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There will be a lot more eyes glued to the BCS game tonight, and there will be a lot of dollars wagered on both sides, but I don't find much value in either side. Good luck to all bowl bettors.
I'm placing my money on an early game that no more than a few dozen people will probably be watching, but that I believe is the value play of the day.
If you haven't stumbled across them, or their atrocious record, or their shameful schedule of losses, the Furman Paladins are amongst the five worst programs in D1 basketball this season. They have won two games -- and neither of those wins was against a Division One opponent. Their last victory came against NAIA Berry State. Furman's 4 point victory in this game was most notable for the fact that Berry actually had a 15 point lead with 12 minutes to play, and finished with more team rebounds than Furman.
Looking at the simplest numbers, today's game between Furman 2-9 (0-2 conf) and Samford 5-6 (0-2 conf) looks like just two bad teams meeting to see who is worse. But Samford's two conference losses came AT Davidson and AT Georgia Southern, the two best teams in the Southern Conference South. Samford has racked up wins versus Lipscomb, Louisiana Tech, and McNeese State, while losing to the likes of St Louis and Ohio State.
Don't get me wrong -- Samford is a mediocre team, who will probably finish right around .500 in this conference, but I would say the chances are excellent that Furman goes winless in conference, and on the road this season they have lost by double digits to every team they have played except Dartmouth, who beat them by only 5. The Dartmouth game is important to note, as it was Dartmouth's only victory against a Div 1 opponent all season.
Nine points is a lot to give when you are siding with a team like Samford, but this is their home conference opener, Furman is a horrible road team, and if you want to see an ugly streak of shooting percentage, look up every Furman game you can find, regardless of opponent. I HATE to lay 9, but I have a feeling this will be the last time you will find Furman as a single-digit underdog on the road the rest of the year. And Samford is far from being the weakest team they will play.
SAMFORD -9
Good luck.
I'm placing my money on an early game that no more than a few dozen people will probably be watching, but that I believe is the value play of the day.
If you haven't stumbled across them, or their atrocious record, or their shameful schedule of losses, the Furman Paladins are amongst the five worst programs in D1 basketball this season. They have won two games -- and neither of those wins was against a Division One opponent. Their last victory came against NAIA Berry State. Furman's 4 point victory in this game was most notable for the fact that Berry actually had a 15 point lead with 12 minutes to play, and finished with more team rebounds than Furman.
Looking at the simplest numbers, today's game between Furman 2-9 (0-2 conf) and Samford 5-6 (0-2 conf) looks like just two bad teams meeting to see who is worse. But Samford's two conference losses came AT Davidson and AT Georgia Southern, the two best teams in the Southern Conference South. Samford has racked up wins versus Lipscomb, Louisiana Tech, and McNeese State, while losing to the likes of St Louis and Ohio State.
Don't get me wrong -- Samford is a mediocre team, who will probably finish right around .500 in this conference, but I would say the chances are excellent that Furman goes winless in conference, and on the road this season they have lost by double digits to every team they have played except Dartmouth, who beat them by only 5. The Dartmouth game is important to note, as it was Dartmouth's only victory against a Div 1 opponent all season.
Nine points is a lot to give when you are siding with a team like Samford, but this is their home conference opener, Furman is a horrible road team, and if you want to see an ugly streak of shooting percentage, look up every Furman game you can find, regardless of opponent. I HATE to lay 9, but I have a feeling this will be the last time you will find Furman as a single-digit underdog on the road the rest of the year. And Samford is far from being the weakest team they will play.
SAMFORD -9
Good luck.
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