FERRINGO full card
2-Unit Play. Take South Carolina (-2) over Kentucky (7 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
This is the same basic idea as the Seton Hall bet. Kentucky played out of its mind in the second half of their game over the weekend at Tennessee. Now they?re on the road against a less talented team, but one that is playing its final home game and wants to send venerable coach Dave Odom out with a W. This is going to be a tough one to get up for if you?re UK so we?re going to fade away and look for a big USC win.
1.5-Unit Play. Take #734 Seton Hall (+3) over Syracuse (7 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
I have been watching Syracuse basketball games since I was 8 years old and I don?t know if I?ve ever witnessed a more crushing loss by the Orangemen than the one they endured over the weekend at home against Pitt. Now they have to travel to Jersey (a place where no SU team has ever really performed well) and take on a Seton Hall team that, while not very talented, is scrappy and has some offensive performers that can break down the SU zone. Syracuse has shown that they can get blown out on the road against an inferior foe (see: at South Florida) and I think if SU has a hangover from the Pitt game they could get waxed here as well.
THESE ARE THE ADDED PLAYS - ADDED AT 2:30 P.M. EST
3-Unit Play. Take #736 Richmond (-3) over Fordham (7 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
Fordham is shaky and for some reason the oddsmakers love them. I'll be all over Fordham for their last home game, but Richmond has very quietly been one of the best stories of the A-10. They've been playing very well and, although they don't handle the favorite role well, could roll the Rams tonight in their final home game. It's an awkward travel day for Fordham and
3-Unit Play. Take #773 East Carolina (+1.5) over Rice (8:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
So, why doesn?t this game fall into the same category as SU and Kentucky? Well, because Rice stinks and they have no homecourt advantage. They are in football country, so no one cares about them anyway, but the off-site facility where they play gives them virtually no home-court edge. ECU is coming off a huge win over Houston and could have a letdown, but they beat Rice by 19 in the first meeting. Their road numbers for the year are also very skewed because they?ve played in the six toughest venues in the conference. I think they win outright and give us the cash.
2.5-Unit Play. Take #764 Auburn (-3) over Georgia (8 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
Georgia is a dead stick. They have dropped five straight overall and six of seven since Billy Humphrey was booted off the team. Auburn is inconsistent as any SEC club but they shoot much better and play with much more defensive confidence at home. UGA has nothing to play for, so as the crowd builds the momentum for the home team on Senior Night I can see the Dawgs rolling over. UGA has loss all of its conference road games, and dumped each one by six points or more. Also, even if you throw out the bloodletting at Tennessee they are losing SEC road games by an average of 8.7 points per game.
2-Unit Play. Take #780 Baylor (-1.5) over Texas A&M (9 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
Baylor is solid at home, A&M is awful on the road, and the Bears already beat A&M in College Station this year. Baylor is streaky. But I think that TAM?s guards will be totally overmatched in this one. Baylor?s bigs also put up better numbers at home. And while A&M should hold a rebounding edge, I don?t think it will make up for my projected free throw and 3-point shooting disparity. Look for late free throws to ice this one and a nice 7-point win for the Bears on Senior Night.
2-Unit Play. Take #748 Vanderbilt (-4) over Mississippi State (8 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
Mississippi State may be the SEC team not named Tennessee that is best equipped for a serious NCAA Tournament run. However, you gotta respect what Vanderbilt is capable of at home and this number is a little short. It should be MSU around +6.5 so we have some decent value. Heck, even at 6.5 Vandy would be awful tempting. But we?re going to lay the short number and look for another solid performance out of the SEC?s best home team.
2-Unit Play. Take #749 Central Florida (+7.5) over Houston (8 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
I think UCF matches up very, very well with Houston, as evidenced by their close loss at home to the Cougars earlier this year. Both teams run three-guard offenses and I think this number is a little thick on a pair of teams that can put points on the board in a hurry. Over the last two seasons these teams have played three times and all three have been decided by three points. Let?s hope that the 3?s are falling for UCF tonight as I think they sneak under this number in a close loss.
2-Unit Play. Take Tennessee (-2.5) over Florida (9 p.m., Wednesday, March 5)
Tennessee got their scare at home against Kentucky after losing at Vanderbilt. But Florida is completely overrated. They had a nice run in the middle of the season but I think their time is up and their freshmen are hitting The Wall. Florida got smoked at UT (giving up over 100 points) and they want to run-and-gun. Well, that plays right into Tennessee?s hands. I expect Florida to come out smoking and build some kind of double-digit lead in the first half. But then the Vols are going to snap out of it and go on something like a 28-12 run and put this one away. Just too much firepower.
That's it for tonight. Good luck.
