TWECAR

Who will dictate the pace of play?  I thought Baylor would be pushing the ball against BYU but they were more deliberate than I thought.  I thought Jackson would be more aggressive with dribble drive.

Maryland came out pressing Iowa without much success.  I was worried for my under bet then in the second half things slowed down dramatically.  Perhaps Iowa 2/3 zone helped in tht regard.

Both teams can score particularly Baylor who has been over 70 for most of their recent games.  They played a their games against Kansas St. in the 60s.  Iowa can score and Marble is hot.

My book has game at 142 still contemplating over/under.  He also has Baylor at +3.  I think it will be close so I will take the points.  I still like Jackson and Baylor's bigs.

We have seen this matchup earlier in the season at Baylor where Baylor won 79 to 64.  Baylor had 5 players in double figures and two others just missed.  Jefferson and Austin had 26 rebounds between them.

Davies had a great game:  26 points and 17 boards.  Hawes had 13 and was second in boards with 4.

No doubt that BYU is playing better and home court was a very important factor in Baylor's win.  But it seems that BYU is going to have to get someone else on the boards.  Why not just box Davies out? 

Jackson is playing awesome right now.  How is BYU going to stop his penetration? He can get to the rim when every he wants.  BYU is not known for their defense.  Too many things have to go right for BYU to cover.  They have to hit their 3s and Davies has to have a repeat performance on the boards.  This is Baylor's game to win if they are motivated.  So far, they seem interested in winning the NIT.  You would think that playing in Madison Square Garden would be enough motivation for anyone.  I have to take Baylor -3, not sure about the over/under.  Sets up for a high scoring game.  Baylor/Providence just fell short of 150 last game.

I anticipate an up tempo game with alot of possessions.  Hoping that both teams stay hot from 3.  Also think Wichita St. will also go inside some.

Miami under 127  This line is low for a reason.   

OSU under 135    If you throw out last games against Iona and Iowa St., two good offensive teams (where OSU went well over their average), OSU has given up 43, 58, 50, 55, 58, 53, 60, and 45.  These games were at the start of their 10 game winning streak when they were embarrased by Wisconsin.  OSU has gone small with the emphasis on defense.  Craft and Scott have played together during this span and are great peremeter defender.  I hope Craft can take Lyons out of his game.  This might hurt Craft's recent offensive production. Rebounding?  It could be a problem  with OSU going small lately.  But they beat Michigan St. twice during this span, and we know they can rebound.  Arizona plays decent defense as well.

Syracuse under 136

I think that Indiana take time probing the zone, moving ball east to west.  Just hope that neither team is hot hitting their 3s and limit transition points.  Both are great defensive teams. Syracuse gives up 59 while Indiana 62.

Not too high on the Big East?  Maybe so.  Their best team in regular season got spanked by Florida Gulf Coast.  I think both of these teams win; the question is whether they cover.  Any thoughts on totals? 

Denson7, I lost a little.  Too many other bets.  I should have just played Santa Clara, Iowa, and the under in BYU/S. Miss. (It was set a little too high).  Live and learn. 

I did have more money on Santa Clara than the under in that game so I made money on that game.  Santa Clara is a senior laden, scoring machine, right now.  Appreciate your insights.

Thanks.  Wright St. games rarely go over 132 total.  If they do tonight, it will be because of Santa Clara.  I might hedge my bets with Santa Clara +1.5 and the under.  Still deciding.  Thanks for input.

Denson7,

You think Wright St will control the tempo here?  Any thought on the side?

Thanks for the input.

Will Southern Miss push the ball or try to slow it down.  Any opinions?

152 is the highest total for BYU since they played St. Mary's in mid January.  Southern Miss has never had a total this high this season.  The total seems to be a reaction to BYU scoring 90 points the last two games.  They have 2 great players in Davies and Hawes, and Carlino has been red hot.  But these games were at home. 

Southern Miss. has a tough defense holding LA Tech last game to 52.  They have a number of players who can score.  The place should be rockin even more than last game.

The total seems to suggest that Vegas believes that both teams will score since both will need to get to 152.  Like to think BYU can hang with 6 or 5.5.  Still thinking about this game.

This game reminds me of last night's game:  Alabama v. Maryland.  Alabama a good defensive team that plays well at home.  Maryland had been playing better of late like Iowa.

While it is hard to go against a team that is 20-0 at home, I like Iowa +4.5.  I see a low scoring game where the points will be valuable.  Marble has been playing the point for Iowa, and their offense has been running better.  With Marble at point, Iowa is big.  Iowa leads its conference and ranks 10th nationally with 39.3 rebounds per game and holds opponents to 38.8 percent shooting, another conference-best mark. The game should be close with Iowa having an outside chance of the upset.