http://www.sportsinfo.com/content.aspx?modulename=blog The GM's BLOG Al DeMarco's Wagering World Tuesday, March 9 Available weekdays by 2:00 P.M. Eastern Weekends by 11:00 A.M. Eastern A Gael-Force Win for St. Mary’s: Well, somebody’s bubble just burst. No. 18 Gonzaga was going to the Big Dance regardless of the outcome in last night’s West Coast Conference tournament final in Las Vegas. St. Mary’s, on the other hand, needed a win to make sure it wouldn’t end up a wallflower for the second straight year. The Gaels indeed notched the upset straight-up (SU) and against the spread (ATS), hammering the top-seeded Bulldogs 81-62 as a 4.5-point underdog. So with the WCC now grabbing two bids, somebody got knocked out of the tournament. Just who that is, we won’t know until Selection Sunday. What we do know is that in road/neutral-site contests this year, the Gaels have been an excellent bet. They’ve gone 12-3 SU and 11-4 in Vegas (and they were literally in Vegas last night), covering the number at a money-making 73.3 percent clip. That includes a 4-1 SU and ATS mark on neutral courts, something that’s always nice to know heading into the Tourney. College Basketball Fast Break: Let’s keep it on the college hardwoods with some more noteworthy numbers from tonight’s conference tournament slate: · Seton Hall just beat Providence 92-80 as a one-point road chalk Saturday, and the Friars are the opponent again today in the Big East tourney at Madison Square Garden . The Pirates are on ATS plunges of 6-14 overall, 6-13 in conference play and 7-19 on neutral courts, but they are on identical 5-2 ATS upticks in Tuesday games and against losing teams. · Providence is on ATS slides of 2-6-1 overall (all in the Big East and all against winning teams), 1-4 on neutral floors and 1-3-1 after an ATS setback. · Seton Hall is 9-4 ATS in the last 13 clashes with Providence , and the SU winner is on a 9-0 ATS tear in this rivalry. · Staying in the Big East, Rutgers is in ATS ruts of 1-5 at neutral sites, 3-9 after a SU win, 8-20-1 after a non-cover and 5-11 against winning teams. But the Scarlet Knights finished the regular season on a 7-3 ATS surge (all in conference play) and are on a 5-1 ATS uptick in Tuesday games, with Cincinnati up next. · The Bearcats are on a bundle of spread-covering freefalls, including 7-22 overall, 6-20 in the Big East, 5-16 after a SU loss, 4-13 after an ATS loss and 1-4 against losing teams. · DePaul has covered nine of its last 12 as an underdog heading into its game with South Florida. The Blue Demons have lost 36 of their last 38 Big East games straight-up. · U.Conn, battling St. John’s, has covered just five of its last 18 when laying points. · No. 12 Butler, playing Wright State for the Horizon League crown, is on ATS skids of 2-5 overall, 2-6 at home, 0-4 on Tuesday and 2-5 after a SU win. · Wright State shoulders negative ATS streaks of 1-11-1 on the highway, 4-10-2 in league play and 3-8-2 against winning teams. · In the Butler-Wright State rivalry, the Bulldogs have won six in a row SU (4-2 ATS), the home team is on an 8-2 ATS roll, and the SU winner is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings. · Troy, the top seed in the Sun Belt, sports positive ATS streaks of 5-0-1 overall (all after SU wins and all in conference play), 5-0 against winning teams and 9-4 at neutral sites, with North Texas up in today’s final in Hot Springs, Ark. · The second-seeded Mean Green Eagles --- do nicknames get any better than that, really? --- are also on a few pointspread tears, including 16-5-1 overall, 6-0 against winning ...2009-08-28T18:00:00http://www.sportsinfo.com/content.aspx?modulename=blog