A deviation from football for a second. Won our sixth straight NFL 3* with Carolina yesterday, lost some back w/Dallas - overall disappointed with the weekend. Glass is half full - we remain UP in CFB and the NFL. Here are my line projections for a few games Friday - ICYMI our CBB season packages are up. Don't ask - last year started tough - asked and answered several times.
Gonzaga -4 over Pittsburgh: Game played on a marine base in Okinawa, Japan. Often times the sight-lines are very different in those games, so the 1H under is always worth looking at. Zags lose Wesley and Pangos - so some backcourt questions early. Potential NBA first round pick Damantas Sabonis inside w/Wiltjer - could look at Panthers 1H as Zags break in new backcourt.
Opened at -5.5 and has quickly come down to -4.5. Anyone that got +8.5 from a rogue book or one with limits got the better of that one.
Iowa State -6 over Colorado: Game is in South Dakota - ISU losees Hoiberg and brings in Steve Prohm from Murray State. He inherits a team that nearly everyone has in the top ten. Always hesitant to back someone replacing a legend with the legends' players. Buffs lose Asia Booker (leading everything, pretty much) but will have a length advantage. New rule probably has the total too high (146 +/-) because the Buffs won't want to run.
Opened at is has stayed at -8. Clearly the love for last years' ISU team.
North Carolina -9.5 over Temple: Heels on everyone's short list but now without Marcus Paige for about a month. May well look hard at this under since he made more three's than the rest of the team combined and Temple's CBB defense last season was as solid at their football team's is this season. The game in in Annapolis - and this total might be uber-high give the circumstances. Temple can have a hard time scoring.
Opened at -8.5 and is already -9/-9.5. Right on perhaps with the total too high. Opened at 147 and is down to 144.5 at Bookmaker.
Boise State -3 over Montana: The game is in Missoula which is always a tough place to play. Montana took Boise to OT least year at Boise - both teams are simply going to try to outshoot the other - so a game of horse here from behind the arc. Boise loses leading scorer (three point shooter) Derrick Marks - Grizzlies lose one of their top two - expect Brandon Gfeller to pick that up. All comes down to Grizzlies defense, which wasn't good last season.
Opened -6 which I thought was a little high - now down to -5.
UAB PK Auburn: Yes, PK, or close. For those that don't follow CBB all season or didn't last season, the Blazers were one of the youngest teams in the nation - played a sick non-conference schedule, grew up fast and won the C-USA Tournament. Auburn does indeed have Bruce Pearl, but lost a TON from last season and couldn't put the ball in the basket with the experience.
Auburn -2.5. I expect it to move to UAB -
New rules this season, aside from the obvious shot clock - arc under the basket extend to four feet, refs to police the hand-checking, etc, on the perimeter (again), pay closer attention to "flopping" - let's not over react (books will especially on totals) and just be patient. Refs WILL influence these games more than usual IMO, at least the first few weeks.