Return of the Mac

Times are great when there’s college basketball on at 11:30 a.m.Today’s slate is LOADED, maybe not with great games, but the amount of basketball that we all get to take in today is beautiful.  Tournaments are still underway, including the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic and the Baha Mar Hoops - Bahamas Championship between the Georgia Bulldogs and the twelfth-ranked Miami Hurricanes.  Let’s get into some of the games of the day and of course, the bets. Games of the Day Maryland at No. 21 Villanova (-5.5) o/u133.5 - Gavitt Tipoff Games Both teams are coming off losses to inferior opponents. Maryland lost to UAB by three and Villanova was upset by Penn 76-72. Maryland has not shot the ball well this year. Four of their top five starters have a field goal percentage of 38% or worse, and the Terrapins rank 246th in the country in team field goal percentage. On the other hand, Villanova shoots 45.3% from the field. Nova also has Justin Moore, who at his best is one of the b...

Michigan State loses to in the 2022 NCAA Tournament Michigan State and Duke will meet at the United Center in Chicago at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN.   Before the year, this was a Top-5 matchup, but because of a couple of upsets, this matchup has a little less hype.   Duke lost to Arizona on Friday, which did not affect the ranking of Jon Sheyer’s Blue Devils too much, staying in the top 10 at number 9.   On the other hand, Michigan State suffered a historic loss to James Madison University at home. It was the first home loss in November ever for Tom Izzo.   “When you start missing shots, it becomes contagious,” Tom Izzo said. That could not be more true for this Spartan team so far this season. MSU is shooting 6% from deep this year as a team. Its top shooters, Tre Holloman and Tyson Walker, are making the deep shot at 25% and 14.3%, respectively. No one else has made a shot. They are 2-for-31 to start the year. This is a team that shot 39.5% from deep last year, which was g...

Photo Credit: New York Times The 1-0 St. John’s Red Storm take on the 2-0 Michigan Wolverines at 6:30 PM EST live from Madison Square Garden.  Here comes Rick Pitino’s first real test on a NCAA tournament level type of team. Part of Pitino choosing the Red Storm when deciding to come back to Division I basketball was that he wanted to play in a big-time arena. Madison Square Garden is going to be packed tonight.  St John’s started off their year on Nov. 7 with a 90-74 win over Stony Brook. Senior forward Joel Soriano contributed 22 points alongside 11 rebounds and Graduate guard Daniss Jenkins added 17 points and 8 assists. St. John’s shot the ball well: 51% from the field, 50% from three, and 91% at the charity stripe, while dominating the boards 43 total rebounds to 30.  Michigan last played three days ago against Youngstown State. In a dominant 92-62 game four Michigan players ended in double figures. Olivier Nkamhoua had another double-double (17 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast), ...

Photo Courtesy of The University of Connecticut  For some, this is another day, for a few it should be a national holiday. College Basketball is back! This means new storylines, players, coaches, and newborn rivalries.  After a full offseason of coaching news like Ed Cooley swapping Big East brands and Rick Pitino returning to the Power-6 conferences, some world-class talented transfers (Hunter Dickinson, Caleb Love, etc.) changed scenery and are hungry for postseason success.  Because so much happened, it leaves more questions than answers. Like will Hunter Dickinson finally achieve tournament glory? Who is the deeper conference, Big Ten or Big East? Who is the best freshman that we will see on an NBA court soon? Will Ed Cooley regret leaving Providence for Georgetown? Can he bring them back to the promised land? 113 Division 1 vs Division 1 games tip-off today. The marathon to March begins now… Below are lists and rankings to help you get in mid-season form a little ear...