Selection Sunday.....In Game Chatter.🏀

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[ziggym97]

According To Joe Lunardi​

LAST FOUR BYES​

• 
  Colorado St.
• 
  Texas A&M
• 
  Mississippi St.
• 
  TCU

LAST FOUR IN​

• 
  Florida Atlantic
• 
  Colorado
• 
  Michigan St.
• 
  Oklahoma

FIRST FOUR OUT​

• 
  St. John's
• 
  Virginia
• 
  Indiana St.
• 
  Seton Hall

NEXT FOUR OUT​

• 
  Pittsburgh
• 
  Providence
• 
  Kansas St.
• 
  South Florida

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

Lines are up at FanDuel

 

[Greenbacks]

I see a lot of dogs
Akron +12.5
Morehead +13.5
Oakland +12.5
Charleston +12
McNeese +6.5
Vermont +11.5

1 chalk i like Texas Tech -5.5

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

Championship NCAA Mens Basketball Champion
50001	Connecticut #1		+400
50002	Houston #1		+550
50003	Purdue #1		+700
50005	Arizona #2		+1500
50004	Tennessee #2		+1500
50006	Auburn #4		+1700
50009	Creighton #3		+2000
50007	Iowa State #2		+2000
50010	Marquette #2		+2000
50008	North Carolina #1		+2000
50011	Illinois #3		+2500
50012	Kentucky #3		+3000
50015	Baylor #3		+3300
50013	Kansas #4		+3300
50016	BYU #6		+4000
50014	Duke #4		+4000
50020	Gonzaga #5		+5000
50027	Michigan State #9		+5000
50021	Saint Marys #5		+5000
50017	Wisconsin #5		+5000
50018	Florida #7		+6600
50019	New Mexico #11		+7000
50022	San Diego State #5		+8000
50026	Texas #7		+10000
50028	Texas Tech #6		+10000
50024	Clemson #6		+12000
50034	Drake #10		+12000
50025	Mississippi State #8		+12000
50033	Nebraska #8		+12000
50030	Nevada #10		+12000
50029	South Carolina #6		+12000
50032	TCU #9		+12000
50023	Washington State #7		+12000
50035	Colorado #10		+15000
50036	Colorado State #10		+15000
50037	NC State #11		+15000
50038	Texas A&M #9		+15000
50031	Utah State #8		+15000
50043	Boise State #10		+20000
50041	Dayton #7		+20000
50040	Florida Atlantic #8		+20000
50045	Grand Canyon #12		+20000
50046	James Madison #12		+20000
50039	Northwestern #9		+20000
50042	Oregon #11		+20000
50049	Duquesne #11		+50000
50047	McNeese #12		+50000
50048	Samford #13		+50000
50054	Vermont #13		+50000
50044	Virginia #10		+50000
50052	Yale #13		+50000
50055	Akron #14		+100000
50051	Charleston #13		+100000
50058	Colgate #14		+100000
50064	Howard #16		+100000
50065	Long Beach State #15		+100000
50060	Longwood #16		+100000
50063	Montana State #16		+100000
50056	Morehead State #14		+100000
50053	Oakland #14		+100000
50057	South Dakota State #15		+100000
50061	Stetson #16		+100000
50050	UAB #12		+100000
50062	Wagner #16		+100000
50059	Western Kentucky #15		+100000

https://classic.betonline.ag/banking

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

 

[Greenbacks]

1-seeds​

UConn Huskies​

Region: East
Record: 31-3
Tournament ceiling: National championship (Odds: +375)

The last team to win back-to-back national titles, Florida, achieved it with the same nucleus of players: Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer. Reigning national champion UConn lost its key pair last April -- Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins -- but this year's group is just as dominant. The rise of Donovan Clingan (12.5 PPG, 2.3 BPG) in his second season, the maturation of Tristen Newton into a likely All-American and projected first-round draft pick Stephon Castle are providing the fuel coach Dan Hurley needs for a shot at cutting down the nets again. With the trio on the floor in the regular season, UConn registered 120.5 points per 100 possessions (for reference, the Boston Celtics, the NBA's top offense, generate 121.9 points per 100 possessions) and held opponents to 87.2 points per 100 possessions (Houston-like numbers).

Houston Cougars​

Region: South
Record: 30-4
Tournament ceiling: National championship (Odds: +550)

In the past four NCAA tournaments, Kelvin Sampson has led Houston to the Sweet 16 (twice), the Elite Eight and the Final Four. This year's Cougars -- the Big 12 regular-season champions -- are one of the best teams in the country. So what is it about this team that could finally get Sampson a ring? Scoring options. Jamal Shead is a projected All-American and J'Wan Roberts is a key veteran. Former Baylor transfer L.J. Cryer (15.3 PPG, 39.0% from beyond the arc) has added a new dynamic to a defensive juggernaut that held 11 opponents to under 50 points this season, including Kansas in the Big 12 season finale. Between Jan. 13 and March 9, Houston lost only one game, and committed turnovers on just 12.2% of its possessions, per BartTorvik.com.

Purdue Boilermakers​

Region: Midwest
Record: 29-4
Tournament ceiling: National championship (Odds: +700)

In 2018, top seed Virginia fell to 16-seed UMBC in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The following year, the Cavaliers leapt from their No. 30 ranking in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom to No. 2 and won the national title. In 2023, top seed Purdue fell to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA tournament. This year, the Boilermakers boast the best offense in America -- especially at the 3-point line (going from 32.2% to 41.0%). Their star, reigning Wooden Award winner Zach Edey (24.3 PPG, 11.8 RPG), is better too -- Synergy Sports lists him as a "good" defender compared to "average" a year ago, while EvanMiya.com considers him the most "indispensable" player in America. Issues with turnovers remain, but Matt Painter's squad has the talent to mimic history and win a national title, just like Virginia.

North Carolina Tar Heels​

Region: West
Record: 27-7
Tournament ceiling: National championship (Odds: +1300)

Hubert Davis had a fabulous debut as a head coach: North Carolina held a double-digit edge over Kansas at halftime of the 2022 national championship game. He then followed it with a dud of a season, missing the 2023 postseason altogether. But this season, the Tar Heels have rediscovered their winning ways, thanks to the return of Armando Bacot and the elevation of RJ Davis (21.4 PPG, 40.6% from beyond the arc), one of America's best guards. The ACC regular-season champs weathered a late-season slide but ended on a six-game winning streak, capped by a second win over rival Duke. If Harrison Ingram can get hot again -- he's shooting 37% from 3 but was 4-for-25 in those final six regular-season games -- Davis and the Tar Heels could finish what they started two years ago.

 

[Greenbacks]

2-seeds​

Iowa State Cyclones​

Region: East
Record: 27-7
Tournament ceiling: Final Four (Odds: +320)

T.J. Otzelberger doesn't have a star. For the second-best team in the Big 12 (behind Houston), six players average at least 8.0 PPG; no one averages more than 13.5 PPG. The Cyclones made 32.4% of their 3-point attempts in league play, but it is their elite defense (second in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom) that has secured them a high seed for Otzelberger's third NCAA tournament appearance in his third year on the job. Keshon Gilbert (13.5 PPG) & Co. have wins over Houston (twice, including the Big 12 tournament championship) and Kansas, too. This group seems capable of making a run. The biggest question now about this balanced squad is this: Can it reach its ceiling outside Ames? Iowa State finished 4-5 in Big 12 road games, versus 9-0 at home at Hilton Coliseum.

Marquette Golden Eagles​

Region: South
Record: 25-9
Tournament ceiling: Final Four (Odds: +500)

Last year, Tyler Kolek suffered a hand injury in 2-seed Marquette's opening-round win over 15-seed Vermont. He played the next game, against 7-seed Michigan State, but the Golden Eagles lost. This year probably feels like déjà vu for Shaka Smart. Once again, Marquette is a high seed and once again Kolek is dealing with an injury that could impact this team's progress through the tournament.

Entering the Big East tournament, Kolek missed the previous three games with an oblique injury. Smart told reporters recently his star player, who recorded 34 assists in his final three games before the injury, will "absolutely" play in the NCAA tournament. Concerns about the impact of another Kolek injury are valid. But when he's available, the Golden Eagles have recorded wins over Illinois, Kansas and Creighton. If healthy, this team could end its season in Phoenix.

Tennessee Volunteers​

Region: Midwest
Record: 24-8
Tournament ceiling: National championship (Odds: +1800)

In 2019, Dalton Knecht averaged 13.3 PPG at a junior college in Colorado. He bumped up that number when he transferred to Northern Colorado, averaging 20.2 PPG last season. Then he transferred to Tennessee. Some mid-major players would fail to duplicate their production when they transfer to a power conference. Knecht has only improved. The 6-foot-6 standout is averaging 21.1 PPG and 39.7% from beyond the arc and is now a projected lottery pick and Wooden Award contender. He's given Rick Barnes something the Hall of Fame coach hasn't had with the Vols: a pure scorer to complement an elite defense. It's a potent combo that could lead UT to its first national championship. Knecht can't do all the work on offense alone, but he's the catalyst Tennessee must have to keep up offensively with any opponent: In regular-season victories over Auburn, Alabama (twice), Kentucky and Illinois -- all top-15 in adjusted offensive efficiency -- the Vols averaged 90.6 PPG.

Arizona Wildcats​

Region: West
Record: 25-8
Tournament ceiling: National championship (Odds: +1100)

Tommy Lloyd's squad plays at a top-15 pace. It connected on 37.4% of its 3-point attempts and 55% of its shots inside the arc during the regular season. And it might have won the regular season in a subpar Pac-12, but nonconference victories at Duke and over Alabama have proved these Wildcats can compete with anyone. Caleb Love (18.1 PPG) was a star at North Carolina and is a star in the warmer climate of Tucson, too. He connected on 37.3% of his shots from beyond the arc in Pac-12 play and is one of four players averaging double figures for Arizona. His teammates Oumar Ballo, Pelle Larsson and Jaden Bradley form the most efficient three-man lineup in America when they're on the floor together, per EvanMiya.com.

 

[Greenbacks]

3-seeds​

Illinois Fighting Illini​

Region: East
Record: 26-8
Tournament ceiling: Sweet 16 (Odds: -155)

It's important to tell a team's full story as the season reaches its final moments. A felony rape charge in December led to Terrence Shannon Jr.'s arrest and indefinite suspension, but the Illinois star subsequently sued the school and obtained a temporary restraining order that has allowed him to play without additional interruption. On the court, he leads a squad with an offensive effectiveness that helped it finish second behind Purdue in the Big Ten. But it is also a team ranked in the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency: The Illini surrendered 97 points in a win over Minnesota last month and have losses against Maryland and Penn State.

Kentucky Wildcats​

Region: South
Record: 23-9
Tournament ceiling: National championship (Odds: +2000)

This is the team every opposing coach in America hoped they wouldn't see in their region. Antonio Reeves (20.0 PPG, 44.1% from 3) should be an All-American. In ESPN's latest NBA mock draft, freshmen Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard are top-five picks -- who have come off the bench for most of the season. From their Feb. 10 loss to Gonzaga to the end of the regular season -- which included beating Auburn and Alabama by 37 points combined -- the Wildcats connected on 57% of their 2s and 42% of their 3s, per BartTorvik.com. More compelling however is that this team, which has played sub-100 defense for lengthy stretches of the season, was 53rd in adjusted defensive efficiency in those games. In other words: The Wildcats can play good defense when they decide to play good defense.

Creighton Bluejays​

Region: Midwest
Record: 23-9
Tournament ceiling: National championship (Odds: +2500)

This is a team filled with confidence. Head coach Greg McDermott recently signed a contract extension amid reports that Ohio State and other schools were interested in luring him away. And, before losing to Providence in the first round of the Big East tournament, the Bluejays finished the season 7-1, handing Dan Hurley one of the worst losses (85-66) of his UConn tenure along the way. Shooting 64.7% from inside the arc, only Houston and UConn performed better in that span, per BartTorvick.com. There's also an argument to be made that Baylor Scheierman (18.4 PPG, 37.2% from beyond the arc), Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.0 BPG) and Trey Alexander (17.6 PPG, 4.8 APG) are the nation's top trio. A Final Four run a year after a heartbreaking, last-second loss to San Diego State in the Elite Eight would vanquish some demons.

Baylor Bears​

Region: West
Record: 23-10
Tournament ceiling: Elite Eight (Odds: +400)

In a larger, more challenging Big 12, Scott Drew's squad finished in a tie for third place. Ja'Kobe Walter (14.2 PPG) and Yves Missi (11.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG) are two projected first-round draft picks, and the Bears finished the regular season top five in the nation in 3-point shooting (40.4%). But they also finished 5-4 in their final nine games of the regular season, thanks to playing a sub-100 defense. The play of RayJ Dennis (13.3 PPG, 6.8 APG) could ultimately decide Baylor's fortunes. The Toledo transfer recorded 24 turnovers and connected on just 3 of 13 attempts from beyond the arc in Baylor's last five regular-season games. He's much better than that.