BEN BURNS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
SOUTH CAROLINA
Game: Kentucky vs. South Carolina Game Time: 3/5/2008 7:00:00 PM Prediction: South Carolina Reason: I'm laying the small number with SOUTH CAROLINA. Headed nowhwere in the postseason and with a coach that is retiring, alot of people thought that the Gamecocks no longer cared. They showed that wasn't the case last time out though, as they rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit for a 69-63 victory at Auburn, proving that they weren't just content to "play out the string." Their final game comes at Tennessee, where nobody wins, so this is by far their best chance to earn a final victory for Coach Dave Odom and is their last chance to do so in front of the home fans. I expect the the Gamecocks to rally around Odom and build momentum from the comeback win at Auburn. Note that South Carolina is 11-6 ATS when coming off a win over a conference opponent the past three seasons. During that stretch the Gamecocks are also an impressive 12-1 ATS when playing in the month of March. South Carolina played Kentucky fairly tough when the teams met earlier at Lexington. The Gamecocks lost 78-70 at Lexington. The Wildcats shot 51% from the floor and got 22 points and nine rebound from Patrick Patterson. They're not likely to shoot so well away from home though and they won't have Patterson available as he's out from injury. I also believe that this is an extremely difficult spot for the Wildcats. In addition to having a huge "revenge" game on deck vs. Florida in their home and regular season finale, the Wildcats are also coming off a very hard fought loss at Tennessee and figure to "have left a lot on the floor." Look for the loss of Patterson to catch up with them here as the revenge-minded Gamecocks earn the win and cover
*Personal Favorite
SOUTH CAROLINA
SETON HALL
Game: Syracuse vs. Seton Hall Game Time: 3/5/2008 7:00:00 PM Prediction: Seton Hall Reason: I'm taking the points with SETON HALL. After a tough loss at St. John's, the Pirates still need a win (or a loss by St. John's) to make the Big East Tournament. They host a bad Rutgers team next, so that shoudn't be a problem. However, they still haven't given up the (rather far-fetched) idea that they have a shot at the Big Dance. In order to achieve that goal, they need to win both these regular season games and then make some major noise in the Conference Tournament. In fact, they'd probably still need to win the tournament, or at least advance to the finals, to have a shot. I'm not saying that's going to happen. However, it does provide the Pirates with plenty of motivation here. Syracuse is in the much the same position. In fact, the Orange have an identical conference record, are fighting to "stay on the bubble" and they're also coming off a rather devastating loss. I feel that they're more "deflated" about their position in the standings than the Pirates though. The Pirates' primary goal at the beginning of the season was just to make the Big East Tournament. Syracuse, on the other hand, always has fairly lofty expectations. Those expectations grew bigger when the team won six in a row over Christmas. The Orange have come crashing back to earth recently though, losing five of six, including each of their three road losses. That includes a double-digit loss vs. South Florida, a team which isn't nearly as good as Seton Hall. The most recent loss, vs. rival Pittsburgh, was arguably the worst of the bunch. The Orange turned the ball over 18 times against the Panthers, and made numberous mental mistakes while blowing an 11 point lead in the final four minutes. The Orange are a young team, one which is both banged-up and tired. They're just 2-7 ATS on the season when facing a team which averages 77 or more points per game, 6-15 ATS in that role the past three seasons. Today, they'll face a Seton Hall team which averages 78 on the season and 83.5 here at home. Look for the Pirates, who are 11-4 at home on the year, to do the better job of shaking off the recent loss, earning the minor upset along the way.
*False Favorite GOM
SETON HALL
