1. LSU is young and has been jittery so far. There is a chance that Duke gets off to a much better start.
2. If LSU gets rattled and Duke shoots well, a 21-5 run in the second half, and a 90-79 Duke final, are possible.
3. The Duke conspiracy not only exists, but for the sake of TV ratings the conspirators are prepared here to go far beyond just a helpful call or two in a close game. With their tournament life at stake Duke gets tons of early help to neutralize the LSU inside game via early foul trouble. Plus every call necessary to undermine the LSU comeback attempts.
OK, that's all I have by way of reasons to hesitate in any way shape or form with LSU.
This morning LSU is down a little bit, to +6.5 -105. Duke by 6.5. Come on. How many superior teams are covering 6-7 in this tournament or any NCAA tournament, never mind inferior teams?
Dave Malinsky on Covers, who seems like a decent handicapper but is an even better writer (the real reason I like him), sums up my thinking:
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Picking the winner of this one is easy. Duke has the weakest interior defense and rebounding since perhaps Mike Kryzezwski’s first two seasons in Durham, and the Blue Devils have little chance to survive against one of the strongest front-courts in the nation, a Tiger team that will exploit those very weaknesses to the max. Can we literally steal the points being offered here with one of the biggest rebounding gaps ever for an underdog of this size?
==============
Can we?
What do you do when you absolutely love a game, AND you understand completely why the line is where it is.
That's the ultimate.
Right?
Thoughts?
2. If LSU gets rattled and Duke shoots well, a 21-5 run in the second half, and a 90-79 Duke final, are possible.
3. The Duke conspiracy not only exists, but for the sake of TV ratings the conspirators are prepared here to go far beyond just a helpful call or two in a close game. With their tournament life at stake Duke gets tons of early help to neutralize the LSU inside game via early foul trouble. Plus every call necessary to undermine the LSU comeback attempts.
OK, that's all I have by way of reasons to hesitate in any way shape or form with LSU.
This morning LSU is down a little bit, to +6.5 -105. Duke by 6.5. Come on. How many superior teams are covering 6-7 in this tournament or any NCAA tournament, never mind inferior teams?
Dave Malinsky on Covers, who seems like a decent handicapper but is an even better writer (the real reason I like him), sums up my thinking:
============
Picking the winner of this one is easy. Duke has the weakest interior defense and rebounding since perhaps Mike Kryzezwski’s first two seasons in Durham, and the Blue Devils have little chance to survive against one of the strongest front-courts in the nation, a Tiger team that will exploit those very weaknesses to the max. Can we literally steal the points being offered here with one of the biggest rebounding gaps ever for an underdog of this size?
==============
Can we?
What do you do when you absolutely love a game, AND you understand completely why the line is where it is.
That's the ultimate.
Right?
Thoughts?
