Drew Gordon
1. 200,000♦ Florida
2. 50,000♦ Nets
3. 50,000♦ Red Sox
1. Florida- Rarely do coaching ploys work as well as Gators head coach Billy Donovan's has. He took away his players practice facility and anything that had the words "Florida" written across it, to show them, that unlike the Championship teams of the past couple seasons, this group had earned nothing. It must of struck a chord, because his players responded with 3 of their most impressive wins of the season... And I say they make it 4 in a row tonight.
For anyone's who been following the NIT closely, its clear the Gators are rolling. Crushing San Diego State and Creighton in Gainseville was impressive, but traveling to Arizona State and taking care of the Sun Devils with relative ease, winning 70-57 as 3-point dogs, was a big step forward for this young Gators team. They've been led by stud freshman G Nick Calathes, who's not only running the offense with incredible efficiency, but filling up the stat sheet (triple double against Creighton). His size (6'6), along with ultra-athletic backcourt mates, Hodge and Lucas, give the Gators the necessary match ups to defend the Minutemen, who are led by their guards, Forbes and Harris.
For anyone who saw Massachusetts comeback against Syracuse in their 81-77 stunner, two things become crystal clear: A. The Minutemen are in big trouble against the Florida frontline of Speights, Werner, and Parsons. Syracuse F Onuaku dropped 20 points on UMASS overmatched frontline, and he could've had 30 if he could hit a layup. Brower, Milligan, and Bonner are the weak link on this Minutemen team, and despite playing well against the Orange, they'll get exposed tonight. And B. The Minutemen may be in for a bit of letdown here. Unlike Florida, who's been rolling, the Minutemen are lucky to be here, and played a garbage first half against Syracuse last week... That kind of inconsistency will bury them against the Gators.
Finally, while both offenses can score, you've got to give the edge to the Gators defense, which is allowing almost 8 fewer points per game on the season than the Minutemen (75 ppg vs. 67 ppg for Florida). They've got size (Calathes) and speed (Lucas, Hodge) in the backcourt, and their frontcourt can win the battle down-low on both ends of the court.
In the end, Donovan's motivational tactics have served to galvanize this talented, but sometimes inconsistent Gators squad. Since taking away their privileges, the baby Gators have responded with their best basketball of the season, and I see little reason for that to change tonight. Gators roll!
Take Florida over Massachusetts as your top-rated play of the day.
2. Nets- There's no other way to classify this game for the Nets than a "must-win." Sitting 3.5 games back from Atlanta and 8th and final playoff spot in the East, New Jersey chances may be slim, but you have to expect they make a final stand in this game, because their final 8 games features some real tough road match ups (at Detroit, at Cleveland for example).
Good news for the Nets is they match up well with the 76ers, winning 3 of their last 4 meetings (2-2 ATS). Part of it is good match ups at the right positions, as Vince Carter has dominated Willie Green, and Jefferson is athletic enough to at least equalize Iguodala's contributions. Other than that, the addition of Devin Harris gives the Nets a huge edge in speed at the point guard position, as the veteran Andre Miller will struggle to defend him.
Its also important to note the Nets have been a solid bet of late, covering 4 of their last 5 contests, including at home against the Suns in their last one. Offensively, the Nets have really picked it up of late, averaging 107 ppg on 46% shooting over their last 5 games, and that's a good sign for anyone who watched this New Jersey offense sputter all season. It'll be tough against a hard-nosed Philly defense, but like I said before, the Nets have the right match ups to get it done.
Bottom line, the Nets might as well kiss what little hopes they have at a postseason goodbye if they lose this game. While they've been inconsistent at times, I expect one of their more focused home efforts to come tonight against a 76ers squad which has had its troubles with New Jersey in the past. New Jersey protects its house and keeps their hopes alive one more game with a solid home win and cover in this one.
Take the Nets at home over the 76ers in this NBA match up.
3. Red Sox- This is tough match up all the way around for the Athletics, who despite splitting the first two games of this series in Japan, will find themselves in trouble tonight at McAfee Coliseum and here's why:
First, the Red Sox batting order may have cooled against Rich Harden, but look for them to get back on track tonight. Blanton threw 5 shutout innings in their first meeting, but I'm a believer that seeing a team two starts in a row puts the pitcher at a disadvantage. When you've got as much pop as the Red Sox have, especially since Manny Ramirez has started the season red-hot, Blanton could be headed for rough sailing in this one. Note the Red Sox were a solid bet against righties away last season, going 32-21 in that situation.
Second, while the Athletics will also be seeing Matsuzaka for the second time in less than a week, he's proven to be pretty effective at McAfee, allowing just 2 runs over 7 innings back on June 5th of last season. He took the loss in that game, as the Red Sox fell 2-0, but I expect much better support this time around. In fact, the Athletics did not fare well against righties last season in Oakland, going 28-33 in that spot.
Finally, truth be told, the Red Sox cannot be happy with the way their Tokyo trip ended, an ugly 5-1 loss. Boston's offense was almost non-existent, besides Manny ofcourse, and I expect they'll come out swinging in this one. Blanton is no pushover, but again, I believe seeing him for the second time in less than a week, puts him at a distinct disadvantage against this high-powered Red Sox batting order. In the end, Boston's bats are too much, while Dice-K holds his own once again at McAfee.
Take the Red Sox behind Matsuzaka over the Athletics and Blanton in late MLB action.