejections.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

LINE HISTORY: The suggested odds out of Las Vegas have Iowa State as 1.5-point faves with a total of 150.

INJURY WATCH: Iowa State - G. Niang (Prob. Face), Baylor - A. Freeman (Out, Hand)

WHY BET IOWA STATE (25-7 SU, 15-15 ATS, 17-12 O/U): Niang departed with 1:23 remaining against Kansas with blood pouring from his face after taking an elbow above the right eye. He reportedly had five stitches to close the wound and pronounced himself fit to participate against the Bears. “I knew I was OK,” Niang told reporters. “I just felt a warm feeling in my hand and the next thing my eye was bloody. I was actually pretty bummed out that I couldn’t be out there to celebrate with my teammates. It’s a big win for us. I think we’re ready to compete for a championship.”

WHY BET BAYLOR (24-10 SU, 13-13-2 ATS, 15-11-2 O/U): The Bears have won six consecutive games and 10 of 11 after a midseason swoon put them in jeopardy of missing the NCAA tournament. The squad has rebounded nicely and Jefferson has posted three consecutive double-doubles during the Big 12 tourney run. “We didn’t let it deter us from what we knew we were supposed to do,” Jefferson said of the struggles. “We stayed together as a team. We didn’t put blame on anybody when we went through that tough streak and we stuck through it and fought through it and this is where we’ve come.”

TRENDS:

* Bears are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Over is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Cyclones are 4-1 ATS in their last five neutral site games.
* Over is 8-2 in Cyclones last 10 games following a S.U. win.

[StarDust Bum]

2ND SET OF GAMES:


Pittsburgh - 1:00 PM ET Pittsburgh +3.5 500 *****
Virginia -

Tennessee - 1:00 PM ET Florida -6.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Florida -

St. Bonaventure - 1:30 PM ET St. Bonaventure +3 500
St. Joseph's -

Ohio St. - 1:40 PM ET Michigan -3 500 *****
Michigan -

Arkansas St. - 3:00 PM ET Arkansas St. +7.5 500 *****
Georgia St -

Georgia - 3:25 PM ET Kentucky -7.5 500
Kentucky -

George Washington - 4:00 PM ET VCU -5.5 500 *****
VCU -

Michigan St - 4:05 PM ET Michigan St +0 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Wisconsin -

Prairie View A&M - 4:30 PM ET Texas Southern -10 500
Texas Southern -

Louisiana-Lafayette - 5:30 PM ET Louisiana-Lafayette -4 500 ( SUN BELT CONFERENCE GOY )
Western Kentucky -

[StarDust Bum]

YOUR LAST SET OF GAMES:


North Dakota - 8:00 PM ET North Dakota +5.5 500
Weber St. -

Sam Houston St. - 8:30 PM ET Sam Houston St. +7.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Stephen F. Austin -

Providence - 8:30 PM ET Creighton -7.5 500 *****
Creighton -

Baylor - 9:00 PM ET Baylor +1.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Iowa St. -

Idaho - 10:00 PM ET Idaho +10 500 *****
New Mexico St. -

Cal Poly SLO - 10:30 PM ET CSU Northridge +3 500 TRIPLE PLAY
CSU Northridge -

[StarDust Bum]

Before i start my day of capping let me apologize for the GOY loser with ULL......i had ULL 6-9 pts better.......i seen a little of the game

when ULL was up by double digits.....then went on my daily other chores.....i hate watching the games.....puts a bad image in your head

for future games....But that's gambling....so again i apologize for all that played....

Now on to day's finals........

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Carl Crawford makes $20M a year to play baseball, but he doesn't play much anymore; his girlfriend is going to have a child soon, so he is begging out of the Dodgers' Australia trip. $20M a year; hire a nanny.

--Not to suggest that his girlfriend is a gold digger, but she was described as is "a former reality TV star who use to be married to Chad Ochocinco." I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

-- When Kansas won the national title in 1988, who thought the next time Larry Brown made the NCAA tournament would be the same year that Danny Manning made it as a college head coach? 26 years later, too.

-- Orel Hershiser is very good on Dodger telecasts, but Vin Scully works by himself, so what does Hershiser do during those broadcasts?

-- VCU's Melvin Johnson hurt his knee Saturday and is out for Sunday's A-13 final against the St Joe's Hawks.

-- Our thoughts/prayers are with Jim Kelly, whose health problems persist; we wish him a quick recovery.

*****

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a day of basketball.....

13) Fred Hoiberg played college ball at Iowa State; he is now their coach; he was so popular in college that is nickname is still "The Mayor". His team is now Big X champs after beating Baylor Saturday night.

Hoiberg's college coach was Johnny Orr, who passed away in December at age 86. This pic is of coach and player; the caption says it all.........

12) Congrats to the Albany Great Danes, coach Will Brown on taking my alma mater to the NCAAs for the 4th time. Stony Brook lost tourney final for third time in last four years- they've never been to the NCAAs.

By the way, there was a mascot scuffle at this game; there is very little in life that is funnier than mascot fisticuffs. I'm assuming the Great Dane won.

11) Georgia State 72, Arkansas State 45-- Red Wolves lost in four OTs Friday, then had to play a 2pm local time game Saturday, so that killed any hope ASU had, considering the Panthers didn't play Friday.

10) UCLA 75, Arizona 71-- Steve Alford has now won three consecutive conference tourneys, all in Las Vegas. His problem comes next week- he lost to Harvard last year, lost to #14-seed Northwestern State few years back.

9) Stepehn F Austin has won 28 games in a row; they lost to Texas by 10, went 3-0 vs CAA teams, beat Marshall. Played a fluffy schedule, but they are #3 in America at forcing turnovers.

8) Texas Southern 78, Prairie View 73-- Normally the SWAC team gets treated like a pinata in the NCAAs, but former Indiana coach Mike Davis has a star player who has been in the bigtime, former LaSalle/West Virginia big man Aaric Murray- he'll keep them comprtitive inside.

7) Iowa State has won eight games this year when they trailed by double digits at some point in that game.

6) Providence had won two Big East tournament games in the last 14 years; they won three just this weekend.

5) If I run FOX Sports1, I'm debating making the Pac-12 final the 8:00 game next March, and the Big East game the 6:00 game. Arizona-UCLA in Vegas had a much more bigtime feel to it than a non-sold out MSG.

4) MEAC champ NC Central beat NC State this year; they're a team that won their league easily and could be a problem next week, much like Norfolk State was two years ago, when they upset Missouri.

3) Virginia's only ACC tournament title was in 1976, when Wally Walker was the team's star and I was a high school junior; their last appearance in the ACC final was 19 years ago. Virginia-Duke is a good game today.

2) Cal Poly 61, Northridge 59-- Matadors got hosed bigtime in last minute of Big West final; two critical calls went against them- they win if they get either call. First trip to NCAAs for 13-19 Mustangs, who should find it a little chilly in Dayton Tuesday or Wednesday.

1) CBS isn't going to be happy with the first couple days of this season's tournament; so many undeserving teams have won conference tourneys, lot of bad games (routs) will take place Thursday/Friday. Teams that would be much lower seeds normally will be pushed up the seed lines. Weak field.

Only seven of the first 23 teams to clinch NCAA bids were #1 seeds.

If you're an eternal optimist, the NIT should be pretty good.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, March 16

Duke hasn't won ACC tourney since 2011; they won six of nine before that. Virginia is in first ACC tourney final since '95; their last title was in '76. Blue Devils (-6) beat Virginia 69-65 at home Jan 13, getting a lucky bounce on 3-ball from corner for winning shot in last minute. Duke won three in row, 14 of last 17 games overall; they played four starters 31+ Saturday. Virginia is 15-1 since loss at Duke; they played four starters 30+ minutes in physical game with Pitt yesterday.

VCU's Melvin Johnson (14 points/23:00 vs St Joe's) got hurt yesterday, is out here; Rams (-3) lost 69-62 at St Joe's Feb 8. Hawks only turned ball over 12 times that games. VCU won its last six games, five by 11 or more points; they're now 23-7 in last 30 conference tourney games, with three titles in last seven years. St Joe's doesn't have a conference tourney title in last decade, even the year they were undefeated coming in- they played one sub yesterday, before clearing bench in last 2:00.

Georgia State swept UL-Lafayette this season, winning 77-70 (-2.5) on road, then 80-77 (-7.5) at home 22 days ago. Panthers had walkover vs Arkansas State yesterday- ASU played four OTs night before, so they had dead legs. GSU is 22-1 since starting season 3-6, but this game will define its season. ULL won its last three games by total of eight points; with tourney in New Orleans, Cajuns will have crowd edge. ULL last won this tournament in 2005.

Florida is trying to finish SEC play 21-0 this year, hard to do; they beat Kentucky twice already, 69-59 on road, then 84-65 at home eight days ago. Gators haven't lost since Dec 2, already have #1 seed locked up, but this is rivalry game- they held Mizzou/Tennessee to 49 points each in first two tourney games. Wildcats won first two tourney games by 17-12 points after going 3-4 in last seven regular season games; they're 1-3-1 vs spread this season when getting points.

Michigan beat Michigan State twice this season, 80-75 on road, 79-70 at home three weeks ago; Wolverines won last seven games overall, but last three were by total of 8 points- they haven't won this tournament in last 11 years. Spartans' only tourney title since '03 was two years ago; they were up 17 at half over Wisconsin yesterday, are still just 6-6 in last 12 games. Am thinking Ohio State is bigger rival for Michigan than State is, so this game is bigger for Sparty, considering two losses during year.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Sunday, March 16

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ACC Championship betting preview: Virginia vs. Duke
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Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Cavaliers (+1)

Duke is no stranger to winning ACC tournaments, but the team standing between the Blue Devils and another conference title is in unfamiliar territory. Top-seeded Virginia makes its first appearance in the ACC championship game since 1994 and aims for its second conference tournament title - and first since 1976 - when it faces No. 3 seed Duke on Sunday. The Blue Devils have won six ACC titles at Greensboro Coliseum, the site of the championship game, under head coach Mike Krzyzewski and are looking for their conference-leading 20th tournament title.

The Cavaliers advanced with a 51-48 victory over Pittsburgh in Saturday’s semifinals on Anthony Gill’s two free throws with 8.5 seconds remaining, while the Blue Devils smothered ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren in the second half of Duke’s 75-67 victory in the other semifinal. The Cavaliers had their chances to beat the Blue Devils on the road in January, rallying from an 11-point deficit to take a late lead before Rasheed Sulaimon’s 3-pointer saved Duke 69-65. Duke leads the ACC in scoring offense, while Virginia features the nation’s top scoring defense.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

LINE HISTORY: Line opened as a pick 'em, but quickly shifted to Virginia +1

INJURY WATCH: N/A

WHY BET DUKE (26-7 SU, 18-14-1 ATS, 14-18-1 O/U): Freshman Jabari Parker looks to cap what likely will be his only college season with a tournament title, having scored in double figures 16 consecutive games while averaging 19.1 points per contest. Sulaimon, who scored 21 points in the earlier victory over the Cavaliers, has reached double figures in five consecutive games. Duke has won nine of its past 11 games.

WHY BET VIRGINIA (27-6 SU, 17-10-2 ATS, 12-15-2 O/U): The Cavaliers allow 55.1 points per game and have held their past 20 opponents to less than 50 percent shooting, limiting the opposition to less than 60 points in nine of the past 10 games. The Cavaliers do not have a player in the top 20 in the conference in scoring, but London Perrantes is third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. Gill has scored in double figures in the past three games to provide an offensive boost to leading scorer Malcolm Brogdon (12.4 points).

TRENDS:

* Under is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings.
* Blue Devils are 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Cavaliers are 9-0-2 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Under is 6-0 in Blue Devils last six neutral site games.

CONSENSUS: 56% of bettors are backing Duke -1

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Sunday, March 16

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SEC Championship betting preview: Kentucky vs. Florida
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Kentucky Wildcats vs. Florida Gators (-5.5)

No. 1 Florida looks to win its first SEC tournament title since 2007 when it takes on Kentucky in Sunday's final in Atlanta. The top-seeded Gators have reeled off a school-record 25 consecutive victories and will appear in the conference championship for the third time in four years after erasing a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Tennessee 56-49. Florida finished the SEC regular season with a perfect 18-0 record and can cap off a dream conference campaign with its third win over the Wildcats in just over a month.

Kentucky advanced to the championship game for the fourth time in the last five years with a 70-58 triumph over Georgia. The second-seeded Wildcats are the only school to have won over 100 games in the SEC tournament and hope to add to a conference-best 27 tourney titles with a victory over the Gators at the Georgia Dome. Kentucky has won six conference championships in Atlanta causing its fans to rename the city "Catlanta" as it aims to overcome a Florida team that has won three of the last four meetings.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, ABC

LINE HISTORY: Lines opened at Florida -5.5

INJURY WATCH: Kentucky - Marcus Lee (Ques - illness)

ABOUT FLORIDA (31-2, 16-12-1 ATS, 9-19-1 O/U): Patric Young poured in a game-high 16 points to go along with eight rebounds as the Gators came back from their biggest deficit of the season (10) to down Tennessee. Casey Prather continued his stellar play by scoring 12 points and dishing out a team-best five assists versus the Volunteers. Florida beat Kentucky in its two previous meetings this season by double digits with Prather and Scottie Wilbekin averaging 19.5 and 18 points respectively in the victories.

ABOUT KENTUCKY (24-9, 14-15-2 ATS, 12-17-1 O/U): Aaron Harrison scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the first half and twin brother Andrew Harrison netted 10 of his 12 points in the final frame to help the Wildcats pull away from Georgia. Julius Randle scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to notch his 20th double-double and can break the school record for most by a freshman in a single season with another one versus Florida. Willie Cauley-Stein recorded two blocks against the Bulldogs and has posted at least one swat in his last 13 outings.

TRENDS:

*Wildcats are 6-13-1 ATS in their last 20 games following a ATS win.
*Under is 8-1 in Wildcats last 9 Sunday games.
*Under is 29-12-1 in Gators last 42 overall.
*Wildcats are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings.


CONSENSUS: 67% of bettors are backing Florida -5.5

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Sunday, March 16

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Big Ten Championship betting preview: Michigan vs. Michigan State
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Michigan Wolverines vs. Michigan State Spartans (-2.5)

Prior to the start of the Big Ten tournament, Michigan coach John Beilein asked his players to imagine what it might be like to watch the NCAA tournament Selection Show with the knowledge it had already claimed an automatic berth. The top-seeded Wolverines will get that chance in Indianapolis on Sunday against Michigan State. “That’s something I personally have always watched and said, ‘I’d like to get my team there some day.’ Now we’ve got one more step,” Beilein told Michigan Live on Saturday.

Michigan almost didn’t get that opportunity, coughing up a 16-point first-half lead to Ohio State on Saturday despite 52.6-percent shooting from beyond the arc before rallying late. The third-seeded Spartans had no such problem in their semifinal victory over Wisconsin, rolling out to a 21-point first-half advantage en route to posting back-to-back wins for the first time since an 11-game run ended in late January. "It was very important to me that we play three games. … And then, shazam, you throw Michigan in there and the championship game and it's Fourth of July on Christmas," Spartans coach Tom Izzo told Michigan Live.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

LINE HISTORY: Lines opened at +2.5 for Michigan

INJURY WATCH: Michigan - Cole McConnell (Ques - Foot)

TRENDS:

*Spartans are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600
*Wolverines are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a S.U. win
*Under is 4-1-1 in the Wolverines last 6 Sunday games
*Under is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings

CONSENSUS: 52% of bettors are backing Michigan State -2.5

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Sunday, March 16

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Pac-12 Championship betting preview: Arizona vs. UCLA
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Arizona Wildcats vs. UCLA Bruins (+5.5, 138)

Arizona and UCLA have yet to be tested at the Pac-12 tournament, but that figures to change Saturday when the teams meet in the championship game in Las Vegas. The teams faced little resistance in their first two games, with top-seeded Arizona routing Utah (71-39) and Colorado (63-43) while No. 2 seed UCLA cruised past Oregon (82-63) and Stanford (84-59). The teams met once during the regular season in Los Angeles on Jan. 9, when Arizona held on for a 79-75 win despite committing a season-high 17 turnovers.

The Wildcats’ defense has been the story of the tournament after holding both Utah and Colorado under 30 percent shooting, but they’ll need another stellar effort in the title game. The Bruins shot 65.2 percent from the field in Friday’s semifinal win over Stanford, led by a season-high 22 points from guard Norman Powell. The game is a rematch of last season’s tournament semifinal, when UCLA won 66-64 after Arizona coach Sean Miller drew a controversial technical foul with under five minutes remaining.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

LINE HISTORY: The suggested odds out of Las Vegas are Arizona -6.5 and a total of 137.

INJURY WATCH: UCLA - Noah Allen (Out - eye)

WHY BET UCLA (25-8 SU, 20-12 ATS, 14-17 O/U): Guard Jordan Adams, who was named to the All-Pac-12 first team along with teammate Kyle Anderson, scored 24 points against Arizona in last year’s tournament semifinal before suffering a broken foot on the game’s final play. The sophomore had 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against the Wildcats earlier this season, and he leads the Pac-12 with 89 steals. Anderson struggled offensively against Arizona’s Aaron Gordon earlier this season, but the 6-9 wing enters the game on a high note after shooting 55.2 percent from the field over his last three games.

WHY BET ARIZONA (30-3 SU, 20-12 ATS, 9-20 O/U): Arizona notched its 30th win Friday and advanced to the championship game for the third time in the last four years after limiting Colorado to five second-half field goals. “We haven’t played better basketball at any time this year than we did in the final 20 minutes (against Colorado),” Miller told reporters. Junior guard Nick Johnson, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, scored a game-high 16 points against the Buffaloes and had 22 in the Wildcats’ loss to UCLA earlier this season.

TRENDS:

* Bruins are 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings.
* Under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Bruins are 4-1 ATS in their last five neutral site games.
* Wildcats are 6-1 ATS in their last seven neutral site games.

CONSENSUS: 52 percent of wagers are on Arizona -5.5.