This is an unscientific poit of view, as I have no data that confirms totals generally move up closer to game time.
However.
The public likes to be OVERS. This is especially true for games perceived to be "close." The public looks at things like scoring averages (which has little bearing on late season games played on neutral sites in the spotlight of the tournament) and contrasts this with totals which usually seem low (remember -- these are all the best teams in the country -- scoring the most points and generally hitting the highest percentage of shots from the floor....so the OVERS are going to look good to a lot of people). Going OVER 131 looks easy. That's just 66 points per team, when both teams combined average 142.
I hardly ever read touts, but if you check out a local rag here in Las Vegas called PLAYERS CHOICE ( I think that's the name), they are very often on the OVERS (probably 75 percent of the time). They write things like " How is such and such team going to stop so and so?" It sounds so convincing. Then, when the balls hit the court, both teams hunker down and play tight and conservative and the touts are left sitting there with a dick in their hands.
I realize something could have affected that Notre Dame total (I can't figure that one out) and the movement is very high for these two games. But, it's not totally surprising. If the total moved DOWN by 4-5 points YOU CAN BE SURE there was an injury or illness that has effected the team(s). But when the total moves up, it doesn't necessarily mean anything
Correct me if I'm wrong, unless anyone can find a motive for these games jumping up 4-5 points.
-- Nolan Dalla
