Christian Laettner’s Parlay Picks – Syracuse vs. Memphis and Michigan State vs. Wisconsin
by Aaron Torres
He’s one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time. And now he’s bringing his insight and expertise to BetFlix to help you with your college basketball bets. He’s Christian Laettner, two-time National Player of the Year, and two-time National Champion at Duke, and he’s BetUS.com’s newest college basketball analyst.
In this week’s games, Laettner likes Michigan State to defeat Wisconsin, and Syracuse to defeat Memphis.
First for the Michigan State game.
Laettner mentions that both teams are led by outstanding guards, and it’d be hard to disagree with him. Trevon Hughes leads the Badgers with over 16 points, five rebounds and three assists per game, while Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas was last year’s Big 10 player of the year.
But the biggest advantage Laettner cites, is that Michigan State will be at home Wednesday night. And looking at the statistics, Laettner appears to be right on target. The Spartans are 8-0 at the Breslin Center this year, and were 12-2 at home in 2009.
Beyond just the home court advantage though, Michigan State simply has the better athletes in the frontcourt. They are led by Draymond Green and Raymar Morgan, both of which are averaging double-digit points, with Green this team’s leading rebounder at 7.9 per game. Wisconsin counters with the talented Jon Leuer (15.8 points per game and 5.8 rebounds). And while the 6’10 Leuer has been successful this year, he also hasn’t run up against a frontcourt as talented as Michigan State’s.
Take Laettner’s Michigan State pick, and run with it. The Spartans should win their first Big 10 home game of the 2010 season comfortably on Wednesday night.
Laettner also likes Syracuse to win at home against Memphis. Much like Michigan State, Syracuse is practically unbeatable at the Carrier Dome, as they started 9-0 at home, before losing their first game of the year to Pittsburgh last Saturday.
As Laettner discussed, the Orange are led by Iowa State transfer Wesley Johnson, and the junior from Texas should have a big game Wednesday night. He is Syracuse’s leading scorer and rebounder on the season.
The other advantage that Syracuse will have is that undoubtedly, they have the better big guys up front. On the year, Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson have been a terror for opponents, combining to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.
When you combine them with Johnson in the frontcourt, and Brandon Triche and Andy Rautins in the backcourt, it will be too much for Memphis to handle. Especially on the road.
Laettner likes the Orange in Wednesday’s college basketball betting odds, and so do I. Take them by at least eight points.
