Hardcourt Haven!

March Madness is upon us once again!

A time when North America sees its highest work absence rate and college hoops fans and general bracketologists try to win that coveted office pool. A time when grown men and women spend hours in front of the television hollering at a bunch of guys in their teens and early twenties.

Well, being a self-proclaimed college basketball expert, I have come up with five ways for the general bracketologist to cash in whether it is a work pool or a sanctioned one like on www.cbssportsline.com.

College hoops diehards have their methods already so there’s no sense in me trying to reach out to them, so here goes:

1. Pick fun but pick smart: We all love to pick Cinderella teams and watch them pick the giants apart don’t we? I do it too. Problem is that for pools, you win most of your points in the final two weekends, making your Elite 8 and Final 4 picks the most important. Spending hours stressing over 7-10 and 8-9 matchups can be deadly.

My suggestion is to pick who you think will make it to the Elite 8 and advance them in your brackets, then fill out the rest of it.

Yes, sometimes the first few rounds are peppered with upsets, but by the time the smoke clears, the big boys are usually left standing.

2. Which Cinderella do I pick? This is always tough, picking the little team to upset the mighty faves. A lot of people over the years have gone to the ol’ 5 vs. 12 upset, and while this is fun to pick, it may not always be your best bet.

See a trend is a brewing that I just can’t ignore when I fill out my bracket this time around. Nine out of the last ten years the tourney has seen a #10 seed go to the sweet 16. I’m not saying pick a #10 to go all the way, but if UMass lands in that spot, I will pick them to win one, maybe two games.

The biggest factor when picking these teams is veteran leadership though. A few years back when we saw the Gonzaga’s and the George Mason’s making Final Four’s, they were led by four or five seniors in their starting lineup. My suggestion is to look at which teams have a veteran starting lineup, especially in the backcourt.

3. Injuries, injuries, injuries: In 2000, I picked a Kenyon Martin-less Cincinnati squad to make the Final Four, only to watch in disgust as they dropped out in the second round. Yes, I knew Martin had suffered a season-ending injury, I just thought the Bearcats would rally.

The thing is, a lot of teams whose star player goes down still seem to get a high rating from the selection committee (Cincy was a #2 seed), so take a few minutes to read up on any injuries to team’s star players.

4. Home is where the heart is: A lot of teams in college basketball have a little problem.

They play amazing at home and suck on the road. These are the ones to watch out for when picking teams to go far in the tourney because they under perform without their crazy fans cheering them on.

On the flipside, teams that play good away from home or at neutral sites are most dangerous in the tournament.

5. Let your girlfriend pick for you? I have done this every year since I have been doing brackets, and while I have yet to lose to my better half, sometimes picking a team by the mascot or who has the cutest player seems like a good idea when both the teams I picked to make the final die out in the Sweet 16.

Back with another edition of $uper $aturday!

After going 2-2 in my last edition, I hope to bounce back this week. I feel really good about these picks and I am throwing an all big money day. Yes, all my picks today I will be betting at least 2 units on so I definitely believe in myself this time around.

I have studied and researched my ass off this week so let’s roll…..

Big Game Play of the Week:
Indiana at Southern Illinois (Line: Salukis -2.5)

A 10:30 pm (EST) start time gives books lots of time to sway the money towards Indiana, where I will be waiting to pounce and throw at least two units on the Salukis.

Yes, SIU did get crushed by USC last Sunday, but the Salukis return home after almost two weeks of away (and neutral site) games. Did I mention Southern Illinois hasn’t lost at home (SU) in 15 games, dating back to 2005 (79-3 SU at home since 2001)?

Yes, Eric Gordon will get his 20 to 30 points versus Southern Illinois, but the Saluki’s defense, which gives up a mere 57 points per game, will be ready after almost a week off to get prepared for the Hoosiers and their star freshman.

While Indiana hasn’t played a true road game yet, IU did have its ass handed to them with a 80-65 loss to Xavier a week ago. You would think the Hoosiers would have come out gunning with a big win against an overmatched Georgia Tech squad in their next game? No! IU won a 83-79 squeaker as a 10-point fave.

Seeing as Indiana hasn’t played over yet this season away from Assembly Hall, and the Hoosiers are playing one of the Nation’s best defensive teams tonight, I may play the under here as well when it gets released.

Pick: Southern Illinois -2.5 (2 units)

Other Wagers:
Murray State +15.5 at Mississippi State (5 units)
Weber State +21.5 at Illinois (2 units)
UNC Wilmington +4 at Hofstra (2 units)

Total Plays:
Murray State/Miss. State Over 138.5 (2 units)
Fairfield/Georgetown Over 120 (5 units)
*More to be added later

Last College Ca$h: 2-3
5 Unit Plays YTD: 1-0
2 Unit Plays YTD: 4-6
1 Unit Plays YTD: 9-8
Totals Plays YTD: 3-1
Record This Week: 0-0

Here are my picks for Friday’s college hoops. My first Super Saturday will be posted at 11 am tomorrow!

Cal State Fullerton +8.5 (5 units) - WIN
Washington State -3 (2 units) - PUSH
Duquesne v CS Northridge Over 177 (1 unit) - LOSS

Welcome to my first edition of $uper $aturday everyone! In this column I pick one solid game in which I give analysis and 3 more games where I just give my pick on the pointspread.

Big Game Play of the Week:
Indiana State at North Texas (Line North Texas -6)

With Josh White and Keith Wooden leading the way, the Mean green Eagles of North Texas are a tough matchup for Indiana State.

The Sycamores, who rank near the bottom in every defensive category, simply cannot contend with North Texas’ inside/outside game and six points here seems like a gimme to me.

The Mean green Eagles play at home for a third straight game, and after an 82-73 win over Oklahoma State Wednesday as a 6-point dog, North Texas should be getting a little more respect from oddsmakers.

In their last five games, Indiana State is scoring just over 50 per while giving up 71. North Texas is scoring 78 and giving up 65.

This line seems too good to be true? As far as I know, there are no players out for North Texas and Indiana State still sucks.

Pick: North Texas -6 (5 units) - WIN

Other Wagers:
Stanford -8.5 at Siena (2 units) - LOSS
Dayton +7.5 at George Mason (1 unit) - LOSS
Butler -9.5 at Evansville (1 unit) - WIN

Last College Ca$h: 3-2
2 Unit Plays YTD: 4-5
1 Unit Plays YTD: 8-7
Totals Plays YTD: 3-1
Record This Week: 3-2
Overall: 9-8

Here are my picks for Friday’s college hoops. My first Super Saturday will be posted at 11 am tomorrow!

Providence +6.5 (2 units) - WIN
Illinois -3 (2 units) - LOSS
Illinois Chicago +3.5 (1 unit) - LOSS

Late Additions:
Portland State/IUPUI Over 143 (2 Units) - WIN
Portland State/IUPUI Over 68 1st Half (1 Units) - LOSS

Last College Ca$h: 5-0
2 Unit Plays YTD: 3-4
1 Unit Plays YTD: 6-6
Totals Plays YTD: 3-1
Record Last Week: 9-8
Overall: 9-8

After a huge 5-0 night on Sunday, here are my picks for Tuesday’s college hoops.

Washington State -9 (2 units) - WIN
Texas A&M -15.5 (2 units) - LOSS
Chicago State +27 (1 unit) - LOSS
Siena -12.5 (1 unit) - WIN
St. Joe’s +7 (1 unit) - WIN

BSU was 15-13-1 ATS last season.

After losing Colby Karl and Eric Lane to graduation, Boise State starts a new backcourt era. Unfortunately, for the Broncos, it hasn’t looked pretty so far.

After beating an undersized Utah Valley team 73-72 in overtime on November 9, Boise State coach Greg Graham has probably been taking his share of Ibuprofens lately, seeing as No. 10 Washington State comes to town on Tuesday, and the Broncos have no set backcourt in sight.

Minus Karl and Lane in its opener, Boise State started the game 4-of-22, forcing Graham to try four different guard combos, none of them successful. Starters Anthony Thomas and Matt Bauscher went 0-for-15 and combined for one point, while reserves Aaron Garner (0-of-6) and Greene (2-of-5) also struggled, combining for 10 points.

“One of my concerns was that we lost our backcourt and other guys have to learn to step up,” Graham told the Idaho Statesman.

With a tremendously talented frontcourt, including Matt Nelson, Reggie Larry and Tyler Tiedeman, the Broncos have the guns to compete night in and night out in the paint. But, without the guards to get these guys the ball in comfortable spots, Boise State could be in for a big spanking on Tuesday.

The Cougars boast one of the Pac 10’s top backcourts with Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low, who combined for 21 points and 7 assists in a cash-grabbing 68-41 win over Eastern Washington last Friday as 26 ½-point faves.

Washington State beat the Broncos 65-63 in Spokane last season, but failed to cover the 10-point spread.

“That’s a big test for us,” Graham said. “…they get after you.”

Record This Week: 4-8
Overall: 4-8

Alright, here are my picks for Sunday night’s action of college hoops.

Oregon/Pacific Under 148.5 (2 units) - WIN
North Florida +32.5 (2 units) - WIN
San Diego State +3(1 unit) - WIN
Western Michigan +9 (1 unit) - WIN
UMass/Northern Iowa Over 138 (1 unit) - WIN

As I had previously promised my “Super Saturday” picks for college basketball, I have a previous engagement and won’t be able to study the lines early enough to give proper advice. I hope to start the column next week so stay tuned…….

Record This Week: 4-8
Overall: 4-8

Alright, here are my picks for Friday night’s action of college hoops. See if I can get back on the horse!

Denver U +25.5 (2 units) - LOSS
UMass/Cal Poly Under 155.5 (2 units) - WIN
Jacksonville State +20 (2 units) - LOSS
Ohio -3.5(1 unit) - WIN
Siena -4 (1 unit) - LOSS
Sacramento State +22 (1 unit) - LOSS