Play-In Game : Vermont vs. Lamar Picks, Predictions, Odds & Point Spread

This is ultimately a battle of two relatively evenly matched teams in Dayton on Wednesday in NCAA basketball picks. The Lamar club is coached by Bobby Knight’s son, Pat. They bring all the toughness that you would expect out of a team coached by a Knight. They won their last six games and had a decently strong showing in the Bracket Buster weekend on the road against George Mason. They didn’t win that game, but they were right there in it. Lamar also prepared itself by playing Ohio State and Kentucky, though neither of those games was particularly close.

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Vermont, on the other hand, mostly cruised in the America East Conference. They got on a roll and beat people both at home and on the road. They also own a nice road win at Old Dominion in the early part of the season. Vermont is not quite as well seasoned as Lamar, but they do have some nice pieces. They have won their games and that is all that you can ask. If you are looking for an angle here, know that Lamar is probably the slightly better club. This game should go down to the wire, though.

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San Diego State vs. NC State Picks, Predictions, Odds & Point Spread

North Carolina State used a nice late push to get itself into the tournament with NCAA picks. The Wolfpack nearly knocked off North Carolina in the ACC Tournament on Saturday. Now, they head to the tourney to face a San Diego State team that has been overvalued for a full year. The Aztecs have been living on reputation all season. They are living on the strength of last year’s good team. This version has merely been average. They have remained in the polls all season despite some bad losses. So can they be trusted in the tournament?

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NC State has what it takes to pull of this upset. They are strong down low. They have a legitimate scorer in C.J. Leslie. They have a strong three point shooter in Scott Wood. They have proven their ability to win on the road. They are probably the better team and the hotter team right now. I would expect NC State to win this game against a San Diego State team that does not deserve this high seed. Take advantage of this opportunity to gain some traction in your brackets.

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Georgetown vs. Belmont Picks, Predictions, Odds & Point Spread

The Georgetown Hoyas have had their share of poor experiences in the tournament as of late. Two years ago, they lost a tough game to Ohio where they were just blown out of the gym. Last year, they were the second victim of eventual Final Four participant VCU. No one knew it at the time, but Georgetown lost to a pretty good team. In that game, the Hoyas imploded mentally. They took foul after foul, including a technical foul on senior Chris Wright in the second half. So can they shake away their demons and get a win against a Belmont team that is a little bit underseeded?

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Georgetown is good and this team is different from some of the others. They do not have a lot of big names. They just have solid players up and down the lineup. This Georgetown team has depth and it plays good defense. They have been through some wars this season. Belmont, on the other hand, is looking like a trendy pick again. Early in the season, they kept a game close at Duke. They followed that up by being blown out by Memphis a week or so later. They still get out and play a very fast pace. Last year, everyone predicted them to knock off a Wisconsin team that plays such a slow pace like Georgetown. Wisconsin handled Belmont easily. I expect a similar result in this spot here in NCAA picks.

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St. Mary’s vs. Purdue Picks, Predictions, Odds & Point Spread 

The St. Mary’s Gaels finally got off the snide in the West Coast Conference. They took down Gonzaga a couple of times in NCAA picks, including a win in the WCC finals. Now, St. Mary’s will try to have more success in the tournament. They have won games before, but St. Mary’s has also seen some disappointment. Purdue, meanwhile, will look to keep up its tradition of tournament success. This is a classic 7-10 game where the 10 just might have a shot to pull the upset. Purdue has a very good team that has been playing well as of late.

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The Boilers lost Kelsey Barlow to suspension close to a month ago, but they have rebounded nicely. The team has rallied together and Robbie Hummel has raised his level of play. In the tournament, they will use strong defense as their calling card. This is a game where lots of people will be all over St. Mary’s. If you want a sneaky upset winner, then the 10th seeded Boilermakers might be your best bet. You won’t be going out too far on a limb, but this is a mild upset. They are probably a better team than St. Mary’s, though the seeding does not exactly suggest such.

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Kansas vs. Detroit Picks, Predictions, Odds & Point Spread

Some people have been talking about Detroit with wide eyes. They have mentioned Detroit as the most underrated 15 seed in a long time in NCAA picks . That may be true, but there is a reason why 15 seeds have so rarely pulled off the first round upset. The truth of the matter is that Kansas is better than Detroit. They are a lot better at every single position. They have the inside and outside presence to win this game on talent alone. And after losing in the Big 12 tournament, they are probably going to bring good effort in this first round game.

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Bill Self’s team is known for losing in the tournament to bad teams. This year’s team might be a little bit different. They have two legitimate big men down low in Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey. Withey is probably the better offensive player, while Robinson is the better all around player. They also have some athletic wings and an experienced point guard. This is the formula for winning in the tournament. Though Kansas is going to run into some challenges later in the event, they will not struggle with Detroit. Expect KU to beat Detroit by more than a dozen points.

Posted by Wunderdog’s trusty sidekick ” Wundercat “