I will take new photos again next year. I wasn’t enjoying this subpar run as much as that smug kid said.
North Carolina State (+9.5) vs. Purdue
It’s not something you bet with your heart. That’s the top 5 rules.
But don’t bet on a team that plays as if it’s being guided by some divine force, as if Jim Valvano is pulling the strings.
The Boilermakers need to move forward. The Boilermakers will likely move forward.
They have the best players in the country. They have one of the top 3-point shooters in the country.
But they aren’t following UConn’s blueprint.
Purdue’s past seven games against power conference opponents have been decided by single digits.
Do you want to bet on March Madness 2024?
And NC State’s defense has been incredible during its nine-game winning streak, holding Duke (twice), North Carolina, and Marquette well below their respective scoring averages.
Zach Eady will be unstoppable, but the Wolfpack has the size to make him work.
And if Eady tries to slow down DJ Barnes Jr., North Carolina State’s crafty big man could end up benching the All-American in foul trouble.
UW (-11.5) vs. Alabama
We live in a casino and UConn is home. The odds of winning are quite high.
Keep riding the Huskies until you can’t cover an NCAA Tournament game under Dan Hurley.
UW is currently on a 10-game double-digit winning streak in the tournament, most recently humiliating Illinois State, which entered with the nation’s second-most efficient offense, in the Elite Eight. If UW loses, it will be in the same bad situation as each of its three losses (Kansas, Seton Hall, and Creighton). Alabama, which ranks ninth in adjusted tempo, can’t change its course.
And a sprint against the most efficient offensive line in the country won’t benefit the Tide, who have allowed more than 90 points per game over the past two months.
This season: 28-30
Records from 2011-23: 349-308-12
