The NCAA Chalk Invitational is down to 8 teams with just one No. 3 seed interrupting the 1 vs. 2 proceedings.
Houston almost became the first No. 1 seed to fall, but scored on a perfectly executed last-second in-bound play to beat Purdue 62-60 Friday night in Indianapolis.
Dave Tuley’s ATS Report: Favorites swept 4-0 straight up, but went 2-2 ATS as Mississippi (+3.5) covered in a 73-70 loss to Michigan State along with the Purdue (+8.5) cover; Auburn (-8.5 vs. Michigan) and Tennessee (-5.5 vs. Kentucky) covered in wins; Unders swept 4-0. Favorites swept 8-0 SU in the Sweet 16 round, but only split 4-4 ATS; Over/Unders split 4-4.
Overall in the tournament, faves lead 44-12 SU and 30-26 ATS (53.6%); Unders improved to 31-24-1 (56.4%).
My condolences/congratulations on that Mississippi-Michigan State decision, which came down to a last-second heave.
Breaking down the matchups
Adam Burke and Zach Cohen preview the Elite 8 games:
Today
>(1) Florida vs. (3) Texas Tech | 6:09 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
>(1) Duke vs. (2) Alabama | 8:49 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
Sunday
>(1) Houston vs. (2) Tennessee, 2:20 p.m. ET | CBS
>(1) Auburn vs. (2) Michigan State, 5:05 p.m. ET | CBS
Best Bets & Picks
Greg Peterson has posted his plays for today’s games.
Josh Appelbaum will have his Sharp Report later this morning.
>Steve Makinen will have his Analytics Report for this round later this morning.
>Circa/DraftKings Betting Splits.
Contest update
Circa College Hoops Challenge: Selections for the Elite 8 round — three plays on spreads or totals — are due at 11 a.m. ET today and will be announced on the VSiN Weekend Morning Line with Tim Murray (10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET). They also will be posted here on VSiN.com. Texas pro handicapper Paul Stone remains the leader in the 15-handicapper field. >>Standings.
VSiN March Bracket Challenge: The three selections for the Elite 8 round are due at 5:30 p.m. ET today and will be posted here shortly after the deadline. This contestant is on a 13-1 roll, so you might want to see what he has today.
And if you want to see how VSiN staffers played the Elite 8 — including me — go here after the deadline.
Today in MLB
Greg Peterson will have his top plays every day based on his handicapped lines. >>Here are his plays for today.
Adam Burke will offer his Best Bets for the day’s menu every Monday-Saturday. Look for them on our MLB page.
Steve Makinen will file his MLB Analytics report by mid-morning and you can find it on the MLB page.
Other MLB resources
>Our daily matchup page with more detail by clicking on “Matchup Analysis.”
>Makinen’s daily power ratings
Derby prep plays
Dave Tuley weighs in with his plays for today’s Kentucky Derby prep races, the Arkansas Derby and the Florida Derby.
Patrick Meagher, host of VSiN Live on Mad Dog Radio, and Aaron Halterman of RacingDudes.com break down both races on VSiN At The Track — Road to the Kentucky Derby. >Watch the replay.
1/ST Bet offers wagering on hundreds of races every day from across the country and around the world. Sign up at 1STBET.COM with promo code VSIN200 to claim a 20% rebate for your first 60 days, up to $200.
Quick Hits
NBA: Zach Cohen will have his plays later this morning.
NHL: Jonathan Davis will have his Best Bets later, too.
Tennis: Zach offers his plays for the men’s and women’s finals in Miami.
UFC: Lou Finocchiaro has Best Bets for today’s card in Mexico City. Britton Hess will file his picks for every bout later this morning.
This is The VSiN Daily newsletter for Saturday, March 29. Sign up for this free email and get picks and insights delivered to your in-box every morning.
