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1/4 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Associated Press)

I will do my best to provide a daily three ball of picks for all of you snipers out there. The goal is a 2-1 night, with some 3-0’s sprinkled occasionally. I recommend you play them individually .. however, never be scared of a little three ball parlay!

Season Record: 47-35-4

1/4 Three Ball:

Southern Illinois +11

Indiana -2.5 1H / -4.5

Oklahoma State +2.5

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Southern Illinois +11: This is a back-to-back system play with some help from a few key nuggets. The Salukis were competitive in this game until the 10 minute mark in the 2nd half, and then the wheels fell off. They scored 6 points in those final 10 minutes. That just will not happen again tonight. Also, Drake is a perfect 10-0 against the spread. If you don’t think Vegas is noticing, think again. This will be a closer affair.

Score Prediction: Drake 70 – Southern Illinois 64

Indiana -2.5 1H / -4.5 : I want both sides of this Indiana match-up with Maryland. This game is being played at Assembly Hall, and the Hoosiers have shot exponentially better in home games in the past few seasons. Morsell’s absence will hurt their three point line / on the ball defending against Durham and Franklin. He is also the heart and soul of the team as a senior leader. They will greatly miss him. As always, Jackson-Davis will eat. Hoosiers wire-wire.

Score Prediction: Indiana 72 – Maryland 65

Oklahoma State +2.5: West Virginia is just lost right now. They have showed up flat in three consecutive games, and they have gone 1-2 in that time span )with the lone win against Northeastern). To add insult to injury, Oscar Tshiebwe has left the team for the foreseeable future. Culver is a monster, but that frontcourt takes a huge hit when Oscar is unavailable. I like the Cowboys guard play to outmatch the Mountaineers in Stillwater. Also, every game means a little more to them without the opportunity for postseason play. Their record will be the only thing they will have to show for this season. The Cowboys get a nice home win over Huggie Bear.

Score Prediction: Oklahoma State 73 – WVU 70

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/31 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: USC Athletics)

Season Record: 34-25-2

12/31 Three Ball:

Wisconsin -8

Michigan ML

Southern Cal -1

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Wisconsin -8: Not running and hiding from this Wisconsin team after they burned me the other night. They are too experienced and talented for me to jump ship. Also, this line should be more like -3.5 or -4. Certainly, not -8. Massive amounts of square public betters will be on the Gophers. I will ride with vegas on this one. Big nights for Potter and Reuvers, and the Badgers get a double digit victory.

Score Prediction: Wisconsin 76 – Minnesota 64

Michigan ML: Hunter Dickinson has been a pleasant surprise for Juwan Howard. The 7’1 freshman has turned into an instant double double guy for the Wolverines, and is playing about 25 minutes a game. He should eat against an undersized Maryland squad. Maryland is feeling good coming off of a big time road win at Wisconsin, and will not be as desperate as they were going into that one. Livers and Wagner will reach 20, and the Wolverines get a nice road win to improve to 8-0.

Score Prediction: Michigan 74 – Maryland 69

Southern Cal -1: This is my favorite play of the night. Evan Mobley has been an absolute STUD down low for the Trojans in his freshman season – averaging 18 and 9. His brother, Isaiah, has also been productive with an 11 and 9 season thus far. The twin towers down low will do damage against the Buffaloes, and the Trojans will experience great guard play at home from Eaddy and Peterson. I also love Chevez Goodwin off of the bench. A major sparkplug that transferred in from a great Wofford program. This team is coming off of a thrashing of a solid Santa Clara team. They continue to roll tonight!

Score Prediction: Southern Cal 76 – Colorado 68

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/30 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: The Leaf Chronicle)

Season Record: 33-23-2

12/30 Three Ball:

St. Bonaventure +2

UNC / GT over 142

Austin Peay -4.5

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St. Bonaventure +2: The Bonnies are going to win this basketball game. However, if you give me the two points I will take them. Rhode Island just has been a poor basketball team this season. They are running a lazy offense, in which no assists are being accumulated, and also look disinterested on the defensive side of the ball. Losing Langevine, Martin and Dowtin has had more of an impact that some people wanted to believe. On the other side of this game, St. Bonaventure is returning every contributor from last year’s 19-12 team. This includes one of the best big men in the country that you may have never heard of, Osun Osunniyi. He is off to a quick 19.5 & 10 start. URI will also be without Makhi Mitchell down low. One less body to deal with Osun. The Bonnies guards will outscore Fats and his crew. Hopefully, we get the day stared with a cover here!

Score Prediction: St. Bonaventure 74 – URI 70

UNC / GT over 142: I saw this number in the 150-151 range. I will gladly take it at 142. Ga Tech has a top 40 pace in America, and you know Roy and his team will run with anyone. This game will have a nice up and down pace to it. We also have a nice sample size for this one. The match-up last year ended in a 96-83 Yellow Jacket victory at the Dean Dome. Both teams have returned large portions of their core from last season, and this also helps me to believe we will have a fast paced affair. I don’t see either team holding their opponent under 70 points, and it should be a close game. I will personally have a multi-unit play on this game.

Score Prediction: Georgia Tech 78 – UNC 76

Austin Peay -4.5: I hope that many of you grabbed this line when I put it out last night. It is up to -6.5 as of this article, and may climb even higher. This is a slam dunk max play. The Governors found their groove in a 74-70 win over Murray State. Why was this win so important? They got the job done without Jordyn Adams. Other players were able to step-in and be contributors behind the monster that is Terry Taylor. If you do not know Terry Taylor, then please watch the game tonight. He is truly one of the best players in the country. I mean that. I love Peay even without Jordyn Adams, and if he is magically active .. that will just be icing on the cake. Governors by double digits.

Score Prediction: Austin Peay 80 – Tennessee State 67

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/29 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Mercer University Athletics)

Season Record: 32-21-2

12/29 Three Ball:

Purdue +2

Mercer -2

Alabama -2

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Purdue +2: The Boilermakers are rolling into this match-up after a nice win over Maryland. They should be feeling confident tonight. To add to this mojo, Rutger’s main man, Ron Harper, is out for tonight’s game. That is a MASSIVE blow to a Scarlett Knights team that is already dealing with injury problems. Purdue squeaks out a close one.

Score Prediction: Purdue 69 – Rutgers 65

Mercer -2: This is the game that the Bears get fired up for every season. A match-up with the SoCon kings of the past few seasons, the Wofford Terriers. Mercer actually won both games last season. They take it to a different level. To add to this desire to win, Mercer has Ross Cummings back this season. The all-purpose guard has Mercer out to a 7-1 record this season. The addition of South Carolina transfer, Felipe Haase, has been a major addition down low as well. Mercer wins three in a row in this series.

Score Prediction: Mercer 75 – Wofford 70

Alabama -2: The Tide have had some inspired practices over the last few days following the fight between Petty and Rojas at practice. Nate Oats suggests that this is just what the team needed to get going. The two are both available tonight, and Oats said Petty has looked exceptional in the practices leading up. We will go with the home team here that seems to have a new desire and purpose. Also, I love Alabama’s guard play comparative to Ole Miss.

Score Prediction: Alabama 73 – Ole Miss 67

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/28 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: CBS Sports)

Season Record: 32-18-2

12/28 Three Ball:

UC Santa Barbara ML

Wisconsin 1H -5

Gonzaga -39

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UC Santa Barbara ML: This is a system play. If you have been following me, I have pointed out the spots in where Vegas is making the most of their money this season. It is on the second leg of a back-to-back match-up in consecutive days. They rarely change the line from the prior match-up, even if the prior was a blow out. That is the case here with UCSB. They were routed by 19 points yesterday, yet they are -1. We are taking the contrarian play and going with UC Santa Barbara ML.

Score Prediction: UC Santa Barbara 70 – UC Irvine 65

Wisconsin 1H -5: The Badgers have really asserted their dominance since their slip-up against Marquette. They have had a TOUGH schedule with Sparty, URI, Louisville, Loyola, and Nebraska. They have taken care of all of them by double digits (Sparty by 9, but you get the picture). The aged veterans on this team are what impress me the most. D’Mitrik Trice is 24 years old, and has the primary ball handling duties. He has a 3:1 assist/turnover ratio, and just had his breakout performance of the season against Sparty (29 pts / 57% from 3). I love to bet on teams with leadership at that position. The starting lineup also includes seniors Potter, Reuvers, and Davison. This team is efficient on both sides of the ball, and I believe that Maryland will struggle in this road match-up. They have not proven much on the road this season, after going down double digits at the half in their only road games of the season against Clemson and Purdue. Greg Gard knows this and will have his boys fired up to pounce early. To avoid a bad beat in a conference game, we will take the 1H and get out of there.

Score Prediction: 1H Wisconsin 36 – Maryland 26

Gonzaga -39: This game will get very, very ugly. The Zags just manhandled a nationally ranked UVA team on Saturday, and are rolling into a match-up with one of the worst teams in the country. UVA is an elite defensive team, and love to slow the pace – yet, the Zags scored 98 and could’ve easily gone over the century mark had they left the starters in. Here is a nugget for you – Northern Arizona is 324th out of 330 teams in the country in defensive efficiency. Good luck fellas. There will be 7+ Zags in double figures and they likely go over 100 here. This game may need a parental advisory.

Score Prediction: Gonzaga 105 – Northern Arizona 52

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/27 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Yahoo)

Season Record: 30-17-2

12/27 Three Ball:

Southern Illinois tto 68.5

Vanderbilt 1H -12.5

Vanderbilt -23

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Southern Illinois tto 68.5: If you have been following, you know that the Salukis are one of my favorite mid-majors for the 2020 season. They share the ball really well, and they are one of the sharpest shooting teams in the country. They are 51% from the field, 77% from the line, and 44% from three. Even when the pace is slowed, which Evansville will try to do, we will still get over the 68.5 total against an inferior opponent with these offensive metrics.

Score Prediction: Southern Illinois 73 – Evansville 61

Vanderbilt -12.5 1H: This is a fade Alcorn State spot. This team is BAD BAD BAD. They have lost every match-up this season by a minimum of 33 points, and turn the ball over 19 times a game. They are also dead last in the country in assists per game at 4.3. This should get ugly quick.

Score Prediction: 1H Vanderbilt 42 – Alcorn State 24

Vanderbilt -23: See above

Score Prediction: Vanderbilt 85 – Alcorn State 55

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/22 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Season Record: 26-16-2

12/22 Three Ball:

Kansas ML -120

Iowa -7

San Diego State -2

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Kansas ML: Kansas is one of the few programs in the country with a decent home court advantage this year. They are allowing roughly 3k fans per game. That doesn’t sound like much, but the crazed Jayhawk fans make plenty of noise. This is definitely an advantage in a season where the kids have been playing in mostly empty gyms. This crowd energy can get players like Christian Braun going. He had his best performance of the season against Creighton at Phog Allen, and I think the big game hype + crowd energy will lead to a big night for him. Kansas has better guard play, and better ways to find a bucket than West Virginia. They just need to make sure they hold their own on the glass. Bill Self is nails at home. We ride with the Jayhawks

Score Prediction: Kansas 74 – West Virginia 71

Iowa -7: The Hawkeyes will be rolling into this match-up with two things on their mind. To start, Iowa wants to prove they are better than their showing vs Gonzaga on Saturday. This team is built with shooters around the best post-player in the country. On Saturday, the shooting was ice cold. 4-22 from 3, and 14-26 from the line. Iowa played well in all other aspects of the game, and I would believe that the sharp shooting returns as the come home to Carver-Hawkeye. Secondly, this team was just simply embarrassed by Purdue last season. Blowout losses in both match-ups. The teams are returning almost identical rosters to last season, and this will have the Hawkeyes fired up to pour it on the Boilermakers. Iowa big.

Score Prediction: Iowa 87 – Purdue 73

San Diego State -2: This is my favorite play of the night. San Diego State is coming into this match fired up after an out-of-character performance at home vs BYU in their last outing. They came out flat, and found themselves down 15 at the half. Matt Mitchell went scorched earth in the second half and brought the Aztecs all of the way back to tie it with a minute left, but it was too little too late. San Diego State had the longest non-conference winning streak in the nation until that game. They will be fired up tonight to get back on the right foot. Also, Saint Mary’s can really struggle in the half-court against teams that are elite defensively. The Aztecs are just that.

Score Prediction: San Diego State 70 – Saint Mary’s 59

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/21 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Wofford Athletics)

Season Record: 24-15-2

12/21 Three Ball:

Wofford TTO o62.5

Southern Illinois +9.5

Austin Peay +4

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Wofford TTO o62.5: Finally! A spot I feel confident taking the Terriers. This is a program that I have a very close connection with, and it has been a fun ride following them over the last few seasons. There are a few reasons why I like this play. To start, I love that Wofford found their three point touch against Coastal. They shot it a SPICY 15-32 from behind the arc. This included nice shooting performances from Morgan Safford and Tray Hollowell, who were struggling a bit to start the year. The Terriers are top 5 in the country in 3 point attempts / game, so picking Wofford when they are “on” is a heady play. They also have an elite mid-major point guard in Storm Murphy running the show. Not only does he get his teammates involved, but he is scoring at a high clip this season. This is an early tip, and A&M may not be as locked in defensively for a 1pm Monday non-conference game. To go along with that, A&M leads the country in allowing 3 point attempts. This plays to Wofford’s strengths. I think that Wofford could cover this spread, but I am scared of A&M getting to the line in this one. We should hit on the WoCo tto.

Score Prediction: Texas A&M 74 – Wofford 68

Southern Illinois +9.5: The Salukis!!! We are back on the train with the boys from Southern Illinois. Today will be a definite step-up in competition, but I just love what Southern Illinois can do offensively. They are shooting a red-hot 78% from the line, and 44% from 3. That is why they are 5-0 to start the year. Butler had almost a month off after their first game of the season after COVID complications, and they have came back to action ice cold. Granted, these match-ups have been against Villanova and Indiana. However, we will bank on trends continuing. The shooting from the Salukis is too good to pass on. I may have a pizza money ML play on the Salukis as well.

Score Prediction: Butler 69 – Southern Illinois 66

Austin Peay +4: Rematch spot. If you have noticed, these plays have been hitting at a high clip this season. Even in rematches where the first meeting got out of hand. That is certainly the case in this match-up. Murray State embarrassed Austin Peay by 30 points a few weeks ago. Shocking result. Matt Figger is a coach I am extremely familiar with due to be a Gamecock alum. He learned under Frank Martin, and has built something special in Clarksville. He will have his guys fired up to avenge the embarrassment from a few weeks ago. Hopefully, the Governors will have Jordyn Adams back, but that is unclear at this point. The line will certainly shrink if he is deemed active. Regardless, the Governors have the best player on the court in Terry Taylor, and I feel comfortable getting 4 in this spot.

Score Prediction: Austin Peay 74 – Murray State 73

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/19 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: The Spokesman-Review)

Season Record: 20-14-1

12/19 Three Ball:

Gonzaga -2.5

Baylor -16.5

UCLA -1

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Gonzaga -2.5: Saturday is when the Gonzaga will make their mark on this 2020/2021 basketball season. Personally, I believe they are the best college basketball team that we have seen since the Anthony Davis led Kentucky squad. Jalen Suggs is the highest recruit that Mark Few has gotten out to Spokane, and man is he impressive. Adding him to an already loaded group coming back to win a title is simply unfair. Iowa has been a gambling darling of mine since the beginning of last year. However, they do not have the defensive weapons to combat an elite offense. This will be the first they have faced this season, and it will show in a big way. Gonzaga is too efficient, too quick and too athletic on both sides of the ball for this Iowa team. This score will not be as indicative of Iowa’s prowess, as it will be to show just how good Mark Few’s guys are.

Score Prediction: Gonzaga 90 – Iowa 78

Baylor -16.5: This is a treat of a line. Snag it before it is -20 by Noon on Saturday. Baylor will outclass Kansas State in every aspect of the game. There is no need for much of a breakdown here. Sic ‘Em

Score Prediction: Baylor 82 – Kansas State 58

UCLA -1: I believe Mick Cronin will turn up the pressure on an Ohio State team that is coming off of a tough road loss at Purdue. Ohio State really struggled without their leading scorer, E.J. Liddell. Liddell is still battling mono, and it is unclear if he will suit up on Saturday. The Bruins have an elite defense this season, and it is shocking to me that the polls are not showing them love at this point. Also, UCLA is getting consistent double digit scoring from 5 guards, and strong post play from Riley and Hill. The Bruins will be a tough out all year long! They get a big win to keep the momentum rolling in the Champions Classic.

Score Prediction: UCLA 72 – Ohio State 66

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!

12/18 Three Ball Write-Up

(photo: Rocky Top Insider)

Season Record: 17-14-1

12/18 Three Ball:

Richmond ML -120

Western Carolina +3.5

Tennessee TTO o78.5

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Richmond ML: This was a spot I was thinking of staying away from when the line opened at-4. However, the line has moved to -2 and ML has dropped to -120. Normally, I am nervous by reverse line movement.. but not in this case. The -2 line is perfectly set. Richmond will win this game, but it will be a nail biter. Golden is a high IQ big, and he will be able to compete with Krutwig all night. This will neutralize Loyola’s biggest strength. Also, Richmond have the far superior backcourt with Francis and Gilyard. They will win this one at the line.

Score Prediction: Richmond 69 – Loyola 66

Western Carolina +3.5: CofC has really struggled to start this season without Grant Riller. He was the leader of the Cougars for four seasons, before graduating and signing with the Hornets. To make matters worse for Earl Grant, the team’s leading scorer, Brevin Galloway, has just gone down with a torn ACL. Grant is a great coach and will have the Cougars competitive later in the season, but the shock of this and trying to figure out a new game plan will bother them in this match-up. The Catamounts have a senior backcourt (Faulkner and Halvorsen) that has been exceptional this year. Also, Xavier Cork has been a monster presence on the inside to balance out the attack. Western Carolina wins this game, but I will take the points.

Score Prediction: Western Carolina 74 – CofC 69

Tennessee TTO o78.5: This game will be an absolute bloodbath. I would have loved to take the spread, but I will not take a 30 point spread out of principle. Too many dumb things can happen when a game gets out of hand. However, Tennessee will have their way with scoring the basketball tonight. Tennessee Tech is pathetic defensively, and also turn the ball over 18 times a game. This will lead to easy transition buckets for the Vols. Tonight is the night that Yves Pons gets his season rolling on the right foot. Tennessee – big.

Score Prediction: Tennessee 85 – Tennessee Tech 48

Best of luck! Let’s snipe this one y’all!!