Scott Rickenbach
UCLA @ Washington State
PICK: UCLA
With the Bruins off of a loss it's the perfect time to back them. Yes, the Cougars have a solid defense but, in recent meetings, the Bruins have still found a way to crack that defense and it's Washington State's subpar offense that is the weak link in these match-ups. The Bruins suffered a tough overtime loss against Arizona State in their last game and that will strengthen their resolve for this game. The projected line on this (overnight) was up in the 7.5 range. To see it drop all the way to a range of about 5 points is offering huge line value to the Bruins. They may be on the road but they can absolutely dominate a team that just doesn't have the offensive skillsets to match them. Consider a small play on UCLA on Thursday night.
Lenny Del Genio
Providence at Seton Hall
Prediction: Seton Hall
The Pirates might be 0-5 in Big East play this year, but tonight get a Providence team they beat on the road last season (by 13 as an 8.5-point underdog) and that will be playing for the 3rd time in six days. The Friars three league wins this year, one over a terrible St. Johns team and two against Cincinnati, arent very impressive as they beat the Bearcats last year too. Meanwhile, this is a huge step down in class for Seton Hall, who just got done playing UConn and Notre Dame. Pirates HC Bobby Gonzales recruited Providences undersized guard Jeff Xavier to Manhattan and saw him leave when he moved on up to New Jersey. The Pirates have C John Garcia back in the lineup, which gives them the necessary firepower to overwhelm Providence here. Take Seton Hall.
Drew Gordon
St. Mary's -4 at SAN DIEGO
Bad spot for the Toreros, who have real issues scoring the basketball, and it won't get any easier against the top team in the conference tonight. St. Mary's may have beaten a bunch of cupcakes to kick off the WCC slate, but rest-assured, the Gaels are the real deal, and are clearly a step above everyone else in their conference.
It all starts with putting up points, and frankly, that's something the Toreros have NOT been good at. Averaging 61 ppg on the season, they miss senior G Brandon Johnson bad, and have had to rely on Gyno Pomare way too much. The Gaels on the other hand, are coming off a game were they dropped 96 points on Pepperdine (Toreros managed only 62 in same spot), and are led by a dynamic G in Pat Mills, and a big strong frontline of Samhan and Simpson.
Herein lies the problem for the Toreros, as Pomare is only 6'7, and while he does play bigger than his size, he'll be hard-pressed to carry this Toreros offense against the likes of 6'11 Samhan and the 6'7 Simpson (who also plays a lot bigger than his 6'7 frame). But let's dig a little deeper...
Their last meeting is the key to understanding this contest. The Toreros won (Gaels revenge angle), but they were carried by Brandon Johnson & Pomare. Johnson's 28 points kept the Gaels defense honest along the perimeter, and opened up the lane for Pomare... That will not be the case tonight, as Pomare struggles to find any daylight in a forest of Gaels defenders. In the end, the Gaels not only have the revenge angle, but also face an a much easier task on both ends of the court without having to worry about Johnson.
Take St. Mary's over San Diego in this college hoops match up.
2* ST. MARY'S
Rocketman
Cal Poly @ Pacific
Play:1* Cal Poly +15
Mustangs are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a double-digit loss at home. Tigers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games following a SU win. Tigers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games. I'm looking for a low scoring much closer game than most people think. My 4 sets of power ratings have Pacific winning by only 4.8, 12.75, 12.23 and 11.92 points. We'll recommend a small play on Cal Poly tonight!