Locked and loaded with my second straight 2-0 college hoops tournament sweep Friday, highlighted by a 30 Dime Big Dance Mismatch of the Year, plus a 15 Dime bonus selection on George Mason-Villanova.

Yesterday I kicked off March Mayhem with two double-digit winners on Gonzaga (50 Dime) and Wisconsin (15 Dime), and today I’m releasing two more slam dunks. And here’s what I mean by “slam dunks”: My 30 Dime Big Dance Mismatch of the Year is a favorite that’s going to cover the spread by at least six points, while George Mason-Villanova is a virtual pick-em game, but I’m calling for one of these teams to post a near double-digit win.

Bottom line, guys: Yesterday was nice, but it’s now in the rearview mirror. All that matters is right here, right now, and nothing will stop me from another perfect performance!

Now onto Friday’s college hoops freebie as we’ll head to the Southwest Region bracket and lay the big points with Notre Dame against Akron.

The Zips deserve credit for a strong late-season run in which they went 13-4, including a four-game run to capture the Mid-American Conference tournament crown and punch a ticket to the Big Dance. However, the MAC is a far cry from the Big East, and the fact Akron is a #15 seed pretty much confirms that statement.

Not only was it a down year for the MAC, but Akron’s resume doesn’t include a single quality non-conference victory, unless you count Oral Roberts or Creighton as “quality” (which I don’t). And on the rare occasion when the Zips did schedule up, the results were not pretty (eight-point loss at Dayton; eight-point loss at Minnesota; eight-point loss at Miami, Fla.; and 35-point loss at Temple, the ONLY Tournament team Akron played!). And then there was an early-season 13-point home loss to Cleveland State!

Meanwhile, Notre Dame steamrolled through the final two months of the season, going 12-2 SU and 10-4 ATS over its last 14 games (and that includes a six-point overtime loss to Louisville in the semifinals of last week’s Big East tournament). Also, seven of the Irish’s last nine wins – including against the likes of Cincinnati, Villanova and Louisville – were by double digits.

Yes, the Irish rely a little too much on the three-point shot for my liking (one cold spell can spell doom, especially when trying to cover this kind of impost), but they do convert on nearly 40 percent of those attempts. And while the stats suggest that Akron (31.8 percent) does a solid job defending the 3, they don’t show the Zips’ awful slate of opponents.

Bottom line: I know Notre Dame has struggled in the Tournament lately (1-4 SU and ATS going back to 2003), but I also know that Mike Bray’s team hasn’t come into this event with the kind of depth, experience and talent (particularly in the backcourt) that they have this year. With Ben Hansborough (18.5 ppg, double-digit scoring in all but two games) leading the way, the Irish (9-3 ATS last 12 as a favorite; 8-3 ATS last 11 at neutral venues) make quick, easy work of Akron with a 20-point, post-St. Patrick’s Day rout.