By J.T, CHADWELL
I’m on vacation this week, so let’s jump right into it, starting with the Sweet 16 games.
Texas vs. Purdue (Thursday, 7:10 p.m., CBS)
Purdue was highly ranked to start the season and did not live up to those expectations, but the Boilermakers seem to have found their stride late. Texas is the opposite. Not a lot of expectations for this team early on in Sean Miller‘s tenure, but they find themselves in the Sweet 16 as an 11 seed. It seems like they might’ve caught two teams asking to be beaten as opposed to beating two quality teams. Purdue will be a different story. The pick: Purdue -6.5
Iowa vs. Nebraska (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., TBS)
Last week we talked about Iowa having a chance at 40/1 to make the Final Four out of this region. The Hawkeyes land in the Sweet 16 after wins over Florida and Clemson. A lot of familiarity in this upcoming rivalry match as this is the second stop for Fred Hoiberg (an Iowa State alum) in Iowa’s rivalry tree. The upstart Huskers are advancing further than anyone ever thought possible back in the preseason. Translation, they won’t be ready for an under-seeded Iowa team that is rolling right now. The pick: Iowa Moneyline
Arkansas vs. Arizona (Thursday, 9:45 p.m., CBS)
Wow this game looks really fun on paper. Arguably the two best looking teams from conference tournament championship weekend now meet in the Sweet 16. Both teams come into this matchup coming off of second-round wins against mid-major programs that each would have liked to be a little more convincing. Arkansas will struggle with Arizona’s size while Arizona will struggle to defend Arkansas guards. This should be a high-scoring affair. An underdog with great guard play that can light up the scoreboard is a good formula when getting 7.5 points. The pick: Arkansas +7.5
Illinois vs. Houston (Thursday, 10:05 p.m., TBS)
This matchup was the one I was most excited for as a fan of basketball when the bracket was drawn. Two contrasting styles, but only one winner. Houston had it quite easy over the first weekend, as second-round opponent Texas A&M was way overmatched. Illinois was arguably the most impressive team over the first weekend because of its level of defense. If the Illini defend at that level for another weekend, they’ll be in the Final Four. The over/under line here looks strong to me so I think points are to be expected. The pick: OVER 139.5.
St. John’s vs. Duke (Friday, 7:10 p.m., CBS)
Duke was really flat over the first weekend of this tournament. After 60 very uninspiring minutes of basketball, Duke picked up the intensity the final 20 minutes of the second round against TCU, aided by some generous officiating and a lot of TCU foul trouble. St. John’s really brought the defensive intensity the first weekend. Their problem was the offense going stagnant for periods of time. I think Rick Pitino can draw up a defensive game plan to limit Cameron Boozer and I don’t trust St. John’s to make enough outside shots to win this one or keep it within the six-point spread. The pick: UNDER 141.5
Michigan vs. Alabama (Friday, 7:35 p.m., TBS)
Here we get potentially the most explosive matchup of the weekend. While Michigan went through the motions for the first 20 minutes against Howard, that was not the case against Saint Louis. Michigan is long and athletic and there’s not many teams that can deal with the Wolverines’ size. Alabama just laid the wood to Texas Tech, so at face value it seems like Alabama should be able to run with Michigan and keep this one close. The professionals in Las Vegas say it will be a double digit game. I will gladly agree with those guys. The pick: Michigan -9.5.
Michigan State vs. UConn (Friday, 9:45 p.m., CBS)
This is a coin flip game in the bottom half of the East region, and what a matchup it is. I could watch Dan Hurley vs. Tom Izzo on repeat and never get bored. Both teams have looked quite good and seem to be playing great basketball heading into this matchup. The key for Michigan State will be rebounding and turnovers. Michigan State really gets into trouble when it turns the ball over in bunches. Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears has had double-digit assists in both games of this tournament, and UConn only turned UCLA over 11 times in their previous matchup. Something will need to change for UConn and I don’t think it will. The pick: Michigan State Moneyline
Iowa State vs. Tennessee (Friday, 10:10 p.m., TBS)
The last matchup of the Sweet 16 gives us the hometown Vols taking on Iowa State. The Cyclones seem to have really hit their stride after falling just short to Arizona in the big 12 tournament and making easy work of their first two opponents in the NCAA Tournament. I think both teams will lean on defense here and we should expect a close possession for possession game late. This line opened fairly lower than the past few games for both of these teams would suggest. The pick: UNDER 141.5
HOUSTON OPEN
No full writeup on the PGA this week with March Madness in full swing and yours truly on vacation, but if you want some picks this week we have them for you. This week is about one thing and that’s power off the tee. With low cut rough and no obstacles off the fairway, distance off the tee takes full priority. Here’s some players to look at to win this weekend:
Jake Knapp 25/1
Michael Thorbjornsen 40/1
Ryan Fox 60/1
Stephen Jager 75/1
Tony Finau 100/1
Aldrich Potgieter 100/1