SFTC picks for April 2

We hope everyone had a great start to April!  We had a pretty good day ourselves.  Thanks for visiting, and remember to visit our other sites, give us feedback, and please help us spread the word!

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Our top "stash" picks are:

1. *NCAAM:  Baylor Bears
2. NBA:  Knicks win or single digit loss

Our picks for all SFTC props:

1. Other:  Traktor Chelyabinsk
• This has been a close, back and forth series between these two.  Four of the five games have gone to overtime.  Traktor has won 2 of the five, one at home and one on the road.  They have lost 1 at home and 2 on the road.  They are back at home for this game, and it is a win-or-go-home game for them.
• Confidence:  60%
2. Soccer:  Barcelona Win
• It is still unclear as to whether Jordi Alba and Xavi Hernandez will play for Barcelona or not, but Barca could sure use the vision and leadership of Xavi in the midfield.  Barcelona loves to control the game and play it their way by not allowing the other team to have possession.  If Barcelona can be successful in gaining the overwhelming lead in time of possession, they should win this match on the road.  Xavi is key to the Barca game plan as he is a brilliant passer and also strong defender who can win the ball in the midfield and then distribute it to his teammates. PSG has a lot of talent, some may argue that outside of Barca and Real Madrid, PSG has the most talent of the remaining teams in the Champions League.  They are also lead by Zlatan Ibrahimovic who unlike many of the PSG players, has experience in these late stages of the Champions League.  This should be a great match and although PSG is a good squad with amazing player, they got the toughest draw in the quarterfinals and will not be victorious over Barcelona.
• Confidence:  70%
3. Soccer:  Yes Either player will score a goal in the first half
• Messi and Ibrahimovic are two of the best and most exciting players in the world, and although their styles are different, the results are the same: goals and lots of them.  Both players lead their teams in total goals scored in all competitions but what makes this hard is that both players get help from the other members of their team.  Messi has Sanchez, Pedro, Iniesta, and whoever is put into the starting 11 while Ibrahimovic has Lavezzi and Pastore.  There will be goals in the first half and you can never guarantee where those goals will come from, so although this is essentially a toss up, I have to favor that at least one of the two stars will come through and score in the first 45 min.
• Confidence:  50%
4. Soccer:  Bayern Munich Win
• This should be an exciting draw, one of the best of the quarter finals.  First place in the German Bundesliga matched up against first place in the Italian Serie A.  At this point in the season, both teams have commanding leads and both are playing great soccer.  To be honest, Juventus had the easier draw in the round of 16 as they were matched against Celtic.  Bayern was up against Arsenal who was desperate in the second leg and pulled off a victory, but still came up short on aggregate (thanks to away goals).  The fact that Bayern was tested and still came away victorious should help them against Juventus.  I would not be surprised if this match went either way, but I have to give the edge to Bayern who are playing at home.
• Confidence:  55%
5. MLB:  Yes David Price gets the win
• For those of you who don't know how a prop like this works, in order for a pitcher to get the win, his team must be winning at the time he leaves the game, and they must be victorious in the end.  Price should get the win here.  Most pitchers last about 7 innings unless they get shelled earlier in the game.  The Rays have a much stronger lineup than the Orioles.  Both pitchers are good, but the Rays should win and be ahead when Price leaves the game.  They are at home also, which makes me like the pick even more.  
• Confidence:  70%
6. Soccer:  Barcelona will score first in the second half
• As mentioned above, Barcelona's style of possessing the ball as much as possible makes it hard for PSG to get goals in any way other than from the counter attack.  If Barca enters the second half with the lead as opposed to being tied or trailing, it will make it much harder for PSG to score. If it is tied or PSG has the lead, the game will open up and Barca will not play as conservative as they look to breakthrough and get some more goals.  It is very important for Barcelona to get a goal or two in this game because if the aggregate score is tied after the two meetings, the tie breaker will come down to away goals.  So if Barca can score a couple of goals here on the road, I think Barcelona can all but book their trip to the semi-final before the second leg is even played.
• Confidence:  60%
7. *NCAAM:  Baylor Bears
• Baylor and BYU met once this season, back on December 21, which game Baylor won by 15.  BYU and Baylor have both played all of their games so far in this tournament on their home court.  Both teams have similar road and home records, but Baylor is favored by 3 and has played much tougher competition this season.  They have also won 2 of the 3 games of the NIT by double digits.  
• Confidence:  80%
8. *NCAAM:  Pierre Jackson or tie
• Both of these guys are the leading scorers for their teams.  Haws averages 20.9 ppg, Jackson 19.8 ppg.  What's key to this prop is that Haws has had several games this season where he has been double teamed, and was rendered mostly ineffective on offense.  He also scores more of his points in the second halves of games than in the first halves.  I'm sure Baylor has been watching film on BYU and Haws, and they definitely have the athletes to shut him down.  I like Jackson in this one.
• Confidence:  70%
9. NCAAW:  Notre Dame wins by double digits
• Duke is missing their star point guard, Chelsea Gray due to a dislocated kneecap.  Her absence has really made an impact, as Duke has gone from 75 ppg average during the season to just 62 ppg average during the tournament.  Notre Dame on the other hand has been cruising through the tournament behind the leadership of Skylar Diggins.  Of some concern is that the line on this game is -6 or -6.5, but I think Notre Dame covers the double digit margin and heads to New Orleans.
• Confidence:  70%
10. NBA:  Washington Wizards
• When I first looked at this prop I thought Bulls will win easily.  After doing research though, I've changed my mind.  Washington has won 7 straight at home, and have beaten the likes of OKC, Miami, and New York there.  They are favored by 2 in this game.  They also have Bradley Beal back in the lineup.  The Bulls will likely be without Noah, Belinelli, and Hamilton, but they are listed as day-to-day.
• Confidence:  70%
11. NHL:  New York Islanders
• The Islanders are battling the Rangers for the last playoff spot in the East.  In order to win that battle they need to do well in this next home-heavy stretch they have.  They own the worst home record in the NHL, but they should come out strong during these next few home games to ensure themselves of a playoff spot.  They are 3 - 0 - 1 in their last 5 against the struggling Jets.
• Confidence:  60%
12. *NHL:  Washington Capitals
• Both of these teams have something to play for.  Both are 3 points behind the Islanders and Rangers for the last playoff spot.  Both are also 4 points behind the Jets for the division title.  The Capitals have won 5 of the last 7 road games against the Hurricanes.  The Hurricanes have lost 4 straight at home and are 1 - 8 - 1 in their last 10 overall.  It will just come down to which team wants it more.  I'm thinking Washington, given the stats, but I would not be surprised if the Hurricanes win.
• Confidence:  60%
13. MLB:  Milwaukee Brewers
• These two teams face off a second time in as many days.  I think the Brewers have a more talented lineup and am taking them to win their second at home.
• Confidence:  70%
14. NBA:  Knicks win or single digit loss
• If this prop remains the same, this is a free green from the SM, unless there is something he's not telling us.  The line is currently Miami -2!  Also, James, Wade, and Chalmers are out for the Heat!  The Knicks will likely be without Tyson Chandler, but he is a game-time decision.  In their previous meetings this season, the Knicks won the first 2 by 20 points, and lost the third by 6.  They are 1 of only 3 teams with a winning record against the Heat this season.  
• Confidence:  90%
15. NCAAM:  No, no team scores 40+ points in the second half
• Obviously you'll want to see how the first half goes, but 40 points may be too much to ask for.  These teams can score, but like I said, you'll want to get a feel for the game during the first half.  In their only meeting this season, Baylor was the one that even came close, and they had 40 points in the 1st half and 39 in the 2nd half.  
• Confidence:  50%
16. NCAAW:  Louisville Cardinals
• After such a stunning upset of Baylor, it may be hard for Louisville to keep their focus.  If they do though, they should have no problem beating Tennessee and earn a trip to the final four.  Louisville played for the national title in 2009.  Tennessee hasn't been to the final four since they won the championship in 2008.
• Confidence:  70%
17. *NCAAM:  Maryland Terrapins
• I'm just feeling the Terps in this one.  
• Confidence:  60%
18. MLB:  St. Louis Cardinals
• The Diamondbacks won 6 - 2 yesterday over the Cardinals, recording 15 hits.  They had some awesome offensive performances from some unexpected guys too.  Cahill, of the Diamondbacks, is a great pitcher, but I like Garcia and the Cardinals to even up the series in this one.
• Confidence: 60%
19. Soccer:  Santos Laguna Win
• While the UEFA Champions League is going on, we tend to forget that on the other side of the world the CONCACAF Champions League is being played as well.  Oh yeah, I guess I kinda forgot about it as well.  This match is being played in Seattle which is known for having a crazy crowd that can impact the game.  But the Sounders, up to this point in the season, are not playing in great form.  They have managed only 1 point in their first four matches.  The MLS season is young and therefore, nothing is yet to be decided.  While Santos is in 4th place in the Liga MX after twelve games.  The fact that Santos is not only playing better but has played more games together in their season leads me to believe that they wlll win this first leg against the Sounders.
• Confidence:  60%
20. *NHL:  Los Angeles Kings
• The Kings have had a successful road trip so far, going 3 - 0 - 1.  They lost the last time they visited Phoenix, but the Coyotes have lost their last 2 at home and last 8 of 9 overall.
• Confidence:  70%
21. MLB:  Oakland As
• The As lost their opening day game yesterday, but I like them to bounce back here.  Parker tied with Milone for the team lead in wins last season.  He didn't have the best spring, but we all know that spring games mean next to nothing.  Seattle's pitcher, Iwakuma is inexperienced, so hopefully the As' bats will take care of business.
• Confidence:  70%
22. *MLB:  San Francisco Giants
• The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw had a great outing yesterday.  Kershaw even recorded a home run!  This time the Dodgers bring Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound, a newbie from South Korea.  Bumgarner is a much more experienced pitcher, and the Giant hitters should be able to get some hits and runs off of the inexperienced Ryu.
• Confidence:  70%
23. NBA:  Dallas Mavericks Win
• In a battle to see which team gets to lose to the Spurs or Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, both the Lakers and Mavericks are desperate for a win tonight in Los Angeles.  As it currently stands, both teams are looking up at Utah in the 8th spot, but both teams are close behind and still have hope for making the playoffs.  The Lakers are still most people's favorite to get the final spot out West but I think Dallas has been playing just a little bit better than LA and on the night they retire Shaq's jersey in Staples Center, I think the Lakers fall to the Mavs.
• Confidence:  50%

The props marked with a * are also featured on Streak It Up.