Hoops Open Thread

Ok, it looks like Maryland wont be playing up to the competition today. Duke got out like this against Davidson, but Davidson rallied the whole second half to get under the 14-point number that night. So, I have not given up hope. Of course, Maryland does not have a scorer like Curry who can just carry a team for a half when all else is going to pot. Alright, so perhaps I am a little worried....Duke up 23--and climbing--as we approach half.

For those who have espn full court, there is an interesting mid major game going on the MAAC. Its the top 2 teams in the MAAC standings: Siena, 8-0, vs Niagara, 5-2. You may recall Siena annihilating Vandy in the opening round of the NCAA's last season. This is a fun league, that's known for up tempo play, high scores and sketchy defense. This game is living up to that billing with Siena up 42-36 at the half.....yeah, its been a bit more interesting than the Duke game. What intrigues me about this league is that is ranked 13th in the RPI. Just behind the Horizon and WAC, but just head the WCC and Colonial. All those other leagues have been regular multi bid leagues. The WCC had 3 teams in the field last year. But, the MAAC has never had more than one team get a bid--just the auto qualifier from the league tourney. Teams like UM cant afford to have a second bid come from the MAAC....if Siena continues to roll in the regular season, though, and puts up, say, a 14-2 league mark, UM and other bubble teams better hope nobody upsets the Saints in the league tourney. I think they could net an at large if they dominate the regular season, so its something to keep an eye on.

Another one on ESPN Full Court...Auburn and Arkansas. The Hogs have two great OOC wins over Top-15 teams Texas and Oklahoma, but they've struggled so far in league play? Sound familiar UM fans? Arky really can match UM's double scalps of UCLA and Duke on their OOC resume. Arky, though, is 0-3 in the SEC. That OOC resume scares me if UM and Arky are compared comes March, so the more SEC losses the better. We should be pulling for War Eagle to pull out a road in in this one....not sure Arky could recover from an 0-4 league start, especially in a league where outstanding, take notice sort of wins are hard to come by.

This game does not stop the heart, but like the Arky game, it bears watching as it relates to UM. BC has a huge win over UNC on their resume, plus a third place finish in the pre season NIT. Not much was expected from them this year, but they have cobbled together an interesting resume that might pose a quandry for the selection committee. If they go 5-6 over their final 11 games, BC will be 19-12, 7-9 in the league. Projecting 5-6, means we're giving BC most of its home games, losing most of its road games....and also getting at least 1 win in a tough Feb three game stretch of Duke, Wake, and at Miami. It projects a win today, when they're favored by 5 over NCST. Would that be any worse than UM's resume, would it be better? More and more its looking like league tourney week will cut through a lot of fat when it comes to the BCS leagues bubbble teams. That said, a loss at home today to NCST will push BC farther back in line. I think right now UM is ahead of both Arky (the Hogs are losing by 7 at half right now, by the way) and BC....Lunardi at espn in his mock bracket finally pushed those schools out, but he still has UM in. A good result today would be continued struggles out of those schools while UM rebounds and gets a win tonight against a surging NW team. So, Go Wolf Pack!!

This is a pretty solid handicapping angle. Take an unranked team if its favored over a ranked foe. We have three of those games today. I really wish I had some numbers to lean on, but from watching and gambling on CBB for a decade, I see this cash in time and time again. One of these years, I am going to find a way to compile some numbers on this.....maybe on off season goal, as this also is a money maker for football. This year, its 5-3, a result that would have the bettor up $170 by betting $100 on each game. Now that league season is underway, this angle ought to come up plenty of times from here on out. In the Big 10, we've seen Illinois cover as -7.5 over Michigan, but Wisconsin fail to cover -6.5 over Minny and lose outright. Today there are three games and I putt a little coin on each: Tennessee -2 over Memphis, 3:30 cbs Washington -1 over UCLA, 4:00 fsn LSU -2 over Xavier, 8:00 espn 2

Is doing the Memphis/Tenn game on CBS. Very nice. Love to see Arky fall to 0-4 in the SEC; BC has blown a big lead and is only up 5 with nine minutes to go. C'mon Pack!!

At 4:00, some serious games tip off. With the Vols/Tigers well into the first half, there are several games at 4 that ought to define the scope of many league races. Here's the rundown: Wisco at Illini, espn. Line Illini -7.....Wisco in a tailspin. Now they play a surging Illini team Baylor at Oklahoma, espnU. Line OU -7.....this will be fun. Baylor is a blast to watch. Oklahoma comes in with Blake Griffin, a POY candidate. UCLA at UW, fsn. Line UW -1.....UCLA has been playing 30 minute games of late, so look for UW to make a statement down the stretch. George Mason at VCU, espn2 Line, VCU -7 Utah at Unlv, Versus. Line, UNLV -4 UB at Miami, no tv. Line, Miami -8 Those last three games are excellent mid major contests. Colonial is a three team race between GM, VCU and Northeastern. GM and VCU have had some awesome games in recent seasons and each have made noise in March. I have no clue who is covering or even winning this one, but it's a fun chance to watch Eric Maynor for VCU. It will make it on the TV. The MWC is a four team race between Utah, UNLV, BYU and SDSU, so this game will show a lot. I like UNLV to win this game big, and am putting my money where my mouth is. And, well, a MAC game for MAC diehards. Might be the two best teams in the league.....UB has a chance to win the league in hoops as well, how bizarre. I am actually going to put a little cash on them in this one and see if the magic carries over.