FERRINGO Full Card
7-Unit Play. Take #542 Miami (-6) over Georgia Tech (2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
Note: This is our ACC Game of the Year. Play for 6-Units at -6.5 or -7.0. After that it's at your own discretion, but I'm looking for a double-digit victory. That being said, it's still about line value.
I love this situation and I?m loving the Hurricanes here. Miami is a very, very talented and deep team, a true sleeper in the ACC. They are 13-1 on the season and have a Top 25 resume but aren?t getting the love they deserve. Miami is 30th in points allowed defense and 13th in field goal defense and should lock down on a Tech team that has absolutely no inside presence. Miami has won its past two meetings with the Yellowjackets ? including a win last year when Tech may have had more talent. Well, Miami is the better team here and should open conference play with a convincing home win. The Hurricanes beat VCU by six. They beat Providence by six. They beat Mississippi State by six. All three of those teams are better than the Jackets. Georgia Tech is coming off a disappointing road loss against rival Georgia on Thursday and has been one of the worst road teams in the nation over the past three years. Tech is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 road games and 6-17 ATS in their last 23 games played away from home. Miami is 5-1 ATS at home, 5-0 ATS as a favorite, 5-2-1 ATS in ACC play, and 13-3-1 ATS overall. I?m looking for an 8- to 12-point victory here and a solid 7-Unit score. Go Hurricanes!
3-Unit Play. Take #517 North Carolina State (+19.5) over North Carolina (Noon, Saturday, Jan. 12)
Wow. Lot of points. A LOT of points. Now, I?m not saying UNC couldn?t hammer the Pack by 20 or more. I?m just saying I think it?s highly unlikely. N.C. State has covered three straight in this series and has lost by 20 or more just once in the last 10 meetings. The road team is 7-3 ATS and even though their players play with their heads up their butts a lot of the time they still have some guys that can play some ball. N.C. State has shot under 50 percent in two straight games. I?m looking for them to shoot just well enough to only get blown out by about 15.
4.5-Unit Play. Take #652 Louisiana-Monroe (-3) over Arkansas State (8:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
Arkansas State is 0-6 on the road this year while the Warhawks are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 home games. UL-M was humiliated against Western Kentucky on Thursday and I can assure you that they won?t shoot 22 percent again tonight. I think that UL-M is due for a breakout game and is too good to be 0-4 in conference play. I think they win. And if they win they?re going to cover against a team that is completely coming apart at the seams. The Warhawks are 10-1 ATS as a home favorite.
1.5-Unit Play. Take #519 Fordham (+19.5) over Xavier (Noon, Saturday, Jan. 12)
Eight of Fordam?s last nine losses to the X-Men have come by an average of 16.3 points. I think we?re getting solid value in this one, similar to the St. Bonaventure game earlier this week.
2-Unit Play. Take #563 Western Michigan (-2) over Eastern Michigan (4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
I thought this number should have been around 8.0, give or take a point. WMU has beaten EMU five straight times and brought back everyone from the team that bludgeoned them twice last year. I do think EMU will put up a fight, but I don?t think they have enough consistency on offense to spring the upset.
2-Unit Play. Take #535 Connecticut (+10) over Georgetown (2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
I think that Connecticut has enough athletes and enough size to matchup with the Hoyas, who have not been a strong ATS club this year. G-Town only beat the Huskies by 13 last year and they were a much better club then. Also, a dirty secret about the Hoyas is that other than a game at Memphis they have played exactly one game against a Top 110 team, and that was a less-than-impressive win at Alabama. The Huskies actually lost by less to Memphis and I think they have enough to hang around in this one.
2.5-Unit Play. Take #549 Seton Hall (+12.5) over Pittsburgh (2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
You may not have noticed, but The Hall is actually a pretty game squad. They have played Top 100 teams Marquette, Connecticut, N.C. State, St. Mary?s, Penn State and Virginia this year. They are 1-5 SU in those contests but their average loss was just 8.2 points. Pitt is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings and the underdog is 8-2-1 ATS. The Panthers are a tough bunch, but they are not the same without Levance Fields and Mike Cook. I actually think Seton Hall can win this one, so we?ll take a boatload of points.
2-Unit Play. Take #551 Maryland (+4.5) over Virginia Tech (2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
I don?t think the line is necessarily wrong, from the oddsmaker?s perspective, but I do think the wrong team is favored. If that makes any sense. I really like the look that Maryland has had in its eyes over the last two weeks and I think they can win this one. VT doesn?t have anyone inside to keep Maryland out of the lane and I think the experience of the Terps will be enough against a very, very young Hokies club.
2.5-Unit Play. Take #556 Houston (-1) over Arizona (3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
This game is a total trap for the Wildcats. They are venturing into a very hostile nonconference venue off an emotional loss to rival Arizona State. Not only that, but Houston plays a wacky, free-for-all style that may seem like it would play into U of A?s hands. Not this year. The Wildcats may have trouble keeping up on the scoreboard in this one. The Cougars have had this one circled, just like they did with Kentucky, and they should give Arizona the same type of problems that Oregon and Virginia did. Jerryd Bayless is going to go for UA, but how effective will he be? And if he goes out with that knee injury the Cats are cooked.
2.5-Unit Play. Take #527 Texas (-1) over Missouri (1:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
It?s not that I don?t think Missouri can win this one, it?s that they haven?t proven that they can win a big game over a quality team this year. They consistently fall behind and play lackluster in the first half, and if they do that again they?re going to get rocked. The Longhorns are 9-0 ATS against teams with a winning record and Missouri is just 8-21-2 ATS in its last 31 conference games. Texas has covered nine straight (four straight in Mizzou) and the favorite is 5-0 ATS in the L5 meetings.
2-Unit Play. Take #588 Texas Christian (-5.5) over Wyoming (6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
Wyoming stinks. They stink and they are running into a TCU team that is just aching for a big win. TCU is athletic and should be able to overwhelm a Cowboys club that has no interior presence. The Frogs beat Wyoming by nearly 20 at home last year and I don?t see any reason why they can?t pull it off again. The Cowboys are a mess and are 2-8 ATS in their L10.
2-Unit Play. Take #614 Wright State (-5) over Cleveland State (7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
Cleveland State is about to be exposed. They have performed marvelously against the Horizon bottom-feeders, while Wright State has been testing itself against the better teams in the conference. Wright State has won seven of nine in the series and is 6-2-1 ATS in that stretch. The favorite is 7-3-1 ATS and the Raiders are 35-16-1 ATS at home. They will be way up for this one as they take down the team at the top of the conference standings.
2-Unit Play. Take #627 UNC-Wilmington (+7) over James Madison (8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
There?s been a lot of love thrown JMU?s way over the past two weeks by the betting community. I don?t get it. They are now banged up and could be playing without two starters, including their point guard and top outside shooter, against a team that?s won the last two meetings by an average of 25 points per. This is too many points to be giving up here.
Take #652 Louisiana-Monroe (-3) over Arkansas State (8:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
Arkansas State is 0-6 on the road this year while the Warhawks are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 home games. UL-M was humiliated against Western Kentucky on Thursday and I can assure you that they won?t shoot 22 percent again tonight. I think that UL-M is due for a breakout game and is too good to be 0-4 in conference play. I think they win. And if they win they?re going to cover against a team that is completely coming apart at the seams. The Warhawks are 10-1 ATS as a home favorite.
2-Unit Play. Take #540 Marquette (-6) over Notre Dame (2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12)
Would you believe me if I told you that Notre Dame has yet to play a road game this year? It?s true. They are playing their first true road game at Marquette and are going to get hammered. Dominic James? wrist is fine, and this game is a bit of a grudge game for a heated loss in South Bend last year. Notre Dame had trouble with the small, quick guards of Baylor and G-Tech in St. Thomas this year, their only two losses. I like what the Eagles bring to the table and I like them to hammer the Irish.