Alright, it’s time for a special March Madness edition of Nick’s Picks, brought to you by Hard Rock Bet. I’ve got two NCAA Tournament picks for you guys.
Houston Gets Revenge
First, we’ve got Houston. I went down this road last year, and they lost. I picked Houston to get to the Final Four. I don’t believe I picked them to win the championship, but Houston with Kelvin Sampson got all the way to the final against Florida, had the ball, a chance to win it – didn’t get a shot up. Kind of a tragic loss.
It’s a different type of gut punch, but it reminded me of Virginia when, as a No. 1 seed and one of the favorites to win the tournament, they became the first 1 seed ever to lose to a 16 seed. Then, the very next year, they responded to that stomach punch by winning the championship.
I think Houston and Kelvin Sampson finally break through. They’re +900 to win it all. They have the huge bonus of clearly having the easiest No. 1 seed to deal with in their region. That would be Florida – it’d be a rematch of the title game. If they get there, their Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games would be in Houston, so they would have home games to get to the Final Four.
Nick’s Pick: Houston to win it all (+900)
Arizona Out of the West
And the other pick that I’m going to give out is, I think, the best all-around team in the country – and certainly the healthiest of the three big favorites: Arizona, Duke, and Michigan. Arizona is the healthiest.
Nick’s Pick: Arizona to Make the Final Four (-155)
Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in FL. Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital, LLC, in all other states. Must be 21+ and physically present in AZ, CO, FL, IL, IN, MI, NJ, OH, TN or VA to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about your gambling? In FL, call or text 1-833-PLAYWISE. In IN, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9-WITH-IT. In AZ and OH, call 1-800-MY-RESET.
GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1‑800‑GAMBLER (CO, IL, MI, NJ, TN, VA)
