3. (5) Creighton vs (12) UC Santa Barbara
LINE: Creighton -7
ATS PICK: UC Santa Barbara
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
To paraphrase the note under the rock, if I’ve come this far, maybe I’m willing to go a little further.
I’m a Power Five-level, blue-blood program, higher-seeded snob.
I want the little guys to get a t-shirt, enjoy the trip to the greater Indianapolis metropolitan area, and then go on about their lives so the monster matchups can happen in the rest of the tournament.
Of course it can’t be all chalk. There has to be a big upset moment somewhere.
UC Santa Barbara has the right mix. There’s a good blend of size up front and attacking guards who play a suffocating brand of D. The three point defense is good enough, and the team doesn’t make the types of mistakes that will screw things up the clutch.
And the Gauchos are fantastic on the free throw line.
Creighton ended the season rocky, getting blown out by Georgetown in the Big East Championship and losing three of their last six – and with Butler two of those three wins. UC Santa Barbara won five straight and 19 of its last 20.
I’m a believer in the Gauchos winning outright, and I’ll happily take the seven if you’re giving them.