Purusing the Lines:02/26/08

Weekend 'Cap

For your listening pleasure: a little Contemporary Hippie (New Monsoon)

The Ohio-George Mason game was a lot closer than the final score (69-57). I had given up all hope at the half, with the Bobcats down 32-19. But Bubba Walther, a scrawny 6-5 white-boy with a sweet shot, got hot. (It took me a while to pick out which player he was watching the game. With a name like "Bubba", I assumed he was one of the big-boys). He scored 18 of his 21 in the second frame, leading his team (and me) to the victory.

Cleveland State smoked Marist just as I predicted, and Tennessee took out the undefeated Tigers in Memphis. I'll assume you heard all about it. If you didn't get a chance to watch, the teams certainly lived up to all their hype. Best game I've witnessed this season.

As for my loser's, I overrated OK and did not give enough props to the Longhorns. I will not underestimate them Texas boys again; they're looking Final Four worthy. And UConn lost a close one on the road to 'Nova. No excuses to be had on that pick.

And what about those Drake Bulldogs!? My gut said pick'em over Butler, but my brain convinced the fingers to type the sentence, "(Butler's) edge on the boards should hence be profoundly evident if they can force the other Bulldogs into tough shots". What freakin' edge on the boards, they got out rebounded 31-25?! But the real disparity was at the charity stripe, where Drake went 18-20, while Butler, 10-18. 62.5% ain't gonna a cut it. See Memphis' 42.1% as further evidence.

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All right, let's get to the action, and change the tunes. Just not in the mood for mind-numbing jams this morning. How 'bout a little Colorado-flavored pickin' by Oakhurst. Ahh, that's more like it.

This weekend's 3-3 record puts my season total at 16-15-2. I'm staying afloat above that .500 sea, but need a couple quality picks to be comfortably buoyant. Or maybe just one. Not a lot on the line I like this evening.

Ohio State is getting +8.0 at Indiana, but the Buckeyes have been playing poorly as of late, and the potential for a blow-out is lurking. The Sampson Conspiracy has some thinking the Hoosier's will flounder, but D.J. White and Eric Gordon may turn this into a rallying cry. IU beat OSU in Columbus by six a few weeks back. Beating them by eight seems reasonable, but that spread is still a little too thick for my sandwich.

Same with South Florida and New Mexico's match-ups. If the V-boys dropped these lines a touch, I'd want in. But both are -4.0 at home, against Seton Hall and BYU respectively, which is a little too much cushion in my opinion for the underdogs, who both have decent shots at winning straight up.

As for the game of the evening, Tennessee/Vandy, the Vol's are -2.0 on the road. I'd give the points at any other time of the season, save after that hard fought win at Memphis. This is a classic let-down-after-the big-one scenario, and the Commodores have been kicking some butt as of late, winning six straight in-conference. Factor in their undefeated record at home (17-0), and I just don't like Tennessee's chances of making the state sweep. But, I ain't betting against them.

So who's left? My good buddies the Bulldogs.

Drake (-1.0) @ Missouri State

Still no love. They just beat the #8 team in the nation on the road by seven. I think they can handle the #8 squad in the Missouri Valley Conference. There is the potential for the same let-down-after-the big-one scenario, but this is a much safer pick than the aforementioned battle. Ken "The Gem" Pomeroy has them separated by 68 in his rankings. I think that's worth a point playing in their walkin' shoes.


Check back tomorrow. Hopefully we can find a few more games of interest.

adios-A.B.