Clay Travis Picks All 8 Sunday NCAA Games, And He Is Looking At 8-0
I’m still recovering from Tennessee’s near collapse against Texas last night.
And from three days in a row of pretty fantastic basketball.
But as fun as the games have been, we have to get the gambling picks rolling because we have been under .500 on the picks so far.
So let’s change the mojo and get back to winning.
Marquette -4.5 vs Colorado
In what was arguably the most entertaining game of round one, Colorado beat Florida 102-100.
Now Marquette wants to slow the game down and take the pace out of the clouds.
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Marquette Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart yells down court during NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Friday, March 22, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Marquette Golden Eagles 87-69.
And I think they will.
After a disastrous first half in round one that saw them flirt with defeat until turning it on in the second half, Marquette controls this one and rolls into the Sweet 16.
Utah State +11.5 vs Purdue
This is the second biggest spread of the opening weekend so far and it just feels way too high given Purdue is still likely to be tight.
I feel like once a highly seeded team gets to the Sweet 16, they can breathe a bit easier. But not yet and not after what happened to Purdue in the first round last year.
Utah State can score — they have a top 30 offense this year — and they do enough to stay inside the number and give Purdue a bit of a scare.
James Madison +7.5 vs Duke
James Madison whipped Wisconsin soundly on Friday, that didn’t look like an upset at all.
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Mar 22, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; James Madison Dukes forward Raekwon Horton (2) reacts with teammates after winning against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Now the team everyone loves to hate is next up for JMU.
The Dukes cover and have a chance to win late against Duke.
Baylor -4.5 vs Clemson
Clemson’s been an enigma all year. Good enough to win on the road at North Carolina, but bad enough to get run by Boston College in the ACC tourney.
I think bad Clemson shows up today and Baylor wins by double digits.
Grand Canyon vs Alabama, the over 169.5
I know it’s an absolutely massive number, but Alabama doesn’t play defense and both these teams want to get out and run.
I’d bet on this being the most entertaining game of the day.
So just kick your feet up and enjoy the over, it’s my favorite bet of the day.
UConn -13.5 vs Northwestern
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March 22, 2024, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan (32) and Connecticut Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) react against the Stetson Hatters in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Okay, this is actually the biggest number on the board in the second round.
And I just think UConn has dudes that Northwestern can’t run with.
This one gets ugly early, roll with the Huskies by over 20.
Texas A&M +9.5 vs Houston
The Aggies are tough to stay in front of on defense and they are going to take a bunch of tough outside shots.
Lately those shots have been falling.
But even when they aren’t falling, A&M is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country.
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Mar 22, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga (30) drives to the basket against Texas A&M Aggies guard Tyrece Radford (23) during the second half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
So what happens in this one?
A super physical battle that’s close late. A&M covers and has a shot to pull off the upset.
Yale vs San Diego State, the under 128.5
Credit to Yale for pulling off the biggest upset of the first round, based on the analytics, with their win over Auburn. Right now Auburn, which was ranked fourth in his rankings, is the only top 16 Ken Pomeroy team to have lost a game so far.
So what happens in the follow up?
San Diego State puts the clamps on Yale and keeps them in the 50’s. The under’s the winner.
…
Okay, let’s stack some winners today.
8-0 is on the way.