2016 – Bettors World

Hawaii Md

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Hawaii

vs.

Maryland

2nd Round

March Madness Pick

3/20/16

Due to Friday’s upsets, Sunday’s slate doesn’t have as many big names playing. But the Game between Maryland and Hawaii can’t be overlooked. Maryland was the preseason No. 1 team in the country, but a cloud of disappointment has surrounded the team for the last month or so.

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The Terrapins were hoping to get back on track in their first-round Game, but ended up closing the Game looking like an inexperienced squad. The Game looked to be over with about Four minutes to go, but Maryland let South Dakota State back in and the Terps ended up winning by only five points and had to close the Game without Melo Trimble, who fouled out. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but they eventually got a steal on the final possession to seal the win.

Hawaii had an interesting first Game to say the least against California. The Golden Bears lost an assistant coach early in the week and then their leading scorer broke his hand in practice the day before. And right before the Game, starter Jabari Bird was having back issues and unexpectedly didn’t even play. That all led to Hawaii having the advantage almost the entire Game, even as the 13-seed. The Rainbow Warriors have all the tools to give Maryland some trouble.

Hawaii challenged itself in non-Conference play, losing to Oklahoma (84-81) and at Texas Tech (82-74), but also had a dominating win over Northern Iowa. Already ineligible for next year’s Tournament, it’s win or bust for a lot of these players.

Tensions likely remain high with Maryland after barely closing out the last Game. With limited depth, the Terrapins will need their talent to shine in this matchup.

That starts with point guard Melo Trimble, who only played 28 minutes and fouled out in the first Game, while also not making a three. Trimble has struggled all season from range and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change suddenly in the Tournament. When he’s not making shots, Maryland can be beat by anyone.

To cover this Game, Maryland will need the guys outside of Trimble to step up again. Jake LAyman scored 27 points in the first Game, which was a good sign for the senior after only averaging 11.7 on the season. But elsewhere, Robert Carter, Diamond Stone and Rasheed Sulaimon need more than a combined 18 points. This entire team has been a model of inconsistency throughout the season and playing like that against Hawaii won’t end with a friendly result.

The Warriors are led by two guys that can go head-to-head with anyone on Maryland. Point guard Roderick Bobbitt will have the task of matching anything Trimble does and with his 6-3 frame, could do just that. Bobbitt was 1-of-8 from 3 in the first Game, but still scored 17 to go with seven boards and Four assists.

The most important piece for Hawaii, though, remains leading scorer Stefan Jankovic. He seemingly battles foul trouble every Game and only played 18 minutes against Cal, although still scored 16 points. The left-hander is a stretch-4 that will draw the matchup of either Carter or Stone. Jankovic has the ability to beat both of those guys on the offensive end, but he could also easily get in foul trouble again, especially if Stone attacks him on the other end.

Much like Maryland, Hawaii won its first Game by getting more production from glue guys like guard Quincy Smith (19 points) and Stefan Jovanovic (28 minutes off the bench).

This Game could be decided solely on what Trimble does or if Jankovic once again gets into foul trouble. But as seen last Game, it’ll be hard to trust the Terrapins with a spread sitting in the 6- to 7-point range.

Our Pick – Maryland -6.5

Miami Villanova

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Miami

vs.

Villanova

Sweet 16

Basketball Pick

3/24/16

Miami had to feel mocked in its last Game, closing as an underdog as a 3-seed against 11-seeded Wichita State. The Hurricanes came out with a purpose to win 65-57 and remain a team most of the country is sleeping on. Villanova fits that mold as well, mainly because the Wildcats have flamed out the last couple years as a top seed.

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But now, Villanova is back in the Sweet 16 and coming off possibly one of its best performances of the season. The Wildcats absolutely throttled Iowa on Sunday, dominating every facet of the Game. Four of their starters hit double digits and they shot a ridiculous 59.3% from the floor and 10-of-19 from deep. To beat ‘Nova, you have to play better defense than Iowa displayed and that’s exactly what Miami can do.

The Hurricanes can match up with most teams in the country, no matter how their opponent wants to play, at least defensively. They have a stacked backcOurt of guards as well as a couple bigs that make getting hoops inside the paint a little difficult. Wichita State learned that quickly as they shot 33.9% from the field and 6-of-22 from long range.

This Game will undoubtedly be different than Villanova’s first two. The Wildcats are a slash-and-pass team often with Four guys on the cOurt that can shoot the three to go with big man Daniel Ochefu down low. Ochefu hasn’t had eye-popping numbers, but he’s feasted on the last two teams and has six blocks in the Tournament. Miami’s bigs of Tonye Jekiri and Kamari Murphy will be a good test on the boards for Ochefu. Murphy will have a tough matchup defensively on the smaller and athletic Kris Jenkins who knocked down three 3s last Game.

The battle will be just as good in the backcOurt with Nova’s Josh Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono and Jalen Brunson, as well as Phil Booth and Mikal Bridges off the bench. Miami can match that unit with its own in Sheldon McClellan, Angel Rodriguez, Davon Reed and Ja’Quan Newton. There will be fireworks.

Rodriguez made his name last Game with 28 points against the Shockers, but this may be McClellan’s time to shine. The 6-5 shooting guard will be matched up with Hart, who comes in at the same height. In addition, both players lead their respective teams in scoring. Both are solid shooters, but can also take their defender to the rack. The advantage may be with McClellan because of how many fouls he draws when he attacks. In the first two Tournaments Games, McClellan shot 21 free throws, while Hart attempted just five.

Villanova usually has the size edge at guard, but Davon Reed will present some problems at 6-6 and he may end up being guarded by Hart. If that happens, McClellan will have a smaller defender on him. But on the other end of that, Arcidiacono is going to have the advantage at point guard over the smaller Rodriguez. Arcidiacono has been a captain on Villanova since a freshman and he’s the guy that needs to have a good Game for Nova to win. With a few inches on Rodriguez, he will have plenty of opportunities to stand out in this Game.

The Wildcats haven’t had a difficult Game in the Tournament yet, while the opposite can be said for Miami who hasn’t won by more than eight points. There aren’t many advantages that stand out in this matchup, so it may come down to Jay Wright vs. Jim LArranaga. But sooner or later, Miami will need offensive production from its bigs (Murphy and Jekiri combined for 7 points vs. Wichita State). If not, they could be on their way out.

Our Pick – Miami +4.5

Stephen Austin WVA

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Stephen F. Austin

vs.

West Virginia

3/18/16

For the 3-14 matchup, this spread seems a bit small (sitting around -7), considering West Virginia can pile on points when they get out to a lead. Stephen F. Austin is getting more respect probably partly to their record as they finished undefeated in Conference play and 27-5 overall.

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The LUmberjacks have experience in the Tournament, though, and that could play a role as well. They fell to Utah 57-50 last year and the year before that took down VCU in their first Game then lost to UCLA 77-60. Maybe that experience against VCU’s press two years ago will help against West Virginia this year, but this is a much different SFA team. They lost by 42 points at Baylor in their season opener and struggled against better teams in non-Conference play even losing to Tulane.

There’s not much to dislike about West Virginia right now, despite losing to Kansas last Game. Before that, the Mountaineers had won six-straight Games with wins over Iowa State, Baylor and Oklahoma. In non-Conference play, they absolutely dismantled all of their mid-major competition, and that’s not including a 25-point win at Virginia Tech.

Both of these teams can Scoreand both can press. West Virginia is just better at doing it. The Mountaineers lead the nation in turnovers forced per Game, while the LUmberjacks actually come in right behind them. Of course, playing in the Southland and Big 12 are two different things. While it was the season opener against Baylor, Stephen F. Austin forced just eight turnovers in that loss.

The competition in the Southland is minimal to say the least, as SFA won its final 11 Games by double digits, often in the 20-point range. As for WVU, it’s hard to ignore some of the road wins they had this year, most notably at Baylor and Iowa State.

Another advantage the Mountaineers will have is on the boards. Devin Williams is coming off a monster 31-point, 10-rebound Game in the loss to Kansas and SFA doesn’t really have anyone to matchup with the uber-athletic forward. Everything the LUmberjacks do revolves around Thomas Walkup, who led the team with 17.5 points, 6.8 boards, 4.5 assists and 2.1 steals per Game. He’s a great player, but in tougher non-Conference Games, struggled to reach those numbers. He didn’t even have a rebound in the loss to Baylor.

It’ll be interesting to see what the matchups look like because Walkup and Williams may end up going head-to-head even though Williams has a large size advantage. If not, someone like Jonathan Holton off the bench would give Walkup trouble as well.

Stephen F. Austin doesn’t have much size and that extends to its starting backcOurt of Demetrious Floyd and Trey Pinkney, who both come in under 6-feet. The LUmberjacks have good numbers on the season, but they take a dive against better competition. One number that stands out is that SFA is still only 221st in the nation in rebounding.

Devin Williams is set to have a field day for the Mountaineers as SFA doesn’t really have anyone to match up with him. And then there are still the WVU guards who make everything run for this team with Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles starting and the more offensively explosive Jaysean Paige and Tarik Phillip off the bench.

Thomas Walkup is a great player, but he’s going to have trouble with the athleticism and size of West Virginia. If Walkup has a bad Game, or even a mediocre one, it’s hard to see the LUmberjacks keeping this Game in single digits. Once the Mountaineers smell blood, it usually only gets worse.

Our Pick – West Virginia -7

Wisconsin Michigan State CBB

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Wisconsin

vs.

Michigan State

College Basketball

Score Prediction

2/18/16

OUt of nowhere, Wisconsin has become one of the more talked about teams in the Big Ten. The Badgers have won seven straight and are most recently coming off a 13-point road win at Maryland, the No. 2 team in the country at the time. It was a result no one expected and now they get to follow that up with a Game in East LAnsing against a Top 10 team.

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Michigan State has five Conference losses, but is still ranked as one of the best teams in the country. The Spartans have played solid basketball for the last few weeks and are coming off a 19-point win over Indiana. Their only loss in recent weeks came at Purdue last week, in a tough overtime Game that could’ve went either way.

The first time these teams played, Michigan State more or less gave the Game away in Madison. The Spartans were up by Four with 30 seconds to go when Bronson Koenig hit a three-pointer. Then MSU was sloppy and turned it over and that led to an Ethan Happ bucket to take the lead, which ended up being it. It was a back-and-forth Game throughout with Nigel Hayes scoring 25 and Koenig with 27 points to lead the Badgers.

The Spartans were still figuring out an identity in that Game as Denzel Valentine was recently off his knee surgery and second-leading scorer Bryn Forbes actually came off the bench. Nevertheless, Michigan State will need to figure out a way to contain Hayes and Koenig, at least somewhat.

A bit of Wisconsin’s recent success has come with an improved Vitto Brown, who has 51 points in the last three Games after only averaging 9.5 on the year. Brown has found a stroke from deep, hitting six threes in the last two Games, which has been huge for the Badgers. If that continues to happen, that will only leave mores space for Hayes and Happ. Brown didn’t do much in the first meeting, only playing 21 minutes and scoring five points. To get another huge road win, Brown is once again the x-factor.

The Spartans tried to do everything to stop Hayes in the first Game, even putting Denzel Valentine on him, but that still didn’t matter when Koenig was driving past whoever guarded him. MSU’s defense has been better, but there’s no reason they won’t have problems with these guys again. The Badgers are starting to find their edge and the Spartans are still without a healthy Tum Tum Nairn, who is one guy that could limit Koenig’s open looks.

The other end will be what decides the Game as Michigan State’s offense has been cruising, scoring 80-plus points in Four straight Games. Valentine is averaging a ridiculous 22.9 points, 7.8 boards and 7.9 assists per Game over the last eight contests. Wisconsin used Hayes on Valentine last Game, and that worked to an extent, but Valentine still had 23 points. Matt Costello will again be a problem down low after dropping 18 and 13 in the first meeting. The Badgers don’t have great post defense and that’s where Costello could shine.

Wisconsin is on an unprecedented run right now, considering how bad they were in non-Conference play. A win here is improbable, but maybe it’s time to stop doubting the Badgers. Still, it may be a little crazy to bet against the Spartans at home after they just torched the Hoosiers.

Score Prediction – Michigan State 75 Wisconsin 64

Iowa Maryland CBB

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Maryland

vs.

Iowa

Big 10

College Basketball Pick

1/28/16

Maryland was the Big Ten preseason favorite, while Iowa wasn’t expected to do much with a mediocre squad. The Terrapins can still win the conference, but unexpectedly have two undefeated teams above them in the standings, one of them the Hawkeyes.

Be sure to check the latest line for this Game at betonline sportsbook.

After a few early season losses, Iowa has taken pretty much everyone by surprise with its 7-0 Conference record and sweeps of Michigan State and Purdue. The Hawkeyes are rolling, but winning a Game at Maryland will be difficult to say the least.

The Terrapins are coming off a loss, and the last time they dropped a Game, returned with a 100-65 home win over Ohio State. They already have a couple Conference losses, although both have been on the road. Still, this team hasn’t dominated Conference play as expected with close home wins over Penn State and Northwestern showing some issues. Nevertheless, this may be the hungriest the Terps have been all year, back at home off a loss, facing the conference-leading Hawkeyes.

The two players to watch in this Game are Melo Trimble and Jarrod Uthoff, but the reason both of these teams are good are because of stocked, deep rosters.

Starting with the home team, Maryland has five guys that average double figures with Trimble leading the way, although only at 14.5 points per Game. Trimble is a point guard that can go for 20-plus on any given night, but has focused on helping his teammates more this season. Also, Maryland has two big playmakers on the team that weren’t there a year ago in Robert Carter and Diamond Stone. Both can do work in the paint with an array of moves, but also are solid shooters.

Iowa will match those two with Uthoff (on Carter) and Adam Woodbury (on Stone and Damonte Dodd). Uthoff presents deceiving ability on the defensive end as he’s averaging 3.1 blocks per Game and will give Carter a good fight. The question will be what Woodbury can do against Stone. Elsewhere, Iowa will probably use defensive specialist Anthony Clemmons on Trimble and it wouldn’t be surprising if Trimble struggled a bit.

OUtside of Uthoff, the Hawkeyes rely on Peter Jok and Mike Gesell for scoring, and those two will be counted upon on the road. Jok will draw Jake LAyman, while Gesell will get either Trimble or Rasheed Sulaimon.

The Hawkeyes are playing better at the moment, but it’s hard to argue that they have a better roster than the Terps. Maryland’s skill in the paint could end up deciding the Game, but that’s not to say Uthoff won’t give problems to the Terps on the other end.

Trimble has struggled with his shot in the last couple weeks and is only shooting 35% from distance on the season, which is well below last year’s rate. For Maryland to have a shot of winning the Big Ten, he’ll need to pick it up and that starts with a Game against the undefeated Hawkeyes. If Maryland wants a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, this is close to a must-win.

Iowa is playing unbelievably well at the moment, but Maryland could be their kryptonite. The Terrapins can match up at every position and they have better scorers at almost every position. Expect a fun Game with the edge going to the home team, unsurprisingly. (though Our model predicts an upset – see below)

Predicted Score- Iowa 77 Maryland 75

NC State North Carolina CBB

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

NC State

vs.

North Carolina Tarheels

College Basketball Pick

1/16/16

North Carolina opened the season as the No. 1 team in the country and it’s looking like they deserve that spot once again. The Tar Heels have won eight straight Games, which includes Four in ACC play. The most impressive has been their last two road wins at Florida State and Syracuse.

That’s bad news for a struggling NC State team that has really fallen off the map and has yet to win a Conference Game. The Wolfpack have had opportunities – losing their first three ACC Games by five points or less – but haven’t done the needed work and lost disappointing Games at Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. At the moment, NC State is looking from the outside in to the NCAA Tournament, a year after reaching the Sweet 16 and taking down No. 1 seed Villanova. They were at a low point Wednesday night, falling at home to Florida State and now sit in the basement of the ACC.

Going for the Wolfpack is that they upset North Carolina last year in this situation, winning 58-46 in Chapel Hill. Doing so again will take a monumental effort considering each team’s current situation.

NC State has the size to deal with UNC again, but its poor shooting and inability to move the ball continues to be a problem. No one on the team shoots above 34% from range, while they have one of the worst assist rates in the country. The length of North Carolina is an obvious issue and NC State no longer has Ralston Turner or Trevor LAcey to deal with that.

Instead, the Wolfpack have been almost exclusively Cat Barber’s team as he’s averaging 22.5 points per Game. His numbers are great, but they aren’t producing wins, which is all that matters. He still lacks a knockdown shot and that has limited him from becoming an even better player. For this team to get back to last year’s levels, their bigs need to play a larger role. That means improvement from players like BeeJay Anya and Lennard Freeman, but neither of those guys has taken the needed step for the Wolfpack.

Nevertheless, these teams are similar in the size department and a reason they battled in two closely-fought Games last year. North Carolina usually just imposes its size on other teams and dominates that way, but that’s something they can’t do against NC State. The Wolfpack have the bodies to deal with Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks down low among others. Even at the guard spot, Barber can keep up with Marcus Paige and will keep him plenty busy on the defensive end.

But the difference between these teams is consistency and depth. The Tar Heels have six different players that average at least 10 points per Game and that’s not even counting Nate Britt and Theo Pinson, who are good players in their own right. The Wolfpack have Four guys above the 10 points per Game mark with Anya and Freeman barely at five points per Game. Without production off the bench, NC State simply doesn’t have enough against better teams.

NC State needs some wins fast and they’d like nothing more than to win at Chapel Hill again. Of course, that will take their best Game of the season to do so.

North Carolina 94 NC State 74

Texas WVA CBB

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Texas

vs.

West Virginia

College Basketball

Pick with Analysis

2/16/16

The Big 12 took another turn over the weekend with Kansas winning at Oklahoma. That means West Virginia is left alone at the top of the standings to deal with the Jayhawks, in hopes of stopping them from a 12th-straight league title. To do so, it’ll take winning some road Games for the Mountaineers, and that starts in Texas.

The last time these teams played, the Longhorns got the better of WVU, even in Morgantown. It was a defensive battle as Texas aimed to slow the Game down and that’s exactly what they did in a 56-49 win. The Longhorns attempted just 41 shots (20 less than WVU) and still won the Game as the Mountaineers piled up 24 offensive rebounds and had 16 more total rebounds in the loss. The difference was that Texas only turned the ball over eight times, which is a significant number considering West Virginia just forced TCU into 26 turnovers last Game.

Shaka Smart took a calm and relaxed approach in the first Game and there’s no reason he’ll sway from that in the second meeting. The Longhorns may have lost two straight, but losing two road Games against ranked competition isn’t all that bad, as they had a decent shot to take down Oklahoma a week ago. The Longhorns still haven’t lost at home in Conference play, but they still have Baylor, Oklahoma and Kansas after this Game.

As for the Mountaineers, they have three Conference losses. One of them came at home to Texas and the other two were on the road against KU and OU. Their brand of basketball can travel, but maybe not to the same effect if the home crowd isn’t behind their pressure defense. To win this Game, they’ll obviously have to shoot better than the first time around.

Not only did West Virginia shoot 31% from the field and 3-of-21 from deep, but they also shot a putrid 8-for-23 from the free throw line. Their Four guards — Jevon Carter, Daxter Miles Jr., Jaysean Paige and Tarik Phillip — were a combined 6-of-34 from the field and only had three steals. However, winning this Game won’t just take hitting a few more shots.

It’s hard to see Texas getting outrebounded by that much again, especially at home. The Longhorns surprisingly aren’t a great rebounding team, but they’ll undoubtedly look at film from the first Game and make sure they don’t get destroyed on the boards again. That said, can Devin Williams be stopped? Williams has been a dominant force for the Mountaineers in the last five, averaging 14 points and 12 rebounds per Game. To win this Game, Texas will need to limit what Williams does.

Another player Texas has to keep in check is Jaysean Paige. His arguably worst Game of the season came in that first meeting as Paige is averaging 16 points since scoring Four against the Longhorns in the first Game.

A lot of the signs point to West Virginia having a better performance and coming out on top, but the Longhorns also didn’t play that great in the first Game, either. Isaiah Taylor was 0-for-8 from the floor, which doesn’t happen often for him (or ever). The slow-it-down approach worked in the first Game, but West Virginia will be ready for it. The Longhorns will need more offensive output, whether it’s from Taylor or another 17-point outing from Javan Felix.

West Virginia is playing for the league title and will likely put in a better Game in this meeting. Will home cOurt advantage be enough for Texas, or can the Longhorns put in another great defensive performance to sweep the Mountaineers?

Score Prediction – Texas 73 West Virginia 72

Big 12 Conference Tourney

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
March 9-12

KANSAS
Record: 27-4, 15-3

There aren’t many teams hotter than the Jayhawks right now, who have won 11-straight Games. They’re headed for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens here. While they have won 12-straight regular season titles, KU has only won one Big 12 Tourney in the last Four years. Iowa State has taken the last two.

With the way the Jayhawks are playing, it’s hard to see them losing before the final. Even in the semis they’ll get either Texas or Baylor, two teams who they recently beat on the road. At this point, it’d be hard to bet against Kansas in this Tournament, especially being played less than an hOur from its campus.

WEST VIRGINIA
Record: 24-7, 13-5

If someone was to upset KU, it could be the Mountaineers who split with the Jayhawks in the regular season. But still, they’ll have to reach the championship first.

West Virginia has won Four straight coming in and is probably the second-hottest team outside of Kansas. However, the Mountaineers will run in to Oklahoma or Iowa State in the semis, both of which could be tough matchups. On short rest, can their press be as effective?

OKLAHOMA
Record: 24-6, 12-6

This was once Oklahoma’s Conference to lose, but the Sooners fell a bit in the last month of the season. Still, they could be headed for a 1-seed, as long as they get a couple wins in this Tournament.

The knock against the Sooners is that they have been fairly inconsistent on the road. With a heavy reliance on three pointers, there’s no telling how they’ll fair. It doesn’t help that they get to open this Tournament with Iowa State, a team they already split with. They’ll need a presence in the paint to win it.

TEXAS
Record: 20-11, 11-7

The Longhorns kind of came out of nowhere to finish with the 4-seed in the Big 12 Tourney. Unfortunately for them, they get to face Baylor first, a team they recently lost to by 14 points at home. Of course, Texas also won when the teams played in Baylor.

Another problem with this seeding is that even if the Longhorns win their first Game, they’ll get to take on Kansas for the third time. Those two just met last week with Kansas winning by 30 points… in Texas.

BAYLOR
Record: 21-10, 10-8

The regular season didn’t end all that well for the Bears losing three of their final Four Games. The Bears will try and turn that around against Texas, but even with a win there, would meet Kansas next. Baylor will need to regroup quickly if it wants a shot in this Tournament, or even the NCAA Tournament for that matter.

IOWA STATE
Record: 21-10, 10-8

The Cyclones are a 6-seed in the Big 12 Tournament, but will likely get something better than that in the NCAA Tourney. The problem for them is that they can’t win away from home, now having lost Four straight road Games. A win over Oklahoma would change their outlook, but with a loss, not many will trust the Cyclones come March Madness.

TEXAS TECH
Record: 19-11, 9-9

It’s been an incredible run for the Red Raiders this season and they’re likely headed for the NCAAs. No one expects them to make it further than the quarterfinals in this Tournament, but underrating Tubby Smith’s team hasn’t been a great strategy this season.

The Jayhawks are the obvious favorite to win this Tournament and it’s going to take a lot to take them down with the way they are playing, especially in Kansas City. It’s hard to see them not making the final, but there’s no doubt that West Virginia, Oklahoma and Iowa State all have a shot to knock them off in the championship.

Louisville Miami CBB

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Louisville

vs.

Miami

College Basketball Pick

2/27/16

The race for the ACC regular season title is far from over with Four teams still having a shot at taking the conference. North Carolina is in the lead, but the Heels close the season with difficult road Games. This Game will help us determine which one of these teams is worthy.

Check 5 dimes and betonline sportsbooks for the latest line for this Game.

Miami bounced back from a defeat at UNC by scraping past Virginia on Monday night. This is their final home Game of the year, so there may be some added motivation for the Hurricanes to walk away with a win.

As for Louisville, its season is almost over due to postseason bans. The Cardinals haven’t been too trustworthy on the road, but what team in the country has? To have a shot at the ACC title, they’ll need to win this Game as they close the season with a road Game at Virginia, which may be even more difficult.

This is the only matchup this year between these teams, which is a bit disappointing. It pits two high-level backcOurts against each other and should produce a fun battle. The Hurricanes took down Virginia earlier in the week with the help of a hot-shooting Davon Reed, who finished with 21 points and five threes. Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan produced as usual for a combined 18 points, but it was Reed who opened the door for the win.

Miami’s frontcOurt duo of Tonye Jekiri and Kamari Murphy was vital in the win against Virginia, putting multiple bigs of the Cavaliers into foul trouble. Jekiri and Murphy aren’t too effective on the offensive end, but they held Virginia in check down low and combined for 17 boards and 6 assists. They’ll have a big test again against Chinanu Onuaku, who is a threat for a double-double every night. The problem for Onuaku lately is that he has been in foul trouble the last few road Games and that has kept his minutes down. If he gets into foul trouble again, it’s hard to see Louisville having an edge in this Game.

It doesn’t help the Cardinals that 7-footer Ana Mahmoud is out for the rest of the season. Deng Adel averages just over 3 minutes per Game, but he has played a decent chunk at times this year and can be effective, scoring 12 points to go with five boards against Duke last weekend. But like Miami, Louisville’s success usually depends on what its guards can do. That starts with Damion Lee, who leads the team with 16.8 points per Game. Lee has been great this year, but when faced with a tough matchup, he has run into issues and puts up a lot of bad shots. He’ll likely draw McClellan in this Game, which could give him some trouble. If Lee has a bad day from the field, it’ll be tough for the Cards to come out on top.

Elsewhere, Quentin Snider and Trey Lewis can help out, although those two are largely inconsistent, more so than what Miami brings with Rodriguez, Reed and Ja’Quan Newton off the bench.

Louisville will do its best to pressure Miami into turnovers and that may be its only way to victory. Otherwise, the Hurricanes haven’t lost at home in ACC play yet, and it’s looking like it’ll end that way.

Miami 73 Louisville 70

Oklahoma LSU CBB

Bettors World — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 13:12:00 +0000

Oklahoma

vs.

LSU

College Basketball Pick

1/30/16

Somewhat hidden in the Big 12/SEC challenge is this Game, which features the No. 1 team in the country against who many believe to be the No. 1 player in the country. This Game isn’t getting more attention mainly because LSU has seven losses and doesn’t look like a Tournament team. Still, plenty of people will want to see how Ben Simmons performs on a stage against a team like Oklahoma.

Check the latest line for this Game at betonline sportsbook

The Tigers have seven losses and are lost in the mix in the SEC standings. They failed to get any solid non-Conference wins, although a win here would change that. Combine that with their previous win against Kentucky and they become a play-in team. LSU has been a much different team at home in Conference play, winning all Four contests (including the Kentucky Game) and if they can play to that level, who knows what will happen here.

The best news for the Sooners is that their Schedule lightened up for once leading up to this Game after they took out Texas Tech on Tuesday. Playing on the road shouldn’t faze this group though as they already won at West Virginia and Baylor, while taking Kansas and Iowa State down to the wire.

LSU hasn’t played great defense this year and that’ll be a problem against this Oklahoma team that can Scorein bunches. The Sooners already have three guys who have made at least 30 three pointers, including player of the year candidate Buddy Hield, who is shooting a ridiculous 52% from deep. And then there’s Jordan Woodard who’s at 54% from three.

Oklahoma has an abundance of shooters with point guard Isaiah Cousins included, but all three of those guys can also create shots on their own, they aren’t just spot-up shooters. In addition, Ryan Spangler is a stretch-Four that’s averaging 10 boards per Game. The Sooners have size as well with Khadeem LAttin and Dante Buford, so that’s not an issue either.

Even already having played Kentucky, this Oklahoma squad should be a different and harder task. The Sooners are in form and will be hard to take down.

As usual, Ben Simmons is the key for the Tigers and it’ll be interesting to see how OU defends him. They’ll likely put Ryan Spangler on him, but Hield may see some time on him as well. If that’s the case, that means LAttin and Buford would draw Craig Victor, who’s taking nearly 11 shots per Game. But the way LSU wins Games is via a better backcOurt with guys like Keith Hornsby, Tim Quarterman and Antonio Blakeney. The problem is that the Sooners probably have a better backcOurt.

LSU usually plays up in bigger Games like this, especially at home, and they’ll be definitely put up a fight here. However, will that be enough against this run-and-gun Oklahoma squad? Ben Simmons needs to have a big Game, otherwise, every other spot on the floor will likely be outplayed for LSU.

Predicted ScoreOklahoma 96 LSU 79