March Madness: Young Sam Rothstein Style

March Madness is like an unofficial holiday for me. While everyone else is focused on bracketology and office pools I'm figuring out the angles to make a million. If the college kids do what they're supposed to I'll be able to pay off my debt to the Russians and the Colombians in no time plus have a little cash left over for myself. Geography, free throws, and senior leadership is paramount in this tournament as the college basketball landscape is presently void of superstar talent and elite teams. Here's what I've come up with so far. Pay attention.

Xavier -2 1/2 over Marquette. Xavier has size and an experienced back court while Marquette has benefited from an over hyped Big East media bias. D Wade isn't there to save them this time and Xavier will pull away down the stretch.

Richmond +3 over Vanderbilt. The Commodores have some quality wins this season (Kentucky, North Carolina), but as I stated in my segment yesterday Richmond is on of those teams to watch. They shoot a high percentage from the 3 point and free throw line and they should be able to control tempo throughout the game.

Butler -2 over Old Dominion. I'm not seeing the Cinderella story of 2010 for the Bulldogs, but they have enough to get past ODU. Butler is 31-1 over the past 2 seasons when holding opponents under 60 points and ODU only averages 65 per game. The team that played in the championship game last year will have enough poise to cover the 2 points.

Good luck everyone. Gamble wisely and prosper.