Vegas veteran Benjamin Eckstein, author of America’s Line, brings three decades of expertise to produce weekly picks in his»Ecks & Bacon» column.
Final Four picks
LAS VEGAS — Can’t remember which one of those 279 websites where I read this, but this is actually the first time in 31 years that among those so-called Blue Bloods won’t be at the Final Four. We are talking North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, UCLA and Louisville. That’s THIRTY-ONE Decades! WOW!
Now for the winner of this first game on Saturday between Virginia and Auburn. Talking of Blue Bloods, Charles Barkley’s Tigers beat Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky, back to back, to make it to their original EVER Final Four. That was VERY impressive. And the last W against Kentucky has been WITHOUT among the greatest players, Chuma Okeke. Auburn rumbles to 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 too, winning 13 of their last 14, but contrary to the spread, the’Hoos have managed to cover only three of the previous seven. Not calling for the upset, but might purchase the hook, push the line to +6, and watch Sir Charles cry on national TV. Crying since, as all of us know,» Barkley is a ferocious sports bettor, and he’ll be over Auburn and also the points.
In the nightcap, we are gonna roll with Texas Tech +2.5 points over Michigan State. Of course, we’ll buy 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 school hoops, Michigan, also hauled the Wolverines away 63-44. They then looked at the daunting task of facing the NUMBER ONE crime in the Nation in the Elite Eight, Gonzaga. You believe that the Raiders were nervous? Nah. They held the’Zags into ONLY 69 points, almost TWENTY points under their season average of 87.6.
What about any other matchups with the Big Ten? Gotcha. Aside from the Michigan game, 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 on an 8-0 disperse PERFECTO on the road. It ai not gonna be simple, but we are backing the beard, Chris Beard!!!
NBA select For the wagering pleasure, here are some disperse stats of the day. The Nuggets might not grab the Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference, but you know they are gonna bring some heat to this ESPN matchup from the Blazers. Denver continues to be around a sweet roll, winning nine of the past 13 straight up, but contrary to the spread, the Nugs have covered only four of the previous 12.
They have been stingy with points allowed and also have gone UNDER in 10 of the previous 12 games. Portland brings a similar portfolio into the 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’ in general spread log sits in 40-38, 24-15 at home and 29-26 as a favored. The Blazers’ in general spread mark is 44-33-1, 21-18 on the street and 13-15 within an underdog. Light tickle to Portland.
NHL select Skating on the NHL ice, also got a play over the Rangers to the Blue Jackets.
PLZ hit me Twitter over the weekend, @vegasvigorish, only if 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. It is possible to follow him online 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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