|
With the SEC conference schedule in full swing at this time, teams like the Mississippi St. Bulldogs and Florida Gators are starting to figure out exactly where they stand in the SEC's pecking order. It has been a very good year so far for the Mississippi St. program, as they have significantly increased their win total while playing much better basketball than at any point last season. The Bulldogs are pretty solid both offensively and defensively, but they have been slightly inconsistent throughout the 2011-2012 regular season. The defense, in particular, has been marginal in some instances, and Mississippi St. understands that they must play solidly on a regular basis if they are going to have any level of success the rest of the way. The Bulldogs are going to have a very difficult task to overcome on Saturday afternoon due to the fact that the Florida Gators have one of the nation's top offenses. Ranking seventh overall in points per game, the Gators have proven to be a very difficult team to stop when they get out in the open floor. When this game is over, Mississippi St. will have put together a good battle, but they ultimately can't overcome the talent discrepancy that exists in this one.
There have been only a couple of players in the Southeastern Conference this year that have played better than Arnett Moultrie. The 6'11" transfer from UTEP has proven time and again that he is certainly a player that allows the rest of the offense to flow smoothly in all areas. Moultrie commands a lot of attention on the low block, and he has shown that he is one of the nation's top rebounders. Not allowing Florida to get off second shots, however, could ultimately be the deciding factor in this one. While the Gators are certainly talented, the Bulldogs should not panic if they find themselves down early in this one. In a fight to the finish, Florida might ultimately be the team that wins this game against the spread.
Kenny Boynton continues to turn in solid performances every time he takes the court, and his ability to score the basketball is one of his best attributes. Boynton has showed that he is not shy at taking the big shots, but he also realizes when is the best time to distribute the basketball. Now in his third season with the Gators basketball program, Boynton has become one of head coach Billy Gillespie's most reliable players. While there is still room in his game for improvement, there is little doubt that the diminutive combo guard will have one of the best careers in Florida basketball history.
What ultimately separates the Bulldogs and the Gators in this matchup is the fact that Florida's guard play is simply on an entirely different level right now. Florida has become one of the premier programs in the SEC, and only a couple of other teams have been able to compete with the Gators on a regular basis. If Boynton and Beal contribute solid performances in this game, it could be a very long night for fans of Mississippi St. With the regular season conference title up for grabs right now, each of these conference games are crucially important to the success of both Mississippi St. and Florida. |
A turbulent offseason for the Portland Trail Blazers is not showing its ill effects on the franchise up to this point in the season. To begin with, Portland lost Brandon Roy to early retirement after it was found that he had a degenerative knee condition that made athletic participation unhealthy. Right after it was announced that Roy was not returning, the team got the news that center Greg Oden would be out for another regular season, as he has missed entire seasons in the past. Oden has definitely not lived up the number one draft pick status that he achieved a few years ago, and his value to the organization is starting to dwindle on a regular basis. On Friday evening, the Trial Blazers will host the Phoenix Suns, who have just been struggling to stay above .500 over the first games of the season. An upset win on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers would go a long way towards ensuring that they have an increased level of confidence going forward int the final three-quarters of the year.
Up to this point in the season, as has seemingly become a trend over the past few years, the Phoenix Suns have been a very mediocre basketball team. There seems to be a difficult for the Suns' front office to understand that you have to change your roster, so the members of the team do not get too comfortable in their current roles. Point guard Steve Nash continues to have a positive impact on the team, but he can only do much. While Nash is one of the best offensive facilitators in professional basketball, there just hasn't been anyone else that has really stepped up to take the team over. Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley have been having a good year so far, but they don't fill the same role that another effective scorer would. Gortat has definitely made improvements in the middle for Phoenix, but he does not have anyone else up front to help him take over a game.
Surprisingly, the absences of Roy and Oden do not seem to be making a negative impact on the results that the team is getting. While coaches and spectators of the organization knew they were taking a gamble with Oden, Roy was figured to be the starting shooting guard while also leading the team back to the glory years of the franchise. As everyone knows, a team's fortunes in a game are numerous. For this reason, rebounding becomes imperative if you want your team to defeat whichever opponent you are facing on this particular part of your schedule. Let's not forget the Trial Blazers have a very good power forward in LaMarcus Aldridge, and his success on Friday will go a long way towards determining if the Trail Blazers are going to make it past the first round and into higher levels of competition.
Phoenix really wanted to perform well this year, but it became clear very quickly that they just didn't have the athleticism to defeat the really good teams in professional basketball. While they hearken back to the glory years, the Suns can still finish the year relatively well if they continue to improve at many different aspects of the game. For the time being, though, stick with the Portland Trail Blazers to win this game against the spread. |
One of the teams that has really been struggling since the lockout-shortened NBA season got underway is the Washington Wizards. It is difficult to pinpoint one reason in particular why they are playing so bad, as the team has many glaring weaknesses that need to be addressed before they can show any real improvement in their win/loss record. Their opponent on Friday evening will be the Houston Rockets, who appear to be poised for a nice run at the Western Conference Playoffs later in the year. While Houston should not be confused with the elite teams in the West, they certainly are playing much better basketball than they have been over the past few seasons. By improving on the offensive end of the floor, the Rockets have kept themselves alive in games that they otherwise would have been blown out in. If they can consistently score the ball through the next 40 games, there is no reason not to believe that Houston will finish the season very successfully. In this game, take the Rockets to achieve a much-needed victory against the spread.
The biggest reason underlying the struggles that have plagued the Wizards over the course of this young season is their lack of consistency on either end of the court. Between not being able to score enough points to even put themselves in a position to win a game and doing little to stop the other team from being successful, the Wizards have been having a difficult time just staying competitive in most of the games they have played up to this point. While point guard and former number one overall draft pick John Wall continues to progress as a player, he still needs to show that he has the capability to be a superstar on the professional level. Wall is certainly the most talented player on Washington's roster, but he could certainly stand to improve his offensive efficiency if the Wizards are to be any more successful in the future.
Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry have done an excellent job of teaming up in the backcourt to provide Houston with the firepower that is necessary to win in today's NBA. Martin is not scoring as many points per game as he has in past seasons, but he isn't being called upon to score 25 points a game at this particular point. Having Lowry averaging over 17 points per game definitely helps take some of the pressure off of Martin, but everyone in professional basketball knows that stopping the Rockets means that they will need to gameplan against Martin. In the frontcourt, Luis Scola has been having another productive season, and he is slowly becoming one of the most consistent forwards in the NBA. All of these variables put together give Houston the best chance of winning this game against the spread.
There is a lot to like about this Houston team going into this matchup on January 27th against the Washington Wizards. It's not so much about what the Rockets can do. The Wizards' inabilities are going to make it very difficult for this team to win a game against one of the better teams in the Western Conference. It appears as though it could be a very long year for fans of Washington, as they have a lack of quality talent that they can count on nightly. Take the Rockets to get the win against the spread. |
Both the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers appear to be heading in the right direction as franchises in professional basketball. It wasn't too long ago that both of these organizations were fodder for the rest of the Western Conference, but now, the tables have turned in their favor. Memphis has done a fantastic job of building its current roster through the development of young talent, and they have continued to make good decisions when the NBA Draft comes around in June. The team is very aware of what they want to run on both ends of the floor, and they do an admirable job of selecting players that fit their system. Los Angeles has seen quite a bit of roster turnover in the past couple of seasons, but it appears as though they have settled on players that they are comfortable moving forward with. The duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin could be very impressive for a long time in the NBA, and this could be the opportunity that the Clippers have waited for to finally become legitimate contenders for an NBA Championship.
Just by looking at the Grizzlies schedule, you wouldn't think that Memphis is doing anything special in the 2011-2012 season, but nothing could be further from the truth. This team has definitely shown that they have improved tremendously over the summer, and it will only be a matter of time before the Grizzlies are one of the elite teams in professional basketball. Marc Gasol has seemingly put everything together this year to become the dominant inside presence that Memphis projected him to be when they drafted him. While he still isn't the game changing big man like his Los Angeles Lakers brother, Marc is finally starting to learn some good low-post moves. If Zach Randolph can get healthy, and stay healthy, the Grizzlies will be lethal in the middle of the paint. Expect to see Memphis win this game against the spread on the road due simply to having more weapons than Los Angeles.
No organization has been through a longer stretch of losing than the Clippers. For years, league experts have always projected Los Angeles to underachieve no matter who is on their roster for that particular season. With the addition of Chris Paul at the point, however, the Clippers finally have someone that can consistently facilitate the offense. The main benefactor of Paul's addition to the team should be forward Blake Griffin, as it has been Griffin that appears on the verge of having an MVP-type of season. Paul does such a good job of facilitating offense for his teammates that it only stands to reason that Griffin's stats would steadily climb as he gets more comfortable with Paul.
While neither one of these teams appear ready to challenge the Lakers or Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference, they certainly appear more capable of staying competitive with these types of teams throughout the course of the regular season. For this game, Memphis just seems to have more going in their favor despite having to play the game at Staples Center. Rudy Gay has established himself as one of the most athletic players in the league, and no one on the Clippers roster can effectively defend him when Memphis is on offense. Take the Grizzlies to get a much needed victory against Los Angeles on Thursday evening. |
|
It has definitely not been the season that fans of the Boston Celtics organization envisioned. With their current record below .500, everyone affiliated with the organization knows that they have to turn their fortunes around in a hurry or risk being a mediocre team the entire season. Head coach Doc Rivers is one of the best head coaches in professional basketball, and he has done a fantastic managing all of the superstars that he has had during his time with the Celtics. This year, however, may force him to try out new ideas due to the fact that the current gameplan appears to be a little stale when compared to other successful teams in the league. Their opponent on Thursday night will be the Orlando Magic, who haven't exactly been the model of team chemistry this year. Center Dwight Howard's name seems to come up every week in trade talks, and one can only wonder how long Orlando management will go before they decide that they only want players that are 100% committed to the team. Both of these teams need this win from a confidence standpoint, but it appears as though the Magic are the team you should take to beat the spread.
One of the biggest problems that has been plaguing Boston this year is the fact that they just aren't scoring an overabundance of points. There are a couple of reasons why this is the case, but the most apparent is that the roster is aging rapidly. The Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce are all arguably past the primes of their careers, but they still are very skilled basketball players. While Garnett and Allen continue to give the Celtics good minutes in a starting role, injuries have begun to catch up with Pierce. While he is still probably the team's best option at the small forward position, the franchise also needs to seriously consider replacing him in the starting lineup. It is going to be a long climb back to legitimacy in the Eastern Conference with the roster looking the way that it is right now, and that is why Orlando will get the win against the spread on Thursday night.
With Dwight Howard's future in Orlando being in question, it could be time for the organization to look at the other options that they have available to them. Howard gives the Magic a tremendous amount of production on both ends of the floor, but it is going to take a special player to fill his shoes defensively. One player that has really stepped up his game so far this season is Ryan Anderson. Characterizing Anderson as a disappointment during his initial years in the league would be an understatement, but he has really started to develop his immense potential to help his team achieve an increased number of victories.
Both the Celtics and Magic have been legitimate contenders for the Eastern Conference Championship for quite some time, but it appears as though this could possibly change very quickly if Boston doesn't put together a younger roster while Orlando figures out if their future plans as an organization include Howard. For the time being, though, the Magic appear to have the advantage in this one when the spread is taken into consideration, which is why they should be the selection on January 26th. |
As the Big East Conference continues to produce one solid matchup after another, the rest of the nation is taking notice of just how many solid teams this conference has in 2011-2012. One game in particular on Wednesday night will showcase two programs that are doing few things spectacularly well this year but still remain highly competitive against even the best teams in the conference. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have not been having as much success this year as they have in the past four-or-five years, but this can mainly be attributed to forward Tim Abromaitis being sidelined for the entire season with a knee injury. Without arguably their best player, Notre Dame has struggled to stay relevant in the race for a conference title, but they certainly are going to give the Seton Hall Pirates fits on Wednesday evening. Seton Hall has only recorded three losses this season, but some college basketball experts are still questioning whether the program has taken the next step towards legitimacy. The Pirates defense in this game is going to be the key, and a good performance on that end of the floor will ultimately allow them to come away from this one victorious against the spread.
An exceptional backcourt of Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins have been the main reason that Notre Dame has been able to stay above .500 over the course of this season. Both players share many of the same playing characteristics, as they both have done an exceptional job of facilitating the offense for teammates while also scoring with regularity. As the team prepares for the Big East Conference Tournament, both Grant and Atkins will need to continue to evolve as guards in the Fighting Irish offense. Notre Dame has struggled on defense this year, and this has really been holding the team back from achieving a better record. Seton Hall is certainly a team that can be beaten, but the Fighting Irish are going to need a complete performance in order to score a victory in this road matchup.
After beginning his career with New Mexico St., Herb Pope transferred to Seton Hall where he has enjoyed a great deal of success over the past three seasons. Pope has been an exceptional rebounder for his entire collegiate career, and it appears as though he could potentially get himself drafted if the rest of his senior season plays out in his favor. A good aspect for the Pirates in this matchup is that Notre Dame really doesn't have anyone that can matchup with Pope on the interior. With Abromaitis on the sidelines, any real threat by Seton Hall is going to be difficult to stop, which is why the Pirates are the favorite to achieve victory against the spread in this one.
It is certainly going to be difficult for Notre Dame to achieve a berth to the NCAA Tournament with their current roster, but one good recruiting class could significantly change their fortunes around in future seasons. While the program probably isn't as strong as it was five-or-ten years ago, they continue to be a very successful team from season to season. Against the Pirates, however, they will definitely have some difficulty putting their best game on the floor. For this reason, take Seton Hall to ultimately win this game against the spread on Wednesday evening. |
For the Duke Blue Devils, it has been another year of great success up to this point. Duke has always been a program that is synonymous with winning, and the 2011-2012 season is proving to be no different. The team continues to improve as the season goes along, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski has done a fantastic job of getting maximum output from his roster. On January 25th, the Blue Devils will be squaring off with the Maryland Terrapins in an ACC matchup that could have significant implications for the regular season conference title. The Terrapins have done a pretty nice job this season considering that longtime head coach Gary Williams has now retired to the broadcast booth. Even with the new regime, though, Maryland continues to have a great deal of success every time they take the floor. Duke presents an entirely different challenge, however, and it will be interesting to see if the Terrapins are able to keep up with such a high-scoring offensive attack. To be safe, take the Blue Devils against the spread in this one to win the game.
Duke has always been known as a school that is more than willing to shoot from anywhere on the floor, and this season has proven to be no different. With top recruit Austin Rivers arriving on campus, the team now has another fantastic shooter on its roster. Rivers has shown the capability to make shots from all over the court, and he has steadily improved his shot selection since arriving in Durham. Seth Curry is another guard that does a fantastic job of creating his own offense. While probably not as skilled as his brother was at this point in their respective careers, Seth still makes the Blue Devils a much better team when he is on the court. On the interior, Mason Plumlee has done an exceptional job of defending the paint, but he can sometimes get into foul trouble. If Plumlee can continue his defensive dominance without risking running up his foul total, Duke will be as close to a complete team as they can get.
Maryland hasn't been outstanding on either end of the court, but they have done exceptionally well at establishing ways to keep themselves in games. The Terrapins know that they are not the most talented team in the ACC, but they have shown the propensity to always compete until the very end. This hard work and dedication has resulted in a couple of extra wins for the team, but they know that slight improvements in different aspects of the game will take them to the next level as a program. For the time being, though, the Blue Devils appear to be the team that you should select to win this contest against the spread.
The ACC conference schedule is always one of the most difficult in the nation, and 2011-2012 is going to significantly test the teams that are lacking in talent. With Duke and North Carolina both having exceptional teams this year, it is going to make it difficult for the lower-tier programs to succeed. It appears as though the Blue Devils hold a pretty significant advantage in this game, as the Terrapins don't have anyone that can put up a strong enough defense against Duke's amazing shooters. Take Duke to score a victory against the spread in this particular game. |
|
