Michael Perry, BetWWTS.com Bookmaker
GOING OUT WEST
It?s time to fire up the motorbike and head down Highway 1. Or maybe just order up some fish tacos.
Thursday?s slate of college basketball games features three ranked teams, all of them located on the left side of the continent. Moving from north to south, the Arizona State Sun Devils are in Seattle to face the No. 7 Washington Huskies, the La Lafayette Ragin? Cajuns visit the No. 21 Nevada Wolf Pack, and the Stanford Cardinal meets the No. 11 UCLA Bruins at the famed Pauley Pavilion.
This is the Pac-10 opener for everyone except the Cajuns and the Pack, who have to wait until 2006 for conference action in the Sun Belt and WAC, respectively. And the Pac-10 is looking pretty stacked right now. The Huskies lead the way at 10-0 straight up, but they seem to have a knack for not quite beating the spread. Washington is a lousy 3-5 ATS. Arizona State is 6-3 SU and a tasty 4-2 ATS, but this is not the same quality team that extended the Huskies to overtime in last year?s Pac-10 tournament.
It might seem charitable to call the Sun Devils a wild card rather than a doormat, but it?s going to take a while to get a clear picture on how good or bad ASU is now that Ike Diogu has left for the greener pastures of the NBA. Coach Rob Evans is putting a positive spin on things, saying that Diogu?s absence allows his club to play a more balanced offensive game rather than dumping the ball to the Pac-10 Player of the Year on nearly every possession. The early results bear Evans out: swingman Bryson Krueger and guard Kevin Kruger lead the Devils with 15 points apiece per game, and Evans spreads out the rest of the scoring by delving nine-deep into his bench. It?s a proven recipe for success in college basketball, so perhaps that 4-2 ATS mark is indeed a sign of things to come in Tempe.
As for the Huskies, they?re trying to put last season?s mixed results (29-6 SU, 17-16 ATS) behind them. Washington just couldn?t get it done away from Bank of America Arena. So far in 2005, the Huskies have played two neutral-site matchups, dropping the cash to Air Force and New Mexico despite winning both games by double digits. Washington?s schedule is back-loaded with away games ? nine of the last 15, to be precise. Beating Gonzaga shows that the Huskies should again be a force, but can they hold up down the stretch?
Down in Reno, the Wolf Pack has made the journey from NCAA Tournament Cinderella to mid-major powerhouse ? via Italy, where the team played five games last May. Nevada is aggressive when it comes to competition. The Pack went into UNLV and Kansas and upset both teams before losing a neutral-site battle with the Bruins. That leaves Nevada at 9-1 SU and 3-3 ATS. La Lafayette has taken a similar non-con tack, facing major programs like Tennessee and LSU. The 3-6 SU Cajuns were underdogs in five of seven matchups with a betting line attached, going 2-5 ATS. They?re better than their record indicates, but probably not in the same league as Nevada.
Back in the Pac-10, the Bruins dusted themselves off after two losing seasons and promptly worked their way back into the NCAA tourney. They had a little trouble overcoming injuries at the NIT preseason tourney in New York, losing to Memphis and barely beating Drexel, but since then the Bruins are 6-0 SU and 3-0 ATS. Once swingman Josh Shipp returns from hip surgery, UCLA should give the Huskies a serious run for the Pac-10 title. Shipp plans to make his season debut against Stanford, but he won?t be at 100 percent against the Cardinal (4-4 SU, 2-4-1 ATS), who may be able to sneak away with the cash now that senior centers Ryan Hollins (out of action this week) and Michael Fey (day-to-day) are both hurting.
GOING OUT WEST
It?s time to fire up the motorbike and head down Highway 1. Or maybe just order up some fish tacos.
Thursday?s slate of college basketball games features three ranked teams, all of them located on the left side of the continent. Moving from north to south, the Arizona State Sun Devils are in Seattle to face the No. 7 Washington Huskies, the La Lafayette Ragin? Cajuns visit the No. 21 Nevada Wolf Pack, and the Stanford Cardinal meets the No. 11 UCLA Bruins at the famed Pauley Pavilion.
This is the Pac-10 opener for everyone except the Cajuns and the Pack, who have to wait until 2006 for conference action in the Sun Belt and WAC, respectively. And the Pac-10 is looking pretty stacked right now. The Huskies lead the way at 10-0 straight up, but they seem to have a knack for not quite beating the spread. Washington is a lousy 3-5 ATS. Arizona State is 6-3 SU and a tasty 4-2 ATS, but this is not the same quality team that extended the Huskies to overtime in last year?s Pac-10 tournament.
It might seem charitable to call the Sun Devils a wild card rather than a doormat, but it?s going to take a while to get a clear picture on how good or bad ASU is now that Ike Diogu has left for the greener pastures of the NBA. Coach Rob Evans is putting a positive spin on things, saying that Diogu?s absence allows his club to play a more balanced offensive game rather than dumping the ball to the Pac-10 Player of the Year on nearly every possession. The early results bear Evans out: swingman Bryson Krueger and guard Kevin Kruger lead the Devils with 15 points apiece per game, and Evans spreads out the rest of the scoring by delving nine-deep into his bench. It?s a proven recipe for success in college basketball, so perhaps that 4-2 ATS mark is indeed a sign of things to come in Tempe.
As for the Huskies, they?re trying to put last season?s mixed results (29-6 SU, 17-16 ATS) behind them. Washington just couldn?t get it done away from Bank of America Arena. So far in 2005, the Huskies have played two neutral-site matchups, dropping the cash to Air Force and New Mexico despite winning both games by double digits. Washington?s schedule is back-loaded with away games ? nine of the last 15, to be precise. Beating Gonzaga shows that the Huskies should again be a force, but can they hold up down the stretch?
Down in Reno, the Wolf Pack has made the journey from NCAA Tournament Cinderella to mid-major powerhouse ? via Italy, where the team played five games last May. Nevada is aggressive when it comes to competition. The Pack went into UNLV and Kansas and upset both teams before losing a neutral-site battle with the Bruins. That leaves Nevada at 9-1 SU and 3-3 ATS. La Lafayette has taken a similar non-con tack, facing major programs like Tennessee and LSU. The 3-6 SU Cajuns were underdogs in five of seven matchups with a betting line attached, going 2-5 ATS. They?re better than their record indicates, but probably not in the same league as Nevada.
Back in the Pac-10, the Bruins dusted themselves off after two losing seasons and promptly worked their way back into the NCAA tourney. They had a little trouble overcoming injuries at the NIT preseason tourney in New York, losing to Memphis and barely beating Drexel, but since then the Bruins are 6-0 SU and 3-0 ATS. Once swingman Josh Shipp returns from hip surgery, UCLA should give the Huskies a serious run for the Pac-10 title. Shipp plans to make his season debut against Stanford, but he won?t be at 100 percent against the Cardinal (4-4 SU, 2-4-1 ATS), who may be able to sneak away with the cash now that senior centers Ryan Hollins (out of action this week) and Michael Fey (day-to-day) are both hurting.
