Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 NCAA Tournament Final 4 Picks

And then there were 4. North Carolina. Syracuse. Villanova. Oklahoma. Who will prevail? Nobody knows … except for me, and I’m about to tell you down below:

North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Syracuse Orange
Spread: NC -9

About 53% of the bets are coming in on the underdog Syracuse. I warned you during football season to beware of the public underdog, and the same applies here. The relatively high 9-point spread seems like Vegas is goading us into taking ‘Cuse, without them having to give up double digit points. North Carolina is 11-0, and has an average margin of victory of 15.8 points when playing on a neutral court this season. They have firmly established themselves as the best team in college basketball during this tournament.

Syracuse has enjoyed an exciting tournament run themselves, with great comeback victories vs. Gonzaga and Virginia. But I don’t see the same heroic effort happening vs. North Carolina tomorrow night.

The Pick: Take North Carolina -9, and bank on the double digit victory like Vegas is.

Villanova Wildcats vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Spread: NOVA -2

This should be one hell of a game. National fan favorite Buddy Hield leads the way for Oklahoma, and he has more than lived up to the hype in the tourney so far. But strong play from his supporting cast is the reason the Sooners have made it this far, and they will need to continue to play well in order to beat a strong Villanova squad.

Nova has been slept on for most of this tournament after several years of disappointing early exits, and they’ve made us all regret it in the form of our busted brackets (thanks Kansas). They have played like they were deserving of a #1 seed, and it is going to take a heck of an effort to knock them off.

The pick: I can’t deny I am a fan of Buddy Hield, and I have Oklahoma going all the way in my (3rd) bracket. I wouldn’t bet on this game, but if I did, I wouldn’t bet against Hield. Give me Oklahoma plus the 2 points.

*If these picks turn out wrong … April Fool’s!

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

How to Bet Day 1 of the Sweet 16: March Madness Survivor and ATS

If you survived through the first weekend of your March Madness Survivor pool, congratulations, you deftly avoided several landmines. If you did it on the backs of 20 other teammates (like I did), two-thirds of whom were obliterated by said landmines, I take that congratulations back, you accomplished nothing. In either case, it is time to stop patting yourself on the back, and get back to work. It only gets harder from here.

Because there are “only” four games per night in the Sweet 16 (Thursday and Friday), and most people’s brackets are busted beyond recognition, I will include an against the spread pick to keep things interesting.

Survivor Pick: Oklahoma Sooners

Kansas is the “safe” pick, but you are going to need to use them later in the tournament. Now is the time to use your Oklahoma Sooners bullet, if you have not fired that one off already. Oklahoma is led by one of the best and most exciting players in the country, Buddy Hield. He just dropped 36 points on VCU to lead Oklahoma to the Sweet 16. But they are more than just Hield, as three other players average double figures. They have one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the county, and a nasty front court player in Ryan Spangler, who averaged 9.3 rpg.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M just went on an emotional rollercoaster ride, needing a miracle to beat Northern Iowa in double OT. They celebrated like they just won the national championship, and maybe rightfully so, considering the way they came back from the dead. But this looked like a team that was destined to get knocked off. And if you have seen the Final Destination movies, you know death doesn’t quit. Take the Sooners on Thursday night.

ATS Pick: Duke Blue Devils +3

I’m going to keep riding Duke, and their seemingly, surprisingly underrated trio of Brandon Ingram, Grayson Allen, and Marshall Plumlee. Maybe the 2nd half scare vs. Yale have some running for the hills, but Yale was a legitimate team with no quit in them. And Oregon struggled themselves in round 2 vs. St. Joseph’s, pulling off a narrow victory after being down seven with five minutes to play. In this Duke vs. Oregon Sweet 16 matchup, Duke will have the best player on the court, Ingram, and the best coach, Mike Krzyzewski. This should be a close game, but I like Duke to win it, and the 3 points are just gravy.

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)