i'll start with a question... anybody know if marquette gets the 4-seed with a win? they'll be tied with 'nova, and they split their games this year. i don't think it will matter, but i may put a little more on the game if marquette has the extra motivation.
marquette (-5.5) 2 units. i've played against syracuse all year; i'm certainly not going to stop now. even if marquette can't reclaim the #4 seed, i think they have plenty of motivation here today. for one thing, they need a win, having lost 3 straight without james. also, it's the last home game for some great ballplayers. emotions will be high, as this senior class tried to go out with a win. 'cuse beat marquette by 15 in the last game of the season last year. alright, enough about marquette's motivation. even without james, this is a very good matchup for the golden eagles. their biggest weakness is in the paint. and syracuse's guards simply aren't patient enough to feed the post on any sort of consistent basis. and this syracuse team plays no defense. even with the zone, i expect marquette's guards to penetrate all game, drawing a ton of fouls. one other thing... here is syracuse's conference road games against ranked opponents: L by 14 at georgetown (and we all know how good georgetown is now), L by 18 at pitt, L by 17 at 'nova, L by 14 at uconn. in fact, their only conference road win this season was in their last game against st johns.
texas a&m (+1.5) 2 units. wow. according to the numbers, mizzou should be favored by 5. with a win, the tigers can tie kansas for first in the conference (i don't know who would get the #1 seed). mizzou just had a convincing win over oklahoma. how are they not favored by more?
virginia (+1.5) 1 unit. virginia actually had a huge second half the last time they played, whittling a 17-point lead down to 4. the cavs dominated maryland on the boards (34-21 overall, 16-6 on the offensive glass). just a gut feeling here... virginia finishes with a win.
kansas (-8.5) 2 units. wow, these young jayhawks have really stepped it up (you know, except for their inexplicable blow-out loss their last game at texas tech). and what the f--- has happened to texas? they are 5-5 their last 10 games. and in their last 4 road games, they are 1-3, with an overtime win at colorado. COLORADO!!
auburn (-2) nothing really to play for for LSU, so i'll give the nod to the home team on senior day. auburn is not very good, but they have won 7 of their last 8. ok, the one loss was at LSU. that game was decided at the FT line. LSU hit 21 of 22, while auburn made 7 of 13. that really hurts in a 6-point loss.
louisville (+3) 1 unit. tough one. louisville really doesn't have much to play for here. but they have been so good on the road... i'll take them, plus the 3. they blew out the mountaineers for most of the game in their first matchup, only to allow a pretty bad backdoor cover. this is a tough game for west virginia's freshman point guard, truck bryant. he had 4 turnovers in only 21 minutes of action the first time these two teams played.
marquette (-5.5) 2 units. i've played against syracuse all year; i'm certainly not going to stop now. even if marquette can't reclaim the #4 seed, i think they have plenty of motivation here today. for one thing, they need a win, having lost 3 straight without james. also, it's the last home game for some great ballplayers. emotions will be high, as this senior class tried to go out with a win. 'cuse beat marquette by 15 in the last game of the season last year. alright, enough about marquette's motivation. even without james, this is a very good matchup for the golden eagles. their biggest weakness is in the paint. and syracuse's guards simply aren't patient enough to feed the post on any sort of consistent basis. and this syracuse team plays no defense. even with the zone, i expect marquette's guards to penetrate all game, drawing a ton of fouls. one other thing... here is syracuse's conference road games against ranked opponents: L by 14 at georgetown (and we all know how good georgetown is now), L by 18 at pitt, L by 17 at 'nova, L by 14 at uconn. in fact, their only conference road win this season was in their last game against st johns.
texas a&m (+1.5) 2 units. wow. according to the numbers, mizzou should be favored by 5. with a win, the tigers can tie kansas for first in the conference (i don't know who would get the #1 seed). mizzou just had a convincing win over oklahoma. how are they not favored by more?
virginia (+1.5) 1 unit. virginia actually had a huge second half the last time they played, whittling a 17-point lead down to 4. the cavs dominated maryland on the boards (34-21 overall, 16-6 on the offensive glass). just a gut feeling here... virginia finishes with a win.
kansas (-8.5) 2 units. wow, these young jayhawks have really stepped it up (you know, except for their inexplicable blow-out loss their last game at texas tech). and what the f--- has happened to texas? they are 5-5 their last 10 games. and in their last 4 road games, they are 1-3, with an overtime win at colorado. COLORADO!!
auburn (-2) nothing really to play for for LSU, so i'll give the nod to the home team on senior day. auburn is not very good, but they have won 7 of their last 8. ok, the one loss was at LSU. that game was decided at the FT line. LSU hit 21 of 22, while auburn made 7 of 13. that really hurts in a 6-point loss.
louisville (+3) 1 unit. tough one. louisville really doesn't have much to play for here. but they have been so good on the road... i'll take them, plus the 3. they blew out the mountaineers for most of the game in their first matchup, only to allow a pretty bad backdoor cover. this is a tough game for west virginia's freshman point guard, truck bryant. he had 4 turnovers in only 21 minutes of action the first time these two teams played.
