Wednesday games, Thursday odds…

Overall: 68-14 (83%)
Vs. Spread: 19-17 (53%)

Thursday Games

South Carolina (84) vs. Baylor (92): Well…I lost every spread today. This one was the least embarassing, though, as Baylor has been rockin’ so far this season. Two Bears scored more than 20 points, while no Gamecocks managed to do the same. Raley-Ross and Downey each has 18 points on a collective 12-of-25 shooting performance and Downey approached his second double-double of the season with nine assists – but also five turnovers. This game was simply a case of hot shooting by Baylor.
Stat of the Game: Baylor’s 11-of-21 mark (52.4%) from behind the arc

LSU (49) @ Wichita State (69): This was easily the Tigers’ worst loss so far this season. The Shockers’ best victory thus far was Illinois-Chicago with a loss to a terrible Monmouth team mixed in, and Miles dropped the game by twenty. Absolutely no Tigers could find their stroke from the field today, as the best scorer was Thornton with 12 points despite a 3-of-13 mark from the floor, although he did lead the game with 11 rebounds. If the Shockers wouldn’t have hit only 2-of-19 (10.5%) of their three-pointers, this could have been a 30+ point blowout.
Stat of the Game: WSU’s 44-28 rebound advantage

Mississippi State (85) @ Loyola Marymount (54): Of course the Bulldogs wipe the floor with a team after I finally decide to stop picking with them against the spread. Gordon could easily have topped 30-35 points on the game had the backups not seen so much playing time, though he still managed to come within 2 points of his career high of 27 points. Gordon rebounded from a 1-of-14 performance against South Alabama by hitting 9-of-14 from the floor on the night, including a career-best 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Rhodes notched his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Varnado fell just one block shy of the all-time MSU single-game blocked shot record he set just two games ago with 9.
Stat of the Game: Hansbrough/Gordon with a combined 14:5 assist-turnover ratio

Florida (89) vs. Charleston Southern (64): Calathes again led the Gators with 18 points and also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds (keeping in mind this is a freshman), and three other squad members scored 12 points or more. Walter Hodge had an especially impressive gave, dishing out 6 assists and not turning the ball over, along with five steals. That’s a solid roleplayer. I’ll go ahead and say this…this team is going to win another national championship with these players.
Stat of the Game: Florida’s +14 turnover margin

Tennessee (86) vs. UNC-Asheville (73): In my opinion, Tennessee can now officially be ruled out as a national title contender. Why, you ask? The team is loaded with talent, yes, but it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Bruce Pearl simply can’t coach defense. UNC-Asheville is a decent squad but the Bulldogs managed to score 73 points on the Volunteers, as the Vols rank eighth in the conference in scoring defense. Defense wins championships – ever heard it? It’s true. Lofton tried, and almost failed, to carry the team on his back by shooting 17 times – and only hitting 7 of those – and only 4-of-12 from behind the arc. He did, however, shoot a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe to tie his season high with 24 points.
Stat of the Game: Tennessee’s 29 three-pointers attempted

Auburn (68) vs. Mercer (59): The Tigers’ slight rebound and turnover margins afforded them this victory, as the Tigers managed to attempt 11 more shots than the Bears. Barrett put up an obscene 21 attempts and only hit 8 of them, but still managed 17 points. Robertson actually recorded a negative assist-to-turnover ratio at 1:3, but recorded eight rebounds.
Stat of the Game: Mercer’s 8:19 assist-to-turnover ratio

Alabama (75) vs. Texas Pan-America (65): Four Tide squad members scored in double digits and the Broncs were outrebounded 34-21 and Alabama still only managed a 10-point victory over TPAU. Alabama certainly could have helped their cause by shooting better than 58.3% from free throw. And…surprise! Hendrix proved to be the most reliable Tide member, scoring a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbing 8 rebounds and gee attempted an identical 12 shots. That’s about how it should be at this point.
Stat of the Game: Alabama’s +13 rebound margin

Arkansas (90) vs. Northwestern State (59): This was about the blowout it should have been. This was another one of those typical dominated-in-every-way type games, as the Razorbacks shot better, took more shots, and outrebounded the Demons. Sonny Weems had the biggest game of his season with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting as Townes recorded 17 and Beverly scored 16.
Stat of the Game: NWSU’s 11:23 assist-to-turnover ratio

Thursday Odds

Ole Miss vs. DePaul
Spread: Ole Miss by 8
Pick: Ole Miss – DePaul is 2-5 despite a close outing against Vanderbilt, and the Rebels should win by 10+.

Georgia vs. East Tennessee State
Spread: Georgia by 9
Pick: Georgia – ETSU is playing talented teams closely, but the Dawgs are also hot right now.