Stanford vs. Texas: Oddsmakers currently have the Longhorns listed as 3-point favorites versus the Cardinal, while the game’s total is sitting at 134. My prediction: Texas to win and cover the spread.

The total has gone OVER in 6 of Stanford’s last 7 games
Stanford is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Stanford is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Texas is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas’s last 6 games
Texas is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games

Davidson vs. Wisconsin: Oddsmakers currently have the Badgers listed as 5½-point favorites versus the Wildcats, while the game’s total is sitting at 127. My prediction: Wisconsin to win and cover.

Davidson is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Davidson is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Davidson’s last 10 games
Wisconsin is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Wisconsin is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Wisconsin’s last 9 games

Villanova vs. Kansas: Oddsmakers currently have the Jayhawks listed as 12½-point favorites versus the Wildcats, while the game’s total is sitting at 145. My prediction: Villanova to win.

Villanova is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Villanova is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Villanova’s last 14 games
Kansas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas’s last 6 games

Michigan vs. Memphis: Oddsmakers currently have the Tigers listed as 5-point favorites versus the Spartans, while the game’s total is sitting at 136. My prediction: Memphis to win, but not to cover.

Michigan State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Michigan State is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan State’s last 6 games
Memphis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Memphis is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

Bet on tonight’s Sweet 16 games before it’s too late! The sportsbooks have all your NCAA Tournament odds up.

Believe it or not, we’ve got some big losers in the Sweet 16. Look at Memphis: 15-19-2. How about Villanova at 14-17? Pathetic.

Granted, these records are against the spread. But it’s very tempting to use them as evidence that the Tigers and Wildcats aren’t as good as the betting public thinks. It’s even more tempting when Memphis is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games. The Tigers are 5-point favorites on Friday night against a tough Michigan State squad that’s cashed in four straight postseason contests.

Meanwhile, many of the biggest winners at the pay window are also performing well at the Tournament. North Carolina is the most profitable at 22-11 ATS, followed closely by Davidson at 21-11. They could meet in the Final Four; sure, Davidson’s a 10-seed, but it happened to No. 11 George Mason two years ago when the Patriots went 19-10-2 ATS. It could happen again.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament has already started and if you haven’t already filled out your bracket then I’m going to make it easy for you by giving you my First Round picks. You can thank me later.

East
UNC over St. Mary’s
Arkansas over Indiana
George Mason over Notre Dame
Washington State over Winthrop
Oklahoma over St. Joseph’s
Louisville over Boise State
Butler over South Alabama
American over Tennessee

Midwest
Kansas over Portland State
UNLV over Kent State
Villanova over Clemson
Vanderbilt over Siena
Kansas State over USC
Cal State Fullerton over Wisconsin
Gonzaga over Davidson
Georgetown over UNBC

South
Memphis over Texas Arlington
Oregon over Mississippi State
Michigan State over Temple
Pittsburgh over Oral Roberts
Kentucky over Marquette
Stanford over Cornell
St. Mary’s CA over Miami Florida
Texas over Austin Peay

West
UCLA over Mississippi Valley State
Texas A&M over BYU
Drake over Western Kentucky
San Diego over Connecticut
Purdue over Baylor
Xavier over Georgia
West Virginia over Arizona
Duke over Belmont

So “The Mount” came through as advertised, beating Coppin State (+7) 69-60 in the March Madness play-in (excuse me, Opening Round) game. That was my so-called “sure bet” for the Tournament, and even then it took a free-throw parade at the end for MSM to cash in. I don’t think there will be any other no-brainers.

I’ve already mused that you could take the moneyline on all the No. 1 seeds to beat the No. 16s, but good luck finding anything beyond the pointspread on these matchups. Look at this: UCLA is favored by 32 points over Mississippi Valley State. Even Kobayashi couldn’t eat that much chalk on the moneyline.

The NCAAB market is about to be flooded with first-time Tournament bettors. Perhaps you are one of them. Remember, there really are no sure bets. Top handicappers are giddy if they get three out of five correct. Don’t blow your stack all on one matchup.

This Sunday is Selection Sunday, the day when we’ll know the identities of all 65 teams participating in this year’s men’s college March Madness basketball tournament. Until then, at least we know when and where the games will take place.

Mar. 18: Opening-round game in Dayton
Mar. 20: First-round games in Anaheim, Denver, Omaha and Washington, D.C.
Mar. 21: First-round games in Birmingham, North Little Rock, Raleigh and Tampa
Mar. 22: Second-round games in Anaheim, Denver, Omaha and Washington, D.C.
Mar. 23: Second-round games in Birmingham, North Little Rock, Raleigh and Tampa
Mar. 27: Sweet 16 East and West Regionals in Charlotte and Phoenix
Mar. 28: Sweet 16 Midwest and South Regionals in Detroit and Houston
Mar. 29: Elite Eight East and West Regionals in Charlotte and Phoenix
Mar. 30: Elite Eight Midwest and South Regionals in Detroit and Houston
Apr. 5: Final Four in San Antonio
Apr. 7: Championship Game in San Antonio

Basketball may be tumbling in popularity, at least according to this year’s Harris Poll on sports, but March Madness makes up for it with an orgiastic 65-team Tournament featuring the best programs in the nation. Millions of brackets will be filled in and busted. Teams at the NBA Draft will overvalue strong performances, especially by players from Duke.

We’ll know some of the Tournament teams this week – it’s called Championship Week, although the conference tourneys won’t be finished until Mar. 16. Not every conference has a tourney, mind you. Cornell (20-5 SU, 10-6 ATS) is the first team in the big dance after clinching the Ivy League.

The next three automatic bids will come from the Horizon League, the Big South and the OVC. All three tipped off their conference tourneys on Tuesday. The No. 12 Butler Bulldogs (who have a tourney bye until the weekend) are the pick of this litter at 27-3 SU and 14-13-2 ATS.