Follow stars of David’
I’M tempted to channel so many coaches who say they don’t want to make excuses, only to follow that with up with an excuse. But instead, I’ll reason that two missed covers by a total of three points will turn the other
way, especially after a backbreaking, backdoor cover by Virginia against Florida State on Thursday.
History — and perhaps hubris — is on our side.
Davidson (9) over La
Salle: Picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic 10 in their first season in the conference, the Wildcats have been one of the best stories of the season, coming to Brooklyn with nine straight wins, games won by an average of 16 points. The fourthhighest scoring team in the nation, Davidson defeated La Salle, 7769, on the road last month.
Providence (+6½) over Villanova: The Wildcats looked unbeatable in their beatdown of Marquette, but many teams do against the Golden Eagles. The Friars, swept by St. John’s in the regular season, also were swept by Villanova, results which clearly fuel the defending Big East champions. Side bet says that Providence’s Kris Dunn will show Big East voters they had no business — or sanity — in having him share the conference’s player of the year honor with Ryan Arcidiacono.
Michigan (+15) over Wisconsin: The Wolverines, who took the Badgers to overtime in their only meeting this season, will carry over the momentum from an impressive win over Illinois and make Wisconsin sweat once more.
Smu (13) over East Carolina: The Pirates follow a onepoint overtime win with a noon game against the 20thranked team in the country. East Carolina will be awake, but its legs will not have rested enough. 2015 record: 54 201114 record: 106675
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