Xavier -1.5

[GoMuskies]

Just opened.

[vee4xu]

Given that you dabble in wagering, what do you think about the line?

[GoMuskies]

Hopped right on it. I might be biased, though. :smile:

I thought it would be a couple points higher.

[chico]

I like that line. Will be interesting to see how much it moves.

[GoMuskies]

UC is only a 2.5 point favorite over Harvard.

[vee4xu]

I hope make you a lot of money, brother!

On a different topic, what is the general consensus feeling with the locals about WSU? Made a Cinderella run last year, which was unexpected and had to be fun. This year, #1 seed and very high expectations. Interested in your take on local pulse.

[GoMuskies]

This town is Shocker Mad right now, and it's a lot of fun. I think people here still don't quite know what to expect, but they're just enjoying the ride. As an example of the madness, one of the guys I work with who I would totally not peg as a sports fan at all (and to the extent he is a sports fan, he's a OI Sooners man) decided to take his wife with another couple to Arch Madness in St. Louis. He came back raving about how great it was and how much fun it was and how great the team is. And people are eaten up with Gregg Marshall. His "Play Angry" mantra has caught on everywhere. Everything is "___ Angry". Work angry, drink angry, watch TV angry. Kind of amusing. The most fun dynamic is with the KU fans. They've always sort of patted WSU on the head and said you guys have a nice little program, and they mostly cheer for WSU, too. But that's starting to change a bit. The KU fans are definitely getting sick of the WSU fans getting "uppity" and thinking they should be mentioned in the same breath as the Jayhawks. Definitely fun to watch from an objective perspective.

And my company's name is on the basketball arena, so there are even work-sanctioned events. There were Shocker decorated deserts and "concession stand food" at the cafeteria when WSU played their MVC QF at noon, and the game was shown on the big screen downstairs (better to lose two hours of productivity with people watching downstairs than three hours of productivity if they go out to watch the game). Last year was the first "jeans day" that anyone could remember in company history on the day before the Final Four so long as you wore Shocker gear. So you had KU and KState fans going out and buying their first ever WSU shirt so that they could wear jeans to work.

If the Shockers lose before the Sweet Sixteen, the whole town will be seriously deflated.

[XUFan09]

I imagine they have to be pissed about who they have in their region. A 2 seed in a weaker region would be so much better than that. In fact, Kenpom wrote an article about how little seed-swapping within a region matters (for the top couple of seeds), and it's so much important who is in that region.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2013/03/bracketology_march_madness_2013_the_totally_pointl ess_debate_over_where.html

Kentucky is as strong of an 8 seed (17th in Kenpom) as WSU was last year.
Louisville, a 4 seed, is 2nd in Kenpom.
Duke, a 3 seed, is 7th.
Luckily for WSU, Michigan is the weakest 2 seed, efficiency-wise.

[GoMuskies]

Honestly, setting Wichita State up to play Louisville in Indianapolis is criminal.

[gladdenguy]

I hope Wichita St. loses to Kentucky. Screw them.

[GoMuskies]

I hope Wichita St. loses to Kentucky. Screw them.

Out of curiosity, why?

I have a special hate in my heart for Kentucky, so I could never root for UK against anyone, but why do you dislike the Shox?

[gladdenguy]

I just don't like anybody who has gone to a final four before Xavier. And I'm sick of hearing about them. I mean....its Wichita St. Hopefully they graduate everybody and I don't have to hear about them again.

[Snipe]

They got rail roaded.. Criminal indeed.

[waggy]

See, perfectly rational.

[Snipe]

I would like to see them win it all.

[GoMuskies]

Hopefully they graduate everybody and I don't have to hear about them again.

Three of top four are back next year. Two of them are sophomores. Sorry.

[xu82]

My sons actually went to the Gregg Marshall basketball camps at Winthrop, where my wife went and my mother-in-law used to teach. He is very well liked and used to ask about my sons every time they saw each other. Seems to be a genuinely nice guy with really nice assistant coaches. I get the lack of competition, but I find it hard to root against the guy. Let's make our own history!

[gladdenguy]

Three of top four are back next year. Two of them are sophomores. Sorry.

Great. Losing in the second round would be real nice though. Hopefully Kentucky dominates them.

[GoMuskies]

Initial lines I like:

X -1.5
Dayton +6
Louisville -16
Oregon -5.5
Harvard +2.5
ND State +4.5
GW +2
Nebraska +3.5
North Carolina -4
SF Austin +6
OK State -2.5

[GoMuskies]

Hopefully Kentucky dominates them.

Tempted to neg. Wishing for anything good to happen to UK is despicable. :smile:

[GoMuskies]

Up to X-2.

[chico]

What's the Wichita line, man?

Sorry couldn't resist.

[xufan2434]

Cannot and absolutely will not root for UK in any circumstance. I get that we wanted X to be THE Mid-Major or best team from non BCS but none of that matters anymore with the new Big East IMO. If I'm sick of anything, I'm sick of UK and Louisville. I absolutely love that Louisville got a 4 seed. They played in a top heavy conference where there were seriously no upsets outside the top 5. And they scheduled no one OOC. Suck it Pitino, trying to get a number 1 after that shit schedule. Russ Smith is as good as they come on certain days, but I honestly don't think they're nearly as good as last year.

GO SHOCKERS

[ChicagoX]

Just saw that the line has moved to Xavier -3.5.

[xsteve1]

Cannot and absolutely will not root for UK in any circumstance. I get that we wanted X to be THE Mid-Major or best team from non BCS but none of that matters anymore with the new Big East IMO. If I'm sick of anything, I'm sick of UK and Louisville. I absolutely love that Louisville got a 4 seed. They played in a top heavy conference where there were seriously no upsets outside the top 5. And they scheduled no one OOC. Suck it Pitino, trying to get a number 1 after that shit schedule. Russ Smith is as good as they come on certain days, but I honestly don't think they're nearly as good as last year.

GO SHOCKERS

Totally agree on Louisville. No Behanen, no Dieng. They lost their tougher OOC games in UK and NC and benefited from a weak league. They lost to Memphis twice, probably should've lost to UC twice and beat up on scrub teams like Houston and Rutgers.

[ChicagoX]

Line is now Xavier -4.0. That's a pretty decent change from the original spread of X -1.5 yesterday morning.

[GoMuskies]

Line is now Xavier -4.0. That's a pretty decent change from the original spread of X -1.5 yesterday morning.

Damn, maybe I should try to middle.

Nah, we're going to kick their asses.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Line is now Xavier -4.0. That's a pretty decent change from the original spread of X -1.5 yesterday morning.

Wonder what causes the change. Do they know something we don't?

[GoMuskies]

Some prop action for tonight. I like both of our overs.

TJ Warren (NC State) Total Points+Rebounds - Must PLAY
Points+Rebounds
o33.5 (-140)
u33.5 (even)

Ralston Turner (NC State) Total Points - Must PLAY
o10 (-120)
u10 (-120)

Semaj Christon (Xavier) Total Points - Must PLAY
o19 (-110)
u19 (-130)

Justin Martin (Xavier) Total Points+Rebounds - Must PLAY
o18.5 (-130)
u18.5 (-110)

[GoMuskies]

Big East Teams Tournement Wins (Creighton-Providence-Villanova-Xavier)
o5.5 (-120)
u5.5 (-110)

[SM#24]

Wonder what causes the change. Do they know something we don't?
Yes, the game is fixed so we can all rest easy.