Karl Garrett
Middle Tennnessee State at VANDERBILT -17'
Sunday winner on the Bears from the G-Man, now 4-2 the last 6 days for free.
College hardwood this Monday, and I am saying Vandy blows out the visiting Blue Raiders.
The 'Dores have won their last 4 games, and have covered in their last pair of lined games. Vanderbilt has also covered 7 of their last 10 at home, and will not be taking the Blue Raiders lightly tonight, as Middle Tennessee State comes in to this game having won their last 4 games.
Last season, the Commodores won by 8 on Middle Tennessee's home floor as the 8 1/2-point favorite.
With the rigors of the SEC trail just around the corner for the Commies, look for them to get their ya-yas out tonight at home in this blowout win.
Lay the lumber with Vanderbilt against their in-state rival on Monday.
5♦ VANDERBILT
Jeff Benton
North Carolina at CHARLESTON +15
Hope you enjoyed Sunday’s outright free-play winner with the Chiefs. For Monday, I’ll head to the college hardwood and take Charleston plus the double-digit points at home against North Carolina.
The Tar Heels have posted three straight wins since getting clobbered by Texas on Dec. 19, but the last two were incredibly unimpressive home victories over Rutgers (81-67 as a 20-point favorite) and Albany (87-70 as a 25½-point chalk). That makes North Carolina just 4-6 ATS as a favorite this season – not surprising, as this is a very young squad that’s not even close to being on par with last year’s national championship team.
As for Charleston, it has won six of its last nine games, and all three losses came on the road. At home, the Cougars are a perfect 5-0. Granted, none of those home wins came against a quality opponent, but four of the five were double-digit wins and the other as a nine-point victory. Also, Charleston shoots 49.1 percent at home (40 percent from three-point land) and holds visitors to 37.9 percent (22 percent from three-point range).
The Cougars are 9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 lined games overall, 41-20 ATS in their last 61 non-conference games and 8-2 ATS In their last 10 as an underdog, while Carolina is 1-4 ATS in its last five both as a road favorite and as a favorite anywhere of 13 points or more.
3♦ COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
DUNKEL INDEX
Boise State vs. TCU
The Horned Frogs look to build on their 6-1 ATS record in their last 7 games as a favorite. TCU is the pick (-7) according to Dunkel, which has the Horned Frogs favored by 7. Dunkel Pick: TCU (-7)
Game 261-262: Boise State vs. TCU
Dunkel Ratings: Boise State 102.082; TCU 110.181
Dunkel Line: TCU by 8; 58
Vegas Line: TCU by 7; 54 1/2
Dunkel Pick: TCU (-7); Over
NBA
New Orleans at Utah
The Jazz look to bounce back from their 105-95 loss to Denver and build on their 7-0 ATS record in their last 7 games following an ATS loss. Utah is the pick (-8) according to Dunkel, which has the Jazz favored by 10 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Utah (-8)
Game 501-502: Atlanta at Miami
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 121.929; Miami 119.985
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 2; 201
Vegas Line & Total: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 195 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-1 1/2); Over
Game 503-504: Oklahoma City at Chicago
Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma City 117.966; Chicago 121.332
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 3 1/2; 192
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 2; 194
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-2); Under
Game 505-506: New Orleans at Utah
Dunkel Ratings: New Orleans 113.007; Utah 123.331
Dunkel Line & Total: Utah by 10 1/2; 193
Vegas Line & Total: Utah by 8; 196 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Utah (-8); Under
Game 507-508: Portland at LA Clippers
Dunkel Ratings: Portland 118.501; LA Clippers 120.561
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Clippers by 2; 188
Vegas Line & Total: LA Clippers by 3 1/2; 189
Dunkel Pick: Portland (+3 1/2); Under
NCAAB
Mississippi State at Western Kentucky
The Hilltoppers look to build on their 5-2 ATS record in their last 7 games as a home underdog. Western Kentucky is the pick (+6 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has Mississippi State favored by only 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Western Kentucky (+6 1/2)
Game 509-510: Northeastern at VCU
Dunkel Ratings: Northeastern 54.852; VCU 68.624
Dunkel Line: VCU by 14
Vegas Line: VCU by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: VCU (-6 1/2)
Game 511-512: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 66.063; Cincinnati 68.958
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 3
Vegas Line: Cincinnati by 4
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+4)
Game 513-514: Drexel at Georgia State
Dunkel Ratings: Drexel 53.219; Georgia State 56.522
Dunkel Line: Georgia State by 3 1/2
Vegas Line: Georgia State by 2 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Georgia State (-2 1/2)
Game 515-516: Old Dominion at Towson
Dunkel Ratings: Old Dominion 64.727; Towson 52.142
Dunkel Line: Old Dominion by 12 1/2
Vegas Line: Old Dominion by 11 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Old Dominion (-11 1/2)
Game 517-518: Hofstra at George Mason
Dunkel Ratings: Hofstra 54.409; George Mason 61.038
Dunkel Line: George Mason by 6 1/2
Vegas Line: George Mason by 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: George Mason (-5 1/2)
Game 519-520: Delaware at James Madison
Dunkel Ratings: Delaware 49.021; James Madison 52.807
Dunkel Line: James Madison by 4
Vegas Line: James Madison by 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Delaware (+9 1/2)
Game 521-522: NC Wilmington at William & Mary
Dunkel Ratings: NC Wilmington 52.629; William & Mary 65.054
Dunkel Line: William & Mary by 12 1/2
Vegas Line: William & Mary by 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: William & Mary (-8 1/2)
Game 523-524: Alabama at Toledo
Dunkel Ratings: Alabama 63.759; Toledo 46.022
Dunkel Line: Alabama by 17 1/2
Vegas Line: Alabama by 13 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Alabama (-13 1/2)
Game 525-526: Utah State at Louisiana Tech
Dunkel Ratings: Utah State 62.141; Louisiana Tech 66.627
Dunkel Line: Louisiana Tech by 4 1/2
Vegas Line: Louisiana Tech by 2
Dunkel Pick: Louisiana Tech (-2)
Game 527-528: Mississippi State at Western Kentucky
Dunkel Ratings: Mississippi State 70.266; Western Kentucky 65.977
Dunkel Line: Mississippi State by 4 1/2
Vegas Line: Mississippi State by 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Western Kentucky (+6 1/2)
Game 529-530: Middle Tennessee State at Vanderbilt
Dunkel Ratings: Middle Tennessee State 51.542; Vanderbilt 67.069
Dunkel Line: Vanderbilt by 15 1/2
Vegas Line: Vanderbilt by 18
Dunkel Pick: Middle Tennessee State (+18)
Game 531-532: CS-Northridge at UC-Davis
Dunkel Ratings: CS-Northridge 49.303; UC-Davis 50.141
Dunkel Line: UC-Davis by 1
Vegas Line: CS-Northridge by 1
Dunkel Pick: UC-Davis (+1)
Game 533-534: Idaho at San Jose State
Dunkel Ratings: Idaho 54.293; San Jose State 56.822
Dunkel Line: San Jose State by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: San Jose State by 2
Dunkel Pick: San Jose State (-2)
Game 535-536: UC-Santa Barbara at UC-Riverside
Dunkel Ratings: UC-Santa Barbara 50.764; UC-Riverside 52.714
Dunkel Line: UC-Riverside by 2
Vegas Line: UC-Riverside by 4
Dunkel Pick: UC-Santa Barbara (+4)
Game 537-538: Cal Poly at UC-Irvine
Dunkel Ratings: Cal Poly 45.326; UC-Irvine 53.787
Dunkel Line: UC-Irvine by 8 1/2
Vegas Line: UC-Irvine by 8
Dunkel Pick: UC-Irvine (-8)
Game 539-540: Harvard at Santa Clara
Dunkel Ratings: Harvard 61.656; Santa Clara 52.848
Dunkel Line: Harvard by 9
Vegas Line: Harvard by 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Harvard (-5 1/2)
Game 541-542: Nevada at New Mexico State
Dunkel Ratings: Nevada 58.977; New Mexico State 58.123
Dunkel Line: Nevada by 1
Vegas Line: Nevada by 4
Dunkel Pick: New Mexico State (+4)
Game 543-544: Boise State at Hawaii
Dunkel Ratings: Boise State 55.157; Hawaii 57.518
Dunkel Line: Hawaii by 2 1/2
Vegas Line: Hawaii by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Hawaii (-1 1/2)
Game 545-546: Fairfield at Niagara
Dunkel Ratings: Fairfield 55.673; Niagara 60.645
Dunkel Line: Niagara by 5
Vegas Line: Niagara by 7
Dunkel Pick: Fairfield (+7)
Game 547-548: Siena at Loyola-MD
Dunkel Ratings: Siena 61.681; Loyola-MD 57.556
Dunkel Line: Siena by 4
Vegas Line: Siena by 6
Dunkel Pick: Loyola-MD (+6)
Game 549-550: Iona at Canisius
Dunkel Ratings: Iona 57.830; Canisius 53.267
Dunkel Line: Iona by 4 1/2
Vegas Line: Iona by 2
Dunkel Pick: Iona (-2)
Game 551-552: Marist at St. Peter's
Dunkel Ratings: Marist 42.147; St. Peter's 48.511
Dunkel Line: St. Peter's by 6 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Peter's by 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Marist (+9 1/2)
Game 553-554: Rider at Manhattan
Dunkel Ratings: Rider 51.412; Manhattan 51.089
Dunkel Line: Even
Vegas Line: Manhattan by 1 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Rider (+1 1/2)
Game 555-556: North Carolina at College of Charleston
Dunkel Ratings: North Carolina 74.954; College of Charleston 54.440
Dunkel Line: North Carolina by 20 1/2
Vegas Line: North Carolina by 14
Dunkel Pick: North Carolina (-14)
Game 557-558: Samford at Davidson
Dunkel Ratings: Samford 47.400; Davidson 54.571
Dunkel Line: Davidson by 7
Vegas Line: Davidson by 11
Dunkel Pick: Samford (+11)
Game 559-560: Austin Peay at Eastern Kentucky
Dunkel Ratings: Austin Peay 52.511; Eastern Kentucky 59.480
Dunkel Line: Eastern Kentucky by 7
Vegas Line: Eastern Kentucky by 4
Dunkel Pick: Eastern Kentucky (-4)
Game 561-562: Tennessee State at Morehead State
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee State 43.385; Morehead State 57.389
Dunkel Line: Morehead State by 14
Vegas Line: Morehead State by 13
Dunkel Pick: Morehead State (-13)
Game 563-564: Tennessee Tech at Eastern Illinois
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee Tech 44.168; Eastern Illinois 52.528
Dunkel Line: Eastern Illinois by 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Eastern Illinois by 4
Dunkel Pick: Eastern Illinois (-4)
Game 565-566: Tennessee-Martin at Murray State
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee-Martin 40.056; Murray State 62.348
Dunkel Line: Murray State by 22 1/2
Vegas Line: Murray State by 20 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Murray State (-20 1/2)
Game 567-568: Jacksonville State at SE Missouri State
Dunkel Ratings: Jacksonville State 46.112; SE Missouri State 45.681
Dunkel Line: Even
Vegas Line: Jacksonville State by 3
Dunkel Pick: SE Missouri State (+3)
NHL
Los Angeles at San Jose
The Sharks are coming off a 4-1 win over Edmonton and look to build on their 8-0 record in their last 8 games after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game. San Jose is the pick (-210) according to Dunkel, which has the Sharks favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-210)
Game 51-52: Boston at NY Rangers
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 11.286; NY Rangers 10.732
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: NY Rangers (-120); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+100); Over
Game 53-54: Los Angeles at San Jose
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 12.125; San Jose 13.045
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-210); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-210); Over
Mr. Vegas Wins
Boise State/TCU
The offense have great numbers for this bowl games, but they overlook some outstanding defenses on both teams. Boise State beat No. 16 Oregon in the opener, 19-8. They held the high-powered Oregon Ducks to 152 total yards, 31 rushing yards and six first downs in that 19-8 win. TCU is even better, No. 3 in the country in defense, giving up just 12 ppg. Play Boise State/TCU Under the total.
BIG AL
Middle Tennessee at Vanderbilt
Prediction: Middle Tennessee
These two teams met last season and the Blue Raiders covered as an 8.5-point underdog. This time, they're getting twice that amount, and I think they're once again in a good position to cover the spread. Middle Tennessee comes into Monday night's game with a lot of momentum: The Blue Raiders have won four straight, including a 68-58 victory over La-Lafayette on Saturday as a 5-point favorite. And Middle Tennessee is a super 13-2 ATS as a road underdog of +3 or more points, including 8-0 ATS when catching 7.5 or more, since December 2007. Since 1990, Vanderbilt has covered just 31 of 73 games vs. non-conference foes off back-to-back wins, including just 13 of 36 vs. foes that additionally covered the spread in their most recent game. Take Middle Tennessee.
Tom Freese
Oklahoma City Thunder at Chicago Bulls
Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City is 9-2 ATS their last 11 trips to Chicago and they are 37-16 ATS their last 53 games off a straight loss. The Thunder are 27-10 ATS their last 37 games off an ATS loss and they are 8-1 ATS on Monday. Chicago is 3-10-3 ATS their last 16 home games and they are 1-5 ATS after scoring 100 or more points in their last game. The Bulls are 3-13 ATS at home after covering ATS in two or more straight games and they are 9-22 ATS after making 50% or more of their three points shots in their last game. PLAY ON OKLAHOMA CITY +
Scott Spreitzer
Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat
I'm playing the Hawks on Monday night. Atlanta has run into a rough patch of late, dropping three in a row, following a 21-8 start. Atlanta just doesn't match up well with Cleveland and lost twice in two nights to the Cavs, before dropping one to the Knicks last time out. But they have had a couple of nights to stew about blowing a 13-point lead against the Knicks. Now they face the epitome of a one-man gang, the Miami Heat. Miami is all about Dwyane Wade, and he's looked a little worn out lately, averaging over half-a-dozen turnovers per game in Miami's last three games, all losses. And Miami's poor shooting should be just what Atlanta needs after watching both the Cavs and Knicks shoot "lights-out." Atlanta matches up poorly with Cleveland, while the talent-shy Heat match up poorly with Atlanta tonight. Look for the Hawks depth to take over this contest in the second half. I'm laying the short number with Atlanta.
Play on: Atlanta
VEGAS EXPERTS
Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers
This is a pretty low total considering the Blazers had gone Over in four straight games prior to Saturday night's game with the Warriors, which had a high number of 213.5. All four of those games where Portland had gone Over had totals in this range. When they met the Clippers last week, the teams combined for 202 points, yet the oddsmakers still refuse to raise the total. Over the last two seasons, Portland is 37-25 Over when coming off an Under. Clippers are 16-6 Over when facing a team with a win percentage between .600 and .700.
Play on: Over
LT Profits
Siena @ Loyola (Md.)
The Siena Saints are again the cream of the crop in the MAAC this season, and they are averaging 76.5 points per game vs. a fairly tough schedule. Look for that offense to key an Over in MAAC action here vs. the Loyola-Maryland Greyhounds.
The Saints are 10-4, but the losses have come against Temple, Georgia Tech, Northern Iowa and St. Johns, which are all a level above the average MAAC team. Siena has won a game in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments, and their reward has been a considerably tougher non-conference schedule this season than recent years.
While they have not fared as well as they may have hoped in those contests in terms of wins and losses, the Saints still benefited from those experiences, as outside of a six-point win over Northeastern, their other seven lined-game wins have been by a minimum of 11 points. They are averaging a whipping 80.8 points in their eight lined wins, and even though the Greyhounds play good defense, this posted total still seems quite low for a game involving Siena.
Now we realize that Loyola-Maryland is allowing just 63.7 points per game, but Siena has still been able to score vs. similar defenses to this so far this season, and in the two meeting between these clubs last season, the Saints were able to solve the Greyhounds for 75 and 73 points respectively.
If we split that difference and call for Siena to score 74 points tonight, that would mean Loyola only needs 63 points for this game to go Over. Well, the Greyhounds are averaging 65.2 points overall and a nice 77.5 points at home, so we are looking for a rather safe Over in this spot.
Pick: Loyola-Maryland, Siena Over 136
MATT FARGO
North Carolina-Wilmington @ William & Mary
PICK: North Carolina-Wilmington +9.5
I went against William & Mary on Saturday and it snuck out another win, its 10th straight on the year. This team is definitely one of the bigger surprises in the country as the Tribe have won two games against the ACC on the road as they won in Wake Forest and most recently, in Maryland last week. The 10-2 start is the second-best in school history, trailing only the 14-2 start of the 1948-49 team and they have equaled the school-record winning streak of 10 games along with the 1929-30 squad. Taking nothing away from this hot start but William & Mary has four wins that have come by two points or less including three by a single point. The Tribe have yet to lost against the number and that gives us some added value in the line tonight. NC-Wilmington is on a three-game losing streak and at 4-8, this is not the start the Seahawks envisioned After going 7-25 last season in a rebuilding year, they were expected to show some improvements but it has been up and down so far. The one big positive is that the Seahawks have been competitive as they have lost five games by eight points or fewer including games against Miami-Florida, South Florida and Richmond. The season does include a win over Penn St. so the record may be a little skewed especially considering on the season, NC-Wilmington is almost dead even in scoring margin at -0.2 ppg. The Seahawks are coming off a blowout loss at VCU on Saturday so this sets up as a big bounce back opportunity and similar to the Tribe winning streak, that blowout loss also provides some line value. Despite the variance in the records, the Seahawks own a small positive in assist/turnover ratio margin while William & Mary is at a negative in its ratio. The differences are small but they are close enough to even to give us an edge. This is a double-revenge spot for the Seahawks as well as they were swept last season by 14 and 29 points and it is doubtful they have forgotten. The Tribe are 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games against a team with a losing road record while the Seahawks are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games against a team with a winning home record. 3* NC-Wilmington Seahawks
TEDDY COVERS
New Orleans Hornets @ Utah Jazz
PICK: Utah Jazz -7.5
Last week, on the day after Christmas, we cashed a ticket with the Utah Jazz in their 21 point home blowout win over Philadelphia. Here’s an excerpt from my write-up for that game:
A basic staple of my NBA handicapping philosophy is to support good teams coming off a bad game, or, even better, two bad games in a row. We’ve got that exact scenario in play tonight with the Utah Jazz. Jerry Sloan’s squad won two out of three to start their East Coast trip, but lost badly at Orlando and Miami to close out the trip. Prior to their loss at Miami, the Jazz had lost back-2-back games only once all season, and they’ve yet to lose three in a row at any point this year. Coming off a single defeat, the Jazz are 9-3 ATS this year, 8-1 in their last nine tries – the lone defeat coming in that loss against the Heat. Clearly, Utah is a team that responds well to adversity and steps up following a poor effort, exactly the situation that we find them in tonight.
The Jazz are in the exact same type of situation tonight. coming off consecutive losses against the Nuggets and Thunder. They’re at home, facing a Hornets team that is a woeful 2-13 SU, 5-10 ATS on the highway this losing eight of their last nine against Utah by double digit margins! The Hornets stole a win from Houston in their last outing, closing out the game on a 13-2 run after trailing throughout. Don’t expect a similar finish tonight at Energy Solutions Arena. 2* Take Utah.
Jimmy Boyd
1 Unit on Boise State/TCU UNDER 54
System Play: Plays Under on any team in a game involving two good rushing teams that outgain the opposition by 50 or more yards per game on the ground, in a non-conference contest between two teams from second tier FBS conferences, are 20-2 ATS the last 5 seasons. This system is already a perfect 2-0 this season. The average posted total in these games is 50.3 and we have seen the average combined score total just 42.4 points. We'll take the Under in tonight's Fiesta Bowl for 1 Unit.
SPORTS WAGERS
TCU –7 over Boise St
The Boise St Broncos are ranked 6th in the country but this program has to be questioned for its scheduling, or lack thereof. The Broncos went undefeated and they posted some tremendous offensive numbers in the process, however, outside of its opening week win over Oregon in which they scored just 19 points, they played a whole bunch of nobodies. In fact, in its 13 wins, Boise St. was a 20-point favorite or more in eight of them. They were a 9½-point favorite or more in two others, a 7½-point favorite against Fresno St. and a 3½-point favorite against the aforementioned Ducks. This Bronco team barely broke a sweat the whole year and now they’re being asked to go to battle against a true power when they haven’t been tested all season long. Hell, they were a 46-point favorite in one game, not to mention a 39-point favorite and 36-point favorite. Are you kidding me? Meanwhile, the Frogs destroyed a quality (#14) BYU team at BYU by 24 points. They also won at Clemson and at Air Force and when they faced #16 Utah at TCU, they whacked them by 27. In terms of quality opponents comparing these two is like comparing Rosie O’Donnell to Monica Bellucci and it’s not in the Broncos favor. Lay the points. Play: TCU –7 (Risking 2.28 units to win 2).
Atlanta/MIAMI under 195½
Both these teams are in a funk with three straight losses and for both teams there are a couple of disturbing one’s. After losing back-to-back games to the Cav’s, the Hawks subsequently lost its next game at home to the Knicks in OT. As for the Heat, well, they lost in New Orleans by four and in San Antonio, which is no big deal, however, they lost in San An by 30, allowed the Spurs 108 points in the process and that is a big deal. They also lost its last game in Miami to the Bobcats and allowed that team 107 points. Ouch. Those last two poor defensive performances against two very offensively challenged teams is cause for concern on the defensive end and with the rival Hawks in town the defensive intensity has to be turned up ten fold. When a team is losing (in this case, two teams) the responsibility is often shifted to the defense and both teams know that’s how you get back to winning. The Heat are at home and they know they can’t get into a shootout with Atlanta because they virtually have no shot of winning if they do. In an important game for both squads, expect the defense to show up for both and also expect the Heat to try and slow this game way down. Play: Atlanta/Miami under 195½ (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).
JR TIPS
Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers
Portland looks to keep pace in the West while the Clippers have been playing well as of late going 5-5 in their last ten games and had a big win over Boston Celtics in that span. The Clippers also played against the Blazers five days ago and lost in a close game by 4 points at the Rose Garden. The Blazers still have a roster full of injuries right now and the latest injury on their list is their stud center LaMarcus Aldridge while the Clippers will be without one of the league's best shot blockers in Marcus Camby. The Blazers are 9-8 on the road this season and 16-5 against Western opponents while the Clippers are 9-8 at home this season and 8-14 against Western opponents. Portland is led by their all-star Brandon Roy and has won 8 of their last 10 with two losses coming against the Sixers and at the Orlando Magic. The road team is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings of this series although with these teams playing each other again within a week, you will see a low scoring game especially when the B;lazers will be missing low post scoring that gives them easy baskets.
TAKE UNDER 189
Scott Delaney
Harvard at Santa Clara
The Crimson make an uncharacteristic trip to the West Coast - in January - and you know what, I say take 'em.
Harvard has been playing solid basketball and should be able disrupt a Santa Clara team is 2-3 in the midst of a lengthy eight-game homestand and that is 8-8 on the year.
Harvard, however, has been on the left coast for a few days, as it made the jaunt over the weekend and took care of Seattle U. with a 92-71 blowout. It marked the Crimson's the third in a row and fourth in their last five games.
The Crimson, 10-3 already, played a tough three-game Big East trio of Connecticut, Boston College and Georgetown and was a respectable 1-2 in those games. I keep making note of those games every time I speak of Harvard, cause it's crystal clear what happened ...
The first game was a 79-73 loss to U Conn ... a game the Crimson got up for and left everything on the floor with, only to fall short after a tremendous effort.
They must have been inspired by their own performance, cause they knocked off B.C., 74-67.
After a two-week layoff, rust settled in and Georgetown made easy work of Harvard, 86-70. But I am gussing that's a closer game if the it were played closer to the B.C. contest.
Since that loss, a 3-0 streak by an average final of 82-61.
Tonight look for Jeremy Lin, who hails from nearby Palo Alto, to handle every aspect of the game for the Crimson, and to dictate the pace in front of the home crowd. His experience and tenacity will be the key tonight in front of what might turn out to be some favorable fans for him and Harvard once his name is announced.
4♦ HARVARD CRIMSON