College Baketball Handicapping – Analysis of A Winning Wager

BYU Pounds Portland in WCC Tourney Semi’s – Analysis Of A Winning Wager

We nailed another Top Play 20* Big Bertha last night as the BYU Cougars (-8) pounded The Portland Pilots 84-70 in West Coast Conference Tournament action at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. That runs our 2-unit Top Play 20* Big Bertha bombers to 15-5 since the start of February.  BYU took the money bet up to 9.5 at close, and the Cougars left no-doubt about the winner and ATS result building a 18-point halftime lead and stretching to 23 in the second half as they cruised to victory and a big rematch with Gonzaga in Tuesday’s West Coast Conference Championship game .

Members have sent thank you’s and positive messages while enjoyed the big profits since the start of the New Year, and we look to continue the superb run from the regular season through the conference tournaments and upcoming post season tournaments including the Big Dance, NCAA Tournament.

If you would like to join other winning members and receive selections from a proven professional with some analysis like the BYU game provided below, then join me for the post season party and we’ll win together!

BYU vs Portland at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas 11:30 ET   ESPN2

Portland upset St. Mary’s in quarterfinal tournament action Saturday 69-52 as a 6.5-point puppy. That victory was the first time Portland had beaten St. Mary’s in the last eight tries with all pervious losses by 8 or more points.  But don’t count on the Pilots shooting as strong (50% FG vs St. Mary’s, 30% FG allowed) or holding off the high-scoring and superior BYU Cougars as a 8-point underdog. Outlying results happen every night in college basketball, and with the energy and emotion exerted in a one-and-done format, we see players leaving it all on the floor. Unfortunately, Portland doesn’t have enough firepower or talent to beat a better BYU team led by senior leader and top scorer Tyler Haws ( 22 PPG ), who hit a jumper in the closing seconds to help BYU escape against double-digit ‘Dog Santa Clara 78-76 Saturday in Las Vegas.

Portland doesn’t have the firepower to out-score BYU, as the Cougars have the edges across the board on offense, defense, rebounding, assists and turnovers. Portland is also 1-7 SU the last four years vs. BYU with every loss by 9 or more points. In the last six meetings, BYU has AVERAGED 91 PPG against Portland.  BYU is the top-scoring teams in the nation with their up-tempo attack averaging 81 PPG vs. league foes. The Pilots lost to BYU 97-88 in Provo and 82-69 less than two weeks ago in Portland in a game that was closer than the final score until the final four minutes. Recall the Pilots lost four-straight games to end the regular season and allowed 79, 82 and 78 points their final three games, so it’s unlikely they will slow down BYU in this third meeting of the season.  Tough to pull off back-to-back upsets and strong performances, especially against a stronger team and even with a extra day of rest.

BYU averages a league-high 21 three-point attempts per game while hitting a solid 38 percent from the arc. The Cougars push the pace, spread the floor and share the basketball while leading the league in assists and No. 2 in steals. They are also one of the nation’s top free throw shooting team hitting nearly 80 percent and getting to the line by far more than any other team in the West Coast Conference. Recall BYU was on a 6-0 SU/ATS run before their narrow win Saturday. We anticipate plenty of scoring in this game again, as we deliver another Top Play 20* winner when the Cougars roll to a double-digit win and leave no doubt they are a worthy NCAA tournament team with a rematch in the WCC title game against Gonzaga looming Tuesday.