Dave Cokin
Bonus Play Wednesday 2:00 PM NCAAB
(729) NORTHEASTERN at (730) MASSACHUSETTS
Take: (729) NORTHEASTERN +5 (Note time change to 11AM PST, 2 PM EST)
A little rivalry music, please, as Northeastern takes a bus ride to Amherst for a clash with Massachusetts. Only that rivalry music is a little off key, as these teams are not annual opponents in spite of the mere 90 mile distance between the two schools.
The last meeting between the Huskies and Minutemen was a couple years ago, and for a couple of the Northeastern seniors, there won’t be any need for a reminder of what took place. The Huskies looked to be in great shape for the win, but UMass hit a bunch of late threes and ended up winning by six.
This is a very big game for Northeastern. The Huskies don’t get nearly as much local attention as some of their Massachusetts brethren, including UMass, and they’d like to make a statement this evening. Make no mistake, this is a good Northeastern squad. They’re certainly looking as though they will be in the serious mix for the CAA title. A non-conference win over the Minutemen would look really nice on the Huskies resume.
UMass is a solid entry, although I don’t see them being as strong as the prior edition. The Minutemen are also back home off bigger name games with Notre Dame and Florida State. UMass is 4-1 out of the gate, but all the wins were pretty close and the one loss to the Fighting Irish was decisive.
I actually have Northeastern as the slightly higher rated team at this juncture, and I really like the idea of backing experienced teams with a motive early in the campaign. The Huskies have all five starters back from last year’s squad and they’re off to an excellent start, so there’s no reason I can see to not give them a play here.
Also worth noting is the time change. This is because the region is expected to get some significant snow, and with Thanksgiving tomorrow, it makes sense to get this event over and done with as quickly as possible. Is that a mitigating factor that might benefit the road team? Quite possibly, as my guess is there will not be a full house for this game and that could lessen the home court edge by a bit.
But mainly, I’m just doing what the numbers tell me to do here. If what I have as the better team is getting points, I take the points. Simple as that, basically. So mark me down for Northeastern plus the points in this one.
Bonus Play Wednesday 2:00 PM NCAAB
(729) NORTHEASTERN at (730) MASSACHUSETTS
Take: (729) NORTHEASTERN +5 (Note time change to 11AM PST, 2 PM EST)
A little rivalry music, please, as Northeastern takes a bus ride to Amherst for a clash with Massachusetts. Only that rivalry music is a little off key, as these teams are not annual opponents in spite of the mere 90 mile distance between the two schools.
The last meeting between the Huskies and Minutemen was a couple years ago, and for a couple of the Northeastern seniors, there won’t be any need for a reminder of what took place. The Huskies looked to be in great shape for the win, but UMass hit a bunch of late threes and ended up winning by six.
This is a very big game for Northeastern. The Huskies don’t get nearly as much local attention as some of their Massachusetts brethren, including UMass, and they’d like to make a statement this evening. Make no mistake, this is a good Northeastern squad. They’re certainly looking as though they will be in the serious mix for the CAA title. A non-conference win over the Minutemen would look really nice on the Huskies resume.
UMass is a solid entry, although I don’t see them being as strong as the prior edition. The Minutemen are also back home off bigger name games with Notre Dame and Florida State. UMass is 4-1 out of the gate, but all the wins were pretty close and the one loss to the Fighting Irish was decisive.
I actually have Northeastern as the slightly higher rated team at this juncture, and I really like the idea of backing experienced teams with a motive early in the campaign. The Huskies have all five starters back from last year’s squad and they’re off to an excellent start, so there’s no reason I can see to not give them a play here.
Also worth noting is the time change. This is because the region is expected to get some significant snow, and with Thanksgiving tomorrow, it makes sense to get this event over and done with as quickly as possible. Is that a mitigating factor that might benefit the road team? Quite possibly, as my guess is there will not be a full house for this game and that could lessen the home court edge by a bit.
But mainly, I’m just doing what the numbers tell me to do here. If what I have as the better team is getting points, I take the points. Simple as that, basically. So mark me down for Northeastern plus the points in this one.
