‘Dogs have their day in memorable first round

In case you missed it, Kyle Singler hit all the right notes Friday while leading Duke to a first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament. And if you missed it, that's OK, because there was no reason to watch.

Gonzaga was fending off a Florida State comeback. Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State were battling to the buzzer. Michigan State had its hands full with New Mexico State.

All of those games were heating up at the same time, so I didn't watch one second of the Duke game.

But I checked the box score, and Singler had 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Blue Devils handed 16th-seeded Arkansas-Pine Bluff a 73-44 beatdown. Duke covered as a 25-point favorite. That's all we need to know about that game.

The first two days of the tournament were mostly about underdogs, whether they were winning straight up or covering. The 'dogs made both days memorable.

"There hasn't been a dull moment the last two days," M Resort sports book director Mike Colbert said. "The first day, all the 'dogs were obviously good for the house."

Murray State, Ohio, Old Dominion, Saint Mary's, Wake Forest and Washington pulled outright upsets in Thursday's games. Lehigh, Montana, Robert Morris and Sam Houston State covered.

Underdogs opened 10-4 on the first day, counting San Diego State-Tennessee as a push and UNLV-Northern Iowa as a pick'em.

Colbert said Friday was "more of a grind" for the Las Vegas books. The favorite-underdog fight was split 6-6 going into the late games.

Cornell easily knocked off Temple. New Mexico State, a 13-point underdog, finally succumbed to Michigan State, 70-67. Siena, one of the most popular underdog picks of the first round, failed to cover in an eight-point loss to Purdue.

"More drama was crammed into the opening day of this year's NCAA Tournament than we usually get for the entire first weekend," said Bruce Marshall, a handicapper for The Gold Sheet. "So why were most of the pundits telling us this might be the worst-looking NCAA field in recent memory?"

Based on the results, the selection committee did a solid job. Some of the teams were seeded in wacky spots -- and Duke received another ridiculously favorable draw -- but it's hard to argue against the quality of the matchups.

Thirty-two games are in the books. Eight pretty good ones are on today's schedule.

Colbert, who has a nose for sniffing out winners, said he likes two 'dogs today: Murray State (+4½) over Butler and Old Dominion (+4) over Baylor.

He's also thinking it could be wise to bet on Jimmer Fredette. Colbert leans to Brigham Young, an underdog of 4 to 5 points, over Kansas State. The public will be riding the favorite.

"I wouldn't say I love BYU, but I couldn't bet Kansas State, either," Colbert said.

Will either of the two remaining Mountain West Conference teams survive today? Marshall said he can find more reasons to support Washington as a 1½-point favorite over New Mexico.

The Lobos' star, Darington Hobson, sprained his left wrist and was limited to 11 points in a 62-57 victory over Montana.

"How much Hobson is compromised remains to be seen. His wrist injury is a potential problem," Marshall said. "The Lobos have not looked too sharp since last week. The Huskies have learned to succeed on the road, winning their last eight away from Seattle. Right now, the Huskies just look better than the Lobos."

Marshall said he also likes the looks of Old Dominion, and he's leaning to Saint Mary's as a 4½-point underdog to Villanova.

I'm expecting two favorites to win in blowouts. Kentucky (-9) should wipe out Wake Forest. Kansas (-11½) is far more talented than the farm boys from Northern Iowa.

"Tourney betting has been really good. There's a long way to go. It's still early," said Colbert, who will offer in-running wagering at the M Resort on every game today and Sunday.

Throw out the first-round games involving Duke and the other No. 1 seeds and this NCAA Tournament has turned into a classic movie. Don't miss a minute of the rest of it.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.