Game Time:  Saturday, April 5th - 8:45 PM ET
Pick:  North Carolina -3 vs Kansas
If you’ve watched these teams play, you’ve seen how good they both really are.  The reason North Carolina gets the edge is consistency.  Kansas is a hot-cold team as we all saw against Davidson, and though they managed to pull out the victory based purely on superior talent, they won’t have that luxury against UNC.  The Jayhawks almost certainly have more players that will end up in the NBA, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the better college basketball team.  I guess you could say that I see North Carolina as more of an elite team and Kansas more of five individuals on the court with a few elite players.  Look, I realize that I’m on the bandwagon here as over 70% of the betting world has picked the Tar Heels to cover the three point spread.  However, one thing I’ve noticed throughout the years is that the public struggles mightily during regular season games in all sports, but in the big prime time events they fair significantly better, particularly when the spread is so low.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Game time:  Saturday, April 5th - 6:05 PM ET
Pick:  UCLA +2 vs Memphis
Memphis looks to be the better team in this match up on paper.  Their problem is that, of course, basketball is not played on paper, it’s played on the hardwood.  I still have a problem with Memphis accumulating their stats for the season in Conference USA.  My contention is that UCLA would earn at least as good of stats as Memphis if they were to play in Conference USA while I do not think Memphis could match UCLA’s numbers in the PAC 10.  What I’m really saying here is that I see UCLA as the better team.  I can tell you right now that Memphis has impressed me throughout this tournament.  It’s not that I didn’t think they could make it to the Final Four, it’s just that I did not expect them to dominate teams like Texas and Michigan State like they did.  UCLA has done pretty much what everyone thought they would do.  They play some of the best defense in the nation and they’ve dominated the teams you’d expect them to.  It probably sounds like a broken record at this point since it’s been said so many times, but the difference in this game will come from the Bruins’ defense.  You basically have to pick a side.  You’ve got a Memphis team that has been virtually unstoppable on offense, against the UCLA team that has held three of their last four NCAA tournament opponents under 60 points.  Match that stat with the fact that UCLA has been able to play with high-octane offenses throughout the season and you’ve got a real winning combination.

Popularity: 13% [?]

#1 North Carolina (28-2) @ #5 Duke (26-3)
This is the second installment this season of one of the best rivalries in any sport at any level.  The first showdown was a decisive Duke victory at North Carolina as the Blue Devils beat the Tar Heels 89-78 just over a month ago.  As you’re already aware, a lot can change in a month, particularly in college basketball.  Since the Duke loss, UNC has won 7 in a row and has earned the #1 ranking in the nation.  After beating their talent rivals Duke has managed a 6-2 record, but losses at Wake Forest and Miami were games that the Devils were expected to win.  The best angle to look at in this situation is revenge.  North Carolina was out-played by Duke in the first meeting, but I’m still of the opinion that they are the more talented squad.  Now that North Carolina is the #1 team in the nation I think they have the confidence and swagger it’s going to take to go into Duke and beat them on their home court.  Surprisingly, 4 out of the last 5 match ups in this series has been won by the visiting team, a stat that shows the intensity of this rivalry and a stat that gives me all the more confidence in picking North Carolina.  One paper the teams match up well, UNC is the more offensive-oriented team with Duke having slightly better defensive stats.  The fact is that you can throw all of that out the window tonight because in one of the biggest games of the year in college basketball between the most storied rivalry in the sport, you have to go with momentum and you have to go with motivation.  North Carolina Has both tonight.

College Hoops Pick:  North Carolina Tar Heels +1

Popularity: 10% [?]

The regular NCAA season is winding down and today we take a look at the three games on the board tonight featuring teams in the top 25.  None of these games appear to have any huge impact on teams making the NCAA tournament, but Ohio State/Purdue and Florida State/North Carolina are two games that feature interesting match ups.  #20 Marquette is playing tonight as well, but it’s doubtful there will be odds on their game against Florida Gulf Coast. Let’s jump right into today’s top 25 odds and our picks for each game:

Odds by BodogLife.com

#15 Purdue @ Ohio State -1.5
Pick:  Ohio State -1.5

Florida State @ #1 North Carolina -17.5
Pick:  Florida State +17.5

Nebraska @ #9 Texas -13.5
Pick:  Texas -13.5

That will do it for today’s odds and picks.  Be sure to check back soon for our Final Four picks and much more March Madness content!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Thursday night’s College Basketball card has some very intriguing match-ups.  There’s a huge showdown in the Big 10 tonight between #9 Wisconsin and #15 Michigan State.  Notre Dame is still flying under a lot of people’s radar at #17 and they have a very important game against a #18 Louisville team tonight.  Another contest that has caught my attention is #14 Butler playing the number two team in their Horizon League, Wright State.  Butler was cruising along and looking like the Mid-Major team to beat until Drake came to their home court and knocked them off.  It will be interesting to see how they react in their first big game since that loss playing a very talented 20-7 Wright State squad.  Here’s a quick rundown of the odds and our picks for Top 25 college basketball teams that are playing tonight:

Odds By SportsBook.com

#17 Notre Dame @ #18 Louisville -8
Pick:  Notre Dame +8

#15 Michigan State @ #9 Wisconsin -5.5
Pick:  Wisconsin -5.5

#4 UCLA @ Arizona State +7
Pick:  UCLA -7

Wright State @ #13 Butler -13
Pick:  Wright State +13

Washington @ #8 Stanford -11
Pick:  Washington +11

#22 Washington State @ Cal +3
Pick:  Washington State -3

That will do it for today.  Good luck and we’ll see you soon with more tips, odds, and sports betting articles.

Popularity: 11% [?]

#1 Tennessee (25-2) @ #14 Vanderbilt (23-4)
9:00 PM EST

The Tennessee Vols knocked off #1 Memphis over the weekend and have been rightfully given that #1 ranking from the Tigers.  Tonight they have their first big test against the 23-4 Vanderbilt Commodores.  Vandy and Tennessee have already met once this year.  Back on January 17th, the Vols rolled the Commodores 80-60 at Tennessee.  For this go-round Vandy gets the home court, which is a huge advantage for them considering they’ve earned a 17-0 record on their own turf.  The problem I have with Vanderbilt in tonight’s game is that they simply don’t play good enough defense.  Tennessee is one of the most well-rounded squads in the nation.  Unless Vanderbilt plays far and away their best game of the year, they are going to be looking at their first home loss of this season.  Tennessee has been on a major role ever since they dropped a game at Kentucky in January.  I don’t think tonight’s game is going to be any walk in the park, but I do feel that they can cover the two point spread without much of a problem

NCAA Basketball Pick:  Tennessee Vols -2

Popularity: 8% [?]

#15 Purdue (21-5) @ #14 Indiana (21-4)
7:00PM EST
The real question in tonight’s Big 10 showdown is whether or not the Indiana Hoosiers can once again overcome the circus surrounding their coach and alleged recruiting improprieties.  On Saturday they did manage to overcome, destroying Michigan State to the tune of 80-61.  Indiana will certainly get a boost in this game by playing on their home-court, but the emotional roller-coaster the team is going through makes them especially volatile in big games like this one.  It’s clear that since the news broke that the team can be terribly inconsistent.  Purdue has put together a very impressive run that includes 11 wins in a row, winning 10 of those 11 games against the spread as well as gaining a victory.  In my opinion the Hoosiers aren’t stable enough to hang in this game against a Purdue team that has been consistent on offense and defense for a long stretch.  I can honestly see the Boilermakers picking up the win tonight and I like the 5 points we are getting even more.

NCAA Hoops Pick:  Purdue Boilermakers +5 

Popularity: 7% [?]

#16 Texas A&M (20-5) @ #11 Texas (21-4)
9:00 PM ET
The premiere match up in College Basketball Monday night comes between two of the toughest teams in the Big 12.  Texas is the obvious favorite as they have the home hardwood, but statistically Texas A&M is actually the better team.  In fact, the Aggies destroyed the Longhorns earlier this year at A&M 80-63.  There’s a very consistent trend in the series between these two teams and that is that the home team always seems to win and, in most cases, win big.  The last time a road team won in this rivalry was in 2004 and these teams have played 9 games since with all 9 going to the home squad.  Who are we to defy history and fate?  You have to like the Longhorns in this situation.  They are still one of my favorites for at least the Sweet 16 in the tournament and a win here only helps to solidify a great seed in the tourny and as one of the dominant teams in the Big 12.

NCAA Hoops Pick:  Texas Longhorns -4

Popularity: 8% [?]

We’re going to pass on the NBA All-Star game today, but there are three top 25 games going in College Hoops that I you don’t want to miss.  Here are the odds and our picks for Sunday’s NCAA Hoops action:

Odds by SportsBook.com

12:00 PM EST
#18 Notre Dame @ Rutgers +10
Pick:  Rutgers +10

10:00 PM EST
#6 UCLA @ USC +5.5
Pick:  UCLA -5.5

7:30 PM EST
#2 Duke @ Wake Forest +9.5
Pick:  Duke -9.5

Popularity: 9% [?]

#7 Stanford (20-3) @ Arizona State (15-7)
10:30 PM EST
It has been three years and five match ups since Arizona State last beat Stanford.  Taking it a step further, Stanford has covered the spread against the Sun Devils in all five of those wins.  Arizona State has an outside chance if they can somehow get to the free throw line in bunches tonight.  There only other chance is if they are firing off three-pointers and are hitting 40% from beyond the arc all night.  Those situations could happen.  Are they likely to happen?  No way.  Stanford has ripped through the PAC 10 this year, only being outdone by UCLA.  The Cardinal have showed a little vulnerability on the road, but 7-2 away from home in a conference with three top 25 teams is nothing to overlook. 

 Pick:  Stanford Cardinal -3.5

Popularity: 8% [?]