Jimmy Boyd
5* Nuggets -8
4* Thunder -7
4* Kansas State -7
David Malinsky
4* NEBRASKA over KANSAS STATE
Now that we get word that Nebraska C Jorge Brian Diaz will be able to get a flight out of Dallas and joining the team tonight (he was in Puerto Rico attending his aunt’s funeral, but got to DFW airport just a few minutes before it had to close because of that winter storm yesterday), it is time to pull the trigger here. The markets are not dealing with the current realities of these teams well at all, and at the slow pace this one will be played at they have turned what should be a mole hill of a line into a mountain.
We cashed an easy 4* ticket against Kansas State on Saturday, and could just about cut and paste from that preview. This team never should have been rated as highly as it was to start the season, having to break in so many new faces up front, and playing without a true PG. Now the front-court roster is thinning, with Freddy Asprilla and Wally Judge both leaving the program; the PG situation remains a mess; and a team that needs to play with a swagger for their aggressive style to work simply does not have one. That is what a 2-5 opening to conference play, with all of the losses by at least eight points, will do to a team. They do have one of the nation’s best talents in Jacob Pullen, but he can not be one of the best players right now, because he is playing out of position. He simply is not a PG, which his negative assist to TO ratio in Big 12 play shows, and that is also taking a toll on his shooting, with only 38.3 percent of his conference attempts going through the nets. As a team the Wildcats have 122 TO’s vs. 80 assists in conference games, which is flat-out awful, as is their 60.7 percent FT shooting, the latter making it particularly difficult to close out a game in this spread range.
Nebraska brings the chemistry that State lacks. With better size inside this season the Cornhuskers are able to play the way that Doc Sadler likes it, which means a slow pace, tenacious defense, and taking great value of the basketball. Lance Jeter leads the Big 12 in assist to TO ratio at a sparkling 32:10 count, and it is his ability to command the floor game that puts the underdog in the hunt all the way – if you take care of the ball and limit transition opportunities, you force the Wildcats to score out of their half-court sets, which is their major weakness. Nebraska has already covered as conference road dogs at Missouri and Kansas, and got the money in each of the last two trips to Manhattan, and this time threatens to win the whole game to the final possessions.
Tim Trushel
Bulls/Clippers Under 194
James Patrick
3* Portland Trailblazers
Injuries are again putting the Trailblazers at a disadvantage and now they are assigned to play the Nuggets in the Mile High City. Portland is catching the Nuggets as they are returning home off an extended East Coast swing and should be catching the Nuggets at the right time. Trail Blazers are (5-0) ATS in their last (5) Wednesday games and (37-18) ATS in their last (55) games playing with no rest. Portland struggled through a mountain of injuries last season and the Blazers still posted (50) wins as HC Nate McMillan knows how to get the most out of his players. Surprise at the Pepsi Center.
Accu Picks
5* GOY-Clemson
3'* UTEP
3* Ohio U
3* Va Tech
3* U-Conn
3'* 76'ers
3* Clippers
Power Play Wins
Ohio -2
MTi Sports
4'* Atlanta Hawks Under
4* Philadelphia 76ers Under
4* Indiana Pacers -6
Ben Burns
Atlanta/Toronto Over 200
NJ/Philadelphia Over 190
Minnesota/Memphis Under 211
Teddy Covers
Philadelphia 76ers
BYU
Drexel
Nevada
Sam Paolini
20* Vancouver / Phoenix Over 5.5
Larry Ness
10* SEC GOY - Arkansas
Brandon Lang
10 Dime Indiana Hoosiers +3.5
Billy Coleman
Toronto/Atlanta Over
Chicago/L.A. Clippers Under
5* Ohio
4* Oklahoma
3* Duke
3* UCLA
Chris Jordan
Minnesota U -3.5
EZWinners
LA Clippers
Indiana U