No Surprises on Selection Sunday

Those who were hoping for a surprise or two on Selection Sunday were sorely disappointed when the NCAA Tournament field was announced. It went pretty much like the experts predicted. There was no one team expected to get in that didn’t. Likewise, there was no team who got in that wasn’t expected to be there.

About the only thing that may have raised a eyebrow was Louisville getting a No. 2 seed over Oregon and Baylor. A few other teams were seeded a spot higher or lower than anticipated, but that was the extent of it.

As expected, Syracuse, Illinois State, Georgia, TCU, Iowa and California were left out of the tournament. A case could be made for each team, but each also had some serious flaws that prevented them for making it.

What we are left with are some intriguing first-round match-ups.On Thursday, we have Xavier vs. Maryland; Middle Tenn. State vs. Minnesota; and Vanderbilt vs. Northwestern are all decent games that could go either way.

On Friday, Seton Hall vs. Arkansas; Marquette vs. South Carolina; Rhone Island vs. Creighton; and Michigan State vs. Miami are all pretty good games.

For bettors, the NCAA Tournament is a bit different than the regular season. The betting “public” is capable of moving the odds more than the sharp bettors. Even though they bet smaller amounts, the sheer number of bettors means those wagers add up. Don’t be afraid to go against the line moves if they are driven by the public. The wise guys will pick and choose their sports, while the betting public typically is involved in every game.

Don’t be afraid to go against “trendy” underdogs that the public falls in love with. A team that pulls a first-round upset is likely to be over-valued a bit in their next game.