Wednesday Looks For College Basketball
If you're going to be wrong when it comes to college hoops, you might as well be dead wrong. Before we get there, I was very correct in the game between Kentucky and Miami. I expected the Wildcats to be too much for the Hurricanes and I was right. The problem is that when that second game took place, the... stuff... hit the fan. Alabama was terrible and lost by eight to Clemson. They were favored by 9 or 9.5 depending where you played it. All things considered, a 1-1 night is reasonable, but I'll look to go 2-0 here today.
Tennessee vs. North Carolina, 7:15 ET
This isn't actually the game I'm most excited about, but it is probably the most interesting, and best game on the board so I took some time to check it out and have a play in it. The Tennessee Volunteers come into this one with a 4-2 record. Both of their losses were to top teams in the nation as they lost a heartbreaker/close one to Purdue, and then the next night lost to Kansas, the former #1 team in the country. Tennessee does a lot of things right. They move the ball well enough, they shoot well, and defend well. They should have the bodies to match up with the Tar Heels and be physical in this one. The biggest question is if they will be able to shoot effectively enough. I don't exactly view North Carolina as a defensive juggernaut, but they can make shots difficult for other teams with their athleticism, and they still have Armando Bacot protecting the rim. The Tar Heels are 5-1 so far this season and just suffered their first loss, a game against Villanova. In that one they dropped it in overtime. This is a better start to the season than last year, which ultimately turned out to be a disaster of a year altogether. I like what North Carolina has going for them. They have pieces from last season that are looking for redemption, and the seem to have integrated their freshmen and transfers into the team well. Tennessee matchups up well against North Carolina, but I think North Carolina matches well against the Volunteers. I am going to back the Tar Heels at home in the first half. Winning on the road is tough in college and after almost a week off and coming back from Hawaii, I think the rust might be there for Tennessee.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - MARCH 18: Josiah-Jordan James #30 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts during the first half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 18, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Buffalo vs. James Madison, 7:00 ET
If you had told me even two weeks ago that I'd be excited about writing about and watching a game between Buffalo and James Madison, I certainly wouldn't have believed you. Here we are watching a game between the two. James Madison comes into this game with a 6-0 record and the #22 ranked program in the nation right now. Now, has James Medison played anyone good to start the season? Yes. They beat Michigan State on the road in their season opener and haven't looked back. Yes, it took them an overtime to accomplish it, and two overtimes against Kent State, but they handled their business. They played another game against Radford where it was a three-point contest, but still escaped with a victory. They are led by Junior guard, Terrence Edwards who is averaging 19.5 points per game for the season. (Also, for fun, go check out his picture for his player profile. If he wasn't high or didn't just roll out of bed for that one I'd be shocked.) Buffalo is not a very good basketball program. They only have one win this season and it was a six-point victory over Roberts Wesleyan. Even graduates of that school aren't sure where that college is. Their losses, for the most part have been pretty ugly, with most games being losses in the double-digits. They are allowed opponents to score 84 points per game against them. There is really no question, James Madison should win this game. Winning by 22 points is a different story. Sure, Buffalo is bad, but are they that much worse than some of the opponents James Madison has struggled with? Probably not. I'm hopeful they can keep it close enough and will take the points in this one. If they do keep it close, it will probably also go under the 160 total.
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