Saturday, March 04, 2006

Four Corners

Every Monday-Thursday (and occasional weekend games) renowned college basketball expert, Money, will be handicapping the games for you. Picks and thoughts will be posted prior to tip-off, typically by 3:30 pm pst.

Money's trip to the Bank: (Money's Cash cow to date - 47 wins, 35 losses, 2 pushes). The team in ALL CAPS is my pick.

GEORGIA TECH +5.5 @ Clemson
The yellow jackets still have some fight in them.

STANFORD +1 FIRST HALF vs. ucla
I hate taking first half bets, but the way UCLA has played in the first half versus OSU, Oregon and Cal, I have to take this. Plus, the atmosphere will be electric with the last home game for Hernandez, Haryasz and Grunfeld.

BAYLOR +12.5 @ Oklahoma state
I can understand if you want to turn the other cheek on this one, but Baylor has been shooting the lights out. Let’s see how they do on the road.

OREGON -2.5 @ Oregon state
This one won’t be close.

DUKE -7 vs. North Carolina
Last home game, coming off a loss. Ouch. Coach K will have these kids going at a high level. Redick will score 45.

NOTE: There is a comment field at the end of each article if you feel like expressing your anger publicly.

Friday, March 03, 2006

4 Minutes of Hell

Each Friday we will look at the AP top 25 with our eye on the prize, the tournament, and examine who is heading in the right direction and who is not. We will also project our top 4 seeds each week, leading up to the Big Dance.

AP Top 25
1) Duke – Sweet 16 trip for Duke is almost always assured. Getting further will be a challenge.
2) Uconn – The most talented team in the nation…when they want to be.
3) Memphis – Will the “time off” hurt their tournament run?
4) Villanova – This team is starting to grow on me.
5) Gonzaga – I don’t want Morrison’s season to end, but I fear an early exit.
6) Texas – Loss at A&M proves Money’s point. Talented but too inconsistent.
7) George Washington – I cannot tell a lie. I don’t believe in this team.
8) Pittsburgh – I wouldn’t want to play this team.
9) Ohio state – “Villanova light”. Their guards are not quite as good, but the frontcourt is better.
10) Illinois – Great wins over the Top 25 in the RPI.
11) Tennessee – Great offense, no defense = early exit.
12) Boston College – Just another mediocre ACC team.
13) North Carolina – Will go further than Duke.
14) Washington – With Brandon Roy, ANYTHING is possible.
15) UCLA – Typical UCLA team. Not! Great defense, nothing special on offense.
16) West Virginia – They had their run last year. I love Gansey though.
17) Florida – They have really dropped in the last month.
18) Kansas – Exposed versus Texas, but bounced back nicely against Colorado.
19) Oklahoma – Lucky.
20) Georgetown – Still good. Don’t forget about them.
21) LSU – Final Four contender.
22) North Carolina state – Their team consists of 5 similar, not very good, players.
23) Iowa – One of the best defensive teams in the country, with a capable offense. Beware.
24) Nevada – This team does nothing for me. Fazekas is not very good and nobody can shoot on this team.
25) Michigan state – The Sporting News preseason #1 pick. Fourth best team in the Big Ten.

The Next team? NC Wilmington. It starts with their defense, which is one of the best. George Mason hogs the press from their league, but this team could make a run to the sweet 16.

Seeds Wash. D.C Atlanta Minneapolis Oakland
1 Uconn, Duke, Villanova, Gonzaga
2 Pittsburgh, Illinois, Ohio State, Memphis
3 Texas, UCLA, North Carolina, George Washington
4 Iowa, LSU, Kansas, Washington

Comments: I replaced Memphis with Gonzaga in the West, after their loss last night to UAB. Ohio State is a final four contender. I am big believer of North Carolina and UCLA. I love all my #4 seeds. Why wouldn’t I?

NOTE: There is a comment field at the end of each article if you feel like expressing your anger publicly.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Four Corners

Every Monday-Thursday (and occasional weekend games) renowned college basketball expert, Money, will be handicapping the games for you. Picks and thoughts will be posted prior to tip-off, typically by 3:30 pm pst.

The scoring title race is quite exciting, and gaining a lot of momentum. J.J. Redick (who has grown 4 inches!) and Adam Morrison appear on this week’s cover of Sports Illustrated. But are we really going to remember this scoring race? History says no, but that is due to the fact that typically the leader comes from a team that is not talked about daily. Last year’s winner, Keydren Clark, played for the Peacocks of St. Peter’s.

What people remember is the NCAA tournament. They remember Bryce Drew’s 3 point shot against Ole Miss, or Tyus Edney driving the length of the court to beat Missouri. If Gonzaga and Duke are able to meet up in the tournament, and these guys give us a memorable game, chances are we will remember this scoring race too and how great it was. But if both of these teams make it to the sweet 16 (likely) and then fall on their face in the next round (also likely) and our heroes are responsible for this letdown, then chances are we won’t remember much about them.

In any situation, the moustache will be hard to forget.

Money's trip to the Bank: (Money's Cash cow to date - 46 wins, 34 losses, 2 pushes). The team in ALL CAPS is my pick.

MEMPHIS -3.5 @ Uab
This line is too low. Memphis has really not been challenged all year in their league. Playing the second place team will inspire them. They will kill UAB.

UCLA +1 @ Cal
Both teams play tough defense and at times can be mildly ineffective on the offensive end. UCLA plays tougher defense and has shorter ineffective offensive spurts.

NOTE: There is a comment field at the end of each article if you feel like expressing your anger publicly.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Four Corners

Every Monday-Thursday (and occasional weekend games) renowned college basketball expert, Money, will be handicapping the games for you. Picks and thoughts will be posted prior to tip-off, typically by 3:30 pm pst.

Bubble Guide. Bubble watch. Bubble popper. Pimple popper. Poppy pants. Is there nothing else to talk about? Everywhere you look some basketball expert is talking about who is on the bubble, who is in, and who is out. Just play the damn game and tune in to Selection Sunday on CBS. If you must, check out Bracketology on espn, but let’s not spend a lot time discussing the bubble teams; let’s just bet on them.

A few of my teams for today’s picks are on this perceived bubble. Are they going to get into the tournament? Frankly, I don’t care. But I do know they will play hard for forty minutes, and from a betting point of view, that is all you can ask for.

I have not been impressed with the slate of games the past couple of days, so I have been putting out a small number of games. Money likes today.

Money's trip to the Bank: (Money's Cash cow to date - 43 wins, 30 losses, 2 pushes). The team in ALL CAPS is my pick.

LaSALLE pk @ Fordham
Fordham? Where the hell is Fordham? For that matter, where the hell is LaSalle? Never mind. This is basketball not, geography. LaSalle wins the game.

MARQUETTE +4 @ Louisville
Money has had a number of temporary favorite teams over the course of the year. Marquette is currently the flavor of the week.

PENN STATE +13 @ Iowa
State Penn plays well on the road. 13 points? This game will come down to the wire.

TEXAS A&M +6.5 vs. Texas
I will be the first to admit that Texas looked like the best team in the country as they dismantled my girlfriend Kansas. UT is incredibly inconsistent, and I expect them to play to the level of their opponent in this game.

FLORIDA STATE +6.5 vs. Duke
I love home dogs. I would prefer the number to be higher, and it should be, but FSU matches up well with Duke, so I will take what they give me.

OHIO STATE -7 @ Northwestern
Move over Kansas, Ohio State has taken your spot in my heart. That is, until they screw me.

KENTUCKY +5 @ Tennessee
I like the way Kentucky is playing. They still have a lot of fight left in them.

NOTE: There is a comment field at the end of each article if you feel like expressing your anger publicly.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Four Corners

Every Monday-Thursday (and occasional weekend games) renowned college basketball expert, Money, will be handicapping the games for you. Picks and thoughts will be posted prior to tip-off, typically by 3:30 pm pst.

My opinion of the Pac 10 is changing slightly. It still think the conference is very average (don’t get me started on Cal, who now HAS to win one of these games this week to get into the tournament), but Washington is now making a bigger impression on me and I am now comfortable including them in a conversation with UCLA as a candidate to possibly reach the final four. They may have even leapfrogged UCLA in Money’s mind.

As I have mentioned in the past, to make it to the Final Four (I capitalize this event. It is that big of a deal) you need good guard play and strong defense. UCLA and Washington both have that. I would argue that one other thing can help dramatically; a clutch, or “Money” player. You need to have a guy that wants the ball at the end of the game and is not afraid of taking that game-changing shot. Brandon Roy of Washington is that type of guy. He has a good supporting cast too, so it would not surprise me to see this team advance and do well.

So when it is all said and done, and I say the “Huskies” will win it all, don’t take my advice so literally, as I am probably talking about the team in Connecticut but, I may be hedging my bet and speaking of the team from Washington.

Money's trip to the Bank: (Money's Cash cow to date - 43 wins, 29 losses, 2 pushes). The team in ALL CAPS is my pick.

MINNESOTA +3.5 vs. Illinois
The gophers are an incredibly different team at home and Illinois is a very mediocre team on the road.

NOTE: There is a comment field at the end of each article if you feel like expressing your anger publicly.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Four Corners

Every Monday-Thursday (and occasional weekend games) renowned college basketball expert, Money, will be handicapping the games for you. Picks and thoughts will be posted prior to tip-off, typically by 3:30 pm pst.

What do you think I do all day? Write letters? My head is consumed with basketball thoughts as March looms near. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to discuss the minutia of the college basketball weekend. I do however have time to present one Money-making opportunity.


Money's trip to the Bank: (Money's Cash cow to date - 42 wins, 29 losses, 2 pushes). The team in ALL CAPS is my pick.

OKLAHOMA STATE +8 @ Oklahoma
Oklahoma is winning, but just barely. Too many points for this rivalry.

NOTE: There is a comment field at the end of each article if you feel like expressing your anger publicly.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Four Corners

Every Monday-Thursday (and occasional weekend games) renowned college basketball expert, Money, will be handicapping the games for you. Picks and thoughts will be posted prior to tip-off, typically by 3:30 pm pst.

Senior day. What does that mean to a gambler? It is the last home game for the seniors. Typically the crowd could be a little more excited before tipoff, but from a gambling point of view, I think it benefits the road team. The fans may be a bit more excited, but they are not the ones making the shots. Vegas is aware of this and gives the home team a slight advantage. What if the seniors are the guys that have been on the team for 5 years and don’t play that much? The coach will want to win the game, not cover the spread, and would love to get some of these “Rudys” into the game.

Case in point, listen to this starting team for UCLA today on senior day. Seniors Cedric Bozeman, Ryan Hollins, Michael Fey and Janou Rubin are all expected to start in their final home game at UCLA, along with Farmar. These guys will not play much, but it tells me that the coach is determined to get them in the game.

Alternatively, you could have a team made up of seniors like Dee Brown and James Augustine of Illinois, or J.J. Redick and Sheldon Williams of Duke. In this situation, I might argue that senior day might mean a bit more to the home team. But these are All-Americans.

Bottom line: Don’t base your gambling decisions on senior day, but it if you are looking for an advantage one side or another, take the road team, unless they have a bunch of "really good old players".

Money's trip to the Bank: (Money's Cash cow to date - 42 wins, 28 losses, 2 pushes). The team in ALL CAPS is my pick.

OREGON +9 @ Ucla
I am not taking this game because of senior day (although I think it does help a bit). I am taking this game because 9 points is way too many points for two teams that are playing at a high level.

NOTE: There is a comment field at the end of each article if you feel like expressing your anger publicly.