Robert Ferringo
3-Unit Xavier (+6) over UCLA (6:40 p.m., Saturday, March 29)
UCLA may be the better team overall, but they have not been the better team over the last nine days. The Bruins are having serious troubles on the offensive end. And against a very sound, solid defensive team I don?t know if it?s going to get any better for them. The bottom line is that I don?t trust UCLA?s perimeter shooting and they are facing a team that has a host of backcourt weapons. I think Xavier matches up well on the interior with Kevin Love and the UCLA frontcourt and I think the X-Men are more confident in their sets. Xavier has played better and beaten better competition than UCLA in this tournament and No. 1 seeds are just 3-11 ATS in the Elite Eight recently, and 1-5 ATS when matched up against No. 3 seed. Xavier is 12-2 ATS as a neutral site dog and 20-8 ATS as an outright dog.
1.5-Unit Under' 154.5 Louisville vs. North Carolina (9 p.m., Saturday, March 29)
1-Unit Louisville (+5.5) over North Carolina (9 p.m., Saturday, March 29)