Teams to Watch
By Brian Edwards
Let’s jump around the country and check in on some random teams that are either producing profit or burning the pockets of their backers.
Let’s start with New Mexico, which improved to 7-0 both straight up and against the spread with Wednesday’s 86-78 win over California as a five-point home favorite at The Pit. Darington Hobson led the Lobos to victory with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Steve Alford’s team had won its six previous games by double-digit margins. Before getting into Mountain West play, UNM will host non-conference games against Texas A&M, Creighton, Texas Tech and Dayton. The Lobos, who are seeking their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2005, also play at San Diego on Dec. 9.
Staying in the MWC, check out UNLV. Lon Kruger’s squad won 74-72 at Arizona in double overtime Wednesday. The Rebels improved to 6-0 SU and 4-0 versus the number by winning outright as two-point road underdogs. Junior guard Tre’ Von Willis dropped 25 points on the Wildcats at the McKale Center.
Derrick Jasper, the transfer from Kentucky, hit a tying 3-pointer at the 1:39 mark of the second extra session to knot the game at 70-70. Jasper’s trey was critical and so was his overall play, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Richmond (7-1, 4-0 ATS) remained perfect for our purposes with Wednesday’s 67-60 home win over Old Dominion as a three-point home favorite. Trailing 31-22 at halftime, the Spiders started the second half with a 15-2 run and never looked back. Justin Harper led a balanced attack with 14 points.
Richmond returned home after beating Mississippi State and Missouri to win the South Padre Island Invitational. The Spiders’ lone loss came at William & Mary78-71 in a non-lined matchup. They have 10 days off to prep for a crucial three-game road swing – at VCU, at South Carolina and at Florida.
Cornell, the two-time defending Ivy League champs, started the season with wins at Alabama and at UMass. However, the Big Red came crashing back to earth with a home loss to Seton Hall and a blowout defeat at Syracuse.
But don’t let those losses sour your opinion of Steve Donahue’s squad. Cornell has bounced back to win four consecutive games, including Wednesday’s 104-98 overtime win at Bucknell in a game that wasn’t on the board. Jeff Foote had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the winners.
The Big Red had covered the spread in three straight games since losing at the Carrier Dome. They own a 5-2 ATS record for the season and will be catching a monster number at Kansas on Jan. 6.
Do you have Arkansas on your fade radar? You certainly should. Before getting trounced 67-47 Wednesday at Oklahoma, the Razorbacks had lost three straight home games to the likes of South Alabama (by 13), East Tennessee St. and Morgan St.
John Pelphrey could be in some trouble in Fayetteville although it is just his third year on the job. Courtney Fortson remains suspended and the program has had a bunch of off-the-court problems since Pelphrey took over. Michael Washington (back) has now missed back-to-back games after sitting out in Norman, so check his status when you look at Arkansas games in the coming weeks.
I faded Iowa for the first time Tuesday when Va. Tech went into Iowa City and captured a 70-64 win as a three-point road favorite. The Hawkeyes, who have lost to Texas San-Antonio, Duquesne and Wichita St., are now an atrocious 1-6 ATS.
Western Ky. has been making noise in the NCAA Tournament the last two years, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and nearly doing the same thing last season before losing to Gonzaga at the buzzer. But the Hilltoppers are struggling mightily even though they brought back four starters.
Ken McDonald’s team got spanked 74-56 Wednesday at South Carolina as a six-point road underdog. The Gamecocks were playing without two of their best players, Mike Holmes and Dominique Archie, both of whom are out for an indefinite period of time. The blowout loss dropped Western Ky.’s spread record to an abysmal 0-5.