WINFO Issue #30

KYLE’S PICKS
TAR HEELS ROLL!
by Kyle Clifton
The Final Four is all set! We have
had an up and down betting tournament
so far, but no fear, as we
look at booking a 2-0 Final Four!
South Carolina vs. Gonzaga
In the first matchup, the Cinderella’s
of the tourney, South Carolina, take
on the #1 seed of the West Region,
Gonzaga. Many had the Gamecocks
losing in their opening round match
against Marquette, but South Carolina
had other ideas as they’ve knocked
off not only Marquette but Duke,
Baylor and Florida to reach Glendale,
Arizona. Gonzaga has finally reached
the Final Four, albeit never playing an
opponent higher than a 4 seed this
tournament.
South Carolina comes into this game
as quite big underdogs; it currently
sits at Gonzaga -6.5. If the line stays
there, this would be the 4th biggest
spread against South Carolina all
year. South Carolina is 4-0 against the
spread in this tournament, while Gonzaga
is just 1-2-1 against the spread
in the tournament. Being the most talented
Gonzaga team Mark Few has
had, I still think the Gamecocks have
the best player on the court, Sindarius
Thornwell. Thornwell is averaging
nearly 26 points per game in the tournament,
along with 7.5 rebounds and
2.25 steals per game.
South Carolina hasn’t pulled off these
upsets by buzzer beaters either; they
are winning by over 13 points per
game in the tournament. They have
a better defense than Gonzaga, and
the best player on the court. March
Madness is all about being hot at the
right time, give me South Carolina. I
think they have a very good chance
of winning this game, but the spread
makes this an easy decision.
Kyle’s Pick: South Carolina +6.5
Oregon Ducks vs. North Carolina
Tar Heels
In the final matchup of the Final Four,
the North Carolina Tar Heels take
on the Oregon Ducks. I was a huge
fan of this Oregon team all season,
multiple times blogging about how
they are a Final Four team, but I’ll
admit I took at least one foot off the
bandwagon when they lost Chris
Boucher late in the season. Despite
my pessimism and thinking they had
no chance to beat Kansas, the Ducks
now find themselves one game from
the Championship.
North Carolina was one of the favorites
coming into the tournament,
and they haven’t disappointed. They
did almost lose to Arkansas in the
second round, but they have bounced
back to destroy Butler in the Sweet 16
and beat a really talented Kentucky
team in the Elite 8.
Oregon is just 3-3 against the spread
in the last 6 games, while UNC is not
much better at 2-2-2 in their last 6
games against the spread. Oregon
has only been going 6 players deep for
the most part this tournament, while
North Carolina goes at least 7 deep.
Too be honest, I think the National
Championship was played in the
evening last Sunday when North
Carolina played Kentucky. UNC
survived that matchup, and I think this
current Oregon team is a solid step
down from Kentucky. With the spread
at just -4.5, I think North Carolina will
comfortably cover this and then win
the National Title on Monday Night.
Kyle’s Pick: North Carolina -4.5
Season Record: 7-6 ATS
Aside from being a diehard fan of the
Indiana Pacers, Chicago Cubs, Duke
Blue Devils, Green Bay Packers and
FC Dallas – Kyle is also a college
basketball handicapper with a proven
record of success. You can get more
of Kyle’s picks daily by following him
on Twitter @KyleCliffy and checking
out his blog http://kylecliftonsports.
weebly.com/
7