Bracket Predictions - March 26, 2010

We took our lumps on the college hardwood last night as we finished 3-5 and another No. 1 seed went down. Today we fire back with six more premium picks including a 5-unit play and a trio of 4-unit selections.

Our 5-unit CBB, NBA and NHL picks are hitting 62% at 113-68 on the season.

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Today's NCAA Basketball Picks:

Game: Tennessee vs. Ohio State (7:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Tennessee +4.5 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Pick: 4 units on Game Total OVER 134 -110 (risk 4 to win 3.6)

Tennessee had some disruptive issues at mid-season, but has shaken them off and is actually a better team for it. The Volunteers are 7-1 in their last eight, with the only loss occurring vs. No. 1 seed Kentucky, a team they had previously beaten. The Buckeyes have become too dependent on Evan Turner and even though he is truly a gifted player, more will be needed as you get deeper into the tournament. Ohio State used just seven players vs. Georgia Tech with the starters getting all but 13 minutes of the playing time. The bottom line is that this team goes essentially five deep and if one player gets in foul trouble, or is having an off night, that is going to kill them. The Buckeyes are scoring a lot and that will play into the Vols’ hands, who will like the up-tempo that will wear down the Buckeyes and win late in the game. This game is going to be high-scoring. I like Tennessee and the OVER.

The Baylor Bears have been under the radar all season. Compared to Kansas, Kansas State, and Texas as the No.1 team in the country through the first half of the season, the Bears have quietly gone 27-7. To appreciate what this team has done vs. the tough Big-12, a non-conference schedule that shows a win vs. Xavier and three other major conference teams, all seven losses were by seven points or less. The Gaels used their size vs. Villanova who simply had no one to contain Omar Sanhan.  Sanhan went on to score 32, while Scottie Reynolds had his worst game of the year at 2-11 and Corey Fisher was just 3-13. The Bears are 5-0 ATS in their last five as a favorite of 6.5 or less while the Gaels just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 at a neutral site. I like Baylor in this one.

The Northern Iowa Panthers became the ultimate bracket buster taking down the top seed Kansas Jayhawks. This team is going to remind a lot of teams of Davidson, but in fact they are more like the George Mason team that ran to the Final Four. They are experienced, tourney tested and good. They are one of the best defensive teams in the country and 24 of their last 30 opponents could not top the 60 mark. Michigan State took a severe blow losing Kalin Lucas to an Achilles injury. He was both the leading scorer and assist leader. That will force the Spartans into being more defensive minded, which they are good at, but they will face a similar defensive-minded club. The difference is losing your assist leader as well as your leading scorer that will to be difficult for the Spartans to overcome. I expect a low-scoring game and will go with Northern Iowa and the UNDER, who can match-up defensively vs. anyone and has the offensive edge.

This tournament will be known perhaps more for the disappointing injuries, which will always leave behind the “what could have been” scenario. West Virginia is the latest with a key player going down, joining this Purdue team who lost Robbie Hummel. Purdue needed everything it could muster to pull out a two-point win vs. A&M, but Duke is a much more accomplished foe. The Blue Devils have been a tourney disaster for the last six years, but there are certainly signs that this Duke team has the talent and mental toughness to cut down the nets this year. Duke is tenacious on the defensive end and we have seen some foreshadowing of how Purdue could struggle without Hummel, and Coach K will exploit that. The Boilermakers are not as lethal as a dog of 7-12.5 as they are 7-16-1 ATS in their last 24 and it all ends for them here. I like Duke in this one.

Results: 5-1

NCAA Basketball Picks Resources:

• View college basketball predictions here.
• View our updated NCAA basketball prior picks.
• Don't forget to visit our march madness brackets.
• Read our college basketball handicapping philosophy here.
• Take a look at our NCAA basketball spreads here.
• Don't forget to visit our NCAA basketball blog.
• Don't forget to read our NCAA basketball sports book here.
• Hop over to our NCAA basketball Game Analysis here.
• View our march madness pick here.
• Updated today: 2009 college basketball picks results.
• Don't forget to read our 2009 college basketball preivew here.
• Hop over to our college basketball ATS standings here.

Check out the last five NCAA Basketball Picks Newsletters:

NCAA-Basketball-Picks-March-25-2010
Syracuse was supposed to drop back a bit in the Big East, but this team has some great chemistry.  The interior players such as Onuaku and Jackson have really stepped up and Wesley Johnson has be...

NCAA-Basketball-Picks-March-24-2010
The Terriors have been playing great basketball of late and have won eight of their last nine, losing only to Vermont who was in the dance. This is a team that beat Indiana and lost to Kansas St. by j...

NCAA-Basketball-Picks-March-23-2010
The Tar Heels didn't make the NCAA tournament this year which is clearly a disaster for this team. They could have folded tent, thinking the NIT wasn't worth their effort. Many expected them t...

NCAA-Basketball-Picks-March-22-2010
Once upon a time, the Thundering Herd were 15-2 and looking like a real threat to crash the Big Dance, but the wheels fell off in a disappointing 8-7 finish. This line made sense at mid-season, but th...

NCAA-Basketball-Picks-March-21-2010
The oddsmakers have pumped this one up with No. 1 seed Syracuse as the public will look for an explosive scoring outing from one of the nation’s top teams. While the Cuse did run off five straig...