Hello guys, it seems to me that most of the board here is baffled as to why Mizzou is the underdog. Here are some notes on them and from what I've seen of the 2 UCLA games I've watched this year and my pick:
-Mizzou goes as their PG Pressy goes. His last 5 games he's shot under 30% but he still drops dimes. UCLA is going to have to stop him from getting into the lane if they have any shot. He's one of the best PG in the nation (not the best scoring PG but PG) and his game management is crucial for Mizzou to win
-Mizzou has certified big men. Oriaki and Bowers can score from a few feet out and can damn sure bang down low. Mizzou was 1 in the nation in rebounding going into this week and their schedule has been decent so they arent outrebounding Little Children Of the Poor
-Louisville completely shut them down by pressuring Pressy and not letting him get in any type of rhythm getting the ball moving. Illinois had success when Pressy wasn't managing the game and that was a back and forth game where they showed they could tighten up or go up tempo.
-Jabari Brown is a pretty good scorer. He practiced against the team all last year and finally got eligible, he may not have much game experience but he sure as hell knows the team and has played against pretty good guys. He was added 2 games ago and gives them another option on offense and size they have been lacking their first few games.
-With UCLA youre not quite sure what youre going to get. Theoretically UCLA has 3 starting 1st round picks on their team, but getting them all three to play well over 40 minutes is another task. It is a UCLA home game and kids will come out to Pauly (gf went there, I hear all about it) but this wont be the same type of crowd they'll get in conference play in February.
They have size and tons of athleticism, but their only experience comes from their PG.
-Mizzou could start slow. I dont feel like looking up the stats but they do not cover often in the first half and may have covered every second half thus far. They can shoot the 3 ball and rebound, and unless they are getting a press like Louisville with a similar defensive prowess, it is hard to keep a lead on them.
-In all, due to students being on break and the inexperience of UCLA I see no reason why Mizzou +3 isnt the best bet on the board. If I lose money because 3 unproven freshmen cash their NBA lottery potential then so be it, but having watched both of these teams numerous times, to me Mizzou is the better team here with guys who have gone in to tons of hostile environments.
-Mizzou goes as their PG Pressy goes. His last 5 games he's shot under 30% but he still drops dimes. UCLA is going to have to stop him from getting into the lane if they have any shot. He's one of the best PG in the nation (not the best scoring PG but PG) and his game management is crucial for Mizzou to win
-Mizzou has certified big men. Oriaki and Bowers can score from a few feet out and can damn sure bang down low. Mizzou was 1 in the nation in rebounding going into this week and their schedule has been decent so they arent outrebounding Little Children Of the Poor
-Louisville completely shut them down by pressuring Pressy and not letting him get in any type of rhythm getting the ball moving. Illinois had success when Pressy wasn't managing the game and that was a back and forth game where they showed they could tighten up or go up tempo.
-Jabari Brown is a pretty good scorer. He practiced against the team all last year and finally got eligible, he may not have much game experience but he sure as hell knows the team and has played against pretty good guys. He was added 2 games ago and gives them another option on offense and size they have been lacking their first few games.
-With UCLA youre not quite sure what youre going to get. Theoretically UCLA has 3 starting 1st round picks on their team, but getting them all three to play well over 40 minutes is another task. It is a UCLA home game and kids will come out to Pauly (gf went there, I hear all about it) but this wont be the same type of crowd they'll get in conference play in February.
They have size and tons of athleticism, but their only experience comes from their PG.
-Mizzou could start slow. I dont feel like looking up the stats but they do not cover often in the first half and may have covered every second half thus far. They can shoot the 3 ball and rebound, and unless they are getting a press like Louisville with a similar defensive prowess, it is hard to keep a lead on them.
-In all, due to students being on break and the inexperience of UCLA I see no reason why Mizzou +3 isnt the best bet on the board. If I lose money because 3 unproven freshmen cash their NBA lottery potential then so be it, but having watched both of these teams numerous times, to me Mizzou is the better team here with guys who have gone in to tons of hostile environments.
