07:00 PM CBB [531] Villanova -2.5 -110
08:00 PM CBB [540] Minnesota University -1.5 -110
10:00 PM CBB [546] BYU -3.5 -105
06:30 PM CBB Extra Game [580] Saint Johns -14.5 -110
08:30 PM NFL [276] NY GIANTS +1-110
07:35 PM NBA [503] Oklahoma City Thunder -1.5 -105
09:05 PM NBA [513] Memphis Grizzlies +6.5 -110
07:05 PM NHL [1] Tampa Bay Lightning -130
1 unit bet pays 170 ....betdsi line
Goood luck everyone!! :firing: :toast: :SIB:em71:
ripped, cut and pasted, otherwise written by others, from across the internets:
Another AFC North team takes on a NFC East squad and, as noted above, that hasn?t worked out very well this year for the AFC side. Both teams tricky to figure out at times, but the Giants are hot right now (three straight wins) and this is a cheap price to pay against a Cincinnati team that has not covered a spread this year in five tries when traveling. In addition, Cincinnati?s wins have come against losing teams while all losses have occurred against teams that were above .500 when they met. For the Giants, QB Eli Manning has rekindled with WR Odell Beckham and the tandem have produced five touchdowns in the G-Men?s previous three games. While the Bengals? defensive numbers suggest aptitude, the secondary has been leaky, causing coaching staff to tinker with lineup this week. Host gets minor nod. TAKING: GIANTS Even
Georgia St vs. Auburn
Play: Auburn -7?
Auburn opened up with a solid win on Saturday and have plenty of scoring here as they welcome in 3 new starters that can shoot. They have done well historically vs Sun Belt teams winning 15 of 18 and covering 2 most recent games. Georgia St. Clobbered a cream puff at home on Saturday but now they travel into a tough SEC Road venue. The Panthers are 3-11 vs SEC teams and 0-6 to the spread more recently. The Panthers have failed to cover 12 of the last 14 as a dog, and 8 of 11 after scoring 80 or more last out. Look for Auburn to get the win.
E Tennessee St.-12
Very possible this game gets ugly for Detroit...A team that fails to defend and a run and gun offense will be facing a decent defense...It looks like a ton of points, but i feel for good reason....I have ETSU ranked 127 spots higher than Detroit....It doesn't add up...The rosters don't add up, nor do the players..Early season, but my number for this game was -18....It might drop due to the lack of knowledge on this ETSU team, but I trust my work here..The line is almost correct, but it might go the wrong way for the bettors here...I'll lay it.
College of Charleston vs. Coastal Carolina
Play: Coastal Carolina +5?
Coastal Carolina has their home opener as they take on Charleston. The stats are skewed a bit for both teams. The Cougars won 81-68 in their opener against the Citadel in a game that featured a ton of possessions because of the Bulldogs style. Coastal lost on the road at Alabama in a lower scoring game 70-53. They have been a home underdog of 3.5 to 6 points just once since 1997. Now those numbers are skewed a bit since they have just 47 games against the spread overall. Charleston is 6-17 ATS the last three years as a favorite. I think this is a bit too many points for a tough home field advantage to get.
76ers vs. Rockets
Play: Over 214?
I know this is a big total, but this matchup screams for a high-scoring game that ends up in the 220's. The 76ers have been more competitive than people thought they would be, at least win Embiid plays, but one thing that has carried over from last year is their poor play on defense. Philadelphia has allowed 100+ points in each of their 9 games this season. Now they face a Houston team that comes in averaging 107.0 ppg and scoring nearly 5-points more than what their opponents typically allow (76ers are giving up 116 ppg on the road). The Rockets have only played 3 teams who rank in the bottom half of the league in defensive efficiency and in those 3 games have scored 114, 118 and 114 points. The other key here is Houston doesn't play much defense, as they are allowing 106.7 ppg. I don't see a ton of effort on defense here in a game that figures to have both teams running up and down the floor.
Texas-Arlington vs. Minnesota
Play: Minnesota -2
Even though Minny only won their first game by 12 points, the Golden Gophers led that game by 22 points at halftime before emptying the bench for much of the second half. The significance of that in terms of looking at this game is that UT-Arlington comes from the same conference (Sun Belt) as UL-Lafayette. Now the Mavericks are certainly a better team than the Ragin' Cajuns as the Mavs are projected to be the #1 team in the Sun Belt this season and they returned all 5 starters from last season's team. However, this is still a case of Big Ten versus Sun Belt and the Golden Gophers have improved greatly from last season's disappointing showing. Also, another key factor here is home court for Minny as UT-Arlington barely got by Texas Southern in their season opener. Texas Southern plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference which is one of the weakest in Division 1 College basketball. That game was at home for Arlington and they only won by 7 points. Now the Mavericks are on the road in a Big Ten venue and they face a Golden Gophers team that made a major statement against a Sun Belt foe when they led 48 to 26 at halftime in their season opener. The Mavs are a good team but Minny is hungry to make an early season statement under head coach Richard Pitino after the disappointment of late season. The Gophers are on a 5-2 ATS run (and 6-1 SU) against Sun Belt conference foes and this line is a very short one.
Princeton @ BYU
Pick: BYU -4
The Princeton Tigers are the odds on favorite to win the Ivy League Title, but this is a very huge step up in class taking on BYU. What makes this venue even more difficult, aside from the long trip from New Jersey, is the high altitude, and Princeton certainly is not a deep team. They very well could wilt down the stretch. The Cougars have a built in edge on their home court where they are now 85-65-3 ATS as a favorite of -19 or less. That improves to 60% ATS vs. non-conference opponents. In other words, teams that are not used to playing here. Those numbers become 30-14 ATS when they are not facing a power-5 conference opponent. Too much to overcome here.
Detroit/E Tennessee St. Over 157
Neither team defends the 3 very well and both will be putting them up tonight. ETSU with strong pace especially at home and a good reason why this team is 38-18 OVER on this court. These teams have never met and certainly that is to our advantage as we don't expect any form of intense D in this early season contest. This number has been pretty steady all day but I would expect it to spike higher despite opening as high as it is. You can play this one in full up to 160..
Albany +15? over CINCINNATI
Perception is often a driving force behind many markets, perhaps most especially in college basketball where there are 356 teams to choose from. The Cincinnati Bearcats are a household name, regardless of how far they go in the American Athletic Conference or the NCAA Men?s Basketball Tournament. To some, the Bearcats are the perennial eight-seed that sometimes rattle off a few wins before making their usual exit. Last year, the Bearcats were ushered out in the First Round by St. Joe?s in a heartbreaking loss. On a contrasting note, Albany, when they do get in, is seen as the sacrificial lamb for the tournament top seeds to prey upon in the first round.
The Bearcats come in ranked #30 in the country but that ranking may be a little too generous, as four key contributors from last year?s rotation are gone. Farad Cobb was the team?s most dangerous and consistent outside shooter. A trio of losses in the frontcourt will also hurt. Octavius Ellis averaged 9.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks during his senior season. Shaq Thomas was a fellow starter in the frontcourt during his senior season. Thomas averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds and did a lot of the unnoticed dirty work in the paint. Coreontae DeBerry was the bruiser in the paint. He averaged just 14.7 minutes per game, but was very productive during that time. Perception now becomes the emphasis of this wager.
Albany enters at 1-0 and that 1-0 was attained by virtue of a road win at a Power Conference host in Penn State. This is an outfit that went 24-9 in the 2015-16 season but the market is putting more emphasis on the Danes losing three all-conference guards to graduation in Peter Hooley, Ray Sanders, and Evan Singletary. Enter sophomore Joe Cremo. Cremo, the reigning conference Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year, will now be catapulted from the first scoring option off the bench to the first scoring option in the starting lineup as the leading returning scorer on this year?s team. David Nichols and Dallas Ennema will fill the spots left by Singletary and Sanders. Nichols was impressive in the recent Purple-Gold scrimmage, filling the basket up with 26 points and looking more chiseled than last year, in a year where Head Coach Will Brown said he learned to compete everyday going up against Singletary in practice. The frontcourt could be the strength of the Danes, the place that has been unreliable in the past. The Danes return Mike Rowley and Greig Stire and also bring back a healthy Travis Charles, who missed all but nine games last year with a heart condition. Big things are also expected from big man Jaraan Lands, who averaged 16.1 points and 8.6 rebounds over two years at Eastern Arizona Community College and has the ability to be a ?man-child? as Brown tabbed him at this level.
The Danes took it to a #2 Kentucky team on the road and lost by just seven points in the aforementioned campaign. Oh and one other thing, Albany was a three-time defending America East champion until they were summarily knocked off in last year?s tournament, costing them their fourth consecutive NCAA Men?s Basketball Tournament bid. Albany is an institution dedicated to being competitive on a continual basis.
Cincinnati comes in off a win but that win was against a weaker opponent, as they laid the wood to the Ivy League?s Brown University as a 23-point favorite. Brown finished 8-20 last year. The result of Cincy being successful in covering such a lofty point total has them priced higher than they should be here. The Bearcats are stepping it up in level of competition by several pegs even if the team it is playing is cast as yet another middling mid-major outfit. For Albany, this will assuredly be another day at the office and while the Great Danes may be unsuccessful in beating Cincy straight up, they have the experience in taking on comprehensive competition and we?re suggesting that they?ll come in well under the number here.
Binghamton +14? over ST. JOHN'S
It has been a rough few years for Binghamton. Since the start of BU head coach Tommy Dempsey?s tenure four years ago, the Bearcats have served as the America East?s whipping boys. Dempsey landed at Binghamton in 2012 after a largely successful seven-year stint as the head coach of Rider. He took over what was, at the time, a disastrous program in desperate need of a rebuild. A series of unfortunate events that started in 2014-15 (star guard and two-time All-AE pick Jordan Reed decided to transfer), (that same year, then-freshman forward Dusan Perovic, who had become a cog in the Bearcats? lineup, went down for the second half of the season with a torn ACL) and ended last year when junior guard Yosef Yacob missed the season due to a torn labrum. After dealing with the growing pains that are often associated with player development on young teams, many on the roster have now grown into leaders. Senior guard Marlon Beck returns to play as the team?s shooting guard and leading perimeter threat, while junior forward Willie Rodriguez will attempt to become another leader on the court. Those two are set to march onto the floor as starters, heading the most rounded and veteran squad that Binghamton has seen during Dempsey?s tenure. The Bearcats are always getting inflated points because of their poor history but they could win this game outright, just like they did when they beat Cornell, 68-62 in the season opener. Still, this one is all about fading St. John?s.
The Johnnies are coming off a 100-53 season opening victory over Bethune-Cookman, which is equivalent to the Alabama Crimson Tide of NCAAF playing Guelph of the CIS league (Canadian University Football). In other words, put zero emphasis on that Johnnies win. The truth is that St. John?s is a team in big trouble again this year after losing 21 of its last 22 games a year ago. That was Chris Mullin?s first year as coach and this year is not likely to be any better. The Red Storm basically had all new players last year and this year they have to replace half of those minutes with more new faces. Last year?s offense struggled to get into sets, they gave up live-ball turnovers, their three-point shooting was ninth in conference play and their two-point shooting and free throw shooting ranked dead last in the Big East. There are mountains for Chris Mullin to climb, coaching-wise, as he seeks to prove that he is the man for the job of building the St. John?s program into the consistently competitive program the Redmen were in the 80?s and the renamed Red Storm were at the beginning of the century. Problem is, nobody wants to play for the Johnnies and Chris Mullin knows about as much as your Uncle Wolfgang when it comes to coaching college hoops at this level. The Johnnies got blown out regularly last year while allowing 90 or more points an incredible eight times. Last season, the Johnnies lost by 22 to Incarnate Wood and by nine to NJIT. They had one victory the entire year (over UMBC) by more than the points they are spotting here. One cannot spot this many points with the Johnnies and expect to cash their ticket. Upset possibility.
Magic vs. Pacers
Play: Pacers -7
This might seem like some value with Orlando catching a big number against a Pacers team that has lost two straight and are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games, especially with the Magic fresh off a 119-117 win at OKC as a 9.5-point dog. I'm just not buying that performance as something Orlando can build on. If anything it puts them in a huge letdown spot here against a hungry Pacers team that is going to come out with a chip on their shoulder to avoid a third straight loss.
One thing to keep in mind with the Magic's win over the Thunder, is that one had a little extra meaning for this team, as they wanted nothing more than to get their new teammate Ibaka a win over his old team. I know Orlando's new coach is the former coach of the Pacers, which could been seen as another big motivator. However, I just don't think the Magic have enough left in the tank here. Not only are they playing in the 2nd game of a back-to-back road set, but this is their 3rd game in the last 4 days.
This is also a Magic team that has been one of the worst in the league to start the season. Orlando is getting outscored on average by 9.1 ppg. Only team worse is the 76ers, who are getting outscored by 11.8 ppg. I just don't see the Magic being able to keep pace offensively in this one. Orlando comes in giving up 108.6 ppg on the road, while Indiana is lighting it up at home at 115.4 ppg. Keep in mind this Magic team is only averaging 95.0 ppg and are 26th in the league in offensive efficiency.
Philadelphia vs. Houston
Pick: Houston
The 5-4 Rockets are now James Harden?s team with Howard moving on to Atlanta. The All Star guard is averaging 30.0-8.0-13.0 and is hopeful that his backcourt running mate, Patrick Beverley, will finally be ready to join him this week. Beverley underwent left knee surgery during the preseason but is set to return this week. He practiced on Friday and completed a light training session on Sunday. Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni declared Beverley out against the Philadelphia 76ers for tonight?s game but chances appear good that Houston will get a backcourt boost either Wednesday or Thursday. "Can't wait to play, can't wait to get back with my teammates," Beverley said. "I've missed them a lot. I've missed being on the road a lot, I miss the team camaraderie a lot. I miss playing basketball, I miss competing so I'm excited to get back this week."
The 1-8 76ers know all about being hamstrung by injuries, as they opened the season without veteran guard Jerryd Bayless (wrist) plus young forwards Nerlens Noel (knee) and Ben Simmons (foot). They have also been managing the minutes restrictions on centers Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid. Embiid is getting about 22 minutes and averaging 18.8 & 6.6. Okafor has come off the bench and in 19 minutes, has averaged 11.3 & 3.9. Veteran forward Ilysova (12.3 & 4.7) has been an excellent addition but the bottom line is, Philly averages 96.4 PPG (28th), while allowing 108.2 PPG (24th). That?s not a good combo.
Friday's 109-105 OT win at home over the Pacers snapped a streak of 44 straight losses in the months of October and November but Philadelphia climbed right back on that ?losing train? on Saturday, falling 117-96 in Atlanta, as Embiid sat out to rest his surgically repaired foot. Eric Gordon stepped up on Saturday and became the first player other than Harden to lead the team in scoring with 27 points but that effort came in a 106-100 home loss to the Spurs. Gordon?s (at 16.7 PPG, he?s Houston?s second-leadings corer) come off the bench the last three games and with Beverley on the verge of returning, expect that to be his role.
Beverley?s impact is so much greater than the 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game he provided last season. Beverley is the team's best individual perimeter defender and his influence on that end of the court has been sorely missed as Houston entered Sunday ranked 27th in defensive rating. Philly has lost all three road games this season by 16, seven (in OT) and 21 points, so I want no part of them here, with Houston coming off a home loss Saturday. The Rocket have won the last five in this series and win No. 6 in a row comes ?with room to spare!?
08:00 PM CBB [540] Minnesota University -1.5 -110
10:00 PM CBB [546] BYU -3.5 -105
06:30 PM CBB Extra Game [580] Saint Johns -14.5 -110
08:30 PM NFL [276] NY GIANTS +1-110
07:35 PM NBA [503] Oklahoma City Thunder -1.5 -105
09:05 PM NBA [513] Memphis Grizzlies +6.5 -110
07:05 PM NHL [1] Tampa Bay Lightning -130
1 unit bet pays 170 ....betdsi line
Goood luck everyone!! :firing: :toast: :SIB:em71:
ripped, cut and pasted, otherwise written by others, from across the internets:
Another AFC North team takes on a NFC East squad and, as noted above, that hasn?t worked out very well this year for the AFC side. Both teams tricky to figure out at times, but the Giants are hot right now (three straight wins) and this is a cheap price to pay against a Cincinnati team that has not covered a spread this year in five tries when traveling. In addition, Cincinnati?s wins have come against losing teams while all losses have occurred against teams that were above .500 when they met. For the Giants, QB Eli Manning has rekindled with WR Odell Beckham and the tandem have produced five touchdowns in the G-Men?s previous three games. While the Bengals? defensive numbers suggest aptitude, the secondary has been leaky, causing coaching staff to tinker with lineup this week. Host gets minor nod. TAKING: GIANTS Even
Georgia St vs. Auburn
Play: Auburn -7?
Auburn opened up with a solid win on Saturday and have plenty of scoring here as they welcome in 3 new starters that can shoot. They have done well historically vs Sun Belt teams winning 15 of 18 and covering 2 most recent games. Georgia St. Clobbered a cream puff at home on Saturday but now they travel into a tough SEC Road venue. The Panthers are 3-11 vs SEC teams and 0-6 to the spread more recently. The Panthers have failed to cover 12 of the last 14 as a dog, and 8 of 11 after scoring 80 or more last out. Look for Auburn to get the win.
E Tennessee St.-12
Very possible this game gets ugly for Detroit...A team that fails to defend and a run and gun offense will be facing a decent defense...It looks like a ton of points, but i feel for good reason....I have ETSU ranked 127 spots higher than Detroit....It doesn't add up...The rosters don't add up, nor do the players..Early season, but my number for this game was -18....It might drop due to the lack of knowledge on this ETSU team, but I trust my work here..The line is almost correct, but it might go the wrong way for the bettors here...I'll lay it.
College of Charleston vs. Coastal Carolina
Play: Coastal Carolina +5?
Coastal Carolina has their home opener as they take on Charleston. The stats are skewed a bit for both teams. The Cougars won 81-68 in their opener against the Citadel in a game that featured a ton of possessions because of the Bulldogs style. Coastal lost on the road at Alabama in a lower scoring game 70-53. They have been a home underdog of 3.5 to 6 points just once since 1997. Now those numbers are skewed a bit since they have just 47 games against the spread overall. Charleston is 6-17 ATS the last three years as a favorite. I think this is a bit too many points for a tough home field advantage to get.
76ers vs. Rockets
Play: Over 214?
I know this is a big total, but this matchup screams for a high-scoring game that ends up in the 220's. The 76ers have been more competitive than people thought they would be, at least win Embiid plays, but one thing that has carried over from last year is their poor play on defense. Philadelphia has allowed 100+ points in each of their 9 games this season. Now they face a Houston team that comes in averaging 107.0 ppg and scoring nearly 5-points more than what their opponents typically allow (76ers are giving up 116 ppg on the road). The Rockets have only played 3 teams who rank in the bottom half of the league in defensive efficiency and in those 3 games have scored 114, 118 and 114 points. The other key here is Houston doesn't play much defense, as they are allowing 106.7 ppg. I don't see a ton of effort on defense here in a game that figures to have both teams running up and down the floor.
Texas-Arlington vs. Minnesota
Play: Minnesota -2
Even though Minny only won their first game by 12 points, the Golden Gophers led that game by 22 points at halftime before emptying the bench for much of the second half. The significance of that in terms of looking at this game is that UT-Arlington comes from the same conference (Sun Belt) as UL-Lafayette. Now the Mavericks are certainly a better team than the Ragin' Cajuns as the Mavs are projected to be the #1 team in the Sun Belt this season and they returned all 5 starters from last season's team. However, this is still a case of Big Ten versus Sun Belt and the Golden Gophers have improved greatly from last season's disappointing showing. Also, another key factor here is home court for Minny as UT-Arlington barely got by Texas Southern in their season opener. Texas Southern plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference which is one of the weakest in Division 1 College basketball. That game was at home for Arlington and they only won by 7 points. Now the Mavericks are on the road in a Big Ten venue and they face a Golden Gophers team that made a major statement against a Sun Belt foe when they led 48 to 26 at halftime in their season opener. The Mavs are a good team but Minny is hungry to make an early season statement under head coach Richard Pitino after the disappointment of late season. The Gophers are on a 5-2 ATS run (and 6-1 SU) against Sun Belt conference foes and this line is a very short one.
Princeton @ BYU
Pick: BYU -4
The Princeton Tigers are the odds on favorite to win the Ivy League Title, but this is a very huge step up in class taking on BYU. What makes this venue even more difficult, aside from the long trip from New Jersey, is the high altitude, and Princeton certainly is not a deep team. They very well could wilt down the stretch. The Cougars have a built in edge on their home court where they are now 85-65-3 ATS as a favorite of -19 or less. That improves to 60% ATS vs. non-conference opponents. In other words, teams that are not used to playing here. Those numbers become 30-14 ATS when they are not facing a power-5 conference opponent. Too much to overcome here.
Detroit/E Tennessee St. Over 157
Neither team defends the 3 very well and both will be putting them up tonight. ETSU with strong pace especially at home and a good reason why this team is 38-18 OVER on this court. These teams have never met and certainly that is to our advantage as we don't expect any form of intense D in this early season contest. This number has been pretty steady all day but I would expect it to spike higher despite opening as high as it is. You can play this one in full up to 160..
Albany +15? over CINCINNATI
Perception is often a driving force behind many markets, perhaps most especially in college basketball where there are 356 teams to choose from. The Cincinnati Bearcats are a household name, regardless of how far they go in the American Athletic Conference or the NCAA Men?s Basketball Tournament. To some, the Bearcats are the perennial eight-seed that sometimes rattle off a few wins before making their usual exit. Last year, the Bearcats were ushered out in the First Round by St. Joe?s in a heartbreaking loss. On a contrasting note, Albany, when they do get in, is seen as the sacrificial lamb for the tournament top seeds to prey upon in the first round.
The Bearcats come in ranked #30 in the country but that ranking may be a little too generous, as four key contributors from last year?s rotation are gone. Farad Cobb was the team?s most dangerous and consistent outside shooter. A trio of losses in the frontcourt will also hurt. Octavius Ellis averaged 9.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks during his senior season. Shaq Thomas was a fellow starter in the frontcourt during his senior season. Thomas averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds and did a lot of the unnoticed dirty work in the paint. Coreontae DeBerry was the bruiser in the paint. He averaged just 14.7 minutes per game, but was very productive during that time. Perception now becomes the emphasis of this wager.
Albany enters at 1-0 and that 1-0 was attained by virtue of a road win at a Power Conference host in Penn State. This is an outfit that went 24-9 in the 2015-16 season but the market is putting more emphasis on the Danes losing three all-conference guards to graduation in Peter Hooley, Ray Sanders, and Evan Singletary. Enter sophomore Joe Cremo. Cremo, the reigning conference Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year, will now be catapulted from the first scoring option off the bench to the first scoring option in the starting lineup as the leading returning scorer on this year?s team. David Nichols and Dallas Ennema will fill the spots left by Singletary and Sanders. Nichols was impressive in the recent Purple-Gold scrimmage, filling the basket up with 26 points and looking more chiseled than last year, in a year where Head Coach Will Brown said he learned to compete everyday going up against Singletary in practice. The frontcourt could be the strength of the Danes, the place that has been unreliable in the past. The Danes return Mike Rowley and Greig Stire and also bring back a healthy Travis Charles, who missed all but nine games last year with a heart condition. Big things are also expected from big man Jaraan Lands, who averaged 16.1 points and 8.6 rebounds over two years at Eastern Arizona Community College and has the ability to be a ?man-child? as Brown tabbed him at this level.
The Danes took it to a #2 Kentucky team on the road and lost by just seven points in the aforementioned campaign. Oh and one other thing, Albany was a three-time defending America East champion until they were summarily knocked off in last year?s tournament, costing them their fourth consecutive NCAA Men?s Basketball Tournament bid. Albany is an institution dedicated to being competitive on a continual basis.
Cincinnati comes in off a win but that win was against a weaker opponent, as they laid the wood to the Ivy League?s Brown University as a 23-point favorite. Brown finished 8-20 last year. The result of Cincy being successful in covering such a lofty point total has them priced higher than they should be here. The Bearcats are stepping it up in level of competition by several pegs even if the team it is playing is cast as yet another middling mid-major outfit. For Albany, this will assuredly be another day at the office and while the Great Danes may be unsuccessful in beating Cincy straight up, they have the experience in taking on comprehensive competition and we?re suggesting that they?ll come in well under the number here.
Binghamton +14? over ST. JOHN'S
It has been a rough few years for Binghamton. Since the start of BU head coach Tommy Dempsey?s tenure four years ago, the Bearcats have served as the America East?s whipping boys. Dempsey landed at Binghamton in 2012 after a largely successful seven-year stint as the head coach of Rider. He took over what was, at the time, a disastrous program in desperate need of a rebuild. A series of unfortunate events that started in 2014-15 (star guard and two-time All-AE pick Jordan Reed decided to transfer), (that same year, then-freshman forward Dusan Perovic, who had become a cog in the Bearcats? lineup, went down for the second half of the season with a torn ACL) and ended last year when junior guard Yosef Yacob missed the season due to a torn labrum. After dealing with the growing pains that are often associated with player development on young teams, many on the roster have now grown into leaders. Senior guard Marlon Beck returns to play as the team?s shooting guard and leading perimeter threat, while junior forward Willie Rodriguez will attempt to become another leader on the court. Those two are set to march onto the floor as starters, heading the most rounded and veteran squad that Binghamton has seen during Dempsey?s tenure. The Bearcats are always getting inflated points because of their poor history but they could win this game outright, just like they did when they beat Cornell, 68-62 in the season opener. Still, this one is all about fading St. John?s.
The Johnnies are coming off a 100-53 season opening victory over Bethune-Cookman, which is equivalent to the Alabama Crimson Tide of NCAAF playing Guelph of the CIS league (Canadian University Football). In other words, put zero emphasis on that Johnnies win. The truth is that St. John?s is a team in big trouble again this year after losing 21 of its last 22 games a year ago. That was Chris Mullin?s first year as coach and this year is not likely to be any better. The Red Storm basically had all new players last year and this year they have to replace half of those minutes with more new faces. Last year?s offense struggled to get into sets, they gave up live-ball turnovers, their three-point shooting was ninth in conference play and their two-point shooting and free throw shooting ranked dead last in the Big East. There are mountains for Chris Mullin to climb, coaching-wise, as he seeks to prove that he is the man for the job of building the St. John?s program into the consistently competitive program the Redmen were in the 80?s and the renamed Red Storm were at the beginning of the century. Problem is, nobody wants to play for the Johnnies and Chris Mullin knows about as much as your Uncle Wolfgang when it comes to coaching college hoops at this level. The Johnnies got blown out regularly last year while allowing 90 or more points an incredible eight times. Last season, the Johnnies lost by 22 to Incarnate Wood and by nine to NJIT. They had one victory the entire year (over UMBC) by more than the points they are spotting here. One cannot spot this many points with the Johnnies and expect to cash their ticket. Upset possibility.
Magic vs. Pacers
Play: Pacers -7
This might seem like some value with Orlando catching a big number against a Pacers team that has lost two straight and are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games, especially with the Magic fresh off a 119-117 win at OKC as a 9.5-point dog. I'm just not buying that performance as something Orlando can build on. If anything it puts them in a huge letdown spot here against a hungry Pacers team that is going to come out with a chip on their shoulder to avoid a third straight loss.
One thing to keep in mind with the Magic's win over the Thunder, is that one had a little extra meaning for this team, as they wanted nothing more than to get their new teammate Ibaka a win over his old team. I know Orlando's new coach is the former coach of the Pacers, which could been seen as another big motivator. However, I just don't think the Magic have enough left in the tank here. Not only are they playing in the 2nd game of a back-to-back road set, but this is their 3rd game in the last 4 days.
This is also a Magic team that has been one of the worst in the league to start the season. Orlando is getting outscored on average by 9.1 ppg. Only team worse is the 76ers, who are getting outscored by 11.8 ppg. I just don't see the Magic being able to keep pace offensively in this one. Orlando comes in giving up 108.6 ppg on the road, while Indiana is lighting it up at home at 115.4 ppg. Keep in mind this Magic team is only averaging 95.0 ppg and are 26th in the league in offensive efficiency.
Philadelphia vs. Houston
Pick: Houston
The 5-4 Rockets are now James Harden?s team with Howard moving on to Atlanta. The All Star guard is averaging 30.0-8.0-13.0 and is hopeful that his backcourt running mate, Patrick Beverley, will finally be ready to join him this week. Beverley underwent left knee surgery during the preseason but is set to return this week. He practiced on Friday and completed a light training session on Sunday. Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni declared Beverley out against the Philadelphia 76ers for tonight?s game but chances appear good that Houston will get a backcourt boost either Wednesday or Thursday. "Can't wait to play, can't wait to get back with my teammates," Beverley said. "I've missed them a lot. I've missed being on the road a lot, I miss the team camaraderie a lot. I miss playing basketball, I miss competing so I'm excited to get back this week."
The 1-8 76ers know all about being hamstrung by injuries, as they opened the season without veteran guard Jerryd Bayless (wrist) plus young forwards Nerlens Noel (knee) and Ben Simmons (foot). They have also been managing the minutes restrictions on centers Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid. Embiid is getting about 22 minutes and averaging 18.8 & 6.6. Okafor has come off the bench and in 19 minutes, has averaged 11.3 & 3.9. Veteran forward Ilysova (12.3 & 4.7) has been an excellent addition but the bottom line is, Philly averages 96.4 PPG (28th), while allowing 108.2 PPG (24th). That?s not a good combo.
Friday's 109-105 OT win at home over the Pacers snapped a streak of 44 straight losses in the months of October and November but Philadelphia climbed right back on that ?losing train? on Saturday, falling 117-96 in Atlanta, as Embiid sat out to rest his surgically repaired foot. Eric Gordon stepped up on Saturday and became the first player other than Harden to lead the team in scoring with 27 points but that effort came in a 106-100 home loss to the Spurs. Gordon?s (at 16.7 PPG, he?s Houston?s second-leadings corer) come off the bench the last three games and with Beverley on the verge of returning, expect that to be his role.
Beverley?s impact is so much greater than the 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game he provided last season. Beverley is the team's best individual perimeter defender and his influence on that end of the court has been sorely missed as Houston entered Sunday ranked 27th in defensive rating. Philly has lost all three road games this season by 16, seven (in OT) and 21 points, so I want no part of them here, with Houston coming off a home loss Saturday. The Rocket have won the last five in this series and win No. 6 in a row comes ?with room to spare!?
