Thursday:
Arkansas vs Gonzaga -9.5 O/U 155
Is the SEC really overrated? I suppose we will find out more today. Gonzaga themselves could be a little overrated as well. I find this matchup interesting because neither team covered either of their wins. Now the Zag’s numbers are great being that they win every major matchup advantage vs the Hogs, but it’s hard to gauge those numbers being that they were developed vs inferior opponents and they didn’t exactly let off the gas when up by 20 for most of their games giving them inflated numbers. One thing that Arkansas does well is that they get to the free throw line, and if they can get the Zags in foul trouble early, they could cause some serious first half trouble. I feel like Arkansas can cover the 1st half based on what I saw the Zags do against Memphis and Georgia State. I think that it takes Holmgren and Timme a minute to get going and Holmgren can’t fly around a good defense like he has in the past due to his young body.
Arkansas 1st half +5.5 – 2 stars and sprinkle
Texas Tech vs Duke +1 O/U 137
According to the spread, this should be a great game! The Red Raiders are the best defensive team in basketball but this I think is a big step up in talent having to face Duke. Tech has destroyed the smaller teams by out-sizing and out-rebounding them, but Duke is a different animal and too tall to be pushed around. The Blue Devil’s have put it together against some of the best this year beating Gonzaga and Kentucky this season. Texas Tech has no actual matchup advantage vs Duke, and the Devils should be able to hit some mid range shots against them. The kicker for me is that Duke ranks 31st away from home while Texas Tech ranks 354th. I don’t like how the Red Raiders played Notre Dame last week and almost lost. I think that from an intangible aspect, Coach K will get the whistles this game being that it is his last Dance. Take Puke here to get to the elite 8.
Duke +1 – 2 stars
