Vegas veteran Benjamin Eckstein, author of America’s Line, brings three decades of experience to make weekly picks in his”Ecks & Bacon” column.
Final Four picks
LAS VEGAS — Can’t remember which one of those 279 sites where I read this, but that is the first time in 31 years that among the so-called Blue Bloods won’t be at the Final Four. We’re talking North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, UCLA and Louisville. That is THIRTY-ONE YEARS! WOW!
Now for the winner of this first game on Saturday between Virginia and Auburn. Speaking of Blue Bloods, Charles Barkley’s Tigers beat Kansas, North Carolina and Kentuckyback to back, to make it to their first EVER Final Four. That was VERY impressive. And the previous W against Kentucky was WITHOUT among their best players, Chuma Okeke. Auburn rumbles into the celebration on a 12-0 straight-up PERFECTO and has covered eight of the previous 10.
Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers come in with an impressive resume as well, winning 13 of the last 14, but contrary to the spread, the’Hoos have managed to cover only three of the last seven. Not calling for the outright upset, but would purchase the hook, push the line to +6, and watch Sir Charles cry on national TV. Crying since, as all of us know, Barkley is a ferocious sports bettor, and he’ll be all over Auburn plus the points.
In the nightcap, we’re gonna roll with Texas Tech +2.5 points over Michigan State. Of course, we’ll purchase the hook and drive Tech to +3. What else can the Red Raiders do? They rolled to the Sweet 16 from the second-best defensive team in college hoops, Michigan, and blew the Wolverines away 63-44. They then looked at the daunting task of facing the NUMBER ONE crime in the country in the Elite Eight, Gonzaga. You believe the Raiders were nervous? Nah. They held the’Zags to ONLY 69 points, nearly TWENTY points below their season average of 87.6.
What any other matchups with the Big Ten? Gotcha. Aside from the Michigan game, Tech stomped on Nebraska 70-52. More? OK. TT has won 13 of the previous 14 up, covered seven of the last eight, and steps on the court in Minneapolis working on an 8-0 spread PERFECTO on the street. It ai not gonna be simple, but we are backing the blossom, Chris Beard!!!
NBA pick For the wagering pleasure, here will be some spread stats of this day. The Nuggets may not catch the Warriors to the top seed in the Western Alliance, but you realize they are gonna deliver some warmth to this ESPN matchup from the Blazers. Denver continues to be on a sweet roll, winning nine of the last 13 up, but against the spread, the Nugs have covered just four of the previous 12.
They have been stingy with points allowed and have gone UNDER at 10 of the previous 12 games. Portland brings a similar portfolio to the table, winning eight of the previous nine straight up, but have done WAY better against the spread, covering four of the previous five. Taking a look at the big picture, the Nuggets’ overall disperse log sits at 40-38, 24-15 at home and 29-26 as a favored. The Blazers’ overall spread mark is 44-33-1, 21-18 on the road and 13-15 as an underdog. Light tickle to Portland.
NHL pick Additionally skating onto the NHL ice, also got a drama over the Rangers to the Blue Jackets.
PLZ hit me Twitter over the weekend, even @vegasvigorish, only in case anything pops.
Benjamin Eckstein is a nationally syndicated sportswriter/oddsmaker. His column, America’s Line, with the Ecks & Bacon appetizer, has run in the New York Daily News and over 100 other papers since 1988. It is possible to follow him on line at www.americasline.com. He is beloved by many, when he picks winners, and detested by others, when he picks the occasional failure. If you wanna bit of Eck, hit his email…ben@americasline.com.
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