You know it's March when...

You know it's March when…you’ve got finishes like the above. I mean, this was outrageous. Sure no one cares about a Wednesday afternoon Big East Tournament game…unless, you know, you had a financial interest in it. Now I didn’t bet this game (shocking, I know), and Rutgers was getting 10, so whats the big deal? Well for starters, the O/U was between 127 and 129, depending on where/when you got it…yeah. To say those refs left the court quickly would be like saying that I might find myself in front of a TV drinking a beer or two during next weekend's opening rounds. This game just also happened to involve America’s/ESPN’s darlings this year (St. John’s), who were playing at home, and Rutgers, which just happens to be the state university of a state where this took place 3 weeks ago. Now I’m very rarely Conspiracy Guy, and I would never suggest anything nefarious is going on…I’m just pointing some things out (and wanted an excuse to say “nefarious”).

You know it's March when…national college hoops analysts are stealing Maestro’s ideas after he told you they would. Now CW had told me page views for The Alt Tab were going through the roof, but I had no idea that two of SI.com’s writers, ESPN’s top analyst, and the Associated Press were loyal readers. Welcome, men. I happen to like Luke Winn (scroll to the bottom...uncanny resemblance), and like the fact that Jay Bilas follows no one on Twitter, but can’t let this Jordan Conn character (who I’ve never heard of) off the hook, after this was the front page story on SI.com yesterday. Now we wait with baited breath for Seth Davis to comment on the Bruins’ upset chances on Sunday night, at which point my prophecy will be complete.

You know it's March when…you’ve got the Conference USA Title Game to bet the Under on before Noon. This is annually one of my favorite bets, and I’m pretty sure it has won most, if not every, year since I’ve been betting it. The CUSATG always starts at 11:30 AM EST on Selection Sunday, and this year we have the added bonus of the game being played in El Paso, which, if you haven’t brushed up on your geography lately, is in the Mountain Time Zone. That’s right, tipoff for this game will be 9:30 AM local time. I know in my playing days I wasn’t able to roll out of bed and shoot the lights out, but maybe that was just me. I think unders are actually fun to bet, especially this one which has become a tradition and has also proven successful. The Pick: Under (whatever)