Handicapping the NFL is a leisurely Sunday stroll through the zoo next to analyzing the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. That's more like a long weekend trip to an amusement park, with rollercoaster peaks and valleys, a fun house and lots of thrill rides. Granted, college basketball handicappers have ample time to study first-round games. Seedings, pairings and lines are available Sunday and the first game tips off Thursday morning. Once scores from those 32 matchups start rolling in -- upsets are guaranteed -- it's crunch time. 'Cappers must analyze Saturday and Sunday's 16 games, and do it quickly. It's sort of like the tax preparer on April 15. Some sports analysts claim they're up 'round-the-clock for a couple days, watching TV, studying stats and draining the coffee pot every hour. Others, like ProCappers' Scott Spreitzer, try to maintain a more "sensible" schedule. Sunday is "family day" for Spreizter, his wife Vickie and their daughter Sarah, come hell or high water, the NFL Playoffs or March Madness. He was at his office bright and early Monday morning, though, to begin his marathon week of handicapping college (and pro) basketball, leaving for home and an evening with Vickie and Sarah about 5:30 p.m. (PST), just as darkness set in. "It takes plenty of time to handicap the first round," Spreitzer said. Scott will follow a similar schedule Tuesday and Wednesday, then shift gears on Thursday. "I'm usually up from the time games start around 9 a.m.(PST) Thursday until 2 a.m. Friday morning," Spreitzer said "I like to get Saturday's second round games 'capped while their Thursday first-round performances are fresh in my mind." Spreitzer tabs UConn to dethrone national champion North Carolina and reclaim the title it won in 2004. The Huskies are laying 22 points to Albany on Friday. His darkhorse is UCLA, which won the Pac 10 Tournament and saw its futures submarine from 25/1 to 12/1 in a single week. The Bruins, a No. 2 seed, open against 20-point underdog Belmont Thursday night. "I've been touting them since January, so I'm sticking with them," Spreitzer said. "If they get to the Final Eight, they'll likely have to face Kansas or Memphis. "I think their outstanding defensive play gives them a shot at getting to the Final Four." Las Vegas Hilton tournament futures list the Huskies as 5/2 tourney choices, with Duke at 4/1, Villanova at 7/1 and Memphis at 10/1. They are the event's four No. 1 seeds, with the Blue Devils earning the top overall seed. Spreitzer's bracket has Duke and UConn advancing to the Final Four, to be joined by the outsider Bruins and 40/1 long shot Boston College. He pegs the Huskies and Bruins for the title game. |
