Are we there yet?

During this merry week of unproductivity (Clark Kellog word), Money is here to offer some advice and to toot his horn. B Anthony and Money made some predictions about 6 weeks ago, and I must say they look pretty good, so I have to stick with them.

I have been pimping Texas A&M for the last two years. This is the year that they put it all together. Watch the lottery stock of Acie Law go up each game, where he eventually settles in at number 3 in the draft, after Oden and Durant. My other dear friend is Kansas. I love this team. I know they usually find a way to underachieve every year, but this year feels different. They have come back from huge deficits, lost leads, destroyed rivals, yet nothing seems to change. They are steady and poised for a championship run.

Money’s Final four:

Kansas – National Champ
Texas A&M – Runner up
Florida
Georgetown

Dark horse National champ; Maryland. They have a lock down defender in Strawberry, a veteran coach, and good shooters. They have to beat Florida, which is no small task, but I believe this is something they can do. Once that is accomplished, anything is possible.

Dark horse team to make some noise; Xavier. Georgia Tech is an obvious choice, and if they get past UNLV, they will beat Wisconsin too, but how about Xavier. They are an experienced team with 4 players averaging double digits in scoring and have Drew Lavender (transfer from Oklahoma) running the show. Once they get past BYU, they eliminate Ohio state too.

Don’t forget to kiss your wife this month.


Thursday, March 15, 2007 (All times are Pacific)

9:20am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ HSBC Arena - Buffalo, NY
Davidson +7 vs. Maryland
Maryland is a tremendous sleeper team, but I will take the points in the first game

9:25am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Lawrence Joel Coliseum - Winston Salem,
Texas Tech +3 vs. Boston College
BC sucks

9:40am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Rupp Arena - Lexington, KY
Stanford +5.5 vs. Louisville
Home game for Louisville, but they can’t score. Start out strong but lose.

11:40am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Arco Arena - Sacramento, CA
Oral Roberts +6.5 vs. Washington state
Everyone’s darling for an upset. Not mine, but they do cover. The first time nerves of WSU will keep this game close.

11:50am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ HSBC Arena - Buffalo, NY
Old Dominion +1 vs. Butler
Butler is a team that teams have figured out how to stop.

11:55am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Lawrence Joel Coliseum - Winston Salem, NC
Georgetown -16.5 vs. Belmont
The Hoyas beat Pitt by more than this spread in the Big East final.

NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Rupp Arena - Lexington, KY
Texas A&M -13.5 vs. Penn
The boys from the Ivy league will get their argyle sweaters handed to them!

2:10pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Arco Arena - Sacramento, CA
George Washington +3.5 vs. Vanderbilt
They took down Florida, but I am not convinced this team is that good.

4:10pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ HSBC Arena - Buffalo, NY
VCU +6.5 vs. Duke
Did you see how excited VCU was when they drew Duke? Their smiles said it all. Duke is dead.

4:10pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Rupp Arena - Lexington, KY
Central Connecticut State +22 vs. Ohio State
Ohio State will have to come out firing on all cylinders to hit this number. I don’t think they will.

4:20pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Lawrence Joel Coliseum - Winston Salem, NC
Marquette +1.5 vs. Michigan State
Close game. I’ll take the points.

4:25pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Arco Arena - Sacramento, CA
UCLA -19.5 vs. Weber State
UCLA, losers of their last two, has a lot to prove. Blowout.

6:40pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ HSBC Arena - Buffalo, NY
Wright State +9.5 vs. Pittsburgh
I will enjoy betting this game and watching Pitt struggle.

6:40pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Lawrence Joel Coliseum - Winston Salem, NC
North Carolina -26.5 vs. Eastern Kentucky
If they are beating the ACC teams by 15, then they should have no trouble with EK.

6:40pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Rupp Arena - Lexington, KY
Xavier -1.5 vs. BYU
I like this low line. I also like Xavier to upset Ohio state in the next round too.

6:55pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Arco Arena - Sacramento, CA
Gonzaga +1.5 vs. Indiana
Ravio won’t lose this game.

Friday, March 16, 2007 (All times are Pacific)
9:15am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
Albany +8 vs. Virginia
Albany kept it close with UConn. They understand the pressure. I can’t figure out Va.

9:25am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ United Center - Chicago, IL
Georgia Tech -1.5 vs. UNLV
Include me amongst the fans of Ga Tech. If they get past UNLV, they could make some noise.

9:30am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA
Memphis -18 vs. North Texas
Another one-sided victory for Memphis

11:35am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Spokane Arena - Spokane, WA
Winthrop +4 vs. Notre Dame
Veteran team in Winthrop will not be intimidated

11:45am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
Long Beach State + 7 vs. Tennessee
The Big West usually produces underrated team in the tournament. They can hang with Tennessee

11:55am
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ United Center - Chicago, IL
Wisconsin -13.5 vs. Texas A&M – CC
These guys won’t know what hit them, defensively

Noon
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA
Creighton +1 vs. Nevada
Not a fan of Nevada. Who doesn’t like Funk

2:05pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Spokane Arena - Spokane, WA
Oregon -9 vs. Miami (OH)
Too hot and confident to bet against right now.

4:10pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
Virginia Tech -2.5 vs. Illinois
The Hokies have trouble getting up for lesser opponents. I can’t imagine they will be unmotivated in the tournament though

4:20pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA
Arizona -2 vs. Purdue
I am a sucker. On paper, this game is not close.

4:25pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Spokane Arena - Spokane, WA
Texas -9 vs. New Mexico State
NMSU will need more than Reggie Theus in his prime to compete.

6:40pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
Southern Illinois -7 vs. Holy Cross
Low scoring game, but won by more than 7. I love this So Ill team.

6:40pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ United Center - Chicago, IL
Villanova -1 vs. Kentucky
No quit in this Villanova team.

6:50pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ New Orleans Arena - New Orleans, LA
Florida -28 vs. Jackson State
I feel sorry for Jackson State.

6:55pm
NCAA TOURNAMENT Opening Round @ Spokane Arena - Spokane, WA
USC -1.5 vs. Arkansas
Arkansas should not be in the tournament, and these teams usually fail in the opening round.

We Made It- NCAA Day 2 and NIT Day 1

B. Anthony has his work cut out for him. My suggestion is that you print out these posts for posterity! I will use the same format to breakdown the 16 games for Friday, along with the play in game today and a few NIT gems. The Kansas-Niagara game (you can see I have chosen a winner) does not have a line yet, but I will call it 22 points and post that as well. Not sure on the time of this game.

NIT Locks Tonight:

NC State +5.5 vs Drexel. This team is still too disappointed. They might show up late in this game. But NC State is playing great and will be happy to keep their season rolling.

Michigan -7 vs Utah State: Michigan has been NIT university the last few years. They are used to winning in this tournament, and it will continue tonight.

The beginning:

4:30PM Niagara -8 vs Florida A&M. This early game is a mismatch. I know it will be a battle for the first half because it is the tournament game and nerves exist. However, Niagara is a good team, tournament tested, and really got a slight slap in the face being placed in this game. They will win handily by double digits.

Kansas -22 vs Niagara. Friday, Time unclear: Kansas is just too deep and talented. They will get a good scout on Niagara, and they will dismantle them early and often. The problem for Niagara is that the 2nd five, and half of the 3rd five for Kansas can beat them badly. This means a 20 point game turns into 35 before it finally slows down. At least they got one win.

Morning Madness:

9:15 Virginia -8 vs Albany. It would be a nice story to cheer for Albany, and for 20 minutes it will look ok. But, Virginia has too many guards, too many athletes, and they will lock it down defensively while Singletary puts up 28. His last few three's will push it into double digits and they will win by 15.

9:25AM UNLV +1.5 vs Georgia Tech. This Rebel team is for real, and I give them the nod because coach Lon Kruger has tournament experience. He also is familiar with the ACC and his team will be prepared. This will not be as close as people think. He will lock down Tech's post threat and in a surprise Rebels wins by 7 to advance.

9:30AM Memphis - 18 vs North Texas. With out James Duncan running the point, North Texas is in trouble. If you read this site regularly you know of my love affair with Memphis. Can you say dunk fest? This game will go up and down and there will be some serious chest thumping going on. The 3 point barrage at the 12 minute mark of the second half will get this game to a 30 point spread before they let the dogs off. Tigers roll!

Lunch time Specials:

11:35AM Winthrop +4.5 vs Notre Dame: This will be as good a game as everyone says. Winthrop has big guards and a lot of experience. The problem is, Notre Dame's new point guard, Jackson, has a lot of David Rivers in him. This game will come down to the wire, so take the points when betting, but Notre Dame advances on the last minute heroics of Tory Jackson, who came of age in the close loss to Georgetown!

11:45AM Long Beach State +7 vs Tennessee: There is a long history in my hatred of Bruce Pearl, so bare with me as I explain. As an eleven-year-old baller at Stanford basketball camp, B. Anthony was unstoppable by other players. However, Coach Pearl, then an assistant of the legendary Tom Davis, didn't like the cocky kid from Menlo Park. In the championship game, he hit B. Anthony with back to back technicals for cussing at his shoulder, mind you, not at anyone else, but at himself. With B. Anthony out of the game, his team had little chance in this all important camp final. Thus the hatred began! This Tennessee team will not have their normal home cooking, and we know their record away from home. Take the points in a high scoring affair. Long Beach State will not only cover, they will advance!

11:50AM Wisconsin -13 vs Texas A&M Corpus Christie: It is hard to take a big favorite who cannot score, however, this team can defend. In a very low scoring affair, I see the Badgers holding Texas A&M CC under 50 points. Not pretty, but effective. 66-49 cover!

11:50AM Creighton +1 vs Nevada: We got the Funk, bring out the Funk! Guard play, guard play, guard play. This was a very tough seed for Fazekas and the Wolfpack. His career comes to an end, and his only contract, a 3 year rookie deal won't be enough to retire. He will be selling insurance in 5 years. Creighton advances on some slick ball handling and running floaters by Nate Funk!

Lone Soldier:

1:55PM Miami (Ohio) +9 vs Oregon: Just having parenthesis in your name gives any team an extra 3 points in B. Anthony math! Oregon is very good, fast and shoots the 3 well. But they are cocky and think they can get away with anything. When your coach consistently sleeps around and figures he can get away with it, it sets a bad precedent. The Ducks were great in the Pac-10 tourney, but they have done this before. They are ripe for a let-down and a slow start. They will win this game, but not by double digits. Ducks advance, but just barely in a Quacker!

Afternoon Delight:

4:10PM Virginia Tech -2.5 vs Illinois: The Hokies, also known as the Dunkies, will do some rim-ripping against the Fighting Illini. The Big Ten has 2 good basketball teams and a bunch of pretenders living off of their past history. Look for a mismatch the entire game, Illinois will try to make it ugly and keep it close, but this game will be close to double digits all game and the Hokies will cover handily. The only reason this line is so low is that there are many gamblers in Chicago who move the line!

4:20PM Arizona -2 vs Purdue: As Bobby Knight would say, "I am sick of losing to Fucking Purdue." Lute Olsen agrees. He will be able to convince his spoiled brats, and very talented team, that they won't get paid in the NBA if they lose in the first round. Marcus Williams will show up and clean the offensive boards and get several put backs as this enigma of a team advances. But be weary, after a good first round game, they will be ripe for a let-down on Sunday when they get smoked by Florida!

4:25PM New Mexico State +9.5 vs Texas. Don't get me wrong, my man crush on Kevin Durant is as just as unhealthy as the next guy's. However, they are only good enough to win these days, and generally play even with teams like New Mexico State. Reggie Theus, a great scorer in his own time, before all the sit-com shit he did, will have a box and one ready to slow down Kevin ( we are on a first name basis). Rick Barnes, on the other hand, can't coach his way out of a cardboard box. It will take at least 25 minutes of game time for him to figure out what to do. When he finally figures it out, his team will pull off a close win. Take the points, but Texas advances.

Night time Specials:

6:30PM Holy Cross +7.5 vs Southern Illinois: This will be a defensive battle by two very well coached and prepared teams. This is simply too many points to lay in a low scoring game. Ralph Willard, once a golf partner of B. Anthony, can break a press by diagramming a few diagonal passes and Holy Cross will make this a nail-biter for the Salukis, who will advanced by the hair on their chinny chin chin!

6:30PM Villanova -1 vs Kentucky: Nova has played tough in tournament situations, and they have the best guard on the court and the best coach. Plain and simple, they win. Kentucky made the tournament on name bias and history alone. Recruit some better player Tubby or your time in Kentucky is over.

6:40PM Florida -28 vs Jackson State: The steam roller is out, and Jackson State is not the team to take the air out of the ball to keep it close. Florida could score 110 points on Friday night. It is hard to lay this many points to anyone, but if OClub Red can beat OClub White by 30, Florida can do it as well! Gators in a big way!

6:45PM USC -1.5 vs Arkansas: Arkansas was a nice little story and they saved the job of Stan Heath. But the shellacking they took on Sunday against Florida has destroyed their confidence. Tim Floyd can coach almost as good as he recruits. USC has great guard play, and Gabe Pruit is playing for a first round guaranteed contract. USC wins by 7-10 points and moves on.

Best Four:
Favorites:
Kansas -22
Va Tech -2.5
Dogs:
Miami (Ohio) +9
Long Beach State +7

We Made It- NCAA Day 1

B. Anthony is here to help you through the tournament. If you read Sunday's post, you will see that Nostradamus has nothing on B. Anthony. I will post Thursday's games today, and Friday's games tomorrow.

Thursday: Winners ATS in bold and Outright winner, if underdog is picked, will be in italics. (All times PST)

My four best plays are listed at the bottom of this article.

Morning Fix:

9:00AM- Davidson +8 vs Maryland. Maryland has a history of playing close games in the tournament. Five in a row with the margin of victory less than 5. Take the dog, but Maryland Advances.

9:25AM-Texas Tech +3 vs Boston College. I don't like either one of these teams, and Bobby Knight has not had a great showing in the tournament lately. That being said, I think the Big 12 is a little underrated, and Tech has very good guards. Take Texas Tech to advance and cover.

9:40AM- Louisville -5.5 vs Stanford. The big twins will disrupt things for a while, but Stanford has shown they are terrible versus pressure. Take Louisville to win by 8 or more points, they cover and advance.

Mid-Day Money

11:40AM-Old Dominion +2 vs Butler. The Colonial league deserves the credit they are getting and more. Butler has been folding fast. The reason this line is so low is because this is an even game. ODU advances.

11:40AM-Washington State -7 vs Oral Roberts. This team is not getting the credit it deserves. The #3 seed is nice, and Oral Roberts is a worthy opponent. But Washington State knows how to execute, and they will win this game by 10 points. This is a close call as Caleb Green is a great player, and he will do his best to keep this game close, but Tony Bennett knows how to game plan for him.

11:45AM-Georgetown -15 vs Belmont. This is just a mismatch. Georgetown is the 5th # 1 seed and shold be a 20 point favorite. They roll and cover.

12:00AM-Pennsylvania +13.5 vs Texas A&M. The Ivy league will continue their tradition of keeping games close. Texas A&M is a very good, but they don't feel the need to embarass anyone. When they get up 15, the game is over, but they won't pour it on. They are so good defensively and with the ball that they know 10 points is enough to advance. Texas A&M advances.

Lone Soldier:

2:00PM-George Washington +4 vs Vanderbilt. GW will pull the upset outright. I like this team, and they have consistently been good against the spread for me. GW moves on.

Afternoon Delight:

4:10PM VCU+7 vs Duke. VCU will battle to the bitter end. I will take them to win outright in at least one pool. This team has more winning experience than this years version of Duke. I know Coach K will somehow pull out a victory in this game, but not by much. Duke advances, just barely.

4:10PM Central Connecticut State+22 vs Ohio State. Intimidation, blocked shots, hard and angry dunks will be the theme in this game. However, Ohio State will slow this game down, and it will be difficult to maintain the 25 point lead. Buckeyes win and advance, but they do not cover. 77-59. (This game has changed from original post. Tuesday 10:02pst)

4:20PM Marquette +1.5 vs Michigan State. I just like the battle tested team from the Big East. Dominic James is due to break out of his slump, and McNeal will be back. This will be a close game throughout as MSU is also battle tested, but I think they can deny Neitzel the big 3's he needs for them to win. Marquette advances.

4:25pm- Weber State +20 vs UCLA. This line is just wrong! Weber State and UCLA are both comfortable playing a possession game. When UCLA gets up by 10, they will begin taking 25-30 seconds every possession. The big man for Weber State, David Patten, will get to the line and make some smooth old school hook shots. Weber State covers in a low scoring game, but UCLA advances 66-54.

Prime time Plays:

6:30PM Wright State +10 vs Pittsburgh. Wright State will be the darling of the tournament when they push the Big East bullies to the limit. Pitt Advances because Aaron Gray is too big, and he will make his free throws down the stretch.

6:30PM Xavier -2 vs BYU. I just like Xavier. They rested a little by not winning their tournament, but the A-10 is a team full of solid teams that execute. They are in the habit of winning.

6:40PM UNC - 26 vs Eastern Kentucky. This UNC team is just not very nice to teams that they are better than. They like to blow teams out and will make three's in the last few minutes to push their lead into the 30's.

6:45PM Gonzaga +2 vs Indiana. Gonzaga is back in its roll as an underdog. Indiana is overrated like most of the Big Ten. The plucky Bulldogs advance.

Best Four

Dogs:
Weber State +20
Wright State +10

Favorites:
UNC -26
Georgetown -15

Out and Good Luck,

B. Anthony (99-74-3 ytd)

Bracketiering

Today is Selection Sunday. I don't have to tell you this. But I should tell you that our clocks have sprung forward one hour this morning, which we means we are one hour closer to the start of the NCAA tournament. B. Anthony and Money will share some early thoughts on the brackets later this evening; who we like, who got hosed, and who has the easy route to the final four.

Check back later this evening.

Sunday games: I agree with B's picks with one exception.

I am using updated lines. Click on "Live odds" on the right side of the page to see the latest.

NC STATE +15 vs. North Carolina 10am
How many times can I bet against NC? Well, this makes three. At some point, I will be right.

ARKANSAS +9 vs. Florida 10am
These teams played a close game in Florida earlier in the year, with Arkansas losing by 7. The Razorbacks did not shoot well from beyond the arc in that game. With a better shooting performance they can make this game really close. Arkansas needs to win this game to get in to the tournament.

TEXAS +7 vs. Kansas noon
There is no denying my love affair with Kansas, as Doubledown points out so often. But, this line is going up and I have to take the other side.

OHIO STATE -2 vs. Wisconsin 12:30
Ohio State is a better team. I am actually a bit worried now about Wisconsin and their scoring. At one point in the game yesterday, Tucker had 20 points and the rest of the team had 19. What is going to happen when Tucker, gets in foul trouble or has a bad game? Exactly!