Wake Forest, Duke Falter But Still My Picks For March

I was looking over the futures for this year's March Madness at a sports betting site and saw about what I figured. North Carolina is the favorite at +250. Then there's UCONN, Pitt, and Oklahoma at +650, +800, and +950, respectively. Purdue is chillin at +3000 which actually makes them one of the favorites (tied with Georgetown and Memphis and ahead of Texas). Before the season, I'd have been all over that if I'd seen it. Not today.

If I'd been asked two weeks ago who I thought would win the NCAA Tournament, an undefeated Wake Forest (+1400) would have been my choice hands down. Since then, Wake has lost four games (three on the road) and tumbled down the polls a bit. They're still my pick; they're built for March. They've got the nation's best point guard, the electric Jeff Teague. They've got a slew of bulky, athletic bigs in James Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Chas McFarland. And they've proven they can beat other top teams with wins over Duke, Clemson, North Carolina, and Indiana.

Duke (+1600) forever etched its name atop my list of favorites with their soul-crushing abuse of Purdue in West Lafayette. They're a veteran bunch, deep, big, and quick. I hate them, but I know they'll be in the Final Four.

By the way, Purdue is a for tonight's game...

Who are you picking for March Madness? Who's good value? Let me know in THE FORUM...