i've been suprised by the talent in creighton this year, but the one consistant thing year in and year out is that creighton is not that great on the road. They definatley play down to the level of their opponents. Given all of that, creighton has the talent to pull of the win in this game. If woodfox isn't killing it from behind the arc, witter can pick it up and score, and if neither of them are hitting, P'allen can bring the flare and emotion to the game to pull it out. There are quite a few players that bring down the intensity a bit, but altman has a system that subs in and out our entire bench consistantly, whether they're hot or cold. I think you either take the points or it's a no play on this one.
by the way homedog, love your MVC picks this year. they've made me a bundle
arty:this is a very weird number. Because of Creighton historic struggles on the road, and how good Illinois St has been this year I was expecting a much larger number. I was expecting and willing to lay at least 4. Illinois St and Creighton are probably the 2 most athletic teams in the valley, and match up pretty well. I think home court will be the deciding factor here.
As for Bradley they are playing good ball right now. I have played them twice, and covered twice, to start conference play with them. They have excellent guard play, and have been shooting the ball very well. Their guards should be able to cover the 3 point line against a Mizz St team that has been lights out from behind the arc.
Should be a few good games.
Seton Hall +8.5
Big game for the Hall right here. They need to get some good wins on their record, and this is a game they must win if they want to think about making a run at the NCAA tournament. It looks like they will have big man John Garcia back after missing the past 4 games. It will be a huge lift for the Pirates if he can play since they will need all the help they can get on the boards. Seton Hall does have the size, and personnel to bang with WVU on the glass. Also Ruoff's back injury is acting up, and back spasms may keep him out of the game. he is officially listed as questionable, but I have my doubts if he will play. You saw against Davidson just how bad this offense needs Ruoff in there. Butler is a good scorer, but Ruoff is the one that makes this offense go. Seton Hall can score, and WVU just doesn't put enough points on the board to expect to go on the road in conference and win by double digits. Seton Hall will contend on the glass, with Garcia back in the lineup. That should be the difference in them covering
Big game for the Hall right here. They need to get some good wins on their record, and this is a game they must win if they want to think about making a run at the NCAA tournament. It looks like they will have big man John Garcia back after missing the past 4 games. It will be a huge lift for the Pirates if he can play since they will need all the help they can get on the boards. Seton Hall does have the size, and personnel to bang with WVU on the glass. Also Ruoff's back injury is acting up, and back spasms may keep him out of the game. he is officially listed as questionable, but I have my doubts if he will play. You saw against Davidson just how bad this offense needs Ruoff in there. Butler is a good scorer, but Ruoff is the one that makes this offense go. Seton Hall can score, and WVU just doesn't put enough points on the board to expect to go on the road in conference and win by double digits. Seton Hall will contend on the glass, with Garcia back in the lineup. That should be the difference in them covering
Hope you get the "good zips" vs RI. They are so very young and often inconsistant but one thing you know that you will get from Akron is great coaching, great defense and a team that plays hard for 40 minutes a game. Travel and tired legs not a factor here either as the team left for RI right after the Greensboro game so they have been settled in for some time now. Also in Akron's favor is that its a good time to back a solid road doggie. With most students away comes a less hostile venue.
If I have one concern it would be Humpty's turnovers. He is going to be a great PG, perhaps one of the best in the Zips history. His problem now is his freshman youth and trying to do too much out there. With Steward down Humpty is playing many more minutes than he should and he tires as the game goes on. It does not appear that RI is great at forcing turnovers however so the Zips should hold their own as long as they knock down their 3s.
I will also probably toss a little bit on the over here as Akron can play at any pace and will not mind running up and down with the Rams.
GL and nice call on Harvard. I would not have gave that game a second look without you. Thanks
If I have one concern it would be Humpty's turnovers. He is going to be a great PG, perhaps one of the best in the Zips history. His problem now is his freshman youth and trying to do too much out there. With Steward down Humpty is playing many more minutes than he should and he tires as the game goes on. It does not appear that RI is great at forcing turnovers however so the Zips should hold their own as long as they knock down their 3s.
I will also probably toss a little bit on the over here as Akron can play at any pace and will not mind running up and down with the Rams.
GL and nice call on Harvard. I would not have gave that game a second look without you. Thanks
that was my take on this game. 2 similar teams, that both like to fill it up on the outside. RI has a little more beef, but with Akron i think your going to get a little bit better of an effort, and coaching. Think the 9 points is way too much. Would have been anything less than 5 to keep me away.
2 Units
Northwestern +4 -110
Welll the number didn't go the way I would have liked, but I will still play at 4. This isn't your usual Wildcat team. This is actually a team full of some talent. They don't look like the most athletic bunch, but Carmdoy added some local talent on the recruiting trail, and have been holding their own on the glass this season, which is the difference in why I think they can sustain success. Kevin Coble is back this year after missing parts of last season. The 6'9 Coble is their leader averaging 14.3ppg, and 5.8rpg, but the most important player may be freshman John Shurna. He doesn't look like he is a baller, but he gets the job done. he does the little things, and at 6'8, it gives the Cats even more length. All 4 of their top scorers shoot the 3 ball extremely well. Coble, Moore, Shurna, and Thompson, shoot 39.6%, 46.7%, 37.9%, and 45.7% respectively. Those numbers are just ridiculous from 3 point range. So catching Michigan St at home where they shoot the ball better can be dangerous for the Spartans. With their new ability to hang on the glass, and their ability to knock down the 3 consistantly from all over the floor should be enough to get the Cats the cover
Just like them at home. The Hoyas aren't going to get beat up inside like Pitt does to most teams. I also think they can give Pitt some probelms on the perimeter with the quickness of Wright. If Pitt has a flaw it is defense against quick guards. With Wright, and Freeman I expect them to give Fields all he can handle. Wright is going to be the key to the game. I think he can score consistently on Fields, and open it up from there. Also Greg Monroe showed what he can do last game against UCONN's big frontline. I think he will give the Pitt frontcourt something they haven't seen yet this year, a big guy with superior athleticism. The Hoyas have a ton of big game experience, and these are 2 evenly matched teams. You can't discount the importance of home court. They are playing good ball, and have enough time go by since their big win at Connecticut where they will avoid any sort of let down. Home floor in the Big East usually holds court in big games, and this shouldn't be any different
