Tuesday Play

The final play before I head down to Orlando for Thanksgiving is a nonconference rivalry in the Sunshine State.

Florida State (+4) over Florida 3 Units
The Seminoles have some serious size in the frontcourt and will always get after you on the defensive end. The Gators are still aiming to rebuild after back-to-back national championships, and Billy Donovan hauled in his best recruiting class since that group.
Florida is young in the backcourt, which could be detrimental against a physical Seminoles defense. The Noles should be able to turn the Gators over and get some easy points in transition, and if the Florida guards decide to drive, Solomon Alibi, one of the best shot blockers in the country, will be waiting for them.
Take FSU for 3 Units.

Monday Plays

Sunday was a little disappointing with some poor first-half shooting taking the Villanova/Ole Miss over out of play, but we should rebound with these three plays Monday.

Please note that there may not be many picks this week as I will be out of town.

Cincinnati (+4) over Vanderbilt 4 Units
The Bearcats are hoping this is their breakout season in the Big East, and take on the Commodores in the Maui Invitational. This is by far the most talented Cincinnati team Mick Cronin has had in his tenure in the Queen City.
Vanderbilt is always a solid team, especially defensively, under longtime head coach Kevin Stallings, but the matchups here favor Cincy. The Dores best player, A.J. Ogilvy, will have his hands full against Yancy Gates, who was Newcomer of the Year in the Big East last season.
Look for Lance Stephenson to start to make a name for himself on the national stage, and get his Bearcats a big win.
Take Cincy for 4 Units.

Wichita State (+6) over Pittsburgh 3 Units
In the first game of the CBE Classic, the Shockers take on a young Panthers team looking to make a splash against a Big East team.
Pitt is still searching for its identity in this early season, and WSU matches up well physically with the Panthers. Both teams are without their top scorers, but this one seems to favor the Shockers. Pitt has not impressed in the early going. Take the Shockers and the points for 3 Units.

Arizona vs. Wisconsin (-3)
This is a clash of the disciplined versus the athletic in the Maui Invitational. This line may seem a little curious with Bucky giving points to a more talented Arizona team, but Wisconsin will always play its own game and should have the advantage against a primarily inexperienced Wildcats team.
If U of A can get out and run, it might have a chance to get the win, but expect Wisconsin to slow the game down, get to the free throw line and grind out a victory.
Take Wisconsin for 2 Units.

Sunday Plays

After a fairly even Saturday, we have 7 units in play Sunday.

Villanova (-3.5) over Ole Miss 3 Units
Over 154.5 4 Units
These two teams meet in the championship of the Puerto Rico Shootout at 7 p.m. CDT on Sunday, and have taken very different roads to get there.
The Wildcats have squeaked past George Mason and Dayton, while the Rebels have easily handled Indiana and Kansas State.
Both teams have solid backcourts and a bevy of shooters, but Villanova has a little too much talent for Ole Miss here. The Rebels have been shooting well, but Villanova is known for its ball pressure and should be able to at least make it difficult for the Rebels to shoot from the outside.
Nonetheless, both teams won’t take a lot of time to get into their offenses here, so take the over for 4 Units and Villanova for 3 Units.

Nov. 22 Plays

We were one garbage bucket by South Florida away from a perfect Friday. Nonetheless, we were up 8 Units thanks to Ohio State's holding down a late Cal charge, Vanderbilt grabbing a road win at St. Mary's and Iowa finally breaking its shooting slump at home over Bowling Green.
Here are Saturday's plays. Enjoy.

Kentucky (-18) over Rider 2 Units
Kentucky has looked like anything but a top 10 team in the nation thus far, squeaking out a couple of home wins. The problem for UK has been turnovers (20 pg) and defense, allowing 73.7 ppg.
The Wildcats have a huge talent edge here, and this line may be skewed since Rider upset a ranked Mississippi State team earlier this month.
The Broncos are no walkover as they have four players averaging in double figures. But the recipe for an easy win against Rider is to play defense, which Virginia did and won 79-46 on Thursday.
This will be the game UK shows its true worth, but it’s only worth 2 units. We need to see consistent defense for Kentucky before we invest a lot in them.

Long Beach St. (+5) over Wisconsin-Green Bay 3 Units
The Phoenix returns from a tournament in Kent, Ohio to face the favorite of the Big West Conference. Long Beach is a long, athletic team that might give Green Bay problems.
Jet lag won’t be a problem for the 49ers as they played at Notre Dame on Thursday and stayed in the Midwest for this one.
Green Bay has gotten a couple of wins it shouldn’t have so far this season, and this line respects the team’s record more than its actual talent. Take LBSU for 3 Units.

Siena (+4) over Temple 3 Units
This is a matchup of two very different philosophies. Temple likes to get into your face defensively, while Siena can score with anybody. The difference is Siena can play defense too, when it needs to, especially on the perimeter.
The Owls had trouble scoring against Georgetown earlier in the week, and it’ll be tough for them to pull away from a talented and experienced Siena squad.
Take the Saints for 3 Units.

Oklahoma (-3.5) over VCU 4 Units
Both of these teams are trying to figure out how to play without their best player from last season. Oklahoma loses Blake Griffin and VCU loses Eric Maynor.
It seems at least so far that the Sooners are doing a better job of filling the void. The Rams lost badly to Western Michigan this season, and now host their former coach, Jeff Capel.
Oklahoma is now Willie Warren’s team, and he is an NBA talent who enjoys playing on the road. The Sooner should take care of business with this one, and be able to neutralize VCU’s best player, Larry Sanders, with their own big man, Tiny Gallon.
Take OU for 4 Units.

More Friday Action

The Ohio State-Cal game is looking good on both fronts, so let's keep it going with three more plays tonight.

Vanderbilt (+5) over St. Mary’s 2 Units
Much was made of SMC’s destruction of San Diego St. earlier this week, and the Gaels are always tough at home. But Vandy matches up well against SMC’s big man, Omar Samhan, with their own anchor in the middle, A.J. Ogilvy.
The Commodores always play tough perimeter defense, which should limit the Gaels’ outside shooters. Vandy will keep this one close and potentially grab an important road win.
Take Vandy for 2 Units.

Iowa (-10.5) over Bowling Green 3 Units
The Hawkeyes have gotten off to a herendous start with two home losses to mid-major opponents. Their losses have been marked by poor shooting, thought to be a strength of this team, and turnovers. Iowa has shot under 30 percent from three-point range and had at least 15 turnovers in its two losses.
Bowling Green is an extremely young team and and only has two players scoring in double figures through two games. The Falcons were crushed by Xavier in their last game, and the Mustekeers play a similar type of defense to the Hawkeyes.
Take the Hawkeyes for 3 Units.

South Carolina (-5) over South Florida 4 Units
The Gamecocks are one of the SEC’s sleeper teams and have the homecourt advantage against a South Florida teams going through a possible NCAA scandal. USC has four players currently averaging in double figures, meaning the Gamecocks can really score the ball.
The Bulls have always had trouble putting points on the board consistently, and this season is no different. USF struggles to complement Gus Gilchrist, and the Bulls won’t be able to keep up with the Gamecocks in this one.
Take USC for 4 Units.

Early Friday Play

We have two plays so far this Friday, but you'll need to act quickly.

Cal faces Ohio State in the MSG at 4 p.m. in the consolation championship of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

The Golden Bears looked overmatched against Syracuse last night, and it shouldn't get any easier against a talented Ohio State team. Cal's strength is in the backcourt, but the Buckeyes will match up well there also. Speaking of matchups, OSU's matchup zone will likely give Cal fits and the Buckeyes will grind out a victory with their defense here. Take Ohio State (-3.5) for 4 Units and under 152.5 points for 3 Units.

Stay tuned for more picks before 5 p.m.

More Tuesday Plays

After Clemson earned us some easy units this morning, here's some more picks to build on that.

Michigan St. (-10.5) over Gonzaga 2 Units
After both programs played a cupcake in their season openers, these powerhouses meet each other in the Breslin Center on Tuesday night.
These teams are at different stages with the Zags rebuilding after losing four starters from last year’s Sweet 16 team, and the Spartans geared up to make a repeat Final Four run.
No doubt Mark Few will have the Bulldogs competitive come March, but it’s too much to ask for them to keep it close in a hostile environment against a loaded Spartans team.
MSU’s senior forward Raymar Morgan might be limited due to a sprained ankle, but they played without him for long stretches last season also. If Sparty can crack the Zags’ zone, they’ll be able to cover the points.

Western Kentucky (+5.5) over LSU 3 Units
This is an interesting matchup between a team clearly favored to win its league against a team that won its league last year, but will struggle to be competitive this year.
Western Kentucky lost its best player, the Sun Belt player of the year, but returns the preseason player of the year in A.J. Slaughter, who dropped 30 points against UWM on Monday.
Trent Johnson has to find a way to replace nearly 40 minutes a game after losing SEC player of the year Marcus Thornton, Garrett Temple and Chris Johnson. The Tigers have struggled to find their shot in the early season, and WKU will give them all they can handle in this one.
This win would be a solid resume builder for the Hilltoppers come March.


Kansas (-12) over Memphis 4 Units
The Jayhawks take on the Tigers in St. Louis in what may be an intriguing matchup next season, but for now KU has the distinct talent advantage.
The Hawks will be playing in front of a largely-partizen KU crowd, and have a ton of weapons offensively to outpace Memphis.
This one won’t be close.

Early Tuesday Selection

After an up-and-down Sunday, here is Tuesday's first pick. Check back later for more Tuesday picks.

Clemson (-10.5) over Liberty 3 Units
There’s nothing like some action at 9 a.m., and we have an early-morning selection.
The Clemson Tigers lost a pair of backcourt studs in K.C. Rivers and Terence Oglesby, but they have reloaded with a bunch of shooters and still have an anchor in the middle in Trevor Booker.
Clemson is notorious for getting out to quick starts in the nonconference, and this year should be no different. They face Liberty which lost its top two scorers from last season’s 23-win team, including guard Seth Curry who bolted to Duke. The Flames also have a first year head coach in Dale Layer, who interestlingly enough was an assistant under Buzz Williams.
The Tigers are on the road, but the Liberty fans are not going to be too rabid while drinking their mocha lattes.
Take Clemson for 3 Units.

Two Sunday Plays

We were one basket in the Kentucky-Morehead St. game away from a perfect Friday. Still, we ended up positive for the day and look to build on that with a pair of favorites who aren’t favored nearly as much as they need to be Sunday.

Arizona (-16.5) over Northern Arizona
The Wildcats have a new head coach in Sean Miller, but luckily have the same, old point guard in Nic Wise, who smartly decided to return for his senior season.
Arizona has a drastically different roster this season with only three players returning who made any significant impact on the team. But they return talent at a key spot to help keep the team competitive – in the backcourt.
Miller has shown a tendency to use his bench in the exhibition games, and if he does so against the Lumberjacks, the athleticism of UA will wear down the visitors.
Northern is picked to finish eighth in the Big Sky Conference and returns just four lettermen, while losing four-year point guard Josh Wilson.
If the Wildcats are able to play pressure defense, which was a signature of Miller’s teams at Xavier, then UA should be able to cover this line. Still, it’s hard to guess how such a green team will respond in its season opener.
Take the Wildcats for 2 Units.

North Carolina (-21) over Valparaiso
It has been well publicized the talent that Roy Williams lost from last year’s national championship team. But that doesn’t mean his team still can’t get up and down the court, run Williams’ trademark secondary break, and apply intense ball pressure while denying passing lanes to create that offense.
The Tar Heels still have a premier frontline, even with Tyler Hansbrough gone, and the guards are more than serviceable.
Valpo won just nine games last season, and the only positive for them this season is the return of guard Brandon McPherson, who missed last season with an injury.
This will be a tough game for the Crusaders to keep within 21, so take the Tar Heels for 3 Units.

Friday Plays, including Kentucky

After a solid start with Murray State on Monday, we're back with three picks in tonight's game.

Morehead State (+20.5) over Kentucky
It's usually dangerous playing lines this high, but the Eagles aren't getting enough respect here. MSU returns four of five starters off of last year's NCAA Tournament team, including Kenneth Faried who averaged a double-double last season.
Kentucky is without its stud freshman PG John Wall, who was suspended for this game for accepting money on a non-official visit. The Wildcats will undoubtedly be good, but MSU has the experience factor on them here and the Eagles should be able to keep it close. Take Morehead for 3 Units.

Morehead State/Kentucky over 135
It might be tough to find this line, but if you can this is an early season steal. Kentucky has a ton of firepower even without Wall, and MSU will be able to score too with solid outside shooting. The Eagles averaged 70 ppg last year and if they can get close to that number, this one might be covered with 10 minutes left in the game.
Take the over for 4 Units.

Georgetown (-10.5) over Tulane
The Green Wave does have all of its starters back, but that's not necessarily a good thing when your team finished with 14 wins last season. Georgetown struggled too last year, but that experience should help them this year and the Hoyas will get off to a strong start tonight. Take G'Town for 2 Units.

Murray St. at Cal (-13.5)

Murray St. (+13.5) over Cal 2 Units

The college basketball season officially tips off tonight with the 2K Sports Classic, which feature three lopsided matchups and one intriguing game between the Cal Golden Bears and the Murray State Racers.

The Bears open the season ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll with four starters returning and are one of the favorites to win the Pac 10. They are led by guards Patrick Christopher and Jerome Randle, who helped lead Cal to the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Racers are co-favorites to win the Ohio Valley Conference and also have four starters returning led by senior guard Danero Thomas. The Racers are driven to return to the NCAA Tournament after an uncharacteristic three-year hiatus and a road win over a ranked team would be a big resume builder.

The key to this game will be the guard play as both teams have experience and their leading scorers in the backcourt. Cal has a propensity to live by the outside shot, which can prove detrimental, especially against a Murray State team that gave up the fewest points in the OVC last season (63.2), were third in field-goal percentage allowed (.432) and were second in rebounding margin (+ 3.1).

If Murray State can limit Cal's outside shooting, it should be able to keep it within the 13.5-point line. Take the Racers for 2 Units to open the season.