Tweet
Right Angle Sports CBB
NC State +3.5 1 UNIT , Wichita State 1 UNIT
NC State (+3.5) at South Carolina - 11:00am Pacific - Game 745-746
This is a tight-nit and experienced Wolfpack team. They know and run Herb Sendek's system well. They play good defense and for the most part play smart fundamental basketball. They were thrown to the wolves a bit early in game at Michigan but did not embarrass themselves at all holding a lead for a good part of the game and stayed competitive throughout. They did this despite playing two freshman guards Mike O'Donnell and Engin Astur big minutes out of necessity. Neither hurt the team but did not have good games either in their first career college road game. They should be much better prepared the second time around. Junior Julius Hodge is a flat out star and makes everyone around him better. Sophomore forward Illian Evtimov is a really good looking player who will continue to improve as he shakes off rust from missing all of last season due to knee injury. He is another player who makes teammates better. Senior forward Marcus Melvin and senior guard Scooter Sherrill are experienced double digit scorers. Junior forward Levi Watkins is another experienced player who can do a little bit of everything. The Wolfpack get some much needed depth and size added to their frontline today as 6-10 junior center Jordan Collins becomes eligible. Collins was highly recruited out of high school but has had a disappointing career thus far. Herb Sendek insists Collins has made strides in the offseason, is playing with much more confidence, and will have a bigger impact this year.
I still see some value going against the Gamecocks. They were beaten pretty soundly at Temple and even though this will be at home, the Wolfpack will be the best team South Carolina has faced all season. Two Gamecock starters, forward Terrance Kinsey (concussion) and guard Josh Garner (violation of team rules) sat out win over Charleston Southern on Wednesday night. They are both expected to return to action Saturday but head coach Odom says he has not yet decided on a starting lineup. Reserve guard Jarod Gerald was dismissed from the team. Senior forward Rolando Howell, the teams top inside player and best rebounder has not played yet this season and remains suspended.
I like the makeup of this NC State team. They are fun to watch. Once either of the freshman guards settles in and big man Collins begins to contribute this team is going to be a tough out for anyone. Take the points.
NC State 1 UNIT
Tulsa at Wichita State (-5) - 5:00pm Pacific - Game 785-786
I remain very high on the Shockers. They fell behind by double digits early in last game at SMS due in part to a pair of technical fouls but cut the lead to only one by half-time and outscored the Bears 47-28 in the second half for a convincing 18 point road win. They did this despite leading scorer and top all around player Jamar Howard only playing 13 minutes due to foul trouble. WSU has only played twice at home this season and both were easy double digit wins over Northern Arizona (upset UNLV last time out) by 17 and Rockhust by 25. This is almost like a home opener as it will be the first sellout of the season. In my opinion, there is a very good chance the Shockers will go undefeated at home this year. They are that good.
Tulsa lost a lot of talent from last season. Five of their top seven scorers are gone including longtime stalwarts forward Kevin Johnson and guard Dante Swanson. Only two players return who averaged more than 10 minutes a game last season. They are counting on six newcomers to fill roles including three true freshman that are averaging double digit minutes. The Golden Hurricane are 1-3 on the road this year and that includes losses at Oral Roberts and Georgia State. They are coming off a confidence building win over New Mexico State but the Aggies were blown out twice by UTEP and head coach Lou Henson called the Miners a much better team than Tulsa.
Shocker fans are calling this "Beat Tulsa Week." Tulsa has won 11 straight games in this series including 5 straight on the Shockers home floor. Some payback is definitely in order tonight. The game will feature the dedication of the Charles Koch Arena at half-time and and school all-time greats Cleo Littleton, Xavier McDaniel, Antoine Carr, Dave Stallworth and Cliff Levingston will be in attendance. They even had a separate Legends Night on Friday to honor the players. This is a big game for the Shockers and I expect nothing short of a convincing win.
Wichita State 1 UNIT
Saturday Added Looks:
Seton Hall -9.5 over Ohio State - 9:00am Pacific - Game 723-724
This is a game the Pirates have had to have circled. They lost by double digits last year at Ohio State. Seton Hall has their top six scorers back from last season including all-American candidate senior guard Andre Barrett. This team can make a serious run at an NCAA birth this year. Today will mark the debut of talented sophomore center Kelly Whitney who was ineligible for the first semester. Ohio State is still struggling and look nowhere near close to gelling yet. I sensed some selfish play in their last game, a 2 point win over Furman. Buckeys have 34 more turnovers than assists on the season. Point guard Fuss-Cheatam has been a disappointment (5.5ppg, 1-for-8 from 3-point range) but there is no other true point guard to replace him. Opponents are shooting 43% from 3-point range. Reserve forward Sylvester (suspended) will not play. Buckeyes looked bad in their only other "true" road game at San Francisco to start the season. If this line were a few points lower it probably would have been an official play.
Marquette +8.5 over Wisconsin - 11:00am Pacific - Game 739-740
The Golden Eagles have impressed me. I knew about their returning stars but the supporting cast has been surprising. Point guard Diener, center Merritt, and shooting wing Novak have all improved from last year. Todd Townsend, a starter last year, is now coming off the bench. Freshman Dameon Mason has looked spectacular at times. They really put on a clinic vs Notre Dame and gave the Irish a pretty good beating. They led at Arizona by double digits in 2nd half two games ago. Either performance would be enough to cover here. I do not really have a knock on Wisconsin, but this is just a few points too many to be giving a solid well coached Marquette team in what figures to be a close game.
CS-Sacramento +3.5 over Irvine - 8:00pm Pacific - Game 839-840
The Hornets won at CS-Fullerton and should have won at San Jose State (led by 4 with 7 seconds). SJSU just upset Northern Illinois handily Friday night in their next game. Sac State's only home loss came against a pretty good St. Mary's team that gave Arizona a scare this week. The Hornets have a big 6-10 center who matches up well with UCI's Parada. Irvine is coming off a thrilling double overtime win over Pepperdine. Irvine shot 58% for the game and had 19 more free throw attempts than the Waves. UCI also benefited from Waves top player McGowan fouling out after only playing 24 minutes (9 points) and point guard Davis shooting 1-for-15 from the field. It is unlikely the Anteaters will be ready for a peak performance following physically and emotionally draining game two nights ago.
NC State +3.5 1 UNIT , Wichita State 1 UNIT
NC State (+3.5) at South Carolina - 11:00am Pacific - Game 745-746
This is a tight-nit and experienced Wolfpack team. They know and run Herb Sendek's system well. They play good defense and for the most part play smart fundamental basketball. They were thrown to the wolves a bit early in game at Michigan but did not embarrass themselves at all holding a lead for a good part of the game and stayed competitive throughout. They did this despite playing two freshman guards Mike O'Donnell and Engin Astur big minutes out of necessity. Neither hurt the team but did not have good games either in their first career college road game. They should be much better prepared the second time around. Junior Julius Hodge is a flat out star and makes everyone around him better. Sophomore forward Illian Evtimov is a really good looking player who will continue to improve as he shakes off rust from missing all of last season due to knee injury. He is another player who makes teammates better. Senior forward Marcus Melvin and senior guard Scooter Sherrill are experienced double digit scorers. Junior forward Levi Watkins is another experienced player who can do a little bit of everything. The Wolfpack get some much needed depth and size added to their frontline today as 6-10 junior center Jordan Collins becomes eligible. Collins was highly recruited out of high school but has had a disappointing career thus far. Herb Sendek insists Collins has made strides in the offseason, is playing with much more confidence, and will have a bigger impact this year.
I still see some value going against the Gamecocks. They were beaten pretty soundly at Temple and even though this will be at home, the Wolfpack will be the best team South Carolina has faced all season. Two Gamecock starters, forward Terrance Kinsey (concussion) and guard Josh Garner (violation of team rules) sat out win over Charleston Southern on Wednesday night. They are both expected to return to action Saturday but head coach Odom says he has not yet decided on a starting lineup. Reserve guard Jarod Gerald was dismissed from the team. Senior forward Rolando Howell, the teams top inside player and best rebounder has not played yet this season and remains suspended.
I like the makeup of this NC State team. They are fun to watch. Once either of the freshman guards settles in and big man Collins begins to contribute this team is going to be a tough out for anyone. Take the points.
NC State 1 UNIT
Tulsa at Wichita State (-5) - 5:00pm Pacific - Game 785-786
I remain very high on the Shockers. They fell behind by double digits early in last game at SMS due in part to a pair of technical fouls but cut the lead to only one by half-time and outscored the Bears 47-28 in the second half for a convincing 18 point road win. They did this despite leading scorer and top all around player Jamar Howard only playing 13 minutes due to foul trouble. WSU has only played twice at home this season and both were easy double digit wins over Northern Arizona (upset UNLV last time out) by 17 and Rockhust by 25. This is almost like a home opener as it will be the first sellout of the season. In my opinion, there is a very good chance the Shockers will go undefeated at home this year. They are that good.
Tulsa lost a lot of talent from last season. Five of their top seven scorers are gone including longtime stalwarts forward Kevin Johnson and guard Dante Swanson. Only two players return who averaged more than 10 minutes a game last season. They are counting on six newcomers to fill roles including three true freshman that are averaging double digit minutes. The Golden Hurricane are 1-3 on the road this year and that includes losses at Oral Roberts and Georgia State. They are coming off a confidence building win over New Mexico State but the Aggies were blown out twice by UTEP and head coach Lou Henson called the Miners a much better team than Tulsa.
Shocker fans are calling this "Beat Tulsa Week." Tulsa has won 11 straight games in this series including 5 straight on the Shockers home floor. Some payback is definitely in order tonight. The game will feature the dedication of the Charles Koch Arena at half-time and and school all-time greats Cleo Littleton, Xavier McDaniel, Antoine Carr, Dave Stallworth and Cliff Levingston will be in attendance. They even had a separate Legends Night on Friday to honor the players. This is a big game for the Shockers and I expect nothing short of a convincing win.
Wichita State 1 UNIT
Saturday Added Looks:
Seton Hall -9.5 over Ohio State - 9:00am Pacific - Game 723-724
This is a game the Pirates have had to have circled. They lost by double digits last year at Ohio State. Seton Hall has their top six scorers back from last season including all-American candidate senior guard Andre Barrett. This team can make a serious run at an NCAA birth this year. Today will mark the debut of talented sophomore center Kelly Whitney who was ineligible for the first semester. Ohio State is still struggling and look nowhere near close to gelling yet. I sensed some selfish play in their last game, a 2 point win over Furman. Buckeys have 34 more turnovers than assists on the season. Point guard Fuss-Cheatam has been a disappointment (5.5ppg, 1-for-8 from 3-point range) but there is no other true point guard to replace him. Opponents are shooting 43% from 3-point range. Reserve forward Sylvester (suspended) will not play. Buckeyes looked bad in their only other "true" road game at San Francisco to start the season. If this line were a few points lower it probably would have been an official play.
Marquette +8.5 over Wisconsin - 11:00am Pacific - Game 739-740
The Golden Eagles have impressed me. I knew about their returning stars but the supporting cast has been surprising. Point guard Diener, center Merritt, and shooting wing Novak have all improved from last year. Todd Townsend, a starter last year, is now coming off the bench. Freshman Dameon Mason has looked spectacular at times. They really put on a clinic vs Notre Dame and gave the Irish a pretty good beating. They led at Arizona by double digits in 2nd half two games ago. Either performance would be enough to cover here. I do not really have a knock on Wisconsin, but this is just a few points too many to be giving a solid well coached Marquette team in what figures to be a close game.
CS-Sacramento +3.5 over Irvine - 8:00pm Pacific - Game 839-840
The Hornets won at CS-Fullerton and should have won at San Jose State (led by 4 with 7 seconds). SJSU just upset Northern Illinois handily Friday night in their next game. Sac State's only home loss came against a pretty good St. Mary's team that gave Arizona a scare this week. The Hornets have a big 6-10 center who matches up well with UCI's Parada. Irvine is coming off a thrilling double overtime win over Pepperdine. Irvine shot 58% for the game and had 19 more free throw attempts than the Waves. UCI also benefited from Waves top player McGowan fouling out after only playing 24 minutes (9 points) and point guard Davis shooting 1-for-15 from the field. It is unlikely the Anteaters will be ready for a peak performance following physically and emotionally draining game two nights ago.
Comment