Tweet
Robert Ferringo
CBB
1-Unit Play. Take #516 George Washington (-9.5) over Penn State (7 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. FIRST HALF: Take #516 George Washington (-5.5)
I have questions about whether or not GW can score enough to blown a team like Penn State out. And I always get leery about taking a mid-major team as a big favorite against a team from a power conference. But what I don't question is how bad Penn State is. Don't let the 5-2 record fool you: they aren't very good. The Nittany Lions are one of the least efficient offensive teams in college basketball, shooting a horrid 39.5 percent from the field and 65.8 percent from the free throw line. They aren't great defensively either, rating in the middle or bottom third in most major stats. They somehow won their last game by double-digits despite shooting just 36.1 percent and turning the ball over 15 times. And that came at home against a very mediocre team. George Washington is a really good, veteran team. They are certainly better than the Duquesne and Radford teams that beat Penn State by double-digits. GW already has quality wins over Virginia, Tennessee and Seton Hall. They would love to pick up another power conference scalp here.
1-Unit Play. Take #517 West Virginia (+5) over Virginia (7 p.m.)
The numbers love Virginia. But my eyes have told me a different story with this team. Malcolm Brogdon is a stud. He's an NBA-caliber player and one of the best guards in the country. But no one else on this UVA team has the mentality to be a primary scorer. And if West Virginia is able to smother Brogdon with its outstanding defense then I'm not sure where else the Cavaliers will turn. Virginia has only played two Top 70 teams this year. They lost at George Washington outright and they barely held on against a bad Ohio State team on the road. Virginia doesn't have the benefit of its home court edge in this game either and they are facing a fearless WVU squad. The Mountaineers won their two Top 70 games with ease, both on a neutral court, and they will be ready for this one. They will miss Juwan Staten this year. But West Virginia has eight of its top 10 scorers back from last year's Sweet 16 team and they are trending in the right direction here. I think this is too many points for UVA to lay out in a game that I could easily see West Virginia winning outright.
1-Unit Play. Take #521 Wright State (+21) over Xavier (7 p.m.)
I missed my play on Western Illinois yesterday but I still think the logic was sound. And I see a similar spot here. Xavier has its major rivalry game this Saturday against Cincinnati. This is a younger team and I think that they could be looking past Wright State in this situation. The Raiders only lost at Kentucky by 15 points. And even though they are just 1-5 against D-I opponents this year I think that this team is much better than it has played.
3-Unit Play. Take #523 Houston (+7.5) over Rhode Island (7 p.m.)
Houston was a team that had to suffer through last season while waiting for reinforcements. Well, the reinforcements are here and boy are they making a difference. We've already cashed in on Houston twice and this is a team that I wanted to tail hard this year, mainly because they have a bunch of new players that people haven't noticed. Bobby Gray is a JUCO transfer that's playing great and averaging over 18 points per game. Ronnie Johnson (Purdue) and Damyean Dotson (Oregon) are two guys that were two-year starters and double-digit scorers on very good teams in major conferences. Mix them in with the core guys that Houston brought back and you have the makings of a really solid squad. Rhode Island is in a letdown spot here after their rivalry loss to in-state foe Providence. They lost a heartbreaker there, 74-72, and with Nebraska (another power conference team) on deck this could be a letdown/look ahead game for the Rams. Rhode Island is not the same team without E.C. Matthews, who they unfortunately lost for the year due to injury. They aren't great offensively and I just have a hard time seeing them putting away a team that has a lot of quality guards and players that have won big-time games before.
1-Unit Play. Take #531 Evansville (+2) over Arkansas (9 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take #536 Texas (-24) over UT-San Antonio (8 p.m.)
2-Unit Play. Take #542 Connecticut (+2) over Maryland (9:30 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take 'Over' 141.0 Maryland vs. Connecticut (9:30 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take #540 SMU (-6.5) over Michigan (9 p.m.)
2-Unit Play. Take #544 Washington (-5.5) over TCU (11 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take #548 Minnesota (-2.5) over South Dakota State (8 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take #556 Georgia (-9.5) over Winthrop (7 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #516 George Washington (-4.5) AND Take #556 Georgia (-4.5)
CBB
1-Unit Play. Take #516 George Washington (-9.5) over Penn State (7 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. FIRST HALF: Take #516 George Washington (-5.5)
I have questions about whether or not GW can score enough to blown a team like Penn State out. And I always get leery about taking a mid-major team as a big favorite against a team from a power conference. But what I don't question is how bad Penn State is. Don't let the 5-2 record fool you: they aren't very good. The Nittany Lions are one of the least efficient offensive teams in college basketball, shooting a horrid 39.5 percent from the field and 65.8 percent from the free throw line. They aren't great defensively either, rating in the middle or bottom third in most major stats. They somehow won their last game by double-digits despite shooting just 36.1 percent and turning the ball over 15 times. And that came at home against a very mediocre team. George Washington is a really good, veteran team. They are certainly better than the Duquesne and Radford teams that beat Penn State by double-digits. GW already has quality wins over Virginia, Tennessee and Seton Hall. They would love to pick up another power conference scalp here.
1-Unit Play. Take #517 West Virginia (+5) over Virginia (7 p.m.)
The numbers love Virginia. But my eyes have told me a different story with this team. Malcolm Brogdon is a stud. He's an NBA-caliber player and one of the best guards in the country. But no one else on this UVA team has the mentality to be a primary scorer. And if West Virginia is able to smother Brogdon with its outstanding defense then I'm not sure where else the Cavaliers will turn. Virginia has only played two Top 70 teams this year. They lost at George Washington outright and they barely held on against a bad Ohio State team on the road. Virginia doesn't have the benefit of its home court edge in this game either and they are facing a fearless WVU squad. The Mountaineers won their two Top 70 games with ease, both on a neutral court, and they will be ready for this one. They will miss Juwan Staten this year. But West Virginia has eight of its top 10 scorers back from last year's Sweet 16 team and they are trending in the right direction here. I think this is too many points for UVA to lay out in a game that I could easily see West Virginia winning outright.
1-Unit Play. Take #521 Wright State (+21) over Xavier (7 p.m.)
I missed my play on Western Illinois yesterday but I still think the logic was sound. And I see a similar spot here. Xavier has its major rivalry game this Saturday against Cincinnati. This is a younger team and I think that they could be looking past Wright State in this situation. The Raiders only lost at Kentucky by 15 points. And even though they are just 1-5 against D-I opponents this year I think that this team is much better than it has played.
3-Unit Play. Take #523 Houston (+7.5) over Rhode Island (7 p.m.)
Houston was a team that had to suffer through last season while waiting for reinforcements. Well, the reinforcements are here and boy are they making a difference. We've already cashed in on Houston twice and this is a team that I wanted to tail hard this year, mainly because they have a bunch of new players that people haven't noticed. Bobby Gray is a JUCO transfer that's playing great and averaging over 18 points per game. Ronnie Johnson (Purdue) and Damyean Dotson (Oregon) are two guys that were two-year starters and double-digit scorers on very good teams in major conferences. Mix them in with the core guys that Houston brought back and you have the makings of a really solid squad. Rhode Island is in a letdown spot here after their rivalry loss to in-state foe Providence. They lost a heartbreaker there, 74-72, and with Nebraska (another power conference team) on deck this could be a letdown/look ahead game for the Rams. Rhode Island is not the same team without E.C. Matthews, who they unfortunately lost for the year due to injury. They aren't great offensively and I just have a hard time seeing them putting away a team that has a lot of quality guards and players that have won big-time games before.
1-Unit Play. Take #531 Evansville (+2) over Arkansas (9 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take #536 Texas (-24) over UT-San Antonio (8 p.m.)
2-Unit Play. Take #542 Connecticut (+2) over Maryland (9:30 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take 'Over' 141.0 Maryland vs. Connecticut (9:30 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take #540 SMU (-6.5) over Michigan (9 p.m.)
2-Unit Play. Take #544 Washington (-5.5) over TCU (11 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take #548 Minnesota (-2.5) over South Dakota State (8 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. Take #556 Georgia (-9.5) over Winthrop (7 p.m.)
1-Unit Play. TEASER: Take #516 George Washington (-4.5) AND Take #556 Georgia (-4.5)
Comment