Record, Round 2: 5-6
Overall Record: 11-24
Total Outlay, Round 2: $1,150.00
Total Winnings, Round 2: $1,157.45
Total Gain, Round 2: $7.45
Overall Loss: $923.45
Overall, not bad, although it obviously would have helped if either of my two parlays came through -- or better, if I had just won every single wager this past weekend. Let it be said that the Giant Killers Blog on ESPN.com, which I followed religiously when laying down my first bets for the first round on Thursday and Friday, is having an absolutely atrocious tournament. I think they went 1-6 in games where they said the upset chances for the lower-seeded team were good enough to be called "Best Bets."
I did not follow them as much for Round 2. Sadly, I did rely on them enough to believe that Ohio St. would pull the shocking upset of Arizona, so much so I roped the Buckeyes into each of the two parlays. Instead, they got their doors blown off by 15. Also, I was surprised that Xavier, which I still believe to be pretty weak, was able to put away Georgia St. Fortunately, those were the only wrong bets I made. I nailed the Wichita St. upset of Kansas, snagging both Against The Spread and Straight-Up bets (although a bunch of people did), knew that Utah would cover its -4 1/2 in beating Georgetown, won the 50/50 ball of West Virginia over Maryland, and was lucky in getting Butler at +4 1/2 after losing in overtime to a Notre Dame team whose defense still blows.
So winning $7.45 is nothing after losing more than $900 in the previous round, but it's better than going farther in the hole.
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That has been my modus operandi: Overdose on upsets in Round 1, lick my wounds and be a bit more cautious in Round 2, and start my comeback slowly from there. The trick is to not make any huge blunders and nail what I think are the easy calls. So here goes nothing:
1) Wichita St. -2 (The Fighting Irish have not faced a defense as relentless as the Shockers, and their defensive inefficiency will be exposed like me at a stripper party) $200
2) West Virginia +13 1/2 (This won't be a big bet, but I want to lay some money on this. I have been swayed by a Covers article saying that Kentucky might have a problem rebounding, especially on the offensive glass, against the Mountaineers' tall front line. They were able to thug it up in defeating the Terrapins, and Head Coach Bob Huggins knows that a street fight will be the only way to pull off what would be one of The Five Greatest Upsets In The History Of Recorded Sport. Besides, every time, even one fated for canonization as the Wildcats appear to be this year, have been tested in The Big Dance once; why can't it be West Virginia?) $50
3) Arizona -10 1/2 (Xavier's miracle run has to end at the hands of a Wildcats team playing in Los Angeles, right?) $150
4) Louisville -3 (Playing only on the fact that N.C. St's defensive efficiency is still in the 80s, and that Rick Pitino is on the sideline) $100
5) Utah +5 1/2 (After obviously Kentucky, the Utes were, to me, the most intriguing team in the NCAA Tournament. They did not go into it on a roll, and they seemed underseeded and thus ripe for a 12-over-5 upset at the hands of chic Cinderella pick Stephen F. Austin. I predicted that the Utes would lose. But Larry Krystowiak has burnished his reputation as a good Head Coach by piloting past SFA, then trouncing the in-over-their-heads Hoyas ... and I think they're good enough on the defensive end to spring the upset and knock out Duke. So much so that you can Double Best Bet this. ...) $150
6) Utah M/L +206 (... and then take them SU as well) $50
7) Parlay 1) with 5), for $100.
Good luck!
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