March Madness Round 2 Locks ATS

Well, well, well, a nice start to our tourney picks here at TSZ. With our inaugural One Tall, One Small, One Bell of the Ball we rolled to a 3-0 ATS beginning. Unfortunately NC State choked late in regulation and left us looking for a replacement Cinderella in the Midwest. Nonetheless, this is a gambling blog, so we'll take the half point victory and bid farewell to the Wolfpack. Michigan, on the other hand, covered their fifteen points with a 57-40 victory over Wofford and the Dayton Flyers not only covered but upset the roller coaster ride that was Ohio State University.

What an awesome first day. Although we already lost a billion dollars today when St. Joe's, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma joined NC State in the losers bracket, it was fun to see some lower seeds advance to the next round where they will surely meet their fate at the hands of a continued lack of real parity in college basketball. Where for art thou, Brad Stevens? Where for art thou?

            
"Yes, the Eastern Conference is exactly like coaching in college."

In the interest of time, let's get right to today's action. Remember, the rules are - One Tall (favorite), One Small (underdog), One Bell of the Ball (a very low seed or a money line upset). Here we go:

Current 2014 Record: 3-0 ATS

One Tall: Iowa State Cyclones (-8.5) over NC Central Eagles

The Cyclones are hot (5-1 ATS in their last 6 neutral court games; 4-0 ATS in their last 4) and the Eagles are not (2-6-1 in their last 9). Enough said.



The Small: Kansas State Wildcats (+6) over Kentucky Wildcats

I love the way Kansas State plays defense. I do not love the way Kentucky plays inconsistently. Look for the purple Wildcats to come out much more prepared early, while the blue Wildcats claw their way back for a late win.



The Bell of the Ball: #12 SF Austin Lumberjacks (+6.5) over #5 VCU Rams

SF Austin currently owns the second longest winning streak in the nation behind Wichita State. They started the season 3-2 and are currently riding a 28-game win streak including an 18-0 run through the Southland Conference. No longer wearing the slipper themselves, look for the VCU Rams to not only not cover, but to get an early exit from the ball at the hands of the upstart Lumberjacks.



Best of luck everyone,

Vinny and Marco