Your Hoops and Horses Selections for March 13-14

Welcome to ABR’s Hoops and horses column, where winners play!
Horse racing is Joe Kristufek’s means to an end, and he loves the sport like no other, but as a Chicago Bulls season-ticket holder for seven years and a feared participant in fantasy hoops, he also has his finger on the pulse of the NBA.
From growing up with the Flintstones of Michigan State, running March Madness pools out of his hidden manila envelope in high school, to attending conference tournaments, Sweet 16s and Final Fours ... college basketball runs in Derek Cooley’s blood.
Let’s sprint out on the fast break, spring the horses from the gate and pad our bankrolls!
Pro Hoops – by Joe Kristufek
Last Week: 1-3 (.250)
Year to Date: 6-10 (.375)
We’ve hit the quarter-pole in the NBA season and this is the time teams start to jockey for playoff position. Talent, injuries and chemistry are all major factors in late season success. 
Friday, March 13
Denver Nuggets (+8) vs. Golden State Warriors
Off a big win Wednesday night at home against the beast of the East — the Atlanta Hawks — Denver is flying high. The Nuggets will be fired up to face Golden State, the best in the West, and their small lineup. Led by recent returnee Danilo Galinari, Denver matches up well enough against the “Splash Brothers” and company. I think they keep it close.
Atlanta Hawks (-5.5) at Phoenix Suns
Off embarrassing recent losses at Philadelphia and Denver, Atlanta will be focused and firing. Their precise offense and steady defense will wreak havoc on the Suns, who are quickly dropping out of the playoff race.
ATLANTA'S AL HORFORD

WikiMediaCommons/Keith Allison
Orlando Magic (+5) at Boston Celtics
Most signs in this game point toward Boston. The Celtics have won four of their last five and the Magic have lost nine straight on the road. On the bright side, Orlando has beaten Boston two out of three this season, and Magic center Nikola Vucevic is a matchup nightmare for the Celtics. Guessing this game will be hard fought from first tip to final buzzer.
Toronto Raptors (-5.5) vs. Miami Heat
If Toronto isn’t motivated for this matchup, they never will be. The Raps have lost nine of their last 10 overall and 16 straight to the Heat. Toronto was one of the best teams in the league the first half of the season, but they’ve fallen on hard times of late. They need to get it together and they know it. Even after losing Chris Bosh for the season, Miami has been hanging around the edges of the eighth seed in the playoff race. They have pride, but Toronto’s talent and motivation and home-court advantage should be tough for them to overcome on this night.
College Hoops – by Derek Cooley
Saturday is always the best day for college hoops, with marquee matchups morning, noon and night. Weekly, I’ll provide a brief synopsis of what I see - as well as a final score “prediction” - which you can use as a guide to tackling the money line, spread and/or the over/under total. This week, because of conference tournaments, the focus shifts to Friday.
Let’s take a look at how we faired against the spread and over/under the final totals according to last Saturday's score predictions, in comparison to the outcomes…as well as the upset selection.
Against the Spread (last week/overall): (2-1) (8-4)
Over/Under: (3-0) (10-2)
Upset Pick: (0-1) (1-3)
Last Week: 5-2 (.714)
Year to Date: 19-9 (.679)
Friday, March 13
Michigan vs. #6 Wisconsin (noon ET, ESPN)
Michigan is coming off a big victory in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament, and possibly bursting the bubble of Illinois. But without their best player, Caris Levert, the Wolverines are no match for the class of the conference. Wisconsin cruises in this one ... and into the Big Ten semis.
Michigan - 61
Wisconsin - 76
#16 Baylor vs. #9 Kansas (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
The rest of the Kansas squad needs to step up its game following the close victory over TCU on Thursday. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a welcome-to-March type of game for himself, now it’s time for the rest of the Jayhawks to realize the level of play they need to maintain at this time of year. Baylor had a nice win over West Virginia, but Kansas will use the pro-Jayhawk crowd to its advantage.
Baylor - 67
Kansas - 74 
#11 Notre Dame vs. #2 Duke (9 pm ET, ESPN)
Duke is really firing on all cylinders right now, and it’s a good time to be doing so. They are legitimizing themselves as a quality contender to ruin Kentucky’s perfect season when it is all said and done. I like the Blue Devils a lot in a matchup with Notre Dame. The Irish will hang around, and it’s the weekend where everyone has a little Irish in them … but that won’t be enough against the Dukies in Greensboro, N.C.
Duke - 79
Notre Dame - 66
COACH MIKE KRZYZEWSKI HAS DUKE PLAYING WELL

WikiMedia Commons/Adam Glanzman
Upset Watch: #19 North Carolina vs. #3 Virginia (7 pm ET ESPN) 
Ponies – by Joe Kristufek
Last week was basically a wash. Showing a new off the pace dimension, El Kabeir impressed in his Gotham win. Prospect Park ran a huge race to finish second behind the legitimate chalk Dortmund but Danzig Moon fell flat in his fourth-place Tampa Bay Derby performance.
Last Week: 3-1-1-0 ($2 WPS * $18 wagered * $17.40 returned)
Season Total: 73-21-12-6 ($2 WPS * $438 wagered * $458.20 returned = $6.28 ROI) 
Saturday, March 14
Oaklawn Park – Hot Springs, Ark.
Race 7 - Azeri Stakes (G2), 5:21 p.m. ET
#1 Untapable (morning-line odds, 1-to-2)
Racing’s queen returns, and her “B” game would be good enough to win this. Her Breeders’ Cup Distaff score was even more impressive than it looks on paper, and she’s trained like a bear leading up to her 4-year-old debut. She’s talented, gritty and an absolute pleasure to watch. If you’re playing exactas, consider #3 Sugar Shock (10-to-1, morning line). Her American Beauty Stakes sprint win was monstrous. She seems to be maturing and probably is an even better horse over a route of ground.
UNTAPABLE WINNING BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Race 8 – Razorback Handicap (G3), 5:57 p.m. ET
#6 Carve (morning-line odds, 3-to-1)
With four wins from seven tries at Oaklawn, this hard-hitting 5-year-old could be considered a horse for the course. He dominated the local competition in the Fifth Season Stakes two months ago and should be fresh and ready for this assignment. His stalking style should put him in perfect position to get the all-important first run on the closers turning for home.
Race 10 – Rebel Stakes (G2), 7:06 p.m. ET
#4 American Pharaoh (morning-line odds,1-to-2)
Even though he hasn’t raced in 5 ½ months, this sensational son of Pioneerof the Nile should make short work of this field. As a 2-year-old, he made short work of eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victor Texas Red, and clocker reports out of California indicate that he couldn’t be training any better. Don’t be surprised if he re-stamps himself as a top Triple Crown contender. 
AMERICAN PHAROAH WINNING FRONTRUNNER STAKES

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire