How did Iowa make this tournament?

Tulsa had its NCAA dreams wiped away by losing to Wichita State in the American Conference Tournament, and they now welcome UNLV in the Second Round of the NIT. Tulsa finished 27-7 this season, but more importantly for this bet, they went 22-10 to the over. The team they're playing was also one of the better over teams in the nation, as UNLV went 20-13 to the over. This is one where the total should probably be 172, but I'm laying less than 162. Just the over on this game.

I got a feeling we aren't going to see that much scoring in the Seattle at Auburn Second Round NIT matchup. Seattle's playing like they love the NIT and pounded St. Thomas 67-52 in the first round. That was their 20th under on the season, and it lowered their scoring average to 66 points allowed per game. I'm not sure that Auburn wants to be in the NIT, but they've stayed under in their last three games. Under is the play.

Tennessee and Virginia figured to play a low-scoring game in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia. I made the total 129, and the send-out was 137.5. This is not the Tennessee and Virginia defenses from years past, but they both went under more times than over this year, with Tennessee staying under 18 times and Virginia 19 times. Virginia has gone over the total in their last five games, but Tennessee has gone under in their last three and seven of their last eight. Tennessee’s current form is what I'm banking on here. Both these clubs play strong defenses, with Virginia holding opponents to 39.6% shooting and Tennessee holding teams to 40.8% shooting. Let's get the under.

St. John's faces Kansas in the Second Round of the NCAA tournament in San Diego. St. John's comes into the tournament red-hot as they've now won seven straight games and 20 of 21, with their only loss coming to Connecticut, who they beat to win the Big East championship game. I think St. John's will have great success against a Kansas squad that has lost five of its last 10 and 10 games overall. Kansas is too up and down for me to side with them, and St John's is on quite a roll. I think St John's has a date with Duke next week in the Sweet 16. St. John's to cover.

Miami-Florida and Purdue hook up in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia. I think Purdue is going to the final four. You can tell by the way they’ve played their last five games, especially beating Michigan to win the Big Ten Tournament. They've gotten over the little mistakes they briefly had with turning the ball over and doing what they do best, which is passing the ball and not turning the ball over. They have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation. They also shoot 50.3% from the field and 38.5% from 3-point range. This team's got some great experience in the tournament that is going to help them get there again. Purdue to cover.

I expect a fast pace between High Point and Arkansas in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in Portland. High Point comes in as a 12 seed, and they've got a 15-game winning streak. They were relentless against Wisconsin. They wouldn't die; they just kept coming back. High Point shot only 42% from the field against Wisconsin, but they only made six turnovers. High Point has gone over in its last two games and 21 times on the season, while Arkansas has gone over 20 times. Arkansas won the SEC tournament and beat Hawaii 97 78 in the First Round, which went over. I made this total 178, and it opened 168.5. Just the over.

It's a second round of the NIT Tournament with Liberty traveling to Reno to face Nevada who is a 7.5-half point favorite. I'm looking at the total sitting at 146.5 because I set the total to 157, and the send-out was 147.5. Nevada went over 21 games this season, and Liberty was 18-12 to be over. Liberty was ranked 4th nationally in field goal percentage at 51.3%, and 3rd nationally in 3-point shooting at 39.7%. Liberty averages 78 points a game, and I think they're going to give Nevada all they can handle. Over is the play.

Texas and Gonzaga hook up in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in Portland, and I think the Zags put the clamps on the Longhorns. I made the total 136, and it came 147.5, making it an automatic play on the under. It's contrasting styles with Texas averaging 83 points per game, but Gonzaga allows only 65 points per game. All season long, Gonzaga has been dictating pace, sending 23 of its 34 games under the total. Gonzaga shoots 50.7 from the field and allows 39.4% shooting. Gonzaga controls the pace, and this game stays under.

Texas A&M faces Houston in the Second Round of the NCAA tournament in Oklahoma City. This total has risen to a high of 143.5, and I think it's time to bet the under now. Houston has gone under 21 games this year, including six of their last nine games. It's go time for Houston, and that means even more intense defense. Houston allowed only 39.7% shooting, and they allow only 62.4 points per game. Texas A&M has gone under their last two games. Just the under.

Saint Louis and Michigan play the early game in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in Buffalo. It's the top two defenses in the nation, and both shoot over 50% from the field. I think this is a spot where Michigan is playing below the high standards that they set for themselves at the beginning of the year, and Saint Louis regained their confidence in the First Round. Michigan hasn't looked the same since LJ Cason went out with a knee injury at the end of February. They look flat. Michigan hasn't covered in its last six games. I think Saint Louis pulls off the upset.

There's a great under the total opportunity between California Baptist and Kansas in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament from San Diego. The Lancers play a stingy perimeter defense, holding teams to 27.9% 3-point shooting. They're one of the top under teams in the nation, staying under 21 of their 33 games. Kansas likes to play defense and slow the game down even more, and has gone under 22 times in 33 games while holding opponents to 38.8% shooting. This a lot of points (138.5) to give in these two. Just the under.

Central Florida and UCLA hook up in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia. UCLA's problem this year was not playing well away from Pauley Pavilion, but they took a major step forward in the Big Ten Tournament, beating Michigan State and playing well against Purdue despite the loss. They covered all three of their tournament games and seven of their last eight. They're playing their best basketball right now, while Central Florida has lost four of their last five games. UCLA to cover.

We've got a live underdog here with Akron +7.5 against Texas Tech in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament from Tampa. I think Akron can ride some of that MAC momentum after watching Miami-Ohio win its first game. The Zips won the MAC tourney, not Miami, which had a 31-0 regular season. Texas Tech comes off a one-and-done performance in the Big 12 tournament with a loss to Iowa State, which makes it three straight losses for the Red Raiders. Akron has won 19 of its past 20 games and is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. They shot 50.3% from the field this season and hit 37.9% of their 3-point shots, while scoring 88.4 points per game. Akron gets the cover.

I got a feeling that Houston is going to make an immediate statement in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament against Idaho by showcasing Kelvin Sampson’s suffocating defense. They allowed 40% shooting, higher than past seasons, but it's still ranked 22nd nationally. What they did was allow the fewest number of made field goals in the nation at 20.9 per game, and they only allowed 62.9 points per game, which ranked third. I think this is Houston's year to win the championship, and it all starts with a good run against Idaho in this game. This defense comes at you fast and creates mistakes with an aggressive approach. Sampson gets favor of many officials to accept their bully-hustle ball against opposing offenses. Under.