(photo: InForum)
I will do my best to provide college basketball winners for you on a nightly basis. The majority of the nights we will try to keep it to three plays, but some days may ask for more. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little sniper parlay!
Season Record: 52-34
Season Best Bet Record: 20-8
12/8 Card:
Rutgers/Ohio State u137.5
Minnesota +5
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Rutgers/Ohio State u137.5 : Best Bet of the night. Finally back to our CLV ways. This is now sitting at 136.5 at most books. I have this game finishing at 130. Oddly enough, this game also ended on 130 last year. The only reason that the total even touched 130 in that affair was due to hot shooting by both teams. Ohio State shot 10/18 from the three point line, and Rutgers shot 53.2% from the field. Both were astronomically over their season averages. Pace of play will be our friend again tonight. Ohio State ranks 266nd in pace, and Rutgers ranks 125th. Rutgers’ number is skewed by non-con. They ranked 286th last year which is normal for a Pikiell coached team. I would imagine their pace will continue to drop in conference play just as it did in their win over Indiana. Both defenses are excelling this season. Rutgers ranks 4th in defensive efficiency, and Ohio State ranks 67th. Ohio State’s number will continue to climb after their brutal schedule to start the year. Lastly, it would be out of the norm for these teams to get hot from behind the arc to drive the total up. Ohio State ranks 262nd in the percentage of their points from three, and Rutgers comes in at 334th. Twos are our friend. Unders are always scary, but have to trust the data.
Score Prediction: Ohio State 68 – Rutgers 62
Minnesota +5 : It hit my number, so I had to jump on. I had this as Michigan -3 but did not want to get involved unless I had two points in value. We finally got that with the line movement this afternoon. However, it is now back down to 4.5. I would really try to target that 5 number if you are getting involved here. Having two free throws in your back pocket when down 3 late in a game is always useful. I would have Michigan as -6.5 on a neutral, but I am giving 3.5 points of value to The Barn. Comparatively, I find it very similar to Hilton Magic in Ames. Having a great homecourt on our side will be a huge factor in what will be a Big 10 opener for Michigan. We saw that as Rutgers completely wiped the floor with Indiana at The Rac. Michigan played 12/4 in London in a monster CBB showcase against UK. Not the quickest of turnarounds, but I definitely think this could be a let down spot. The trip also did not go as planned for the Wolverines. They lost their starting point guard for the season during the loss to Big Blue. That was already a position of concern for Michigan, so they will have to go with freshman Dug McDaniel to start. After McDaniel, it will probably be Buffkin and others playing out of position. That is great news for a Gophers team who will press ball handlers behind a hostile crowd. Pharrel Payne will be key in defending Hunter Dickinson tonight. He is a freshman that is coming off of two games against Purdue and Virginia Tech where he accumulated 7 blocks. They will need him and Dawson Garcia to at least put up a fight against Dickinson. The best news of all is that Minnesota now has Jamison Battle going. He started the season injured, but is now starting to find his form after scoring 21 against Purdue. Michigan had no clue how to stop him last season and he scored 27 points in route to a 10 point victory over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. I like Minnesota to lose a close one here, and could potentially squeak out a win behind a big night from Battle.
Score Prediction: Michigan 70 – Minnesota 68
Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!
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