Mid-Major Report
By Chris David
This column will provide daily betting updates from the Atlantic 10, Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Conference USA (CUSA) throughout Championship Week.
Atlantic 10 – First Round
The venue for this tournament is Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which has a capacity of roughly 12,000. This will be the fifth year that the conference holds its postseason event here and lately it’s been all about Temple. The Owls have captured the last three championships, with George Washington winning the inaugural event in 2007.
Since the A10 allows all 12 members to compete in the conference tournament, the first round will be played on the homecourt of the higher seed. Those four winners will then head to Atlantic City on Friday for the quarterfinals. The championship is set for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST, which will be televised on CBS. All of the previous action will be featured on CSTV.
Let’s look at Tuesday’s slate in order of rotation.
Tournament seeds listed in parenthesis
(10) La Salle at (7) St. Bonaventure
St. Bonaventure (16-13 SU, 16-12 ) opened as a five-point favorite over La Salle (14-17 SU, 11-14 ATS) and the number quickly dropped a half-point (4.5). The Bonnies have won and covered three straight over the Explorers, including the one meeting (82-61) this season at home. Both teams limp into this game with identical 2-3 records over their last five. St. Bonaventure has gone 10-5 SU and 8-7 ATS at home, which has included five straight wins. La Salle has produced a 5-7 SU and 6-5 ATS ledger. Temple awaits the winner of this contest.
(12) St. Joseph’s at (5) George Washington
George Washington (17-13 SU, 14-13 ATS) is listed as the highest A10 first round favorite (-7.5) and deservingly so. St. Joseph’s (9-21 SU, 13-14 ATS) did close the season by winning two of three but its road record (4-13 SU, 9-6 ATS) is less than stellar. The two teams met once this season, with GW capturing a 78-71 decision in Philadelphia on Jan. 8. The winner of this game will face Duquesne in the quarters on Friday.
(11) Saint Louis at (6) Rhode Island
Rhode Island (18-12 SU, 13-14 ATS) has been tabbed a 4 ½-point favorite, which seems a little low considering the opponent is St. Louis (12-18 SU, 9-17 ATS). That being said, gamblers should be aware that the Rams lost their final two regular season games, while the Billikens closed the season with a 4-1 record. St. Louis slows down the pace, which is why we’re looking at an ‘over/under’ spot of 124. In the lone meeting this year, Rhode Island nipped St. Louis 59-57 on the road in a low-scoring affair. Whoever wins will get the opportunity to face a very solid Richmond team next.
(9) Dayton at (8) Massachusetts
Tough game to handicap here, especially with Dayton (19-12 SU, 14-11 ATS) listed as a two-point road favorite over Massachusetts (15-14 SU, 12-10 ATS). The Flyers and Minutemen both closed the season with three-game losing skids. UMass has gone 11-7 SU and 8-5 ATS at home, while Dayton owns a 5-7 SU and 8-4 ATS mark on the road. In the one encounter this season, the Minutemen captured a 55-50 decision on Jan. 9 as a two-point ‘chalk.’ Total players are looking at low number (126) but make a note that Dayton has closed the season with five straight ‘under’ tickets. Top-seed Xavier will catch the winner of this affair on Friday.
MAC – First Round
Similar to the A10 tournament, the first round takes place on the home court of the higher seeds. Those eight teams will be cut into four, with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals on Thursday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Bobcats of Ohio cut down the nets in Cleveland last year, but Akron has been the most consistent performer lately, reaching the championship in four straight seasons. Unfortunately, they only have one title to show for it.
The championship is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, which will be aired on ESPN2.
All of the below games are set for 7:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday and all of the home squads are laying heavy ‘chalk.’ Tournament seeds listed in parenthesis
(10) Northern Illinois at (7) Bowling Green
Despite it’s poor record, Bowling Green (13-18 SU, 13-15) has been installed as an eight-point favorite over Northern Illinois (9-20 SU, 14-10 ATS). If the Huskies win this game, it will be surprising since the team won’t have guard Xavier Silas (ankle) in the lineup. He’s missed the last three games and leads the team in scoring (22.3 PPG). NIU is just 3-12 SU on the road, but its 11-2 ATS mark is eye opening. Bowling Green nipped NIU 73-70 on the road in overtime on Feb. 2. Western Michigan will meet the winner in this game.
(11) Eastern Michigan at (6) Akron
Akron (19-12 SU, 13-12 ATS) has been made a healthy favorite over Eastern Michigan (9-21 SU, 11-16 ATS) and deservingly so. The Zips have dominated teams at home (14-2 SU, 6-5 ATS), while the Eagles have been a disaster on the road (1-13 SU, 5-9 ATS). EMU did stop Akron 60-56 on Feb. 2 but that contest was at home. On deck for the winner will be a quarterfinal matchup against Miami, Ohio.
(9) Central Michigan at (8) Buffalo
This matchup is supposed to be tight according to the seeds but the oddsmakers have still made Buffalo (17-12 SU, 14-11 ATS) a big favorite (12.5) over Central Michigan (10-20 SU, 8-18 ATS). Similar to Eastern Michigan, CMU has had a lot of trouble on the road (4-12 SU, 5-9 ATS). The Bulls have outscored opponents by an average of 14 PPG (76-62) at home this season, which has produced a 12-3 SU and 9-4 ATS record. As a double-digit favorite, Buffalo has gone 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS. The lone encounter between the pair this season was a 29-point (72-43) by the Bulls on Feb. 8. Top-seed of the MAC tournament, Kent State, will be ready for the winner on Thursday.
(12) Toledo at (5) Ohio
Do you lay 19 points or take them? Gamblers will ask themselves that question when Ohio (17-14 SU, 12-13 ATS) hosts Toledo (4-27 SU, 12-15 ATS) tonight. The Golden Rockets are arguably the worst squad in the country, winning just one conference game and closing the season with 13 straight losses. All but three of those setbacks were double digits and most would expect the same here. The one meeting between the two teams saw Ohio beat Toledo 71-58 on Feb. 9. The point-spread was 16 ½, which is close to tonight’s number. The winner will advance for a meeting against Ball State on Thursday.
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