Jeff Nadu:
That’s pretty incredible. Takes this team, haven’t missed a beat. I thought the question going into the big tournament there in St. Louis was we saw this team at times really struggle defensively. I mean, they give up 96 points. They give up a couple of bad defensive outings and some of these really good tees.
Jeff Nadu:
But they get Marquis Kennedy back and completely shut down the Missouri Valley. Drake, Northern Iowa, and Bradley kept all them under 60. In fact, kept two of those three to 50 or less, just incredible. They are going to be a team in the NCAA tournament that we’re going to have to think about, this team, can they make another run?
Jeff Nadu:
They’re just as good offensively, maybe better defensively. They seem to be in a flow right now. And yes, I will quickly comment on Mr. Duke, Mike Krzyzewski. It was funny that most of those folks had to wait because the Kansas-Texas game was going on. Look, what a pathetic performance.
Jeff Nadu:
But look, this is the thing about this game. And I probably would’ve mentioned this Friday if I would’ve been on. I know Matt would agree, like I know that that first game was kind of a blob, but we know this game has been close in most of the games that we’ve seen.
Jeff Nadu:
I felt like double digits was a little bit too disrespectful. For Carolina, that was still a huge game for them. I didn’t think they’d win the way they did, but I thought 10 or 11 was a little disrespectful. And it seemed like all the shark money was on Carolina.
T.J. Reeves:
They certainly put it on them, that’s for sure. Matt, any thoughts on that? Or what else? I know the MAC tournament is coming and you were all over Toledo again on Friday’s show. You won twice with them. Well done on that. Anything else off the weekend?
Matt Joseph:
I mean, so far, I think the mid-major of conferences have to be happy with how these tournaments have gone. Because I’ve always weighed the debate as to whether or not it’s better to have the overwhelming one seed make it without the tournament and have a chance to win a game or two, or get the revenue of the conference tournament and then potentially lose the one seed.
Matt Joseph:
So thankfully Murray State goes through. Now, look, Murray State was going to make it no matter what, but it would’ve given him potentially a Murray State, Morehead State, two teams that make it in. But you look at the games we have today, I mean, there’s viable options between Furman and Chattanooga and Georgia State and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Matt Joseph:
Four teams potentially who could do some damage in the right matchup in the tournament. I think there’s a lot of vulnerable power five schools. I look at a lot of the results and outside of the cream of the top, I just think that there’s a lot of vulnerable teams. I think we’re going to see a chaotic tournament this year.
T.J. Reeves:
One more thing back to the whole Duke Carolina thing. And again, you cannot credit Carolina enough. I put this out there, I’ll do it right now on the BetUS College Basketball Show. I believe for the magnitude of that being his final game with a hall of fame career at Cameron, that even if Huber gave us wins a national championship at North Carolina, which is far away right now from them.
T.J. Reeves:
They’re not a national title contender right now for this season. Maybe they can get there. I believe this is a bigger deal because it will be talked about 20 years from now and maybe even 50 years from now that you won the final game in Cameron in the hated North Carolina Duke rivalry against coach K while being a 10 point, 12 point underdog. Are you kidding me? You guys buy that? This is bigger than even I think winning a national title for him down the road in terms of being memorable.
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah. It’s definitely something that I won’t ever forget. Look, I’ve said before, some of the stuff we make fun of coach K about, look, obviously he’s had a long career. No one’s going to tell you that. But I’ve said before, over the last 10 years, he’s definitely lost a step.
Jeff Nadu:
His teams have not been particularly good. He has had a one or two that were really good, but look at the talent he’s gotten over the years. It’s not like he’s commanding Towson University or some team like that. The true essence of what a great coach is, some like Mark Few who took a program from complete nothingness to where they are now. That’s pretty incredible.
Jeff Nadu:
Now, we could say coach K did that, and I give him respect for that. But yeah, it’s definitely memorable knowing that. Just the last two years, his comments last season were pretty pathetic. If that team would’ve been good last year, he would’ve wanted a tournament. And then obviously the way he loses this year, the last thing you remember him by obviously isn’t some good things.
T.J. Reeves:
Well, we will see. Matt, any other thoughts there? Ready to move on? Ready to get to the slate for Monday? Are we good?
Matt Joseph:
No, I don’t give time to overrated coaches. And for all those recruiting classes he’s had lately, how many championships has he had? He had one of the greatest college basketball players of all time in Zion and they should have lost to Virginia Tech that year. Look, he’s a very good coach. He’s had a great career. But he’s overrated. Let’s move on.
T.J. Reeves:
So you say. I think there’s a lot, including me, that would disagree. He’s the winning coach. He’s got five national titles. Only Wooden has more. And the final chapters aren’t written. We’ll see what happens with the ACC tournament and what they do. Okay. Let’s take a look at the records and what we have here. The big man is anxious to get championship week going.
T.J. Reeves:
You see him of 500. Again, a 3-0 Friday for mid-major Matt has him right back on the cusp for the 500 line. Again, he was big on Toledo for that. And again, I know you guys are going to have some comments in the question and answer, but we’re going to try to touch on every single game right here. There are 10 games, some conference tournament semi-finals, and some championship games mixed in. That’ll be the same for tomorrow as well.
T.J. Reeves:
There’s even fewer games really tomorrow to mix in as well. Let’s get right to it. Let’s start talking about some of the games that we are interested in, including a game that is up at 6:00 Eastern Time between Delaware and Towson, a CAA semi-final game being played in Washington, DC. Towson on the neutral floor is favored by 4.5 in this matchup with Delaware. Our total is 137. There’s not an official play here. Matt, I’ll begin with you. What’s our thought here about this game and about this matchup in the CAA semis.
Matt Joseph:
I mean, I think with Towson, Charles Thompson’s status is huge. I mean, if he doesn’t play, I think Delaware’s got a chance to win this game. Charles Thompson, he’s a 6’7″, 240 pound junior. He’s a guy that rebounds. He’s a guy that does the little things. He’s shooting 62% from two point land and he’s getting to the free throw line. So his status is rather important for Towson.
Matt Joseph:
And I think that if you find out that he doesn’t play, I think Delaware’s got a shot here. Now, look, Delaware lost both games during the regular season to him, but there wasn’t really anything that seemed to stand out from those two games for this one. So any sort of analysis you could do on this thing has to depend on Thompson. I mean, Northeastern look good for parts, but like they’re not good enough to take advantage of it. I think Delaware is.
T.J. Reeves:
Jeff, any thoughts here, even if no official play on this one on the neutral floor?
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah. I mean, anytime you play Towson, over the years, Skerry, their coach, I mean, he has really put an emphasis on rebounding the basketball. And you look at their rebound rate per usual number one, particularly on the offensive glass, that’s how they win games. They’re just more physical, they’re tougher, and they’re great defensively. Number one in this conference.
Jeff Nadu:
I don’t really want to get in front of that. Now, obviously some of the injury stuff that Matt alluded to is important. Thompson is really one of their better rebounders, I mean, 87th in American offensive rebound rates. So I’d like to have him in the game. But you’re right, that kind of neutralizes it a little bit.
Jeff Nadu:
I would still lean Towson probably getting the job done here. Not a game I waged on because the problem that Delaware has is they’re not real big. They have one kid and Dylan Painter, who he is a pretty decent rebounder, but I wouldn’t go out of the way to think that he’s going to make a difference here. I think Delaware ultimately will lose. I think Towson moves on. But I think it could be close. I think Towson’s a little bit better though.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. So that’s game number one of the CAA and their semis. The other one is Charleston and UNC Wilmington on the same floor, approximately 8:30 Eastern Time. You’ll see that on our schedule coming up. We’ll talk about that game a little bit more in a moment or two. All right. Up next, league semifinal, two South Dakota schools, South Dakota and South Dakota State.
T.J. Reeves:
The Jack Rabbits are big favorites. This is in Sioux Falls. And the unbeaten Jack Rabbits in the regular season, 18-0, perfect record, are a nine point favorite. 152 is our number. And I’ll alert you right now that both handicapers are on this game for different reasons. Let’s begin with Jeff Nadu. Back to you. What’s the first official play from you?
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah. To kind of come right out, obviously South Dakota State is your number one seed. Haven’t lost a game in this conference. They’re at home here. This is a home game for them. It’s in I believe… Isn’t it at Frost Arena, which is their arena? I believe it is. So they have that working for them.
Jeff Nadu:
This is their rival, South Dakota. It’s not been a great year for Todd Lee and crew, but I’ll just come out. I like their team total over here, 80.5. I’m going to go over. I think Matt has kind of something correlated to this. We know that pace is going to be there in the South Dakota State game.
Jeff Nadu:
I could make the case that if I wanted one offense for one game to score the basketball for me, I don’t know if there’s an offense I’d pick over South Dakota State. I love this offense. Every single time down the court, they have a competent shot that they make and have.
Jeff Nadu:
So I love that team offensively. I also look at South Dakota State and say to myself, I kind of thought about even laying the number here. All but three games this year in conference were decided by nine points or less. They just blow teams out. And two of those three were against North Dakota State.
Jeff Nadu:
Basically every other game was decided by double digits or more. They blow teams out in this conference. I just look at South Dakota., I don’t think they’re a very good team defensively. I think towards the end, they’ll be a little desperate. They’re not going to turn the ball over or do anything.
Jeff Nadu:
They let you kind of run the offense you want to run. South Dakota State scores 87 points a game. I just kind of need them to get close to their average here. I think they’ll get into the eighties. I’ll go back an old reliable South Dakota State team total over.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. Your thoughts here on this one on the neutral floor? Again, a perfect regular season as Jeff was talking about in the Summit League for South Dakota State.
Matt Joseph:
By the way, this is in Sioux Falls. This is at the Samford Pentagon. It’s going to be a great crowd. I mean, South Dakota and South Dakota State, it should be a fun atmosphere for this one. But along the same lines as what he said, I mean, I took the game over.
Matt Joseph:
Now, look, the line’s fallen five points. And I don’t love going against five point lines like that. I’m kind of mad because the Syracuse over fell five points and I had the over. And if Syracuse didn’t guck away the game, I would’ve won that over. But I just think that the move is wrong here.
Matt Joseph:
We see in the past in Summit League games that these have somewhat softer rims. I mean, there’s just plenty of points in this conference and I’m coming off a game where South Dakota State gave 79 Nebraska Omaha.
Matt Joseph:
You look at the two games. These two teams played 89-79 and 84-65. I mean, I could be completely wrong. The five point move could be warranted, but I’ll take the over here. I don’t trust South Dakota State’s defense. South Dakota’s offense is pretty good. And if they’re down late, then they’re going to have to push the pace a little bit because they are a slower pace team.
Matt Joseph:
So I do like the over here. I’ll go against the five point move. I think it’s in a good area right here. I mean, I’d probably take Toledo’s offense over South Dakota State offense. But he’s right. I mean, if there’s an offense you want, this team scores 90 and up above 85 a ton. So I like the game over here.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. So let’s lock our guys in. They both have an official play in this Summit League semi-final. It is South Dakota State’s team total for Jeff Nadu. He likes the over. And mid-major Matt’s going for the over for the total in the game, over 152 on the BetUS line.
T.J. Reeves:
Reminder, again, it’s a semi-final game. Oral Roberts will take on North Dakota State that one at 9:30 Eastern Time, 8:30 in the Central Time Zone. Therefore, goes to with the winner again. Go ahead.
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah. Real quick. Someone’s mentioned that I should know where the game is if I’m going to give out a pick. Listen, all due respect to that guy, as far as this game’s concerned, I think South Dakota State could play this game in Pakistan and score points. So I don’t really… Sorry. I thought they played at Samford Pavilion or whatever it’s called. I don’t know.
T.J. Reeves:
Is this the one that’s called the Pentagon too?
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah.
T.J. Reeves:
They have another arena there and they have another one I think called the Corn Palace that’s made out of corn. They have a bunch of different ones up there.
Matt Joseph:
There you go.
T.J. Reeves:
But that’s where they are playing for this evening. We move along. Again, we’re glad that you’re with us here in the live 1:00 Eastern Time hour. There are some automatic bids going out tonight. Some semi-final games as well. Let’s go to the horizon league. I am particularly interested in this one, Wright State and Cleveland State. Because guys, I am headed to Indianapolis tomorrow.
T.J. Reeves:
Nadu, you’re going to have to do without me tomorrow on the show. I am traveling to do the game live on national digital radio on TuneIn for the winners of the two semi-final games tonight. Cleveland State is the one seed against Wright State.
T.J. Reeves:
They are a short and now Wright State actually is the one point favored on the BetUS line. There’s been some line movement on this one. Cleveland State was favored earlier today and you saw the total there. Interesting that, again, in the chronology of this, the teams played quarter final games in their home buildings and all four of the top four seeds won in their home building.
T.J. Reeves:
So now they’ve advanced for the semi-finals to the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. I do know which venue that is. No, it’s not the Pacer’s Arena downtown. It’s not Hinkel Fieldhouse. It’s not Lucas Oil Stadium. This is the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, about 20 minutes north of downtown Indie.
T.J. Reeves:
Beautifully remodeled new facility from about three years ago. And so that’s where this four team quad has advanced here for the semi-finals. Guys, thoughts? Mid-major Matt, first of all, Cleveland State, Wright State, if no official play, what do you think about this real quick?
Matt Joseph:
Well, the first thing I’ll go to is if this is going to be a tight game, it goes to Wright State who shoots free throws better. 76% is a team which is 40th and Cleveland State is at 67.7%, which is 304th. So that makes me lean Wright State. I couldn’t find an angle here.
Matt Joseph:
Once again, this thing dropped too. The total wise was four and it’s even dropping more in some places. I would feel like this could be an over because potentially we’ve seen these two games be played at a quicker pace. It’s just whose defense is going to show up.
Matt Joseph:
Wright State is the less deep team, but they’ve had some time to get ready here. I couldn’t find an angle here. I would lean to the over, but I mean, if this is close, you want the team who hits their free throws a team that doesn’t.
T.J. Reeves:
Like that. Again, Dennis Gates’s team won the tournament a year ago in the empty Indiana Farmers Coliseum with no fans and advanced to the NCAA tournament. Jeff Nadu, a thought here on this one if no play in this semi-final game?
Jeff Nadu:
Well, I’ll tell you this, I got to get on one of those jobs as like a color guy. I would kill it in those. I got to get me on one of those.
T.J. Reeves:
You’re playing with fire though. You’re like gasoline nearby. So I got to be careful. But yeah, I’ll lobby for you and your haircut.
Jeff Nadu:
It’s interesting. Have a good time with it. Either way, I think it’s a tough game as well. I had a hard time with this one. I didn’t play it. Cleveland State beat them both times this year that they played them. I kind of told them myself at the beginning of this tournament, you got to expect a fire a lot of the time in this conference, because you never know who’s going to win it.
Jeff Nadu:
I think these are the two best teams. I think this is the semi-final that probably should be the final in my opinion. I kind of had Cleveland State as the best team here. Maybe Wright State gets a major event. I think it’s tough. I think Matt’s onto something maybe with the free throw talk.
Jeff Nadu:
Because at the end of the day, this game’s likely going to be close. I’d much rather have a team that shoots 76 over mid 60. So that might be the angle. But I think Cleveland State’s just a little bit more talented, a little bit deeper and they have major experiences, which are what I want late in the season. Gone to my head, I’d lean Cleveland State, but I don’t have much on it. It’s a tough game to bet on.
T.J. Reeves:
And as far as they beat team three times in the same season, Cleveland State did that with Oakland in their quarter final game. They beat them for the third time. They’ll be trying to do this same thing with Wright State in semi-final number one. We’ll talk about semi-final number two in the chronology coming up.
T.J. Reeves:
You see the reminder there on the screen to follow us on social media through BetUS and the BetUS College Basketball Show and BetUS TV. We’re here at 1:00 Eastern Time all the rest of this week, unless they tell us differently. I know we’re lobbying that we may go a little earlier once we get to Thursday and Friday, because there are earlier games going on.
T.J. Reeves:
We’ll see what the powers that be want to do with that before we get to the championship weekend. But for right now, we’re going over all the games and all the action that we have coming up for tonight. All right. Let’s get to an automatic bid that is up for grabs. This one in Pensacola, Florida. Semi-final final wins for Louisiana.
T.J. Reeves:
They used to be Louisiana-Lafayette. The Ray John, K. Johns, they are in the championship game with the Georgia State Panthers out of Atlanta. Georgia State perennially has won this tournament over and over again. They’ve got four tournament wins in the last seven years in the Sun Belt.
T.J. Reeves:
Georgia State is the 3.5 favorite. They beat Appalachian State the regular season champs and the semi-final last night. Guys, I watched a lot of that game. Georgia State, just very athletic, made shots, got some big rebounds, hit their free throws as well, mid-major Matt. All right. Even if we don’t have an official play, as we see the line 3.5 on the neutral floor, automatic bid up for grabs. Matt, what do we think here about this one tonight?
Matt Joseph:
I mean, last year we saw a team go four games in four days in Appalachian State and they had no depth whatsoever last year. And you look at this Louisiana team, they’ve got a ton of depth. And it’s funny because you look at the statistics and Georgia State had so many COVID issues and had health issues.
Matt Joseph:
And then they finally realized who they were and you notice they’ve won a bunch of games in a row. And I think the same for Louisiana-Lafayette in terms of they have a ton of talent here. They just had some tough stretches and now they’re starting to figure things out.
Matt Joseph:
Now, look, I’m not a hedger. I have a Louisiana future in this tournament, but I also think Louisiana’s live as an underdog. They’re a deep team. And if you look at both games, they had a double digit lead in the first half of one of them and they had like a six, seven point lead with six, seven minutes left in the second one.
Matt Joseph:
I kind of like Louisiana-Lafayette here just a little bit as the underdog here. But as I said, I have a future here, so I’m going to sit it out. I’m not going to hedge it. But I think Louisiana might be the better team here.
T.J. Reeves:
Big man, any thoughts here? Jeff Thomas is the big man that really took that game over with Appalachian State. And I worked a couple of his games. Again, full disclosure, I worked the Sun Belt tournament for TuneIn for five consecutive seasons from 2015 through 2019.
T.J. Reeves:
Jeff Thomas was there as a help me freshman, and it may be a COVID situation too. He might have been a sophomore where he is back for another year. He was very good in the previous tournaments. Tournament experience there for him. Any thoughts if no official play with the auto bid on the line?
Jeff Nadu:
BetUS currently totals 132.5. Neither match up this season got over that number. When you look at Georgia State, and I got to give credit to the guy that tweeted this, Jordan Majewski. He tweeted this stat out last time. I’m sure Matt saw it. “Georgia State hasn’t allowed over one point per possession in 13 straight games,” which is pretty incredible defensively.
Jeff Nadu:
That’s hard to do, especially in this conference where there’s a lot of pace. Most of the teams have pretty good guards. I felt like this game was a first to 65 wins. I think the second game could be a good indication. They played a week or so ago with 65-58 Georgia State. I think Georgia State will win. I think Matt’s right, it’s probably close and I think points are valuable.
Jeff Nadu:
But I felt like this game was first to 65 wins. I’m going to lean on an under. I think this is one of those typical games that you get in March. A championship game, every possession’s very important over the last five minutes or so and that lends a lot of the time to an under.
Jeff Nadu:
You also have to remember, when you bet an over, you’re banking on that foul crap at the end of games. The games are close. You’re not going to necessarily have that. So I’m going to lean on an under. Both of them are low scoring in the first game and second game. So I’m going to lean on that in the third one here where it matters most. Auto bid. I think Georgia State gets it, but I think it’s a defensive battle.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. We’ll see what happens at 7:00 Eastern Time, 6:00 Pensacola time in Central Time Zone for Georgia State and Louisiana. There’s not going to be a great atmosphere in there. Louisiana proximity, a little closer than Atlanta. Lafayette a little closer than Atlanta. But neither one of them are that close. Probably a few hundred people in the arena will see what kind of atmosphere there is.
T.J. Reeves:
But somebody goes to the NCAA tournament on the neutral floor. Let’s continue with the games. This is a semi-final game in the Southern Conference that we’re going to talk about up next. This one also at 7:00 Eastern Time with these barrage of games, Furman and Chattanooga.
T.J. Reeves:
And this one is the Southern Conference final. Chattanooga on the neutral floor in Asheville, North Carolina, is the number one seed. They are a 2.5 point favorite against Furman in this matchup. Furman won a very close game with Samford that could have gone either way in the final minute or two. We see that the total in this game is 137 here for this matchup. And we’re going to mid-major Matt. We got an official play on the SoCon championship game. What about it, sir?
Matt Joseph:
So first all, I’ll just say it’s a definite maturation of the betting public. Because much like the Sun Belt game, this total went down six points. And I feel like there used to be a thing where people just blindly bet overs for these things. Because as Jeff mentioned, they figured, “Oh, there’s going to be a lot of fouling late,” and stuff like that.
Matt Joseph:
I remember when I first got into this industry, I used to think about that. But now we start seeing more and more people realize that, look, these games are on national TV now. There’s a lot more at stake. People get a whole lot more tighter when it comes to these games.
Matt Joseph:
So we’re seeing these totals fall. I would’ve figured the betting public is like, “Yeah, over, over, over.” But they’re not, because this thing went down to 137. So I took Chattanooga. I took the money line when it was around the time that this came out. It was 1.5. The money line was reasonable.
Matt Joseph:
This is, as we always say, juice tolerance. If it’s too high for you, then sit it out. But I have no problem giving out the Chattanooga money line. And look, Chattanooga went 2-0 against Furman. And the first game they didn’t have Jean-Batiste and the second game they didn’t have Hank and De Sousa. And they won both of those games.
Matt Joseph:
You’re going to have a healthy Chattanooga team. Athena essentially got a by last night. I mean, they didn’t get a by, but they essentially won a really easy game. And Furman now has to come and turn around 24 hours later after a really tough game with Samford and a game they probably could have lost and probably should have lost.
Matt Joseph:
I really like De Sousa is starting to ramp up his minutes a little bit more. The problem with this game is Furman relies on the three so much that if they’re hitting their threes, I mean, I’m going to lose anyway. But I’m going to take a chance at the number one SoCon defense when it comes to three point defense is going to show up here.
Matt Joseph:
Furman takes three pointers on 51.4% of their shots. That’s just what they live and die by. And that’s what makes this SoCon tough is because four of the top five in that category all came in this conference. So I like Chattanooga talent-wise. I like De Sousa.
Matt Joseph:
Furman has nobody to cover De Sousa in this game. And he’s still ramping up his conditioning. I think he plays more than like 25 minutes in this game. I think Chattanooga is the better team. I took the money line. But I was also at like 1.5 and that was a whole lot more tolerant money line than it is right now.
T.J. Reeves:
The Moccasins of Chattanooga. I used to live in Chattanooga in my childhood and the Mocs playing what’s called The Roundhouse, the UTC Arena or the Chattanooga Arena. They may have a sponsor name on it now. This one though, again, on the neutral floor, Furman, the Paladins. Big man, any thoughts here of no official play with the automatic bid on the line?
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah, I’m sure yesterday Bucky McMillan’s kicking himself. He holds Furman 9-32 from three and they lose by three. They miss seven free throws. Can’t do that. You have to have everything. And they were up 20-13 with six to go in the first half. They had their opportunity, Samford, but they just couldn’t get it done.
Jeff Nadu:
I think Chattanooga makes Furman pay. The good thing that Matt talked about is the three point defense. What they also do is very much limit three point half times as well. So I think they really throw a wrench in the Furman plans to get to an NCAA tournament.
Jeff Nadu:
I’ve thought Chattanooga was the best team in this conference all season. It’s a good conference. I like Furman, but they’re to me way too dependent on the three point shot, as he alluded to. Keep in mind, as he said, I think 45% of their points come from the three point line.
Jeff Nadu:
That’s not sustainable. I’ve talked about that time and time again. I want the more complex, complete team, the team that can go out and make buckets. Look at the point distribution for Chat. Way more balanced. They’re pretty experienced. They’ve got a lot of continuity and they have kids that they didn’t have in the first couple of matchups back.
Jeff Nadu:
They don’t turn it over. I think Chat cruises here. I think they take care of business. I don’t know if they’ll win by 23 like they did last night, but I think they win by seven to 10 points and they head to the NCAA tournament.
T.J. Reeves:
How much do you buy into what Matt was alluding to? We see this a lot in conference play, which is Chattanooga had an easy game. They’ve now gotten more rest by couple hours. And Furman had to scratch and claw. Does that really matter that much when you’re looking at a game lie this, Jeff?
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah, I think it does. I mean, I’ll take any advantage I can get. The extra hours of rest are big. Remember that game was the second game as well. Any little advantage you can take is huge. And I’ll definitely look at that and say yeah. Plus I, again, just think Chattanooga is a better team.
Jeff Nadu:
There’s no surprise to me in that the money is on Chat. This number’s moved in favor of Chat. And remember, the money moved in favor of Chat yesterday. I bet them yesterday and they had no trouble. It feels like the smart people know Chat’s good and so does the public, and they’re just kind of on the same sides here.
Jeff Nadu:
The good things about these games are they’re not getting as much money as some of the others. But yeah, I think that’s definitely helpful here. We throw in the fact that Chat didn’t have certain players in the first matchups. I think they win. I think they’re the better team. They’re the more complete team.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. Again, mid-major Matt is on the official play. It is the Chattanooga Moccasins. Tonight he’s on the money line for them to cash in, figuratively, on going to the NCAA tournament on the neutral floor. One more thing. I say this a bunch. I’m going to say it again here. We say it in the regular season. It’s more magnified though in the postseason.
T.J. Reeves:
We have got to legislate from the NCAA level and the officiating level at the end of games with a minute left, if there is a replay of review, it is not an official timeout to go over and talk over and diagram plays. Because for Samford, they were out of timeouts.
T.J. Reeves:
Not once, not twice, but three times they got to diagram a potential time play or even the winning play down too late when they have no timeouts left. We can have two referees go over and look at the monitor. The other referee essentially is the buffer, where he’s telling the two sets of players stay out on the floor.
T.J. Reeves:
You can talk to each other, but we’re not going over to diagram plays while the review goes on. Why else do we keep track of timeouts? Anybody else want to weigh in on that? If you don’t have a timeout, you shouldn’t get a timeout.
Jeff Nadu:
I agree with that and I think you’re eloquent in saying that. There’s a lot of rules that college basketball needs to change. If I could say one that I just wanted to mention, and I’m blown away that this is still a thing in college basketball. We have a situation, guys. Tomorrow evening, I believe it is, the Bellarmine… What’s their…
T.J. Reeves:
I don’t know what Bellarmines Mascot is. What is it?
Jeff Nadu:
They’re the Knights. The Bellarmine Knights are on the precipice of winning the Atlantic Sun. If they beat the Jacksonville Dolphins tomorrow, they would be the champions of the Atlantic Sun and should go to the NCAA tournament.
Jeff Nadu:
However, due to an absolutely ridiculous rule, because they came into the NCAA in 2021, they have to sit out four years to be eligible for the NCAA tournament, even if they win. Explain that to me.
Jeff Nadu:
They played hard. They won this tournament. And if they win tomorrow, they can’t go to the tournament. And you know who goes to the tournament? Jacksonville State, who already eliminated, but they’re the number one seed so they go. What the hell is going on here? Pathetic. Sickening.
T.J. Reeves:
Matt is fired up. Matt, you want to weigh in on that one?
Matt Joseph:
This happened the second time. Because last year North Alabama played Liberty and North Alabama had no shot either. The transitional period, I understand that. But if you’re good enough to win your conference, you should be able to go. And that’s including football too. JMU has to wait a year or two to go to a bowl game when they’re probably good enough to go this year in the Sun Belt. So yeah, it’s a crazy thing the NCAA has.
T.J. Reeves:
So in the situation a year ago, same conference, Atlantic Sun, Liberty had won the regular season title and they were in the championship game and the Atlantic Sun came out and said, “Even if north Alabama wins, they can celebrate, but we’re going to take Liberty as a regular season champ.”
T.J. Reeves:
Your point, big man, is Jacksonville State won the regular season, but they lost the semi-final to Jacksonville. And so now if Jacksonville wins this game, they get the automatic bid. But if they lose, it’s going to be Jacksonville State who gets the automatic bid as the conference. And again, the Atlantic Sun wants to cash the check from the conference tournament and they wanted to let Bellarmine play in the conference tournament. I agree. It’s crazy.
Jeff Nadu:
Listen to the first five games this season for Bellarmine. Purdue, Murray State, St. Mary’s, Gonzaga, UCLA. So they went out and challenged themselves at a good season, won the conference. But why is there a four-year rule? What’s the reason for that? What the hell does that even matter?
T.J. Reeves:
To make the case that maybe it should only be a couple of years, but I think the transition is also for you to demonstrate that you can financially with your facilities, all of those things make the transition out of division two or out of division three.
Jeff Nadu:
Why accept them in general if you can’t handle it? Why accept them?
T.J. Reeves:
I don’t disagree with that. Anyway, moving on as, again, Matt has the money line play there on Chattanooga. Next game on the schedule, we are back to the CAA semi-finals with Charleston and UNC Wilmington. They’ll be up second on the floor after Delaware and Towson.
T.J. Reeves:
UNC Wilmington is a one point underdog on the neutral floor here in Washington, DC. The total at 148.5 on the BetUS line when we came on here. There’s not an official play. Jeff Nadu though, a quick thought here as we move along on this game, the second of the two semis in the colonial.
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah, I think this is another tough one. Both of these CAA games are tough. I think the only thing that I’m excited about with Charleston are two things. John Meeks and the fact that Pat Kelsey’s the coach. Outside of that, I just don’t really want to bet into Wilmington, because they’ve been kind of super lucky this year. They don’t turn a ball over and they value possessions. But I don’t trust their offense.
Jeff Nadu:
I feel like Meeks is kind of putting on a show. He had a great game last night against the Hofstra Pride. He’s not going to have a ton of trouble tonight I don’t think either. I think he’s one of those kids that can carry his team to the NCAA tournament. And we’re going to say to ourself, “Well, there’s Pat Kelsey again doing his thing in another school.” It’s a tough game. I lean Charleston, but I don’t have much on it. I’m not betting either of these CAA games.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. Matt, any thoughts here on this match up? Winner goes for the automatic bid tomorrow night.
Matt Joseph:
I thought it was interesting once again that the total fell on this one four points. And considering that they play the Charleston’s pace and UNC Wilmington won both games, much like him, I lean Charleston, but somehow UNC Wilmington’s got a horseshoe up their rear end. So somehow they’ll win this game.
Matt Joseph:
I believe more in Charleston. I mean, look, the game yesterday was very impressive against Hofstra and they scored 92 points. I mean, I don’t understand the move down so much because of the fact that these first two games were played at Charleston’s pace.
Matt Joseph:
Part me wants to play the over here just because of… But I don’t love anything. And much like Jeff always says, 10 games on the card, you either love something or you don’t because tomorrow there’s more and Wednesday there’s more. So if I had to, I would play the over, but I don’t love anything here.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. Fair enough. So a pass from both of the handicapers on that match up. Again, the winner gets the winner of Towson and Delaware tomorrow night, a game that will have some interest here at 8:00 Eastern Time, three hours earlier. 5:00 In the desert to give Gonzaga potentially some more rest.
T.J. Reeves:
They’re playing an earlier semi-final tonight, Gonzaga San Francisco. San Francisco did beat BYU. That game came back on Saturday night. And so now they play Gonzaga that got the double by into the semi-finals in Las Vegas. Gonzaga favored by 15 in this matchup tonight.
T.J. Reeves:
Bid for not only another West Coast Conference title, but also Gonzaga very much in play obviously for the number seed out in the west regional. The total at 154.5. Mid-major Matt, let’s begin with you. You’ve got that Gonzaga pinot behind you. How live is the San Francisco dog here in this situation?
Matt Joseph:
So here’s the interesting thing. I’m watching this total. It went up to 155. It went down to 152.5. It’s now back up in a lot of places. So the total is all over the place. The reason why I can’t bet this game or at least with the way we do our picks is because I don’t know about Massalski. And Massalski is huge for this game.
Matt Joseph:
And it sounded like Todd Golden basically said they’re going to arrest him potentially because they think they have the at large spot locked up, which I think they do. If he doesn’t play, the Gonzaga team total over comes into play because he’s huge for the middle.
Matt Joseph:
Tape can’t handle both the guys. And Markovetskyy or whatever the other big guy, he’s a freshman. So if I find out Massalski is not playing, I’m playing the Gonzaga team total over. And I think they win this game rather easily. If he is playing, then I think that San Francisco has a shot.
Matt Joseph:
They played a great game plan and they’re two games against Gonzaga and Gonzaga still beat them by double digits. And I’ve looked at some of this stuff, these rims are very soft in Vegas. There’s been a ton of points in the history of this West Coast tournament if you look at some of the games throughout the history. So the over seems very interesting. But if Massalski doesn’t play, I’m playing the Gonzaga team total over.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. Big man, thoughts here? First of all, do you believe San Francisco is in right now with that win over BYU? They’re secure along with St. Mary’s and obviously Gonzaga right now?
Jeff Nadu:
I think they’re in, but the absolute arrogance of him to say, “I think we’re in. So we’re going to rest our guy.” In a semifinal in your conference against Gonzaga, the absolute arrogance of him. No, they’re not a guarantee. You ever see the committee? Remember they kept certain teams out?
Jeff Nadu:
You don’t want the committee to decide what you do. You go out and win the tournament. Now, I know it’s likely you probably won’t, but what kind of ridiculous statement is, “We think we’re going to be in, so we’ll just rest one of our best players and get absolutely destroyed by Gonzaga national television.”
Jeff Nadu:
The arrogance of him, I would completely keep them out because of it. Yeah, I do think they’re in though, but that’s whether my opinion matters or not. Yeah, look, I think Matt’s a hundred percent right. He’s dead on the money. If Missaulski doesn’t play, obviously he’s a little hobbled either way.
Jeff Nadu:
And it’s not like Gonzaga had any sort of trouble really scoring against anybody in this conference. So yeah, I would look towards the team total here. I don’t know if they’ll be able to stop San Francisco because they sometimes struggle in that end to just be interested in playing defense. But yeah, I would look towards the team total. But yeah, that is complete arrogance by them to think, “Well, we’re just going to give up a game because we’re probably in.”
T.J. Reeves:
By the way, arrogance probably misplaced, because San Francisco has only been in the NCAA tournament one time since 1982. Only once. It’s been a long time coming. And I believe that was like 1987, something like that.
Jeff Nadu:
So you would leave it up to the committee to decide?
T.J. Reeves:
No. I would want everybody playing and try to pull it upset for one more last impression here. We’ll see. But the belief from most of the bracketologists that I’ve seen is they are in. Now, they may be in the first four, who knows? It’s a 12 seed. We’ll see. And especially if Gonzaga drills them tonight, they may very well end up there as a 12 seed. We’ll find out.
T.J. Reeves:
And again, no official play from the handicapers. And there’s another semi-final game coming in this conference though, I guess Gonzaga tries to get back there and win the league yet again. All right. Back to another game in the Summit League, the second of the two semi-finals comes up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts.
T.J. Reeves:
They were the darlings of the postseason a year ago. They won this tournament on a last second shot. They then went into the NCAA tournament and won a couple of games. All right. Do or die time now. 8:30 Eastern Time. It’s a pick’em game as you see. 150.5 is the total. And Jeff Nadu, you have an official play. Back to you, sir. What do you like tonight?
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah, I think this is the best bet on the board tonight. I like the Bison here, North Dakota State. I took them a couple of weeks ago when these two teams played and I’ll anchor the same sentiment I had in that game. I just think it’s a terrible matchup for Oral Roberts, who’s off of a game last night where, look, it was easy for them.
Jeff Nadu:
But I felt like that was a totally different mashup than this one is. Lufile did whatever he wanted on the block against a bad Western Illinois front court. That ain’t going to happen tonight. This team is way more equipped to handle him.
Jeff Nadu:
And North Dakota State, they’re big, they’re lengthy. They’ve got it on the perimeter and on the block. And we look at what Oral Roberts wants to do. Very similar to the other team we talked about that shoots a lot of threes. I forget who it was. We’ve talked about so many teams.
T.J. Reeves:
Furman.
Jeff Nadu:
Furman. Yeah. North Dakota State is so terrific at limiting three point opportunities. In fact, one of the best in the conference. And if you look at both games this season, not only did they do well in limiting threes, but they also did a pretty good job against Amos.
Jeff Nadu:
You look at in two games against North Dakota state this year, Mr. Ashmith, five for 26 from three. That says something. If you can hold him in check, they don’t have an Obanor type of player on this team that can score like they did last year. North Dakota State’s a tough matchup. And I’ll throw in one better.
Jeff Nadu:
When we look at this Lufile kid that they have, that’s kind of their go-to big at this point. He I don’t think has the ability to go out in the perimeter and deal with Grant Nelson or Rocky Cruiser. I just think this is a bad matchup. It’s not at home for North Dakota State, but they always travel well.
Jeff Nadu:
I think we get the good final we want, North Dakota State, South Dakota State. Remember, those two teams, every game they play is decided by six points or less. I think they take care of Oral Roberts tonight. They’re not going to have the same luck they did last year. This is a terrible matchup for Oral Roberts. I like the Bison here.
T.J. Reeves:
About that, all right, so he is on the official play. As for Asmiths, Matt, Joseph’s last night, he finished with 22, but just one of five from three point range. He did make nine of 10 at the foul line. Lufile, if we’re saying the name correctly, had 18 and 14.
T.J. Reeves:
I watched some of the second half of this game though. And actually Western Illinois got within like five or six in the final couple of minutes. It was not as if Oral Roberts didn’t have to sweat a little bit and make some free throws. Matt, any thoughts on this tonight, if no official play in the semifinal?
Matt Joseph:
I mean, remember the last time these two teams played, it was a little testy, a little contentious at the end of it. So that’ll be interesting how much carries over. But remember, the advantage that the two seed gets here is they got the day off North Dakota State. So they have an extra bit of time to prepare.
Matt Joseph:
And as he said, the home court advantage is going to be big, unless none of the South Dakota people leave and it’s just the South Dakota State crowd rooting against them. But I lean to North Dakota State. My one thing with them is like at times, their offense is a bit of an issue.
Matt Joseph:
But Oral Roberts plays no defense and Rocky Kreuser should abuse Lufile inside. So I would lean to North Dakota State here. I agree with that. And I certainly think the rest and the fact that Oral Roberts had to play a game last night will certainly come into play here. So I think we do get the championship we want, South Dakota State, North Dakota State.
Jeff Nadu:
I’m pretty surprised that this number is what it is. We got pick them on BetUS. I would be okay with laying 2.5 in this game. I think North Dakota State’s a better team and I think that’s pretty evident in really every level. And I throw in the fact as Matt alluded to that they have an extra day that the opponent didn’t have. That’s huge.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. Let’s lock Jeff in officially on it. And it is on a pick’em line off the BetUS line. He will take North Dakota State in the Summit League semi-final coming up tonight in South Dakota to get into the championship game, automatic bid on the line. Tuesday night, let’s move on.
T.J. Reeves:
We will try to get to a couple of Q&A questions. I know some of you are interested in some things. We’ll look those over in a couple of moments here as we’re getting to all 10 games on a Monday, including the second of the two semi-finals back to the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Northern Kentucky, and Purdue Fort Wayne.
T.J. Reeves:
The north of Northern Kentucky have won this tournament on a couple of occasions. I actually broadcasted both of those wins, including the game, two years ago, 2020, right before the COVID-19 shutdown. They won the conference tournament on the Tuesday night.
T.J. Reeves:
So they have had some success, including in this building. The master dons of Purdue Fort Wayne though, tonight, they’re not actually favorite. They’re actually two point underdogs. I started to say they were favorite. 133.5 is the number. The winner gets into the conference tournament championship game. Any thoughts here, gentlemen? Anybody want to jump in on this second semi-final in the Horizon League.
Jeff Nadu:
Yeah. I like PFW. They’ve played really well lately. I mean, they haven’t lost since January 30th. It was the Wright State. Nothing bad about that. This team is solid. And they don’t play a great defense, but they put their head down. They got great guard play with Pipkins and Chong Qui.
Jeff Nadu:
I love Chong Qui. He was at Mount St. Mary’s, went to the NCAA tournament. Terrific player. Planutis comes over from St. Bonnie. Just a bunch of transfers that have come in and played really well. They didn’t play yesterday or anything. They haven’t played since Thursday. So should be pretty rested for this game.
Jeff Nadu:
I just think they’re the better team. Northern Kentucky didn’t do much for me. They played well on their own and it seems like they were solid against anyone other than Detroit Mercy. But I don’t know. It’s a tough one.
Jeff Nadu:
You have a couple of these games today. They’re kind of tossups. I can make cases for both sides. I look at Northern Kentucky kind of like Towson. They’re very good on the glass. That’s kind of big for them. But there’s a Fort Wayne team. It’s a pretty decent defensive rebounding team. So two hot teams. I think it’d go either way. I pass.
T.J. Reeves:
Matt, Purdue Fort Wayne defeated Northern Kentucky all the way back at the beginning of December in the conference game at home. Northern Kentucky won the rematch back about three weeks ago in their building. Neutral floor game. Winner goes to the championship game for the shot at the automatic bid. Any thought, if no official play, or you want to move on?
Matt Joseph:
I mean, they’re both hot, as he said. I lean to Northern Kentucky, but it’s a coin toss here. You look at that last game, Purdue Fort Wayne was going to win that game and then Northern Kentucky went on like a 20-2 run to close things out and get the victory.
Matt Joseph:
There are some things here. Northern Kentucky’s had some problems with turnovers at times. Purdue Fort Wayne’s got that pressure. If Northern Kentucky can break it. I mean, their defense is better than Purdue Fort Wayne’s defense. It’s a toss up to me. It was a pretty easy game to pass on the card.
T.J. Reeves:
Jarred Godfrey leads Purdue Fort Wayne at 15 points and four assists a game. Will he have a big game tonight? And again, much interest in this. Another plug, I’ll have the championship game. TuneIn on national digital radio. You’ll be able to hear that tomorrow night. Will it be Purdue Fort Wayne?
T.J. Reeves:
Will it be Northern Kentucky going for a third conference tournament championship in the last six years? If they get in that championship game, we’ll find out in the second semi-final there in Indianapolis. That leaves one more game to discuss. it is the second of the two semi-finals in the desert at the Orleans Arena. It’s the West Coast Conference tournament semi-final between St. Mary’s and Santa Clara.
T.J. Reeves:
So Gonzaga San Francisco up first. This game will be right after it or right around 10:30, maybe 10:45 Eastern Time, maybe a little later in the Vegas time zone. St. Mary’s is favored by five here, the total 137.5 Let’s begin mid-major Matt with you. Any thoughts on this one, if no official play?
Matt Joseph:
I think I’m going to play the over in this one. I’m just waiting to see if it falls a little bit more back to 137.5. It’s 138 pretty much everywhere. I like the Santa Clara team. They pushed the pace. Now, look, they played their first game, they played one of them at 68% possession, one at 67% possession.
Matt Joseph:
One of them was a 77-72 score. St. Mary’s won the 73-65 game. I kind of like the over here. As I said, I like these rims here in this building and I think that Santa Clara is actually worth an underdog look here potentially too. And if you like Santa Clara, you’re probably going to have them push the pace and this is probably going to be an over.
Matt Joseph:
I think the St Mary’s team, the biggest question is, will St. Mary’s be potentially just looking ahead to playing Gonzaga once again? Or will they still be fat and happy after beating Gonzaga last game? They know they’re in. They know what their seeding is going to be.
Matt Joseph:
So I wonder where the Gael’s head is at. And if their head’s not in this thing completely, I think Santa Clara can cover. I think there’s a small chance Santa Clara can win. And if that’s the case, then you like the over in this one.
T.J. Reeves:
Jeff Nadu in the first matchup in Northern St. Mary’s won by eight in the rematch. Santa Clara won by five at home. So this is the rubber match for the title game and the automatic bid. As Matt said, it means much more for the Broncos of Santa Clara. They are fighting for their NCAA tournament lives tonight. Any thoughts?
Jeff Nadu:
Now, this is a team that is definitely it. This is a team that I think could make the case that Mr… Who’s the coach? Todd Golden?
T.J. Reeves:
San Francisco. Right.
Jeff Nadu:
This is the case that Todd Golden can make. Now, he’s not this team. I agree with Matt. I think this is… I was surprised. I don’t see five points between these two. I would’ve poured more and put it like three. I felt like five was valuable. It’s a clash and style. Santa Clara want to go quick. They want to get out and transition and St. Mary isn’t going to allow much of it.
Jeff Nadu:
But I feel like these teams are pretty even. I think St Mary’s a little bit better. But as Matt alluded to, I think there’s a little bit more in this for Santa Clara. Herb Sendek is a hell of a coach. And he’s been around a long time. I don’t even know how long Herb Sendek’s been a coach.
Jeff Nadu:
I remember when he was at Arizona State, NC State. He’s been a coach since 1997. I was eight years old. Wow. It seems like he’s been around forever. So yeah, he’s a good coach in his own right. I like some of their kids. Vrankic is a hell of a player. He might be the best big in this game. So yeah, I’m going to lean on Santa Clara plus the five. I think if you could somewhat get even higher, it’d be great. I thought this number would be three.
T.J. Reeves:
All right. Again, in the metrics under the NCAA NET, St. Mary’s is 19 going into play tonight. And all of this will change as the week goes on. But they’ve got five quad one wins. San Francisco though, 24 in the net, only three quad one wins, and they’ve got a quad four loss.
T.J. Reeves:
So the metrics don’t all add up there on them. But you would think they’re all three. And again, if you are a bubble team, you do not want Santa Clara winning this game and then having a shot at the automatic bid. Because Santa Clara more than likely not in.
T.J. Reeves:
Even with a St Mary’s neutral floor win, guys, Santa Clara doesn’t have an at large case. I don’t think. They got to have the auto bid for this one tonight. So we’ll see how that plays out in the second semi-final for the WCC. No official play from the handicapers, but they’ve been giving you great advice through all of this.
T.J. Reeves:
We’ve got time for a couple of questions on Q&A’s and in particular in the futures. Scott wants to know watching us live in the 1:00 Eastern Time hour on a Monday. Arkansas is a plus 650 in the SEC tournament coming right here where I’m doing the show from in Tampa. The SEC tournament at the downtown Amalie Arena. What do we think of that play? Jeff in particular, plus 650 on the Hogs as a future play in the SEC tournament?
Jeff Nadu:
I don’t think there’s much value in it. I think it they’re listed correctly. I would probably have them as like the fourth or fifth team in this conference. I mean, I don’t know. Do I think they can actually go on the road and win all these games? Do I think they beat Kentucky on a neutral or Tennessee? Probably not.
Jeff Nadu:
So no, I wouldn’t play it personally. I think the numbers fair. As far as a future that I would bet, look, sometimes you have to realize certain numbers just aren’t good enough. South Dakota State’s like 225 to win the Summit League. I mean, Matt, you know better than me, they’re going to win tonight.
Jeff Nadu:
And you know against North Dakota State, they’re going to be a six, seven point favorite, probably. So I think you’re getting… Or you could just bet it game to game money line and probably get a better play. And looking at Arkansas’s, to answer his question, no.
Jeff Nadu:
Do I have any future years that I’m looking at? I don’t know. I haven’t put them all out yet. But I would be looking at conferences like the Southland where you can get better prices. And I think they’re a little bit more open. I’ll look at maybe like a Tenn State at 450 in the MAC or something. I mean, they’re playing as good as anybody in the country right now.
T.J. Reeves:
Patrick is watching us as well. Matt, he wants to know, do you have a future play that you like right now headed into this week?
Matt Joseph:
By the way, I just wanted to know, is this tournament in Bud Walton Arena? Oh, it’s not in Bud Walton. So no, I would not take Arkansas. I mean, look, Arkansas would have to beat Auburn and then either Tennessee or Kentucky on a neutral court to win this thing. I don’t think they will. So I wouldn’t go there.
Matt Joseph:
Arkansas is all going to get LSU too. So it would be a very tough road for Arkansas to do it. And so that’s why I wouldn’t do it. I agree with him on Kent State. Now, part of this is me protecting my Toledo heart here. But I mean, plus 450 for a team that’s the hottest team in the conference, that’s pretty ridiculous.
Matt Joseph:
And Kent State wouldn’t have to see Toledo till the title game because they’re on opposite side to the bracket. I think Louisiana Tech’s worth a look. I think Louisiana Tech is not a bad team in Conference USA. They’ve certainly got the talent. And you look at like a Steven F. Austin.
Matt Joseph:
I think Steven F. Austin in the WAC. Now, look, if you look at the WAC tournament, the one and the two have the most advantage because this is one of those things where they kind of go diagonally and the one and the two only have to win two games. The three and the four only have to win three games to do it.
Matt Joseph:
And I just like the Stephen F. Austin team. If you remember, last year they did not make the tournament because of some probably stupid NCAA violations. And so there’s some revenge there. Now, they have to get through Abilene Christian a third time potentially. But I think Stephen F. Austin has some value. UVA at 14-1 or whatever it is, it definitely has some value.
Matt Joseph:
Because Duke doesn’t want to see UVA. And look, I think UVA is going to beat North Carolina in that first game if UVA gets past their game. So I think there’s some value with UVA there. And then, look, I think there’s value with the schools in the Richmond area in the A10 tournament.
Matt Joseph:
BCU and Richmond, they’re going to potentially play each other on Friday night. And look, as much as I bash Richmond, they are arguably one of the most talented teams in the conference. And if they get their crap together, they could certainly win this thing. So I think there’s some value here.
Jeff Nadu:
Real quick. Just one or two other thoughts. If I’m looking at a team in the SEC where I would go, I would just play Kentucky. I mean, let’s just be honest with ourselves, they’re a favorite against pretty much everyone here. I’m not an Auburn guy. I’ve said that before. I like Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee, but I think Kentucky’s better than all these teams.
Jeff Nadu:
I’m getting a plus money price Kentucky to win what? Two games? I’m in. I’ll also say, I’m not real sure why Nicholls State is a even money favorite to win the south end good team. But Sila is playing really well. New Orleans, who I’ve been involved with. I think there are some teams in that conference.
Jeff Nadu:
I mean, McNeese State, did anybody watch that game over the weekend? Four over times. What was it? 143-141? It was something crazy. So yeah, I think that’s an open conversation. But yeah, these are fun. You got to definitely get involved in some of these conversations. Houston’s 150 to win the American. The way they’re playing right now, do you want to bet Houston? I mean, this team’s been a mess. I’ll pass.
T.J. Reeves:
You should be proud of me. We’re 57 minutes into the show and I didn’t say Memphis Tigers put it on Houston Sunday. And they brought out the Memphis State jerseys that they wore when I was there long ago than I want to admit, late eighties, early nineties.
T.J. Reeves:
They brought out the Memphis State black letter jerseys and beat Houston. They maybe should wear those at the conference tournament coming out. What is Memphis? Are they plus like 500, plus 750? What are they?
Jeff Nadu:
No. They’re plus 375.
T.J. Reeves:
Plus 375. Interesting. They would potentially be playing SMU again in the semi-finals. We’ll see how that plays out before it’s ever one of those teams getting another crack at Houston coming up.
Jeff Nadu:
Hey TJ.
T.J. Reeves:
Yep.
Jeff Nadu:
Before you wrap this up, this is a message to every person in this chat. 247 people in here. Thank you for being here. Hit the like button now. We went over every game. Do me a favor, hit the like button. You like me? Maybe you like Matt, maybe you like TJ. I don’t know why you’d like him, but hit the like button, please.
T.J. Reeves:
Maybe you like Jeff’s haircut. Whatever the case is, like the haircut, hit the bell, subscribe to the channel. More and more of you are finding us. And again, we thank you. We got over the 1500 mark on the subscribers before March. I think we can get to 2000 by the time we get to the final four, maybe even more.
T.J. Reeves:
I keep hearing it out and there’s a lot of interest in all of the information. So let’s circle back one more time and take a look at the best bets, hearing what the guys are officially on tonight. Again, only 10 games. They’re making the plays on four of these games tonight.
T.J. Reeves:
Matt has a side with Chattanooga going for the automatic bid with Furman, and he also loves the over for the South Dakota State, South Dakota Summit League game. Jeff likewise has a play for South Dakota State in that game and the team total over. In the same conference, he has North Dakota state as the pick’em team.
T.J. Reeves:
Big man, do not get emotional on me as we get ready to leave. I will not be here tomorrow. I’ve been like the Cal Ripken of this show. I’ve been here like since Thanksgiving, every show. I will not be here tomorrow on the show. I will be part of the Horizon League championship call Tuesday night from Indianapolis.
T.J. Reeves:
We’ll see if it is Cleveland State the number one seed, what’s going to happen in that Topsy-turvy tournament. 7:00 Eastern Time. If you have the TuneIn mobile app, it is free. You’ll be able to hear the game for free through TuneIn tomorrow night, national digital coverage.
T.J. Reeves:
I will report back on Wednesday on what I find out from the Horizon League, and we’ll be ready for a bunch more tournaments to get up for grabs. In the meantime, final thoughts, guys? Anything else before we are done?
Jeff Nadu:
Who’s the host tomorrow?
T.J. Reeves:
That’s a great question. They’re going to have to tune in and find out. There are some rumors floating around, but it maybe the big man, it could be mid-major Matt might get the bat. You got to tune in tomorrow, that’s a tease, to find out who it is. Any final thoughts, guys? Are we good?
Jeff Nadu:
That’s it for me.
Matt Joseph:
I’m good.
Jeff Nadu:
Mid-major Matt, good luck with the plays. Big man on campus, good luck with the plays. I will miss you. I will miss you. They will see you tomorrow. I will see you Wednesday on the BetUS College Basketball Show. Bye.
