We here at B.I.A.H don't fancy ourselves gamblers, but we do know a lot of people with crippling addictions to gambling. So why not help enable them, right? Semi-regularly, we will provide you a couple of picks and one lead-pipe-lock that you can take to the bank. But if you take our advice and don't win any money, you aren't allowed to come bash are knee-caps in.
Virginia Commonwealth (15-5, 7-1) at Towson (4-14, 0-8)
Towson is 0-5 in CAA play and has gotten blown out by the top teams in the league. VCU has won six in a row and has been taking care of business against the league bottom-feeders.
Pick: Virginia Commonwealth -10
Notre Dame (16-4, 5-3) at Pittsburgh (19-1, 7-0)
It's damn-near-impossible for a road team to win at the Zoo, and I don't think Notre Dame is the team to do so. The Fighting Irish have won two in a row, but all four of their losses have come away from home. In those four losses, Notre Dame has failed to score 60, and Pittsburgh is holding opposing offenses to roughly 60-ppg.
Pick: Under 136.5
Rider (13-7, 5-3) at Siena (7-11, 4-4)
Siena is struggling big time. They've got Ryan Rossiter but that's about it. Without a compliment of players to help him out, teams are able to double team him early and often and not have to worry about other players being big threats. The Saints have won four in a row at home, but will be without Clarence Jackson, who sprained his ankle against St. Peter's on Friday. I like Rider to cover in this one.
Pick: Rider -1.5
Lead Pipe Lock - Furman (14-5, 6-2) at Wofford (10-9, 7-1)
This is a big game for the SoCon South. Wofford is in first place, but Furman is just one game back. I would probably have stayed away from this game except for the fact that Wofford has been blasting quality opponents as of late. They beat the North Division leaders Chattanooga by 32 points, then beat Samford by 38. Furman is good, but if Wofford continues to play like they did the last two games, I think they will win this one soundly.
Pick: Wofford -7
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Monday, January 24, 2011
Bettin' Is A Habit - Monday |
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The BIAH Tournament Picks |
I know you all have been waiting, edge of your seat, for them. It is 2:11 am right now, and I finally have gotten to where I feel comfortable with it. Very chalky, but I do not really see many teams that can spring a few upsets this year. I know that the #1 teams dropped like flies all season, but the top 5 remained pretty consistent throughout the season.
No explanations, just my picks after the jump.
Midwest:
Sweet 16
Final Four
West:
Sweet 16
Final Four
East:
Sweet 16
Final Four
South:
Sweet 16
Final Four
Final Four:
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008
BIAH Season Update: Final Four Picks Pt. III |
Believe it or not, we are now about a quarter of the way through the regular season. With the pre-season tournaments in the past and conference season on the horizon, things are starting to slow down a bit as most schools are getting bogged down with finals. We at BIAH have had a chance to see all of the top teams and players in the country take the court, so here are each of our writers early, but educated, opinions on the Final Four, postseason awards, and the top 25.
ROB DAUSTER
North Carolina: Surprised? Doubt it. Explanation? None needed.
Connecticut: A little bit of a homer on this pick, but I think UConn is the most talented team in the country without a color named after them. The Huskies looked so impressive in wins over Miami FL and Wisconsin in the Paradise Jam. 
And they still haven't played a game with Stanley Robinson, who will be back on the court for the second semester. By now you should know what the Huskies are going to throw at you. Terrific man-to-man defense in the half court, a Calhoun-patented 2-2-1 press that is working as good as it ever as. Muscle and shot-blocking inside. Quick guards that love to penetrate and to get out and run the floor. Tenacious work on the offensive glass. But the x-factor for this team will be freshman Kemba Walker. He is one of the quickest guys in the country and a terror on the defense end, creating turnovers and turning them into easy points. But he still makes some freshman mistakes - gambling too much for steals, forcing it on the offensive end, turning the ball over. If he learns to harness his athletic ability, he already has the mindset and the toughness needed to be an excellent player at this level.
There are two huge red flags with the Huskies, and both are legitimate concerns. For one, they have a tendency to play down to their opponents (a la against Buffalo and La Salle), which is more an issue of focus and intensity. That shouldn't be a problem once the tournament rolls around. The other is that no one on this team besides Jeff Adrien (who was a freshman role player on the team that lost to George Mason in the Elite 8) has ever won a post season game. No Big East wins, no NIT wins, and thanks to San Diego and AJ Price's ACL, no NCAA wins. Can you really put your faith in a group of guys with zero post-season success to all-of-a-sudden figure it out and make a Final Four run?
Gonzaga: I really like the 'Zags this year. They remind me of the Jayhawks from last season in that they have six guys that can go for 20 on any given night and can get you a bucket when you need it. There are two main reasons that I think the 'Zags put it all together this year - Jeremy Pargo and Josh Heytvelt. Both are seniors that have had a bit up an up-and-down career. 
The knock on Pargo is that he has always been able to score and create, but that he turned the ball over too much and that he couldn't run a team. Well, he has changed that perception this year. Pargo has been fantastic. He has averaged 7.0 apg through the first five, while only turning the ball over eight times (a 4.5-1 ratio). He also has picked his spots to be a scorer, as seen in the Tennessee game. He distributes the ball to his talented teammates, but when the 'Zags really need a bucket, he is still able to break down a defender and score. Heytvelt was a victim of immaturity and injuries while at Gonzaga. He is immensely talented, but just could not stay on the court. This year, he has taken over the role of leader. He is the guy that will pull a teammate out of a scrap and calm him down (as seen at halftime of the Tennessee game) where he used to be the one getting into the tussles. Oh, and he is averaging 15 and 7. With those two, shooters like Micah Downs and Steven Gray, playmakers like Austin Daye and Matt Bouldin, and some toughness off the bench in Ira Brown and Demetri Goodson, I see the 'Zags finally making it to the Final Four.
Syracuse: There is just something about this team that I really like. Jonny Flynn might be the best point guard in the country not named Ty Lawson. Paul Harris is still the old do-it-all-Paul, but he now has a 15 footer that you have to defend. Arinze Onuaku is a horse inside. Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins have been knocking down three's on the perimeter, which has spread the defense and opened up space in the paint, and Devendorf has provided another player that can create off the bounce for himself and teammates. And guys like Kristoff Ongenaet, Rick Jackson, and Kris Joseph provide enough size, athleticism, hustle, and versatility that they can match-up with just about anyone. But the biggest change for the Orange is that they are no longer playing strictly a zone. They will get out and defend you man-to-man, and Flynn has created a lot of turnovers and easy baskets that way. The 'Cuse have been a bit inconsistent defensively, which seems to be an issue of focus more than anything (again, doubt that will be a problem in the tournament), but the biggest issue is that they do not utilize Onuaku inside. I have faith that Boeheim will get those problems fixed by the end of the year.
Outside of UNC, I think that more than any year I can remember, this season is wide open. I legitimately think that there are 20-25 teams that can realistically hope to reach the Final Four. Here are the others I considered:
Pitt, Louisville, Oklahoma - Big inside, not enough perimeter shooting.
Texas - Really like this team and tough to leave off, but they just don't have that look yet.
Purdue, Duke, Notre Dame - Not enough inside.
Michigan State, UCLA - Will be in the conversation by the end of the year.
Sleepers:
Wake Forest - I'm officially on the Jeff Teague bandwagon.
Arizona State - James Harden is really, really good. Too bad he's plays on the west coast.
Baylor - Big result that no one noticed: the uptempo Bears went into Wazzu and knocked off the Cougars 58-52, playing at the WSU pace and shooting 40%.
Tennessee - Not really a sleeper, but if this team gets rolling, watch out.
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BIAH Season Update: Final Four Picks Pt. I |
Believe it or not, we are now about a quarter of the way through the regular season. With the pre-season tournaments in the past and conference season on the horizon, things are starting to slow down a bit as most schools are getting bogged down with finals. We at BIAH have had a chance to see all of the top teams and players in the country take the court, so here are each of our writers early, but educated, opinions on the Final Four, postseason awards, and the top 25.
ROSS WEINGARTEN
North Carolina: Everything that can be said about this Tar Heel team has already been said: dominant, deep, unbeatable. I'll add one more: Wow. I have watched a lot of basketball in my time. Being a huge Duke fan makes this even harder to say. At this point, I can't remember a team with so few apparent weaknesses than UNC. They are athletic, talented and deep. Roy Williams is one of the best coaches in the game, Tyler Hansbrough is the best player, Ty Lawson the best point guard and that's just the beginning. People have raised questions about their defense, but I believe that after getting embarrassed by Kansas in last year's final four, UNC has enough motivation to buckle down on the defensive end when they need to. The ACC is better this year than it has been the last few, with Duke, Wake Forest and Miami all very good teams, and others with the potential to surprise people. But I'd be shocked if Carolina doesn't walk through the ACC and all the way to the Final Four. I just want everyone to know how much it hurts to write that.
Wow.
After UNC, there are a number of teams that have the talent and toughness to make the Final Four. However, all of these teams have serious questions that need to be answered before the second half of the season if they are to make deep runs into the tournament. While there are no more clear favorites to make the final weekend of the season, I'll pick three that I think will get there.
Gonzaga: The Zags are for real. In the past, Gonzaga has had talented teams that simply weren't tough enough or defensive-minded enough to make it to the Final Four. I believe this team is different. Jeremy Pargo is an extremely smart point guard and the catalyst for this team. Against Tennessee, he was solid but unspectacular for the first 35 minutes. Then, at the end of a close game against a very good Volunteers team, he took over, scoring at will, handling the press and making free throws. When you add Austin Daye, Josh Heytvelt, Matt Bouldin and Micah Downs, you get one of the most talented teams in the country. If Steven Gray is making his threes like he did against the Vols, watch out. Coach Mark Few has done a great job scheduling a very tough out-of-conference schedule to get the Zags ready for the tournament. I believe this is the year they break through and make the Final Four.
Pittsburgh: Year in and year out, Pitt's teams seem to be identical. Really tough, great defensively and boring to watch. This year is no exception, although I think they have a bit more talent than normal. Sam Young is one of the best players in the country, able to use his quickness and athleticism to go around bigger players and his size to go over smaller ones. Dejuan Blair had a great freshman year and looks even quicker and in better shape this year. Although undersized, he's very difficult inside. Most importantly, they have a senior point guard in Levance Fields that knows what needs to be done to win. He's a terrific ball-handler and defender and can score when asked. Throw in the characteristic toughness of all Jamie Dixon teams and I think Pitt will play into April.
Oklahoma: This is my dark-horse pick. "But Ross, you love Duke. Why not pick the Blue Devils?" Good question, and it pains me not to. But against Michigan, they faced an athletic team in a hostile environment and looked over-matched. It's the same old story: Duke has trouble with really athletic teams and when they are 
not making their threes, they can be in for a long night. True, this Duke team is different and deeper than in the past, but to be a serious final four contender, I think Gerald Henderson needs to become a star (he coasts too much right now) and Lance Thomas needs to emerge as a 30-minute-a-game big man. That might happen. But it might not.
So that leads me to the Sooners. Everyone knows about Blake Griffin, and the hype is real. He's the best player in the country, strong as an ox but able to lead the break and step out and make jumpshots. There's nothing he can't do and will probably be the first pick in next year's NBA draft. But the Sooners are more than just one guy. Taylor Griffin, Blake's brother, is a very solid player, Cade Davis is one of the best shooters in the game, and Willie Warren is an emerging star (at least when he learns what a good shot is). They already have solid wins against Purdue, Davidson and USC. I think this pick will surprise people, but a great player can take a team very far in March, and I think the Sooners will be no exception.
Writers Note: Rob will ask, why not UConn? The answer is because I hate UConn. And I don't much like Rob. Plus, they only beat Buffalo by 4. And they don't have great shooters. That's why.
Others I considered: Texas, Louisville, UCLA, Georgetown and Notre Dame. All great teams, but I think not quite Final Four caliber. Yet.
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