Posted:
#1
199-149 (+43.0 units)
Tuesday: 0-3
Moving on from a terrible Tuesday.
All three of these were grabbed at the open from BetOnline and were posted in my 1/24 thread:
Georgia State @ Drexel -5.5 (1 unit)
The books have been slow to adjust to Drexel's mid-season resurgence following a sluggish start. Keep in mind that this team was a unanimous pick to finish in the Top 3 in the CAA but scuffled without prolific outside shooter Chris Fouch. Since his return, Bru's Crew has rattled off a 13-2 record largely on the strength of its two hallmarks: defense and rebounding. The Dragons are the nation's #1 team at defending the 3-point line and #4 in Def. Reb %. They challenge every shot and allow an impressively miniscule number of second chances. Since December 10th, Drexel has one loss. To whom? Georgia State. In that contest, played in Atlanta, Drexel pummeled the Panthers on the glass (34-24 total, 12-4 offensive boards) but turned it over 24 times. Primary ballhandlers Damion Lee and Franz Massenat were in early foul trouble, which adversely affected the Dragons' ability to hang onto the ball against the pressure defense of Georgia State. Despite holding GSU to 33% shooting from the field, Drexel could not overcome a massive free throw disparity and lost by 14. Tonight is the payback game, and there are few teams in the country who excel in these spots like Drexel. Georgia State has VCU on-deck at home Saturday in the Panthers' biggest CAA game of the entire season. Major look-ahead situation playing against a team it already handled at home. Also, the DAC is one of the more underrated home courts in the nation as Drexel has won 16 of its last 17 home games a league where home court advantage can never be understated.
Florida State @ Wake Forest +9 (1 unit)
This is a tough bet to make, but the situation calls for it. FSU thumped UNC in front of a raucous crowd last Saturday, avoided the "letdown" game against Maryland a few days later, and then turned around and ended Duke's 45-game home winning streak at the buzzer. Wow. That is one hell of a three-game stretch and there's reason to believe Florida State is a legitimate threat to challenge for an ACC title. But...the flat spot is tonight. FSU pounded Wake by a combined 42 points last season in two meetings and has little reason to bring another big effort into tonight's game. It just knocked off the two titans of the ACC in the same week and is sitting pretty at the top of the league standings. On paper, Wake matches up poorly, but I have to take a shot here with the Deacons getting nearly double-digits on their home floor.
Penn State +23.5 @ Ohio State (1 unit)
Another painful bet to make, but I've fallen in love with Pat Chambers' tenacity and coaching style. His team is short on talent and ability, but I've yet to see a scrappier and hard-nosed team this season in the B1G. Tim Frazier's scoring prowess cannot be underestimated. He'll have a tough time with Aaron Craft, to be sure, though this number is a bit inflated, IMO, based on two mightily-impressive performances by the Buckeyes in consecutive blowout wins over Indiana and Nebraska. With Michigan on-deck Saturday, we probably won't see yet another terrific performance by OSU. Penn State has a few strengths that might allow them to hang around, particularly a refusal to allow second-chance points (#10 Def. Reb %) and generate their own opportunities (#38 Off. Reb %). Rebounding is often a byproduct of effort, and PSU is the team I expect to be more interested in this game, ultimately making it slightly closer than many might predict.
Current Leans:
Villanova +9.5, East Carolina +4, Wilmington +3.5, Seton Hall -7, Texas Tech +11.5, Alabama -5
Tuesday: 0-3
Moving on from a terrible Tuesday.
All three of these were grabbed at the open from BetOnline and were posted in my 1/24 thread:
Georgia State @ Drexel -5.5 (1 unit)
The books have been slow to adjust to Drexel's mid-season resurgence following a sluggish start. Keep in mind that this team was a unanimous pick to finish in the Top 3 in the CAA but scuffled without prolific outside shooter Chris Fouch. Since his return, Bru's Crew has rattled off a 13-2 record largely on the strength of its two hallmarks: defense and rebounding. The Dragons are the nation's #1 team at defending the 3-point line and #4 in Def. Reb %. They challenge every shot and allow an impressively miniscule number of second chances. Since December 10th, Drexel has one loss. To whom? Georgia State. In that contest, played in Atlanta, Drexel pummeled the Panthers on the glass (34-24 total, 12-4 offensive boards) but turned it over 24 times. Primary ballhandlers Damion Lee and Franz Massenat were in early foul trouble, which adversely affected the Dragons' ability to hang onto the ball against the pressure defense of Georgia State. Despite holding GSU to 33% shooting from the field, Drexel could not overcome a massive free throw disparity and lost by 14. Tonight is the payback game, and there are few teams in the country who excel in these spots like Drexel. Georgia State has VCU on-deck at home Saturday in the Panthers' biggest CAA game of the entire season. Major look-ahead situation playing against a team it already handled at home. Also, the DAC is one of the more underrated home courts in the nation as Drexel has won 16 of its last 17 home games a league where home court advantage can never be understated.
Florida State @ Wake Forest +9 (1 unit)
This is a tough bet to make, but the situation calls for it. FSU thumped UNC in front of a raucous crowd last Saturday, avoided the "letdown" game against Maryland a few days later, and then turned around and ended Duke's 45-game home winning streak at the buzzer. Wow. That is one hell of a three-game stretch and there's reason to believe Florida State is a legitimate threat to challenge for an ACC title. But...the flat spot is tonight. FSU pounded Wake by a combined 42 points last season in two meetings and has little reason to bring another big effort into tonight's game. It just knocked off the two titans of the ACC in the same week and is sitting pretty at the top of the league standings. On paper, Wake matches up poorly, but I have to take a shot here with the Deacons getting nearly double-digits on their home floor.
Penn State +23.5 @ Ohio State (1 unit)
Another painful bet to make, but I've fallen in love with Pat Chambers' tenacity and coaching style. His team is short on talent and ability, but I've yet to see a scrappier and hard-nosed team this season in the B1G. Tim Frazier's scoring prowess cannot be underestimated. He'll have a tough time with Aaron Craft, to be sure, though this number is a bit inflated, IMO, based on two mightily-impressive performances by the Buckeyes in consecutive blowout wins over Indiana and Nebraska. With Michigan on-deck Saturday, we probably won't see yet another terrific performance by OSU. Penn State has a few strengths that might allow them to hang around, particularly a refusal to allow second-chance points (#10 Def. Reb %) and generate their own opportunities (#38 Off. Reb %). Rebounding is often a byproduct of effort, and PSU is the team I expect to be more interested in this game, ultimately making it slightly closer than many might predict.
Current Leans:
Villanova +9.5, East Carolina +4, Wilmington +3.5, Seton Hall -7, Texas Tech +11.5, Alabama -5
0
Hot Forum Topics
