Saturdays Plays

[superbook]

Niagara -2
Drexel +1
Wright State -1.5
Montana State +1
Kent State -4

Back later with a few more.

 

[superbook]

I know after last night's Ivy selections I have zero credibility, but am adding one Ivy play for tonite:

Columbia ML +150 (should move higher)

Columbia played Penn pretty tough last night and I think Columbia has a good shot at pulling off an upset over Princeton tonight. The article below sums up the argument.

NEW YORK -- This weekend's home games will signal the close of yet another basketball season for the Columbia Lions. But the finality of this weekend's games is particularly resonant for seniors Craig Austin, Joe Case, Mike McBrien, Treg Duerksen, Victor Munoz, Derrick Mayo, and Marc Simon. Playing the last minutes of their college careers at home, the Light Blue veterans would like to finish the year by defeating the two most prolific programs in the Ancient Eight, Penn and Princeton.

"Besides being our last three games, we still have a chance to do something about who is going to win this league," Simon said. "By playing the role of the spoiler, there is still something to play for. We want to go out with some wins, continue our two-game winning streak against Penn, and control these other team's destinies."

Although Columbia (11-15, 4-8 Ivy League) is out of the running for a league title, there will be a playoff atmosphere in Levien Gymnasium this Friday and Saturday evening when the Lions play host to the Penn Quakers (21-6, 8-3) and Princeton Tigers (14-9, 9-2). Both Penn and Princeton are in the running with Yale for the conference championship, and judging from their pre-game ticket sales, ample crowds from both schools are likely to be present on Morningside Heights this weekend.

"We realize that we cannot win the league ourselves," assistant coach Bill Johnson said.

But Johnson reiterated Simon's point about Columbia's ability to control Penn and Princeton's future by playing the role of a spoiler.

"We are all a little tired of Penn and Princeton winning the league so it would nice for someone else to win it," Johnson said. "It would give the rest of us some hope that it can be done, even if it wasn't us. And our guys can still dictate who wins the league even though we don't have a chance to win it ourselves."

Not only can Columbia potentially send Yale to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Penn and Princeton at home this weekend, but the Lions also can salvage some pride from this disappointing season.

Expected to compete for the conference title at the season's start, early losses to Brown and Yale, and a heartbreaking home loss to Harvard virtually eliminated the Light Blue from title contention by early February. With only four league wins on the season, the Light Blue find themselves in sixth place and unable to reach the .500 mark in conference play, a fete they accomplished last year.

Despite these frustrations, the Lions did have one immaculate moment in the first weekend of February when they defeated the Quakers at the Palestra. Coach Hill called the victory the greatest win of his coaching tenure.

This season's road victory against Penn and last year's home weekend sweep of the Killer-P's should give the Columbia team the confidence it needs to win these games. But both Penn and Princeton will be playing with extra motivation in order to avenge those previous losses and garner a league title.

In order to win either game, the Lions will need to commit fewer turnovers than usual. In their last game, the Light Blue coughed the ball up 25 times. As a result, both Penn and Princeton will likely use full-court pressure against the Lions for the duration of the games.

"We have to take care of our turnovers, that is no secret," Johnson said. "Last time Penn threw two different kinds of presses at us, and back when we were at Princeton we lost the game in the second half as a result of their press and our turnovers. We lead the league in turnovers and that is no secret."

Turnovers are especially costly against Princeton, which slows the pace of the game down like Columbia, making every possession crucial. In order to beat Princeton, the Lions will have to be able to handle the Tiger press.

Along with protecting the ball, the Lions will need to play with extra intensity and energy, particularly on the defensive end. According to Johnson, this lift might have to come from the fans.

"When we have had a packed house here, the Columbia sixth man, the crowd has been a big part of our success. If you look back to last year, there was a stretch when Penn had closed the gap against us and our crowd willed us through a few tough minutes there."

In addition to the crowd, the Lions will look to their reserves to play well. In their win against Penn on the road last month, the Lions got solid contributions from the bench.

The four Lion reserves who saw action against Penn made five of five field goal attempts worth ten points, grabbed six rebounds, and committed just two turnovers in a combined 44 minutes of play.

The reserves were especially important on defense, where they helped to contain Penn's explosive frontcourt duo, juniors Ugonna Onyekwe and Koko Archibong.

Heading into the final two games of their collegiate careers, the Light Blue seniors simply have a choice to make: they can cash in the season with a mediocre effort or fight hard and leave everything they have on the floor. Judging by the character of the veteran players and the integrity of the coaching staff, they will probably choose the latter, which should make for an exciting weekend of basketball.

 

[Teddy KGB]

Hey super dont say that! I took your selections and added them with sienna for a nice 4 team teaser. Thank you so much

Ticket-# 2571598
Wager 4TEAS
01-Mar [854] SIENA -5 (Win)
01-Mar [825] PENNSYLVANIA -1 (Win)
01-Mar [827] PRINCETON -1 (Win)
01-Mar [822] YALE -1 (Win)
Amount Risk $120 to win $100
Status Win
Settle Amount $100


Wasn't big time money but I sure as hell wont complain

 

[superbook]

Thanks Teddy, it makes me feel better that someone made some $$.

I had the right sides they just couldn't beat the numbers.

Tonight I think the right sides are:

Penn
Columbia
Yale
Harvard @ Brown -- not sure

 

[superbook]

Wager Type: Parlay (4 team)
Wager Status: Pending
Risk / To Win Amount: 250.00 / 2500.00 (USD)


Item #1
Wager Type: Spread
Outcome: Pending
Sport / Period: NCAA Basketball / 1st Half
Line: Harvard 3/2/2002 7:00:00 PM - EST
+3 -110

Item #2
Wager Type: Spread
Outcome: Pending
Sport / Period: NCAA Basketball / 1st Half
Line: Yale 3/2/2002 7:00:00 PM - EST
-9 -110

Item #3
Wager Type: Spread
Outcome: Pending
Sport / Period: NCAA Basketball / 1st Half
Line: Columbia 3/2/2002 7:30:00 PM - EST
+2 -110

Item #4
Wager Type: Spread
Outcome: Pending
Sport / Period: NCAA Basketball / 1st Half
Line: Pennsylvania 3/2/2002 7:00:00 PM - EST
-6? -110

 

[KsYaS]

Like Brown -5 and going down!


Javier

 

[superbook]

KSYaS --

Brown is probably the right side but they don't blow anyone out. They were supposed to do very well this year in the Ivy (all five starters returning etc) but they've had a very disappointing season and will probably take it out on the Crimson tonight.


Adding:

Rider -4.5 (bought a half point)

 

[KsYaS]

Ok, just like Brown, maybe is better pass but I like it, hehehe


like so much to Rider


good luck!!



Javier

 

[superbook]

Adding:

Davidson +1.5
George Mason -6.5
Tennessee Tech -2.5
Furman +8.5

 

[superbook]

Pretty chitty day again; just missed the Ivy four-team parlay.

Harvard was up 38-37 with 1:57 to go in the first half before Brown went on a little run to end the half 46-40.

The other 3 all hit.

Oh well, they play the national anthem again tomorrow.

- Jon

 

[Stag]

SB-
good calls on the Ivy tonight.........i should have taken Columbia plus the points or Princeton on the moneyline. Damn it.......I wish Princeton would have lost outright..........would have been nice for Yale too. oh well....2-2 is not so bad
I lost BIG on my only hockey play though...that hurt!

Tuesday's line.......Penn -7.5??????

I am going to slow down on wagering a bit in all sports.......take some time off...........maybe 1 hockey game per day

Stag