Bankrupt the Bookie Volume 5: Conference Tourney Time

We are back folks for our 5th installment of Bankrupt the Bookie. Last week I couldn’t hit a money bet for my life BUT I hit every Big 5 pick I made. Gambling is a cruel mistress and you cant win them all. This week instead of doing Saturday picks we have the A10 tournament and Villanova playing their first game in the Big East tournament. Three out of five philly collegiate teams is enough for me to bet on so let’s get to it.

First up we have Villanova playing against Providence at Madison Square Garden up in New York. Tip off is at noon so this is a game you can bet at work and then walk out after closing time with a little extra cash in your pocket. Villanova opens as a -6 point favorite. I know they had a bad loss at the end of the season to a surging Seton Hall team but tournament time is different. This is where the Wildcats start to get hot. This is a flat out bounceback game that’s why I will be on the Villanova spread at -6.

At the same time La Salle tips off against Rhode Island in the first round of the A10 tournament. URI opens as the favorite at -5 points. As much as I want to pick the Explorers here I think this is a blowout for Rhode Island. It sucks but the Rams are just the better team. They are also in the hunt for a tournament birth and there is no way La Salle is gonna stand between that. Take the Rams at -5 and if La Salle covers you can call me a fool.

The last Big 5 game is St. Joes against Duquesne with a 6pm tip off at the Barclays center. I have no idea how this happens but somehow St. Joes is favored by 1.5 points. The weird thing is Duquesne have the better record at 19-12, 10-8 in conference, while the Hawks are at 13-18 with only 6 conference wins. Vegas knows something in this game, I don’t know what it is but I can tell you it makes me want to stay away from the spread. I’m going with the over set at 148. Both teams can score and from what the line tells me this is going to be close. Take the over at 148 points and you might get a bonus of overtime.

Now let’s get to the money picks. Full disclosure I think I have gone 0-6 in my last two Bankrupt the Bookie blogs. It might be a good idea to start fading my picks for winners. As much as I hate to suggest it, I’ve started doing it to myself and it actually works. Whatever path you choose I wish you the best of luck.

The only money pick I have is the 12:30 game Virginia against North Carolina State opening at -10.5 with the Cavaliers as favorites. I know I gave the Cavaliers as a money pick last week and they surprisingly didn’t cover. This time I am sure of it. In fact there is a good chance that Virginia is the flat out winner of the ACC tournament, put that in your futures picks and smoke it. The Cavaliers are the best defensive team in the NCAA flat out no questions asked. North Carolina State wolfpack are on a back to back and after a comeback, 1 point win over Clemson yesterday I just don’t think they can handle a top tier Virginia. Take UVA at -10.5 and enjoy a 20 point blowout.