We had an OK day yesterday at 13 - 10, despite all of the crazy tournament upsets. This year's March Madness tournament is going to be CRAZY!! That reminds us: our basketball site is finished now, so please check it out by clicking on the Basketball Games tab near the top of the page. We'd love it if you'd join our groups for any and all of the games listed in the Join Our Groups box as well. We will continue to post updates as conference champions are decided today and tomorrow. Once the bracket is released, we will have tons of analysis and help for you to create that perfect bracket! We hope you enjoy the site as much as we love making it!
Our top 2 "stash" picks are:
- NCAAM: Memphis Tigers winning margin
- *NCAAM: St. Louis Bilikens
- *NBA: Indiana Pacers
- *Soccer: Manchester City Win
- This may be a case where my biast shows, but I can't pick against my favorite club. This will be a close match and at this point in the season, one may argue that Everton has more to play for. City find themselves 12 points back of United in the table but 7 points ahead of the 4th place club. City has basically secured a spot in next seasons Champions League. The same can't be said for Everton who are 7 points behind 4th place. If they hope to make it into the top 4 they need to start playing better. Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellani will need to have a big game if they hope to defeat Manchester City. But I expect City to continue their good play and believe they will get the big win on the road. For everyone on the west coast, wake up at 5:45am and enjoy what should be an excellent football match.
- Confidence 60%
- NCAAM: Albany 3 pointers made or tie
- I really don't know about these teams and the server is down or something so I can't research this one. I'm just going with the tie option in a hopefully tight conference final game.
- Confidence: 50%
- NCAAM: Memphis Tigers winning margin
- Memphis is looking to win back-to-back conference championships and maintain their perfect record in conference play. They beat Southern Miss by 13 and 16 in their two regular season meetings. Southern Miss is trying to win their first conference championship in 22 years and get back to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round last year.
- Confidence: 70%
- NCAAM: Any Other Result
- Florida beat Alabama by 12 at home on March 2. ESPN's preview site has the line at even, so I'm confused why it is at 15+ on SFTC. Alabama had a great win over Tennessee yesterday, and with a win over Florida, would surely be a lock to make the tournament. Alabama will go all out for the win, and should definitely not lose by 15+.
- Confidence: 70%
- *NCAAM: N.C. State
- The line on this game is dead even. Miami won the only regular season meeting between these two by 1 point. N.C. State has been cruising through this tournament, winning both of their previous games by nearly 20 points. They have some experience in this tournament, and Miami has never reached the final of their conference tournament. I'm giving the edge to N.C. State.
- Confidence: 70%
- Other: Dominican Republic wins by 2+
- The Dominican Republic are undefeated so far in this competition and beat Puerto Rico by exactly 2 last time they faced them. These WBC props are so wacky though and hard to predict, so I wouldn't put any sort of large streak on this.
- Confidence: 50%
- *NCAAM: St. Louis Bilikens
- St. Louis beat Butler both times they played during the regular season: at home by 7 and on the road by 4. St. Louis is a great team and will be a great Cinderella prospect in the tournament. There's been a history in the last couple of days of teams not winning 3 in a season against the same foe though. Will that trend play in here? We sure hope not.
- Confidence: 70%
- *NCAAM: Wisconsin 3 pointers made
- Wisconsin has won 11 straight meetings against Indiana, dating back to the start of the 2007 season, and beat them in the quarterfinals of last year's Big10 tournament. Wisconsin also beat Indiana on the road by 5. Wisconsin just upset Michigan yesterday and if they play Indiana like they played Michigan, they have a great shot at winning this game. Indiana played outstanding against Illinois though, so the tie option may be huge here.
- Confidence: 60%
- Golf: Yes Scott at least co-leader at the end of the 3rd round
- Scott is currently in 2nd place thanks to his -5 round today. If he has another great day like that he will surely have the overall lead. He is only 1 behind the leader right now, and I think he has enough to catch up easily. The last time this type of prop was featured, Tiger won with the yes option.
- Confidence: 60%
- *NHL: Buffalo Sabres
- The Sabres will have a lot of players back and have nearly a full roster. The Senators continue to be plagued by injuries, and will be without their leading goalie Craig Anderson and many other key players. With the so many injuries for the Senators and home ice advantage, it is very likely that the Sabres will win.
- Confidence: 70%
- NHL: Minnesota Wild
- The Wild just beat the Avalanche at home on Thursday.
- Confidence: 50%
- Tennis: Rafael Nadal wins 2 - 0
- This is a tough one. Nadal has won every match he's played since he's been back 2 - 0 except for one. He had a great match against Federer, although Federer was clearly not 100% healthy. Berdych has taken a set from Nadal in 2 of the last 5 head-to-head matches.
- Confidence: 60%
- Soccer: Sporting Kansas City Win
- Both these clubs have played two matches this season. Chicago has lost both their matches and SKC won one and lost one. I have yet to watch either of these clubs play this year so I will have to base this pick off of what I saw last season. SKC finished in first place in the eastern conference with the highest goal difference but lost their leading scorer Kei Kamara on loan to Norwich City of the EPL. Still, I think SKC has the better squad and will come out on top at home.
- Confidence 70%
- NCAAM: Ole Miss Rebels
- Ole Miss beat Vandy by 10 the only time they played this season. Ole Miss is second in the SEC and should win this. Vandy had an impressive win against Kentucky yesterday, but have not been that impressive overall this season.
- Confidence: 70%
- NCAAM: North Carolina Tar Heels
- Maryland played a great game against Duke yesterday. North Carolina has beaten Maryland by nearly 10 points each time they have played though. North Carolina also has a much better history of success in this tournament.
- Confidence: 70%
- NCAAM: Michigan St. Spartans
- This should be a really tight, hard fought game, definitely not one you would want to put a high streak on. Michigan St. beat Ohio State in the conference final game last season. They split their regular season meetings this season, and both were tight games. Michigan St. has been a little more consistent this season so I'm giving them the edge here.
- Confidence: 50%
- NCAAM: Any Other Result
- Southern demolished Prairie View by 22 on the road about 2 weeks ago, but only won by 5 at home back in January. This is the SWAC tournament final, so the game shouldn't be a blowout.
- Confidence: 50%
- NCAAM: Morgan State
- Morgan State is favored by 4 in this game, and beat North Carolina A&T by 3 on the road.
- Confidence: 50%
- NCAAM: New Mexico Lobos
- To be honest, I haven't watched the Mountain West conference teams play much at all this year. These two teams split their regular season meetings, with each winning at home. This is basically a home game for UNLV, so they may win because of it, but at least on paper, New Mexico is the better team.
- Confidence: 50%
- NCAAM: Kansas Jayhawks
- Kansas has won both regular season meetings against Kansas State. They are favored by 5 in this game. They have also won this tournament 5 of the last 7 years. If they win this game, they might capture a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
- Confidence: 70%
- NCAAM: Akron Zips
- Akron won the two regular season meetings against Ohio: at home by 14 and on the road by 7. Hopefully the "can't win against the same team 3 times in one season" effect doesn't come into play here.
- Confidence: 70%
- NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets
- The Blue Jackets are all of a sudden the hottest team in the NHL right now. They have won the previous meetings against the Coyotes at home, but have lost on the road. Since they are at home in this one, I expect the win streak to continue.
- Confidence: 60%
- *NHL: Montreal Canadiens
- The Devils are featured on SFTC yet again. They have been featured on here more than any other NHL team it seems like. They lost yesterday to the Flyers. The Canadiens are an impressive 8 - 1 - 2 in their last 11 road games.
- Confidence: 60%
- NHL: Carolina Hurricanes
- I'm just feeling the Hurricanes in this one. They have been winning quite a few games lately, and the Lightning have been inconsistent this season.
- Confidence: 60%
- *NHL: New York Islanders
- The Islanders have been featured on SFTC alot lately as well, and they win alot when they are featured. The Panthers have lost 5 in a row and are simply not as good as the Islanders.
- Confidence: 70%
- *NBA: Indiana Pacers
- How did Indiana lose at home to the Lakers who were without Kobe for 3 quarters of the game? I guess sometimes a team is bound to have an off night, but still, the Pacers should not have lost that game. Luckily for them, they get to bounce back with a game against the 76ers. If I made a list of this seasons most disappointing teams, I would have the Sixers near the top of that list. Here is how bad the bottom half of the eastern conference is: the Sixers are in 10th place with only 24 wins. The Pacers should win this one easily.
- Confidence: 75%
- *NHL: Anaheim Ducks
- The Ducks are second in the NHL right now, due to great play at home, but also excellent play on the road. They are 7 - 0 - 2 in their last nine, and have beaten St. Louis on the road and at home already this season.
- Confidence: 80%
- *NHL: Chicago Blackhawks
- League-best Chicago seems to be over their losing skid, if you can call it that. They should win easily against the Stars here.
- Confidence: 80%
- Soccer: Seattle Sounders
- The MLS is starting its 18th season and has already lasted longer than any other professional soccer league in the United States. As the league continues to grow, one thing is inevitable, rivalries will start to form. This Pacific Northwest rivalry between the Sounders and the Timbers is starting to become one of the biggest in the MLS. It is not on the level of a Clasico (Barcelona v Real Madrid) or a Super Clasico (River v Boca), but for the MLS, it may be the best rivalry the league has. The crowds of these two teams are some of the loudest in the league. Have you ever heard of the 12th man at the Seattle Seahawks games and the incredible advantage that the Seahawks have thanks to their fans? CenturyLink field is one of the loudest in the NFL and also one of the loudest in the MLS. The crowd will give the Sounders an advantage, not to mention, I think they are the better team.
- Confidence 60%
- NCAAM: Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
- These teams split the regular season results, with each team winning at home. Stephen F. Austin is favored by 5 in this game, and this will be a virtual home game for them, as the game is in Katy, Texas. Stephen F. Austin is 15 - 0 at home, so I'm giving them the edge here.
- Confidence: 60%
- NCAAM: Louisville Cardinals
- Syracuse has had a nice run through the Big East Tournament. Louisville has had a great run, and won the tournament last year. Louisville is favored by 5 in this game. Each team beat the other on the road during the regular season. Louisville is a likely #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and a win here will almost surely solidify it for them.
- Confidence: 70%
- NCAAM: Louisville halftime lead or tie
- Southerland will probably have 3 - 5 field goals in the first half. Louisville has done very well in this tournament, and won it last year. They seek to become the first repeat conference champions in 7 years. I hope Louisville wins the game, and to do so, they'll want to have a good halftime lead.
- Confidence: 60%
- NCAAM: Weber State Wildcats
- Does anyone know anything about these teams? Their games are never televised, and they never make Sports Center. I'm not saying their bad teams, just that I don't think anyone knows that much about them. They split their regular season meetings, with Weber State winning handily in the most recent one. Weber State is riding a 13 game winning streak into this game. I'm pretty sure Montana won this tournament last year, as they made the NCAA tournament, but lost in the first round.
- Confidence: 60%
- NCAAM: Louisville more 3-pointers made
- Since Louisville is down at the half, they'll shoot more threes to get back in the game.
- Confidence: 50%
- *NBA: Memphis Grizzlies
- The Jazz have only 2 wins in their previous 10 games. After being in 7th place in the west they have fallen out of the current playoff standings and into 9th place. The Grizzles are going in the opposite direction towards the top of the western conference standings having won 8 of their past 10 games. The one thing the Jazz have going for them in this game is their home court advantage. The Jazz win 75% of their games at home and are known for having one of the rowdiest crowds in the NBA. I have experienced that crowd first hand many times. But the Grizzlies defense which allows the least points in the NBA should contain the Jazz offense which has been struggling lately.
- Confidence: 70%
- NCAAM: UC Irvine Anteaters
- I honestly do not know much about these teams, nor do I follow the Big West conference very much. Each of these teams beat the other at home during the regular season. Pacific is favored by 2 in this game, but I'm giving the edge to UC Irvine since this game is being played in Anaheim and UC Irvine will have more of a home court advantage.
- Confidence: 50%
- NCAAM: Oregon Ducks
- Jordan Adams has been the main reason UCLA has had a great run through this PAC-12 tournament, but in the closing minutes of their win over Arizona last night, he came down awkwardly on his foot, and X-rays confirmed it was broken, so he is done for the season. Without him, UCLA will be hard-pressed to win. Oregon has had a great run through the tournament as well, and beat UCLA by 9 on the road in their only meeting this season.
- Confidence: 70%
- Other: Johny Hendricks
- I honestly have no clue about MMA fighting. I am only picking Hendricks because I recognize his name more than the other guy.
- Confidence: 30%
- Other: Any Other Result
- Once again, I really have no clue about MMA matches. I'm going with any other result because it includes more fight outcome possibilities such as decision, technical decision, surrender, etc.
- Confidence: 30%
Props marked with a * are also featured on Streak It Up.
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