Turns out, I should have played first half for everything yesterday, as at the halfway point, everything looked great for my bets. Leverkusen and Juventus led 1-0 at the break, Richmond was tied with VCU, Nebraska trailed Maryland by two and Green Bay once again couldn’t hit the bay at 10 feet. What could go wrong?
The second half. Leverkusen managed to lose in a goalfest, Juve found a way to draw and Richmond and Nebraska decided not to bother showing up in the second half. Even my play of the day nearly fell apart when Purdue Fort Wayne kept pushing the tempo. Luckily, I at least got that one right to prevent a complete disaster. But still, Friday wasn’t good.
With over 140 games on the slate Saturday, it’s time to get right. Here are my plays for February 19.
TEXAS TECH TTU 61.5, -110
The Red Raiders shot the lights out from behind the arc in Lubbock with the crowd backing them up. That’s not likely to happen again in Austin. Texas Tech is not a great 3-point shooting team and will likely struggle to produce points against Texas, which has been outstanding at home this season. Expect a lower-scoring affair this time.
AUBURN -3.5, -110
Yes, I know Auburn hasn’t been good on the road this season. However, are we even sure Florida is good anywhere? The Gators have one big win to their name over Ohio State. Other than that? Their best win all year is Mississippi State, which hasn’t won a road game all season. Florida does enough to beat the bad teams, but nowhere near enough against quality competition to produce results.
NORTH CAROLINA-VIRGINIA TECH O145, -110
77, 83, 98, 85, 78. Those are the amount of points North Carolina has given up in its past five games away from Chapel Hill. Heck, after giving up 87 to Duke, 81 to N.C. State and 76 to Pittsburgh in the Smith Center, North Carolina’s defense isn’t good no matter where it plays. Virginia Tech should be able to push the tempo here and put up some solid numbers on the Heels.
NORTHWESTERN -3.5, -110
Per Andy Greder, Minnesota’s going to be down its point guard and could lose more depending on game-time decisions. Plus, the Wildcats have been playing with enthusiasm as of late. Northwestern has a favorable schedule the rest of the way and could emerge with an NIT-worthy 17-13 mark heading to the Big Ten tournament. If the Wildcats want to play in the postseason, they need to take care of the Gophers.
WEBER STATE -5.5, -110
Northern Colorado is coming off a loss to Idaho State in Pocatello. While the Bengals have played much better as of late and are no longer an automatic fade, a team that’s coming off a loss to Idaho State is in no way ready to head down I-15 and take down Weber State. Besides, the Wildcats need this one to keep the pressure on Montana State for first place in the Big Sky, so look for them to pull away here.
