This is a matchup of Horizon Conference teams and two extremely good players that are coming off excellent games. WGB Phoenix Amari Davis shot 12-for-14 from the field and scored 25 points over 32 minutes including two assists, four rebounds, and tw0 blocked shots. Evansville Purple Aces Deandre Williams scored 37 points on 17-for-18 shooting and scored 37 points in 34 minutes including three assists, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots. So, this will be an entertaining game to watch.

The Phoenix play faster than the Purple Aces and shoot a higher percentage. The Phoenix average 65 shot attempts per game and are making 46% of those shots. The Purple Aces average 58 shot attempts-per-game and are hitting 45% of the shots. So the shooting percentages are close, but the Phoenix attempt more of them.

The Phoenix have superior ball movement as well. They rank 11th in the nation averaging 17.1 assist-per-game. The Purple Aces rank 277th averaging just 13.8 assists-per-game and reflects too many isolation possessions with the play clocking winding down.

·        The Phoenix are 8-1 ATS in home games facing good ball handling teams committing 14 or fewer turnovers-per-game in games played over the last two seasons.

·        Darner is 10-2 ATS in home games after failing to cover the spread in two or more consecutive games.

Georgia Tech’s sophomore guard Michael Devoe has scored 20-plus points five times and is shooting an ACC-best 52.9 percent from 3-point range. He did finished just 2-for-12 from the field against Syracuse. Senior forward/center James Banks III did not block a shot last week and fell from the top spot in the nation’s rankings, but entered the weekend averaging four blocks per game (third nationally) along with 11.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Junior forward Moses Wright is shooting 55.6 percent from the field and has averaged 15.7 points and 10 rebounds across his past three games.

That trio of athletes is the dominant reason I see this game staying close and ending in a single-digit Kentucky win. There is a minimal probability that we will see a shocking upset, so it would be a wise idea to bet no more than a 1-Star play on the money line, which is currently priced at +900.

A Few Extra Points:

·        GT is a near-perfect 9-1 ATS in road games when facing excellent teams that are outscoring their opponents by 8or more points-per-game over the last two seasons.

·        GT is 13-3 ATS off an upset loss by 10 points or more as a favorite.

John Ryan Sports

Memphis vs Tennessee
3:00 PM EST, December 14, 2019
7-Star Titan Bet on the Tennessee Volunteers
 
The No. 13 Memphis Tigers will be visiting Knoxville to play the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers in a huge showdown in the state of Tennessee. Both teams have just a single loss with the Tigers earning eight wins and the Vols seven wins. The Tigers are 5-3-1 against the spread (ATS) and the ‘OVER’ bet is 5-4 in these games. The Vols are 4-4 ATS and the “UNDER’ bet has earned a 4-3-1 record in these games.

This game will be won by Tennessee on the glass. The Tigers remain one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, but have been out-boarded in four of their last five games.  Losing their stud James Wiseman and his 11 rebounds-per-game have hurt them significantly. The Vols have been out rebounded once in a game they won over Washington, but lost the boards 42-32. For the season, the Vols are outrebounding their opponents by an average 11 rebounds-per-game.

The Vols rank 14th-best in the nation allowing opponents to reboubd just 22% of their offensive missed shots. The Tigers thrive on the offensive glass getting second chance scoring opportunities on 34% of their possessions, but again without the presence of Wiseman, this stat has been on the decline. So, I strongly believe that the Vols will limit the Tiger’s second chance scoring opportunities and that will go a long way to the Vols winning this game by double digits.

You will see the Tigers looking to play extremely fast in this game given that they rank 11th in the nation with an average possession time of only 14.8 seconds. They rank 10th in the nation in adjusted tempo, which takes the number of possessions per game divided by the minutes and adjusted  by the preferred pace of play of their opponent and when the game was played.

The Tigers pace of play will work against them against a fundamentally solid Vols defense. Further, the Vols rank 303rd out of 353 Division-1 programs and 256th with a an average possession time of 18 seconds. The Tigers have played two teams that rank lower than the Vols in adjusted tempo. They lost to Oregon 82-74, failed to cover the spread as a four-point underdog, and hot a miserable 37.7% from the field. In the second game, which was their last game, they defeated UAB 65-57 and pushed the spread as an eight-point favorite, and shot 37.9% from the field. Bit of a trend there in the matchups I would say.

This situational betting system reinforces the bet on the Volunteers and has earned a 52-12 (81%) against the spread (ATS) record over the last five seasons and requires us to bet on  home favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points that are top caliber teams outscoring their opponents by 12 or more points-per-game, after leading in their previous game by 20 or more points at the half.