College Hoops Wednesday
The #1 Tennessee Volunteers travel to Gainesville to clash with its rival the Florida Gators.
Hello, February. We are officially one month away from March Madness. Pressure will start to build for the majority of the country trying to punch their ticket into the tournament. Other teams will be battling for seeding because the difference between an 8/9 seed and 4/5 could be the difference between getting bounced in the first round or making the Elite Eight. It’s nut-cutting time. No time to waste so let’s jump into Wednesday’s games!
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Purdue Boilermakers (-10); total 135; 5:30pm
Typically this would be a a look ahead spot for Purdue with a home game against Indiana on deck but Indiana loss last night on the road to Maryland. Purdue will be focused on this game. If you can stop Zach Edey in the post then you have a chance of winning. Except, most teams in the Big 10 don’t have the size to keep him down for 40 minutes. One thing we learned last week in Penn State’s road game against Rutgers is that they got destroyed in the paint. Rutgers outrebounded PSU 43-26. This is what led to Rutgers’ 20 point win. We also know that Penn State loves to shoot the 3PT and that is where the majority of its scoring derives from. Well, Purdue has Zach Edey inside with the 13th best rebounding team in the country. Purdue also has the 25th best 3PT defense. High number here but if Purdue rebounds and defends the three like I think they will this could be a runaway game.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Florida Gators (+5.5); total 132; 6:00pm ct
The Vols are coming off a huge home win against Texas and now head to Gainesville to face-off with the Gators. Just by looking at this number it screams upset. A 5.5 line, Gators at home against a rival and Tennessee coming off a big win now traveling. Think Indiana vs. Maryland last night. This is a situational auto-play. Tennessee has the best 3PT defense in the country and is the 14th best rebounding team. I’ll take my shot with the situational spot with the Gators coming off an embarrassing loss to K-State.
Pittsburgh Panthers (+8.5) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels; total 146.5; 6:00pm
The Tobacco Road rivalry is on deck for the Tar Heels. We talked about this situation with the Duke Blue Devils last night. This ACC clash will determine sole position of 3rd place. In the first matchup Pitt won at home by two points and UNC was favored by 6. So the spread is corrected for Carolina’s home court and we’re sitting at 9. Pitt hasn’t loss an ACC game by more than 8 points this year. This is a great spot for them. Pitt limits turnovers on offense, rebounds on the offensive glass and shoots free throws accurately. Carolina is great on the boards led by Armando Bacot. I’ll take the points here with undervalued Pitt.
George Washington Colonials (-2) vs. LaSalle Explorers; total 148.5; 6:00
This looks like a light line for George Washington who is coming off a 3 game winning streak recently snapped by Fordham. LaSalle is on a 5 game losing streak and the line is set at two points. George Washington defeated St. Joe’s at home last week and when LaSalle played the Hawks they got blown out. This line is too light for me. I like the George Washington offense and star guard James Bishop IV.
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Oklahoma Sooners (-3.5); total 131; 8:00pm
The Sooners are coming off a HUGE win at home against then #1 Alabama Crimson Tide. We know that Oklahoma State is a two faced team: one side is the Cowboys on the road and the other is the Cowboys at home. In Stillwater the Cowboys can play with anyone in the country but when they go on the road the offense can get extremely stagnant. They tend to fall in love with the 3PT and if its not going in, it’s usually a long night for the Cowboys. Let’s not forget that this is a huge rivalry game - Bedlam. OSU slapped around the Sooners in Stillwater and now after a huge team win against Alabama its time for the Sooners to get revenge in a big way. I expect Grant Sherfield to have a huge game tonight.
Other highlighted games tonight:
Providence Friars vs. Xavier Musketeers (-3.5); total 152.5; 5:30pm ct
This should be a street fight. Xavier will be without one of their big men Zach Freemantle for about a month. He is a huge loss because of the way he plays off of Jack Nunge. Providence has two Big East road losses (Creighton, Marquette) and both were by more than 5 points. This is a perfect spot for Xavier to maintain 1st place in the Big East but with this being the first game without Freemantle I can’t play this game. I wouldn’t automatically fade Xavier based off the news because the first game after an injury like this the team facing adversity (Xavier) usually shows up in a big way and the 2nd game is the let down.
Rhode Island Rams vs. St. Joseph’s Hawks (-5.5); total 143.5; 6:00pm ct
The hunters now become the hunted. St. Joe’s is as hot as any Atlantic 10 team when it comes to covering spreads as a dog. We had this same situation last week except with Joe’s as the dog and George Washington the new favorite. We know St. Joe’s has a great defense and an offense that can score with anyone in the conference. Rhode Island will be coming in looking to play spoiler. I feel Saint Joseph’s is the better team and should prevail at home but with them now being the “hunted” it’s a pass for me.
Villanova Wildcats vs. Marquette Golden Eagles (-7.5); total 144; 7:30pm ct
Villanova has veteran guard Justin Moore back in its lineup and he does make a difference. He proved that Sunday against Providence. Villanova played with the Friars until the very end but Marquette is one of the best teams in the country. Marquette may be without Kam Jones and Sean Jones, which would be huge losses. Marquette has the defense to slow down freshman sensation Cam Whitmore but with the injury issues it’s Villanova or pass.
Seton Hall Pirates vs. St. John’s Red Storm (-1); total 143; 7:30pm ct
The Pirates have been playing great lately winning 4 of its last 5. A last second game winning shot Sunday saved the Johnnies from a three game losing streak. Seton Hall has been playing well on the road and the Red Storm have not been playing its best at home. The St. John’s defense has not been up to Mike Anderson’s normal standards this season. Joel Soriano and his rebounding has saved this team but it hasn’t been enough. Seton Hall has the toughness to rebound with the Johnnies. Both teams are about the same size on the interior. Whichever team’s defense creates the most offense will win this game. Seton Hall is trending in the right direction so I lean towards the Pirates.
LSU Tigers vs. Missouri Tigers (-10); total 145.5; 8:00pm ct
LSU has about 95% transfers on its team and it has been difficult putting wins together. Missouri is coming off of two blowout wins and I think they grab another one at home tonight. No look ahead spot so Mizzou should be locked in and focused trying to lock up a win to improve their NCAA Tournament resume. Leaning Mizzou tonight.
New Mexico Lobos vs. Utah State Aggies (-4.5); total 155; 9:30pm ct
I feel like this is a playoff game for Utah State to try and get into the NCAA Tournament. The Mountain West is a strong conference this season and I think they get four invitations, which means a good school will be left out. This is a must win game for Utah State and that’s cooked into the line. New Mexico is 0-5 against the spread its last 5 on the road in Logan, UT. This is a stay away game for me because I feel it’s too many points but it’s a must win game for the Aggies. Pass.
Thanks to those that took the time to read. Follow along on our socials and good luck to us!
