Scott Spreitzer – NCAA
Professional Handicappers League member Scott Spreizter feels a sense of deja vu entering Saturday’s Final Four match between defending NCAA Tournament champion Florida and 2006 runnerup UCLA.
Last year when the two met, it was for all the marbles.
This season, it’s for the right to play for them in Monday’s championship against Saturday’s Georgetown-Ohio State winner.
Spreitzer touted the Bruins all the way in ’06 and held futures on them in the 10/1 range.
The Gators gobbled UCLA for supper.
Now it’s a dozen months later and they’re meeting again, this time in the semifinals.
Florida has remained a 3-point favorite at most places throughout the week, though 3 1/2s were available at BoDog.com Wednesday night.
Currently No. 3 among the week’s hottest PHL handicappers, Spreitzer held potentially lucrative futures on Texas A & M, but felt from the beginning that UCLA or Kansas would win the tournament.
Spreitzer can picture the Bruins turning the tables on Florida en route to enthronement this year, if …
“The main thing is that UCLA’s backcourt has to keep doing what it has been doing, keep it together,” Spreitzer said.
“(NCAA Defensive Player of the year and sophomore Darren) Collison has a 3/1 assist to turnover ratio.
“He’s averaging six assists and two turnovers per game.
“UCLA is the best defensive team and is back to playing at a high level of competition.”
Las Vegas oddsmaker Ken White made the number 3.
“It’s a tough game,” White said.
“UCLA is the best team.
“The Bruins have incentive from last year and are bigger and stronger.
“They’ve closed the gap.”
Spreizter and White both made Ohio State-Georgetown pick’em, with White leaning to the Hoyas.
“They’re so explosive,” he said.
The game opened Ohio State minus 1, the favorite flopped and then bounced as high as Georgetown minus 1 1/2 before seeming to settle as a pick In Vegas, though Pinnacle Sports and Bo.Dog.com both had the Hoyas as 1-point choices Wednesday night.
“I’ve seen Ohio State getting 1 around town, so it depends where you shop,” said Spreitzer, who has “big game” going in one of Saturday’s contests.
Spreitzer believes Geogetown may be “a year away from its time.”
The Hoyas started the campaign as high as 50/1 to win the Big Dance at many books, then steadily began dipping around Christmas and New Year’s.
“I felt they were good enough to make the Sweet 16, but weren’t deep enough, especially at guard, and thought that might hold them back,” Spreitzer said.
He doesn’t put much stock in the argument that the top-ranked Buckeyes are too youthful, however.
“They’ve been playing together so long, it really doesn’t matter,” Spreitzer said.
“So far, the underclassmen are ahead of their youth.”
Spreitzer still insists Kansas is among America’s top college basketball teams, but he has no complaints about the quartet that got to Hotlanta.
“I’m satisfied,” he said.
“You have four talented teams that are good.”
He readily acknowledges, though, that when the band stops playing Monday night, experience well could decide whether Florida grabs the brass ring again.
“Experience is incredibly valuable, just looking at what Florida has done in a short time,” he said..
“They had that losing period, came back to win the SEC and now are playing six games in a short time period.
“They already showed last year they have what it takes to win six in a row.
“They have a belief in themselves.
“They think they’re invincible.”
Pinnacle’s Wednesday night totals on Saturday’s games were Ohio State-Georgetown 129 1/2 and Florida-UCLA 130 1/2.