The Saint Mary's Gaels play host to the Akron Zips tonight as part of the college basketball marathon put on by ESPN2. The game is scheduled for a 3 a.m. (EST) start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2. The odds for the game currently have Saint Mary's favored by double digits.
Saint Mary's is a staple in this marathon that ESPN2 puts on every year about this time. The 24 consecutive hours of college basketball certainly gets the hardcore fans going because what's better than watching basketball at 3 a.m. when you can't sleep? Or maybe you can sleep but you'd just rather be watching basketball. Either way, Akron and Saint Mary's should be a pretty cool contest.
It probably won't benefit Akron to play in this game. Their time it will be 3 a.m. while Saint Mary's will be playing at midnight, which seems to be a bit easier on the kids. But then again, these are just college kids.
Saint Mary's will look to feed the rock to Brad Waldow, who poured in 28 points in the team's first game, a win over Louisiana Tech. The Gaels are usually a team that rebounds the ball well. Both Waldow and Stephen Holt are the top rebounders on the club and should provide a dominating duo in the paint for Saint Mary's. Look for them to work the ball inside to try and pound the glass on the offensive end.
Akron is not a bad basketball team. They made the NCAA Tournament a season ago but got blasted by VCU in the opening round. This year they lose some of their defensive presence from that team, but still should be one of the more formidable teams in the MAC. Akron will start three seniors and does have some depth at a couple of positions.
The Zips picked up a win over Coastal Carolina in the opener, which was played on their home floor. How will they respond to flying out west and playing a game at 3 a.m. their time? That is certainly the determining factor in this one. Saint Mary's is favored by double digits because of their big guys inside, and we expect them to get it in there early and often.
Free Pick: Saint Mary's 73, Akron 59
NFL Free Picks: Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What pro football bettors need to know betting Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday (11/11/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo, with Bryan Leonard and Ken Thomson.
RJ Bell Talks Daily Fantasy Sports — LISTEN on Soundcloud | Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for the NFL Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore! | $25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!