[mm-video type=video id=01gved089g4bg8hvxtj0 playlist_id=none player_id=01evcg1x9ny8tb834m image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gved089g4bg8hvxtj0/01gved089g4bg8hvxtj0-3dc54a5dbd48b9ec5483c0ce0eebf69e.jpg]
Now that the First Four games are complete, the real fun begins Thursday as the NCAA Tournament’s field of 64 hits the courts at 8 different venues over the next 2 days. It’s time to embrace the madness, and make a little money in the process.
You’ve probably already filled out your brackets, but USA TODAY has another unique NCAA Tournament contest in which you can win $5,000.
Can you survive? USA TODAY Sports’ Men and Women’s Basketball Tournament Survivor Pools are here with a $5,000 prize for each contest! Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now!
An employee, I’m not eligible to win, but there’s no rule against me helping you win $5K.
So, here’s my strategy of how to win the Men’s Basketball Tournament Survivor Pool.
Each round, you’ll pick a set number of teams. For the 1st round, you must pick 3 teams to simply win their games — no spread involved. However, once you use a team, similar to an NFL survivor pool, you won’t be able to pick that team again.
In the 2nd round, you’re required to pick 2 teams to win outright. After that, the rules require 1 pick per round, through the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final Four and the title game. Simple, right?
Along with not being able to pick the same team twice, another tricky rule is that points are earned equal to your winning teams’ seeds. Staring with the 1st round, I’m not going to worry about points. My goal is to survive and advance. There are often too many upsets and I’m not going to take that risk of getting knocked out on Day 1.
Let’s treat this as a short marathon, not a 60-yard dash. We’ll earn our points in the later rounds.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3259″ ]
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3272″ ]
[betwidget_tipico]
First-round picks
PICK 1: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (29-5)
Who they play: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (24-10)
When: Thursday, 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS)
Where: Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham
No brainer here, right? Alabama is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the SEC regular season, the SEC tourney and 29 games overall.
Since I’m not sold on ‘Bama going all the way, I’m not saving the Tide for the singular pick in the later rounds. However, there is virtually no way this team falls to Texas A&M-CC, which picked up its 1st NCAA Tournament victory in school history in Tuesday’s First Four. It would be an amazing story for the No. 16 seed to advance, but it’s not happening.
The Islanders can roll up plenty of points, going for 80.2 points per game (PPG) this season, ranking 17th in the country, according to NCAA.com. They’re also one of the better free-throw shooting teams, hitting at 78.9% to rank 6th. But none of that matters as the Tide will roll all over the Islanders defense which coughed up 72.5 PPG (251st), while allowing teams to shoot 44.7% from the field (242nd), and 33.0% from behind the arc (1234d).
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the only college in America on its own island, will head home to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico content with a First Four win in Dayton, and a loss to the No. 1 overall team in the tourney.
Sign up: USA TODAY Sports’ Men Basketball Survivor Pool.
PICK 2: HOUSTON COUGARS (31-3)
Who they play: Northern Kentucky Norse (22-12)
When: Thursday, 9:20 p.m. ET (TNT)
Where: Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham
Later on Thursday night, at the same venue Alabama will advance, Houston takes the court. The Cougars are another No. 1 seed which I am not feeling to win all the marbles, although they’re more than capable of ousting a lowly 16-seed from the Horizon League.
Houston lost just 3 games all season, including a setback against the aforementioned Crimson Tide in December. It was also bumped off by non-tournament team Temple, while suffering a setback in the AAC Tournament championship game against Memphis.
Houston looked very mortal against Memphis in the AAC final, mainly because leading scorer G Marcus Sasser is nursing a groin injury, which is tricky at best. Without Sasser, the Cougars were in disarray. They managed just 65 points in a 10-point loss to Memphis, while shooting a 31.3% (20-for 64) from the field, and a dismal 24% (6-for-25) from downtown.
Like Alabama, I’m not saving Houston for later in the contest. Sasser is a question mark for the opener, and whether he plays or not, the Cougars will do enough to advance past NKU. But if Sasser were to aggravate his injury, the Cougars are no sure thing when the competition and pressure gets ratcheted up.
Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+
PICK 3: ARIZONA WILDCATS (28-6)
Who they play: Princeton Tigers (21-8)
When: Thursday, 4:10 p.m. ET (TNT)
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
I saved the best for last. I’m picking Arizona on a handful of brackets to win the whole ball of wax.
I love the combination of F Azuolas Tubelis and C Oumar Ballo in the frontcourt for Arizona, although it certainly has solid guard play to complement the bigs. This is a team which is going to make a very deep run, perhaps all the way to NRG Stadium in Houston for one shining moment.
In Arizona’s opener against Princeton from the Ivy League, it’s a near certainty that the Wildcats are stronger than the Tigers. Princeton’s 3 main forwards stand 6-foot-9 or shorter, while Tubelis is 6-foot-11 and Ballo is an even 7-foot-0. Those two will make life extremely difficult for any Ivy Leaguer trying to negotiate the paint.
The Tigers will be forced to use more medium and long-range shots, and that’s just not their game. The Tigers were a dismal 34.4% from 3-point land (164th), and a not-so-great 71.2% from the free-throw line (199th). Expect the Tigers to be in for a long afternoon, especially since the defense coughs up 68.6 PPG (131st).
Arizona is a high-flying offense, and this should be an breathe-easy 1st- round victory as we inch closer to the $5K.
Check back before Round 2 for our next winning picks!
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
For sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Plus, try out the USA TODAY Parlay Calculator and please gamble responsibly.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / Iowa / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin / College Football News
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1667]