Picks for 3/29/24
College Basketball
7:09 PM EST
Rotation #643-644
NC State/Marquette Over 151.5 (loss)
NC State is on a roll, winning seven straight, yet are 7.5-point underdogs. Marquette is a great shooting team that could have a big night against a poor Wolfpack defense. NC State can stay in this game if they can hit three-point shots. Marquette needs to defend the three better, and they are the worst rebounding team left in the tournament. The Golden Eagles are an outstanding shooting team in which everyone gets involved. NC State is a mature team that won’t go down quietly, but I hesitate to wager on them and feel like the total is the better play. Kameron Jones is a great guard who should have a monster game against a weak NC State defense. The Wolfpack will create second-chance points with offensive rebounds and must take advantage. I am not confident NC State can go toe-toe offensively for 40 minutes and keep up with the high-octane offense of the Golden Eagles. Look for a high-scoring and entertaining game. Take the Over.
College Basketball
9:39 PM EST
Rotation #645
Duke +4.5 over Houston
Houston gets the luxury of playing relatively close to home, as tonight’s game is in Dallas. With that comes tremendous pressure, and Duke is a program whose fans travel well regardless of where the game is played. The Cougars are always on the smaller end but pick players that hustle and don’t take plays off. Kelvin Sampson must have a formula he uses because the Cougars always look the same physically, no matter what year. Duke is a young team, but they have great length and recruit the top five star athletes. The Cougar’s biggest flaw is their lack of offense. It’s hard to win late in March when you can’t score, especially when you are playing in different venues you are unfamiliar with. The Blue Devils are a well-balanced team that can outplay Houston on the glass. There is something off about the Cougars. They lost the Big 12 Title game by a large deficit and almost blew it against Texas A&M. The Cougar’s slow tempo could get them into trouble. Duke Center Kyle Filipowski has the size to score easy buckets and disrupt the Cougar’s shots; if he plays at his best, the Blue Devils will win. Take Duke.