Cnotes53 College Basketball Best Bets/Trends/ News Thru The Madness !

[Cnotes53]

Friday?s 6-pack

Odds you can get on various World Series matchups:

14-1- Astros-Dodgers

18-1? Indians-Dodgers

18-1? Astros-Nationals

22-1? Indians-Nationals

30-1? Red Sox-Cubs

150-1? A?s-Dodgers? Hey, a guy can dream.

Quote of the Day
?I say that after a lot of reflection and mostly a lot of belief that, ultimately, what is the most important thing in life is to be happy. As much as it was a great honor to be the voice of ?Monday Night Football? ? and you guys know me well enough, and certainly a lot of my friends and family do ? it wasn?t a tremendous amount of fun the last two years??.?
ESPN?s Sean McDonough, who will no longer be on Monday Night Football

Friday?s quiz
What is the capital of Kentucky?

Thursday?s quiz
No #16-seed has ever beaten a #1-seed in the NCAA tournament.

Wednesday?s quiz
James Harden played his college basketball at Arizona State.


Friday?s Den: Wrapping up a basketball Thursday

Night Games
16) Buffalo 89, Arizona 68? Complete ass-kicking; Bulls outhustled Arizona, they made 15-30 on the arc and they looked like the better team. Arizona kids quit in the last 10:00.

This is first time since 2012 a MAC team won an NCAA tournament game; it is only the second time in last eight years Arizona didn?t make the Sweet 16. With all their legal issues, could be a long time before they get there again.

15) Houston 67, San Diego State 65? Rob Gray scored 39 of Houston?s 67 points, including the game-winner with 0:01 left; I don?t want to say he?s a ballhog, but he took 25 shots, 15 more foul shots and he had zero assists. It is amazing how he dominates the ball, but he made 12-25 from the floor and the Cougars advance.

14) Alabama 86, Virginia Tech 81? Pet Peeve of the Day; calling a flagrant foul when a defender intrudes the space of the guy with the ball, and the offensive player swings the ball to create space and plugs the defender in the face with the ball or his elbow. Whats he supposed to do?

20 years ago, we used to teach this about rebounding: ?Catch-Tuck-Swing? the ball, and if the guy on the other team didn?t want to get drilled in the face, he?d move his face. Now in our soft society, that would be a foul on the guy with the ball, maybe a flagrant foul. It shouldn?t be.

13) Kentucky 78, Davidson 73? Davidson hit a 3-ball with 0:00.6 to cover the spread, but now Kentucky plays Buffalo Saturday for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Kentucky went 0-for-6 outside the arc against Davidson, which ended a 1,047-game streak in which Kentucky made at least one 3-pointer. It was the longest active streak in the country, dating back to November 26, 1988.

12) Texas Tech 70, Stephen F Austin 60? Lumberjacks led by 3 at the half; but Keenan Evans scored 23 points for the Red Raiders and Tech gets their first NCAA tournament win since 2005.

11) Michigan 61, Montana 47? Griz led this game 10-0 early, but Big Sky teams haven?t won a tournament game since 2006- they?re just not good enough to beat a top 20 opponent.

10) Florida 77, St Bonaventure 62? Bonnies made tournament for first time since 2012, beat UCLA Tuesday, but ran out of gas here and got drilled by the Gators, who now play Texas Tech.

I?m still amazed one of the genius AD?s at the big money schools hasn?t scooped up Bonnies? coach Mark Schmidt? he is a very good coach. Ain?t easy to recruit players to Olean, NY.

9) Villanova 87, Radford 61? Worst game of the day, a total mismatch; now the Wildcats face their bugaboo, the second round of the tournament.

Since 2010, Villanova is 1-4 in the second round of the NCAA?s, losing two of last three years in 2nd round as a #1-seed; the one time they won was two years ago, when they went on to win the national title. Villanova plays Virginia Tech Saturday.

Day games
1) Rhode Island 83, Oklahoma 78 OT? First game of the tournament was terrific; Sooners led by 8 late in first half, then trailed by 6 with 4:10 left in regulation, before URI missed a point-blank putback at the buzzer to force OT, where the Rams prevailed.

Oklahoma winds up losing 12 of its last 16 games. URI moves on to play Duke.

2) Loyola Chi 64, Miami FL 62? Donte Ingram stuck a 3-ball with 0:00.3 left to send Ramblers on to the next round in their first NCAA appearance since 1985. Loyola outscored Miami 8-2 over the last 2:47; they were +6 in turnovers (16-10) for the game.

This is the 14th consecutive year that a #11 seed beat a #6 seed

3) Gonzaga 68, NC-Greensboro 64? Games like this are what make the NCAA tournament great. Condescending jerks like Jay Bilas think the NCAA?s should be the best 68 teams in country, rather than the champs from all 32 D-I leagues, but if that were the case, the Spartans wouldn?t have been invited? we?d get the 13th place team in the ACC.

Zags led by 12 with 16:00 left, but UNCG took a 64-62 lead with 1:46 to play- Gonzaga scored the last six points of the game. Exciting game, for sure.

4) Ohio State 81, South Dakota State 73? This game was 70-70 with 1:53 left, but then SD State fouled the 3-point shooter on the next two trips and that was that. Jackrabbits dared Ohio State to shoot 3-pointers; OSU was 12-40 outside the arc, 15-32 inside arc.

South Dakota State?s Mike Daum is an NBA player; he is a sturdy 6-8 guy with 3-point range; he had 27 in this game, and star freshman Jenkins had 16. If those two guys are back in school next year, the Jackrabbits should go dancing again.

5) Duke 89, Iona 67? Gaels shot 38.3% on arc for season; they were 5-24 in this game, as Duke ran out to a 53-39 halftime lead and coasted home from there.

6) Seton Hall 94, NC State 83? Pirates are #55 experience team in country, NC State is #179, which explains this result. Seton Hall led 51-41 at the half and held the Wolfpack off in a game with lot of fouls. Solid first season for Kevin Keatts with NC State, finishing at 21-12. ACC lost two teams already; Wolfpack and Miami.

7) Kansas 76, Penn 60? Quakers led 21-11 early, then reality set in. Penn had a senior named Caleb Wood, only senior in their rotation. He was 4-12 behind the arc in this game, only 12 shots he took all day. He shot 38% behind arc for the year; thats a good gig, just shooting 3?s.

Penn was first Ivy League team to be a 16-seed since Princeton in 1989.

8) Tennessee 73, Wright State 47? Total mismatch, other than first 2:00, when Raiders led 2-0. Vols are just so much more athletic than Wright State. Tennessee has all five of its starters back next year, so they should be even better. Wright State?s only senior starter was Grant Benzinger, son of former major leaguer Todd Benzinger? he was 2-16 from floor in this game.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday - Session 1
March 14, 2018

Friday?s betting action in the opening round of this year?s NCAA Tournament gets underway just after High Noon with Providence taking on Texas A&M.

Next up is a matchup between Cal State Fullerton and Purdue. Session 1 continues with the Thundering Herd of Marshall tangling with Wichita State and it comes to an end in a clash between Georgia State and Cincinnati.

West Region (Charlotte, NC)
No. 10 Providence vs. No. 7 Texas A&M (CBS, 12:15 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Texas A&M -3 ?, 138 ?

Betting Matchup

Providence made a run to Big East Tournament Championship before coming up short against top-seeded Villanova 76-66 as a 13-point underdog. The most impressive victory was against Xavier in the semifinals with a 75-72 win as a seven-point underdog. The Friars posted a 5-1 record against the spread in their last six games with the total staying UNDER in four of those contests.

The Aggies were in the middle of the pack in the SEC at 9-9 straight-up. Their stay in the conference tournament was limited to a 71-70 loss to Alabama as 3 ?-point favorites. Texas A&M comes into this tournament at 2-5 ATS in its last seven games and it has lost four of those games SU. It has averaged 75.0 points per game behind six different players averaging at least nine points per game.

Betting Trends

-- The Friars have failed to cover in 13 of their last 16 nonconference games and the total has stayed UNDER in five of their last seven NCAA Tournament games.

-- The Aggies are 1-4 ATS in their last five games in this tournament and the total has gone OVER in seven of their last 10 games.

-- This will be the first meeting in this Big East/SEC tilt.

East Region (Detroit, MI)
No. 15 CS Fullerton Titans vs. No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers (TruTV, 12:40 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Purdue -21, 145

Betting Matchup

The Titans earned a berth in the Big Dance with their successful run to the Big West Conference Tournament Championship. They were fourth in the standings in the regular season at 10-6 before going on a 3-0 run both SU and ATS. The clincher was a 71-55 romp over UC Irvine as 2 ?-point underdogs. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in 13 of their last 15 games.

Purdue was tied with Ohio State for the second-best record in the Big Ten at 15-3. Its run at the tournament title ended in the championship with a 75-66 loss to Michigan as a four-point favorite. This snapped a SU five-game winning streak, but going back to late January, the Boilermakers have failed to cover in 11 of their last 13 games with one contest ending as a PUSH.

Betting Trends

-- The Titans have gone 4-1-1 ATS in their last six neutral-site games and the total has stayed UNDER in 13 of their last 16 games played at a neutral site.

-- The Boilermakers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven NCAA Tournament games and the total has gone OVER in 11 or their last 15 nonconference games.

-- These two teams have never played one another in recent memory.

East Region (San Diego, CA)
No. 13 Marshall vs. No. 4 Wichita State (TNT, 1:30 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Wichita State -12, 166

Betting Matchup

The Thundering Herd made a run to the Conference USA Tournament title as the No. 4 seed in the field. They finished conference play at 12-6 SU after beating the top-seeded Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 76-67 as 11 ?-point road underdogs in their regular season finale. Marshall toppled Western Kentucky 67-66 to win the C-USA Tournament as a 5 ?-point underdog.

Wichita State?s first season in the AAC ended with a 14-4 SU record, which was tied with Houston for second place. The Shockers bowed-out of the conference tournament with a 77-74 loss to the Cougars as three-point favorites. They failed to cover in seven of their last eight outings and the total has gone OVER in 13 of their last 15 games. Wichita State is averaging 83.0 PPG.

Betting Trends

-- The Thundering Herd have covered in six of their last seven games at a neutral site and the total has gone OVER in their last six games played on Friday.

-- The Shockers are 4-1 ATS in their last five matchups against C-USA and the total has stayed UNDER in their last five NCAA Tournament games.

-- This will be the first meeting between the two.

South Region (Nashville, TN)
No. 15 Georgia State vs. No. 2 Cincinnati (TBS, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Cincinnati -14, 129 ?

Betting Matchup

Georgia State earned its invitation to the Big Dance with a 74-61 victory over Texas-Arlington in the title game of the Sun Belt Tournament. The Panthers covered as two-point favorites to run their current winning streak to four games both SU and ATS. Sophomore guard D?Marcus Simonds led the team in scoring this season with 21.1 PPG and he scored 27 points his last time out.

The Bearcats pulled off the daily double by winning both the AAC regular season title as well as the conference tournament. They snuck past Houston 56-55 in that title game to extend their current winning streak to seven games. After failing to cover as 4 ?-point favorites against the Cougars, they dropped to 2-4 ATS in their last six contests. Cincinnati has four different players averaging at least 11 PPG.

Betting Trends

-- The Panthers have gone 4-1 ATS in their last five games played at a neutral site and the total has stayed UNDER in their last six neutral-site games.

-- The Bearcats are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games in this tournament and the total has stayed UNDER in seven of their last eight games at a neutral site.

-- These two teams have never played one another before.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday - Session 2
March 15, 2018

West Region ? Charlotte ? Spectrum Arena
#15 Lipscomb vs. #2 North Carolina (-19 ?, 162) ? 2:45 PM EST ? CBS

The Tar Heels (25-10 SU, 19-14-1 ATS) begin their title defense not too far from Chapel Hill as they make the short trip to Charlotte. UNC fell short to Virginia in the ACC championship, 71-63, but that isn?t the worst thing in the world. Under Roy Williams, the Tar Heels have won three national titles, as they never captured the conference tournament championship in that season (2005, 2009, and 2017).

During last year?s run to the championship, North Carolina crushed Texas Southern in the opening round, while its final three victories came by a combined nine points. The Tar Heels posted a 7-6 ATS record this season as a double-digit favorite, while routing Lipscomb in its only matchup back in 2010 by an 80-66 score.

Lipscomb (23-9 SU, 4-2 ATS) caught fire towards the end of season by winning nine of its final 10 regular season games, while capping off the Atlantic Sun tournament title by beating regular season champ Florida Gulf Coast, 108-96. Since the A-Sun doesn?t have lines on their regular season games, the Bisons posted a 1-2 ATS record in non-conference play, although it lost by double-digits to Alabama, Tennessee, and Purdue.

The last defending champion to cover in its first tournament game in the following season was Duke back in 2011, as champs in this situation own an 0-4 ATS record in this span (both UConn and Kentucky went to the NIT the next season). Meanwhile, this is the first tournament appearance ever for Lipscomb, as the last A-Sun team to grab a tourney victory was Florida Gulf Coast in the 2016 play-in game.

East Region ? Detroit ? Little Caesars Arena
#10 Butler (-1 ?, 151 ?) vs. #7 Arkansas ? 2:45 PM EST ? truTV

Butler (20-13 SU, 15-17 ATS) struggled down the stretch by losing six of its final nine games, including a 19-point setback to Villanova in the Big East semifinals. The Bulldogs are back in the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight season, while winning their opening round game in six consecutive tourney trips since 2010. Butler is currently riding an 0-4 ATS run, while going 2-7 ATS the last nine games since a 5-1 ATS stretch to close out January.

Arkansas (23-11 SU, 17-16-1 ATS) picked up a pair of victories in the SEC tournament over South Carolina and Florida prior to an 18-point setback to Tennessee in the semifinals. The Razorbacks started conference play at 1-9 ATS, but rebounded with covers in six of their final eight SEC contests. The Hogs struggled in the role of an underdog by posting a 5-7 ATS record, including losses to North Carolina, Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M, and Missouri.

Last season, the Razorbacks knocked out another Big East team by beating Seton Hall in a pick-em role, 77-71 before getting ousted by eventual national champion North Carolina in the round of 32. In each of the past three seasons, Butler has covered the number in the opening round of the tournament, while its last ATS loss in the first round came back in 2009 to LSU.

East Region ? San Diego ? Viejas Arena
#12 Murray State vs. #5 West Virginia (-10 ?, 145 ?) ? 4:00 PM EST ? TNT

Following a 15-1 start to the season, West Virginia (24-10 SU, 15-15 ATS) lost five of its next six games. The Mountaineers rebounded with six wins in the next nine contests and reached the Big 12 championship before ultimately losing to Kansas for the third time this season. WVU has qualified for the Sweet 16 in two of the past three seasons, including in 2017 as the Mountaineers were bounced by Gonzaga.

Murray State (26-5 SU, 17-11 ATS) is no stranger to pulling an upset in the Big Dance as the Racers have won a pair of tournament games since 2010. Granted, the Racers are back in the tournament for the first time since 2012 as they grabbed the Ohio Valley tournament title after beating Jacksonville State and Belmont. Murray State is riding a 13-game winning streak since losing at Belmont on January 18, while its biggest underdog spot of the season was as a 4 ?-point ?dog in an 81-77 setback at Auburn in December.

The Mountaineers had issues covering as a hefty favorite by compiling a dreadful 2-8 ATS mark when laying at least nine points. What?s even more shocking is the three outright losses to Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Kentucky as heavy chalk, while failing to cash in their last two opportunities as a tournament favorite of 6 ? points or more. Ohio Valley squads own a 3-2 ATS record in the past five NCAA tournament appearances, but are 0-5 SU since Murray State knocked off Colorado State in 2012.

South Region ? Nashville ? Bridgestone Arena
#10 Texas (-1, 143 ?) vs. #7 Nevada ? 4:30 PM EST ? TBS

It?s a battle of Big 12 and Mountain West in Nashville as these two teams are hooking up for the first time since Nevada beat Texas in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA tournament. The Longhorns (19-14 SU, 15-14 ATS) were one of several bubble teams that squeezed through on Selection Sunday despite a 4-6 record in their final 10 games. The two wins that sealed Texas? tourney invite came against West Virginia and Oklahoma in the last two weeks of the season, but are currently on an 0-4 ATS run in the favorite role.

The Wolf Pack (27-7 SU, 16-14-3 ATS) built up strong enough credentials to warrant an at-large bid in spite of getting crushed by San Diego State in the MWC semifinals, 90-73. Nevada didn?t have much luck against Big 12 schools this season by losing to Texas Tech and TCU, as those two defeats came after an 8-0 SU/ATS start. In the last 25 games of the season, the Wolf Pack put together an 8-14-3 ATS mark, but nine of those ATS losses came as a favorite of nine points or more.

Nevada graduated from CBI champions in 2016 to an NCAA tournament berth in 2017, but the Wolf Pack fell to another Big 12 club in a first round defeat to Iowa State. The Longhorns haven?t won a tournament game since 2014, while losing on a half-court buzzer-beater to Northern Iowa in 2016.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday - Session 4
March 15, 2018

**Virginia vs. UMBC**

-- Virginia (31-2 straight up, 20-9-1 against the spread) is the Tournament?s No. 1 overall seed after winning both the ACC Tournament and the regular-season championship. However, UVA took some bad news before arriving in Charlotte, as ACC Sixth Man of the Year De?Andre Hunter was ruled ?out? of the Tournament due to a fractured wrist. Hunter was averaging 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. The redshirt freshman forward had made 48.8 percent of his field-goal attempts, 38.2 percent of his 3-pointers and 75.5 percent of his free-throw attempts.

-- UVA owns a 29-21 record in 50 NCAA Tournament games in program history. The Cavaliers are playing in their fifth straight Tournament and sixth overall during Tony Bennett?s nine-year tenure. Bennett, who has won a remarkable 72.0 percent of his games at the school (219-85) and three regular-season ACC titles, has his team as a No. 1 seed for the third time in the past five years. He took the Cavs to the Elite Eight two seasons ago, but they allowed a double-digit second-half lead to get away in a loss to Syracuse. Then last year after slipping past UNC-Wilmington 76-71 in the opening round, Florida dispatched of Virginia in a 65-39 blowout win.

-- As of Thursday afternoon, most betting shops had UVA listed as a 21.5-point favorite with a total of 121. The Cavs opened at -22.5 before the news of Hunter?s injury came out. UMBC had +2750 money-line odds at 5Dimes.eu (risk $100 to win $2,750). The winner advances to play the survivor of Creighton vs. Kansas State.

-- Virginia went 20-1 against ACC foes this year. Since allowing a big second-half advantage to get away in a 61-60 home loss to Va. Tech in overtime on Feb. 10, Bennett?s bunch has won eight games in a row, including scalps of Louisville, Clemson and UNC at the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn at Barclays Arena. The Cavs topped the Tar Heels by a 71-63 count as 3.5-point ?chalk? in this past Saturday night?s finals. Kyle Guy earned ACC Tourney MVP honors after producing 50 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and seven assists compared to just two turnovers in three games. The junior guard had 16 points, two rebounds, two steals and four assists without a turnover vs. UNC. Devon Hall added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown against the Tar Heels. Ty Jerome contributed 12 points, six boards, one steal and six assists compared to only one turnover. The Cavs only turned the ball over four times.

-- UVA has posted a 5-4-1 spread record in 10 games as a double-digit ?chalk.?

-- Guy is UVA?s leading scorer with a 14.1 points-per-game average. The sophomore guard has made 39.5 percent of his launches from 3-point land and 83.7 percent of his free-throw attempts. Jerome (10.5 PPG) paces the Cavs in assists (3.9 APG), steals (1.5 SPG) and FT percentage (90.2%), while Hall (12.0 PPG) is the club?s best 3-point shooter with 45.2 percent accuracy and has an outstanding 106/35 assist-to-turnover ratio.

-- UMBC (24-10 SU, 3-1 ATS) is short for the Maryland Baltimore Country Retrievers, who have won five consecutive games and won the America East Tournament with an upset victory over regular-season champ Vermont. They got a game-winning 3-pointer from Jairus Lyles with less than a second remaining to down the Catamounts 65-62 as 9.5-point underdogs. Lyles, who transferred from VCU after his freshman campaign, finished with 27 points vs. Vermont on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc.

-- Lyles leads UMBC in scoring (20.2 PPG) and steals (2.1 SPG), and he?s buried 38.7 of his tries from 3-point range. The senior also averages 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. K.J. Maura (11.4 PPG) leads the Retrievers in assists (5.2 APG) and FG percentage (46.8%), while Arkel Lamar (10.5 PPG) paces them in rebounding (5.8 RPG), 3-point accuracy (43.2%) and blocked shots (0.5 BPG).

-- UMBC won 20 games this year for only the fourth time in school history. The Retrievers? best wins are the one over Vermont and a 76-75 home triumph over Northern Kentucky, a team that made the NIT. They lost 66-45 at Maryland, 103-78 at Arizona and 78-67 at SMU.

-- Although the ?over? has hit in three straight games and five of their past seven, the ?under? still maintains a lucrative 20-10 overall record for the Cavs, who are tops in the nation in scoring defense (53.4 PPG). They?re ranked third in the country in field-goal percentage ?D? (37.5%) and fifth at defending the 3-point line (30.3%).

-- Totals have been an overall wash (2-2) in four lined games for the Retrievers.

-- Tip-off is expected to be at around 9:20 p.m. Eastern on TNT.

**Syracuse vs. TCU**

-- CBS will provide the broadcast of this 6/11 encounter that?s expected to come off the board at around 9:40 p.m. Eastern. The winner advances to meet the survivor of Xavier vs. Texas Southern in Detroit.

-- As of Thursday afternoon, most books had TCU (21-11 SU, 16-13-2 ATS) listed as a four-point favorite with a total of 136.5. The Orange was +160 on the money line (risk $100 to win $160).

-- Jamie Dixon?s team saw its four-game winning streak both SU and ATS snapped in a 79-75 loss at Texas Tech as a four-point underdog in both team?s regular-season finale. TCU then lost 66-64 to Kansas State in overtime as a 2.5-point ?chalk? at the Big 12 Tournament. Kenrich Williams had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort against the Wildcats. Alex Robinson added 16 points, six assists, four boards and three steals, but he coughed up seven turnovers. Vladimir Brodziansky finished with 13 points, seven boards, two assists and a pair of rejections.

-- In only his second season at his alma mater since taking the job after a long and successful tenure at Pittsburgh, Dixon has TCU back in the Tournament for the first time since losing 96-87 to FSU in 1998 when Billy Tubbs was still roaming the sidelines. It is just the eighth Tourney appearance for the program, which has a 5-7 record in 12 Tourney games.

-- TCU has compiled a 10-5 record both SU and ATS in 15 games as a single-digit favorite.

-- Brodzianksy leads TCU in scoring (15.1 PPG), FG percentage (57.6%) and blocks (1.6 BPG), while Williams (13.1 PPG) paces the Frogs in rebounding (9.3 RPG) and steals (1.8 SPG). Desmond Bane (12.8 PPG) has nailed 47.2 percent of his 3-pointers.

-- TCU will be without Jaylen Fisher, who went down with a torn meniscus in January and isn?t expected to return this year. Fisher played 17 games and was averaging 12.3 PPG, making 43.9 percent of his 3-balls and had a 91/34 assist-to-turnover ratio.

-- Syracuse (21-13 SU, 15-17 ATS) rallied from a seven-point deficit with seven minutes remaining to capture a 60-56 win over Arizona State in Tuesday?s First Four showdown in Dayton. Jim Boeheim?s squad won outright as a one-point underdog, outscoring the Sun Devils 30-28 in both halves. Oshae Brissett scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the ?Cuse, while Tyus Battle finished with 15 points. Frank Howard added 12 points, three boards, three steals, two assists and one blocked shot.

-- Syracuse struggles to get buckets, ranking No. 314 nationally in scoring with a meager 67.3 PPG average. The Orange is ranked No. 312 in the country in FG percentage, making only 41.8 percent of its FGAs, and they?re No. 316 in 3-point accuracy (32.2%). On the flip side, Boeheim?s vaunted zone defense that always features lots of size and length gives opponents fits. The ?Cuse is ranked 15th in the nation in scoring ?D? (64.3 PPG) and eighth in FG percentage defense (39.6%).

-- Syracuse has been an underdog 13 times this season, producing a 6-7 spread record with four outright victories.

-- Syracuse has won at least two Tournament games in five of its past seven invites going back to 2009. The Orange missed the Tournament last year after going to the Final Four in 2016. They?re seeking their second national title and seventh Final Four berth, winning it all in 2003 behind the freshman heroics of Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara.

-- Battle is the Orange?s leading scorer (19.7 PPG) and FT shooter (84.4%), while Howard (14.9 PPG) paces them in assists (4.9 APG) and steals (1.9 SPG). Brissett averages 14.9 points and 8.9 RPG.

-- The ?under? is 18-14 overall for the ?Cuse, cashing in back-to-back games and three of its last four.

-- The ?over? is 21-10 overall for the Horned Frogs, but they?ve seen the ?under? cash in two of their past three games.

**Florida State vs. Missouri**

-- This is an 8/9 showdown in the West Region that?ll be contested in Nashville. The winner will advance to presumably face top-seeded Xavier on Sunday for the right to go to Staples Center in Los Angeles next weekend. Tip-off is expected to take place around 9:50 p.m. Eastern on TBS.

-- Missouri (20-12 SU, 16-15 ATS) is down to seven scholarship players, at least against the Seminoles, because second-leading scorer Jordan Barnett (13.7 PPG, 5.9 RPG) has been suspended for one game following his arrest early this past Saturday morning on DUI charges. Barnett did travel with the team and Cuonzo Martin has indicated that he might be available for the Round of 32 if the Tigers get there.

-- As of Thursday afternoon, most spots had Florida State (20-11 SU, 15-13 ATS) listed as a 1.5-point favorite with a total of 147.5.

-- Since winning three straight games in late January, Leonard Hamilton?s team has won consecutive contests just once and those came at home over Clemson (in overtime after trailing nearly the entire game) and vs. Pittsburgh, which went winless in the ACC and saw its head coach Kevin Stallings fired after only two seasons. FSU is mired in a 1-7 ATS slump in its past eight games, including an 82-74 loss to Louisville at the ACC Tournament last Wednesday. The ?Noles lost outright as 2.5-point ?chalk,? coming up on short in their comeback bid after trailing by 19 at intermission and by as many as 26 early in the second half. They would trim the deficit to eight by the under-four TV timeout but wouldn?t get any closer. Trent Forrest sparked the rally with 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and one steal. P.J. Savoy drained 4-of-7 launches from downtown and finished with 14 points as well.

-- FSU has just three wins of note outside of Tallahassee, as it prevailed at Florida, at Va. Tech and at Louisville. We aren?t giving much credence to a trio of neutral-court scalps over the likes of Tulane, Fordham and Colorado State.

-- Terance Mann averages team-highs in scoring (13.2 PPG), rebounding (5.7 RPG) and FG percentage (56.1%) for FSU. Forrest, a product of Chipley High School in the panhandle of Florida, the same program that produced former football star and Rams? RB Amp Lee, paces the ?Noles in assists (4.0 APG) and steals (1.4 SPG). The sophomore guard has played the best ball of his collegiate career since Valentine?s Day, averaging 14.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals during a six-game span.

-- Missouri has lost four of its last six games both SU and ATS, including a 62-60 loss to Georgia at the SEC Tournament in St. Louis this past Thursday. The Tigers lost outright as 3.5-point favorites. Jontay Porter had 20 points and eight rebounds thanks to 4-of-6 marksmanship from 3-point range. His brother, Michael Porter Jr., the future lottery pick who hadn?t played since the season opener, came off the bench and logged 23 minutes. In his first action since back surgery in November, Porter produced 12 points, eight rebounds, one blocked shot and one assist without committing a turnover. Observers could clearly see the talent, but his legs and conditioning weren?t there as he shook off the rust. One would think he?ll be better off in those categories after another week of full-speed practices.

-- Kassius Robertson, a grad transfer from Canisius, has been the catalyst for Martin?s first team at Missouri after leaving Cal-Berkeley to take the gig. Robertson averages a team-best 16.2 PPG thanks to 42.5 percent shooting from long distance. Barnett, who we noted will be absent vs. FSU, makes 41.4 percent of his 3?s and 89.0 percent of his FTs. Jontay Porter averages 10.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game.

-- Missouri owns a 5-4 spread record with three outright victories in nine games as an underdog.

-- Missouri is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. The Tigers haven?t won a Tournament game since beating Clemson 86-78 in 2010. They are still seeking their first Final Four appearance and are 22-26 in 48 Tournament games.

-- FSU has only one Final Four appearance (1972) in program history, going 16-15 in the Tournament. Hamilton took the ?Noles to the Sweet 16 in 2011 before losing 72-71 to VCU in overtime. This is the program?s third Tourney showing since then, bowing out in the Round of 32 in both 2012 and last season when Xavier sent FSU packing after it had beaten Florida Gulf Coast.

-- The ?over? has hit in back-to-back games and five of FSU?s last seven to improve to 17-12 overall.

-- The ?under? is 12-5 in the Tigers? last 17 games and 19-12 overall.

**Clemson vs. New Mexico State**

-- This game will tip 30 minutes after Auburn vs. College of Charleston concludes on TruTV. The winners of both games face each other Friday in San Diego. This is a 5/12 encounter, one that has many pundits thinking the Aggies are a trendy underdog pick.

-- As of Thursday afternoon, most betting shops had Clemson (23-9 SU, 17-12 ATS) installed as a 4.5-point favorite with a total of 133. The Aggies were +170 on the money (risk $100 to get paid $170).

-- Brownell has the Tigers back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since he took the program over in 2011. Clemson beat UAB handily by a 70-52 count in the First Four that season, but the victory came after the initial First Four game for a 16th seed went to multiple overtimes. Therefore, by the time Brownell?s club had defeated the Blazers and finished its media obligations, it didn?t get to the airport until nearly 2:00 a.m. for a flight to St. Petersburg, Florida, where it arrived near sunrise. Clemson then had media obligations and practice with basically zero rest before facing West Virginia the next day in the first game at 12:15 p.m. Eastern. The Tigers jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead, only to falter as fatigue set in and the Mountaineers surged ahead and won an 86-78 decision.

-- Clemson is in the Tournament for only the 12th time in school history. The Tigers own a 9-11 record in 20 all-time Tourney games. The most heartbreaking? Obviously, we must go back to the Meadowlands in 1990 for an East Region semifinal with Jim Calhoun?s Connecticut squad. Cliff Ellis had a pair of big men who would enjoy long and prosperous NBA careers in Dale Davis and Elden Campbell, in addition to a point guard from the Bronx by the name of Marion Cash. Sean Tyson was going to the FT line for a one-and-one with 1.9 seconds remaining and Clemson leading by one. His FT missed and UConn rebounded and immediately called a timeout. This left the Huskies with 1.1 seconds remaining. Scottie Burrell, who pitched in minor-league baseball during the summers while in college, would throw a length-of-the-court pass to Tate George, who caught the ball on the far baseline and knocked down a buzzer-beating jumper. I?ll never forget the look of shock in Campbell?s eyes. Of course, UConn would have the favor returned less than 48 hours later when its one-point lead with less than three seconds remaining disappeared when Christian Laettner got a quick pass back after inbounding the ball on the sidelines and knocked down a contest double-pump leaner that beat the horn and sent Duke to the Final Four. Two years later, Laettner would bury a second Elite Eight buzzer beater at the old Spectrum in Philadelphia to sink Kentucky in what many call The Last Great Game.

-- Clemson lost perhaps its best player in senior forward Donte Grantham in late January. Grantham was enjoying a stellar campaign, averaging 14.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocked shots per game. He was shooting at a 56.0 percent clip from the field, 41.9 percent from downtown and 78.0 percent from the FT line.

-- Clemson has lost five of its past eight games while going 4-4 ATS. The Tigers beat Boston College 90-82 as a 5.5-point favorite last Thursday to advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals. However, they dropped a 64-58 decision Friday night to Virginia, although they registered a backdoor cover for their supporters as 7.5-point underdogs. Shelton Mitchell scored a team-best 18 points in the losing effort, while Elijah Thomas added 15 points and seven rebounds.

-- Marcquise Reed leads Clemson in scoring (15.8 PPG), assists (3.4 APG) and steals (1.7 SPG), but he saw his seven-game streak of scoring in double figures halted when he had only six points in the loss to UVA in Brooklyn. Gabe DeVoe (14.2 PPG) has buried 38.7 percent of his treys and pulls down 4.7 RPG. Thomas (10.8 PPG) paces the Tigers in rebounding (7.9 RPG), FG percentage (57.0%) and blocked shots (2.2 BPG).

-- Brad Brownell?s team is ranked 29th in the nation in scoring defense (65.8 PPG) and 35th in FG percentage ?D? (41.0%).

-- Clemson has been a single-digit ?chalk? 13 times, posting a 7-6 spread record with three outright losses.

-- New Mexico State (28-5 SU, 6-2-2 ATS) tied a school record for wins by defeating Grand Canyon in this past Saturday?s WAC Tournament finals. The Aggies are in the Big Dance for the fourth time in five seasons. They haven?t advanced to the Round of 32 since 1993, although we should note that San Diego State needed overtime to get by NMSU in 2014. NMSU went to the Final Four in 1970 when Lou Henson was the head coach, but it is only 10-25 in 35 all-time NCAA Tournament games.

-- NMSU won a 72-58 decision over Grand Canyon as a 4.5-point ?chalk? at The Orleans in Las Vegas. Zach Lofton was the catalyst with a game-high 21 points and five rebounds. A.J. Harris added 18 points, while Jemerrio Jones finished with 17 points and 18 boards. Jones, a 6?5? senior forward, garnered WAC Tourney MVP honors by averaging 11.0 points and 13.2 RPG during the Aggies? three-game run.

-- NMSU knocked off a pair of Tournament teams in Davidson and Miami at the Diamond Head Classic, but it lost to USC in the finals on Christmas Day in Honolulu. Other notable non-conference games included a 92-74 loss at Saint Mary?s, a sweep of New Mexico in a home-and-home series and a neutral-court victory over Illinois.

-- New Mexico State has won six games in a row. The Aggies are 2-1 ATS with a pair of outright wins in three games as underdogs.

-- Lofton averages a team-high 19.7 points and grabs 5.1 RPG. He?s buried 38.2 percent of his 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Jones (11.0 PPG, 13.2 RPG) averages a double-double and averages team-bests in both assists (3.1 APG) and steals (1.1 SPG).

-- New Mexico State ranked 10th nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to 63.8 PPG.

-- The ?over? is 15-14 overall for the Tigers after cashing in back-to-back games.

-- The ?under? is 7-3 overall for the Aggies.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday's Early Best Bets
March 15, 2018

NCAA Tournament Best Bets ? Early

The first Friday of the NCAA tournament is always great as bettors have just consumed a full day of action (16 games) and now have another day of the exact same thing to look forward to. This year we've got some very intriguing games on the second day of tournament play and with so much to get to, let's get right to some early plays you should strongly consider adding to your card:

Best Bet #1: Texas A & M -3

This line has dropped by the hook on -3.5 since open as it is a 7 vs 10 matchup that can be ones that go either way. But while the small majority of bettors are backing this Providence team from the Big East, I believe the Aggies size in the paint will be too much to overcome for Providence.

Texas A&M enter the tournament on a bit of a down slide having finished the year with on a 3-4 SU run and losing to Alabama in their first game of the SEC tournament. But to be fair, the Aggies had just concluded their regular season with a tight two-point home win over Alabama a few days prior and the Crimson Tide knew they'd need a solid SEC Tournament run to secure their berth in the NCAA tournament. The Tide definitely had much more to play for in the rematch, so I am willing to forgive that loss by A&M. Prior to that, they had won three in a row, so while some many point a dreary picture for the Aggies, I'm simply not buying it.

Providence is a Big East team that secured their NCAA tournament berth with a solid run in the Big East Tournament, beating Creighton and Xavier before falling to Villanova in the final. All three of those games needed OT to be decided, and while it is a week later, there still comes a point when all that extra basketball catches up to a team. Yes, the Friars are on a 5-1 ATS run and took two #1 seeds in Xavier and Villanova to OT so current form is good, but they don't really see a big, physical team like the Aggies in the Big East anymore and unless guys like Alpha Diallo and Kyron Cartwright are knocking down outside shots routinely here, the Aggies should pull away late.

In the end, Texas A&M's size will lead to too many second chance opportunities on offense and too many altered/blocked shots on defense to let this first round game not go their way. With Providence on a 3-13 ATS run in non-conference games and a 0-4 ATS run in NCAA tournament play, I've got no problem laying this small amount of chalk. For you total bettors, I do think the 'over' is a solid play as well at any number under 140, but have much more faith in Texas A&M stepping up and taking care of their business.

Best Bet #2: Butler -1.5

This is another 7 vs 10 matchup (that's also Big East vs SEC ironically) I'm looking to attack with the small favorite, although this time it's the 10 seed that's laying the chalk.

Butler went through that same Big East gauntlet all year that Providence did, and while it won't help the Friars too much in a very bad matchup for them against Texas A&M, Butler's battle-tested ways will prove to be much better support in a better matchup for them against Arkansas.

Arkansas is a smaller team that likes to play fast and fill-up the bucket. In other words, the Razorbacks could have easily been mistaken for a Big East team in 2018 as that's basically how all the top teams in the Big East play in today's game. Butler is no exception, but the difference is they actually play a bit of defense as well and have the size, speed and talent to shut down the likes of Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon.

Arkansas simply gives up too many points in general (75.5 per game) and especially against elite scoring teams to come away with the win here. That poor defense may have not cost them frequently during the year, but with the pressure ratcheted up in the NCAA tournament and a different floor/new sight lines etc to deal with on offense, the Razorbacks can't rely on their prolific offense to shoot them out of trouble in this tournament. There aren't any more soft defenses left to face this year, and if Macon, Barford, struggle shooting the ball, the Bulldogs won't hesitate to run away from Arkansas and leave them playing catch-up.

Seeding can be irrelevant at times in regards to the point spread and the fact that Butler opened up as the small favorite as the 10 seed and this line hasn't flipped the other way tells me that there is an awful lot of respect shown to the Bulldogs from both the oddsmakers and the overall betting market. I agree with that sentiment the entire way, and with Butler always cashing tickets this time of year (20-5-2 ATS last 27 NCAA tournament games), I expect them to cash at least one more betting ticket this year.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday's Late Best Bets
March 15, 2018

NCAA Tournament Best Bets ? Late

The evening slate on Friday brings bettors some very intriguing games and different dynamics to handicap as there are a few games expected to be blowouts and others that reside near the pick'em range.

Trying to figure out if X number of points is too many to lay for a top seed or who is going to just SU win a game between two evenly matched squads, so I'd suggest going through the similar style of games first (ie deal with the big favorites first and then the pick'em games or vice versa) and not jumping back and forth between them when doing your handicapping.

As far as I'm concerned it's the close games in the pick'em range that I'm more excited about as I do believe we've got two specific games where the wrong team is favored.

Best Bet #1: Kansas State +1.5

Kansas State had their issues at times playing away from home this year (4-7 SU on the road and 1-2 SU on neutral floors) and it's probably part of the reason why they are pegged as the small underdog here. The other part of that reason is the fact that leading scorer Dean Wade is bothered by a nagging foot injury and was held out of their last game in the Big 12 tournament to get some rest. That decision was probably on the cautious side and it's nice to see that the Wildcats put aside their hatred/desire to beat Kansas in that conference tournament game to look at the big picture. Wade will suit up in all likelihood and even at less than 100% he'll still have a huge impact on the game, even if it is simply just a confidence boost for his teammates around him.

Creighton is a team that went through the wars of a Big East schedule and beat some talented teams like Villanova, but if you want to talk about teams that really struggled away from home you've got to include Creighton in that conversation. The raw numbers may not show it as they were 6-5 SU on the road and 2-3 SU on a neutral floor, but just go back through their season and look at the road games they lost to tournament-caliber teams.

Creighton had a 91-74 loss @ Gonzaga, a 90-84 loss @ Seton Hall, a 92-70 loss @ Xavier, a 85-71 loss @ Providence, a 98-78 loss @ Villanova, and a 93-70 loss @ Butler. Those are some brutal losses no matter which way you spin it, and if the Big East is a bit overvalued on the whole in this tournament with a few teams riding the wake of the elite in Xavier and Villanova, without question Creighton qualifies in that regard. This is not a team you want to be backing anywhere but on their own floor against anyone that's as good as most of these 64 teams.

Throw in a 1-9-1 ATS mark for Creighton in their last 11 NCAA tournament games, a 2-8 ATS run overall entering this contest, and a 1-8 ATS run against a team with a winning record in their last nine tries and it really starts to look like the wrong team is definitely favored here. If K-State plays like they are capable of, they could win this game going away, so even at a level that's not their peak they still should win this game outright.

Best Bet #2: Missouri +1.5

All the talk about this Missouri team surrounds Michael Porter Jr's return to action and just how much of an impact he may or may not have for the Tigers going forward in this tournament. There is no question Porter Jr is a great talent, but backing the Tigers in this spot doesn't have a whole lot to do with his return. Although, it doesn't hurt when your perceived best player is back in the fold and can really only bring upside.

Missouri tried to hard to fit Porter Jr into a main role during his game in the SEC tournament, but in hindsight it probably was a good thing. It taught the Tigers that they've got to work him back into the mix more organically and gameplan like they would have any other game this year without him (for the most part). It always helps to know he can go out there and light up the scoresheet, but Missouri shouldn't rely on that happening like they did at times in his first game back. If Missouri does decide to play to their strengths and be more organic in their approach with Porter Jr, then they definitely should be the ones laying a bit of chalk here.

Florida State had a solid year in the ACC, but three losses in four games to finish the year has to be a little concerning. These Seminoles are a long way away from the team that started out 9-0 SU this year and really benefited from a rather ?soft? ACC schedule for basically the final six weeks of the season. FSU got their games against Duke and UNC out of the way around New Year's (1-1 SU) and only faced Virginia once, Clemson twice, and Miami twice the rest of the way. FSU had a 2-3 SU record in those five outings, needing OT to beat Clemson and Miami at home, while losing on the road to those two as well as a home loss to Virginia. Outside of those games it was basically all weaker teams for on the Seminoles schedule the rest of the wayand they took advantage when they could and struggled when they couldn't. Oh, and two of their most three recent defeats were by double digits against Clemson and NC State.

Missouri is more than comparable to those two teams ? with or without Porter Jr ? and in the end I just don't believe Florida State has what it takes to get the job done right now. The Seminoles are on a money-burning 1-7 ATS run right now, and with a 3-7 ATS run going at a neutral site and a 1-6 ATS run going against a winning foe. That latter trend speaks right to that ?soft? schedule FSU has as their overall record and perception has produced quite the false favorite here.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday?s games

Day Games

Providence lost in Big East final Saturday; all three tournament games went to OT. Friars are #117 experience team, starting three seniors- they lost five of last six first round games in this tournament. Providence is 7-7 in last 14 games overall; they?re 9-4 outside Big East (#191 NC sked), 6-9 vs top 50 teams. Texas A&M is 3-4 in its last seven games; they?re 11-1 outside SEC (NC sked #38) but were only 9-10 inside SEC. they?re #233 experience team. Over the last five years, favorites are 12-8 against the spread in #7-10 seed 1st round games.

Purdue won 15 of last 17 first round games, covering four of last six; Boilermakers start four seniors, are #52 experience team- they make 42% of their 3?s. Purdue is 13-2 outside Big 14 (#145 NC sked); they?re 12-0 vs teams ranked outside top 100. Cal State-Fullerton won eight of last ten games; they?ve got good guards, are #3 team in country in %age of their points scored on foul line. Titans are #235 experience team- they?re 5-5 outside Big West (#80 NC sked); they?re 1-4 vs top 100 teams. Big West teams are 2-5 vs spread in this round the last seven years.

Dan D?Antoni is Marshall?s coach; his team plays fast (#6 pace), just like the Rockets. Marshall won 10 of its last 12 games; they?re #260 experience team that is 9-4 outside C-USA (NC sked #334). Thundering Herd makes 35.6% of its 3?s; 46% of their shots are 3?s. C-USA teams won their 1st round game four of last five years. Wichita State is 16-0 vs teams ranked outside top 100; Shockers are #13 experience team, but teams shoot 36.3% on arc against them (#247). Wichita?s last six wins are all by 8 or fewer points- they won last five first round games.

Cincinnati won its last seven games; they force turnovers 22.3% of time, have #2 eFG% defense in country. Bearcats are 11-2 outside AAC, vs NC schedule #295- they?re 11-4 vs top 100 teams. Cincy plays slow (#322 pace). Georgia State is #101 experience team; they make 39.1% of their 3?s, take lot of them. Panthers have great PG in Simonds, but have thin bench (#342 in bench minutes played); they beat Tulane of AAC 70-59 back in November. Last four years, #2-seeds are 9-7 vs spread in 1st round games. Sun Belt teams covered three of last four 1st round games.

North Carolina split its last six games overall, went 11-2 vs #15 non-league schedule; they won their last 15 first round games, but are 5-7-1 vs spread in last 13. Tar Heels rebound 38.4% of their own misses, #2 in country; they?re 7-1 vs teams ranked outside top 100. Lipscomb is in NCAAs for first time; they won 12 of last 13 games, are 8-5 vs NC schedule #30, but are 2-4 vs top 100 teams, with losses by 22-23-10-32 points. Bisons get 22.3% of their points on foul line (#27). Atlantic Sun teams are 3-2 vs spread in first round the last five years.

Arkansas is #43 experience team that is 10-2 outside SEC (#135 NC sked), 6-8 vs top 50 teams; Razorbacks are in NCAAs for 3rd time in last four years- they won their last three first round games. Hogs are 8-3 in last 11 games; they start three seniors. Butler is #204 experience team that lost six of last nine games, with two OT losses; Bulldogs are 10-3 outside Big East (NC sked #157), 4-10 vs top 50 teams. Butler turns ball only 15.7% of time (#28); Arkansas forces TO?s 19.4% of time. Last three years, Big East teams are 17-7 vs SEC opponents.

West Virginia forces turnovers 23.4% of time; they?re #196 experience team that is 11-2 vs teams ranked outside top 50- they?re 11-1 outside Big X (#297 NC sked). Mountaineers won five of last seven games; they start pair of senior guards, are 3-4 vs spread in last seven 1st round games. Murray State is in NCAAs for first time in six years; they lost by 5 to Middle Tennessee, by 4 to Auburn in high-profile non-league games. Racers won their last 13 games, are #110 experience team- their PG Stark is a senior, but Murray isn?t deep (#304 in bench minutes).

Nevada has injury issues; PG Drew tore his achilles, Caroline is playing thru a broken finger, Martin is playing thru foot issues. Wolf Pack lost by 11 to Iowa St of Big X in first round LY; they lost twice to San Diego State in last two weeks, were down 30 at the half in their last game, but Musselman is an NBA coach and Nevada gets 35% of its point behind arc, which negates Texas shot blocker Bamba. Longhorns are #336 experience team with depth issues; they?re 4-6 in last 10 games. Last four years, Mountain West teams are 1-4 vs spread in this round.

Night Games

Creighton star Foster played his first two years of college ball at Kansas State, which makes this 8-9 game more interesting. Bluejays lost six of last nine games; they?re 6-7 since 6-9 Krampelj was lost for year. Creighton is #185 experience team that is 10-2 outside Big East (NC sked #291), but 4-7 vs top 50 teams- they shoot 37.6% on arc and take lot of them. K-State is #242 experience team that is 7-10 vs top 50 teams, 10-2 outside Big X (#321 NC sked). Wildcats start three sophs, two juniors. Last three years, Big X teams are 6-5 when playing Big East teams.

Bucknell (+13) lost 86-80 to West Virginia in 1st round LY, in a 4-13 game. Bison are #82 team in experience, starting three seniors- they suspended backup F Moore for this game; he didn?t play in Patriot tourney. Michigan State won only one tourney game last two years; Spartans are #281 experience team, starting four sophs and a freshman. Sparty opponents are shooting 38.4% inside arc this season. MSU makes 41.3% of its 3-pointers. Patriot League teams are 1-4 vs spread in this round last five years; Bucknell is 3-2 vs spread in this round.

Texas Southern started season 0-13 in a cash grab; son of school?s AD is on this team, which lost games by 7 at Clemson, 6 at Oregon, 6 at Wyoming- they also got smoked in several games, but they?ve won eight games in row. they shouldn?t be in awe; 11 of their 14 non-league opponents are top 120 teams. Xavier won 13 of last 15 games; they?re #123 experience team that plays pace #61. musketeers are 12-1 outside Big East; they?re 10-0 vs teams ranked outside top 100, with six wins by 19+ points. SWAC teams covered three of last four games in this round.

Since 2009, CAA teams are 9-2 vs spread in first round games; Charleston is #60 experience team that won 14 of its last 15 games. Cougars took trip to Alaska in November, went 3-2 in OT games this year, are #1 team in country in Minutes Continuity, a KenPom stat that measures stability of a roster. Auburn lost four of last six games after starting season 23-3; Tigers are in NCAA for first time since 2003- they?re #308 experience team. None of eight guys in Auburn?s rotation are seniors. Charleston wants a slower pace (#323) than Auburn (#21) does.

UMBC?s coach is Ryan Odom, whose dad Dave was once an assistant at Virginia. Retrievers are in NCAAs for first time in 10 years; they?re #99 experience team that makes 38.2% of its 3?s, and they take lot of them. UMBC has two senior G?s; they won 8 of last 9 games, winning at Vermont in America East final, after having lost 23 in row to UVM. Virginia won its last eight games, is #162 experience team that plays pace #351, slowest in country. Cavaliers are 9-0 vs teams raked outside top 100. Last three years, #1-seeds are 7-5 against the spread in first round games.

Missouri senior F Barnett (DUI) is suspended for this game, didn?t travel with team; freshman star Porter plays his 2nd game of season after sitting out whole year with back injury- he took 17 shots in 23:00 in his debut in 62-60 loss to Georgia in SEC tourney. Tigers lost four of last six games; they?re likely to start three freshmen in first NCAA game in five years. Florida State won 83-66 at Florida of SEC; they?re 11-1 outside ACC, but vs NC sked #331. Seminoles are 4-6 in last ten games- they play pace #1, are 3-0 in OT games this season.

When he was coach at Pitt, Jamie Dixon won his last five games with Syracuse. Syracuse played all five starters 34:00+ in Wednesday?s win over Arizona St; two guys played whole 40:00- their bench plays least minutes in country. Orange made Final Four as 10-seed two years ago; they can?t be dismissed here- their trip to Detroit is a short one. Syracuse is #309 experience team; they?re 4-5 in last nine games. TCU is #74 experience team that is 12-0 outside Big X (NC sked #178); Frogs split their last 10 games- they shoot 40% on arc.

New Mexico State is in NCAAs for 6th time in seven years under three head coaches; Aggies lost last nine 1st round games (3-6 vs spread); their last NCAA win was in 1993. State is experience team #76 that starts three seniors- they beat Miami 63-54 in Hawai?i so doubtful they?ll be awed by an ACC opponent. Clemson is in NCAA?s for first time in seven years; Tigers went 7-6 after losing big guy Grantham for year- they?re 15-2 vs teams ranked outside top 50. Clemson is #58 experience team; they play pace #296, Aggies play pace #173.

Other tournaments

Austin Peay is 8-4 in its last dozen games; they?re 3-7 outside OVC, beating Sun Belt?s Troy by hoop Dec 19. Governors force turnovers 22.2% of time (#12). UL-Monroe won seven of last ten games; they?re 4-5 outside Sun Belt, losing by 19 at Jacksonville State of OVC Dec 9. ULM is #68 experience team that plays pace #284- they get 40.9% of their points outside the arc.

Wofford got a bye in this tournament; they haven?t played in 12 days; Terriers are 6-4 outside SoCon, with a win in Chapel Hill over the Tar Heels. Wofford is #299 experience team that has made 39.9% of its 3?s (#18). Central Michigan won 94-89 in Ft Wayne Monday, using three starters 33:00+. Chippewas are 9-2 outside MAC, but their NC schedule is ranked #340.

 

[Cnotes53]

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

03/15/2018 13-20-0 39.39% -45.00
03/13/2018 7-14-1 33.33% -41.50
03/12/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00

best bets:

Ats

03/15/2018...............................................7 - 6.............................+ 2.00
03/14/2018.............................................. 2 - 4..............................-12.00
03/12/2018.............................................. 1 - 0..............................+ 5.00

TOTALS............................................ ......10 - 10.............................- 5.00

over/under

03/15/2018...............................................6 - 8.................................-14.00
03/13/2018.............................................. 0 - 5.................................-27.50
03/12/2018.............................................. 1 - 0.................................+ 5.00

TOTALS............................................ .........7 - 13..............................- 36.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday - Session 3
March 16, 2018

South Region ? Charlotte ? Spectrum Arena
#9 Kansas State vs. #8 Creighton (-1, 144) ? 6:50 PM EST ? TNT

The Blue Jays can count on a motivated senior leader in Marcus Foster, who started his career at Kansas State under head coach Bruce Weber and looked like the next Mitch Richmond as a freshman in Manhattan. He didn't make it through his sophomore season

Kicked off the team for a violation of rules, Foster ended up transferring to Creighton, where he could be playing the final game of his college career if things don't go well against the Wildcats. No one involved disputes that Foster wasn't immature. He wasn't picked on or blind-sided, but that doesn't change the fact that he'll be getting an opportunity for a little revenge. Both have said all the right things this week and will likely have a nice exchange at some point, but for the 40 minutes the Blue Jays or on the floor, everything Foster does on the floor will carry traces of "I told you so" on the floor.

Foster leads Creighton with a 20.3 points-per-game average and gets plenty of help from Khyri Thomas, another likely pro who comes off a disappointing 8-point effort in the Big East Tournament loss to Providence, snapping an 11-game run of scoring in double-digits. He averaged 18 points per game in that span, so Creighton will need him to rebound.

Foster has shot poorly in a pair of NCAA Tournament losses, shooting a combined 13-for-37, including 2-for-14 on 3-pointers. His teams have gone 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament. A date with top-ranked Virginia awaits Friday's survivor.

The Blue Jays have slumped of late, dropping four of their last six games. They'll be looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season.

Power forward Dean Wade led the Wildcats in scoring this season, but missed the team's Big 12 Tournament exit with a stress fracture of his foot that is expected to hinder him in this one. He's a game-time decision, but won't be at 100 percent if he suits up as expected.

K-State junior guard Barry Brown left the Big 12 Tourney loss to in-state rival Kansas after a severe poke to the eye drew blood a few minutes in, but he's been practicing and should be good to go without limitations.

An x-factor to watch for K-State is 6-foot-9 sophomore Makol Mawien, who tried to pick up his team without Wade by scoring 29 points. He shot 19-for-26 in the Big 12 Tournament and has scored in double-figures three straight games, something he hadn't done all season.

If Wade can play well and Mawien continues his surge, Creighton could be ill-equipped to handle the Wildcats over the course of a full game, having lost top rebounder Martin Krampelj to a torn ACL back in January.

Kansas State has gone 11-7 ATS since Jan. 10. In 2018, the under has prevailed in 13 of 20 Wildcats' games. The low-side is 10-7 in Creighton contests since Dec. 31.

Midwest Region ? Detroit ? Little Caesar's Arena
#14 Bucknell vs. #3 Michigan State (-14.5, 148) ? 7:10 PM EST ? CBS

It's been a strange and often trying season for Michigan State, which has been ranked among the nation's elite teams and won the Big Ten regular season title, setting a school record with 29 regular-season wins. Sparty bowed out in disappointing fashion against rival Michigan, so we'll see how they respond.

It won't be their first dose of adversity. The U.S. gymnastics scandal threatened to scar the program by shedding light on past transgressions once again, forcing Tom Izzo to address some difficult questions. At one point, he actually had to come out and say that he had no plans to step down.

On the floor, Izzo has been blessed with a pair of likely NBA lottery picks in sophomore Miles Bridges and freshman Jaren Jackson, Jr. Both are versatile, dynamic athletes that make the MSU frontcourt arguably the nation's most talented.

It's hard to imagine a Patriot League being able to adequately match up with such special talents, but Bucknell is up to the challenge and has the personnel to give it an honest shot. Center Nana Foulland has been the best big man in his conference for years. Forward Zach Thomas averages over 20 points and nine rebounds, leading the league in both categories. He seemingly always makes the right play and has been starting games for four seasons.

Bucknell reached the NIT in the first two seasons featuring this year's senior class, so nobody was around for the C.J. McCollum-led upset of Duke back in 2012, but most everyone was around for last year's thrilling game against West Virginia that resulted in an 86-80 loss exactly one year ago on March 16.

Bison guards Stephen Brown and Kimbal McKenzie combined to score 41 points in the loss to the Mountaineers, shooting 8-for-14 from 3-point range. If Bucknell has any shot at an upset, both will have to be a factor.

Making matters most challenging for the Patriot League champs will be the venue, since the Spartans will undoubtedly benefit from being placed in Detroit's new downtown Little Caesar's Arena, removing the possibility of fans adopting the underdog mid-game. Rival Michigan won in Wichita on Thursday, so even those faithful to the Maize and Blue won't be a factor.

This will only be the second meeting ever between these schools, who squared off in Nov. 2003. Michigan State won at home 64-52.

Bucknell will have to handle Michigan State's size without the assistance of suspended forward Bruce Moore, who started 22 games but has been shelved for violating team rules.

Michigan State leads the nation in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 36.6 percent. The Spartans are also tops in assists (19.3) and blocked shots (7.4).

Oddsmakers have taken advantage of Michigan State's superiority and brand by putting point spreads just out of reach. Despite a 14-3 overall record, Izzo's squad is just 4-11-2 against the number in that span. Six of MSU's last seven games have gone under. Bucknell is 5-5 ATS in games that have been included on the board.

West Region ? Nashville ? Bridgestone Arena
#16 Texas Southern vs. #1 Xavier (-19.5, 160) ? 7:20 PM EST ? TBS

The Musketeers are generally considered the weakest of the No. 1 seeds, so if there's ever a time that a 16 is going to make history and pull off an upset, this could be it. Texas Southern is coached by veteran former Bob Knight protege Mike Davis, who has taken Indiana, UAB and now Texas Southern dancing. He's 7-8 in this event, although most of the wins came in the run to the 2002 National Championship game.

Davis has taken the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five years, but finally got over the hump and won a game on Wednesday in convincing fashion, crushing MEAC champ NC Central 64-46. Texas Southern finished second in the SWAC regular-season standings but won all three conference tourney games by double-digits and takes an eight-game winning streak into this contest.

Texas Southern rather famously went 0-13 to start the season, but that's another reason they could be worth taking seriously here. Not only have they proven resilient, but Davis' strategy of challenging the likes of Gonzaga, Ohio State, Syracuse Kansas, Clemson, Oregon, Baylor, TCU and BYU toughened his team and prepared them for this since they often went from one city to the next, playing one guarantee game after another.

Junior 7-footer Trayvon Reed, an Auburn transfer, nearly averaged a double-double and blocked three shots per game, so the Tigers could have a difference-maker in the paint at both ends of the floor if he's able to avoid foul trouble.

TSU's best players are guards Demontrae Jefferson and Donte Clark, who combine to average over 42 points per game. Jefferson, a 5-foot-7, 150-pounder who plays much bigger than his size, averaged 4.5 3-point makes in 10 attempts per game. He scored 25 points on Wednesday. Clark played his first three seasons at UMass, starting 75 times.

Xavier was eliminated from the Big East Tournament in the semifinals against Providence, losing in OT. The Muskies won 13 of 15 down the stretch but were swept by the other top seed out of the Big East, Villanova.

Despite a storied basketball history over the past few decades, this is the first time Xavier has been awarded a No. 1 seed. In Trevon Bluiett, J.P. Macura and Kerem Kanter, the Musketeers' top three scorers are all seniors who can do a number of things, including stretch out a defense from beyond the arc.

Texas Southern held NC Central to 0-for-14 shooting from 3-point range to overcome its own putrid shooting night in Dayton (21-for-73, 29 percent)

Midwest Region ? San Diego ? Viejas Arena
#13 College of Charleston vs. #6 Auburn (-9 ?, 148) ? 7:25 PM EST ? truTV

Despite off-the-court controversy and attrition issues involving the program's top big men, Bruce Pearl's Tigers managed to win the SEC convincingly during the regular season, which was no small feat given how loaded the league was this season. They won 14 straight at one point, but have stumbled down the stretch since their lack of depth has been magnified.

The College of Charleston is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 19 years after rallying from 17 points down in the Colonial title game against well-coached Northeastern.

Auburn was unable to get the top big men in the program, Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, eligible to play due to amateurism issues. Anfernee McLemore, a superior athlete who plays much bigger than his size and was invaluable as a glue guy, tore his ACL in February.

The Tigers went 2-4 down the stretch, covering only one of those six games and bowing out of the SEC Tournament in embarrassing fashion, falling to rival Alabama 81-63.

In point guard Jared Harper, shooting guard Bryce Brown and wing Mustapha Heron, the Tigers still have a formidable three-headed monster that plays with pace and pushes tempo whenever possible. If they have success turning teams over, the Tigers can bury you in a hurry.

It will be up to senior point guard Joe Chealey to help handle the pressure. He's certainly capable, coming in as one of the most reliable mid-major guards in the country. Backcourt mates Grant Riller and Jarrell Brantley should give Auburn's arsenal a run for their money.

In a perfect world, the College of Charleston will be able to take Auburn out of its comfort zone by slowing tempo and limiting turnovers. Like the Tigers, the Cougars are light on depth.

The schools haven't played since 2012 at the Charleston Classic. Auburn has won all three previous meetings.

The College of Charleston have won 14 of 15 games outright, but are just 8-7 ATS in that stretch. The Cougars played just two teams from the nation's top 10 conferences, losing to Wichita State and Rhode Island.

 

[Cnotes53]

Auburn navigated chaos to get to NCAA game vs Charleston
March 15, 2018

SAN DIEGO (AP) Bruce Pearl and Auburn's basketball program have been under a cloud since before the start of the season.

Even though they faced investigations, the loss of an assistant coach, the ineligibility of two key players, or even Pearl's minor run-in with an opposing strength coach last week at the SEC tournament, Pearl led the Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003.

For Pearl, the bigger concern is how the fourth-seeded Tigers will play Friday against No. 13 seed Charleston in the first round of the Midwest Region. His team has learned to live within the chaos surrounding the program and somehow thrived despite it.

''You go through a process with an internal investigation or answering questions from the NCAA, you know, you only do that for a few hours, or whatever. That's it,'' Pearl said. ''Then you move on and go back to focusing on the things that you are at Auburn to do as a student-athlete. It doesn't dominate our process because it doesn't dominate our time. The kids had to go through the process. They went through the process and they're all certified as eligible and we moved on.''

The FBI and NCAA investigations have seemed secondary of late. Auburn (25-7) has been trying to celebrate winning a share of the SEC regular-season title while also dealing with the loss of forward Anfernee McLemore to a season-ending ankle injury in mid-February. That's left the Tigers with just eight players in their rotation and even more of the load has fallen on guards Bryce Brown and Mustapha Heron.

''I can tell you that we've overcome those things and we ended up having a pretty good season. We have much more to show and much more to accomplish,'' Brown said.

Charleston (26-7) is in the NCAAs for the first time since 1999 after winning the Colonial Athletic Association title. They have just one NCAA win, coming in 1997 as a No. 12 seed.

Here are other things to watch in the Midwest Region:

UNDER PRESSURE: Michigan State's Cassius Winston was honest about the expectations facing the third-seeded Spartans heading into their first-round game with No. 14 seed Bucknell.

''We're in our mindset where if it's not a national championship, then it's probably a bust for this team,'' Winston said.

The expectations are always high in East Lansing, especially for a team that features stars like Miles Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Joshua Langford. Throughout the season the Spartans have shown they're worthy of championship consideration - at least as long as they avoid rival Michigan, which beat them twice.

Bucknell was the champion of the Patriot League and enters the tournament having won 18 of its past 19 games. Bucknell coach Nathan Davis said the message for his team is they only need to be better for one day.

''We know it's going to be a great challenge. Michigan State's got one of the best teams in the country. I think we've got a pretty good team, too. So we'll go out there and see what happens,'' Davis said. ''We don't need to be better than them for four games or four days. It's only 40 minutes.''

FOND MEMORIES: It's been 31 years since TCU last won an NCAA Tournament game. Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon remembers it quite well since he played in the game.

''I remember the travel. I remember my dad being there, my uncle being there, who is no longer with us. I remember going to Charlotte,'' Dixon said.

The Horned Frogs will be trying to erase three decades without a tournament win when the No. 6 seed faces 11th-seeded Syracuse on Friday in Detroit. TCU went 21-11 overall and finished fifth in the Big 12, earning the school's first NCAA bid since 1998.

A year ago in Dixon's first season back at his alma mater, TCU barely missed the tournament before making a run to the NIT title. Dixon took Pittsburgh to the NCAAs 11 times in 13 seasons before returning to TCU.

''We got a good group and we're lucky,'' Dixon said. ''Got high-character guys in our senior class that took to less playing time, less scoring, sacrificing. But the end result was an NIT championship, which was huge for us.''

Dixon is very familiar with his opponent in the first round. During his time at Pittsburgh, Dixon went 15-6 against Syracuse, becoming one of the few coaches to have that level of success against Syracuse under Jim Boeheim.

''I think this is a much better offensive team than most of the other teams he had at Pittsburgh,'' Boeheim said. ''They were more defense. We got hurt more when we lost to Pittsburgh on the defensive end.''

TRANSFER U: No. 12 seed New Mexico State is a popular pick to upset No. 5 seed Clemson. The WAC champions are a group of mostly transfers playing under first-year coach Chris Jans. The Aggies have seven players on the roster who have transferred to the school, led by Zach Lofton and his 19.8 points per game.

Jans found a way to make it work. The Aggies (28-5) lost consecutive games just once all season and own wins over Miami, Davidson and Illinois.

''We knew he knew what he was talking about,'' forward Jemerrio Jones said. ''He came from a winning program. We just bought into him.''

Clemson (23-9) hasn't been the same team since the loss of forward Dante Grantham to a season-ending knee injury. The Tigers are just 7-6 since Grantham was hurt in late January, including a three-game losing streak in the middle of February. The Tigers can still be dangerous and took Virginia to the wire in the ACC semifinals.

 

[Cnotes53]

Purdue set for NCAA opener after steady success in Big Ten
March 15, 2018

DETROIT (AP) Purdue is the NCAA Tournament's highest seed from the Big Ten, and has arguably been the conference's best team this season.

What the Boilermakers didn't do was win the league - in the regular season or the conference tournament - and that leaves them with plenty of unfinished business.

''I think it's a big motivation. Obviously disappointing to not win your conference or your tourney, but I felt we played really well throughout the majority of the season,'' said Isaac Haas, the 7-foot-2 senior who can be a matchup problem for just about any opponent. ''We had a few bad stretches, but it's just a matter of learning and improving.''

The second-seeded Boilermakers face 15th-seeded Cal State Fullerton on Friday in the East Region. Purdue is coming off a lengthy layoff after the Big Ten had its tournament earlier than usual this season - but the break wasn't as long as some other teams in that league faced. That's because the Boilermakers reached the tournament final before losing to Michigan .

Purdue also finished as a runner-up in the regular season, tied with Ohio State for second place.

It looked like the Boilermakers might cruise to a Big Ten title when they went on a 19-game winning streak that included a 12-0 start in league play. Then they dropped consecutive games to Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Purdue rebounded quickly after that, and coach Matt Painter's team presents plenty of challenges. Haas averages 14.9 points a game, and the Boilermakers surround him with good marksmen. Purdue (28-6) is one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country at 42 percent.

''Obviously Purdue is an extremely good ballclub. Watching them on film and watching them statistically, I'm trying to figure out if they're not an NBA team the way they shoot the basketball,'' Cal State Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor said. ''And they have the best of both worlds in terms of their inside presence, and then they shoot the ball extremely well from the perimeter. We'll have our work cut out for us.''

The Titans (20-11) lost their season opener by 42 to Southern California and fell by 19 to Saint Mary's, but that was back in November. They'll have to play better than that - against even tougher competition - if they want to pull off the upset this week.

Other things to watch in the East Region on Friday:

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Butler averages only 11.2 turnovers per game, but the 10th-seeded Bulldogs have met their match in seventh-seeded Arkansas (23-11), which averages only 11. The teams play in Detroit after the Purdue-Cal State Fullerton game.

Razorbacks coach Mike Anderson is known for a frenetic, up-tempo style of play, but his teams haven't necessarily been sloppy on offense.

''That's been the case wherever I've been. We value the basketball,'' Anderson said.

Anderson's calling card has been his ''Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball'' - but Arkansas has changed a bit the past few seasons. As of Thursday afternoon, the Razorbacks were just 92nd in the nation in adjusted tempo, according to kenpom.com.

Of course, that's still a quicker pace than Butler (20-13).

''I would say we're a group of tough guys that like to get the job done,'' Bulldogs guard Kamar Baldwin said. ''No matter how we do it, we're going to get it done. Like our motto - we're gritty, not pretty.''

CALM BEFORE THE STORM: Murray State is well aware it hasn't experienced anything like the pressure defense it will face against West Virginia.

''You can't simulate it, the pressure they are going to see,'' coach Matt McMahon said. ''But I expect them to be ready to go on Friday. We know we will have to handle their pressure, not just in the full court. But they're just as good in the half court with their man-to-man pressure.''

The 12th-seeded Racers (26-5) will bring a 13-game winning streak into Friday's game against the fifth-seeded Mountaineers in San Diego. In its previous two NCAA appearances - 2010 and 2012 - Murray State pulled off wins.

Is another looming, especially with the Racers one of the ever-popular No. 12 seeds?

Making West Virginia (24-10) nervous will mean handling the Mountaineers' pressure and two-time Big 12 defensive player of the year Jevon Carter. West Virginia wants to create chaos but has allowed at least 70 points in each of its 10 losses.

''You have to trust it and you're going to give up some layups sometimes and some easy shots. Sometimes it's just not going to work,'' West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. ''But I think over the long haul, it's been good for us.''

LONG WAIT: Marshall is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1987, and the 13th-seeded Thundering Herd (24-10) will face a program that's much more familiar with this stage in recent years. Fourth-seeded Wichita State (25-7) is making its seventh straight appearance - it reached the Final Four five seasons ago.

The Shockers face the Thundering Herd in San Diego, immediately before West Virginia and Murray State play.

Marshall guard Jon Elmore said the Thundering Herd are motivated by the challenge.

''Now we're to the point where we want to beat teams like that,'' he said. ''Wichita is a class act. You never hear anything bad. You only hear how good they are and how great their players are.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Heated rivals Cincinnati, Xavier open NCAA play at same site
March 15, 2018

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Xavier coach Chris Mack jokes that LaRosa's pizza, Skyline Chili and Graeter's ice cream should add locations in Nashville this week for all the Cincinnati residents heading south.

Cincinnati and Xavier fans won't find their favorite Cincinnati-based restaurant chains in Music City. But they will find that they weren't able to get away from their crosstown rival.

The Bearcats and Musketeers are starting the NCAA Tournament in the same arena. Xavier is the No. 1 seed in the West Region and will face Texas Southern (16-19) on Friday, while Cincinnati (30-4) is the No. 2 seed in the South Region and takes on Georgia State (24-10).

But just because the NCAA found reasons to put the rivals at the same site doesn't necessarily mean fans of one school will cheer for the other.

Xavier guard J.P. Macura believes Cincinnati fans will be pulling for Texas Southern while Xavier fans cheer for Georgia State.

''It's a heated rivalry,'' Macura said.

Cincinnati forward Gary Clark said fans of one Cincinnati team will also root for the other, even if reluctantly.

''I've talked to people who will come back to our game and then come back for the Xavier game,'' Clark said. ''They'll all say they're not rooting for each other, but you've got to sit there and watch. ... (Xavier fans) won't say it, but deep down in their hearts they'll be pulling for the red and black.''

The schools got the benefit of opening NCAA Tournament play about a four-hour drive from their respective campuses by virtue of their strong seasons. Cincinnati is seeded second in the South Region. Xavier is the No. 1 seed in the West Region after a banner year that included an 89-76 victory over Cincinnati .

That game continued the history of contentious matchups between the two schools, which are separated by about 3 miles. Although they're members of different conferences, they face each other every year.

Bearcats coach Mick Cronin drew a technical foul for yelling something at Macura, who apparently said something back. They exchanged words again during the postgame handshake line, and Cronin turned around and tried to go back toward Macura before Cincinnati assistant coaches and a referee guided him toward the locker room.

Xavier's 76-63 home victory over Cincinnati in the 2011-12 season featured a brawl in the closing seconds that caused four players from each team to be suspended.

Considering that history, Cincinnati forward Kyle Washington isn't surprised the two schools ended up getting sent to the same site, even though they aren't facing each other this week.

''It was pretty predictable of the NCAA,'' Washington said. ''They love creating story lines, and I think that's a pretty interesting story line. Xavier's a storied program from Cincinnati. We're a storied program from Cincinnati.''

Xavier is the No. 1 seed in the West Region and will face Texas Southern (16-19) on Friday. Cincinnati (30-4) is the No. 2 seed in the South Region and takes on Georgia State (24-10).

The two schools got the benefit of opening the tourney within driving distance by virtue of their strong seasons.

North Carolina and Duke occasionally have opened NCAA Tournament play in one site, with fans of one school cheering against the other. Cincinnati and Xavier don't know whether to expect a similar situation this week.

''I don't feel like there are going to be that many fans in the building because usually they're expensive to get tickets and most fans, at least in my experience don't go to both sessions,'' Mack said. ''I could be wrong. I really don't care one way or another.

''The only thing I worry about is being able to guard (Texas Southern star) Demontrae Jefferson - not me because that would be a problem, but our team. We're not really concerned too much about the environment.''

Actually, Nashville organizers said the majority of ticket buyers bought passes for the entire weekend, which will enable them to watch both Cincinnati and Xavier.

As Kate Lopez watched the Musketeers practice Thursday, the Xavier alum acknowledged she would also cheer for Cincinnati since they're not playing each other.

''I root for the hometown teams, no matter what,'' Lopez said.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin expects at least two more Xavier fans to be rooting for his team.

''A couple of guys that I owe favors to are big Xavier boosters but are friends of mine,'' Cronin said. ''So it's going to end up costing me $400 or $400, them being in the same (arena) as us, having to buy extra tickets for them. But I will get it back this summer somehow.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Porter out to help Missouri in NCAA tourney, not stack stats
March 15, 2018

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr. is one of the biggest unknowns in the NCAA Tournament.

Not that he minds at all.

''People can kind of say what they want,'' Porter said Thursday. ''I'm pretty good at taking what people say and putting it aside and focusing on what's important for me.''

Porter is a big topic of conversation if only because he came in last fall as a preseason All-American based on being the nation's top recruit until Duke's Marvin Bagley decided to go to college himself a year early. Then Porter hurt his low back two minutes into Missouri's season opener and needed surgery.

That sidelined him until Missouri's lone game in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The 6-foot-10 forward's college career consists of 25 minutes played over two games, and Porter shot 5 of 17 in a 62-60 loss to Georgia .

If Porter plays anything like he did as a high school senior, then the eighth-seeded Tigers (20-12) could snap a string of three straight losses in the NCAA Tournament. Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton says he's expecting Porter at his best, even if based only on what he saw out of the forward before college.

''He's a tremendously talented youngster,'' Hamilton said. ''In fact, he's one of the top four, five basketball players in college basketball. So as young people say, we don't have it twisted. We know exactly what we're facing. We're facing a youngster that is tremendously talented, that's healthy.''

Porter scored 36.2 points per game in leading Nathan Hale to a Washington state title. He was MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game and also piled up the Naismith and Gatorade player of the year awards, joining only Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Chris Webber and Alonzo Mourning to win all three.

That's why Porter shared the SEC's preseason player of the year award . Then two minutes into a game against Iowa State on Nov. 10, Porter's freshman season appeared over. He had a microdiscectomy that month to repair two discs , then began the healing process.

Porter said he worked to stay focused and patient, ignoring what people said about him.

''They're going to forget about you, but you know you're going to bounce back better than ever,'' Porter said.

Porter's return comes at a perfect time for the Tigers, who are down to eight available players and seven on scholarship against Florida State (20-11). Jordan Barnett, the second-leading scorer, is suspended for this game after being arrested for driving while intoxicated last weekend.

''He's a great player so he's not going to try to be somebody he's not,'' Missouri guard Kassius Robertson said of Porter. ''He's going to come in, play the game. And don't forget, we did have three, four months of practice with him before the season started, so it's not like he's a stranger to us. We know exactly how he plays, who he is.''

For the Seminoles, Porter has their attention.

''Everyone has seen what he's done in high school,'' Florida State guard Terance Mann said. ''Everyone kind of knows he's a good player. We've got to contain him and follow the scouting report.''

A vegetarian all his life, Porter has taken to eating 10 bananas a day along with up to two gallons of water. He says he's not looking to boost any personal stats right now. Helping his team, and his brother and fellow freshman Jontay, who averages 10.1 points, is his only focus.

''We're happy to be here and can't wait for (Friday night),'' Porter said.


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


Boeheim, Dixon to meet again when TCU takes on Syracuse
March 15, 2018

DETROIT (AP) No. 6 seed TCU (21-11) vs. No. 11 seed Syracuse (21-13)

First round, East Region; Detroit, 9:40 p.m. EDT on Friday

BOTTOM LINE: TCU coach Jamie Dixon faces a former conference rival in Syracuse's Jim Boeheim. Dixon was the coach at Pittsburgh from 2003-16. The Panthers were in the Big East with Syracuse, and then both teams were in the ACC together. Boeheim says this TCU team is better offensively than Dixon's teams at Pittsburgh generally were.

FINISHING STRONG: TCU won the NIT last year, so the last time the Horned Frogs ended the season with a loss was in 2016 when they lost to West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament. Dixon took over the following season.

STINGY: Syracuse held Arizona State to a season low in points in a 60-56 victory over the Sun Devils on Wednesday night in the First Four. The Orange had to win that game to make it to the round of 64.

THEY SAID IT: The Orange haven't had much time to rest after the win over Arizona State, and TCU didn't know its opponent until that game was over. ''Quick turnaround as far as knowing who we're playing for us,'' Dixon said. ''So really unique and first time I've been through it. We're playing the winner of the play-in game. ... You get some time, but not time to focus on just one team.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Cocky Texas Southern guard gets big stage vs. No. 1 Xavier
March 15, 2018

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Xavier guard Trevon Bluiett has known Texas Southern's leading scorer since middle school and even played against him five or six times.

For his part, Demontrae Jefferson says he might need to see a face to remember Bluiett when asked about their relationship.

Don't take that as bulletin board material. Texas Southern coach Mike Davis said that's just the personality and attitude that has turned his 5-foot-7 sophomore guard into a player that might get a few NBA looks, a confident player who won't acknowledge knowing who anyone else is because Jefferson believes he's the best to ever play the game.

Not even LeBron James.

''The worst that you can do is start talking about another player,'' Davis said Thursday. ''Trae acts like he doesn't know who he is. I asked him did he know LeBron James. He says, `I don't know LeBron James.'''

Jefferson and Texas Southern will get their firsthand look at Bluiett on Friday night when they play Xavier, the No. 1 seed in the West Region. The Tigers already have made school history with their first NCAA Tournament win in eight tries.

The Tigers (16-19) got into Nashville by 2 a.m. Thursday and made a quick trip to Steak 'n Shake before hitting the bed after beating North Carolina Central in Dayton . Sleep is not a problem for a team that played its first 13 games all on the road against the likes of Gonzaga and Kansas - and lost every one.

''This isn't nothing we haven't done before, like we had back-to-back games, flying state to state, all non-conference,'' Jefferson said from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ''So just back to the basics, really.''

The Musketeers (28-5) have seen enough of Jefferson and Texas Southern not to think of them as a No. 16 seed.

''He lacks the size, but he makes up for it with his scoring and all that,'' Bluiett said of the Tigers' leading scorer. ''We have shown that we have trouble with small guards in the past, but I feel like we've made adjustments to that and so, hopefully, we'll be able to contain him.''

Xavier coach Chris Mack certainly has seen Jefferson show off his skills on YouTube. Mack's Musketeers, who lost to Gonzaga in the Elite Eight last year, have their own big goals this March.

''Being locked in and having fun and being a group that is playing to win a national championship (Friday) night is who we're going to be,'' Mack said.

---

Some things to know about the rest of the West Region games on tap Friday:

BACK TO NORMAL? Cameron Johnson's back has been probably the biggest concern for an otherwise healthy North Carolina team. The Pittsburgh graduate transfer injured his back when a Miami player landed on him during last week's Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Johnson played through the injury but ultimately had to sit the final minutes of the title-game loss to top-ranked Virginia. Both Johnson and coach Roy Williams said Johnson made it through Thursday morning's practice and they expect him to be fine.

The second-seeded Tar Heels (25-10) open their pursuit to repeat as national champions Friday against 15-seed Lipscomb (23-9) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

''A little bit of low-back tightness when I stand up and come up, but that's all going away,'' Johnson said. ''It's starting to feel a lot better and I'm feeling pretty comfortable out there.''

REDEMPTION FOR PURYEAR: With highly touted recruit Michael Porter Jr. injured for most of the season, Missouri (20-12) has relied on newcomers like graduate transfer Kassius Robertson and freshmen Jontay Porter and Jeremiah Tilmon.

The Tigers' drive to Friday night's NCAA Tournament game against No. 9 seed Florida State will be particularly sweet for junior forward Kevin Puryear, who survived an 8-24 season last year and a 10-21 campaign in 2015-16.

''I used to walk around with my hood on last year,'' Puryear said. ''I didn't really want people to see me because it was just kind of embarrassing to lose that much, especially when you're going out there and giving your all every single game.

''It was an extremely frustrating and hard time for me, one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through in the course of my life. I'm just grateful for those lessons.''

A win would give Florida State (20-11) a chance at its own redemption against Xavier, the team that upset the Seminoles in a 91-66 rout in the second round last year.

''It's definitely motivation, a lot more motivation to get to the next round to see them as a rematch,'' Seminoles senior guard Terance Mann said. ''But we got this game (Friday) night that we've got to focus on.''

REBOUNDING CONCERNS: When Texas A&M and Providence meet in Charlotte, the Friars know they had better figure out a way to rebound with the bigger Aggies.

The seventh-seeded Aggies (20-12) rank 23rd nationally in rebounding margin behind a pair of 6-foot-10 bigs in Tyler Davis and Robert Williams. That presents a difficult matchup for the 10th-seeded Friars (21-13), who typically don't start anyone taller than 6-9.

Guard Kyron Cartwright said the scouting report contained a yellow piece of paper reading ''box out.''

''It's not secret, you know,'' Providence coach Ed Cooley said. ''Texas A&M is a very physical team, they're a powerful team, they have NBA size in a lot of different positions. ... It was definitely talked about in everything that we do. You may have a block-out sign on your back right now and don't even know it.''

 

[Cnotes53]

Clemson wary of No. 12 seed New Mexico State
March 15, 2018

SAN DIEGO (AP) No. 5 seed Clemson (23-9) vs. No. 12 seed New Mexico State (28-5)

First round, Midwest Region; San Diego; 10 p.m. EDT, Friday.

BOTTOM LINE: Clemson is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 after being picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC before the season. The No. 5 seed is the highest for Clemson since 2008, when it was also a No. 5 but fell prey to the dreaded 5-12 upset and was ousted in the first round by Villanova. New Mexico State has wins this season over Illinois, Davidson and Miami and has won six straight.

INJURY IMPACT: Before Dante Grantham was injured, Clemson was 16-3. After the senior and second-leading scorer for the Tigers suffered a torn ACL, Clemson went 7-6 and failed to score at least 60 points five times during that stretch. Clearly, the Tigers still haven't completely adjusted to being without the 6-foot-8 forward and their struggles over the last third of the season are the reason Clemson is a popular pick to be an upset victim.

TRANSFER U: The reason New Mexico State is having so much success is because of transfers. The Aggies have seven transfers on their roster with another two sitting out this season after coming from other schools. None has been better than Zach Lofton, a graduate transfer from Texas Southern. Lofton averaged 19.8 points and 5.1 rebounds. He scored in double figures in all but four games this season, including 31 in the WAC tournament semifinals against Seattle. Just as important for the Aggies will be undersized forward Jemerrio Jones, who averaged 13.2 rebounds. Jones had at least 19 rebounds in seven games this year.

DID YOU KNOW: Clemson won a First Four game in 2011, but the last time the Tigers advanced to the round of 32 was 1997. Clemson was a No. 4 seed and reached the regional semifinals before losing to top-seeded Minnesota in double overtime. The Tigers have lost five straight games in the round of 64.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday's NCAA Tournament first round betting preview: Midwest Region

(14) Bucknell Bison vs (3) Michigan St. Spartans (-14.5, 148)

Game to be played at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Michigan State starts its drive for an eighth Final Four appearance under coach Tom Izzo when it faces Bucknell in a first-round contest in the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region on Friday in Detroit. The Spartans, the region's No. 3 seed, won the Big Ten Conference regular-season title but had their 13-game winning streak snapped by Michigan in the league tournament semifinals, while the 14th-seeded Bison won the regular-season and tournament titles in the Patriot League.

Senior forward Zach Thomas (20.3 points, 9.2 rebounds) is the top offensive weapon for Bucknell coach Nathan Davis but he's not the only one, with center Nana Foulland and guard Stephen Brown averaging 15.4 and 14.9 points, respectively. The Bison average 81.1 points per game, hitting 47.2 percent from the field, but they'll face one of the top defensive teams in the country in Michigan State, which holds opponents to 64.8 points and 36.6 percent shooting. Offensively, the Spartans can score the ball as well, led by forwards Miles Bridges (16.9 points) and Nick Ward (12.6) and guard Cassius Winston (12.6 points, 6.8 assists, 52.6 3-point percentage). The wild card for Izzo is 6-11 freshman forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who averages 11.3 points and set the school record with 104 blocked shots but also struggles with foul trouble at times.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Friday, CBS

LINE HISTORY: Michigan St. opened as 13.5-point favorites and that pointspread has been bet up to -14.5. The total hit betting boards at 148.5 and has been bet down slightly to 148.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT BUCKNELL: The Bison will want to get a big performance from Brown, a 5-11 guard, who will be matched up with Winston, the leading assist man for the Spartans. Brown will need to handle the ball well and be able to handle the solid Michigan State defense so the Bison don't give away easy baskets off turnovers, but he also needs to put some pressure on Winston, who is prone to giving the ball away as the Spartans averaged 13.2 turnovers per game. Bucknell forced 12.6 turnovers per contest this season, but it will likely try to ratchet up from pressure on Michigan State, which has too many weapons for teams to play a half-court defense against.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE: Ward is coming off one of his worst games of the season in the Spartans' Big Ten tournament semifinal loss to Michigan, playing just 10 minutes and finishing with six points and two rebounds. Ward only had two fouls in the game -- though one was a technical -- but he was a liability for Michigan State because he couldn't handle the Wolverines' versatile forward Moritz Wagner for the second time this season. The sophomore will have to play well defensively against Bucknell forwards Foulland (60 percent shooting) and Thomas (60 3-pointers, 2.2 assists) or Izzo will likely pull his top low-post scoring threat again and go with better defenders on the interior.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Bison are 13-6 ATS in their last 19 games overall.
* Spartans are 2-8-2 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
* Over is 4-0 in Bison's last 4 non-conference games.
* Over is 5-0 in Spartans' last 5 NCAA Tournament games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 61 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Michigan St., while 54 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.




(13) Charleston Cougars vs (4) Auburn Tigers (-9, 148)

Game to be played at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.

Auburn let an otherwise sensational season get away from it down the stretch - and has little time to regroup as it prepares to face Charleston in an NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first-round game Friday in San Diego. Fourth-seeded Auburn was stunned by Alabama in the SEC Tournament and will take nothing for granted against the No. 13-seed Cougars, who won the Colonial Athletic Association title for their fifth tournament appearance.

Fans were concerned enough when the Tigers won just two of their final five games of the regular season - but they were positively shocked when Collin Sexton racked up 31 points to lead Alabama past Auburn 81-63 in their conference quarterfinal. The defeat stings even more considering the Tigers led by 10 at the half, only to surrender 50 points after the break. "It was a tale of two halves," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl told reporters afterward. "We did what we wanted to do in the first half. At the start of the second half, they came down and flipped the table on us really quickly." Charleston will look to celebrate its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999 on a winning note, have prevailed in 14 of their previous 15 games heading into this one.

TV: 7:27 p.m. ET, truTV

LINE HISTORY: Auburn opened as 10.5-point favorites and heavy betting action on Charleston earlyin the week has push the pointspread down to 9. The total hit betting boards at 148.5 and has been bet down slightly to 148.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT CHARLESTON: The Cougars did plenty of things well this season - but distributing the ball wasn't one of them; they averaged just 11.4 assists per game, ranking in the bottom 50 in the country. Grant Riller, Jarrell Brantley and Joe Chealey provide the bulk of the scoring for Charleston, averaging a combined 54.2 points between them; Riller (18.7 points) has caught fire of late with 20 or more points in eight of his previous 10 games, while Chealey (18.5) has surpassed the 20-point plateau in four of his past five contests. Brantley averages 17 points per game and a team-best 7.1 rebounds and has been a force on the boards down the stretch, entering the Big Dance on a four-game double-double streak.

ABOUT AUBURN: Pearl knows the Tigers need Mustapha Heron (team-best 16.6 points) to be at his best if they hope to survive the opening weekend in their first tournament appearance in 15 years; Heron is averaging 20 points in four games since returning from illness but is shooting a dismal 7-of-24 over his previous two outings. Bryce Brown is a close second in scoring at 16.2 points but has been held below his season average in three of his last four games, with a 29-point showing against South Carolina his only solid performance in that span. Charleston would be wise to keep the Tigers off the free-throw line - they come into this one shooting 78.6 percent from the stripe, eighth-best in the nation.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Cougars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Southeastern.
* Tigers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
* Over is 8-2 in Cougars' last 10 overall.
* Over is 4-1 in Tigers' last 5 non-conference games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 53 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Auburn, while 52 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.




(11) Syracuse Orange vs (6) Texas Christian Horned Frogs (-4.5, 136.5)

Game to be played at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Jamie Dixon's first shot at coaching his alma mater resulted in a NIT championship run, while his second year at the helm of TCU resulted in the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 seasons. The sixth-seeded Horned Frogs seek their first win in the Big Dance since Dixon's senior season at the school Friday when they meet No. 11 seed Syracuse in first-round action of the Midwest Region in Detroit.

TCU carried over the momentum it gained from last year's title run into its most successful regular season since 1997-98, winning its first 12 games and finishing 9-9 in a conference (Big 12) that sent seven of 10 teams to the Big Dance. The Horned Frogs are only 9-11 since their undefeated start and enter the weekend on a two-game slide after dropping their last two contests by a total of six points, including a two-point overtime setback in the Big 12 quarterfinals. TCU will try to end its 31-year NCAA Tournament win drought against the Orange, who hope to repeat the success they enjoyed two years ago when they advanced to the Final Four as a No. 10 seed. Syracuse hasn't topped 60 points in three of its last four contests but improved to 3-1 over that span with Wednesday's 60-56 victory over Arizona State in First Four action.

TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, CBS

LINE HISTORY: TCU opened as 4-point favorites and some sharp action on the Horned Frogs has pushed that number up to -4.5. The total hit betting boards at 136.5 and has yet to move as of Thursday night.. Check out the complete line history here.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT SYRACUSE: Freshman Oshae Brissett (14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds) overcame a hard fall in the first half to score 15 of the Orange's final 30 points while posting his second straight double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday. Sophomore guard Tyus Battle (19.7 points), who ranks third in the ACC in scoring, has reached double figures in all but one game this season and played more minutes (1,323) than all but one Division I player. Frank Howard (14.9) shot 4-for-13 against the Sun Devils while recovering from strep throat and is 26-for-87 from the field overall in his last six outings, failing to shoot over 31 percent in five of those contests.

ABOUT TCU: Second-team all-conference guard Kenrich Williams (13.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists), who is one of 11 active players with 1,000 career points, 800 career boards and 200 career assists, has recorded double-doubles in each of his last three outings. Vladimir Brodziansky (team-high 15.1 points, 5.1 boards, 1.6 blocks) sits 11th on the program's all-time scoring list (1,351) and only needs three more blocks to match the school's career record (171). The Horned Frogs led the Big 12 in field-goal percentage (49.9, eighth in Division I), were second in 3-point percentage (40.0, 17th) and four players rank inside the top 12 in the conference in field-goal percentage - including sophomore guard Desmond Bane (12.8 points, league-best 47.2 3-point percentage).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Orange are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 vs. Big 12.
* Horned Frogs are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up loss.
* Under is 6-2 in Orange's last 8 neutral site games.
* Over is 6-1 in Horned Frogs' last 7 non-conference games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 61 percent of bettors taking the underdogs from Syracuse, while 56 percent of totals wagers are on the Over.




(12) New Mexico St. Aggies vs (5) Clemson Tigers (-5, 133)

Game to be played at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.

March Madness Betting Breakdown: No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 New Mexico State
The No. 5 Clemson Tigers takes on the No. 12 New Mexico State Aggies as 5-point favorites in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Clemson is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven seasons, heading into a first-round matchup in the Midwest Regional on Friday in San Diego against No. 12 seed New Mexico State. The fifth-seeded Tigers, who finished tied for third place in the rugged ACC, stumbled down the stretch by losing three games in a row before winning three of its final five games before succumbing to Virginia in the conference semifinals.

The Tigers have relied on a stellar defense that is ranked 35th in the nation in opposing field-goal percentage (41 percent) and 29th in the country in blocked shots per contest (4.8 per game) entering Sunday's action. Clemson overcame the season-ending injury to Donte Grantham as junior guard Marcquise Reed finished 10th in the ACC in scoring at 15.9 points per game and ranked fifth in steals at steals per contest (1.7). Led by first-year head coach Chris Jans, the Aggies won the West Coast Conference for the fifth consecutive season and tied the program record for most wins in a season. Following a two-game losing streak, New Mexico State won its final six games entering the NCAAs.

TV: 9:57 p.m. ET, truTV

LINE HISTORY: Clemson opened as 5-point favorites and as of Thursday night that number has yet to move. The total hit betting boards at 133.5 and has been bet down slightly to 133.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE: Senior forward Jemerrio Jones earned conference tournament MVP honors after averaging 12.3 points and 18.3 rebounds. Senior guard Zach Lofton scored 24.3 points per game in the tournament and is shooting 38.2 percent from 3-point range, hitting six from long range in the WAC semifinal victory over Seattle. The Aggies are one of the best defensive teams in the country, leading the WAC and ranking fifth nationally in opposing field-goal percentage (39.2 percent) and rebounding margin (9.1).

ABOUT CLEMSON: Reed struggled in the semifinal loss to Virginia but shot 19-for-34 from the field in averaging 18.3 points per game in his previous three contests. Senior guard Gabe DeVoe also elevated his game after the Grantham injury, posting two 25-point performances in his past five contests. The Tigers hit 75.7 percent of their free-throw attempts this season, second in the ACC and 40th in the country.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Aggies are 6-2-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
* Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
* Under is 7-3 in Aggies' last 10 overall.
* Under is 4-0 in Tigers' last 4 non-conference games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 51 percent of bettors taking the underdogs from New Mexico St., while 51 percent of totals wagers are on the Over.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday's NCAA Tournament first round betting preview: East Region

(15) Cal St. Fullerton Titans vs (2) Purdue Boilermakers (-20.5, 146.5)

Game to be played at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

March Madness Betting Breakdown: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 CS Fullerton
No. 2 Purdue is a 20.5-point favorite versus No. 15 Cal State Fullerton in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

After reaching the Sweet 16 of last year's NCAA Tournament, Purdue has bigger plans this time around. The second-seeded Boilermakers head to Detroit on Friday to take on 15th-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the East Region's first round of the Big Dance.

Purdue has not been in the Final Four since 1980 but has a real shot this season thanks to a balanced attack that ranks in the top 40 in both offense (81.1 points, 35th nationally) and defense (65.6 points allowed, 26th nationally). The Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten during the regular season before falling to Michigan in the league title game, and now they will take on a Titans team that won the Big West Tournament title as a No. 4 seed. Cal State Fullerton played two ranked teams during the season, losing to USC (84-42) and Saint Mary's (76-57) in its first two contests. It will have its hands full with the Boilermakers, who boast a veteran squad that has threats both on the perimeter and down low with 7-2 senior center Isaac Haas.

TV: 12:40 p.m. ET, truTV

LINE HISTORY: Purdue opened as huge 20.5 favorites for this opening round matchup and as of Thursday afternoon that number has yet to move. The total hit betting boards at 146.5 and has also been steady.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT CAL STATE FULLERTON: Kyle Allman averages a team-high 19.4 points and has combined with second-leading scorer Khalil Ahmad (15.3 points) to drain 99 3-pointers this season. Allman, a junior guard, had 26 points in the Big West title game, while Ahmad added 23 points to help account for the other three starters totaling 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting. This is the first NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years for the Titans, who average 14 turnovers per game and must cut down on that number in order to stick with the Boilermakers for the full 40 minutes.

ABOUT PURDUE: The Boilermakers surround Haas with a collection of 3-point shooters, including top scorer Carsen Edwards (18.5 points, 41.2 percent from 3-point range) and unrelated Vincent Edwards (14.5 points, 39.2 percent from 3-point range). Haas averages 14.9 points and is coming off a 23-point effort on 9-of-12 shooting against Michigan. Purdue's three backcourt starters (Carsen Edwards, P.J. Thompson and Dakota Mathias) shot a combined 9-of-31 againstg the Wolverines and must be in sync consistently if coach Matt Painter's squad is going to make a deep run in this event.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Titans are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
* Boilermakers are 1-11-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
* Under is 13-3 in Titans' last 16 neutral site games.
* Over is 5-0 in Boilermakers' last 5 NCAA Tournament games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 54 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Purdue, while 55 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.




(13) Marshall Thundering Herd vs (4) Wichita St. Shockers (-12, 165.5)

Game to be played at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.

Wichita State begins its journey in the NCAA Tournament as a fourth seed when it meets No. 13 Marshall on Friday in the first round of the East Region in San Diego. The Shockers, who lost to Houston 77-74 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals Saturday, boast a veteran team which reached the Sweet 16 in 2015 and 2016 before losing to Kentucky in the second round in 2017.

Wichita State is led by sophomore guard Landry Shamet, who averages a team-best 15 points and an AAC-most 5.1 assists. The Thundering Herd, which upset Western Kentucky 67-66 on Saturday to win the Conference USA Tournament, ride a four-game winning streak into their first NCAA Tournament since 1987. "I?m happy for these kids and I?m happy for the school,? Marshall coach Dan D?Antoni, brother of Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni, told reporters. ?It?s been a long time coming and Marshall basketball kind of fell off.'' The Shockers are coached by former Marshall assistant Gregg Marshall, marking the first time in NCAA Tournament history that a school's name matches the opposing coach's last name.

TV: 1:20 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Wichita St. opened as 12-point favorites and as of Thursday evening that number has yet to move. The total hit betting boards at 166 and has been bet down slightly to 165.5.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT MARSHALL: Junior guard Jon Elmore led C-USA in scoring (22.8 points) and assists (6.9), prompting D'Antoni to tell reporters after Saturday's game: "He?s a complete ballplayer. I thought he did a great job.? Junior guard C.J. Burks averaged 20.5 points, helping the Thundering Herd average a conference-best 84.4 points (12th nationally). Junior forward Ajdin Penava (15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds) was named C-USA Tournament MVP after averaging 17 points and 8.3 rebounds in the three games.

ABOUT WICHITA STATE: Senior forward Shaquille Morris has been a force in the middle, averaging 14 points and 5.5 rebounds - both career highs - and 16.8 points over his last nine games. Senior forward Darral Willis Jr. (10.4 points, 6.0 rebounds) and senior guard Conner Frankamp (10.1 points) are also playing their final NCAA Tournaments. Junior forward Markis McDuffie is averaging 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds - down from his 11.5 and 5.7 numbers from last season - and is averaging only 15.8 minutes over his last four games.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Thundering Herd are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games.
* Shockers are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
* Over is 14-5 in Thundering Herd last 19 non-conference games.
* Over is 15-3 in Shockers last 18 overall.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 62 percent of bettors taking the underdogs from Marshall, while 51 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.




(10) Butler Bulldogs vs (7) Arkansas Razorbacks (+1.5, 151)

Game to be played at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

No. 7 Arkansas is a 1.5-point underdog taking on No. 10 Butler in the Round of 64 of the NCAA tournament.

Tenth seed Butler and No. 7 Arkansas find themselves in the same region of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, only this time with much different seeds. The Bulldogs and Razorbacks, who will meet Friday in the first round of the East Region at Detroit, were eliminated by eventual champion North Carolina last season in the South Region.

Kelan Martin, who led all players in scoring in Big East games at 23.6 per contest, is back in the tournament for a fourth consecutive season. The Bulldogs have had a see-saw campaign, going 4-6 since the start of February, but were never in doubt to make the field, particularly after reaching the semifinals of the Big East Tournament, where they lost to Villanova. The Razorbacks and coach Mike Anderson, who has guided his team to three tournament bids in seven seasons, advanced to the semifinals in the SEC Tournament before bowing to runner-up Tennessee. Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon have averaged 18 and 16.9 points, respectively, this season for the Razorbacks, who have won eight of their last 11 games.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, truTV

LINE HISTORY: This game opened as a Pick 'Em but steady betting action on Butler all week has pushed the Bulldogs into the favorite position at -1.5. The total hit betting boards at 152.5 and has been bet down to 151.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT BUTLER: Martin averaged 15 points and 6.3 rebounds in the Bulldog's run to the Sweet 16 last season as a No. 4 seed, which ended with a loss to the Tar Heels, and all told he has played in seven tournament games. The 6-7 forward from Louisville has been a dominant player this season for first-year coach LaVall Jordan, putting up 19 20-point games, including four games with 30 or more points. Kamar Baldwin, Paul Jorgensen and Tyler Wideman represent the main supporting cast for the Bulldogs, who lost to potential second round opponent Purdue 82-67 on Dec. 16 at the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in their hometown of Indianapolis.

ABOUT ARKANSAS: After serving more as a complementary player last season, Barford has been a star this year for the Razorbacks, who got in with a No. 8 seed last season and defeated Seton Hall before bowing to North Carolina. The senior from Tennessee improved in just about every area over last season, but none were more pronounced than his 3-point shooting, which stands at 43.6 percent after shooting below 30 percent last season. Daniel Gafford (11.9 points), a 6-11 freshman center from Argentina, leads the team in rebounding (6.2) and blocked shots (2.1).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Bulldogs are 20-5-2 ATS in their last 27 NCAA Tournament games.
* Razorbacks are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games.
* Over is 5-0 in Bulldogs last 5 non-conference games.
* Over is 6-1 in Razorbacks last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 66 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Bulter, while 61 percent of totals wagers are on the Over.




(12) Murray St. Racers vs (5) West Virginia Mountaineers (-10.5, 145.5)

Game to be played at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.

March Madness Betting Breakdown: No. 5 West Virginia vs. No. 12 Murray State
The No. 5 West Virginia Mountaineers are 10.5-point favorites taking on No. 12 Murray State in the Round of 64 of the NCAA tournament.

West Virginia takes its pressing defense into a fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance when it takes on No. 12 seed Murray State in the first round of the East Region on Friday in San Diego. The fifth-seeded Mountaineers, who were knocked out in the Sweet 16 by Gonzaga last season, utilized their frenetic style to force 16.5 turnovers per game - 10th-most in the country - and record a turnover margin of plus-five, third nationally.

Their run in the Big 12 Tournament ended with an 81-70 loss to Kansas on Saturday, but they will present a challenge to anyone in their way in the NCAAs. "Very versatile," senior leader Jevon Carter said of his team before the loss to the Jayhawks. "Can do a lot of different things. We can play fast. We can play slow. We can guard. We can score. Just very versatile." The Racers of the Ohio Valley Conference are making their first appearance in the tournament since 2012 and carry a 13-game winning streak - the longest active run in the country - into the event. They are led by OVC Player of the Year Jonathan Stark, who led the conference in scoring (21.8 points per game) and was 10th nationally in made 3-pointers with 109.

TV: 3:50 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: West Virginia opened as 9.5-point favorites and steady betting on the Mountaineers has pushed that pointspread up to -10.5. The total hit betting boards at 144.5 and has been bet up slightly to 145.5.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT MURRAY STATE: Stark, a senior, has averaged 26.1 points over his last eight games, including 24 in the OVC Tournament title game against Belmont. The Racers also have the league's second-ranked assist man in freshman Ja Morant, who hands out 6.4 per game, and its second-ranked rebounder in Terrell Miller Jr. (8.3). Murray State has held nine consecutive opponents to 66 points or fewer and entered Sunday ranked 25th in the country in scoring defense (65.5) and eighth in 3-point percentage defense, limiting opponents to 30.6 percent from beyond the arc.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA: Carter was an All-Big 12 first-team selection and won the league's Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight time after averaging 17 points, 6.6 assists and 2.85 steals - fifth in the country. Three other Mountaineers score in double digits, including big man Sagaba Konate, who joined Carter on the All-Defensive Team while recording 3.3 blocks per game. Daxter Miles Jr. averaged 22 points while making 15-of-27 3-pointers in the Big 12 Tournament and will be looking to bounce back from last season's NCAAs, during which he averaged nine points while shooting 39.1 percent.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Racers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
* Mountaineers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
* Under is 6-0 in Racers' last 6 NCAA Tournament games.
* Over is 5-1 in Mountaineers' last 6 overall.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 55 percent of bettors taking the favorites from West Virginia, while 56 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday's NCAA Tournament first round betting preview: West Region

(10) Providence Friars vs (7) Texas A&M Aggies (-2.5, 138)

Game to be played at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Providence advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season, and the 10th-seeded Friars will meet No. 7 seed Texas A&M in the West Region on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Providence finished in a three-way tie for third in the Big East before playing in three straight overtime games in the conference tournament, including a loss to Villanova in the championship game on Saturday.

The Aggies reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons, overcoming an 0-5 start in the SEC to finish 9-9 and tied for seventh with Mississippi State before losing on a buzzer-beater to Alabama in the conference tournament opener. Tyler Davis, a 6-10 junior center for Texas A&M who averages a team-high 14.5 points and 8.8 rebounds, was held to single digits for just the fifth time this season in the loss to Alabama on Thursday. Davis, second-leading scorer Admon Gilder (12.2 points) and third-leading scorer DJ Hogg (11.3) were all key members of the Texas A&M team that reached the Sweet 16 two years ago. Providence has only advanced past the first game once in the previous four years in this tournament, beating USC two years ago before losing to the Trojans in the first round last season.

TV: 12:15 p.m. ET, CBS

LINE HISTORY: Texas A&M opened as 3.5-point favorites and that pointspread has been bet down slightly to -2.5. The total hit betting boards at 138.5 and has been dropped slightly to 138.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT PROVIDENCE: A key player for the Friars will be 6-7 sophomore guard Alpha Diallo, who's second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game and the top rebounder at 6.6. Diallo is coming off his sixth double-double of the season, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds in the overtime loss to Villanova. He played well while the Friars went 3-3 against Villanova and Xavier this season, a positive sign considering those conference foes earned top seeds for this tournament.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M: Davis should feel at ease in this environment, as he made 7-of-8 shots and led the Aggies with 17 points in their Sweet 16 loss to second-seeded Oklahoma two years ago. Providence will likely counter with 6-8 senior forward Rodney Bullock, but he'll be giving up two inches and about 40 pounds to Davis, and fellow frontcourt starter Kalif Young hasn't played more than eight minutes in the past four games for the Friars. The Aggies also have good size elsewhere in the starting lineup with Hogg (6-9) and Robert Williams (6-10), which will certainly pose problems for Providence.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Friars are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 non-conference games.
* Aggies are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
* Over is 13-3-1 in Friars' last 17 non-conference games.
* Over is 7-3 in Aggies' last 10 overall.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 68 percent of bettors taking the underdogs from Providence, while 52 percent of totals wagers are on the Over.




(15) Lipscomb Bison vs (2) North Carolina Tar Heels (-19.5, 162.5)

Game to be played at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

North Carolina begins defense of its NCAA Tournament title as the No. 2 seed in the West Region when it meets 15th-seeded Lipscomb in Friday's first round at Charlotte, N.C. The Tar Heels, who are coming off a 71-63 loss to Virginia in the AAC Tournament championship game Saturday, are trying for their seventh national championship after defeating Gonzaga 71-65 in 2017 and losing in the 2016 title game to Villanova 77-74 on a last-second shot.

?For our younger guys to get this feeling, and for me to get this feeling, I think it will have us come back even more hungry going into the (NCAA) Tournament,? North Carolina senior forward Theo Pinson told reporters after Saturday's loss. The Tar Heels feature a balanced attack led by junior forward Luke Maye, who averages team bests of 17.2 points and 10.1 rebounds, and was one of two ACC players to average a double-double (Duke's Marvin Bagley III). The Bisons earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance with a 108-96 victory at Florida Gulf Coast on March 4 after watching a 32-point second-half lead get trimmed to five. "Couldn't be happier," Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander told reporters. "Someone asked me how I was feeling. I don't even know."

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, CBS

LINE HISTORY: North Carolina opened as massive 19-point favorites and that number wasn't high enough for bettors as they have been bet up slightly to -19.5. The total hit betting boards at 163.5 and has been bet down to 162.5.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT LIPSCOMB: The Bisons are fueled by junior guard Garrison Mathews, who led the Atlantic Sun in scoring at 22.1 points, averaging 28.3 over his last three games after scoring 33 versus FGCU. Junior forward Rob Marberry was the team's only other double-figure scorer at 16 points per game while averaging 5.8 rebounds. Junior forward Eli Pepper (7.0 points) averaged a club-most 7.9 rebounds - good for third in the Atlantic Sun - while sophomore guard Kenny Cooper (9.9 points) averaged a team-best 4.0 assists.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA: Maye and senior guard Joel Berry (17.1 points per game) combined for 37 points and shot 12-for-25 from the field against Virginia, which allows the fewest points in the nation at 53.4, but their teammates were 8-for-24. That includes senior guard Cameron Johnson (12.7 points), who averaged 14.4 points in the five games before scoring four Saturday. Pinson (10.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, team-high 4.8 assists) performs well at both ends of the court while junior guard Kenny Williams (11.4) adds consistent scoring depth.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Bison are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Tar Heels are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games.
* Over is 7-3 in Bison's last 10 overall.
* Over is 10-4 in Tar Heels' last 14 NCAA Tournament games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 74 percent of bettors taking the favorites from North Carolina, while 53 percent of totals wagers are on the Over.




(16) Texas Southern Tigers vs (1) Xavier Musketeers (-19.5, 160)

Game to be played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Xavier was on the cusp of its first-ever Final Four last season as a No. 11 seed, and Chris Mack's squad hopes it can finally break through that glass ceiling after securing a No. 1 seed for the first time in school history in 2017-18. The Musketeers begin what they hope is another deep run with a first-round matchup Friday in the West Region against 16th-seeded Texas Southern in Nashville, Tenn.

Xavier upset three single-digit seeds last year before watching its season end against national championship runner-up Gonzaga in the Elite Eight, marking the third time it fell one game short of the Final Four. This season's edition of the Musketeers, who are two victories shy of matching a school record, posted 10- and nine-game winning streaks en route to capturing the Big East regular-season title, halting Villanova's four-year run atop the conference. Xavier enters the tournament with a bit of a sour taste in its mouth, however, as it surrendered a 17-point, second-half lead in an overtime loss to Providence in the conference tournament semifinals last Friday. The Tigers notched their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with Wednesday's 64-46 win over North Carolina Central in First Four action.

TV: 7:20 p.m. ET, TBS

LINE HISTORY: The top ranked Xavier Musketeers opened as big 19.5-point favorites over the First Four qualifier from Texas Southern and as of Thursday afternoon that number has not moved. The total hit betting boards at 160 and has also been steady since its release.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT TEXAS SOUTHERN: The Tigers faced six NCAA Tournament teams prior to beginning Southwestern Athletic Conference action, and 5-7 sophomore Demontrae Jefferson (23.4 points) averaged 23.8 points in the four such games he played, reaching the 20-point mark each time. Trayvon Reed (9.7 points, 8.8 rebounds) - a 7-2 junior who leads the SWAC in blocks per game (3.1) and field-goal percentage (68.4) - went 4-for-4 from the floor and swatted six shots Wednesday to contribute to the Eagles' 30.4-percent showing from the field. Second-leading scorer Donte Clark (18.6 points) is averaging 22.7 points over his last six outings and is among the national leaders in free throws made (208, seventh) and attempted (270, fourth).

ABOUT XAVIER: Three-time All-Big East selection Trevon Bluiett (team-high marks of 19.5 points and 5.7 rebounds) went 2-for-14 from the field against the Friars but stands second on the school's all-time scoring list (2,227), and his 315 career 3-pointers are a program record. Fellow senior guard J.P. Macura (12.2 points) has reached double figures only once in the last four games, but his 1,445 career points rank 20th in school history. Despite not playing more than 24 minutes in any of the last 21 games, senior forward Kerem Kanter (10.4 points, 4.5 boards) has scored at least 10 points in every contest over that span in which he played more than 12 minutes.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
* Musketeers are 24-6-1 ATS in their last 31 NCAA Tournament games.
* Over is 4-1 in Tigers' last 5 games following a straight up win.
* Under is 5-1-1 in Musketeers' last 7 NCAA Tournament games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 56 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Xavier, while 52 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.




(9) Florida State Seminoles vs (8) Missouri Tigers (+1.5, 147)

Game to be played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Missouri survived an early season injury to heralded freshman Michael Porter Jr. to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013, but there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the team entering the event. The eighth-seeded Tigers will try to take care of business on the floor when they face No. 9 seed Florida State on Friday in the first round of the West Region in Nashville, Tenn.

While Porter, considered a potential NBA lottery pick, returned from back surgery in time to appear in the SEC Tournament, Missouri will play without suspended forward Jordan Barnett, the team's second-leading scorer (13.7 points per game) who was arrested for DWI on Saturday. "He's suspended as we speak. He won't play Friday," first-year coach Cuonzo Martin told reporters Sunday before adding that Barnett could potentially return if the Tigers advance to the second round. To do so, they will need to take care of a Seminoles squad that lost six of 10 down the stretch, including an 82-74 setback against Louisville in the ACC Tournament. This is Florida State's second straight tournament appearance and sixth overall under coach Leonard Hamilton.

TV: 9:45 p.m. ET, TBS

LINE HISTORY: Missouri opened as 1-point favorites however heavy early betting on Florida St. caused the pointspread to jump the fence to 1.5 points in their direction. The total hit betting boards at 147.5 and has been bet down slightly to 147.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE: The Seminoles use a balanced scoring attack with three players averaging between 13.2 and 12.9 points, a trio led by guard Terance Mann, who has been held to single digits in six of his last eight contests. Florida State backed into the tournament to a degree but owns wins over Florida, North Carolina, Miami (Fla.), Clemson, Virginia Tech and Syracuse - all tournament teams - and Hamilton hopes his squad can hit the reset button and rediscover its earlier form. "I'm sure that we'll play with a lot more sense of urgency to bounce back from what we thought was a poor performance (against Louisville)," he told the media.

ABOUT MISSOURI: Porter was hurt early in the season opener and did not return until Thursday's 62-60 loss to Georgia in the SEC Tournament, scoring 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting. "With this type of injury, the last thing to come back is your explosiveness, your pop," Porter told reporters after the loss. "I knew that wasn't there yet." Senior Kassius Robertson leads the team with 16.2 points per game while freshman Jontay Porter - Michael's brother - is the top rebounder (6.8) and averaged 21 points on 69 percent shooting over his last three contests.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Seminoles are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
* Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. Atlantic Coast.
* Under is 4-1 in Seminoles' last 5 non-conference games.
* Over is 14-2 in Tigers' last 16 NCAA Tournament games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 51 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Florida St., while 53 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.

 

[Cnotes53]

Friday's NCAA Tournament first round betting preview: South Region

(15) Georgia St. Panthers vs (2) Cincinnati Bearcats (-13.5, 129.5)

Game to be played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cincinnati has made a habit of long winning streaks en route to winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament, and the Bearcats look to keep rolling as their journey in the Big Dance begins Friday against Georgia State in the South Region at Nashville, Tenn. The second-seeded Bearcats enter the NCAA Tournament with seven straight wins, including a 56-55 triumph over Houston in Sunday?s conference title game, to give the program back-to-back 30-victory seasons for the first time.

The Bearcats have smothered opponents all season, allowing just 57.1 points per game - ranking second in the nation to Virginia. Cincinnati fashioned a 16-game winning streak earlier this season, and three of its four losses came against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time. No. 15 seed Georgia State captured its second Sun Belt Conference title in the past four seasons Sunday with a 74-61 victory over Texas-Arlington and, after losing four of five late in the season, it enters the NCAAs on a four-game winning streak. The Panthers, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since reaching the second round in 2015, are limiting opponents to 39.3 percent shooting from the field.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, TBS

LINE HISTORY: Cincinnati opened the week as 15.5-point favorites and steady action on the underdog Panthers has puched that pointspread down to -13.5 as of Thursday night. The total hit betting boards at 126 and has been bet up to 129.5.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT GEORGIA STATE: Sophomore guard D?Marcus Simonds, the Sun Belt player of the year, averages 21.1 points overall and scored 16.7 per contest in the conference tournament. Senior guard Isaiah Williams, who scored 21 points in the semifinal victory over Georgia Southern as Simonds was saddled with foul trouble, is 9-of-18 from 3-point range in his past four games. The Panthers led the Sun Belt in 3-point shooting, hitting 38.8 percent of their attempts from long range.

ABOUT CINCINNATI: Senior forward Gary Clark averaged 16.3 points per game during the AAC Tournament, shooting 57.7 percent from the field in three games. Senior forward Kyle Washington has reached double figures in 10 of his past 13 games, averaging 12.2 points during that stretch while shooting 52.8 percent from the field. Cincinnati led the country entering Sunday in scoring margin, beating opponents by an average of 17.8 points per game.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Panthers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
* Bearcats are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games.
* Under is 6-0 in Panthers' last 6 neutral site games.
* Under is 52-21 in Bearcats' last 73 non-conference games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 58 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Cincinnati, while 64 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.




(10) Texas Longhorns vs (7) Nevada Wolf Pack (+1.5, 143.5)

Game to be played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Texas overcame a ton of adversity to get back to the NCAA Tournament. The 10th-seeded Longhorns' reward is trying to stop seventh-seeded Nevada's high-powered offense in the first round of the South Region in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday.

The regular-season Mountain West Conference champs feature four players in double figures who all have NCAA Tournament experience with the Wolf Pack or their former teams. Twins Caleb and Cody Martin combine for 32.7 points and 11.6 rebounds for Nevada, which is looking for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2007. The Longhorns' up-and-down season included playing without Andrew Jones (diagnosed with leukemia in January) and consistent bench contributor Eric Davis Jr. (withheld during investigation since Feb. 23). The young Texas team - which played four freshmen in its seven-man rotation in Thursday's loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 quarterfinals - got 6-11 freshman forward Mohamed Bamba back after he missed three games with a toe injury.

TV: 4:20 p.m. ET, TBS

LINE HISTORY: Nevada opened as 1.5-point favorites and heavy sharp action on Texas caused that number to jump the fence Thursday to Longhorns -1.5. The total hit betting boards at 144.5 and has been dropped to 143.5.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT TEXAS: Junior forward Dylan Osetkowsi leads the Longhorns with 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds, while junior guard Kerwin Roach II adds 11.9 points and 3.7 rebounds. Bamba chips in 12.9 points to go along with a Big 12-best 10.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. Freshman guard Matt Coleman (9.7 points, 4.1 assists) has been solid all year, while freshman forward Jericho Sims (5.1 points, 3.9 rebounds) and sophomore guard Jacob Young (6.2 points, including a career-high 29 points on Thursday) increased their production down the stretch with more minutes.

ABOUT NEVADA: Junior Caleb Martin averages 19.1 points while Cody Martin adds 13.6 points for the Wolf Park, who won 12 road games while going 1-2 in neutral games. Junior wing Jordan Caroline adds 17.9 points and a team-best 8.8 rebounds, while senior guard Kendall Stephens adds 13.2 points after hitting a league-record 73 3-pointers in Mountain West play. The Wolf Pack, who average 9.9 turnovers per game, are coming off their worst game of the season in Friday's 90-73 loss to San Diego State, allowing the eventual Mountain West Tournament champs to shoot 51.9 percent from the floor.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Longhorns are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 NCAA Tournament games.
* Wolf Pack are 17-3-1 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight up loss.
* Over is 10-3 in Longhorns' last 13 NCAA Tournament games.
* Over is 4-0 in Wolf Pack's last 4 vs. Big 12.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 53 percent of bettors taking the underdogs from Texas, while 56 percent of totals wagers are on the Over.




(9) Kansas State Wildcats vs (8) Creighton Bluejays (-1, 144.5)

Game to be played at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Marcus Foster was the leading scorer at Kansas State his freshman and sophomore years, but the senior shooting guard will be up against his former team when eighth-seeded Creighton plays the No. 9 Wildcats in the first round of the South Region on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Foster transferred to Creighton after the 2014-15 season and last week was named first-team all-Big East for the second straight year.

Foster, who struggled with disciplinary issues during his two years at Kansas State, is averaging 24 points over the past four games to boost his season average to 20.3, fourth in the Big East. Creighton finished in a three-way tie for third in the Big East with Seton Hall and Providence, then lost in overtime in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to Providence. Kansas State finished fourth in the Big 12 and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament, losing to Kansas for the third time this season 83-67. The Wildcats played without leading scorer Dean Wade (16.5), who sustained a foot injury in the quarterfinal win against TCU, and second-leading scorer Barry Brown (16) left after getting poked in the eye two minutes into the game. Kansas State coach Bruce Weber was optimistic after the game Friday that both would be available for the start of the NCAA Tournament.

TV: 6:45 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Creighton opened as 1.5-point favorites and that number has been bet down slightly to -1. The total hit betting boards at 145.5 and has been dropped to 144.5.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT CREIGHTON: Foster averaged seven 3-pointers a game and has become substantially more accurate from beyond the arc this season, converting on 42.2 percent of his attempts compared to 34.1 last season; and he was under 40 percent both seasons at Kansas State, as well. Foster has a solid compliment in the backcourt in junior shooting guard Khyri Thomas, who is shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point distance. Thomas averaged 20.8 points over the final five regular-season games, but was kept quiet in the overtime loss to Providence on Thursday, scoring eight points - just the third time this season he has been held to single digits.

ABOUT KANSAS STATE: Wade is a 6-10 junior forward who shoots 55 percent from the floor and leads the Wildcats at 6.3 rebounds a game. Creighton starts four guards and 6-10 senior forward Toby Hegner, who averages just three rebounds a game, so Kansas State should have a clear advantage down low if Wade is healthy. The Wildcats are also excited about 6-9 sophomore forward Makol Mawien, who took advantage of Wade's absence to score a season-high 29 points against Kansas and he should see increased minutes against Creighton, regardless of Wade's status.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Wildcats are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big East.
* Bluejays are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
* Under is 7-1 in Wildcats' last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Under is 4-1 in Bluejays' last 5 vs. Big 12.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 55 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Creighton, while 51 percent of totals wagers are on the Over.




(16) MD Baltimore County Retrievers vs (1) Virginia Cavaliers (-21, 121)

Game to be played at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Top-seeded Virginia kicks off its pursuit of a national championship against Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round of the South Region on Friday at Charlotte, N.C. The Cavaliers are the clear No. 1 team in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament after capturing the ACC championship on Saturday, while the 16th-seeded Retrievers got into the tournament after a buzzer-beater win in the America East title game.

Virginia is fresh off one of the most dominant seasons in ACC history where it went 20-1 in the regular season and playoffs, capped off with a 71-63 win in the championship game over North Carolina on Saturday night. Kyle Guy had 16 points and Devon Hall added 15, but it was the vaunted "Pack Line" defense that came through when it mattered most, holding the Tar Heels scoreless for five minutes late in the second half as Virginia stretched its lead to nine with 3:32 remaining and held on for the third ACC championship in program history. UMBC made one of the more dramatic entrances to the tournament as senior Jairus Lyles nailed a long 3-pointer with less than a second remaining as the double-digit underdog Retrievers knocked off Vermont 65-62. "Win the game, that was all that was going through my head," Lyles told reporters after finishing with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-23 shooting.

TV: 9:20 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: Virginia opened as 22.5-point favorites and bettors have been hitting the underdog Retrievers, driving the pointspread down to -21. The total hit betting boards at 120.5 and in up slightly to 121.

BETTING STATS:

ABOUT MARYLAND-BALTIMORE COUNTY: Trailing by nine with 8:21 remaining, UMBC turned up the pressure on defense and didn't allow a field-goal for the rest of the game as it snapped a 23-game losing streak to Vermont that dated back 10 seasons. Lyles, the team's leading scorer at 20.2 points per game, also hit the game-tying three with 1:01 remaining and finished 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Backcourt mate K.J. Maura, the America East assists leader, had just two against Vermont but averaged 5.2 per game this season and was named to the America East All-Championship team.

ABOUT VIRGINIA: "This is one of the most connected groups I've ever coached," Virginia coach Tony Bennett told reporters as he accepted the ACC championship trophy on Saturday night, referring to a roster that doesn't have any one-and-dones or NBA lottery picks. Instead, the Cavaliers have developed a special chemistry that has led to the NCAA's best defense that gives up just 53.4 points per game, almost four fewer than the second-best team (Cincinnati). But Virginia can also score when it needs to, as it proved against North Carolina on Saturday when it shot 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from behind the 3-point line and went 20-of-22 from the free-throw line.

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Retrievers are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
* Cavaliers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games.
* Over is 6-0 in Retrievers' last 6 neutral site games.
* Over is 4-1 in Cavaliers' last 5 NCAA Tournament games.

CONSENSUS: Consensus data is showing 69 percent of bettors taking the favorites from Virginia, while 59 percent of totals wagers are on the Under.

 

[Cnotes53]

NCAAB

Dunkel

Friday, March 16


MD-Baltimore Co @ Virginia

Game 863-864
March 16, 2018 @ 9:20 pm

Dunkel Rating:
MD-Baltimore Co
56.784
Virginia
76.228
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Virginia
by 19 1/2
116
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Virginia
by 23
121 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
MD-Baltimore Co
(+23); Under

Kansas State @ Creighton

Game 865-866
March 16, 2018 @ 6:50 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Kansas State
68.019
Creighton
67.135
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Kansas State
by 1
138
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Creighton
by 2
145 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Kansas State
(+2); Under

Providence @ Texas A&M

Game 867-868
March 16, 2018 @ 12:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Providence
63.425
Texas A&M
69.533
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas A&M
by 6
146
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas A&M
by 3 1/2
138
Dunkel Pick:
Texas A&M
(-3 1/2); Over

Lipscomb @ North Carolina

Game 869-870
March 16, 2018 @ 2:45 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Lipscomb
52.945
North Carolina
75.438
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
North Carolina
by 22 1/2
167
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
North Carolina
by 19 1/2
161 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
North Carolina
(-19 1/2); Over

Butler @ Arkansas

Game 871-872
March 16, 2018 @ 3:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Butler
68.576
Arkansas
65.014
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Butler
by 3 1/2
158
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Butler
by 1
152 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Butler
(-1); Over

CS-Fullerton @ Purdue

Game 873-874
March 16, 2018 @ 12:40 pm

Dunkel Rating:
CS-Fullerton
52.315
Purdue
75.785
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Purdue
by 23 1/2
152
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Purdue
by 20 1/2
145 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Purdue
(-20 1/2); Over

Syracuse @ TCU

Game 875-876
March 16, 2018 @ 9:40 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Syracuse
65.339
TCU
68.427
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
TCU
by 3
132
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
TCU
by 4 1/2
136 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Syracuse
(+4 1/2); Under

Bucknell @ Michigan State

Game 877-878
March 16, 2018 @ 8:10 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Bucknell
63.185
Michigan State
73.564
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Michigan State
by 10 1/2
143
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Michigan State
by 15
148 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Bucknell
(+15); Under

Texas @ Nevada

Game 879-880
March 16, 2018 @ 4:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas
66.218
Nevada
67.303
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nevada
by 1
137
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas
by 1
144
Dunkel Pick:
Nevada
(+1); Under

Georgia State @ Cincinnati

Game 881-882
March 16, 2018 @ 2:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Georgia State
59.513
Cincinnati
71.649
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cincinnati
by 12
122
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cincinnati
by 15 1/2
129
Dunkel Pick:
Georgia State
(+15 1/2); Under

Texas Southern @ Xavier

Game 883-884
March 16, 2018 @ 7:20 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas Southern
49.063
Xavier
72.134
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Xavier
by 23
166
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Xavier
by 19
160
Dunkel Pick:
Xavier
(-19); Over

Florida State @ Missouri

Game 885-886
March 16, 2018 @ 9:50 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida State
67.404
Missouri
64.587
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Florida State
by 3
155
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Florida State
by 1
148
Dunkel Pick:
Florida State
(-1); Over

Murray State @ West Virginia

Game 887-888
March 16, 2018 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Murray State
59.305
West Virginia
72.415
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
West Virginia
by 13
138
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
West Virginia
by 10 1/2
146 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
West Virginia
(-10 1/2); Under

Marshall @ Wichita State

Game 889-890
March 16, 2018 @ 1:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Marshall
56.784
Wichita State
71.365
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Wichita State
by 14 1/2
159
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Wichita State
by 12
167 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Wichita State
(-12); Under

New Mexico St @ Clemson

Game 891-892
March 16, 2018 @ 9:55 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Mexico St
62.416
Clemson
64.875
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Clemson
by 2 1/2
138
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Clemson
by 6
132 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New Mexico St
(+6); Over

Coll of Charleston @ Auburn

Game 893-894
March 16, 2018 @ 7:25 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Coll of Charlesto
60.513
Auburn
68.276
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Auburn
by 7 1/2
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Auburn
by 11 1/2
148 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Coll of Charlesto
(+11 1/2); Over

Central Michigan @ Wofford

Game 579-580
March 16, 2018 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Central Michigan
54.785
Wofford
57.327
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Wofford
by 2 1/2
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Wofford
by 5
145
Dunkel Pick:
Central Michigan
(+5); Over