Sunday, March 19, 2023 Since the odds-feed was down @ my press time, here's my Earlybird Play of the Day/1st Leg/Parlay. For this one, I don't know how the 21-10 Morehead State Eagles can contain red-hot G Jordan Walker whose averaging 25.7 PPG on his home hardwoods. 23-8 UAB already beat this team 85-71 last season when Walker netted 23. The Blazers are VERY strong @ home wining 6 straight & have gone 16-2 there on the season. UAB scores 82.2 PPG this season but 84 PPG when @ home. They take on an eagles team that knocked off in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament quarter-finals 65-58 by a losing squad in the 15-16 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. Let's get things started off on the right foot by rolling with the UAB BLAZERS on the ML for 9 Stars on home hardwoods @ Bartow Arena in Birmingham as my 1st Leg/Parlay Earlybird Selection! (WIN) Michigan State vs. Marquette (NCAAB) - 5:15 PM EDT Premium Pick Pick: Point Spread: -2.5/-110 Marquette Rating: 9* Mike's East Regional Semifinals Ticket Puncher (LOSS) This game could come down to how well East 7th-seed Michigan State (20-12) can knock 3's down from the perimeter. However, I have East 2nd seed Marquette as a legitimate Final 4 contender. This game is for a trip to East Region semifinals @ the historic Madison Square Garden (hear that organ now) on Thursday night. Remember, this is the winningest team in school history with the Golden eagles coming in @ 29-6 after whacking Vermont 78-61 on Friday. This squad is on a real roll knocking off their last 10 opponents & 15 of 16. Two things have been consistent in winning those. Junior G Tyler Kolek is averaging 17.2 PPG & the Marquette defense is forcing a whopping 15 turnovers a contest. Look for the Golden Eagles to play inspired. Their former player, 6'9" Joey Hauser transferred to Michigan State in 19' & will be in their starting lineup tonight. I have this one going close to the wire so we're going to play 9 Stars on the MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES (buying to + 3 1/2) as my East Regional Semifinals Ticket Puncher! Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Florida Atlantic (NCAAB) - 7:45 PM EDT Premium Pick Pick: Point Spread: -15.5/-110 Florida Atlantic Rating: 9* Mike's 3rd Leg/Parlay of Sunday Selections (WIN) There's nothing frantic about this Florida Atlantic squad this season. Their 32 wins (32-3) leads all Division I teams after their heroic ending with a Nick Boys layup for a 66-65 win over 8th-seeded Memphis on Friday. Giancarlo Rosado scored 15 off the bench while starters Martin, Davis & Greenlee also netted double figures. I'm not a firm believer in ANY 16th-seed in the second round since they're winless since the inception of March Madness in that round. The Farleigh Dickinson Knights are 21-15 & are winless in 5 Sunday tries versus the number. Remember, this team did NOT win the Northeast Conference. They lost 67-66 to the Merrimack Warriors. By virtue of the NCAA rule that requires schools to wait 4 full years to compete in the Division I Tournament (this is Merrimack's 4th year), the automatic bid went to the runner-up FDU. Hats off to HC Tobin Anderson but this will be FDU's 3rd game in 5 days since they won their play-in game versus lowly Texas Southern 84-61 before shocking the No. 1 seed in the East, Purdue Boilermakers by a 63-58 score. My bottom line says HC Dusty May will be taking all this into account before eventually gassing a Knights' squad who rank 330th on defense in Division I. Let's rock n' roll to Nationwide Arena in Columbus to play the FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLS for 9 Stars on the ML as my 3rd Leg/Parlay of Sunday Selections! Saturday, March 18, 2023 Furman vs. San Diego State (NCAAB) - 12:10 PM EDT Premium Pick Pick: Point Spread: -5/-110 San Diego State Rating: 9* Round of 32 Cinderella Fitter (WIN) There's no doubt that HC Bob Richey & his 28-7 Paladins are riding high after their gigantic 1st-round upset of 4th-seeded Virginia. The Purple & White Furman squad is playing in their 1st tournament in 43 years & won for the 1st time since 1974. However, the letdown is about to hit as it does many teams seeded 13th or lower who just pulled a monumental upset. HC Brian Dutcher's Aztecs (28-6) has the advantage here with a well-rounded team that has great balance. A hot hand could form anywhere within the combo of Matt Bradley, Keshad Johnson, Lamont Butler, Jaedon LeDee & Aguek Arop. My bottom line says San Diego State has shown up on Saturdays going 5-0-1 ATS & especially against teams with a winning percentage of above the .600 mark. They've gone an impressive 6-1-1 versus the number in that category. Keep in mind that #13 seeds or lower in the 2nd round have gone a disappointing 15-36-1 versus the number! We're not getting in front of that or the Aztecs' train that's rattled off 11 wins in their last 12 games. We're off to the Amway Center in Orlando to play 9 Stars on the SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS on the ML for the 1st Leg/Parlay! Northwestern vs. UCLA (NCAAB) - 8:40 PM EDT Premium Pick Pick: Point Spread: -7.5/-110 UCLA Rating: 9* Mike's 2nd Leg/Parlay of Saturday Selections (WIN) HC Mick Cronin's squad has a sneaky 30 wins this year with not too much hype along the way. This team also knows how to get to the Sweet 16 Round as a win here pushes their streak to 3 in a row. This team's playing MAD after an embarrassing loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 Finals. They went 14-0 over UNC-Asheville on Thursday & never looked back. I expect them to play with that same fire here over a Northwestern squad too reliant on star Boo Buie (22 points versus Boise State). For the Bruins, I'm expecting 6'10" big man & Prolific Prep HS standout Adem Bona to be back giving them stability on the boards. I'm looking for major contributions from Jaime Jacquez, Jr & Tyger Campbell for a UCLA squad that's 5-0 SU in the 2nd round. The PAC-12 has also gone a decent 5-1 SU & ATS versus fellow Big-Ten teams. Let's go to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento to play 9 Stars on my 2nd Leg/Parlay of Saturday Selections! Maryland vs. Alabama (NCAAB) - 9:40 PM EDT Premium Pick Pick: Point Spread: -8.5/-110 Alabama Rating: 9* Mike's 3rd Leg/Parlay of Saturday Selections (WIN) My last leg takes a serious look @ 30-5 SEC entry Alabama. They cruised over Texas A& M-Corpus Christi 96-75 on Thursday even though their All-American & future NBA lotto pick Brandon Miller was held scoreless (played 19 minutes nursing a groin injury). 4th-Year HC Nate Oats' squad proved what they can do in humbling Texas A&M 82-63 in the SEC Championship game this past weekend. They now take on a Maryland squad (22-12) that plays in streaks. They may have gotten past West Virginia (67-65) by doing just that. However, you don't survive going on long draughts (scored 4 points in 9 minutes versus the Mountaineers) versus the elite teams like Bama' whose # 1 in the nation in controlling the boards @ 40.6 RPG. Yes, we'll kudos to HC Kevin Willard (1st season) for the job he's done in College Park. Besides playing in their backyard, the Tide hold other distinctive advantages like in defensive efficiency (ranking 3rd compare to MD's 34th) & in tempo (ranking 4th versus the Terps' 313th). While this might make a game for a half, I see the #1 seed flexing their muscles down the stretch. Let's head to Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL to play the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE for 9 Stars as my 3rd Leg/Parlay of Saturday Selections! Mike Handzelek's 2022-23 CBB Overall Record: 36-4 for a surreal 90%
 

Click here to view all of Mike Handzelek 's premium picks.