Las Vegas will hold their first postseason tournament in college basketball in quite some time. The field will have a chance to win money, just like the tournament that was played at T-Mobile Arena in non-conference play. Arizona State is one of the more interesting teams in the field. Injuries and opt outs resulted in losing eleven out of twelve games. But there’s a hunger when it comes to prize money, and Arizona State has had a couple of weeks to practice with their new group. Take ASU plus the points against a Nebraska team that lost their focus at the end of the season.

Surviving in March Madness is one of the biggest value indicators for me moving forward in the tournament. The Maryland Terrapins won on a buzzer beater over Colorado State, and I believe play better today against Florida as a result. All the noise surrounding their Coach Kevin Willard will not be a distraction. Grab the Terrapins to hang with Florida today plus the points.

Postseason college basketball tournaments are used for team development but also a pride element for a team that let an opportunity slip in their conference tournament. Cleveland State played a sloppy game against Youngstown State from an offensive stand point, and could not convert in the final minutes. The CBI has been motivation for them, and I expect the Vikings to continue to showcase elevated basketball against an Atlantic Sun opponent. Lay the number with Cleveland State.

The Iowa State Cyclones get an advantage today over Ole Miss over the simple fact of the ease of their first round matchup. They cruised in a twenty seven point win over Lipscomb. The victory is a confidence boost for the Cyclones that know they can play without Keshon Gilbert. On the other side Ole Miss had a battle to get by North Carolina, which can hurt a team in the round of 32. Look for the Cyclones to impress once again on a reduced favored number. Lay it with Iowa State.

The BYU Cougars weapons are strong suited for a tournament format on the front end. In a forty eight hour turn around though I favor Wisconsin. For one BYU may be a tad bit over valued based on having just one loss since early February. Wisconsin’s elevated guard play and depth will pose problems for BYU, even in the elevation of Denver. Take Wisconsin on the moneyline or -1.

Tournament play even with a win can expose a teams flaws. Xavier had the pride to fight back against Texas, but they will not get the door left open as the Longhorns did today. The Illini are well coached under Brad Underwood and have advanced beyond round one four out of the last five years. Take the Illini here.

The New Mexico Lobos are a team that initially I believe could be a viable threat as a ten seed. The more I broke down their matchup and I have swayed to the Marquette side. The Golden Eagles have the pride of playing one last tournament with their senior class led by Kam Jones, and can refocus after losing three of four games down the stretch of the season. New Mexico one weakness is they do not counter runs well from the opponent. Expect the third wave of a run to be the dagger against the Lobos.

The Mountain West has continued their annual tradition of disappointing in March Madness with San Diego State and Utah State being blown out. Colorado State will have a chance to give a bit of relief for the conference today against Memphis. They’ve won ten straight games and can beat Memphis at their own game, led by fifth year senior Nique Clifford. Lay the short number with Colorado State.

The dominance of the SEC got fourteen teams in. With that comes the difficulty of seeding. Texas A&M has been one of the SEC teams that has a high ceiling but does not live up to their potential on the court. Look for Yale as the more overall sound team to hang around, and represent the IVY league properly. Grab the points here with the Bulldogs.

NIT action continues as SMU takes on Northern Iowa. The Mustangs with a bit more stronger resume would have been a tournament team. Look for SMU to use the NIT as what it is meant for, and come out angry after losing in close fashion in the ACC tournament to Clemson. Northern Iowa is also a team that lost three of their final four games, and has had a layoff of eleven days. Lay it here with SMU.

Being worthy of being a tournament team is not a concern of North Carolina. I fully expect the Tar Heels to embrace the new life they have, when most had them on the outside of the tournament. They’ll get the draw of a San Diego State team that is lackluster in scoring efficiency and prone to droughts. Look for the Tar Heels to make a statement as they look to be the latest 11-seed to make some noise in the big dance.

At times this season Loyola Chicago has looked like the best team in the Atlantic 10. Yet, oddsmakers have ignored a clear rest advantage in today’s matchup against Saint Louis. The Ramblers will be stepping on the court for the first time in six days, while the Billikens played yesterday. That has to do with Saint Louis controlling both matchups this year against Loyola Chicago. They defeated them by 31 points on March 1st, and had Loyola on the ropes in the first matchup late before folding in the final minutes. Take the Billikens who probably are the most confident against Loyola then any other A-10 team.

A neutral site spread that seems incorrect is Boise State against San Diego State. On assumption this spread would figure to be closer to a pick based on their seasons, and the fact San Diego State blew out Boise 64-47. Since the Broncos made lineup changes and won five of their final six games. Look for those lineup changes to spark Boise State as they revenge their loss to the Aztecs.

The SEC tournament will once again be hosted in Nashville, which is the city of Vanderbilt’s campus. While the Commodores may have a fan edge against Texas, they may have peaked with a three game winning streak over ranked teams in Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Missouri. They concluded the season with back to back losses where they have struggled defensively. Grab Texas to avenge their earlier loss to Vanderbilt and cover the small number.

The Horizon League championship will take place tonight against Youngstown State and Robert Morris. Both teams had to come from behind in tough victories in their semi-finals matchups yesterday. Look for the Colonials to finish off a tremendous run where they have won 15 of 16 games. A lower spread here based on Youngstown State defeating Robert Morris by 14 points and losing by just two in the second matchup. Different outcome tonight, lay it with Robert Morris.