I honestly forgot what it's like to not be in Vegas for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
I think I was on about a 10 or 11 year run of spending the opening weekend of the Dance in the Sin City but life happens so this year I'm watching from the confines of my humble abode.
That doesn't mean gambling isn't a part of the equation however and since we've got a pretty solid slate of Saturday games thanks to so few upsets on Thursday, I figured we should run a quickie contest for the day.
Here's the deal.
There are eight games today. Your task will be to correctly predict the point spread winner in each game. Should multiple folks post a perfect record (or at least best record) against the spread in those eight games, the grand prize winner shall be the person who submitted their perfect picks (or best record) first.
Grand prize winner receives a t-shirt, cap or beanie (sorry, no polo) from in-stock items in the 11W Drygoods and a $20 donation made by me, on the winner's behalf, to our Pay It Forward fundraiser seeking to build a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
For anyone else who turns in a perfect 8-0 record (or best record) against the spread but not before the grand prize winner tossed in their entry, I'll donate $10 to the Woody fund on your behalf.
Please list your picks, in the same game order as the chart below, simply noting the teams you think will cover (no need to list the spreads).
| TIP TIME (EDT) | FAVORITE | UNDERDOG |
|---|---|---|
| 12:10 | WEST VIRGINIA (-2.5) | NOTRE DAME (+2.5) |
| 2:40 | VILLANOVA (-6.5) | WISCONSIN (+6.5) |
| 5:15 | GONZAGA (-11.5) | NORTHWESTERN (+11.5) |
| 6:10 | FLORIDA STATE (-6.5) | XAVIER (+6.5) |
| 7:10 | BUTLER (-3.5) | MID TENN STATE (+3.5) |
| 7:45 | ARIZONA (-5.5) | ST. MARY'S CA (+5.5) |
| 8:40 | FLORIDA (-2.5) | VIRGINIA (+2.5) |
| 9:40 | PURDUE (-1.5) | IOWA STATE (+1.5) |
The fine print:
- Must be at least 21 years of age to enter
- One entry / comment per person
- Duplicate entries/comments will be ineligible
- Deadline for entries is 12:00 p.m. EDT
- Any entries/comments edited after 12:00 EDT will be disqualified
- Entries must be on 11W website - not twitter, Facebook etc.
