Big 12 Trends and Angles
Venue: Sprint Center - Kansas City, Missouri
Overall Betting Results
Favorites/Underdogs: 5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS
Over/Under: 5-3
Saturday, March 16
No. 5 Iowa State
Overall: 22-11 SU, 17-14-2 ATS
Totals: 16-16 O/U
No. 3 Kansas
Overall: 25-8 SU, 16-17 ATS
Totals: 20-12-1 O/U
No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Kansas (CBS, 6:00 p.m. ET)
The top two seeds in the Big 12 tournament won't be playing for the automatic bid to the Big Dance as Kansas State and Texas Tech have been bounced. Much was made about Big 12 king Kansas not winning the regular season conference title for the first time since 2004, but it's the Jayhawks who have an opportunity to grab the crown with a win over Iowa State. Kansas knocked out 10th-seed West Virginia in Friday's semifinals to reach the title game for the third time in four seasons, while hooking up with Iowa State in the tournament championship for the first time since 2015.
The Cyclones held off top-seed Kansas State in the semifinals, 63-59 to pick up their second victory over the Wildcats this season. Iowa State split the season series with Kansas as the home team won each time. The Cyclones crushed the Jayhawks in Ames, 77-60 as 2.5-point favorites in early January, while KU grabbed revenge in Lawrence less than three weeks later, 80-76. ISU will look to keep up an incredible 12-0-1 ATS mark in the last 13 conference tournament matchups.
Big East Trends and Angles
Venue: Madison Square Garden - New York City
Overall Betting Results
Favorites/Underdogs: 6-2 SU, 5-3 ATS
Over/Under: 4-4
Saturday, March 16
No. 3 Seton Hall
Overall: 20-12 SU, 16-16 ATS
Totals: 13-18 O/U
No. 1 Villanova
Overall: 24-9 SU, 20-13 ATS
Totals: 11-19-2 O/U
No. 3 Seton Hall vs. No. 1 Villanova (FS1, 6:30 p.m. ET)
For the second time in seven days, the Wildcats and Pirates hook up as they battle for the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Villanova is in regardless of what happens tonight, while Seton Hall has helped its tournament chances over the last 10 days by winning four straight games. The most recent victory came against Marquette on Friday, 81-79 as 4.5-point underdogs in the semifinals as the Pirates picked up their second crucial win over the Golden Eagles this month.
Villanova rallied to stun Xavier in overtime, 71-67, although the Wildcats failed to cash as six-point favorites on Friday. The Wildcats trailed for most of the game before forcing overtime to reach their fifth consecutive Big East title game. In the previous matchup between these squads last Saturday in Newark, Seton Hall downed Villanova, 79-75, as the Pirates avenged a 28-point loss to the Wildcats earlier in the season. The last team other than Villanova to capture the Big East tournament title was Seton Hall, who edged the Wildcats, 69-67 in 2016.
SEC Trends and Angles
Venue: Bridgestone Arena - Nashville
Overall Betting Results
Favorites/Underdogs: 10-2 SU, 10-2 ATS
Over/Under: 6-6
Saturday, March 16
No. 8 Florida
Overall: 19-14 SU, 15-18 ATS
Totals: 11-22 O/U
No. 5 Auburn
Overall: 24-9 SU, 17-15-1 ATS
Totals: 17-15-1 O/U
No. 8 Florida vs. No. 5 Auburn (ESPN, 1 p.m. ET)
The Gators looked like they were headed for a nervous Selection Sunday when a six-point possession ensued late in the second half as LSU interim head coach Tony Benford picked up an ill-timed technical foul to compound the Tigers' issues. Eventually, freshman point guard Andrew Nembhard secured the Florida upset with an immense 3-pointer wiht just over a second remaining. Freshman Keyontae Johnson continued his tourney coming-out party by delivering the winning assist to finish off a strong final few minutes. Nembhard stole the show with a career-high 20 points, six assists and no turnovers, but will now have to deal with Auburn's pesky senior floor general, Jared Harper, who helped the Tigers post a 76-62 home win on Feb. 5. This will be the Gators' first SEC Tournament semifinal appearance in five years, the furthest head coach Mike White has taken them since replacing Billy Donovan
The Tigers faced a little adversity against the Gamecocks, trailing early before gaining some separation in the second half and ultimately covering by knocking down the majority of their free-throws down the stretch. Chuma Okeke again looked bothered by a foot injury and didn't score his first field goal until he finished off an alley oop in the closing minutes. Harper recovered from a shaky quarterfinal effort by scoring 19 of his 27 points in the second half to help the Tigers improve to 6-0 this month. Senior backcourt make Bryce Brown added 19 points and has been excellent in Nashville. 7-foot center Austin Wiley, who has been sidelined since Feb. 23 with a slower leg injury, provided limited minutes against the Gamecocks in his return to the lineup and is expected to be available for this one This is Auburn's first SEC Tourney semifinal since 2015.
No. 3 Tennessee
Overall: 28-4 SU, 16-14-1 ATS
Totals: 17-14 O/U
No. 2 Kentucky
Overall: 27-5 SU, 16-15-1 ATS
Totals: 11-21 O/U
No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Kentucky (ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET)
The Vols took care of business against Mississippi State, getting a ridiculous dunk from Admiral Schofield to punctuate an impressive win over the NCAA-bound Bulldogs. Afterward, he was trending on Twitter over the jam and the fact he went on SEC Network and said the Vols don't feel like Kentucky respects them as an opponent. The rubber match will present an opportunity to move on to the championship game and likely lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs. Tennessee is playing extremely well after Schofield, Kyle Alexander, Jordan Bone and Lamonte Turner all stepped up in support of SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams to pull away and gain separation in a contest that was tied in the second half. The Vols routed Kentucky in Knoxville 71-52 to open March after being blown out in Lexington in February.
An active 'Cats defense made quick work of the Crimson Tide, helping dominate the action and setting up easy offense. Although this game will be played in Nashville, Kentucky fans have again taken over the SEC Tournament, creating an interesting dynamic for this one. The Wildcats held the Vols to 40 percent shooting in their win and were stifled in the loss, shooting just 31.8 percent. They held Alabama to a shooting clip of just over 30 percent in Friday's rout. Reid Travis had eight points, seven boards and three blocks in his return to the lineup, so we'll see how his knee is feeling playing on consecutive days after putting in 23 minutes. P.J. Washington has been the leader of this young UK group and has held his own against Williams and the highly touted Tennessee frontcourt. He must against be at his best if the Wildcats are to suit up on Sunday.
ACC Trends and Angles
Venue: Spectrum Center - Charlotte, North Carolina
Overall Betting Results
Favorites/Underdogs: 10-3 SU, 8-5 ATS
Over/Under: 8-5
Saturday, March 16
No. 4 Florida State
Overall: 27-6 SU, 16-16-1 ATS
Totals: 14-17-2 O/U
No. 3 Duke
Overall: 28-5 SU, 17-15-1 ATS
Totals: 9-22-2 O/U
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 3 Duke (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET)
One of the hottest teams in the country is a squad that was one victory away from the Final Four last March. Florida State overcame a pair of ugly road losses at Pittsburgh and Boston College to win 13 of their past 14 games, including an overtime triumph over Virginia Tech in the ACC quarterfinal and a 10-point victory to bounce top-seed Virginia in the semifinal. FSU has allowed 64 points or less in five of the past six contests, while improving to 5-1 ATS in the last six opportunities in the underdog role.
Duke held off rival North Carolina in the semifinal, 74-73 to beat the Tar Heels for the first time in three tries this season. The Blue Devils failed to cash as 4.5-point favorites to fall to 2-8 ATS the last 10 games. In the first matchup this season in Tallahassee, the Blue Devils edged the Seminoles with a last-second three-pointer, 80-78 to pick up their seventh win in the last eight matchups since 2013. Duke is seeking its second ACC tournament championship since 2012, while Florida State won its only ACC title in 2012 by beating North Carolina, 85-82.