Quick Picks, Vegas

I am heading to Vegas tonight until Sunday, so the blog will be dark until next week. Unless of course you get a drunken post at some point, which will be entertaining if nothing else. Before I go, I wanted to tell you who I would be winning money on this week in the City of Sin:

• Duke (-6.5) over LSU. LSU is athletic, but not as athletic as I thought they were. The X-factors in this game are Tyrus Thomas (and his overall agility as he bounces back from a sprained ankle) for LSU and the Freshman combination of Paulus and McRoberts for Duke. If Duke's youngsters contine to prgress and play well, LSU will have to go home being content with a Sweet 16 run.
• West Virginia (+5) over Texas. It worries me that Texas handled a similar style in NC State so easily, but West Virginia has better players executing that offense. Look for their experience from being here last year shine through, and for them to eek out a tough ballgame.
• If this is the matchup in the Elite 8, I love Duke to beat West Virginia.
• Memphis (-6.5) over Bradley. Memphis is still not getting enugh credit for how good they are. They are explosive offensively and in my opinion the best defensive team in the country, led by Dils Co-National Defensive Player of the Year in Rodney Carney. Bradley has had a great run, but it ends here.
• Gonzaga (+3.5) over UCLA. Gonzaga has had as much pressure on them in the first two rounds as any teams not named Duke and UConn. They have not gotten to the Sweet 16 since 2001, and now they have and all the pressure is gone, and they can go back to the position that they feel much more comfortable in, that of the underdog. Look for the Zags to play their best game of the year to beat the very tough Bruins.
• Gonzaga will come up short in the next round, as Memphis will contain Morrison and Gonzaga will not be able to keep up with Memphis (unlike the Tigers, the Zag defense is less than stellar).
• Boston College (+2) over Villanova. This should be the best game of the Sweet 16. Can Nova's 4 guard offense hang in there with the very physical Eagles? I say yes. So it will be a tough, hard fought game, and I just believe the Eagles have more balance inside and out and will make more plays to get the job done. If I am wrong, it will be because my favorite non-Dukie, #1 Kyle Lowry, makes a big play at the right time for the Cats. Heart says Nova, head says BC.
• Florida (-3) over Georgetown. Florida quite simply has looked better than any team in America to date in the tourney. I think they have the athletes and the coaching to keep it going this weekend in Minneapolis. Does not take away from the tremendous job John Thompson III has done with the Hoyas this year, getting further than anyone thought.
• Florida over BC in the regional final.
• UConn (-6) will win but not cover against Washington in a Huskies versus huskies match-up. Look for a re-play of the Sweet 16 matchup in I believe 1999 when Calhoun's criminals edged Bob Bender's Washington club by a point. Let's call it 73-72 in this one.
• George Mason (-1.5) over Wichita State. Stitzer talked me into this one. Mason has better athletes, they are playing basically in their backyard, and they already won at Wichita. Gotta go with the Patriots to get to the Elite 8.
• I think UConn busts out and beats Mason by 20+ in the regional final, leading to another week of everyone proclaiming the Hoodlums as the National Champs. But that is why they play the games.

So that is it....Duke, Memphis, Florida and UConn in the Final 4 (and yes, Duke over UConn in the Finals, but let's not get ahead of ourselves quite yet).

Have a great weekend. Look for a Vegas post at some point soon.....