Vegas veteran Benjamin Eckstein, author of America’s Line, brings three decades of expertise to produce weekly selections in his»Ecks & Bacon» column.
Final Four picks
LAS VEGAS — Can’t recall which one of those 279 sites where I read this, but that is the first time in 31 years that one of the so-called Blue Bloods won’t be in the Final Four. We’re talking North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, UCLA and Louisville. That is THIRTY-ONE Decades! WOW!
Now for the winner of the first game on Saturday between Virginia and Auburn. Talking of Blue Bloods, Charles Barkley’s Tigers conquer Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky, back to back, to make it to their first EVER Final Four. This was VERY impressive. And the previous W against Kentucky has been WITHOUT among their greatest players, Chuma Okeke. Auburn rumbles to the celebration on a 12-0 straight-up PERFECTO and has covered eight of the last 10.
Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers come in with an impressive resume as well, winning 13 of the previous 14, but against the spread, the’Hoos have managed to cover only three of their last seven. Not necessarily calling for the outright upset, but might purchase the hook, push on the lineup to +6, and observe Sir Charles cry on national TV. Crying since, as we all know,» Barkley is a ferocious sports bettor, and he will be all over Auburn plus the points.
In the nightcap, we are gonna roll with Texas Tech +2.5 points over Michigan State. Of course, we WILL purchase the hook and push Tech to +3. What else can the Red Raiders do? They rolled to the Sweet 16 against the second-best defensive group in college hoops, Michigan, also blew the Wolverines off 63-44. Then they looked in the daunting task of facing the NUMBER ONE crime in the country in the Elite Eight, Gonzaga. You think that the Raiders were nervous? Nah. They held the’Zags into ONLY 69 points, almost TWENTY points below their season average of 87.6.
What about any other matchups using the Big Ten? Gotcha. Aside from the Michigan match, Tech stomped on Nebraska 70-52. More? OK. TT has won 13 of the previous 14 straight up, covered seven of the previous eight, and steps on the court in Minneapolis working within an 8-0 spread PERFECTO on the street. It ain’t gonna be easy, but we are backing the blossom, Chris Beard!!!
NBA select For your wagering pleasure, here will be your disperse stats of the day. The Nuggets might not grab the Warriors to the top seed in the Western Conference, but you realize they’re gonna bring some warmth to the ESPN matchup against the Blazers. Denver has been on a sweet roll, winning nine of the last 13 up, but contrary to the spread, the Nugs have covered only four of the previous 12.
They’ve also been stingy with points allowed and 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 from the spread, covering four of the previous five. Taking a look at the big picture, the Nuggets’ overall spread log sits at 40-38, 24-15 at home and 29-26 as a favored. The Blazers’ overall spread mark is 44-33-1, 21-18 on the road and 13-15 as an underdog. Light tickle to Portland.
NHL pick Additionally skating onto the NHL ice, also got a play to 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, together with all the Ecks & Bacon appetizer, has conducted in the New York Daily News and over 100 other papers since 1988. It is possible to follow him online at www.americasline.com. He’s beloved by many, when he picks winners, and detested by others, when he picks the occasional loser. Should you wanna piece of Eck, hit his email…ben@americasline.com.
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