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**TheGame** · 03-31-2016, 08:54 AM

Re: CBB Betting Info. 3/31

GEORGE WASHINGTON (27 - 10) vs. VALPARAISO (30 - 6) - 3/31/2016, 7:00 PM

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GEORGE WASHINGTON vs. VALPARAISO
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The total has gone OVER in 6 of Valparaiso's last 9 games
Valparaiso is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games

**TheGame** · 03-31-2016, 08:54 AM

Re: CBB Betting Info. 3/31

College Basketball Knowledge

NIT

George Washington scored 83.8 ppg in winning first three NIT games, then shut down San Diego State 65-46 in semis; Colonials are 15-2 out of conference, 5-4 vs top 50 teams- they're #26 experience team whose two best NIT games were both away from home, at Monmouth and the semis Tuesday. Valpo is 12-3 out of conference, 3-1 vs teams in the top 60. A-14 teams are 3-1 vs Horizon teams this year, but Valpo got only Horizon win, 58-55 over URI. Valpo played two kids 31:00+ Tuesday; GW played three guys 31+, but their win was fairly stress-free.

**TheGame** · 03-31-2016, 08:55 AM

Re: CBB Betting Info. 3/31

NIT Championship
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Valparaiso and George Washington didn’t hear their respective names called on Selection Sunday, but they’ve looked the part of NCAA Tournament teams in making it to Thursday’s NIT finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Westgate SuperBook opened Valparaiso (30-6 straight up, 17-15-1 against the spread) as a one-point favorite with a total of 133 points. As of late Wednesday night, most spots had the Crusaders favored by two with the total remaining at 133. They are -135 on the money line, while the Colonials are +115 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $115).

Valpo dominated its first three games at home, but it needed a blocked shot at the buzzer to hold off BYU 72-70 in Tuesday’s semifinals. The Cougars came up short, but they cashed tickets in backdoor fashion as three-point underdogs.

Valpo led by as many as 16 points in the second half but disappointed its backers in the end. The 142 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 149-point total after looking on pace in the early going.

Bryce Drew’s team raced out to a 44-30 advantage at intermission. However, BYU stormed back and took its first lead of the game with 4:26 left to play.

BYU Chase Fischer scored a bucket to cut the deficit to 71-70 with seven seconds remaining. After being fouled, Valpo’s Shane Hammink made only one of two free throws, but he swatted away a long 3-point attempt at the horn. The miss from the charity stripe proved costly for gamblers backing the Horizon League regular-season champs, however.

Alec Peters led the Crusaders with 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. David Skara drained 3-of-5 attempt form long distance and finished with 15 points, and six rebounds. Keith Carter contributed 13 points, five boards, four assists and two steals, while Hammink tallied 10 points, five assists, three steals, three boards and five blocked shots.

Valpo has the nation’s premier shot blocker in senior center Vashil Fernandez, who averages 3.3 blocked shots per game. Fernandez had three rejections against BYU. The 6’10 big man from Kingston, Jamaica, averages 5.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Peters averages team-bests in scoring (18.4 points per game), rebounding (8.4 RPG) and field-goal percentage (50.7%). Carter (10.3 PPG) averages team-highs in assists (4.4 APG) and steals (1.6 SPG).

Valpo has been a single-digit favorite 16 times this season, limping to a 6-10 spread record. The Crusaders are currently in a 4-9 ATS slump in their last 13 games (regardless of the fave/’dog situation).

George Washington (27-10 SU, 17-16-1 ATS) advanced to the finals by virtue of Tuesday’s 65-46 win over San Diego St. as a three-point underdog. The 111 combined points fell ‘under’ the 132.5-point total.

Tyler Cavanaugh paced the winners with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Patricio Garino added 13 points and five rebounds.

GW played stifling defense, limiting the Aztecs to 17-of-59 shooting (28.8%) from the field and 3-of-22 from 3-point land (13.6%).

Mike Lonergan’s team found its way to MSG in NYC with wins over Hofstra, Monmouth and Florida. The Colonials edged Hofstra by an 82-80 count in the opening round, but they failed to cover the number as six-point home ‘chalk.’

Cavanaugh was the catalyst with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Garino added 18 points, while Kevin Larsen produced 16 points, seven boards, seven assists and four steals.

GW went on the road in Round 2 to beat Monmouth 87-71 as a two-point underdog. Cavanaugh dropped 22 points and 12 rebounds on the Hawks, while Larsen finished with 19 points, five boards and five assists without a turnover. Garino had 19 points and six rebounds, while Joe McDonald contributed 16 points and seven boards.

GW won an 82-77 decision over Florida in the NIT quarterfinals, hooking up its backers as a two-point home ‘chalk.’ Cavanaugh buried 4-of-5 launches from 3-point range and scored a game-high 23 points. Larsen finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, while Garino had 13 points and eight boards.

GW has been an underdog 11 times this year, going 6-5 ATS with five outright wins. The Colonials beat Virginia and Seton Hall at home, while also winning outright at VCU.

The ‘over’ had hit in six straight games for GW until the ‘under’ prevailed in the win over the Aztecs. The Colonials have watched the ‘over’ go 18-16 overall.

The ‘under’ is 17-16 overall for Valpo after cashing in back-to-back contests.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

The beauty of the NCAA Tournament is the thrill of victory. On the flip side, there’s always the agony of defeat. Senior players who have poured their hearts and souls into a collegiate career see it crashing down, sometimes with one shot, other times with 40 forgetful minutes of basketball. Here’s a ranking of the most gut-wrenching defeats of the 2016 Tournament, losses that’ll never leave those that invested so much, only to see it end in heartbreaking fashion:

1-No. Iowa vs. Texas A&M – The Panthers blew a 12-point lead in the final 44 seconds, then lost to the Aggies in double overtime. They turned the ball over four times, while A&M hit six straight shots at the end of regulation.

2-Texas vs. No. Iowa – You simply aren’t supposed to lose in the NCAA Tournament on a half-court shot off the backboard at the buzzer. It just ain’t right, but that was the fate dealt to the Longhorns.

3-Virginia vs. Syracuse – This just in: Jim Boeheim can coach. The ‘Cuse was a bubble team that’s in the Final Four, but only after rallying from a 16-point second-half deficit. This one will sting in Charlottesville for decades.

4-Stephen F. Austin vs. Notre Dame – Rex Pflueger tipped in the winning bucket for the Fighting Irish with 1.5 seconds remaining. This was one of the best games of the entire Tournament, with neither team leading by more than seven at any point. Thomas Walkup’s brilliant collegiate career came to an end after he led the Lumberjacks to a never-a-doubt win over West Virginia in the Round of 64. Walkup had given SFA a five-point lead with a pair of free throws at the 2:05 mark against Notre Dame.

5-Wisconsin vs. Xavier – The Musketeers led by nine with 6:19 remaining, but Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig refused to lose on this night. Keoenig hit a pair of 3-balls in the last 11.7 seconds, including a fading-out-of-bounds 22-footer from the corner at the buzzer.

6-Syracuse vs. Gonzaga – I hate saying this because refs have an extremely difficult job. I really hate saying it when it’s reality, but the officiating in this Tournament has been a joke (think of Ben Bentil’s phantom fourth foul against North Carolina or the foul on Kansas in a loose-ball scramble at crunch time). Gonzaga should’ve been on the free-throw line down one with Josh Perkins shooting two with a couple of seconds remaining. Perkins was hammered inside but didn’t get the whistle. Gonzaga blew a nine-point cushion with 6:30 left.

Lon Kruger owns a 20-16 career record in the NCAA Tournament. He has taken five schools to the Sweet 16 and the Oklahoma coach is headed back to the national semifinals for the first time since he guided Florida to Charlotte in 1994 for the school’s first Final Four appearance in program history.

Syracuse and North Carolina faced each other in the 1987 East Region finals at the Meadowlands. Rony Seikaly had dominated the late Dwayne Schintzius, then a lanky true freshman, to lead the ‘Cuse to a Sweet 16 win over Florida and the M&M Boys (Andrew Moten and Vernon Maxwell) in come-from-behind fashion. J.R. Reid had led UNC past David Rivers and Notre Dame in the East semifinals to set up the meeting with the Orangemen, their mascot name back then. Seikaly and Sherman Douglas led Boeheim’s bunch to the win over UNC and a trip to New Orleans, where Keith Smart and Indiana would prevail over the ‘Cuse on Smart’s baseline jumper in the closing seconds. That IU team gave Bobby Knight his third and final national title during Steve Alford’s senior campaign. That Syracuse team had a lanky freshman, too. His name was Derrick Coleman, who isn’t very skinny these days. Coleman came out of nowhere to block a Moten shot when UF led Syracuse by five in the final six minutes. Coleman subsequently threw down court to Greg Monroe, who scored a three-point play the hard way when Maxwell fouled him. The sequence completely turned the game and prevented the Gators from advancing in their first-ever trip to the Big Dance. Who did IU beat in the Final Four that year? That would be Rick Pitino’s Providence team led by a senior guard named Billy Donovan, who would eventually get Florida to four Final Fours as its head coach, including a pair of natties in ’06 and ’07. Anyway, Syracuse and UNC meet again Saturday. The Tar Heels are favored by 9.5 points.

**Satch** · 03-31-2016, 09:43 AM

Re: CBB Betting Info. 3/31

Preview: George Washington vs Valparaiso
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 31, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
One team is going to emerge with the first NIT championship in school history on Thursday when top-seeded Valparaiso faces fourth-seeded George Washington in the title contest at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The Crusaders have set a school record with 30 victories while the Colonials have matched the school mark with 27 wins.
Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew said his squad has moved past the NCAA Tournament snub and it has appeared that way with three consecutive double-digit NIT wins prior to Tuesday’s 72-70 victory over Brigham Young in the semifinals. “It’s a huge step for our program,” Drew said at Wednesday’s press conference. “To be able to play this deep into March, only a few teams left in the country, getting the exposure on ESPN, and getting to play in Madison Square Garden, I think our fan base and our university and our alumni and everyone is just really excited about what’s happened the last few weeks.” George Washington was a longer shot per making the NCAA field but coach Mike Lonergan has refocused his squad and the Colonials routed San Diego State 65-46 in the semifinals. “Obviously, we would have rather made the NCAA Tournament but this really adds to the legacy of our seniors and that’s what I really feel good about,” Lonergan said Wednesday. “Getting to New York was probably what we really needed to do, for me, to have a good summer.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT GEORGE WASHINGTON (27-10):
Junior forward Tyler Cavanaugh has been superb during the Colonials’ NIT run and is averaging 21.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in the four games while making 10-of-20 3-point attempts. “He’s been incredible,” Longeran told reporters. “He’s scored double figures every game this year and then I didn’t realize it, I think he’s averaging over 20 points a game now in the NIT, so he’s really stepped it up.” Cavanaugh averages a team-best 16.9 points while senior guard Patricio Garino (14.1) and senior forward Kevin Larsen (12.1 points, team-leading 8.4 rebounds) also are averaging in double digits.
ABOUT VALPARAISO (30-6):
The Crusaders also feature a red-hot player in junior forward Alec Peters, who is averaging 22.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in the NIT and his 15-point outing against BYU snapped a streak of seven consecutive 20-point outings. But Peters (18.4 points, 8.4 rebounds) wasn’t the hero in the semifinal contest as guard David Skara (6.7) knocked down the tiebreaking 3-pointer, blocked a last-second 3-point attempt by BYU guard Chase Fischer and scored a season-best 15 points. “I think he plays with a lot of confidence,” Drew said of Skara. “He plays within himself and he hasn’t gotten rattled out there, even though he’s only a sophomore.”
TIP-INS
1. George Washington’s four NIT victories are by an average of 10.5 points; Valparaiso’s average margin of victory is 10.3.
2. Crusaders senior C Vashil Fernandez leads the nation with 114 blocked shots and holds the school record of 284.
3. The Colonials committed only six turnovers against San Diego State and average 11.3 miscues per game.
PREDICTION: Valparaiso 72, George Washington 66

**Satch** · 03-31-2016, 09:43 AM

Re: CBB Betting Info. 3/31

GWU meets Valparaiso in NIT Finals Thursday
By Zach Cohen
GEORGE WASHINGTON COLONIALS (27-10) vs. VALPARAISO CRUSADERS (30-6)
‘NIT Championship Game’ – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Tip-off: Thursday, 7:00 pm ET
Line: Valparaiso -1.0
George Washington and Valparaiso will both be looking to cap off magnificent seasons when the teams meet in the NIT Championship on Thursday.
George Washington has had a very impressive tournament, as the team has now knocked off Monmouth, Florida and San Diego State on its way to this game. The Colonials were three-point underdogs against the Aztecs on Tuesday and won that game 65-46. San Diego State shot just 28.8% from the floor in that game and that is the third time in a row that George Washington has held its opponent to less than 45% shooting. Valparaiso, meanwhile, defeated BYU 72-70 as a two-point favorite on Tuesday. The Crusaders were fresh off of a 60-44 victory over St. Mary’s and this team will be feeling really good coming into this one. One trend worth keeping an eye on in this one is that Valparaiso is an impressive 10-2 ATS when playing with one or less days rest on the season.
The Colonials have really been playing some very good basketball in this tournament and one guy that will need to stay hot for the team is F Tyler Cavanaugh (16.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG). Cavanaugh is averaging 21.3 PPG and 9.8 RPG in the tournament and he has also gone 10-for-18 from the outside as well. His ability to stretch the floor is huge for George Washington and he’ll need to have his stroke on Thursday. Another guy that will need to come up big for the Colonials is F Kevin Larsen (12.1 PPG, 8.4 RPG). Larsen is yet another big man that is capable of shooting from the outside, but he will mostly be relied on to score around the basket in this game. He struggled a bit against San Diego State, finishing with just seven points in 29 minutes of action. Larsen should, however, find some success against Valparaiso on Thursday. It’s just important that he finds other ways to impact the game if his shot isn’t falling. In the backcourt, G Patricio Garino (14.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG) will need to be on his game in this one. Garino has had a magnificent tournament, averaging 15.8 PPG through the first four games. He relentlessly attacks the rim and is also a very good shooter from the outside, as he has hit 42.7% of his threes coming into this one. If he is on Thursday then it’d be tough for Valparaiso to deal with both him and Cavanaugh.
Valparaiso felt like it was snubbed from the NCAA tournament, but the only way that the team can even continue to make that claim is by winning the NIT. If the Crusaders are going to win on Thursday then they will need some huge performances from G Keith Carter (10.3 PPG, 4.4 APG, 1.6 SPG), F Alec Peters (18.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG) and C Vashil Fernandez (5.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.3 BPG). Carter and Peters are the guys that Valparaiso will be counting on offensively. Carter controls the offense and also happens to be a 39.1% shooter from the outside. He’ll need to find his teammates in the right spots and also knock down some of his looks from three on Thursday. Peters, meanwhile, is one of the best scorers in the country. He is capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor and is dangerous from three, as he is a 44.5% shooter from behind the arc. The Crusaders will need him to match the production of Cavanaugh in this game. Defensively, Fernandez is the guy the Crusaders will be leaning on. He is one of the best shot-blockers in the nation and if he can avoid foul trouble then he will make things very difficult on the Colonials in this one.

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CBB Betting Info. 3/31

CBB Betting Info. 3/31

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