Inside the Chalk

Tonight I like the Syracuse Orange plus the 4.5 points against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga is 1-5-1 ATS in the last 7 vs. the ACC, and are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games. The Orange are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 non-conference games and 5-1 ATS at a neutral site. Tournament play comes down to coaching. Who would you like to have – Jim Boheim with a 55-30 NCAA tournament record, 4 Final Fours and 1 championship or Mark Few with a 21-16 NCAA tournament record, no Final Four appearances and no championships. I like the future Hall-of-Famer Boheim and the Q.

Tonight’s pick:

Syracuse Orange +4.5

The Duke Blue Devils and the Oregon Ducks square off tonight and I like the Ducks in this one to advance to the elite eight. On a neutral court, Oregon is averaging 79.2 points per game and allowing an average of 66.8. On the flip side, Duke is averaging 79.8 points per game but giving up an average of 78.5 points on a neutral site. The Ducks are a perfect 10-0 over their last 10, and when leading at the half they are 25-0 in their last 25. The number has climbed to 3 with the hook so I’m siding with Oregon and the money line -165. That half a point could come into play.

Tonight’s pick:

Oregon Ducks -165

The Yale Bulldogs and Duke Blue Devils square off today in tournament play. The Bulldogs are a dangerous team. They’re 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games. On a neutral site, they’re holding teams to an average of 66.0 points per game. On the flip side, the Blue Devils are holding teams to an average of 80.6 points per game. This is not the Duke of old. I think Yale should get under the number.

Today’s pick:

Yale Bulldogs +6.5