Reviewing an Incredible 4 Days of College Basketball

We are down to the Sweet Sixteen, in what has been an unbelievably entertaining first 4 days of basketball. I don’t know how next weekend can top it, but I’m ready to find out.

We cashed a ticket with our Best Bet yesterday but it was shaky until a late push by Purdue gave us a cover over Texas. That raised our Best Bet of the Day record to 57-34 since January 1st.

We had a good day and finished 6-2 betting the MoneyLine. Our record now stands at 667-149 (82%) for 2022.

There were 8 games involving Top-25 teams and we went 6-2 picking winners and 7-1 betting the spreads. Our record betting the spread on games involving Top-25 teams is 138-98.

Make sure to check out all our NCAA Basketball FREE PICKS HERE

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO LET”S REVIEW THE WEEKEND:

TEAMS WHO DID WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO:

• GONZAGA: Maybe not the way they wanted to get to the Final 16 but does it matter?
• ARIZONA: They are in the same boat as Gonzaga.
• KANSAS: Usually, when they get through the first 2 rounds they are a handful.
• DUKE: Here they are us usual.
• VILLANOVA: Slow and steady wins the race. A team you want to avoid.
• TEXAS TECH: They are never pretty; but ugly works in March.
• PURDUE: Pretty solid so far.
• UCLA: Just a good tournament team.
• ARKANSAS: Two tough hard-fought wins. Would you bet much on Gonzaga to beat them?
• PROVIDENCE: When are people going to realize this is a damn good team?
• HOUSTON: Who has been more impressive than the Cougars?

TEAMS WHO FLUNKED THE TEST:

• KENTUCKY: No one thought they would lose in the first round and they are the biggest flop.
• BAYLOR: I thought they were overseeded and losing in the second round was not what the defending champs wanted.
• AUBURN: Talk about a waste of talent.
• TENNESSEE: The Vols were impressive in the first round and choked against Michigan in Round 2.
• IOWA: The Hawkeyes were one of the hottest teams in the country coming into the tournament. They exited in the first round.
• WISCONSIN: The tournament selection committee gave them the first two games in nearby Milwaukee and they lost to an average Iowa State.
• MURRAY STATE: The Blue Racers eked out a first round win and then, instead of playing Kentucky, they got St.Peter’s and lost.

BIGGEST SURPRISES:

• ST.PETER’S: They are the obvious choice.
• MICHIGAN: I guess they belonged in the tournament. That really hurt me to say.
• NORTH CAROLINA AND MIAMI: Everyone said the ACC sucked this year. Here is exhibit A and B that the league is pretty good.
• IOWA STATE: They were awful coming into the tournament and now they are in the Sweet Sixteen.
• TCU: Here is another Big 12 team that dismantled Seton Hall and took Arizona to the brink late last night.

JUST THROWING THIS OUT THERE:

#1- How in the world did St.Peter’s fail to win the MAAC regular season championship? They are athletic, talented, and fearless. And that is three words that aren’t mentioned when you talk about the rest of the MAAC teams. Just mind-boggling to me.

#2- With the poor showing of Iowa, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee, it is obvious that coming into the Big Dance after a winning the postseason conference tournament, doesn’t mean a damn thing. Their combined record: 1-3

#3- The key to winning the first two rounds for higher seeded teams is keeping the right focus and mental attitude. And throw in, being able to handle the pressure as well. It is hard to handle the expectations that is expected when you are highly seeded. Check out the following:

• There were three out of four No.1 seeds that got into the Sweet Sixteen. But, Gonzaga and Arizona needed overtime and luck to advance and Kansas was taken to the wire before winning. Baylor couldn’t handle North Carolina with a home court advantage
• There are two No.2 seeds still playing with Kentucky eliminated in the first round and Auburn going out in Round 2. Duke trailed in the 2nd half against MIchigan State and Villanova handled the pressure as well as anyone.
• Only 2 of the No.3 seeds made it to the final 16. Texas Tech got all they wanted from #11 Notre Dame before winning very late. Purdue had a tough game with #6 Texas and fought off the Longhorns. Tennessee and Wisconsin lost to far superior foes and are back in school today.

#4- Don’t listen to the media when they say a conference is down. All year long it’s been all about how bad the ACC is. When all the dust settled late Sunday night / Monday morning, the ACC has the most teams still standing. Congratulations to Duke, North Carolina, and Miami. And Virginia and Wake Forest are still alive in the NIT as well.

#5- How about the SEC and their poor showing? Only Arkansas is still alive and the other 5 SEC participants are putting up the basketballs today. The six participants went 4-5 this weekend and that is pretty bad. Maybe the SEC Tournament champ should have been included instead of LSU or Alabama