NCAA Basketball Picks 1/23/08
Written January 23, 2008 by Jack Jones
Last night we put up two complete duds so it’s a good thing getting blown out doesn’t hurt us any more than those close losses. Four solid plays for tonight so let’s get back some of those losses from last night.
UMass +7
UMass comes into this game with a better record yet they are getting a significant amount of points on the road at St. Joe’s. The reason is that they are just doing enough to win games, as evidenced by their only covering one time in their last six lined games. St. Joe’s on the other hand has covered in seven out of eight, but the problem is that the linesmakers have over adjusted due to the recent trends. Take advantage of that by taking the points here tonight.
Cincinnati -2.5
The line on this game might be so low since the Huskies are coming off a double digit blowout of Marquette, but Connecticut is 1-9 ATS on the road the last two seasons after a win by ten points or more and they are 0-6 ATS when they take to the road after two straight home stands. Cincinnati is 6-0 ATS when playing their second game in 8 or more days this year and they are 8-2 ATS after playing a game as an underdog. The Bearcats lost to Memphis at home by only 10 points, and since haven’t missed a cover in front of their home crowd. Lay the points.
South Carolina +1.5
Everyone and their brother is going to be on Florida tonight but we are going to buck that trend and take the Gamecocks. South Carolina has done well over the past couple of seasons taking on top tier teams because they seem to play up to the level of their competition. Florida hasn’t played that well on the road this year, so we are going to take the home dog here tonight.
Baylor +9
The Bears are a lot better than people are giving them credit for, as they have already matched last season’s win total. Texas A&M is trying to come back off of two blowout losses to Texas Tech and Kansas State, not exactly two of the Big 12 powerhouses. The Bears have won four straight games and even though they haven’t played tough competition their record does stand at 15-2 and 6-0 on the road. Take the points.
Record 22-26 -660
