As you can see elsewhere on the site, we are picking Texas Tech to win Monday night, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a Virginia rooting interest, wagering and/or otherwise.
He won’t make the list below (provided by Ted Silary, of course) of Philadelphia Public, Catholic or Inter-Ac grads who have played in a winning NCAA Championship Game even if the Cavs triumph, but De’Andre Hunter (Wynnewood’s Friends Central, the alma mater of 2003 Syracuse titlist Hakim Warrick) being considered Philly is close enough for government work.
And close enough to be our focus on The Philly Props.
This is a Total Prop of the Heart. It’s going to be a low-scoring game, so the 13.5 points is probably too high, but a burst here and there down the stretch could get us over as Virginia scrambles to catch up or gets fouled as the Red Raiders do so.
Hunter has been Over 4.5 rebounds in three of UVA’s five NCAA Tournament games, so we are comfortable with that (and why the line is -140).
And just so we are glued to the set at the 9:22 tip-off, we are taking him to score the first field goal. Of course, that might not be until 9:42 . . .
Pick: Hunter Over 13.5 Points ($4/-112)
Pick: Hunter Over 4.5 Rebounds ($4/-140)
Pick: Hunter to Score First FG ($2/+600)
Oh, and that list of PCLers to play in a winning NCAA Title Game:
> 1954 La Salle ( Charlie Singley, West Catholic; Charlie Greenberg, La Salle; Frank Blatcher, Southern; Tom Gola, La Salle; John Yodsnukis, Lincoln; Frank O’Hara, La Salle)
> 1975 UCLA (Andre McCarter, Overbrook)
> 2009 North Carolina (Wayne Ellington, Episcopal Academy)
> 2018 Villanova (Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Neumann-Goretti; Collin Gillespie, Archbishop Wood)