Vegas veteran Benjamin Eckstein, author of America’s Line, brings three years of experience to produce weekly picks in his”Ecks & Bacon” column.
Final Four picks
LAS VEGAS — Can’t recall which one of those 279 sites where I read this, but this is the first time in 31 years that among the so-called Blue Bloods won’t be in the Final Four. We are talking North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, UCLA and Louisville. That is THIRTY-ONE Decades! WOW!
Now for the winner of this first game on Saturday between Virginia and Auburn. Speaking of Blue Bloods, Charles Barkley’s Tigers beat Kansas, North Carolina and Kentuckyback to back, to make it to their original EVER Final Four. This was VERY impressive. And the previous W against Kentucky has been WITHOUT among their greatest players, Chuma Okeke. Auburn rumbles into the celebration on a 12-0 straight-up PERFECTO and has covered eight of the previous 10.
Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers come in with an impressive resume as well, winning 13 of the last 14, but contrary to the spread, the’Hoos have managed to pay only three of their last seven. Not calling for the outright upset, but would buy the hook, push the lineup to +6, and observe Sir Charles cry on national TV. Crying because, as we all know,” Barkley is a ferocious sports bettor, and he will be all over Auburn and also the points.
In the nightcap, we are gonna roll with Texas Tech +2.5 points over Michigan State. Obviously, we’ll buy the hook and drive Tech to +3. What else can the Red Raiders do? They rolled to the Sweet 16 from the second-best defensive team in school hoops, Michigan, and blew the Wolverines off 63-44. Then they looked at the daunting task of facing the NUMBER ONE crime in the Nation in the Elite Eight, Gonzaga. You think the Raiders were worried? Nah. They held the’Zags to ONLY 69 points, nearly TWENTY points under their season average of 87.6.
What any other matchups with all the Big Ten? Gotcha. Aside from the Michigan match, Tech stomped on Nebraska 70-52. More? OK. TT has won 13 of the last 14 straight up, covered seven of the last eight, and steps on the court in Minneapolis working on an 8-0 disperse PERFECTO on the road. It ain’t gonna be easy, but we are backing the blossom, Chris Beard!!!
NBA pick For the wagering pleasure, here are some spread stats of this day. The Nuggets might not grab the Warriors to the top seed in the Western Alliance, but you know they’re gonna bring some warmth to this ESPN matchup against the Blazers. Denver has been on a sweet roll, winning nine of the past 13 up, but against the spread, the Nugs have covered just four of the previous 12.
They have also been stingy with things allowed and also have gone UNDER at 10 of the previous 12 games. Portland brings a similar portfolio into the dining table, winning eight of the previous nine straight up, but have done WAY better against the spread, covering four of the last five. Looking at the big picture, the Nuggets’ overall spread log sits in 40-38, 24-15 at home and 29-26 as a favorite. The Blazers’ in general spread markers is 44-33-1, 21-18 on the road and 13-15 within an underdog. Light tickle to Portland.
NHL pick Skating onto the NHL ice, also got a play into the Blue Jackets.
PLZ hit me on Twitter over the weekend, @vegasvigorish, just in case anything pops.
Benjamin Eckstein is a nationally syndicated sportswriter/oddsmaker. His column, America’s Line, with the Ecks & Bacon appetizer, has run in the New York Daily News and above 100 other papers since 1988. You can follow him on line at www.americasline.com. He is beloved by most, when he chooses winners, and detested by others, when he chooses the occasional loser. If you wanna bit of Eck, hit on his email…ben@americasline.com.
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