What a weekend that was, huh? I don't know about you, but I'm still buzzing about the game between Gonzaga and UCLA. Unfortunately, we live in a world where hyperbole has become commonplace, and everything has to be the greatest or worst of all time, but there's no other way to describe that game.
Simply put, that was one of the most enjoyable basketball games I have ever experienced, from the opening tip until Jalen Suggs' dagger at the buzzer. It was one of those games that makes you a sports fan. The reason you keep coming back no matter how bad or boring other games might be. I mean, this hasn't been a great NCAA Tournament. There were upsets early and some Cinderellas, but we haven't seen many classics from the perspective of individual games.
That changed on Saturday night when Gonzaga and UCLA played. There were no lulls. There were no horrific calls by officials to put a black cloud on the outcome. Two teams played absolutely fantastic basketball and put on a show for those in attendance and the rest of us at home.
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If tonight's title game is half as good as that game was, we're in for an absolute treat.
Alright, now let's get this money.
All times Eastern, and all odds via William Hill Sportsbook
🔥 The Hot Ticket
No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 1 Baylor, 9:20 p.m. | TV: CBS
The Pick: Gonzaga -4.5 (-105): Full disclosure, I told you to take a future out on Baylor to win the national title at +500 before the tournament began on March 15, but this bet is not a way to hedge that. I took Baylor +500 because it was tremendous value, and the Bears reaching the championship game is proof of that. All that said, from a matchup perspective, I think we're getting too much value on Gonzaga here to pass it up.
Before Saturday's Final Four matchups, books released look-ahead lines to potential title game matchups, and Gonzaga was a 6-point favorite over Baylor. So what changed? Well, Gonzaga was nearly upset by UCLA in one of the most entertaining college basketball games I've ever seen, and that performance seems to be impacting this line.
And I want you to take advantage of it because as good as UCLA was in that game, it played at a ridiculous level. Baylor's a better team than UCLA, and I anticipate tonight's game being close. But unless Baylor has the kind of night from three that UCLA had from mid-range on Saturday, it's going to be difficult for the Bears to win or cover. Of course, Baylor's the best three-point shooting team in the country, so it's capable of doing so.
Is it capable of stopping Gonzaga, though? I'm not so convinced of that. I'm not sure the Bears have an answer for Drew Timme inside, and I think he's going to have a huge night to help lead the Zags to a title. That and Baylor's lack of defensive rebounding prowess proves to be the difference tonight.
Key Trend: Gonzaga is 4-1 ATS as a single-digit favorite this season, covering by an average of 7.3 points per game.
Here's what SportsLine is saying about the game: SportsLine expert Josh Nagel is 14-5 in his last 19 against-the-spread picks involving Baylor and has a selection for Monday's NCAA National Championship Game between the Bears and Bulldogs.
💰 The Picks
⚾ MLB
Astros at Angels, 9:38 p.m. | TV: MLB.TV
The Pick: Astros (+105) -- I made a nice chunk of change betting the Astros throughout their opening series against Oakland, and I'm not getting off the horse tonight. Not while the Astros are considered underdogs, anyway. The Angels are off to a 3-1 start, and Shohei Ohtani lit the world on fire Sunday night, pitching well and smoking a home run on the first pitch he saw as a hitter. But he also left the game after he fell while covering home plate on a wonky play.
The Angels want to make Ohtani a true everyday player this season, whether he's pitching or not, but I can easily see him getting tonight off after what happened yesterday. Losing his bat hurts the Angels. Still, even if he does play, I like the Astros at this price, as the market is far too low on this team to start the season. I'd take Houston anywhere down to -110 if Ohtani plays and -120, if he doesn't -- so to get them at +105 is a no-doubter in my mind.
Key Trend: The Astros are 6-1 in their last seven games as an underdog.
⚽ Champions League
Real Madrid vs. Liverpool, Tuesday, 3 p.m. | TV: Paramount+
The Pick: Liverpool (+165) -- I have a simple rule I follow for European competition. When it comes to matchups of massive powers that haven't been as powerful as expected, take the one from England. I've made money getting Liverpool at a reasonable price so far in the Champions League this season because its struggles in the Premier League have impacted its worth in the market.
Still, the Premier League is the most difficult domestic league in the world. Also, this season alone, we've seen Spanish teams struggle. All four Spanish qualifiers reached the knockout stage, but only Real Madrid remains. Atlético Madrid is atop the table in La Liga, but it was barely a speed bump for Chelsea in the Round of 16.
As for this match in particular, Madrid might be catching Liverpool at the wrong time. Liverpool has seen Diogo Jota return in recent weeks, and it's starting to look like Liverpool again, posting three straight clean sheets, including a 2-0 win to finish off RB Leipzig in the last round. On Tuesday, it'll face a Madrid team that we know will be missing Sergio Ramos and is likely to be missing Eden Hazard as well.
Key Trend: Liverpool have won six of their last eight Champions League matches.
🔒 SportsLine Pick of the Day: SportsLine expert Matt Severance is on a blistering roll in his against-the-spread picks and has a selection for Monday's NCAA national title game between the Bulldogs and Bears.
💸 The DFS Rundown
Building Blocks
PG: De'Aaron Fox, Kings
SG: Fred VanVleet, Raptors
SF: OG Anunoby, Raptors
PF: Christian Wood, Rockets
C: Rudy Gobert, Jazz
Value Plays
PG: Jordan McLaughlin, Wolves
SG: Svi Mykhailiuk, Thunder
SF: Darius Miller, Thunder
PF: Isaiah Stewart, Pistons
C: Kelly Olynyk, Rockets
Full lineup advice
Get winning NBA DFS picks from SportsLine pros Mike McClure and Jacob Gibbs. McClure has won almost $2 million in daily Fantasy, while Gibbs crushed the NBA last season, cashing around 65 percent of the time in cash games and nearly 45 percent of the time in tournaments. See their DraftKings advice and FanDuel lineups here.
⚾ MLB HR Stack Attack
It's the return of our MLB Stack Attack! We are betting on each of these players to hit a dinger in tonight's game between the Cubs and Brewers at Wrigley Field.
- Wilson Contreras (+350)
- Kris Bryant (+350)
- Anthony Rizzo (+350)
- Javier Baez (+400)
"here" - Google News
April 06, 2021 at 03:15AM
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Here's what Baylor has to do to upset Gonzaga, plus best bets for Monday night - CBS Sports
"here" - Google News
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