Big wins yesterday from Cornell and Butler. San Antonio Spurs kept me from having a perfect 3-0 day. Let's keep the ball rolling today.
Dayton Flyers (ML, +118)
Love this spot for the Flyers. They return most key pieces from last years NCAA appearance. Most notably, they return Junior big man Chris Wright and Senior guard Marcus Johnson. Battle tested team known for their smothering defense, already had an impressive early season 10 point win over Creighton.
I think Georgia Tech is going to be much, much improved in the ACC this year (preseason rankings agree). But at the same point, there may be a little too much preseason hype. Until they actually start winning some big games, I don't think this team should be nationally ranked. With that said, they did lose 2 of their top 3 scorers in Lewis Clinch and Alade Aminu. In fact, last year no single Yellow Jacket averaged more then 1.0 three per game then Clinch, who averaged 3.0. Sure they scored 100 on the Rattlers, but there not playing Florida A&M today. G Tech is relying on two freshman to start, including point guard Mfon Udofia.
I see this as a game where the talent levels of both teams are very similar at this point, but Dayton has a strong edge in the experience department. And in a tournament like this in Puerto Rico, I think experience pulls through. I think if Dayton were an ACC team, and G Tech were an A-10 team, Dayton would be favorite by about 5 points.
I will be back later in the day with a few more picks.
WOW.....Can't believe the movement. I wanted to get my writeup on here and at the time the game was a pick. Since then, Dayton became two point dogs. Instead of settling with Dayton PK at -105, I got Dayton ML at +118. VERY NICE VERY NICE.
Call me crazy, but my second pick is UNC Wilmington Seahawks (+13, -108)
Wilmington is a tough team to read because they went from 20-13 two years ago, to 7-25 last year. They start 3 Juniors and 1 Senior, with their best pure shooter and scorer Chad Tomko coming off the bench. John Fields and his 6'9 230lb body will be a HUGE addition to this team who lacked an inside presence last year. He was not on the roster last year, after transferring from East Carolina, where he averaged 10points a game, and nearly 2 blocks each year. What encourages me about this team, is the fact that after an atrocious year in 08-09, they played alot of close games down the stretch vs the class of the Colonial, such as Old Dominion, George Mason and Hofstra. Today will mark the first time Tomko and Fields take the floor together (Tomko hurt first game, Fields suspended second) to give balance in and out. Wilmington has historically had good 3 point shooting teams, and after 2 games, they have 5 guys avergaing at least one hit per game. If shots go down, teams stay around.
The Seahawks will undoubtedly have their hands full with Talor Battle, one of the best guards in the country. Penn St made a splash last year, but may have a more difficult time scoring without Cornley, Pringle and Morrissey, especially from beyond the arc. Penn St didn't play particularily well on the road last year, and I'm hoping with the game being in Charleston, Wilmington gets the locals behind them. Let's Go.
Third and final play of the day is CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (-1.5, -105)
I'm feeling really confident with this one. California oozes experience and talent. They've progressed every year together improving their win count. I don't think a trip to the "Mecca" intimidates this team. They have the swagger, and they know they have the ability to take the PAC10.
What really has me unimpressed with Syracuse is there 44 turnovers in 2 games against Albany and Bobby Mo. Losing Flynn and turning to freshman Brandon Triche will take some time. They will not be able to get away with this many turnovers against the Bears tonight, or it could get ugly. And you know the bears will be applying pressure at every opportunity. Even with the majority of the Madison Square Garden crowd behind the Orange, I don't think they are at the same level as Cal at this point in the year.
Goodluck to everyone tonight whether you fade or tail.
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