As many of you are aware I have been on a self imposed leave of absence out of protest regarding a troubling incident that took place on the site. However, throughout the whole ordeal I have remained on good terms with Pregame ownership (RJ and JD) who made it clear they would welcome me back with open arms and encouraged me to return. Regarding the incident I still believe I am right (further research confirmed this) and even though the conditions I laid out that would need to be met for me to return, which were very reasonable, were not met I think it's best to move on. I also think it is best to avoid discussing the incident. Though I have focused on healing and moving forward I think discussing the specifics of it could open up old wounds and put me on tilt again.
I am glad to be back. The hardest part about being gone was not being able to be with the good friends I have made in the forums over the years (you know who you are). Also a big thanks to all those who reached out and offered their support.
On to basketball.....
Keep in mind the value I believe I provide is in the information I pass along and not necessarily the recommendations even though my recommendations have historically done well. Whether you decide to follow, fade, or pass let me know and give me your reasoning. It's always possible that I miss something and if one of these is a team you follow closely you will know more about them than me.
For Saturday I am going to look at Boston College vs VCU. It's a neutral site game being played in Brooklyn and can be seen on Fox Sports 1.
ANALYSIS
I'm not a math guy but I know 4-8 isn't a good record. The slow start was not what BC was expecting considering they returned all 5 starters coming off a season where they showed some improvement and finished strong. Expectations were high coming into this season and they certainly have not been met. They started the season 0-3 with losses to Providence, Umass, and Toledo. Since then they have also lost to Uconn, Purdue, USC, Maryland, and Auburn. They have wins against Florida Atlantic, Washington, Sacred Heart, and a team with the initials PHI who is so bad/obscure that you can't even click on them on ESPN.com. Meanwhile VCU is off to a 10-3 start and coming off a dismantling of Virginia Tech.
Here's the thing though about BC's poor start though: they have played a tough schedule and have played a lot of road games. Here is a quote from BC's leading scorer Oliver Hanlan in the Boston Globe:
I don't think BC is as bad as their record and I think there is value taking them against VCU who has become a household name in college basketball and was a pre-season top 25 team. I also think there is some value on Boston College because of what happened in their last game. BC is coming off a frustrating loss at Auburn. Auburn started the game hitting 10-18 from 3 but BC outscored them in the second half despite shooting 7-23 from 3. I think BC will be motivated coming off the loss at Auburn. Here is another quote from the Globe, this time from BC's coach in regards to the Auburn game that makes me think they will be playing very hard vs VCU:
According to BC's coach their major weakness is defending the 3 point shot but VCU is only ranked 113th in the country in 3 point % which makes me think this is a good match-up for BC. VCU takes a lot of threes so if they get hot I guess BC could be in trouble but I think the fact that the coach is so aware of the problem means he will have his players focused on fixing it.
VCU probably has a very high opinion of themselves right now coming off the blowout of Virginia Tech so it's possible they may not match BC's intensity.
So there you have it. Great to be back in the forums and I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this game. Of course my recommendation will probably end up losing because I referred to myself as a legend in the header of the thread, lol.
OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION: BOSTON COLLEGE +9
17-8 season to date