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)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Four Thoughts Following Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament

1) Maybe it was just me, or maybe it is from watching Stephen Curry routinely make unthinkable HORSE shots in games, but when Josh Hagins of Little Rock pulled up from the half court logo to attempt a last second, game tying 3-point shot, I immediately thought it was going to drop. And it did. Two overtimes later, and Little Rock was dancing, literally and figuratively. I had Purdue making a deep tournament run, so this busted my bracket a bit, but I can’t deny that I love to see Cinderella’s pull off crazy upsets like this.

2) That little dude on Yale, Makai Mason, played out of his mind. The only thing Baylor could do was fight amongst themselves during timeouts. In a one game elimination, all it takes is one guy to get hot to pull off a big upset. But it wasn’t just a fluke, Yale has a legitimate squad. They are big, hit the boards, play strong team defense, and share the ball on offense. Yale will face Duke in the 2nd round, who beat them by 19 points earlier in the year, but I would expect Saturday’s game to be much closer.

3) Grayson Allen, Brandon Ingram, and Marshall Plumlee are a beast of a triumvirate. Duke played the entire game vs. UNC Wilmington in 2nd gear, except for one 8-minute stretch to begin the 2nd half which basically ended the game. It wasn’t a blow out, but it never felt like Duke was truly in danger of losing. I still like them as my Final Four pick from the wide open West region.

4) Two of my sleeper picks, Purdue and Arizona, were sent home. Thanks for showing up guys, you can pick up your participation ribbons at the airport. My only “bracket buster” pick that played yesterday, Gonzaga, cruised to victory on the back of Sabonis’ stat stuffing performance (21 pts, 16 rebs, 4 asts, 2 blks, 1 stl). I wouldn’t bet against them in round 2 vs. Utah.

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

Posted on by Michael Halpern

2016 NCAA Tournament Picks: West Region

The most exciting tournament in sports needs no introduction. But I’ll give it one anyway, not because it needs one, but because it deserves one … March Madness is here! And that means the national gross domestic product is about to grind to a halt as every man, woman, and child gives their undivided attention to college basketball. Leading up to the tournament, I’ll be going through each region with my final four pick, sleeper team, and bracket buster. Today we focus on the West region.

Final Four Pick: Duke Blue Devils (#4 seed)

In a relatively weak West region, where every team is vulnerable, I’ll put my money on the best talent. And Duke is stacked, with possible future #1 overall pick in the NBA draft Brandon Ingram, stud guard Grayson Allen, and yet another Plumlee brother patrolling the paint. The talent is not only on the court, as they also have one of the best college basketball coaches in the history of the sport, in Mike Krzyzewski. They only go about 6 deep, and struggled at points this season, but the combination of top talent and top coaching is too much to ignore.

Sleeper: St. Joseph’s Hawks (#8 seed)

St. Joseph’s has a veteran laden team, led by senior forward Isaiah Miles (18.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and junior forward DeAndre Bembry (16.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.5 apg). They don’t turn the ball over, hold opponents to just 29.5% from three, and allow few second chance opportunities. In other words, they don’t beat themselves. And in a region where every top team has been prone to lapses this season, a veteran team that limits mistakes can be a problem.

Bracket Buster: VCU Rams (#10 seed)

VCU and St. Joseph’s are both on the border between “sleepers” and “bracket busters.” I’m really not sure what category to put them in. Maybe a new category, “sleeping busters,” would be more appropriate? Or maybe not. Either way, the Shaka Smart-less Rams still play their signature style of swarming defense, ranking 16th in the nation in defensive efficiency. They force turnovers, shoot 36% from three, and pound the offensive glass. Senior guard Melvin Johnson (17.8 ppg, 39.5% 3-pt) is their lone offensive standout, but this team feeds off their defense. We have seen VCU make a run before, and the opportunity is there for them to make some noise again.

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