Six tickets have been punched to the Dayton quarterfinals leaving just two spots remaining. Those two spots will come from the West Virginia and Dayton Regions. Both regions will have their semifinals tip off on Tuesday night with the two championships coming on Wednesday night. Let’s take a look at these matchups and see who will make it to Championship Wednesday with my TBT Tuesday best bets!
West Virginia Region:
(1) Best Virginia -3.5 vs (4) Herd That
The TBT spotlight is in Charleston, WV Tuesday night for the much anticipated in-state matchup between the West Virginia alumni team and the Marshall alumni team. Best Virginia comes off an opening-round blowout 75-45 win over the Virginia Dream. To no surprise, Best Virginia was led by its defense holding the Virginia Dream to just 26% from the field and 14% from 3. Kevin Jones led the way offensively for Best Virginia with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Their opponent, the Herd That is coming off a 77-71 opening-round win over the Founding Fathers. Justin Johnson and James Kelly came up big for the Herd That down the stretch with their star, Jon Elmore struggling throughout.
The West Virginia-Marshall game seems to always come down to the final possession and I don’t expect anything different in this matchup. I’m anticipating a lower-scoring game because of how physical both teams want to play. I like for the Herd That to keep this one within one possession throughout and have a chance to win it outright coming down the stretch. However, I will take big brother to get it done once again in the 304 battle and move on to the finals Wednesday night!
Pick: Herd That +3.5
(2) Bucketneers -2.5 vs (6) War Ready
War Ready had their 2021 TBT campaign ended abruptly by the Bucketneers with an embarrassing 77-50 loss in last year’s opening round. On Tuesday night, they will get their shot at revenge with a spot in the regional finals on the line. War Ready is coming off a hard-fought 70-67 victory over a gritty WoCo Showtime bunch. War Ready used a balanced offensive attack with five guys scoring in double figures. Their opponent, the Bucketneers used a 9-0 game-ending run in their opener to advance over Fully Loaded. The Bucketneers also had a balanced scoring attack with four guys scoring in double figures.
In this matchup, I’m looking at the rebounding disparity from the opening round. War Ready was -15 on the glass compared to the Bucketneers who were +13 in their opening round matchups. If War Ready can keep the Bucketneers off the glass and limit their opportunities for 2nd chance points, then they will have a great chance to pull the upset. I like for War Ready to neutralize this rebounding disparity with the Bucketneers and avenge last year’s opening round loss and advance to the finals Wednesday night!
Pick: War Ready ML +115
Dayton Region:
(1) The Money Team -6.0 vs (4) Men of Mackey
The heavy favorite, The Money Team avoided what was almost an epic upset at the TBT on Sunday against the Athletics Miami. Jimmer Fredette led the way with 29 points and they needed every one of those points to advance with the 71-67 victory. On the other side, The Men of Mackey impressed with a 76-58 victory over the Mid-American Unity. Kelsey Barlow was dominant in the opening round win recording 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Additionally, the Men of Mackey dominated the paint, outscoring the Mid-American Unity 44-18.
The Money Team will have to do a good job keeping the Men of Mackey out of the paint and off the glass in order to win. For the Men of Mackey it’s simple, you must contain Jimmer Fredette. However, I think this is a game where Fredette gets his teammates more involved for a more balanced attack. I like The Money Team to be more balanced Tuesday night and pull away late from the Men of Mackey to advance to the finals Wednesday night! I love TMT as a TBT Tuesday Best Bet!
Pick: The Money Team -6.0
(2) Golden Eagles -3.5 vs (3) Red Scare
The Tuesday TBT nightcap features two familiar names matching up with a trip to the regional finals on the line. The Golden Eagles and the Red Scare will meet for the first time since their 2020 Final Four matchup. That matchup was won by the Golden Eagles en route to their 2020 TBT Championship.
The Red Scare enters the matchup coming off a 5-point opening round victory over the Cititeam. They led by as much as 16 in the 3rd quarter, before having to hold on down the stretch. The Red Scare struggled from the perimeter going 6/30 from downtown. On the other side, the Golden Eagles held off a pesky Ohio 1804 team with a 5-point victory of their own. The Golden Eagles were dominated on the glass 49-32 by the Ohio 1804.
This will be a home game for the Red Scare in front of the Dayton Flyer fans. Furthermore, I’m anticipating a heavyweight matchup with both teams exchanging blows till the very end. In this matchup, I like the Red Scare to shoot the ball better in this matchup and take advantage of the rebounding weakness of the Golden Eagles. I like for the Red Scare to get revenge for their 2020 Final Four loss and move on to the finals Wednesday night! I love the Red Scare as my TBT Tuesday Best Bet!
