Absence makes the heart grow fonder.  That certainly is the case for fans as March Madness returned after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic.  It has been extra sweet and the first two rounds delivered extra doses of excitement.

As you know, the games have been played in various gyms around Indianapolis and fan capacity kept to a minimum.  The Covid factor thankfully has been kept under control, but still has exerted an impact.

VCU had to bow out of their first round game against Oregon.  You have to feel for those kids.  Subsequently, a well-rested Oregon then took it to favored Iowa, winning by 15.  Defending Champion Virginia was forced to pull out of the ACC Tournament and then spent the following week in full quarantine.  They were the last team to arrive in Indiana, flying in 24 hours before the game and playing without any practice to prepare.  It certainly showed on the court as UVA was taken down by 13-seed Ohio.

March Madness Sweet 16

We saw those pesky upstarts that I have talked about take that adrenaline all the way to a win or two (Abilene Christian over Texas, Loyola over Illinois, and two wins by Oral Roberts).  I believe the limited travel and lack of fans additionally leveled the overall playing field.  We have 4 double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16: UCLA (11), Syracuse (11), Oregon State (12), and Oral Roberts (15).  In fact, 9 of the 16 remaining teams are seeded 5 or higher.

I am eagerly awaiting this weekend’s games.  We have an intra-conference battle between USC and Oregon, a run and gun affair with Oral Roberts and Arkansas, and a shooter’s delight as Creighton tries to slow down the Gonzaga train.  As always, remember to bet with your head, not over it – do not get caught in all the hype and the craziness.  Definitely have fun, but your primary goal should be to make money.  You do not need to bet a game just because it’s on TV, because guess what…they all are. 

Sports Betting Picks Recap and Look-Ahead

I have to apologize for not posting a sports betting picks recap last week.  We simply were too busy finding edges in the first rounds of Madness and getting you advantage plays.  The last two weeks have been good to the Nation.  NCAAB went 14-13-1 (-.2 units), NBA 3-2 (+.8 units), PGA 3-2 (+1.8 units), and FCS Football 5-3 (+4.5 units).  Overall, we are +6.9 units during the 2 weeks.

Finally, I was thrilled to see the hundreds and hundreds of entries into the KrackWins Bracket Challenge.  The top 20 entries pay out and it always seems to come down to the final game.  Enjoy the upcoming slate of games and rejoice that Madness has returned!