I was worried for a while, but Marquette is finally living up to my expectations. They were the last team in the Big East to lose a game, but now that they have done it they seem to have developed quite a taste for it because they did it again. The first loss against South Florida was a bad lapse of concentration and focus. Tonight’s loss, though, was just a confirmation of what I have long felt about the team – they aren’t that good. They had no answer for Villanova’s offense, they could keep up with their own offense, and they just weren’t good enough. There will be plenty more opportunities to bet against this team in the coming weeks because their Big East schedule is back-loaded – they still have Georgetown, UConn, Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse left. I don’t see how they go better than 2-3 ATS over that stretch.

I don’t like Marquette, but a team I like more and more all the time is Memphis. John Calipari is one of my two or three favorite coaches, and he has a team that is really finding themselves all of a sudden. They are 6-1 ATS in their last seven, they are unbeaten in their conference as always, and their commanding win at Gonzaga on the weekend was impressive. Going into the tournament the stat I look for more than almost any other is defensive efficiency. A team that can set the tempo of a game is tough to beat in a tight games that matters. Memphis is second in the country in defensive efficiency behind only Louisville (another team I really like despite their blowout loss to UConn ). Memphis didn’t look great early in the year, but they didn’t have a point guard. They have started four different players at the point. Nothing worked until they tried super-frosh Tyreke Evans just before Christmas. He’s a natural shooting guard, but he’s also a ball carrier and a charismatic leader. The experiment has worked like a dream. He’s been very effective, and the future is therefore bright for this team. I definitely see them as a strong contender for an elite eight spot. There is one other reason to like this team as well – they have finally seemed to have learned to shoot fouls. They aren’t perfect, but they aren’t nearly as Shaq-like as they were.

Interesting pickup for the Blue Jays today. They got Matt Bush from the Padres for essentially nothing. Bush was the number one overall pick in 2004, but he has been a total bust since. He was a shortstop when he was picked, but that didn’t work out and he was turned into a pitcher. That didn’t really work, either – he blew out his arm and missed last year. He also had some legal problems. He’s from San Diego originally, so there has never been a guy who is more of an advertisement for the need for a change of scenery. He’s not likely to amount to anything, but he’s cheap and probably worth a risk.