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Re: 2-23-10
Sac Lawson | CBB Sides Tue, 02/23/10 - 7:00 PM ƒŠ
dime bet 528 Georgia St 9.5 (-110) Bodog vs 527 Old Dominion
Analysis: This really is the perfect storm in my opinion… ODU comes in, tied for the lead in the conference and off a tough Bracket Buster loss to UNI. No doubt ODU will be motivated to win the conference title, but at this point, they’ve already secured a bye in the first round of the conference tournament, and as far as postseason play is concerned - that’s what matters. Also, when it comes to their final two games, this is by far the game of lesser importance. They’ve got VCU up next which is the game they really have to be worried about when it comes to locking up the title, and we may see them looking ahead to that one a bit.
ODU aside, this game caught my eye not for the negatives on ODU, but for all the positives I see on the Georgia State side. This GSU tea‚m plays 5 seniors tons of minutes; their leaders are seniors, and aside from Jihad Ali, just about all their significant scorers are seniors as well. This is Georgia State’s final home game… You give me a group of seniors, playing in front of their home crowd for the final time, and it happens to be against the top team in the conference… This will be one motivated bunch of guys; they’ll get up for this game more than any other this season, that’s for sure.
Looking at the last matchup between these two teams, a huge concern GSU fans will have is rebounding. ODU out rebounded this team with ease and that was WITH Xavier Hansbro, the 6’10 senior, on the floor for GSU (he likely will not play tonight). However, in that last game Hansbro had just 1 rebound in 29 minutes. He was a complete no show and it had a lot to do with his lack of physicality. We saw UNI give ODU fits on the glass this last Saturday, and it was through physicality, not height. Hansbro’s backup, who is just 6’6, Ousman Krubally has actually done a fantastic job on the glass during Hansbro’s absence, and I expect this shorter, more physical, and more athletic lineup GSU puts out tonight to actually improve their situation on the boards. Not to mention, I think their motivation to get those loose balls will be at an all-time high for the aforementioned reasons. *I feel like the last game against ODU was a poor shooting night from the get-go and it left the team unmotivated in other facets of the game*.
I also think this guard oriented lineup has really provided some chemistry and flow to a once stagnant offense. They’ve won two straight games coming in, and most of it has to do with good ball movement, penetration, and great guard play all around.
With a total set around 115, I think we can expect to see a game played in the high 50’s, and that really plays into GSU’s hands. They’ve struggled only a few times at home this year, and it was because the opposition got out and ran a bit and got GSU out of their comfort zone. That style of play is simply not one we’ll see from ODU. Look for Joe Dukes to go out in style for GSU, and expect this team to be in contention right down to the bitter end. I really would not be surprised to see a spirited outright win from these fellas, catching ODU looking ahead to bigger and better things a bit.
*Stat of the contest* GSU is 18-4 ATS over the last 2 years when playing a team they lost to on the road in the same season.
Sac Lawson | CBB Sides Tue, 02/23/10 - 7:00 PM ƒŠ
dime bet 528 Georgia St 9.5 (-110) Bodog vs 527 Old Dominion
Analysis: This really is the perfect storm in my opinion… ODU comes in, tied for the lead in the conference and off a tough Bracket Buster loss to UNI. No doubt ODU will be motivated to win the conference title, but at this point, they’ve already secured a bye in the first round of the conference tournament, and as far as postseason play is concerned - that’s what matters. Also, when it comes to their final two games, this is by far the game of lesser importance. They’ve got VCU up next which is the game they really have to be worried about when it comes to locking up the title, and we may see them looking ahead to that one a bit.
ODU aside, this game caught my eye not for the negatives on ODU, but for all the positives I see on the Georgia State side. This GSU tea‚m plays 5 seniors tons of minutes; their leaders are seniors, and aside from Jihad Ali, just about all their significant scorers are seniors as well. This is Georgia State’s final home game… You give me a group of seniors, playing in front of their home crowd for the final time, and it happens to be against the top team in the conference… This will be one motivated bunch of guys; they’ll get up for this game more than any other this season, that’s for sure.
Looking at the last matchup between these two teams, a huge concern GSU fans will have is rebounding. ODU out rebounded this team with ease and that was WITH Xavier Hansbro, the 6’10 senior, on the floor for GSU (he likely will not play tonight). However, in that last game Hansbro had just 1 rebound in 29 minutes. He was a complete no show and it had a lot to do with his lack of physicality. We saw UNI give ODU fits on the glass this last Saturday, and it was through physicality, not height. Hansbro’s backup, who is just 6’6, Ousman Krubally has actually done a fantastic job on the glass during Hansbro’s absence, and I expect this shorter, more physical, and more athletic lineup GSU puts out tonight to actually improve their situation on the boards. Not to mention, I think their motivation to get those loose balls will be at an all-time high for the aforementioned reasons. *I feel like the last game against ODU was a poor shooting night from the get-go and it left the team unmotivated in other facets of the game*.
I also think this guard oriented lineup has really provided some chemistry and flow to a once stagnant offense. They’ve won two straight games coming in, and most of it has to do with good ball movement, penetration, and great guard play all around.
With a total set around 115, I think we can expect to see a game played in the high 50’s, and that really plays into GSU’s hands. They’ve struggled only a few times at home this year, and it was because the opposition got out and ran a bit and got GSU out of their comfort zone. That style of play is simply not one we’ll see from ODU. Look for Joe Dukes to go out in style for GSU, and expect this team to be in contention right down to the bitter end. I really would not be surprised to see a spirited outright win from these fellas, catching ODU looking ahead to bigger and better things a bit.
*Stat of the contest* GSU is 18-4 ATS over the last 2 years when playing a team they lost to on the road in the same season.
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