Trace Adams Friday Game Analysis
Friday's Selections ...
For Friday night in college basketball, I have a Top-Rated 1000♦ Double-Digit Rout going on the NC State Wolfpack as the favorite against the Massachusetts Minutemen. This game is a 5:00 pm eastern jump at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, so make sure to get down on this sucker early. I am seeing a line of NC State -7 1/2 as of 11am eastern time. In the NBA, 500♦ Best Bet is the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder as the favorite against the New Orleans Hornets. The Thunder are -6 point favorites at the time I release this pick at 8:30 am eastern time.
UMass has been living on a slim reed to start the new season, as the Minutemen won their opening game over Harvard with a 3 at the buzzer, and they won their opening round game in San Juan over Providence also at the buzzer. No doubt Derek Kellog's team is going to make noise in the A-10 this season, but I think today is the day their bubble bursts, and they get run over by a stacked NC State team.
The Wolfpack have covered double-digits twice in as many games to start the season, winning by 38 points over Miami-Ohio, and by 17 points yesterday in their tourney opener versus Penn State.
Mark Gottfried's team returns the top 4 scorers from last year's team, and also has a trio of freshman that come highly-touted. This team is loaded and is the front runner to take the ACC crown this season.
Massachusetts to hang for a while, but the emotion of starting the season with 2 last second wins catches up to the Minutemen today. Wolfpack to pull away and cover with ease.
NBA best bet is the Thunder, fresh off their home loss to Memphis on Wednesday, as OKC was buried by 10 at home to the rolling Grizzlies. The sledding gets a little easier against a Hornets team that is without guard Eric Gordon and just welcomed back #1 draft pick Anthony Davis after concussion symptoms.
Oklahoma City had won 5 in a row prior to their loss to Memphis, and the Thunder is on a 4 game series winning streak. Overall, the Thunder has captured 8 of the last 9 meetings with the Hornets, and they have covered in 7 of the last 9. The only 2 non-covers come the last 2 times out but in those wins, OKC was favored by double-digits.
With the line a little more respectable tonight, I say back the Thunder to cover this impost.