NCAA Tournament Picks – Big East Rivals UConn and Cincy Match Up Again In West Region

As we formulate our NCAA Tournament picks for this weekend, we see that there is an All-Big East matchup for the right to go to the Sweet 16, as the Cincinnati Bearcats take on the UConn Huskies in a game at the neutral site of the Verizon Center in the nation’s capital, which, believe it or not, is hosting games in the West Regional. Connecticut, which won the Big East conference tournament and won the only meeting this season, is a three-point favorite. Also, Temple may have some fans coming down the interstate from Philadelphia as they take on the San Diego State Aztecs, who are a six-point choice in the line that will govern what we do in our NCAA Tournament picks.

NCAA Tournament Picks

WEST REGIONAL

Cincinnati Bearcats (26-8 SU, 16-12 ATS) vs. Connecticut Huskies (27-9 SU, 19-11 ATS)

Live at Verizon Center

Washington, DC

Saturday, March 19 — 9:40 PM ET

Odds for NCAA Tournament Picks:

Connecticut -3

Cincinnati +3

Total 130

These teams played only once this season; the Huskies won by a 67-59 score, and Jeremy Lamb scored 17 points for UConn, with 16 from Kemba Walker. That probably factors into our NCAA Tournament pick here. And Walker, who was the hero of the Big East tournament, had "only" 18 against Bucknell, with 17 for Roscoe Smith and 16 from Jeremy Lamb. Bucknell had a plan to thwart Walker, but the Huskies countered that with balance. “Their choice was simply Kemba Walker is not going to beat us,” coach Jim Calhoun said. “But he did. He beat you by making other people better. And that’s the key.”

The key to our NCAA Tournament pick here is that Connecticut has enough big people to neutralize Yancy Gates in the paint, and although they shoot at about the same percentage as Cincinnati, they are more capable offensively. They were able to prevail in the first meeting, even though the Bearcats were able to slow the pace. Maybe there are still some concerns about that trip of five games in five days at the Garden, but the Huskies cruised out to a 32-point lead before cruising in Thursday’s opener. They’re our NCAA Tournament pick

JAY’S PLAY: CONNECTICUT -3 ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

NCAA Tournament Picks

WEST REGIONAL

Temple Owls (26-7 SU, 17-16 ATS) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (33-2 SU, 21-12 ATS)

Live at McKale Center

Tucson, AZ

Saturday, March 19 — 6:10 PM ET

Odds for NCAA Tournament Picks:

San Diego State -6

Temple +6

Total 125

Well, Temple and coach Fran Dunphy finally got the monkey off their backs in their NCAA tournament opener, as they beat Penn State in a thriller. San Diego State may indeed be a juggernaut; we couldn’t tell from their win over Northern Colorado. So we have to look at some factors of style in putting together NCAA Tournament picks here.

Scootie Randall’s input was minimal following his return from an injury. In the absence of Michael Eric, Owls had been getting gargantuan efforts from inside player Lavoy Allen, and though Penn State seemed to devote itself to stopping him, and did, in a sense (three points), he found a way to contribute, with eleven rebounds and four blocked shots. We know that San Diego State has the veterans (four seniors) and maybe the best player on the floor in Kawhi Leonard (21 points, ten rebounds in last), but battle-hardened Temple plays deliberately and takes care of the ball enough to make this a 40-minute struggle for the second-seeded Aztecs, so they get the support in our NCAA Tournament pick here.

JAY’S PLAY: TEMPLE +6 **

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)