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Bobcat36

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Joined: Oct, 2011

Posts: 1531

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 5:40 PM ET #201

Quote Originally Posted by whosjerrykill:

Since when does Minnesota play an up-tempo style of game???? Never.

You wait THIS long for your 2nd post and you swing and MISS!

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nropp11

Captain

Joined: May, 2006

Posts: 7963

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 5:53 PM ET #202

Quote Originally Posted by whosjerrykill:

Since when does Minnesota play an up-tempo style of game???? Never.

Iowa's pressure will force it the same way Depaul's pressure forced it in a game that hit 75 possessions earlier this year.

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My_Vice44

Prospect

Joined: Dec, 2008

Posts: 403

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 5:53 PM ET #203

I wish you guys would stop asking him his opinions on games he hasn't mentioned. It's great he's helping you with your leans, but it's taking away his time to get his final card done. Just shut up and check back later.

If you can research and cap your own games, get another hobby!

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nropp11

Captain

Joined: May, 2006

Posts: 7963

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:01 PM ET #204

November: 46-38, +5.20

November Leans: 39-38

December: 65-70, -9.45

December Leans: 67-79

January: 3-0, +15.00

January Leans: 2-1

Wednesday

If there is one advantage that Tulsa normally has in any matchup, it’s generally size at the guard position. Their guards are normally taller, and more physical than any opponent they usually face throughout the course of the season, and with that, their defensive #’s are generally good for that fact alone. Because of this, they aren’t really forced to play all that great of defense because they can make up for it with their size. Insert Houston, pretty much a mirror image, and one of the few teams in the conference that matches up with Tulsa extraordinarily well and have played them tough for the past few years solely because of two things. First, I tip my cap to Wojcik for developing a game plan against Houston the past few years that really aims the offense to getting the ball in the post b/c they have had a nice offensive advantage on the inside there the past few years against Houston. The problem is, it sort of takes away from the most important part of their offense, and that’s the guard position. The guards need to score on a consistent basis for the offense to flow smoothly. Having lost Justin Hurtt, Tulsa lost their go-to guy and Mr. Everything and a ton of emphasis has been put on Clarkson and Haralson to do the scoring. They were much better scorers when they had a go-to guy in Hurtt and they were the role players. They’ve taken on an additional responsibility having to score here, and they should struggle with the size that Houston presents, and it’s really the first time this year that they’ll be going up against any form of size from an offensive standpoint. Speaking of these two, Houston had similar size in last year’s meetings and just in the role playing option, these two players shot 12/41. Now the pressure is on them to score, so I don’t expect things to be any easier. Wojcik will continue to pound the ball inside, and I think he’ll make it a point early, and when he does that, he’s really taking the ball out of his best player’s hands and taking the gameplan away what would work effectively against this Houston defense and that is launching shots from the outside. Houston generally doesn’t pressure on the outside, and they allow you to attempt shots, so Wojcik has really gone against traditional thinking the past few years. In reality, if he does switch things up, then Haralson and Clarkson will get shot attempts, but again, they’re shooting against bigger players than what they usually go up against. What exactly has Tulsa done this year that’s impressive? Their best victory on the year comes against a TCU team just a few days ago who consistently play two guards less than six feet tall at the same time. It’s because of that Tulsa shot 50%, and actually shot 61% in the 2H of that ballgame. The problem? They barely won. The shot 61% in the 2H and TCU got back into the game and actually had a chance to take the lead late. Tulsa continues on the road here, for the 2nd and final game of the roadtrip, coming off a hot shooting performance, and I’m willing to guess that playing a different style and going on the road against size is going to present some problems. From Houston perspective, the offense is a bit hectic; I would probably compare it a bit to the style of Depaul. They get after it, and the emotions of opening up conference play should be there after playing a brutally weak schedule. Tulsa’s played a decently tough schedule, but it’s also played a schedule that they haven’t really had to prepare for from a defensive standpoint. Their defense is pretty basic, and works well against the half-court offense, which is what they have gone up against the majority of the year. This is a different style and with little prep time, I’m not expecting the defense to look as good as it has, also noting having to guard players that are the same size, something else that they aren’t use to going up against. As I mentioned, Houston’s played a weak schedule. I can agree with that. But it’s also the reason they hold some value tonight. This team is also a couple games away from having a really good record. Their losses have come to Oakland by 2, TCU by 1, LSU by 1, Texas State by 3, and Oklahoma by 5. They haven’t been able to close out ballgames. What they have shown is that they’re going to score on decent defenses. They hung an 87 on Arkansas, and scoring 74 on Oklahoma has proven to be no easy task. They also have shown that when they can get up for a game, they will. In their most recent outing, they avenged the only bad loss they had on the schedule and they did it in impressive fashion. Now they open up conference play, against an opponent on the back end of a roady (where game #1 was a win…barely) they’re familiar with and have had success playing against. I think the motivation will be there. And the added benefit of size should play a huge role (Tulsa shot less than 37% both meetings last year) as Tulsa’s one main usual advantage is taken away. Combine the mini-letdown with the size factor with the Houston offense and a bit of motivation, and I should get a nice performance out of the home pup. I could go on about the matchups for days, but I don’t think Tulsa has an advantage anywhere but the post position. It’s a big advantage but like I mentioned there is a few things that really clash in a bad way. One, Tulsa needs offense from the guard position and if they’re forcing the ball in the post like they did in last year’s matchups, then they aren’t going to keep up with the Houston offense which will operate better in this matchup in the half court. And two, if for some reason they don’t put the ball inside and go totally opposite and try to score from the outside (which I don't think they will do), they’re going to force some pretty bad shots against height and bad long shots lead to long rebounds, takes the advantage away from the bigs inside and leads Houston to multiple transition opportunities which is what they do on a decently good and consistent basis. I’m really curious to see which way Tulsa prepared, but I have a feeling that however they prepped isn’t going to be the best option, and another spot where a bad coach on the hotseat gets exposed a bit more.

5* Houston +2.5

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November: 46-38, +5.20

November Leans: 39-38

December: 65-70, -9.45

December Leans: 67-79

January: 3-0, +15.00

January Leans: 2-1

Wednesday

If there is one advantage that Tulsa normally has in any matchup, it’s generally size at the guard position. Their guards are normally taller, and more physical than any opponent they usually face throughout the course of the season, and with that, their defensive #’s are generally good for that fact alone. Because of this, they aren’t really forced to play all that great of defense because they can make up for it with their size. Insert Houston, pretty much a mirror image, and one of the few teams in the conference that matches up with Tulsa extraordinarily well and have played them tough for the past few years solely because of two things. First, I tip my cap to Wojcik for developing a game plan against Houston the past few years that really aims the offense to getting the ball in the post b/c they have had a nice offensive advantage on the inside there the past few years against Houston. The problem is, it sort of takes away from the most important part of their offense, and that’s the guard position. The guards need to score on a consistent basis for the offense to flow smoothly. Having lost Justin Hurtt, Tulsa lost their go-to guy and Mr. Everything and a ton of emphasis has been put on Clarkson and Haralson to do the scoring. They were much better scorers when they had a go-to guy in Hurtt and they were the role players. They’ve taken on an additional responsibility having to score here, and they should struggle with the size that Houston presents, and it’s really the first time this year that they’ll be going up against any form of size from an offensive standpoint. Speaking of these two, Houston had similar size in last year’s meetings and just in the role playing option, these two players shot 12/41. Now the pressure is on them to score, so I don’t expect things to be any easier. Wojcik will continue to pound the ball inside, and I think he’ll make it a point early, and when he does that, he’s really taking the ball out of his best player’s hands and taking the gameplan away what would work effectively against this Houston defense and that is launching shots from the outside. Houston generally doesn’t pressure on the outside, and they allow you to attempt shots, so Wojcik has really gone against traditional thinking the past few years. In reality, if he does switch things up, then Haralson and Clarkson will get shot attempts, but again, they’re shooting against bigger players than what they usually go up against. What exactly has Tulsa done this year that’s impressive? Their best victory on the year comes against a TCU team just a few days ago who consistently play two guards less than six feet tall at the same time. It’s because of that Tulsa shot 50%, and actually shot 61% in the 2H of that ballgame. The problem? They barely won. The shot 61% in the 2H and TCU got back into the game and actually had a chance to take the lead late. Tulsa continues on the road here, for the 2nd and final game of the roadtrip, coming off a hot shooting performance, and I’m willing to guess that playing a different style and going on the road against size is going to present some problems. From Houston perspective, the offense is a bit hectic; I would probably compare it a bit to the style of Depaul. They get after it, and the emotions of opening up conference play should be there after playing a brutally weak schedule. Tulsa’s played a decently tough schedule, but it’s also played a schedule that they haven’t really had to prepare for from a defensive standpoint. Their defense is pretty basic, and works well against the half-court offense, which is what they have gone up against the majority of the year. This is a different style and with little prep time, I’m not expecting the defense to look as good as it has, also noting having to guard players that are the same size, something else that they aren’t use to going up against. As I mentioned, Houston’s played a weak schedule. I can agree with that. But it’s also the reason they hold some value tonight. This team is also a couple games away from having a really good record. Their losses have come to Oakland by 2, TCU by 1, LSU by 1, Texas State by 3, and Oklahoma by 5. They haven’t been able to close out ballgames. What they have shown is that they’re going to score on decent defenses. They hung an 87 on Arkansas, and scoring 74 on Oklahoma has proven to be no easy task. They also have shown that when they can get up for a game, they will. In their most recent outing, they avenged the only bad loss they had on the schedule and they did it in impressive fashion. Now they open up conference play, against an opponent on the back end of a roady (where game #1 was a win…barely) they’re familiar with and have had success playing against. I think the motivation will be there. And the added benefit of size should play a huge role (Tulsa shot less than 37% both meetings last year) as Tulsa’s one main usual advantage is taken away. Combine the mini-letdown with the size factor with the Houston offense and a bit of motivation, and I should get a nice performance out of the home pup. I could go on about the matchups for days, but I don’t think Tulsa has an advantage anywhere but the post position. It’s a big advantage but like I mentioned there is a few things that really clash in a bad way. One, Tulsa needs offense from the guard position and if they’re forcing the ball in the post like they did in last year’s matchups, then they aren’t going to keep up with the Houston offense which will operate better in this matchup in the half court. And two, if for some reason they don’t put the ball inside and go totally opposite and try to score from the outside (which I don't think they will do), they’re going to force some pretty bad shots against height and bad long shots lead to long rebounds, takes the advantage away from the bigs inside and leads Houston to multiple transition opportunities which is what they do on a decently good and consistent basis. I’m really curious to see which way Tulsa prepared, but I have a feeling that however they prepped isn’t going to be the best option, and another spot where a bad coach on the hotseat gets exposed a bit more.

5* Houston +2.5

nropp11

Captain

Joined: May, 2006

Posts: 7963

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:02 PM ET #205

Circled this one at the beginning of the season when I saw the squads go in a bit of a different direction. These are two drastically different teams from just a year ago, and it’s the first real spot where I can use the advantages of both in a matchup that doesn’t require a snail or a good defense, and a matchup that didn’t require a lookahead or a letdown. So this one lines up awfully nice and sort of branches off the above play in a way. Only other spot I had circled for TCU to the over was the Evansville game, but that was lined around this same # and Evansville had the trip to UNC on tap, thus coming in under which adds value here. TCU struggles to score at times b/c of the two guards they play on a consistent basis that stand under 6 feet tall. It’s a given that it’s tough to get up a shot when you’re that small. Playing against Tulsa’s guards is much different than Rice’s guards, both from a defensive philosophy standpoint and a size standpoint (in fact, 12 of TCU’s shot attempts were blocked on Saturday). Rice’s best form of defense lies on the interior, and the guards have been getting torched by opponent guards for the better part of the past three years. So I have no problem with TCU scoring tonight. From the Rice offensive perspective, they have some size advantages offensively, and TCU can’t defend either the interior or the perimeter in this matchup. Both teams are playing much, much faster than last year, and both offenses have benefited from doing so. Rice’s four lowest scoring games of the year all came against what I project to be top 100 defenses. This TCU defense is nowhere near close to that. TCU’s lowest outputs have come against snails and good defenses. Just to give you an idea of how fast TCU wants to play, they took both Virginia and USC to 66 possessions, just one possession below the country average. In last year’s meeting, both teams scored at least 30 points in both halves of basketball, and that was when Rice was slowing the tempo. That game hit 67 possessions, this year’s should easily hit 70+. If you take away the snails and the good defensive teams, then neither team has played a game under 70 possessions this year. Add in the fact that this is the style that both teams enjoy playing, you get the sense of familiarity and this one has the value in pointing to the over. Both teams know where the advantages come, and both team’s guards should have ample opportunities to score. This matchup pits two defenses that just aren’t very good, and two defenses that aren’t going to get better by going against offenses that should be very coherent with what they’re going up against. There should be no changes or anything out of the ordinary here. TCU’s 7-0 when they score 70+, and Rice is 9-2 when they do so. Both team’s have one common opponent, and that was Lamar. Coincidentally, both went over this total with TCU getting to 149, and Rice getting to 168. I just see no reason that this one isn’t an up and down from the start as both teams need to get up and down to mask how bad their defense actually is, and both teams have matchup problems they can exploit from an offensive standpoint.

5* Rice/TCU Over 142.5

Cincinnati’s in a big letdown spot, but also a double-revenge spot, with the most recent game being a friggin beatdown at the end of last year where Notre Dame put up 89 while using the burn. Scary; yes. Cincy has shown no ability to score outside of the few times they played horrendous defenses and offenses and they got into and up and down game with “us against the world mentality” right after the suspsensions. The bigs are eligible again, and will suit up tonight, which again slows them down and makes the offense dull if they don’t continue the four guard offense. For reference, see what Xavier has done the past few weeks. It should take some time for the team to gel again. In the past week, Cincy’s been a part of two physical contests, and has come out ahead in both...barely. In that same time frame, wait for it….wait for it….wait for it….Mike Brey’s had the entire week to prep. Go with the burn? Or speed them up? Your guess is as good as mine, but he’ll have the team prepared, and it’s the last instance it occurs this year with Brey having a week. This one should be decided late, and if the burn is utilized, then the points are a bit high. Would have taken a shot with the ML on old system as well.

Lean: Notre Dame +8.5

It’s hard to not like Delaware in this spot. First, they’re welcoming in a team who’s offense and defensive principles are what they enjoy playing. On offense, Hofstra employs a style that can be summed up with the term “streetball” and is really predicated on driving and kicking, or driving and at the very least getting up a shot attempt. The guards are really good at it, and excel at it when they can penetrate and kick....

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Circled this one at the beginning of the season when I saw the squads go in a bit of a different direction. These are two drastically different teams from just a year ago, and it’s the first real spot where I can use the advantages of both in a matchup that doesn’t require a snail or a good defense, and a matchup that didn’t require a lookahead or a letdown. So this one lines up awfully nice and sort of branches off the above play in a way. Only other spot I had circled for TCU to the over was the Evansville game, but that was lined around this same # and Evansville had the trip to UNC on tap, thus coming in under which adds value here. TCU struggles to score at times b/c of the two guards they play on a consistent basis that stand under 6 feet tall. It’s a given that it’s tough to get up a shot when you’re that small. Playing against Tulsa’s guards is much different than Rice’s guards, both from a defensive philosophy standpoint and a size standpoint (in fact, 12 of TCU’s shot attempts were blocked on Saturday). Rice’s best form of defense lies on the interior, and the guards have been getting torched by opponent guards for the better part of the past three years. So I have no problem with TCU scoring tonight. From the Rice offensive perspective, they have some size advantages offensively, and TCU can’t defend either the interior or the perimeter in this matchup. Both teams are playing much, much faster than last year, and both offenses have benefited from doing so. Rice’s four lowest scoring games of the year all came against what I project to be top 100 defenses. This TCU defense is nowhere near close to that. TCU’s lowest outputs have come against snails and good defenses. Just to give you an idea of how fast TCU wants to play, they took both Virginia and USC to 66 possessions, just one possession below the country average. In last year’s meeting, both teams scored at least 30 points in both halves of basketball, and that was when Rice was slowing the tempo. That game hit 67 possessions, this year’s should easily hit 70+. If you take away the snails and the good defensive teams, then neither team has played a game under 70 possessions this year. Add in the fact that this is the style that both teams enjoy playing, you get the sense of familiarity and this one has the value in pointing to the over. Both teams know where the advantages come, and both team’s guards should have ample opportunities to score. This matchup pits two defenses that just aren’t very good, and two defenses that aren’t going to get better by going against offenses that should be very coherent with what they’re going up against. There should be no changes or anything out of the ordinary here. TCU’s 7-0 when they score 70+, and Rice is 9-2 when they do so. Both team’s have one common opponent, and that was Lamar. Coincidentally, both went over this total with TCU getting to 149, and Rice getting to 168. I just see no reason that this one isn’t an up and down from the start as both teams need to get up and down to mask how bad their defense actually is, and both teams have matchup problems they can exploit from an offensive standpoint.

5* Rice/TCU Over 142.5

Cincinnati’s in a big letdown spot, but also a double-revenge spot, with the most recent game being a friggin beatdown at the end of last year where Notre Dame put up 89 while using the burn. Scary; yes. Cincy has shown no ability to score outside of the few times they played horrendous defenses and offenses and they got into and up and down game with “us against the world mentality” right after the suspsensions. The bigs are eligible again, and will suit up tonight, which again slows them down and makes the offense dull if they don’t continue the four guard offense. For reference, see what Xavier has done the past few weeks. It should take some time for the team to gel again. In the past week, Cincy’s been a part of two physical contests, and has come out ahead in both...barely. In that same time frame, wait for it….wait for it….wait for it….Mike Brey’s had the entire week to prep. Go with the burn? Or speed them up? Your guess is as good as mine, but he’ll have the team prepared, and it’s the last instance it occurs this year with Brey having a week. This one should be decided late, and if the burn is utilized, then the points are a bit high. Would have taken a shot with the ML on old system as well.

Lean: Notre Dame +8.5

It’s hard to not like Delaware in this spot. First, they’re welcoming in a team who’s offense and defensive principles are what they enjoy playing. On offense, Hofstra employs a style that can be summed up with the term “streetball” and is really predicated on driving and kicking, or driving and at the very least getting up a shot attempt. The guards are really good at it, and excel at it when they can penetrate and kick....

nropp11

Captain

Joined: May, 2006

Posts: 7963

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:02 PM ET #206

....This isn’t a Hofstra team that is built to take outside shots. They need the tempo in their favor to score, and this is where the Delaware defense on the outside really becomes a factor. Again, refer to page two or three to read about it, but this Delaware defense really forces you to hit outside shots to beat them, and Hofstra doesn’t have a single player on the roster really built to stand there and take a shot. They’re much better off the dribble, and there will be little room to do that against the Delaware style. On another note, Hofstra got back Stevie Mejia last game, and by doing so, takes away one of their better offensive weapons from a chemistry standpoint on the season in McMillan. It’s going to take a bit for Hofstra to get up to speed I believe and figure out how to play one over the other. Having quality at the PG spot is sort of a bad thing in this instance in terms of figuring out how to get both of them minutes. From the Delaware standpoint, offensively as dumb as it sounds, they’re better off going against a good defense where they can move the ball around and find the open option, rather than Saddler hoisting up shots. Saddler will be guarded by some size tonight, so the shot attempts should be a bit down, and that’s a GOOD thing for Delaware. One last thing, it’s just a bad spot for Hofstra. They won their Super Bowl against Iona by playing their brand of basketball, and rebounded to lay an egg against VCU’s havoc, and now hit the road to play another totally different style just two days later. Three styles in a week’s time, with the third style coming on the road and on the back end of a three-game stretch against a team that’s going to enjoy the style you bring in.

Lean: Delaware -3

Wednesday Tidbits: Rutgers is playing quite a bit faster on the year. The same can be said for West Virginia. Rutgers is coming off taking South Florida to a 132 point total (snail USF by the way) in a letdown game and returns home. West Virginia is coming off an ugly game where they faced a much tougher defense and only scored 48. Oddsmakers in the past few years have set the total in the same vicinity. Have to believe there is a ton of value in the over here. The offenses have gotten better, the defenses have been worse, and the speed has increased dramatically. With the Illinois game, I believe they hold value. From an offensive standpoint, Illinois struggles in the half court against teams who are physical and can defend. Northwestern does not fit that description, so I don’t think Illinois struggles at all offensively tonight. From a defensive standpoint, having Leonard standing in the paint really takes away the backcuts and inside scoring where Northwestern has struggled this year. Weber defended this offense beautifully against Richmond earlier this year, and it was the main reason Richmond struggled in the half court. Yes, the Northwestern offense is good, but if they can’t stop anybody and half of their offensive chances are taken away, then that offense becomes average. Take that 80 point performance and the write-up from page two of this thread on NC Wilmington and throw it out the window. Northeastern’s defensive philosophy is something Buzz Peterson struggles against, and the offense probably takes a dive after playing so well the previous two games. UCF struggles against fast tempo’s. For reference check out the past three games they failed to cover. Tonight, they get their brand of basketball, and a putrid road snail squad in Tulane playing on the back end of a three game roady with Southern Miss on tap. Georgia State and VCU is by far the game of the night. Find a stream. Pay for a stream. Just watch it somehow. I find it hard to believe that Memphis and Tennessee go over the total again after having some prep time this time around, but not taking the chance. Texas Tech’s defense. If you go to page 1 of the thread, you’ll see where I leaned SIU as a 3.5 point pup on it’s homecourt in what I envisioned and put an emphasis on their biggest game of the year with the rivalry with ISU and all of the local connections. The result was an SIU victory, and by far their best played game of the year. They could not miss a shot, and could do anything and everything they wanted to. Thus, the letdown factor. Now, they travel to Bradley, a traditionally tough place to play against a slumping Bradley team who has played more zone this year than I can ever remember Geno Ford playing. If you’ve seen SIU this year, you see a team that is unorganized, and a team that takes a ton of dumb shots. Bradley’s zone will force more quick and dumb shots, and will be a tough thing for SIU to go into, having had a great shooting game last time out. Wanted to at the very least lean to Eastern Kentucky as Murray State has struggled with them in the past, but have a feeling the new coach has some tricks up his sleeve, and will approach a slightly different way than what Kennedy did. This week is probably Murray State’s toughest test in terms of going undefeated the rest of the way. Yah, Peay sucks, but still.

GL

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....This isn’t a Hofstra team that is built to take outside shots. They need the tempo in their favor to score, and this is where the Delaware defense on the outside really becomes a factor. Again, refer to page two or three to read about it, but this Delaware defense really forces you to hit outside shots to beat them, and Hofstra doesn’t have a single player on the roster really built to stand there and take a shot. They’re much better off the dribble, and there will be little room to do that against the Delaware style. On another note, Hofstra got back Stevie Mejia last game, and by doing so, takes away one of their better offensive weapons from a chemistry standpoint on the season in McMillan. It’s going to take a bit for Hofstra to get up to speed I believe and figure out how to play one over the other. Having quality at the PG spot is sort of a bad thing in this instance in terms of figuring out how to get both of them minutes. From the Delaware standpoint, offensively as dumb as it sounds, they’re better off going against a good defense where they can move the ball around and find the open option, rather than Saddler hoisting up shots. Saddler will be guarded by some size tonight, so the shot attempts should be a bit down, and that’s a GOOD thing for Delaware. One last thing, it’s just a bad spot for Hofstra. They won their Super Bowl against Iona by playing their brand of basketball, and rebounded to lay an egg against VCU’s havoc, and now hit the road to play another totally different style just two days later. Three styles in a week’s time, with the third style coming on the road and on the back end of a three-game stretch against a team that’s going to enjoy the style you bring in.

Lean: Delaware -3

Wednesday Tidbits: Rutgers is playing quite a bit faster on the year. The same can be said for West Virginia. Rutgers is coming off taking South Florida to a 132 point total (snail USF by the way) in a letdown game and returns home. West Virginia is coming off an ugly game where they faced a much tougher defense and only scored 48. Oddsmakers in the past few years have set the total in the same vicinity. Have to believe there is a ton of value in the over here. The offenses have gotten better, the defenses have been worse, and the speed has increased dramatically. With the Illinois game, I believe they hold value. From an offensive standpoint, Illinois struggles in the half court against teams who are physical and can defend. Northwestern does not fit that description, so I don’t think Illinois struggles at all offensively tonight. From a defensive standpoint, having Leonard standing in the paint really takes away the backcuts and inside scoring where Northwestern has struggled this year. Weber defended this offense beautifully against Richmond earlier this year, and it was the main reason Richmond struggled in the half court. Yes, the Northwestern offense is good, but if they can’t stop anybody and half of their offensive chances are taken away, then that offense becomes average. Take that 80 point performance and the write-up from page two of this thread on NC Wilmington and throw it out the window. Northeastern’s defensive philosophy is something Buzz Peterson struggles against, and the offense probably takes a dive after playing so well the previous two games. UCF struggles against fast tempo’s. For reference check out the past three games they failed to cover. Tonight, they get their brand of basketball, and a putrid road snail squad in Tulane playing on the back end of a three game roady with Southern Miss on tap. Georgia State and VCU is by far the game of the night. Find a stream. Pay for a stream. Just watch it somehow. I find it hard to believe that Memphis and Tennessee go over the total again after having some prep time this time around, but not taking the chance. Texas Tech’s defense. If you go to page 1 of the thread, you’ll see where I leaned SIU as a 3.5 point pup on it’s homecourt in what I envisioned and put an emphasis on their biggest game of the year with the rivalry with ISU and all of the local connections. The result was an SIU victory, and by far their best played game of the year. They could not miss a shot, and could do anything and everything they wanted to. Thus, the letdown factor. Now, they travel to Bradley, a traditionally tough place to play against a slumping Bradley team who has played more zone this year than I can ever remember Geno Ford playing. If you’ve seen SIU this year, you see a team that is unorganized, and a team that takes a ton of dumb shots. Bradley’s zone will force more quick and dumb shots, and will be a tough thing for SIU to go into, having had a great shooting game last time out. Wanted to at the very least lean to Eastern Kentucky as Murray State has struggled with them in the past, but have a feeling the new coach has some tricks up his sleeve, and will approach a slightly different way than what Kennedy did. This week is probably Murray State’s toughest test in terms of going undefeated the rest of the way. Yah, Peay sucks, but still.

GL

clepto

Legend

Joined: Aug, 2001

Posts: 34488

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:03 PM ET #207

Neil

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nbafan88

Hall of Fame

Joined: Mar, 2008

Posts: 26899

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:09 PM ET #208

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TO9

Rookie

Joined: Oct, 2005

Posts: 831

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:09 PM ET #209

Thanks Neil... GL tonight

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brthestar

Prospect

Joined: Oct, 2007

Posts: 420

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:15 PM ET #210

Delaware it is! lol

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brthestar

Prospect

Joined: Oct, 2007

Posts: 420

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:15 PM ET #211

ahh..& Notre Dame!

0

Goggles-Pisano

Veteran

Joined: Feb, 2009

Posts: 2693

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 6:20 PM ET #212

Neil

0

dmoore916

Prospect

Joined: Nov, 2011

Posts: 253

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 7:02 PM ET #213

Nropp,

Great write up on houston. I leaned Tulsa due to the length they have but havent seen Houston. You answered all my questions and I wasnt impressed with Tulsa besides the length that gives them mismatches all over.

GL

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bluehen21

Prospect

Joined: Nov, 2011

Posts: 37

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 8:19 PM ET #214

Lets cash this cow

0

oddsbuster

Banned

Joined: Oct, 2006

Posts: 20924

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 8:40 PM ET #215

Good luck 2night buddy...

0

composite

Veteran

Joined: Oct, 2008

Posts: 4418

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 8:55 PM ET #216

Any thoughts on 2H? Rice/TCU 75.5?

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nropp11

Captain

Joined: May, 2006

Posts: 7963

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 8:59 PM ET #217

Quote Originally Posted by composite:

Any thoughts on 2H? Rice/TCU 75.5?

Assuming the pace doesn't change, you are on pace for 72 possessions. Pace keeps up and the regular total should go over. Some horrid shooting thus far.

0

composite

Veteran

Joined: Oct, 2008

Posts: 4418

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 9:03 PM ET #218

thx. any thoughts on Houston -1 2H?

0

nropp11

Captain

Joined: May, 2006

Posts: 7963

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 9:06 PM ET #219

Quote Originally Posted by composite:

thx. any thoughts on Houston -1 2H?

Nope. Tulsa's made it pretty simple they want to get the ball inside. Neither team's taken a three yet. Not really what I was expecting.

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composite

Veteran

Joined: Oct, 2008

Posts: 4418

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 9:13 PM ET #220

Thx. I took Houston anyway. I've rarely seen a dog giving pts in the 2H when they're down 8. Figured there must be something to that. Probably a foolish way to cap, but couldn't help it.

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Gordon Gekko

Captain

Joined: Mar, 2003

Posts: 6104

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 9:22 PM ET #221

Excellent writeups as usual Nropp!

0

coolfool

Banned

Joined: Oct, 2011

Posts: 3149

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 9:37 PM ET #222

DEM HATERS SURE IS QUIET

0

cmval5454

Prospect

Joined: Nov, 2009

Posts: 177

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 9:55 PM ET #223

0

ac_bum

Hall of Fame

Joined: Jun, 2011

Posts: 22968

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 9:56 PM ET #224

TCU SWEET

0

youngmoney23

Veteran

Joined: Oct, 2010

Posts: 1140

Posted: Jan. 4, 2012 - 9:57 PM ET #225

i was worried on the rice over after the first half but thanks brotha

0

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