I was not drinking before I picked Rick Barnes to win the national championship.
Only afterwards.
Here’s two against the spread bets for Tuesday’s First Four games.
Midwest region: No. 10 Colorado State (-2.5) over No. 10 Virginia
It’s not just that Tony Bennett’s team doesn’t pass the eye test. The Cavaliers’ slow-paced, defensive-minded style has never been particularly pleasing to the senses.
But most years, Virginia’s offense was underrated, consistently ranking among the top 20 in the nation, with the second-most efficient offense during its 2019 title season.
This group, though, is by far Bennett’s worst of the era, ranking 289th in the nation in true shooting percentage and 194th in offensive efficiency.
The Cavaliers, who have lost five of their past nine games and their past two NCAA Tournament openers, have been held under 50 points in half of their past eight games.
Colorado State is prepared for this stage, coming from a conference (Mountain West) that earned more tourney berths than the ACC. The Rams are strong on both ends of the floor and have beaten six teams in the NCAA Tournament, which includes a 21-point victory over 3-seed Creighton.
Even Virginia’s defense will struggle to slow Isaiah Stevens, a fifth-year senior guard, who ranks sixth in the nation in assists and hits nearly 45 percent of 3-pointers.
West region: No. 16 Howard (-3.5) over No. 16 Wagner
The Seahawks are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years. It’s just unfortunate the Staten Island school’s drought couldn’t have ended with the personnel to do damage, such as Dan Hurley’s 25-win team or Bashir Mason’s three NEC regular season title-winning teams.
Wagner’s run through the Northeast Conference Tournament as a No. 6 seed was a wonderful story, but the offense isn’t built to excel on a Dayton floor that routinely produces tight shooters.
The Wagner offense isn’t built to do much, ranking 334th in offensive efficiency, with the seventh-worst team field goal percentage (39.2) in the nation.
Howard, in addition to being the best-named school in the country, has won eight of its past nine games, with an offense averaging 12 more points per game than the Seahawks.
The Bison also have the edge on the glass and the experience of playing in last year’s NCAA Tournament, as well as 26-year-old Seth Towns, the former Ivy League Player of the Year.
Betting on College Basketball?
- Check out the best College Basketball betting sites
- Read our guide on how to bet on College Basketball
- Get the latest NCAA Championship Winner odds
This season: 9-15
2011-23 record: 349-308-12