Wednesdays are always exciting for me with regards to handicapping because it features a heavy dose of A10, CAA and MAC games. These are some of the conferences that I like to focus on along with the West Coast and Big West. That said here's a few of the games I'm focusing on and why:
Dayton +5 @ La Salle
The Flyers are 10-6 on the season, but have lost their two A-10 games. Pardon them for that as it was a tough road game in VCU and a home game with Butler. Dayton has won at Alabama this season and took two of three in a tournament in Charleston earlier this season. La Salle is 11-4 and uber-talented. They have lost to Charlotte, Miami, Bucknell and Central Connecticut State. The Explorers best win is probably Richmond or Villanova. The Flyers have shown they can play uptempo and slow down as well. I like them to cover the five.
Villanova +5.5 vs. Pittsburgh
I'll be completely honest. I despise Villanova. Being raised in Philadelphia, I was a Temple fan who was groomed to hate the sight of that Wildcat logo. That said, this is an interesting Nova team this season. They hung around with Syracuse last time out but ended up losing by 11. They have wins at home against St. John's, St. Joe's and Delaware. Jay'Vaughn Pinkston is the leading scorer with Ryan Arcidiacono leading the way assist-wise. The Panthers are 13-4 but have lost three of their last four including a five point loss at Rutgers. Their lone win in that span came at Georgetown who no one can really figure out. Pittsburgh has no real quality wins outside of Detroit and Oakland. I like the Wildcats in this one.
Ball State +20 @ Akron
This is a hold your nose special. We may have to play this one from tv timeout to tv timeout. I think this a lot of points. Ball State is 7-7 this season, but has lost by 14 at Butler and 11 at Purdue. They have three guys averaging double digits in scoring led by Jesse Berry at 13.3. Akron is a highly talented team led by Zeke Marshall at center. They have won seven straight against a lot of mediocre teams. They nipped Princeton by four while beating Texas Southern by 15. I think the Cardinals keep it close.
Tulsa +2 vs. UTEP
The Golden Hurricane getting points in this situation looks nice. They have bounced back since losing leading scorer Rashad Smith winning three of their last four. This is a team that has other options and a tough homecourt to boot. UTEP is 9-6 having won three straight games including a 72-44 victory Monday night over Houston Baptist. This is a Miners team that has lost at Arizona, Oklahoma, Clemson and Colorado State. Tulsa isn't in the class of those, but the Golden Hurricanes are good enough to hold serve at home.
I also like to include a teaser for the readers. Some websites are generous with their teaser amounts. These are plays I like if you add a few more points to them. I'd tease Dayton, George Washington, Villanova and Tulsa. Good luck!
NCAAB Flyers Fighting Irish Explorers Panthers Cardinals Zips Golden Hurricane Miners