Perry Perspective: Hoops Feature Nov. 24
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BetWWTS.com
Weekend hoops feature Knight of darkness
It couldn?t have happened to a nicer guy.
Bobby Knight, the college basketball coach that everybody loves to hate, brought his Texas Tech Red Raiders all the way to New York for the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic only to wind up getting laughed out of Madison Square Garden.
In what was the tournament?s semifinal last Friday, the Raiders were creamed by No. 17 Syracuse 81-46 as 1.5-point dogs. Tech shot 29 percent from the floor and 17 percent from beyond the arc.
One can only imagine what the Raiders? locker room looked like after the game.
Despite the embarrassment, it?s hard to imagine Knight not being able to turn the Raiders into contenders. The coach has led Tech to four consecutive 20-win seasons, and reportedly he likes his team?s chances this year.
Besides, the rout is not entirely uncharacteristic of Knight?s teams, who tend to have a habit of starting slowly as freshmen adjust to the coach?s system.
Sure Knight is a type-A scoundrel, but college basketball would be a lot less colorful without him. Whether you love him or hate him, if you?re like me, you?re hoping to see him in the madness come March.
The Raiders followed up the Syracuse beatdown with a respectable 78-73 overtime loss to No. 24 Wake Forest in the consolation game.
On Saturday, they will be hosting Ohio Valley?s Morehead St. in a game that?s being picked up on ESPN Full Court (2 p.m. ET).
The Eagles, who were 11-16 last year, will have to go Lubbock where the Red Raiders have lost just three times in the past two years (prior to Wednesday). Expect a fat spread in this contest.
In other college hoops action Saturday, the darling of the Patriot League, Bucknell, will be hosting Yale.
The Bison, who finished 23-10 straight up last season, were giant-killers knocking off third-seeded Kansas as 14-point dogs in the first round of the 2005 NCAA tournament.
That victory came only weeks after Bucknell upset No. 10 Pittsburgh, who was 10-0 at the time. The win also snapped the Panthers? 48-game home winning streak versus non-conference teams.
The Bison are at it again this season. On Tuesday, Bucknell knocked off mighty Syracuse 74-69. Not too shabby. For the record, Bucknell is a small liberal arts university with about 3,500 students in Lewisburg, PA.
It?s too early to say whether there will be a line posted on Bucknell?s game with Yale this Saturday, but the Bison are certainly a team to keep your eyes on as the season progresses.
Turning our attention to the Big Leagues, ESPN?s Friday night doubleheader features the Dallas Mavericks at Miami followed by New Jersey at Phoenix.
Led by Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs are off strong start going 8-2 straight up (4-6 against the spread) their first 10 games. Nowitzki is averaging 25.4 points per game (ppg), sixth overall in the league.
Dallas heads into Miami to play the new-look Heat, who were 6-4 prior to Wednesday. This will be the first meeting of the season between these two teams.
In the offseason, Heat president Pat Riley tinkered with the team significantly despite the fact the Heat made it to last year?s Eastern Conference final.
Riley brought in Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and Jason Williams leading many to believe Riley had jeopardized the team?s chemistry.
While the Heat were a little slow out the gate, it looked like the team was starting to gel winning four straight last week. Then they visited Toronto and were beaten 107-94 by the pitiful 0-9 Raptors.
The Heat are still without their big man, Shaquille O?Neal, who has been out of the lineup since Nov. 3 with a sprained ankle. He is expected to be out for at least another two weeks.
In his absence, Dwayne Wade has carried the team playing nearly 40 minutes per game and averaging a little more than 26 ppg, fifth in the NBA.
In the second game of the ESPN doubleheader, the Nets visit Phoenix.
Both of these teams are off to mediocre starts ? 5-5 after 10 games. The start is particularly disappointing for the Suns, who were the Western Conference champions in last year?s regular season.
The big problem plaguing the Suns has been the absence of Amare Stoudemire, the team?s leading scorer from last season.
Stoudemire had surgery on his left knee and is expected to be out three to four months. Fortunately, the Suns still have league MVP Steve Nash to help get them through the lean times.
Nash is currently second on the team in scoring (17 ppg) and leads the league in assists (11 apg). Shawn Marion is the top scorer netting nearly 20 ppg and is grabbing a little more than 13 rebounds (second overall in the league).
Prior to Wednesday, the Suns were 3-4 straight up at home and 5-4-1 against the spread; the Nets were 1-3 SU on the road and 5-5 ATS.
from
BetWWTS.com
Weekend hoops feature Knight of darkness
It couldn?t have happened to a nicer guy.
Bobby Knight, the college basketball coach that everybody loves to hate, brought his Texas Tech Red Raiders all the way to New York for the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic only to wind up getting laughed out of Madison Square Garden.
In what was the tournament?s semifinal last Friday, the Raiders were creamed by No. 17 Syracuse 81-46 as 1.5-point dogs. Tech shot 29 percent from the floor and 17 percent from beyond the arc.
One can only imagine what the Raiders? locker room looked like after the game.
Despite the embarrassment, it?s hard to imagine Knight not being able to turn the Raiders into contenders. The coach has led Tech to four consecutive 20-win seasons, and reportedly he likes his team?s chances this year.
Besides, the rout is not entirely uncharacteristic of Knight?s teams, who tend to have a habit of starting slowly as freshmen adjust to the coach?s system.
Sure Knight is a type-A scoundrel, but college basketball would be a lot less colorful without him. Whether you love him or hate him, if you?re like me, you?re hoping to see him in the madness come March.
The Raiders followed up the Syracuse beatdown with a respectable 78-73 overtime loss to No. 24 Wake Forest in the consolation game.
On Saturday, they will be hosting Ohio Valley?s Morehead St. in a game that?s being picked up on ESPN Full Court (2 p.m. ET).
The Eagles, who were 11-16 last year, will have to go Lubbock where the Red Raiders have lost just three times in the past two years (prior to Wednesday). Expect a fat spread in this contest.
In other college hoops action Saturday, the darling of the Patriot League, Bucknell, will be hosting Yale.
The Bison, who finished 23-10 straight up last season, were giant-killers knocking off third-seeded Kansas as 14-point dogs in the first round of the 2005 NCAA tournament.
That victory came only weeks after Bucknell upset No. 10 Pittsburgh, who was 10-0 at the time. The win also snapped the Panthers? 48-game home winning streak versus non-conference teams.
The Bison are at it again this season. On Tuesday, Bucknell knocked off mighty Syracuse 74-69. Not too shabby. For the record, Bucknell is a small liberal arts university with about 3,500 students in Lewisburg, PA.
It?s too early to say whether there will be a line posted on Bucknell?s game with Yale this Saturday, but the Bison are certainly a team to keep your eyes on as the season progresses.
Turning our attention to the Big Leagues, ESPN?s Friday night doubleheader features the Dallas Mavericks at Miami followed by New Jersey at Phoenix.
Led by Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs are off strong start going 8-2 straight up (4-6 against the spread) their first 10 games. Nowitzki is averaging 25.4 points per game (ppg), sixth overall in the league.
Dallas heads into Miami to play the new-look Heat, who were 6-4 prior to Wednesday. This will be the first meeting of the season between these two teams.
In the offseason, Heat president Pat Riley tinkered with the team significantly despite the fact the Heat made it to last year?s Eastern Conference final.
Riley brought in Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and Jason Williams leading many to believe Riley had jeopardized the team?s chemistry.
While the Heat were a little slow out the gate, it looked like the team was starting to gel winning four straight last week. Then they visited Toronto and were beaten 107-94 by the pitiful 0-9 Raptors.
The Heat are still without their big man, Shaquille O?Neal, who has been out of the lineup since Nov. 3 with a sprained ankle. He is expected to be out for at least another two weeks.
In his absence, Dwayne Wade has carried the team playing nearly 40 minutes per game and averaging a little more than 26 ppg, fifth in the NBA.
In the second game of the ESPN doubleheader, the Nets visit Phoenix.
Both of these teams are off to mediocre starts ? 5-5 after 10 games. The start is particularly disappointing for the Suns, who were the Western Conference champions in last year?s regular season.
The big problem plaguing the Suns has been the absence of Amare Stoudemire, the team?s leading scorer from last season.
Stoudemire had surgery on his left knee and is expected to be out three to four months. Fortunately, the Suns still have league MVP Steve Nash to help get them through the lean times.
Nash is currently second on the team in scoring (17 ppg) and leads the league in assists (11 apg). Shawn Marion is the top scorer netting nearly 20 ppg and is grabbing a little more than 13 rebounds (second overall in the league).
Prior to Wednesday, the Suns were 3-4 straight up at home and 5-4-1 against the spread; the Nets were 1-3 SU on the road and 5-5 ATS.
