TJ Rives:

And I have known for about 14 or 15 hours how things are likely going to go in the beginning of this show and deservedly so as my Memphis Tigers once again put in a garbage performance at home and lost for the third straight time with all the talent that they have.

TJ Rives:

So, anyway guys, we are going to focus on some other games et cetera, but the Big Man on campus has already launched on social media. He’s going to launch here too I’m sure about Penny Hardaway in a little bit. First of all, Mid Major Matt, welcome back. First time since Monday that we’ve had you on the show. How are things? How’s your week been?

Matt Josephs:

I just wish you’d stop asking me stupid questions. I’m trying really hard over here. I’m just coaching. I’m just making college basketball picks really hard over here, TJ. So, less with enough stupid questions.

TJ Rives:

That would be the nice job, the reference to Penny Hardaway’s postgame, although Matt did clean it up after his team lost last night to SMU a game, where in the first six, seven minutes of the game, Memphis did not score a point at home and it got no better the rest of the night.

TJ Rives:

Let’s go ahead and get it out of the way. Big Man, good to be back with you. I know you’ve already launched on Penny Hardaway’s tirade against the media. It’s not good in the River City right now.

Jeff Naidu:

Well, yeah, I mean, it’s him constantly blaming everybody else for his own problems. I mean, I’m not even going to say what he’s acting like because it wouldn’t be fair. But ultimately, he’s out of control, I mean, this nonsense. And stopped disrespecting me, bro.

Jeff Naidu:

I mean, what is he going on about? I mean, it’s the same old stuff. This is the same guy that lied about his team’s COVID vaccination status. This is the guy that’s blamed his young players, his old players. He’s blamed the refs. He’s blamed the media. He blames everybody but himself.

Jeff Naidu:

The truth of the matter is he’s not a good coach. We’ve come to realize that. We know, look, he’s a legend in the NBA. I’ve said before. I said on the video. I remember seeing him as a coach as he walked out with his phones on him. It was awesome. He’s a legend, but he’s not a good basketball coach. And that’s pretty, pretty evident.

Jeff Naidu:

And the other coaches, the assistants, I saw Rasheed Wallace is taking a leave of absence and probably not going to be back. I mean, there’s a lot of issues here. And it’s hard, the guy at the top. He’s not good. And he’s not a good coach.

Jeff Naidu:

And I know there’s a guy in the comments that always comments on why I talk about Penny because, look, my love is college basketball. My job is to talk about it on this show. And I’m not going to sugarcoat stuff. We’ve got to stop sugarcoating things to make people feel okay. He’s not a good coach. And he needs to stop blaming everybody else for his problem.

TJ Rives:

And so again, just for full perspective, I was in school becoming a broadcaster, not a basketball player, while Penny was there. And you have no bigger person in his corner in terms of an allegiance with an alum who was there while he was there. He is beloved, or he has been up until now in that city. And it has gone so bad, so quickly in the blame game that’s going on.

TJ Rives:

Again, we’ll move on to other subjects in a second. I don’t see any other way that this ends other than him, either on his own deciding, “I’m stepping away.”, or they are now going to almost be forced to say, “How do you want to portray this?” But we got to have somebody else if this is going to come completely unraveled, especially with the talent that Memphis has.

Jeff Naidu:

But remember-

TJ Rives:

Yeah, go ahead.

Jeff Naidu:

Real quick. This whole argument that he had last night, it makes no sense. What was your excuse, as I said, in losing to Georgia? You had your whole team then. What was the excuse in losing by 19 to Iowa State? You had your whole team then?

Jeff Naidu:

What about Ole Miss? You had your whole team there. What about Murray State? You had your whole team there. I mean, this is what people do that are making excuses. There’s never a reason it’s their fault. It’s always everybody else’s. This guy’s argument is nonsense.

TJ Rives:

Yes, that’s right.

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, I’m not going to say the other but it’s not. And this is again, these are not isolated problems on a three or four game stretch. Matt knows this. Anyone that watches college basketball knows this. Since Penny Hardaway arrived, they have had a turnover rate in the 300s every year.

Jeff Naidu:

Since Pennyway Hardaway arrived, they’ve had a free throw percentage in the 300s every year, their non-skilled percentage, which again is aided by mistakes you make has been low every year. They don’t have a point guard every year. They have players that just don’t mesh every year. This is what you do when you pimp yourself out for recruits. It’s that simple.

TJ Rives:

And again, just one more time, preseason top 10 and it looks like right now that short of a miracle run to win the American Conference tournament, they won’t make the NCAA tournament for the seventh year in a row at Memphis, which is hard to fathom when we were talking so much about this team in November, and it’s unraveled.

TJ Rives:

All right, let’s move on to what we’re up to here on the show. And that is the records through last night. Again, for both Jeff Naidu and Kyle Hunter who were aboard on the show, Big Man was one in one laying the points with VMI.

TJ Rives:

How about North Dakota with a losing record hung in in conference play with Oral Roberts? So, Jeff split his picks last night. Kyle Hunter split his picks as well. He did get a cover with the over on the Weber State Idaho State game. So, you can see records are improving there on the overall records from last night.

TJ Rives:

And as we come back on the screen before we get to the slate tonight, it’s a shorter slate. Let me say to the audience, get some questions in the Q&A as well. We will also have a little bit of a preview of Saturday. As we head to the weekend, we don’t have lines as of yet as we do the show live at 1:00 Eastern Time here on Friday.

TJ Rives:

But that doesn’t preempt us from talking about some Saturday games that will be very interesting at least on the national scale. And Matt may have a couple of them on the mid major scale that he’s looking at for Saturday. We’ll do that in a couple of moments.

TJ Rives:

But from last night, a couple of other games that stood out, Indiana does get the win over Purdue. Mid Major Matt, just a thought on that as the Hoosier storm the court after the game, got the win over Purdue, arguably a signature win for first year coach, Mike Woodson. Any thoughts from you on that real quick?

Matt Josephs:

I’m just really glad that plucky mid-major program Indiana, he was able to storm the court after a game like that. I mean, it’s a program that’s just having such a hard to see. Oh wait, they’re 14-4 and they’re Big Ten blueblood. And they’re storming the court after beam. That was embarrassing. Come on. You’re the Indiana Hoosiers.

Matt Josephs:

Calbert Cheaney is probably sad seeing. I saw Isiah Thomas. He’s like, “That’s Indiana basketball.” Really? Storm in the court after beating your rival at home, that’s Indiana basketball? You’re 14-4. You’re not 4-14. You’re not 1-20. I mean, that was a joke. And to see Robert Phinisee go nuts, that was a joke, too. I mean, this is why I can’t trust Purdue.

Jeff Naidu:

This, I’m glad he mentioned that. There’s nothing worse when you bet a basketball game when some benchwarmer water boy that hasn’t ever scored 20 points in his life goes off and just can’t miss. It’s just a day in the sun for Rob Phinisee. Had his LeBron James’s performance. He’ll never do that again. It’s just brutal. There’s nothing worse than that.

Jeff Naidu:

And look, can we also talk a bit about, real quick, Purdue with Trevion Williams? I’ve never seen an individual around the rim struggle at times more than him. And he makes everything so difficult around the rim. Dunk the basketball for God’s sakes. Why you always try to lay the ball? Dunk the basketball for God’s sakes. I’ve had it with some of these kids and the way they play. Dunk the basketball.

TJ Rives:

Man, there is some venom and some bitterness at the beginning of the show. We got to liven it up and brighten it up. Hey, let’s talk about Gonzaga. Mid Major Matt, we wondered if San Francisco was going to give them a bit of a test. We said on the show yesterday, they were averaging, what, 110, 157, 183 points a game over the last three games. At least San Francisco didn’t give up three digits. They gave up, what, 80. Yes, Gonzaga won the game. Matt, a quick thought on that.

Matt Josephs:

I mean, the [Chatholm 00:09:06]-Green game, that was really good. And look, you got some pieces from Hickman and Salus. I mean, looking back, it looked really good. The threes weren’t falling early. San Francisco had some foul trouble, but yeah, this is what Gonzaga does, especially at home. You got to play a really good game.

Matt Josephs:

And also, last night, the key is getting a good number because that thing hung around. If you got in early, you got to cover with San Francisco. And if you got in late with San Francisco, you lost because they had 16 cracks at the basket in the last 10 seconds and couldn’t put any of them in.

TJ Rives:

That was wild. Pac-12 by the way, Big Man, we were talking at the end of the show yesterday that USC was playing Colorado, UCLA was playing Utah, and that you might want to get in on the first game of the two at elevation. Both of them won. The Trojans first win over Colorado in eight tries. They had lost seven straight.

TJ Rives:

And UCLA after Mick Cronin was saying, “Hey, now we got to go on the road and play in front of fans.”, they go to Salt Lake and beat what is a bad Utah team. But they did win the game last night. Now, the two will flip-flop on the weekend where USC will go to Utah, UCLA will go to Colorado. Just any quick thought, Jeff, before we get to the schedule of the games?

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, be careful what you wish for if you’re Cronin. I mean, sometimes that little atmosphere, we don’t have to deal with screaming people. And you’re here. It can help. Wasn’t easy, but he’ll take the win. I also will comment, Arizona, that team just continues to pound opponents. And look, I think they welcomed not having a crowd in front of them last night. They cruised via UCLA. Not a vintage effort, but he’ll take that performance defensively.

Jeff Naidu:

And shout to USC, they continue to do their thing as well with a nice win at Colorado. Not easy to do. But as you alluded to, Kyle mentioned this yesterday, maybe taking a look at fading USC on Saturday back-to-back Utah-Colorado trip, not easy.

TJ Rives:

And again, I saw some of the second half of that USC game and the Colorado crowd, loud, full arena. They’re on their campus. They had the battle against that while the LA schools have no one at their games currently right now, and we belabor that point enough.

TJ Rives:

All right. Speaking of games, let’s get to the ones on Friday. What you’re tuning in to watch us talk about here on the Friday live show at 1:00 Eastern Time game number one this evening on the Friday slate is a MACtion game. It is Toledo and Ohio battling this evening, with Ohio laying four and a half. Our total is 149, both handicappers on this game. Mid Major Matt, begin things on your play this evening. Sir, what do you have?

Matt Josephs:

I mean, I’ve made a lot of money betting online on the Toledo team total overs this year, although they did fall half a point short in this Ball State game and there was walk-on who missed two layups apparently in the last minute that prevented me from winning.

Matt Josephs:

But I’ll go back to the wall here with them. And I mean, you look at this Rockets’ offense. And you see Dennis, and you see Shumate. And you see all these guys, and they play with a really good pace. And in conference play, they’re shooting 50% from two, 39% from three, and 81.5% from the free throw line. All crucial numbers here.

Matt Josephs:

Now, look, Ohio has good numbers defensively. But if you also look, while they’re winning these games at home, they’re also giving up a lot of points. They gave 80 to Belmont, 71 to Robert Morris. They gave up 75 to St. Francis PA at home. They give 70 to USC Upstate at home, 72 to Kent State and 72 at the Bowling Green. So, it’s like they’re winning, they’re scoring a lot of points.

Matt Josephs:

The over was a little bit higher than I wanted to for the game. So, I said once again, I’ll just go back to my old reliable here. I’d like the Toledo Rockets last year. They went over this team total in both matchups last year against the Bobcats, and that was a better Ohio team than we saw this year. So, I’m going back to ol’ reliable for me, the over on the team total for Toledo.

TJ Rives:

All right. Again, the game at Ohio, Big Man, you also have a play on this game. Both of you are getting in on this, Matt, game. What do you like, sir?

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, I’m on the same play over 72 and a half Toledo. I agree wholeheartedly. I think he’s 100% right. When you look at Toledo, I think they’re the better offense here, surely. I mean, they valued possessions. They’re pretty balanced. They can hit you from three, but they’re also really good getting to the line, making their free throws, and you’re in the two-point variety.

Jeff Naidu:

So, I think they could do a little bit of everything here. As Matt alluded to, hit both these last year. But the big thing for me in this game as well is, you look at the pace these two teams play. I think there’s going to be a lot of up and down movement in this game. I think both teams are going to get up there.

Jeff Naidu:

And if you look at this total, sharp money came in about this total. It’s moved about three points. So, I think we in the market, particularly sharp money people, expect a higher scoring game here. You look at Toledo. They’ve scored 72 or more in seven of the last eight games. They’ve really been able to flex their muscles and get at least into the mid-70s, even into the 80s.

Jeff Naidu:

They average 79 points a game. I think this number is a little low here. They get a good game back and forth. I think both these teams get mid-70s. I don’t really want to pick a winner. I don’t really want to get on the side or anything. Because look, this could be 75, 73. And if you got a bad number, you’re not going to hit this over.

Jeff Naidu:

So, I just want to focus on the offense that I like. I like the guard play. I like everything Toledo has. I’m going to agree with Matt here. I like the over as well at 72 and a half for Toledo.

TJ Rives:

There have been a couple of COVID postponements or cancellations. But Ohio has won nine games in a row, and their last loss is at LSU, December 1st. So, they have been on quite a win streak. They are playing at home. And again, both of our handicappers in this situation are on Toledo, and what they like for tonight.

TJ Rives:

So, let’s lock it in for both Jeff Naidu and Mid Major Matt. They’re going over the Toledo team total at 72 and a Half. Could be a very entertaining game coming up tonight in MAC Action. I’ll mention before we go to our next game, again, get a couple of questions. We’re ready to go.

TJ Rives:

You see it’s not a very long schedule that we have right now for the Friday show. So, get a couple of questions going for the Q&A. We’ll have those. I’ll throw in a couple too for this weekend and the games. You see the reminder there on the screen as well. Subscribe away, hit the like button, hit the bell, share us out.

TJ Rives:

We’ve gone over the 1000 subscriber mark and we want to keep climbing. We want to set a goal that by the time we get to March, I want to see 1,500 subscribers. I think we can get there. I think we may be able to get to more than that. But right now, I’ll take that as… it’s like with Penny Hardaway playing Tulsa on Sunday. Can we just win a game? I’ll take just a win. Right?

TJ Rives:

I think we can get there. But again, that’s going to take your help, the viewers that are watching us here on BetUS. Subscribe, share it out. We’re doing the same thing with social media. We’re here Monday through Friday at 1:00 Eastern Time.

TJ Rives:

Okay, game number two. Again, off the beaten path a little bit but a Friday night with Long Island hosting Wagner. Wagner coming in as a five-and-a-half-point favorite. 145 is our total. And Mid Major Matt, we are back to you for what the official play will be on this game tonight.

Matt Josephs:

So, for those who are into the KenPom stuff, as Jeff put on Monday when we did the show, now it’s about the time to start flipping them over to the conference part. Because a lot of these smaller conferences, their numbers are going to get skewed a little bit because of all the games they would play against Power 5 schools or teams that are steps up in their competition.

Matt Josephs:

And much like the Vermont team total which I’ve been hitting a lot, you got to find these teams that are really hot offensively. And Wagner is about as hot as you can get, 95, 81, 84. And actually, I believe on the show on Monday, I had the Wagner team total over, and it sailed over because they scored 95 on Fairleigh Dickinson. You look at this team. They’re shooting almost 62% from two-point line.

Matt Josephs:

Now, look, the three-point numbers are very concerning. They’re shooting 17.9% from three-point line. But you look at Long Island, a team that wants to go a lot faster than Wagner does, they don’t play great defense. Their weakness is against the three. So, let’s say Wagner starts to hit a couple of those, that’s going to really help this total here.

Matt Josephs:

And then, you look at the other stuff. Long Island’s offense is not bad. It’s not great, but it’s good enough. Their home, the pace is going to be there in this game. And the other thing is, Wagner’s got a problem fouling a lot. And they’re going to put Long Island on the line, and Long Island’s not a terrible free throw shooting team, 73% in conference play. And you can use these conference numbers because there’re six conference games for Long Island.

Matt Josephs:

Long Island starting to score a little bit as of late 80, 83, 75 and 74. So, I see a lot of points in this game. I like Bashir Mason’s bunch. We’ve talked about him before. I think they’re really good offensively. They’re solid defensively, but they have their issues.

Matt Josephs:

I got this number around 143 and a half when it first came out. I still like it where it is now. Not as much as I did before, but I still like it. I like the over in the Wagner-Long Island game. I think we see plenty of points and some pace in this one, as Wagner could even do a lot of the scoring in this one themselves.

TJ Rives:

And for Wagner, unbeaten to this point now, 6-0 in the Northeast conference. Big Man, any thought on this game if no official play?

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, I worry a little bit about LIU’s turnover problems. This kid, Tre Wood, is a turnover machine. But yeah, I mean, I think they should be able to get near 70. I think as Matt said, I think it’s going to be Wagner and it’s going to do a lot of the scoring.

Jeff Naidu:

There is no one that gets more of their points in the halfcourt in transition over Wagner. They’re number one in two-point point distribution in America. That’s a good sign when you betting over high-percentage easy opportunities around the rim, offensive rebounds, that sort of thing.

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, I like Wagner quite honestly. They’ve seemed to control this conference so far. I mean, they’re actually really good when it comes down to it. They’re much better, I think, as far as KenPom is concerned, as far as everyone else in this conference.

Jeff Naidu:

So, I think LIU Brooklyn is a very winnable game here. They should be able to go on the road and take care of business here. I mean, anyone that knows, Staten Island, Brooklyn, all you got to do is go over the [inaudible 00:19:10]. It’s not a far trip or anything. I think Wagner continues to flex their muscles on this conference.

TJ Rives:

The Seahawks of Wagner in action tonight. Let’s lock in the official play again. For Mid Major Matt, he’s on the over. He’s on the total going over at 145 for tonight with the way that Wagner has been scoring so far. It is interesting. You’re going with the over and you said, what, 17% from three. And that’s overall, not just in conference play. That’s overall they’ve been that bad?

Matt Josephs:

Yeah, that was in conference play.

TJ Rives:

In conference play?

Matt Josephs:

But as Jeff just said, they’re just 65% of their points from two. And look at it. If you’re scoring 95, 81, and 84, and you’re doing it mostly via the two in the free throw line, I mean, that’s all I need to say.

TJ Rives:

Get there and go do the damage however you can. Okay, one more game. There’s not an official play, but this is arguably the game of the night. It is a fantastic showdown at the Kohl Center in Wisconsin. Big Ten action, Michigan State and the Badgers. The Badgers is laying three here. Always a very knockdown drag-out physical game between these two programs, and the total at 139.

TJ Rives:

While we’re banging away on Penny Hardaway, I’m still scarred from this from my senior year at then Memphis state when the Tigers became the first program in the history of Division 1 basketball to lose four times in the same year to the same school. They lost to Cincinnati both times in the regular season with Nick Van Exel. Bob Huggins is the coach. They lost to him in the then great Midwestern.

TJ Rives:

We remember the great Midwest Conference because it lasted three years, and that was it. Anyway, lost to him in the great Midwest tournament, then lost to them again in the Elite Eight game. Why do I bring this up right now as it relates to Michigan State and Wisconsin? Because the second time that it ever happened was about eight years later.

TJ Rives:

It was eight years later, the 2000 season, Izzo in Michigan beat Tony Bennett’s dad, Dick Bennett, the coach of Wisconsin four times that year, including in the brand new Big Ten tournament, including in the Final Four in Indianapolis. Michigan State went on to win the national championship.

TJ Rives:

So, whenever I see this game, I always think of, “Hey, at least my Tigers are not alone. Thank you, Wisconsin Badgers for blowing it four times to Michigan State in the same season.” Enough of me. Big Man, what about this game tonight? No official play, but what do you think?

Jeff Naidu:

I live in Michigan State personally, but I haven’t been real successful in fading Wisconsin. As Matt alluded to, with certain teams, they just seem lucky this year. But again, you have to give them some credit. Johnny Davis seems to make every shot he throws up. Kohl Center is a tough place to go and play.

Jeff Naidu:

I’d prefer some four or five in this game. I don’t think we’re going to get it. I don’t love it. I think Michigan State’s actually pretty skilled. I like their frontcourt. And I think this is that game where Wisconsin struggles and maybe Davis isn’t hitting shots. Like I said, I think they’re a bit lucky. I lean Michigan State here. I think they could pull off the upset here.

TJ Rives:

All right. Davis did have 27 in their game midweek against Northwestern, and Northwestern team that had surprised Michigan State just before with a win in East Lansing. I know we don’t get big into comparing scores, but those are both recent in the last seven days. Mid Major Matt, a thought here on this Big Ten Friday night showdown?

Matt Josephs:

I mean, I don’t bet too much into the Big Ten. But I’ll just say this, Kevin Sweeney who writes for SI just posted something that really seems like. And you look at KenPom, Wisconsin is seventh in the luck rating. And Kevin Sweeney posted that teams are shooting 63% from the free throw line against Wisconsin, which is the second lowest.

Matt Josephs:

In 10 of their games aside by six points or less, the opponent has shot a worst percentage than their season average at the free throw line seven times. And in five of those games, it’s been at least 10 percentage points worse. So, if you’re going off with a luck thing, you got to like Sparty in this one. But as Jeff said, three is just such a small number.

Matt Josephs:

If Davis goes nuts, if Davis then draws about 17 charges, and fouls out the wrong guy on Sparty, then you’re going to lose your number here. So, I would have liked to have gotten a little bit more cushion, but Wisconsin’s luck has to run out eventually.

TJ Rives:

All right. Again, Michigan State had been rolling, what, 2-4, 6-8, nine wins in a row themselves before Northwestern got them in the 64-62 win. They haven’t played since. And now, it is a matchup with Wisconsin on a Friday night. So, again, no official play from the guys, but this could be one of the games of the weekend.

TJ Rives:

And it’s a showcase game by design for the Big Ten on a Friday night here. They want it as a standalone in conference play. We’ll see how that one goes. Before we get to the Q&A, and you do have some questions for us, and I’ll fire off a couple of games that I’m interested in as well for the guys here in a second.

TJ Rives:

Another reminder, you’ve got the opportunity to win an NCAA basketball jersey from your favorite school. How do you do that? You just follow along for us on the BetUS official Twitter page and the BetUS College Basketball Twitter page. Retweet the post that you will see on those pages to win an official team jersey valued at $300. There’s a winner for every 10 retweets.

TJ Rives:

Tag your friends in the comments, retweet away and get your chance to win from us here at BetUS a $300 value. Great stuff there for that. So, another reminder to get involved, follow us socially. You’re finding us here on the show, Monday through Friday at 1:00 Eastern Time.

TJ Rives:

Let’s get into it with what some of the viewers are wanting to know about and think here for this evening and maybe even for the weekend. Ryan is watching us and says, “Is Illinois a sucker play? I really want to fade Maryland after that loss to Rutgers at home.” Either of you have a take on whether Illinois is a sucker play in this game with Maryland tonight?

Jeff Naidu:

Well, I mean, Kofi Cockburn is not playing. So, I feel like if you got in early and were able to get a good line, you were able to outsmart and you’re not going to have to worry about him. Is it a soccer bet? I don’t know. I don’t think. I mean, listen, Maryland’s at home here. They’re a team that has talent. They’re just not real well coached.

Jeff Naidu:

They don’t have a real leader on the sidelines. And they find ways to screw games away. They did it against Wisconsin. Even after coming back, they got into a big hole that was too hard to get out of. But without Cockburn, I think there’s a lot more… I think Illinois is a little bit more mortal. So, yeah, I don’t hate Maryland here. I’m not a big fan of them as a team though, so I’m not playing it. Is it a sucker bet? I don’t think. No.

TJ Rives:

Cockburn was out for the silly suspension early on in the year. And they did lose a game early in the year. What was it, Seton Hall? I don’t know. I’m trying to remember who got them early on in the year. I got to look back on their roster. But he’s been back again.

TJ Rives:

They played the fantastic Martin Luther King Monday matinee with Purdue that was a double overtime game, and now this matchup with Maryland. The line is four and a half. How much did the line move, guys, if you know here because of the Cockburn news? Did it move at least a couple of points?

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, it was seven and a half eight. Now, it’s four and a half. So, yeah, it moved significantly. But again, you’re getting a home vouge here on a team that, again, without Big, they have a lot of talent. I mean, Curbelo looked really good the other night. But I don’t know. Maryland’s skitzy.

TJ Rives:

All right. Mid Major Matt, Steven is watching us and says, “Youngstown State-Cleveland State really want to take the eight points.” Again, not an official play, but a thought for the viewer on that Horizon League game?

Matt Josephs:

I wouldn’t put money on Maryland with my worst enemy’s money. Maryland actually might be one of the only teams in the country to have fired a coach and take in a downturn with the backup coach. I almost would get rid of Danny Manning and put Matt Brady there. Because Matt Brady, at least I’ve seen, has won a little bit at JMU. I mean, what the heck did Danny Manning do at Wake Forest?

Matt Josephs:

With regards to this game, I liked Youngstown State. I wish if I was going to get into it, I would have gotten in earlier because it was nine. Now, there’s a little bit less value there. But I mean, you look at Youngstown State hung with Cleveland State at home. It was an overtime game. Youngstown State had the lead at halftime. And then, it was a back-and-forth affair, and they lose it overtime.

Matt Josephs:

But I don’t hate this Youngstown State team. It’s a lot of points. They’ve put some decent efforts on the road. They lost in double digits to Oakland and to West Virginia. They won at Milwaukee. They won at Green Bay. They won at SEMO. They won at Robert Morris.

Matt Josephs:

So, they’re beating the teams that are worse than them on the road. It’s a lot of points. I would have leaned to it more. I would have liked to have gotten the full nine. Youngstown State is not a bad basketball team.

TJ Rives:

All right. Big Man, any thought on that for the viewer?

Jeff Naidu:

Not a conference I’m a big fan of. We’ve seen over the last five or six years three or four different teams win that conference. So, no, I don’t have much on that year after year. Cleveland State also burned me a couple Fridays ago, where they struggled to beat Robert Morris without their best player. So, yeah, I’m not on this conference.

TJ Rives:

You did make mention in the Q&A yesterday, why in the world was IUPUI in the Horizon getting, what was it, 50? What did you say? 58 or 59? They got nowhere near 50 again and got blown out by 40 points by Wright State.

Jeff Naidu:

I get it.

TJ Rives:

Sometimes, it makes no sense on this.

Jeff Naidu:

I think right now, TJ, you have to… there’s a guy in the chat claiming he’s part of my patron. He could be a troll. I don’t know. But here’s what I’ll do for you, [Doul76 00:28:56]. Just bet IUPUI team total under going forward. Okay? That’ll take care of all your problems, pal.

TJ Rives:

Well, because they clearly can’t score. All right. So, that’s for the troll. Maybe it’s a troll. Maybe it’s not. [crosstalk 00:29:09]. Doulton may or may not be a troll, but Doulton wants to know about Fresno State-Nevada. One more about tonight, Mid Major Matt, in the wheelhouse in the Mountain West, yes? No? What do you think?

Matt Josephs:

I haven’t really watched Fresno State. I don’t like the slow-paced teams. I don’t like watching them on TV. So, I can’t really tell you too much. I mean, Orlando Robinson is a beast. And I think DraftKings has that in their DFS. I put Orlando Robinson in your DFS because he’s a beast and he’s a great player.

Matt Josephs:

And it’s Nevada that has lost a couple in a row at home. Nevada is another team with a bunch of transfers. They play this wild style like that. They’re very weird team to watch, I think. I would lean Fresno, but I haven’t watched enough Bulldogs to say anything. I just know the few times I’ve seen Nevada, they’re just so herky-jerky that I can’t back any money on them.

TJ Rives:

Okay, I will give you one as we looked at Saturday. Yeah, go ahead. I’m sorry.

Jeff Naidu:

Nevada can’t defend. They’re a mess in pick and roll defense, which so was Purdue. What a disgrace. I mean, defensively, they were. But yeah, Nevada can’t defend. He mentioned Robinson who’s very good. Weird move though. This opened Nevada [Dawg 00:30:17]. They’re now a favorite. And it’s flipped significantly. So, somebody knows something here.

TJ Rives:

Is there an injury? Is there a COVID thing? What is suspicious, huh?

Jeff Naidu:

Well, yeah, I am. And I think Utah States had Brock Miller out. [inaudible 00:30:32] been out. So, maybe they’re getting some guys back. But that isn’t always sure because Memphis I think last night, they were thought maybe they’d get somebody back. And I don’t think they got anybody back.

Jeff Naidu:

And I don’t know if that’s an indication. But this is a team in Hudson with Fresno who they’re very good and prepared offensively. So, it’s flippy but I like Fresno. I’ve mentioned that before.

TJ Rives:

And just one more two. I make mention this earlier on the show and again, Memphis will play Tulsa at Tulsa. Maybe this is the best thing for the Tigers is get out of Memphis because they’re being vilified right now on the radio and in the media there for how they no-showed against SMU last night.

TJ Rives:

When Hardaway is making mention of, he’s playing 17 and 18 and 19-year-olds, Tony Harris, [Willie Lomax 00:31:20], his guards, their seniors, Lester Quinones, their Big Man, one of their forwards is a senior, the transfer might not that they got from Miami is a 21-year-old.

TJ Rives:

Yes, Duren and Emoni Bates are 17 or 18-year-olds as freshmen, but that other group that’s around them has got some experience. So, it’s not as if they’re all freshmen that he’s trying to play and trying to utilize in the rotation. So, we’ll see if it’s any better for the Tigers on Sunday.

TJ Rives:

Matt, well, I have you here, “Someone’s Syracuse Orange at Cameron right away, noon Eastern Time, Saturday.” Again, we don’t have a line in this. “Duke off of the emotional Tuesday night overtime, back and forth lost to Florida State.” Any thought from you, Matt, here on the Cuse having a chance to maybe catch Duke a little bit at Cameron?

Matt Josephs:

No. Come on. I mean, it could be an over if Syracuse… I mean, Duke’s defense is abysmal. I think Syracuse can score, but I don’t think Syracuse is going to be able to stop them. I’ll be interested to see. I’m guessing it’s going to be 157, 158 based off a KenPom’s number. That might not be high enough.

Matt Josephs:

I think Syracuse can score them. It also feels like Syracuse is always playing in Duke. It’s ridiculous. The Nerds will be back in the stands. It’ll be a great atmosphere. You will probably win this game easily. And I’ll be miserable by about 2:00 in the afternoon.

TJ Rives:

Okay, he’s planning his early Saturday afternoon. Big Man, any thought? Is there a negative hangover here for Duke? They were winning in the overtime with Florida State. And then, Florida State just took it from them at the end in Tallahassee midweek. Any thought here? No official play.

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, you could get a piss off Duke team at home against a team that’s bad defensively, as Matt alluded to, but you’re going to get a double-digit number here with Cuse. As he also eloquently mentioned, Syracuse can score a very good offense as one of those games in college football, where you have Texas Tech against Houston, total 75. And you have a number in the double digits.

Jeff Naidu:

They don’t get any ability to move past that double digit because they’re not good enough defensively. I think Duke has issues on that end. And as I said the other night, they’re way too reliant on Paolo Banchero. He takes a ton of their shots. It seems like a lot of the time they’re just standing around, watching him.

Jeff Naidu:

Also, keep in mind, Trevor Keels went out the other night with an injury. Didn’t play the full game. So, yeah, that’s something to keep an eye on. They’re a team that’s not particularly deep. I mean, 311th in bench minute percentage, not ideal. And he’s a good wing. He’s a guy that doesn’t turn the ball over and does a nice job. So, yeah, I think if you’re going to get doubles here. I lean on Syracuse. They’re a big team. They can handle Banchero maybe a little bit.

TJ Rives:

And Keels, that was a nasty ankle injury. Got the leg caught up under him. I’m no doctor. We’re just playing one on the BetUS College Basketball show. You’d have to think even if he does try to play, you’d be lucky if he’s 50% of the player if he’s trying to play in this game with Syracuse. We’ll see.

TJ Rives:

A viewer watching us under the handle [ohgeesoles 00:34:28], like soles of your shoes, by the way, “Also, a noon Saturday game is Texas Tech. That’s actually an 11:00 a.m. start in Lubbock, Texas Tech and West Virginia.” Any thought here, guys, on this? When we don’t have a spread, but Texas Tech has gotten a couple of big wins. Recently, West Virginia’s got to travel all the way there to Lubbock to play an early game. Any though, guys?

Jeff Naidu:

I lean under, two teams that aren’t very good offensively. I think this is first of 65, probably, wins, something like that. As you alluded to, Texas Tech has some big wins. But they’re really good defensively as usual. They play very slow. West Virginia can go really cold at times. They’re away from home here. So, yeah, I like the under a little bit.

TJ Rives:

Matt, any thought on that one, or you want to move on?

Matt Josephs:

You can move on. I do see West Virginia shooting 39.8% from two-point landing conference play. That’s not going to be very good, especially since Texas Tech plays good defense. So, yeah, I could see an under in this game.

TJ Rives:

Let’s have some fun with this. Kentucky, Auburn looks like on paper one of the games of the year in the SEC that again is an early game. It is a noon game on the plains of Auburn Central Time, 1:00 Eastern Time. Speculate, is that Auburn favored by three or four guys? You do this for a living. What do you think? Auburn is going to be favorite, something like that, when the lions come out at least a little later on Friday.

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, and if they are, I’ll be playing Kentucky. Listen, Auburn, another team that just… I mean, they’ve had a horseshoe for a long time. I mean, they’re, look, really good. But again, this stuff evens out over the long run. I like Kentucky. I mean, they are just so good on the glass.

Jeff Naidu:

One of the big issues that Auburn has is rebounding occasionally. They’re a big team, but they’re not a great rebounding team. They just rolled. I think that’s going to come to an end here against a team in Kentucky that this year has the experience. They have the offensive ability. They’re great defensively, and they rebound the hell of the ball. I will be on Kentucky here.

TJ Rives:

Matt, any thought on that one? Calipari’s team did win midweek, hostile environment at College Station over Texas A&M. They even made free throws when it mattered at the end to seal the win.

Matt Josephs:

I mean, I’ll tell you this. I think Auburn is the better team of the two of them. I love Wendell Green. I loved him in Eastern Kentucky. I love that team last year. Was sad to see him leave. I mean, I think Walker Kessler will be interesting to see how much he brings, sheep way out of the paint, and maybe opens things up a little bit for those guys on the inside.

Matt Josephs:

I’ll tell you this right now, though. Tuesday at Missouri for Auburn, if they beat Kentucky, that’s a very sleepy spot for Auburn going to Missouri on Tuesday night. And that’s a ripe for an upset or at least a non-cover there for the Tigers.

TJ Rives:

All right. Matt, do you have a mid-major game that you have an eye on for Saturday, depending on when the line comes out? They can follow you socially et cetera. Is there one on Saturday that you already have your eyes on though that you’re looking at for a line?

Matt Josephs:

Well, I mean, I’ll be interested to see what the line is and what the number is on JMU-Charleston. Charleston plays at the fastest pace in America. JMU plays with a really pretty fast pace and they’re coming off the tough loss against… crap. Why am I forgetting? They’re coming off a tough loss to UNC Wilmington. That’s right. So, that’ll be an interesting game.

Matt Josephs:

And look, I commented on Twitter to somebody that was arguably one of the lowest scoring Southland days I’ve seen in quite a while. There’s going to be some shuffling of the matchups on Saturday. There could be some overs.

Matt Josephs:

And if there’s some lower numbers, we could take advantage of some overs because the Southland had a rare low scoring day yesterday. So, it’ll be interesting to see what they come out with because there’s some interesting teams in the Southland.

Matt Josephs:

But yeah, JMU-Charleston, it’ll be an interesting number. I’ll be looking at the over there if it’s a reasonable number one pace against a team that also likes to run and doesn’t play great defense.

TJ Rives:

By the way, I always have fun with the Big Man speaking of offense, et cetera. And a game we talked about yesterday, Cal Baptist. You were talking about them playing against Tarleton. They got to, what, 94 or 96 points and won the game at Tarleton in a high scoring game. They’re going to play Abilene Christian Saturday afternoon. So, they stay in Texas, play against ACU which has been the top team in the Southland conference and now has moved to the WAC starting for this year.

TJ Rives:

So, very interesting to see if Cal Baptist maybe lays the egg in the second of the two games in Texas, coming all the way into the middle of the country. They’re on that one, but they did. They scored a bunch of points and that was a surprise. Jeff, I’m not making excuses, some of it is chalk it up to conference play. They added in an aberration and a big night in conference play, Cal Baptist, the other night.

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, they did a nice job, which has been something they haven’t done on the road as I talked about. One game that I’ll talk about a team on the road that I’m interested in is the Davidson Wildcats. I mean, they’ve been really rolling. They’ve got a very poor Fordham team up in Rose Hill tomorrow. And Davidson is 6-0 against the spread on the road, one of the best in the country. In fact, I think they are the best in the country.

Jeff Naidu:

They’re going to probably be, I don’t know, seven and a half. I would think you’re eight, something like that. This is a Fordham team that… look, have they improved? Yeah, a little bit. We’ll see if Davidson can’t go on the road. Maybe get another road win and cover a big number. We’ll see if they can do it. But yeah, a lot of games obviously. Good luck.

Matt Josephs:

I have one more.

TJ Rives:

Yep, please.

Matt Josephs:

So, a team I love in the Big Sky is Mount Montana State. And they didn’t have one of their stars last night. And they put up 89 at Northern Arizona. KenPom is putting up a 70-66 score at Portland State. If that’s the case, I’m going over on the team total for Montana State tomorrow. They’re a really good offense. They have five double digit scores. They play with some pace. Portland State also plays with some pace.

Matt Josephs:

I could see why it’s a lower number because a lot of their home games, they have not allowed 70 points. But this is a really good Montana State team. And if it’s around 69, 70, 71, I’ll be looking to hammer once again Montana State. These offenses are just ridiculous.

Matt Josephs:

I mean, Vermont has been ethering everybody in the America East. And until Vegas adjust their number, I’m looking to see if Vermont’s even playing tomorrow. Oh, yeah, they’re hosting Hartford. For the near future, you got to take Vermont team total overs because they’re just so hot right now on offense.

Jeff Naidu:

If I could say two things on what he just said, Montana State did it also last night without Amin Adamu, I believe his name is. They didn’t miss a beat without him. They are really good. I like that team as well. Good call. He also used Ether, which if he’s using it in the concept that I know he’s using it in, he’s referring to the fact of if we remember Nas ethered Jay-Z on Stillmatic, a terrific dropped by, Matt. I don’t know if he did that. And it was referencing Nas, but-

TJ Rives:

Oh, I think it’s intentional. I think it’s intentional.

Jeff Naidu:

Yeah, that was high level, man. That was high level.

TJ Rives:

The next level stuff. And you mentioned something, Northern Arizona. So, Montana State played at Northern Arizona. They get out of Arizona and get up to Portland, almost like an NBA. What kind of swing is that in the conference?

TJ Rives:

But welcome to it in the Big Sky for Montana State to play down there, and then get all the way back up to the Pacific Northwest a couple of nights later to play at Portland State. We’ll see what the line is in that one.

TJ Rives:

So, it’s not a bunch of plays. But here are the official ones for the Friday show as we head to the weekend and wrap it up here on the BetUS College Basketball show with the best bets. Let’s take a look. The guys are in agreement with the Toledo Rockets and their team total in the game with Ohio tonight.

TJ Rives:

Matt also has a play in the Wagner-LIU game on the over for later on this evening. And again, Michigan State and Wisconsin is probably the marquee game of tonight, and then a bevy of games on Saturday, for sure.

TJ Rives:

Guys, we pretty well come to the end here with the college hoops. You know where my allegiance lies as much as Memphis is basketball has made me want to vomit. Buccaneer football is still going along. Sorry about the Eagles, boys. Buccaneers in the Rams on Sunday, big NFL playoff weekend, lots of college basketball, a lot to watch and a lot to take in this weekend. That is for sure. Final thoughts from either of you here?

Jeff Naidu:

It’s funny you mentioned that. The road will end for the Tampa Buccaneers. Sadly, no one’s going to chat it here because, everyone, there’s nothing better in sports than watching Tom Brady run off, pissed off and doesn’t shake anyone’s hand. It’s all ending.

TJ Rives:

Can I help you with a couple of things? Tom Brady, 6-0 in his last six divisional games. Matt Stafford, zero career playoff wins on the road. You’re still going to lose against the Bucs.

Jeff Naidu:

Nice to see him lose. We’ll see it this week.

TJ Rives:

You’re calling a Rams win, okay.

Jeff Naidu:

Yes.

TJ Rives:

We’ll get back to you on Monday on that. Matt, anything? Do you want to implode like Naidu at the very end of the show here? [crosstalk 00:43:33].

Matt Josephs:

I’ll agree to them. I think the Rams win. I think it’s [crosstalk 00:43:36]. I’ll just say, the Super Bowl will be determined on Sunday. The winners of the two games on Sunday will be the Super Bowl for this year.

Jeff Naidu:

I agree.

TJ Rives:

Interesting. Well, your Eagles did so well, down 31 nothing in the third bowls.

Jeff Naidu:

Again, TJ, we are okay.

TJ Rives:

You haven’t had a peak about the NFL.

Jeff Naidu:

Neither of us. I think Matt agrees. I knew they weren’t going to win the Superbowl. Okay?

TJ Rives:

I’m okay with all this.

Jeff Naidu:

Luckily, they beat Tom Brady in 2018.

TJ Rives:

2018, yes, you did get a win over Tom Brady there. So, there we go. Good luck going against Tom Brady who’s won a bazillion home playoff games. And again, worth mentioning, Matt Stafford has won zero on the road. Good luck with that play, my friend. Good luck with your plays in college basketball as well. Again, for the fans, spread the word.

TJ Rives:

Seriously now, we can’t emphasize this enough. Keep spreading the word. More and more of you are watching. We see our audience numbers et cetera. See that right there? Like, subscribe, spread the word on social media. We’re here Monday through Friday, 1:00 Eastern Time, talking college hoops. Big Man on campus, Mid Major Matt, have a great weekend, boys.

Matt Josephs:

Thank you.

Jeff Naidu:

Thank you.

TJ Rives:

All right. And we thank you for watching.