Aqueduct Race 5 Maiden Special Weight 2:23 EST A nice field for a change here, including three first timers. Two for the George Weaver barn. One of those, the 6 Celebrity News gets Manny Franco in the irons. My Racehorse ownership is optimistic for this filly’s future. Weaver’s other entry, the 2 Capital Gal, should battle the 7 Tonight We Love for the early lead. The 7 also gets blinkers for the first time. With not a whole lot of speed in the race, the name of the game is to get to the front and take ‘em all the way around the track. Because I think we’ll get a better price than the 9-2 morning line, I’m going to play 2 across and an exacta 2,7/1,2,4-7,9. (Bet total: $18)
Charlotte +4 -110 vs. Utah 7:00 EST The Hornets are 39-30-4 ATS on the season, and 14-7 when the number is +2 to +5. Utah has lost its last two straight up and ATS. The number has already moved to 3.5 at some books. Grab it while you can.
St. Peter’s +13 -105 vs. Purdue 7:09 EST Of the teams still playing for the NCAA Championship, only Miami’s defense is ranked worse than Purdue’s. They have enough at the other end of the floor to advance to the Elite Eight, but this game will be much closer than the spread. The Peacocks are 22-9 ATS on the season, 15-4 on the road or neutral site, and 10-3 as an underdog or PK.
Kansas -7 -106 vs. Providence 7:29 EST The emergence of a healthy Remy Martin off the bench has been the x-factor for the Jayhawks during these last few weeks. Many forget that he was the preseason pick for Big 12 Player of the Year. The player who won the award, Ochai Agbaji, has been the focal point of opponent’s defensive schemes and hasn’t shown the dynamic scoring he is capable of yet this tournament, scoring just 26 points total in last weekend’s games when he averages over 19 per. Christian Braun is shooting 50% from behind the arc this postseason. During his time at Kansas, Bill Self is 8-2 in the round of sixteen games, with five of those coming by double-digit points.