Gambling Thread

I won more money downtown than I ever did on the Strip.

 

Good try, good effort, Mississippi Valley.

 

They are a special kind of awful. I just thought UAPB was equally awful and it'd be a close game.

Two games left for Valley, both at home, Thursday vs. Alcorn State and next Saturday vs. Jackson State. The first time Valley made that swing in early February they lost by 47 and 48 and the lines were in the teens, IIRC. I bet on the Alcorn game and I think it was around 16 or 17. I'd assume the lines will be in the 20s this time — both Alcorn and JSU have done OK in the SWAC — and would have no trouble laying the points in both games.

 

This might be the most remarkable thing I've ever seen. Mississippi Valley State has been the no. 364 and last team in the land in the KenPom.com rankings PRIOR TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF ITS GAMES THIS SEASON.

https://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Mississippi+Valley+St.

They haven't moved up a spot. Not even by accident. I suppose it's possible they went up a spot in between games and then fell back, but given their only non-league wins were 17= and 20-point victories over non-DI foes, I doubt it. I feel like the shocked broadcaster in the Everybody Hurts video #CrossThreading. "I've never seen anything like this. They're just...there."

 

Me and a buddy have this thing where we try to find the absolute worst game of the night to bet on sometimes. Last night, it was the opener of the ASun tournament between Central Arkansas and Stetson, both of whom were 8-23 going into the game, which was played in front of what appeared to be 10 people at Lipscomb's arena. Just took the over, which hit. It's like we're trying to fill in boxes on some degenerate bingo card.

 

They got nothing on Maryland-Eastern Shore and Coppin State tonight!

 

Oh the CAA tourney openers are gonna be crack for you then!

 

Hawaii -1.5 vs. Northeastern, 11:35 p.m. EST college baseball. Just to say that I did.

 

Inspired by the sickos gambling going on around here, I had $20 burning a hole in my pocket and 30 minutes to kill between assignments today so I headed to the sports book to put it on some low-major college basketball and other assorted things.

Missed a three-team SWAC parlay when Southern U. couldn't quite get home on a -4.5 spread against FAMU (Southern only won by three). Bethune-Cookman covered against Grambling and Texas Southern smoked Alcorn State.

Hoping UCLA (-3.5) can close out Northwestern for my break-even bet, although they're doing their best to blow it right now.

Then it's on to the fun four-leg mongoloid parlay. Got the aforementioned Hawaii-Northeastern baseball game; Rockets +9.5 at Thunder, which got home by the skin of its teeth; and two Big Sky basketball games with Montana -10 vs. Eastern Washington and Portland State -12.5 vs. Sacramento State. My ESPN+ subscription is going to get a workout late tonight.

 

UCLA reminds me why I hate betting on basketball, but somehow manages to cover the -3.5. They were up 14 with 3:30 left, committed three turnovers to let Northwestern go on an 11-0 run and then get within one with about 20 seconds left, then benefited from a questionable non-call and closed it out at the free throw line to win 73-69.
Whew.
On to the Big Sky and island baseball with my nut covered.

 

Noon CBB — Gardner-Webb v High Point.

HP on a roll since getting Top 25 votes, playing like they want to prove they belong there. The Panthers have won 11 consecutive games, covering the last five. They’ve won all five by double digits, with four coming by 20-plus.

HP whipped GW twice this season, by 23 on the road and 41 at home.

This game feels like blowout city, yet High Point is favored by only 13.5. This doesn’t look like a game the Panthers will overlook. They’ve proven to be the superior team and haven’t let anything slip since they started getting recognized.

The Sports Prediction is that HP grinds down GW and slowly puts this game out of reach in the middle of the second half and wins going away by well more than 13.5.