Larry's Picks (1 Live)
West Virginia has found different sources of offense in the College Basketball Crown, including 6-7 freshman DJ Thomas. When the Mountaineers don’t have to rely exclusively on Honor Huff, they’re tough to beat. Oklahoma has the superior scorers but West Virginia should slow the game down. Ross Hodge’s team is still riding the momentum of an unlikely comeback vs. Stanford and can take this to the wire.
Brandon Ingram is shooting 41.9 percent from deep since the All-Star Break. He's faced the Celtics twice this season, going 4 of 7 and 3 of 7 from beyond the arc. Boston has given up an average of 20 3-pointers over its last three games. For the season, the Celtics have given up the fifth-most 3-pointers (14.1 per game). Look for Ingram to make at least two treys Sunday.
Arizona scored at will inside the arc throughout its Sweet 16 matchup with Arkansas and after halftime of the Elite Eight game against Purdue. The Wildcats don’t like to take a lot of threes; that could prove problematic against the nation’s No. 1 defense. Michigan has the size and connectivity to bother Arizona’s normally unstoppable 2-point offense. The Wolverines hold opponents to 44 percent inside the arc. In a titanic matchup of peaking teams, I like Michigan to execute late, win and cover.
Auburn is the biggest name in the NIT and it continues to draw inflated lines. That's resulted in the Tigers, who are without 6-10 senior KeShawn Murphy, failing to cover each of their three NIT wins. Auburn is a more talented offensive team, but the Redbirds are better defensively. They just quieted a large hostile crowd in Dayton. Now they should have strong fan support at the neutral site in Indianapolis. Grab the points.
The Lobos have covered six straight games, and they've looked dominant in the NIT. New Mexico's closest win in this tournament was by 15 points. Tulsa relies on 3-point shooting but will face a Lobos defense that excels at guarding the perimeter. Lay the points.
Oklahoma covered seven straight to end the season, with senior guard Nijel Pack scoring 19-plus points six times. The Sooners face a depleted Colorado team that just lost three of its top four scorers as well as its leading rebounder and steals leader to the transfer portal. This number ballooned as a result of the Buffs' defections, but OU definitely is capable of winning this one by double digts.
Jayson Tatum has grabbed nine-plus rebounds in five of his last six games. He's averaging 9.1 rebounds since his return a little less than a month ago. Tatum was rested on Monday, so he enters this matchup at Miami having not played since Sunday. The Heat play at the NBA's fastest pace and give up the fourth-most rebounds per game (55.1). Look for Tatum to be a force on the boards.
Jarrett Allen played 18 minutes in his first game back from a 10-game absence due to knee tendinitis, racking up 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Heat. He should see 20-25 minutes in Tuesday's showdown with the Lakers after sitting out Monday's game. He has cleared this prop total in 15 of his last 16 games. Even with a few fewer minutes, I love Allen to thrive in this matchup after resting since Friday.
Phoenix is playing the second night of a back-to-back but the Suns are getting reinforcements while the Magic look discombobulated. Orlando has lost seven of eight after getting embarrassed by Toronto. This should be a pick-em so I took the points.
The Hawks have won 12 straight home games, and they have a clean injury report entering Monday's showdown with Boston. It's a quick revenge spot for Atlanta, which fell 109-102 in Boston on Friday. The Celtics won in Charlotte on Sunday without Jaylen Brown or Derrick White, while the Hawks rested. Jayson Tatum poured in 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting, adding eight assists. It's unclear if Tatum will play on the second night of a back-to-back, and whether Brown and White will return; the Celtics' injury report has not been released. Either way, I like the young Hawks to stay hot at home.
Aaron Gordon is out, weakning an already suspect Denver defense. We have a total of 237.5 for this matchup. At this stage of his career, Draymond Green is primarily a defensive anchor as well as a facilitator. He had 10 assists last time out vs. Washington. Look for Green to dish out at least six assists for the eighth time in 13 games this month.
UConn rarely gets to suit up as an underdog, and I think the experienced Huskies will relish that role. Duke has not been as dominant as expected in the postseason. This is a quick turnaround for Caleb Foster after he returned from his foot fracture vs. St. John’s. Look for another Duke game that goes down to the wire.
Tennessee destroyed short-handed Iowa State on the glass 43-22 and shot 51 percent en route to a 14-point win Friday. It will be much tougher to duplicate those feats, or even come close to them, against Michigan. I expect the Vols to struggle with their post-up offense vs. Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson. Right now, Michigan and Arizona are a cut above everyone else. Look for the Wolverines to pull away in the second half.
Kyle Filipowski is averaging 8.8 rebounds in March, and on Saturday night he'll start at center versus a Suns team starting Oso Ighodaro at center. Filipowski has cleared this prop total in eight of 12 games this month. Last time out, Phoenix gave up a whopping 60 rebounds.