Fighting Irish vs Bearcats CBB Basketball Spread/Handicapping
The Irish are not getting much respect this season. They have just one loss and there are 8 teams ahead of them in the rankings who have more including their opponent Cincinnati.
The Irish are not getting much respect this season. They have just one loss and there are 8 teams ahead of them in the rankings who have more including their opponent Cincinnati.
The Cowboys have impressed early this year. They absolutely hammered N.C. State back when many thought they were championship material and they have just two losses on the season.
#21 Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2) vs Kansas State Wildcats (11-2)
Saturday January 5
Red Bramlage Coliseum – Manhattan, KS
1:30PM
Moneyline: No ML currently listed
Spread: Kansas State -2.5
O/U: No O/U currently listed at Bovada
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They lost their last game to a very good Gonzaga team by just a point and I think they can surprise in the Big 12 if they play consistently, something that has been a problem for this squad in the past.
To say the Cowboys are perimeter oriented is an understatement. Their top 5 scorers are listed as guards and they are fortunate to have two amazing talents in LeBryan Nash and Marcus Smart. Nash has an NBA ready body and the game to match while Smart might be the best freshman in the country. He has a versatile game: third in scoring, second in rebounding and first in assists. He has been the biggest difference maker from last year to this.
Oklahoma State is 7-3-1 ATS this season and is a nice value play this weekend as a small dog. Winning on the road in a major conference like the Big 12 is never easy but I think they can pull of the upset against a scrappy Kansas State that doesn’t have the kind of top level talent the Cowboys do.
Kansas State also has just two losses and one really impressive victory over Florida – their two losses are to top teams Michigan and Gonzaga too by the way. New coach Bruce Weber inherited a nice team that is certainly built to win now even if their talent doesn’t blow you away. In the early going they have been a fantastic defensive team – 15h in the nation giving up just 56ppg. These guys play with great intensity. [ad-6571516]
The Wildcats have a little bit of everything: size, shooting, and Rodney McGruder. McGruder is a swiss army knife providing scoring, rebounding and excellent perimeter defense. The size comes from Jordan Enriquez who is 6’11 and defends the rim while the shooting is from Shane Southwell who is hitting 45% of his three point shots. They have scrapiness too in the form of guard Will Spradling.
K State is perfect at home (7-0) but is an awful 3-6 ATS overall this season. One factor I really don’t like about this team is that they only hit on 65% of their free throws. Even if they are playing with the lead late their sometimes struggles on offense are compounded by failing in this elementary part of the game.
Spread Pick: Oklahoma State +2.5
O/U Pick
Score Prediction: Oklahoma State 69 – Kansas State 65
There is no doubt Arizona has been the most impressive PAC 12 team thus far but Colorado might be second. They have two losses, one to Kansas (ugly but no shame and a better than you think Wyoming team).
The Wolverines are done touring the MAC and the directional in-state schools. It is time to get to the business of proving they are worth their lofty ranking against the best conference in America.
The Friars are not starting their Big East season from a good place. They have lost their last two games to Boston College and Brown. Both losses were on the road which is where they will be again, unfortunately it is as Louisville the 4th ranked team in the country.
They aren’t dominating teams or the headlines but the Spartans are in good shape entering Big Ten conference play. They have won 6 in a row including a solid victory against Texas on the weekend. The Big Ten is really tough and winning on the road is going to be a challenge.
The Bearcats were cruising along undefeated until getting stunned by New Mexico last week. The Lobos are a good team but it should have been a game the Bearcats win if they are truly a contender this season.
BYU is an under-considered basketball program. Sure they got a lot of attention during the Jimmer era but this is a good program on the whole and their move to the West Coast Conference forces them to play good competition all season long.
This is always a highly anticipated game with last year’s brouhaha only adding to the lore of the series.
The Hawks may not be the favourite but many expect them to compete in the challenging Atlantic 10 conference this season. To date they have put the conference on notice by beating a very good Notre Dame team and losses to Florida State and Creighton are nothing to be ashamed of.
The Wolfpack haven’t played in a week since losing at Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The loss was their second in their last three outings which is opening up some pretty big questions about this supposed National Championship contender.
A lot is expected of the N.C. State program this year and so far they haven’t delivered much. They got hammered by an Oklahoma State team that features a couple of great players already but I am more distressed by a near home loss to UNC-Asheville.
Should it come as any surprise that John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats are loaded once again this year?
The Georgetown Hoyas are certainly one of the feel good stories of the season so far. After losing a couple of top guards they were expected to hover in the middle of the Big East but I guess nobody told the players that.
Saturday January 7
WVU Coliseum – Morgantown, WV
12:00PM
Moneyline: West Virginia -135, Georgetown +115
Spread: West Virginia -2
O/U: 131.5
Georgetown
All they have done is rise to #9 in the rankings with 4 victories over top 25 teams among their 13 victories, including ending Louisville’s run at perfection on their own homecourt. They are off to a 3-0 start in the conference with an impressive win over Marquette earlier this week. The question is whether they can keep it up.
Georgetown has been winning with a little bit of everything. They can play great defense but can also score. Now that he doesn’t have to share the ball as much, senior guard Jason Clark is having his best season ever, as is fellow senior forward Henry Sims. This team has lots of size and good athleticism but I wonder if they will eventually get exposed by teams that have great guards. They operate non-traditionally with their leading assist guy being Sims in the middle. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
West Virginia
West Virginia has been solid this season and it looks like they are probably going to position themselves well for the postseason. They have a huge opportunity to make a statement with back to back games against ranked teams beginning with a visit from Georgetown on Saturday. The Hoyas enter the game ranked in the top 10 so a victory might actually jump the Mountaineers into the rankings.
In terms of productivity it is hard to find a better one-two, inside-outside combo than West Virginia’s Kevin Jones and Truck Bryant (don’t let the name fool you, Truck is the guard). The two seniors average just under 40ppg with both enjoying their finest season’s yet. But college hoops is more than just a game of 2 on 2 which is why WVU despite having an elite duo are not elite – their depth is questionable. Morgantown is buzzing these days after the football team’s demolition of Clemson in the Orange Bowl. It is a hard place to win and this game should be a good contest from start to finish. G-Town may have the great record but I am not sure there is a huge difference between these two teams.
Spread Pick: Georgetown +2
O/U Pick: Under
Score Prediction: Georgetown 65 – West Virginia 63
The Florida Gators may already have 3 losses but don’t be tricked into thinking this is not one of the best teams in America.
Saturday January 7
Thompson Boling Arena
11:00AM
Moneyline: Florida -350, Tennessee +290
Spread: Florida -7.5
O/U: 146
Florida
All of their losses have been in true road games and two of them were at Syracuse and Ohio State. The loss at Rutgers might be a head scratcher but, like I said this team is very good, not perfect, team, blessed with maybe the best backcourt in America and a terrific post player. I am not sure about their overall depth but this team can hang with pretty much anybody and is probably going to beat Kentucky when they host them later this season.
It is really hard not to like that backcourt, both in quality and quantitt The Gators have an amazing 4 guards averaging 9 or more point per game with Kenny Boynton leading the team with 9ppg. I would still like to see them throw the ball more often to Patric Young. who is a load to handle down low. because even though the guards are great he offers an amazing physical mismatch almost every night. Any game this team is shooting well they are very tough to beat.
Tennessee
It is a shame what has happened at Tennessee with the departure of former coach Bruce Pearl. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
I was a big fan of the program, their success and their style of play. I don’t want to pretend to know all the details but weren’t the infractions pretty minor, especially given how he has elevated the program to new heights. Right now they are entering SEC play with just a .500 record. New coach Cuonzo Martin has this team playing hard and they seem to rise to the occasion, playing their top opponents very well even though they haven’t broken through yet with a victory. This team should be able to compete in a mediocre SEC.
The talent level in Knoxville is below what we are used to seeing, giving lots of players a chance to step forward. The one player who really stands out is guard Trae Golden. As a frosh he never really found a way to contribute regularly but this year with the extra playing time he is leading the club with 14ppg. His play against Florida is going to be especially important because he is also their leading distributor and will have to guard one of the Gators great guards. Forward Jeronne Maymon is another player who will have his hands full as he try to keep Young out of the paint. He is their leading rebounder but unfortunately the matchup is not unfavourable. Pretty much all of them are that way for the Vols in this one.
Spread Pick: Florida -7.5
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Florida 83 – Tennessee 69
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