::Friday:: 2/27 (245-251-0) -37.5 units

1* 207-210

2* 29-31

3* 7-8

4* 1-1

5* 1-1

1* Yale/Cornell Over 165.5

We are getting the top two offenses in the Ivy, and the worst defense in the Ivy.  Cornell can score with anyone, but they can't stop a nosebleed.  Two weeks ago, Penn scored 82 points while shooting 3-20 from 3.  That's hard to do.  Similar story in their last game vs Harvard.  The Crimson scored 73 points and shot 9-28 from 3.  Bad news for Cornell, cause Yale doesn't miss very often from 3.  They boast the second best 3pt% in the country.  They don't take a ton of them, but enough to get them to 90 tonight.  Cornell can very easily get to 80 with their tempo, and the amount of 3s they take/make.

1* Penn Quakers -6.5

Penn won @ Dartmouth by 10 back in January, and have won 4 of 5, with the lone loss being @ conference leader Yale by 4 last weekend.  Fran is great coach and his team is getting better.  If the Quakers win this game, they will solidify themselves a spot in the 4 team Ivy tournament.  Dartmouth has some motivation too, they can win out and sneak in as the 4 seed I believe.  But, they have turnover issues, and Penns defense is the 2nd most opportunistic D in the league.  Penn will need the 3s to be going down, but in their home gym, in a big game, I'm betting they do.

1* Dayton/George Washington Under 153.5

GW just scored 104 points vs La Salle.  They shot 80% from 2, and 46% from 3.  They certainly have to regress, and Dayton, coming off that emotional payback win vs SLU, shot the lights out of the gym early on in that game so they can come back to earth a little too.  The Flyers defense has been GREAT during their four game winning streak, not allowing anyone to get to 68 points.  Defense travels.

1* Canisius Golden Griffins +10.5

Merrimack has locked up the league title, and has nothing left to gain in the final two games of the year.  Plus their last two games they've played 3 total overtime periods. Not that Canisius does have much to play for, but their starters will play the full game, and I don't think the Warriors will.  There is no need to risk anything at this point for them.  Get them 25 mins, and get them out of the game.  In what is to be expected, a low scoring game, getting double digits seems like a gift. 

1* Fairfield Stags +1.5

Revenge spot for the Stags, and their defense at home is MUCH better than on the road.  They haven't let an opponent get to 70 points on their home floor since November.  It's only happened twice all year.  One game went to OT.  I think the Stags win this game personally.  Siena needs their offense to carry most of the weight, and I don't think they will be able to tonight.  This is a huge game too, as Fairfield currently sits in 6th place, but only two games back of Siena who are tied for second with St Pete.  So, revenge spot, in a big game, on their home floor, and I'm getting points.  Lots to like. 

1* Manhattan/ St. Peters Under 145

This game played to 155 on Feb 5th, but the stakes were much lower.  St Pete has dropped two straight on the road to fall back into the second place spot, with 5 other teams breathing down their neck.  They DESPERATELY need to play well and get a win tonight.  Any coach worth a damn will tell you that defense is where everything starts.  I think that is reflected in tonights game.  The Cocks  already play a slow brand of basketball, so couple that with good defensive intensity, and Manhattans really poor offense, and I think this stays under the number.

1* Georgia St Panthers +1.5

Panthers lost the first match up two weeks ago by 23 points.  Huge revenge spot.  This is also Old Dominions third straight road game to close out the year, and they've dropped the first two already.  They are 3-14 on the road all year.  Probably cause they give up over 80ppg on the road, and Georgia Sts defense is giving up under 70 ppg on their home floor.  I think the Panthers win the game. 

1* Illinois Fightin Illini +1.5

The Illini are coming off a loss @ UCLA, cause the west coast trips are hard, but it's also been nearly a week, so I'm not too concerned about the travel being an issue.  They've actually lost 3 of their last 5, so they need to clean up their act if they want to stay on that 2-3 seed line in the big dance. They have the size to really be a problem for Michigan, especially at the guard poistions.  They play that zone defense which forces teams to score from the perimeter, and that isn't Michigans game.  Dusty Mays offense is meant to get everything at the rim in pick and rolls and dribble drives.  That isn't going to happen easily tonight.  

1* Marshall Thundering Herd -6.5

There is a four way tie atop the Sun Belt and Marshall is one of them.  Everyone only has one game left, and they are all tonight.  Marshall will know by halftime, the results of most of them.  The other 3 are favored to win, so I think the only way we don't get a full on blow out in this game (they do also have revenge from a 101-87 loss two weeks ago) is if the rest of the teams at the top all lose and Marshall calls off the dogs and gets guys out of the game.  I don't see that happening and I think the Herd win by double digits. 

Good luck STL 

GL STL 

@STLTarHeels

STLTH......

Good stuff.  Bol