COLLEGE HOOPS 100 DIME GAME

WOFFORD -150

The Big East should be able to take down a team from the Southern Conference, right? Not so fast my friend. The Wofford Terriers are a very solid team and they have been on quite a roll of late as they have won their last 20 games in a row, with 13 of those wins coming by double-digits. The Pirates have been playing well and they just made it to the finals of the Big East Tournament, but they have been inconsistent times and did struggle on the road. The Terriers are out to show that their 7th seed is no fluke and they should win this one by at least five points.

COLLEGE HOOPS 100 DIME GAME

SYRACUSE -1.5

Howard’s absence drops the confidence in the Orange severely because of how it impacts Battle’s responsibilities offensively. He is going to wind up handling the ball more regardless of who replaces Howard in the starting lineup, and that is a concern because of how it affects how he gets others involved in the offense for Syracuse.

The spread is small enough where the Orange can still cover and perhaps even comfortably because of their defense — but on the surface, it does look like they will need time for players to figure out their roles without Howard running the point.

COLLEGE HOOPS 100 DIME GAME

WISCONSIN -130

Oregon has been one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch of the regular season, as they won their final eight games to earn an unlikely bid to the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s continuity from last year (14th in the NCAA) undoubtedly helped them jell as the season moved along. The Badgers won 12 of their final 16 conference games, winning eight Quadrant One games during that span. Wisconsin is the more well-rounded team and they have are tough enough to compete defensively with the Ducks, so I’ll take my chances with the Badgers covering the spread in this first round matchup on Friday.

COLLEGE HOOPS 100 DIME GAME

GEORGIA ST +12

Georgia State is positioned at 111th in the country in Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball rankings. They went 4-1 on neutral site courts this season, and they notched upset wins against Georgia and Alabama this season. The Panthers are averaging 77.1 points on the season, ranking them 67th overall. Georgia State is allowing an average of 72.9 points, positioning them 218th in the country.

The Cougars are currently ranked at 15th in the country in Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball rankings, and they went 3-0 on neutral site territory this season. Houston is averaging 75.6 points on the season, ranking them 99th overall. The Cougars are one of the best defensive teams in the country, and they are holding opponents to 61.8 points, good for eighth overall.

The points is the play here.

COLLEGE HOOPS 100 DIME GAME

NORTH CAROLINA -23.5

As boasting the three No. 1 seeds indicates, the ACC is simply a dominant conference. Going 16-2 in said conference–with a regular-season sweep of Duke–is not small feat. North Carolina will be eager to put a hurt on someone following its loss to Duke and it will also be wary of Virginia’s No. 1 vs. No. 16 loss to UMBC in last last year’s tournament. Iona is 1-13 all-time at the NCAA Tournament, with its lone win coming in 1980. This should be absolute beatdown city. Iona is 2-6 ATS in its last eight at neutral sites, 0-6 ATS in its last six NCAA Tournament games, and 0-7 ATS in its last seven against opponents with winning percentages over .600. North Carolina is 4-0 ATS in its last four overall and 10-3 ATS in its last 13 against winning opponents.

COLLEGE HOOPS 100 DIME

UCF -109

The Rams have played well against the spread, winning four of their last five games against teams with winning records and 15 of their last 19 NCAA tournament games. The Knights have struggled against the spread, losing five of their last seven games following an ATS loss.

COLLEGE HOOPS 100 DIME GAME

IOWA ST -5.5

I am taking Iowa State in this contest. Iowa State has all the momentum in this matchup. They won the Big 12 Tournament with three outstanding wins against opponents that all own a better record than Ohio State which included wins against 15th ranked Kansas State and 17th ranked Kansas. The Cyclones are playing stellar defense, allowing an average of only 63.7 points in their last three games.

Furthermore, Ohio State is having a very inconsistent season, and they stand at 3-7 in their last 10 games overall. They do not have the offensive firepower to solve the Cyclones defense. The Buckeyes have scored 67 or fewer points in seven out of their last ten games overall.

COLLEGE HOOPS 100 DIME GOY

OLE MISS -1.5

The Rebels have played well against the spread, winning 13 of their last 16 non-conference games and 24 of their last 33 games. The Sooners have struggled against the spread, losing nine of their last 12 NCAA tournament games and nine of their last 13 neutral site games.