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Robert Ferringo College Hoops
8-Unit Play. Take #805 Wisconsin (-4) over Marquette (7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4)
With all the weird and wacky stuff going on in college basketball - and all sports - right now there absolutely is no substitute for continuity and experience. And few teams are as cohesive, consistent and experienced as Wisconsin. All five starters are back from last year's team. All five are seniors. All five have had a lot of success in the Big Ten, including winning the regular season title last year. And now they are back together as one of the most static teams in the country. On the other hand we have Marquette. All they did was lose one of the best college basketball scores of the last half-century, Markus Howard. He as the nation's all-time leading scorer with 27.8 points per game and finished No. 21 in college hoops history in points. You don't just lose a guy like that and expect everything to be fine. Losing Howard would be bad enough. But that's not all they lost. Marquette lost four of its top six players and guys that were fringe role players are now being leaned on for absolutely everything. Mind you: with Howard Marquette got demolished 77-61 by Wisconsin last year. It should be just as bad this year. I know that this is a big rivalry game and that Marquette is playing at home. But there's no fans. So there really is no home court advantage and it certainly takes a lot of the bite out of the 'rivalry' aspect of this matchup. Now it's just a gym. And now it's just about the guys on the court. And Wisconsin has the much better side.
Marquette just lost by eight to a really below-average Oklahoma State team. And it wasn't even that close, with Ok. State up 12 with four minutes to play. Oklahoma State is not a tournament team and the Cowboys won despite shooting just 5-for-18 from 3-point range. If they can do that to Marquette what can the Badgers do to them?
This is also about matchups. Marquette does not matchup well with Wisconsin at all. Offensively, Marquette doesn't have anyone that can shoot. Koby McEwen is their primary guard but he's just a guy I would say is 'pretty good'. And he's not better than UW's D'Mitrick Trice. This team is going to really struggle to score points all year and they are going to try to win games by grinding teams down defensively. That's a problem because Wisconsin is used to playing that way. They play slow and methodical. And there is no defense that Marquette is going to throw at them that they haven't faced in spade in the rugged Big Ten. Freshman big Dawson Garcia and senior Theo John are going to be forced to guard Wisconsin's big men Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers. Garcia is likely to get abused and I won't be surprised to see him in foul trouble. John is a shot blocker and rim protector. But Wisconsin's bigs are both excellent 3-point shooters. Reuvers is hitting 71% from deep this year and 37% over the last three years while Potter is shooting 40% this year and 45% the last two years. They are going to be able to pull Johns (and later Jamal Cain when he has to fill in for Garcia) away from the basket.
Wisconsin just has too many answers. They are flat-out the better team. They are more talented, more experienced, better coached and more versatile on both ends of the court. The one trump card Marquette had was playing this game at home. But with no crowd that advantage is out the window. I just don't see how this game is decided by fewer than 8 points - and that's if Marquette plays well. If Marquette doesn't play well and Wisconsin does then this will be a 15-point win.
1-Unit Play. Take #803 Toledo (-2) over Eastern Michigan (7 p.m.., Friday, Dec. 4)
This is a conference game and I expect it to be a close one. However, Toledo has a major advantage in that this is their fifth game of the season. For Eastern Michigan it is just their second and it is their first game since Nov. 25. They haven't played since opening night nine days ago and I don't expect them to be very sharp. Eastern Michigan has had a lot of success in this series in recent years and Toledo isn't great on the road. But they have the best player on the floor (Marreon Jackson) and have been better out of the gate.
1-Unit Play. Take #823 Oregon (-3.5) over Seton Hall (9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4)
There are going to be some growing pains for this Oregon team. They just played their first game of the season on Wednesday against a very good Missouri team, losing by eight. The Ducks have a lot of new pieces on this team - they have four new starters - but they do have talent. Dana Altman is an excellent coach and he will get his guys rowing in the right direction. And I think that they are going to be fired up while trying to avoid a second straight loss. Seton Hall has already lost two of three games. We hit against them with a 7-Unit winner Wednesday on Rhode Island and I'm going right back against them here. Seton Hall is struggling to replace the fantastic production of Myles Powell and Quiincy McKnight. It's going to be a bit of a struggle for them all season. They are playing their fourth game in their fourth different city since last Friday and I just don't know how sharp these guys are going to be. I'll go with the Ducks.
1-Unit Play. Take #1284 Georgia (-15) over Jacksonville (7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4)
Georgia is still trash and Tom Crean is still trying to figure things out in Athens. This team is a long way away. But they are better than Jacksonville. By a lot. UGA brought in a bunch of transfer (three of them are starting) and have a young team. But they play fast and that should really help exacerbate the talent discrepancy between these two teams. Jacksonville is ranked No. 324 in offensive efficiency and I don't see them being able to keep up in this one.
1-Unit Play. Take #1286 Duke (-30) over Bellarmine (7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4)
I also have leans on Duke for the first half, South Dakota State, Texas Tech and FIU
Carpe diem. Good luck.
8-Unit Play. Take #805 Wisconsin (-4) over Marquette (7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4)
With all the weird and wacky stuff going on in college basketball - and all sports - right now there absolutely is no substitute for continuity and experience. And few teams are as cohesive, consistent and experienced as Wisconsin. All five starters are back from last year's team. All five are seniors. All five have had a lot of success in the Big Ten, including winning the regular season title last year. And now they are back together as one of the most static teams in the country. On the other hand we have Marquette. All they did was lose one of the best college basketball scores of the last half-century, Markus Howard. He as the nation's all-time leading scorer with 27.8 points per game and finished No. 21 in college hoops history in points. You don't just lose a guy like that and expect everything to be fine. Losing Howard would be bad enough. But that's not all they lost. Marquette lost four of its top six players and guys that were fringe role players are now being leaned on for absolutely everything. Mind you: with Howard Marquette got demolished 77-61 by Wisconsin last year. It should be just as bad this year. I know that this is a big rivalry game and that Marquette is playing at home. But there's no fans. So there really is no home court advantage and it certainly takes a lot of the bite out of the 'rivalry' aspect of this matchup. Now it's just a gym. And now it's just about the guys on the court. And Wisconsin has the much better side.
Marquette just lost by eight to a really below-average Oklahoma State team. And it wasn't even that close, with Ok. State up 12 with four minutes to play. Oklahoma State is not a tournament team and the Cowboys won despite shooting just 5-for-18 from 3-point range. If they can do that to Marquette what can the Badgers do to them?
This is also about matchups. Marquette does not matchup well with Wisconsin at all. Offensively, Marquette doesn't have anyone that can shoot. Koby McEwen is their primary guard but he's just a guy I would say is 'pretty good'. And he's not better than UW's D'Mitrick Trice. This team is going to really struggle to score points all year and they are going to try to win games by grinding teams down defensively. That's a problem because Wisconsin is used to playing that way. They play slow and methodical. And there is no defense that Marquette is going to throw at them that they haven't faced in spade in the rugged Big Ten. Freshman big Dawson Garcia and senior Theo John are going to be forced to guard Wisconsin's big men Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers. Garcia is likely to get abused and I won't be surprised to see him in foul trouble. John is a shot blocker and rim protector. But Wisconsin's bigs are both excellent 3-point shooters. Reuvers is hitting 71% from deep this year and 37% over the last three years while Potter is shooting 40% this year and 45% the last two years. They are going to be able to pull Johns (and later Jamal Cain when he has to fill in for Garcia) away from the basket.
Wisconsin just has too many answers. They are flat-out the better team. They are more talented, more experienced, better coached and more versatile on both ends of the court. The one trump card Marquette had was playing this game at home. But with no crowd that advantage is out the window. I just don't see how this game is decided by fewer than 8 points - and that's if Marquette plays well. If Marquette doesn't play well and Wisconsin does then this will be a 15-point win.
1-Unit Play. Take #803 Toledo (-2) over Eastern Michigan (7 p.m.., Friday, Dec. 4)
This is a conference game and I expect it to be a close one. However, Toledo has a major advantage in that this is their fifth game of the season. For Eastern Michigan it is just their second and it is their first game since Nov. 25. They haven't played since opening night nine days ago and I don't expect them to be very sharp. Eastern Michigan has had a lot of success in this series in recent years and Toledo isn't great on the road. But they have the best player on the floor (Marreon Jackson) and have been better out of the gate.
1-Unit Play. Take #823 Oregon (-3.5) over Seton Hall (9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4)
There are going to be some growing pains for this Oregon team. They just played their first game of the season on Wednesday against a very good Missouri team, losing by eight. The Ducks have a lot of new pieces on this team - they have four new starters - but they do have talent. Dana Altman is an excellent coach and he will get his guys rowing in the right direction. And I think that they are going to be fired up while trying to avoid a second straight loss. Seton Hall has already lost two of three games. We hit against them with a 7-Unit winner Wednesday on Rhode Island and I'm going right back against them here. Seton Hall is struggling to replace the fantastic production of Myles Powell and Quiincy McKnight. It's going to be a bit of a struggle for them all season. They are playing their fourth game in their fourth different city since last Friday and I just don't know how sharp these guys are going to be. I'll go with the Ducks.
1-Unit Play. Take #1284 Georgia (-15) over Jacksonville (7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4)
Georgia is still trash and Tom Crean is still trying to figure things out in Athens. This team is a long way away. But they are better than Jacksonville. By a lot. UGA brought in a bunch of transfer (three of them are starting) and have a young team. But they play fast and that should really help exacerbate the talent discrepancy between these two teams. Jacksonville is ranked No. 324 in offensive efficiency and I don't see them being able to keep up in this one.
1-Unit Play. Take #1286 Duke (-30) over Bellarmine (7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4)
I also have leans on Duke for the first half, South Dakota State, Texas Tech and FIU
Carpe diem. Good luck.
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