Virginia is one of the best teams in the country but it makes sense to fade them here against Syracuse. Virginia lost their best shooter Justin Anderson to injury 7 games ago and although they have managed to get by without him his absence in this one will really hurt them because of Syracuse's defensive style. Syracuse plays a zone and the way you typically beat a zone defense is with good shooting. Virginia lacks quality shooters outside of Anderson. In the 6 games without Anderson to my knowledge only one has been against a team that plays mostly zone (Virginia Tech) and they didn't cover. Virginia beat Syracuse when these two played last season but check out these quotes from Jim Boeheim after the game:
It's unlikely Virginia has a repeat of that hot shooting performance without Anderson on the floor. Also Virginia's starting point guard London Perrantes recently re-broke his nose so we might see some tentativeness in his game. Syracuse is banned from the post season but I read quotes from the team that indicate they still have a desire to finish strong and make people wonder what if. They are playing with a chip on their shoulder and are also coming off a bad loss to Duke so I expect max effort from them especially considering they will be honoring leading scorer Rakeem Christmas as part of senior night before the game.
OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION: SYRACUSE +5.5
BONUS NBA PICKS
RAPTORS -7.5 (at 76ers)
The Raptors are on a bad losing streak and are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Knicks where they rested Kyle Lowry. This is an important game for them psychologically as they look to right the ship. I expect a focused effort and it will pay off against a weak team like the 76ers, a doormat who quality teams can impose their will on if they make the decision to. Plus the 76ers will be without their current top scorer Robert Covington who was injured last game.
NETS +6 (vs Warriors)
The Nets are fighting for a playoff spot and are looking to make a statement. Check out this quote from their head coach Lionel Hollins:
It's clear the Nets care about this game more than the Warriors, not to mention this will be the Warriors 4th game in 5 nights all on the road.
3/2/2015 7:35:00 PM |
NBA Sides |
Nets |
Nets |
Warriors |
|
6 (-105) |
3/2/2015 7:05:00 PM |
NBA Sides |
Raptors |
76ers |
Raptors |
|
-7.5 (-110) |
3/2/2015 7:00:00 PM |
CBB Sides |
Syracuse |
Orange |
Cavaliers |
|
6 (-110) |