Power Play Wins
Miami Ohio
Marc Lawrence
3 Units Lakers -3.5
3 Units Jazz -1.5
4 Units Nebraska +6
3 Units Rhode Island +11.5
DAVID MALINSKY
4* UTEP over RICE
We did not get a chance to put our 5* U.T.E.P. play into action vs. Central Florida earlier this week because of that extreme winter weather across Texas, but we get a subtle silver lining out of that sequence. Tim Floyd gave his team Wednesday off, helping to get their legs fresh in the middle of the conference grind, then brought them back for a tough practice that lasted over two hours on Thursday. And that means that instead of taking Rice lightly, after humbling the Owls 66-43 the first time around, a Miner team that now sits atop the CUSA standings brings the right focus to take care of business this afternoon. It does not take much more than that, given the strong matchups in play, and the extremely minimal home court advantage for the Owls. With the markets trying to project a 20-point turnaround from that first result, we have excellent value to get in play.
Rice has already lost outright on this court to Tulane, S.M.U. and Southern Miss in conference play, and had to hit a late triple to get into O.T. vs. Houston, before pulling that one out (yes, we remember it well). For the Owls to play well it has to start with Arsalan Kazemi up front, CUSA’s leading rebounder, but he ran into a wall against that experienced and physical U.T.E.P. front-line the first time around, managing just two points on 1-7 shooting. The Miners can close off the basket again with SR’s 6-11/280 Claude Britten and 6-10/255 Wayne Portalatin leading the way, and a veteran cast that will start all SR’s has the poise and moxie to stand up on the league road.
That U.T.E.P. experience particularly shows up in the “floor game” charts. Through seven CUSA games the Miners have 29 more FG attempts and 37 more FT attempts than their opponents, keyed by a team concept on offense that has led to 106 assists vs. just 62 TO’s, and they have twice as many steals as the opposition. That teamwork and mental toughness once again dominates a young Rice time in front of what will be a mostly empty Tudor Arena.
Jim Feist
Executive GOW Port/Clev Under
Inner Circle Grizzlies
Executive - Drake and Evansville
Inner Circle Clev St and Oregon
PPP
5% TX A&M
5% Miss St
Passing on 6% Play because of injury
RAS
Virginia Comm /James Madison Over 146
ATS LOCK CLUB
25 Units Louisiana Lafayette -3.5
7 Units Nevada -5.5
7 Units Oregon +8
6 Units Detroit -4.5
6 Units Southern Miss -5.5
Rocketman
5* NO Hornets
Jimmy Boyd
5* GOY Vanderbilt -12
3* Missouri -10
3* Washington State -3
RAS
Iowa St Over 142
KELSO
100 Units Texas -21.5
50 Units Colorado St -4.5
15 Units Missouri -10
10 Units Florida +1.5
5 Units San Francisco -1
5 Units Tennessee Chattanooga +11
RAS
Illinois Under 138.5
RAS
Drake Over 119
Dr Bob
3* Dartmouth +18
2* Oklahoma St -9½
2* Nebraska +6
2* Dayton -1
2* Weber St -7
College Opinions
Richmond (-13½) over FORDHAM
Fordham is just 1-9 ATS since Christmas and their only spread win was by just ½ a point. Today the Rams apply to a negative 75-160-2 ATS weak home court situation and I’ll lean with Richmond despite their poor 3-14 ATS mark as a conference favorite of 6 points or more since my ratings favor the Spiders by 15 points.
INDIANA (-6) over Iowa
Indiana is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games with the only spread loss a 77-91 loss at Iowa. The Hoosiers should get their revenge at home, where they are 12-2 straight up and 6-2 ATS (Iowa is just 3-7 ATS away from home). Indiana will once again be without their top scorer Christian Watford but, as I mentioned in my Best Bet write up on Indiana over Minnesota on Wednesday, Watford’s scoring efficiency is below the average scoring efficiency of the rest of the team and his loss is probably not a negative. Indiana upset Minnesota without Watford and his absence appears to have given us line value again (although not as much as Wednesday), as my ratings favor the Hoosiers by 7 ½ points in this game. I’ll lean with Indiana at -6 or less and I’d take Indiana in a 2-Star Best Bet at -5 points or less.
Bobby Maxwell
St. Johns