CIT Tournament
CAl-SANTA BARBARA at IDAHO
(NCAA Odds: UCSB -1.5, Total 136) — The first thing you may ask yourself is how comfortable Santa Barbara is going to be, especially in the first half, in this atmosphere at the Kibble Dome. It can throw a team off, and the Gauchos certainly don’t mind throwing up long-range shots (20 a game, in fact). We can find some encouragement in the way Idaho came down the stretch this season, scoring wins over the likes of Nevada, New Mexico State, Louisiana tech and Utah State before finally succumbing to Hawaii in the WAC tournament. The bracket-buster win at Utah State was a feather in the cap of UCSB, though, considering a Stew Morrill disciple (Don Verlin) is sitting on the bench at Idaho, and the guard play of Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally is a plus. We might have to concede the board edge to Santa Barbara, and take note that the Gauchos have ten different players logging 12 minutes a game or more..

JAY’S PLAY: SANTA BARBARA -1.5 **

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)

TENNESSEE at ALABAMA
(NCAA Odds: Alabama -4, Total 120.5) — Alabama is bringing players back into the fold. Trevor Releford and Anthony Steele came back to the team from suspension, but Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green are still out, and it’s pretty tough to go up against a team like Florida when you’re undermanned. Coach Anthony Grant apparently didn’t make a lot of sharp halftime adjustments, and Florida reeled off the first sixteen points of the second half. Grant must have gotten a strong vote of confidence from the athletic department, because he could be tossing away his team’s chances at a an NCAA berth.

Green and Mitchell averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds between them. That leaves a gaping hole, and that is the kind of thing Tennessee might be able to exploit. The Vols have reserve forward Kenny Hall under suspension, and burly newcomer Jarnell Stokes has not been sensational, but he’s given them decent work on the boards. With Tennessee absolutely desperate to keep any and all NCAA hopes alive, we can see the Volunteers continuing on this uptick that has seen them win four games in a row.

JAY’S NCAA ODDS PLAY: TENNESSEE +4 **

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)

WASHINGTON at OREGON STATE
(NCAA Odds: Oregon State -4, Total 155.5) — This was going to be a year of transition for the U-Dub Huskies, and coach Lorenzo Romar can’t be all that happy with the way his team is getting up and down the court after the departure of Isaiah Thomas, who is now with the Sacramento Kings. The Huskies also notoriously fail to take advantage of opportunities at the free throw line (just 61%) and had better be on the lookout for an aggressive Oregon State defensive approach. Coach Craig Robinson has his team taking chances; the Beavers allow 45% shooting, but they also create a lot of transition opportunities for themselves, ranking third in the nation in steals. OSU is faster now as well; this “Princeton” offense has gotten a bit more high-tech, as OSU is logging almost 81 points per game.

JAY’S NCAA ODDS PLAY: OREGON STATE -4

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)

CINCINNATI at ST. JOHN’S
(NCAA Odds: Cincinnati -4.5, Total 132) — Offense was conspicuously absent for Cincy in back-to-back losses against Syracuse and Rutgers, and we don’t know if a win over DePaul, in which Cincinnati hit just three of 15 from three-point range, demonstrates that they have the prescription. they went cold when they played the Red Storm back on January 7, when they hit just seven of 32 from beyond the arc. Do you think they might have learned their lesson? They did bounce back by beating Georgetown and UConn, and they were competitive with Syracuse, even if they only scored 53 points. Expect them to do what they can to exploit young St. John’s with their bullish inside player, Yancy Gates, who has recently increased his number of double-doubles to seven. Can the Bearcats put some defense on D’Angelo Harrison, the Red Storm’s leading scorer who shoots 39%?

JAY’S NCAA ODDS PLAY: CINCINNATI -4.5 *

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)

XAVIER at MEMPHIS
(NCAA Odds: Tigers -5, Total 139.5) — Memphis loves to play at an accelerated pace, but the defensive pressure they like to exert likely won’t do a lot to faze Xavier point guard Tu Holloway, who ranks with the best in the country. The Tigers have lost only to capable teams, and one of them was Southern Miss, who broke an 18-game losing streak to Memphis just a few days ago, and the question is whether they will be able to come down from that effort. meanwhile, Xavier is coming off narrow escapes against both Charlotte and George Washington, but they have scored road wins against Vandy and Butler, so getting points is not that strenuous an assignment.

JAY’S PLAY: XAVIER +5 ***

(All information is for news matter only; All games are graded on a scale of 1-4 stars. Lines are subject to change)