Limited Wisdom

A friend of mine who has read, The Madness of March, left a phone message last week. His message was succinct, "The dogs, the dogs, the dogs, the dogs."

For readers of the blog who have also read the book, you may recall that this was the sage advice from a looped fan at the Bellagio one March Madness weekend. He, the sage, and a cohort opined that the best teams to bet were always the underdogs. That year, with one notable exception, the pundit was correct which, no doubt, was the reason he was willing to boom his philosophy to anyone in the vicinity of his barstool. My pal left the message because last weekend, three notable dogs, Northern Iowa, Cornell, and St. Mary's all prevailed beating respected foes Kansas, Wisconsin, and Villanova respectively.

Cinderella comes home tonight. I have been so wrong before. In the summer of 1980 I wandered around my house muttering, "Who in the world will vote for Ronald Reagan?" Such is my prescience. Nevertheless, I think Cinderella is done.

No team can keep shooting like Cornell is shooting. I would love to see the Big Red story continue against Kentucky, but despite the heat coach Calipari is receiving these days, the man has been successful everywhere he has gone. Kentucky has to be sick and tired of hearing how swell Cornell is and how smart they are and gee whiz isn't it great that an ivy league school has gone this far and... Kentucky will win this game by double figures. Give up the 8 1/2 and run.

St. Mary's lost to Gonzaga twice during the regular season. Their center had the game of his life on Sunday. Baylor will put the clamps on the big guy and then they have nothing left. Give up the 4 and watch Cinderella change duds in the blink of an eye.

Ali Faroukmanesh has become a household name (for those who can utter so many syllables in a single breath). Michigan State is very well coached. With or without the stud who went down last weekend, the University of Northern Iowa even with Lucas O'Rear and his sideburns, will go back to Cedar Falls. Michigan State saw how UNI could not inbound the ball against pressure, and you will see UNI look befuddled within the first half. Michigan State is laying only 1. Take out a loan and bet on the Spartans

My predictions for the rest of the games today and tomorrow: (from a man who thought Carter would win a second term. Perhaps I would be wise to "Ask Amy"--this a reference to President Carter's faux pas during the last presidential debate of that season).

West Virginia covers the 4 against overachieving Washington. Syracuse beats Butler by nine covering the 6, Duke ends Purdue's run, but does not cover the 8. Xavier beats Kansas State.

Except for Xavier, Cinderella goes home.

Final Note: Before you place any wagers, look back at the title for this entry.