It's that time of year again, when coaches of college basketball teams that were not invited to the tournament cry. Lucky for us, we get to hear from Seth Greenberg of Virginia Tech...yet again. This is the third consecutive year his team has been on the bubble and been left out of the dance and for good reason. Tech is consistently under achieving and more about hype than substance. This season, after beating Duke at home, you would have thought they won the national championship. The celebration was ridiculous but reflective of the maturity level of both the coach and the team. To prove this the Hokies took the court the next time out against another bubble team, Boston College, and lost by 15...at home!! Good job coach to keep the players focused on the task at hand. Surely after that debacle they would respond on the road against another bubble team and get a legitimate road win, right? Nope, yet another loss, this time to Clemson. For a team that can't or won't focus on the big picture and puts everything into trying to beat Duke and North Carolina every year they get what they deserve, a fun time in the NIT. One of Greenberg's favorite lines this time of year is that he just feels so bad for the kids...so do I Seth...that they chose your school and have you as their leader.
Yet another 1-1 week to put the overall mark at 17-18-1. Taking a look at the first set of games on Thursday, the lines seem pretty tight. I was looking for some dogs, but they aren't getting as many points as I anticipated. That being said, here are two winners. First game is Florida against UCSB in a 2 versus 15 matchup. The Gators are favored by 12.5 and should cover easily. The game is in Tampa, so plenty of fans for Florida and that also means a long trip for UCSB. Lay the points and look for a closer game to enjoy on television at that time slot. Next up is BYU versus Wofford. Originally I was looking to go against the Cougars, but getting to play in Denver is huge for them. Playing in the Mountain West they are quite used to playing in altitude and look for Jimmer Fredette to go big in the first game. BYU is laying 8 points, and although I like Wofford, I will lay the points. Since I will be neck deep in watching the games Friday, I doubt there will be a blog that day, so here are two more picks for that days action. Oakland is playing an inconsistent Texas team and getting 9.5 points. The Grizzlies have beaten Tennessee this year and the early time slot will be to there benefit, so take the points. A second Friday game I like is the Akron Zips against Notre Dame. The Irish are notorious for packing it in during the dance, and while they should get past the MAC champs, look for Akron to stay within shouting distance. The Zips are getting 13.5 and that should be plenty. Good luck, and remember, never bet what you can't afford to lose.
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