Last 4 game analysis

This one will be quick.  I am watching 4 games at the same time right now, and 3 of the 4 are really terrible.  Nevada needs to figure out how to take good shots if they want to have any chance of coming back.  The magic of the Abilene Christian shirt doesn’t seem to be working.  As predicted, FDU is getting clobbered by Gonzaga.  The only good game at this point is Villanova / St. Mary’s.

Anyway, there is no update to the standings.  Here are the details for the last 4 games of the day:

Picks for Michigan: 226

Picks for Montana: 1

Vegas Line: Michigan -15

If I remember correctly, this is a rematch of the 1^st round last year.  Not sure why the people that run the tournament do that, but maybe this can be the start of a rivalry.  The Grizzlies at least won the Big Sky conference regular season and tournament, so are a ligit team.  We’ll see how they hold up.  Teams with big point spreads haven’t fared too well so far.

Picks for Wofford: 156

Picks for Seton Hall: 71

Vegas Line: Wofford -3

Depending on the outcome of the Villanova game, it’s entirely possible that this could be the last stand for the Big East.  They’ve already lost St. John’s and Marquette.  Honestly, I don’t like their chances in this one either.  Wofford strikes me as being in the Murray State mold, only better.  They finished the season ranked in the top 25, whereas I think Seton Hall had to have a good run in the Big East conference tournament just to get the at large bid.  Wofford is also fighting for respect.  Then again, Nevada is fighting for respect and they are getting creamed.

Picks for Purdue: 210

Picks for Old Dominion: 17

Vegas Line: Purdue -12.5

ODU seems like a second-tier trendy pick.  Purdue doesn’t have a good track record in the tournament.  12.5 points seems like a possibility.  It would easily be the biggest upset of the day so far if it happened.  That being said, I kind of like Purdue as a sneaky Final 4 pick.  The computer models have had them consistently in the top 10 all season, but because of the aforementioned history in the tournament, people tend not pick them.  Now that I look at that region, is there really a team with any kind of track record to take?  Virginia?  Tennessee?  Purdue?  Kansas State?  I think you have to go to Wisconsin (maybe) and Villanova before you get to a team that has had good runs in the tournament over the last 5-10 years.

Picks for Syracuse: 149

Picks for Baylor: 78

Vegas Line: Syracuse -2

This is the game with the closest point spread.  That shouldn’t come as a surprise, since it’s a 8/9 game.  This seems like a classic tie-breaker game.  Only 25 people have either of these teams in the Sweet 16.  It might be a good game, but it probably won’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of the games.  I’ll be back after these first games finish.