Davidson (-3) at Winthrop – Off the top I’ll say that I like Davidson here. The Wildcats are playing well, especially on the road, and they match up well. Winthrop is at the top of the Big South, but that doesn’t mean too much. Of course, Davidson has faced only marginally better competition in the Southern conference. It comes down, then, to three things;

1) Non-conference competition – Winthrop has played a few decent teams, and they have a win over Miami that looks better after the Hurricanes stunned Duke. They haven’t played nearly the level of competition that Davidson has, though. The non-conference schedule holds more importance in my mind when the teams don’t play regularly, and these two programs have never met.

2) Stephen Curry – He’s one of the best players in the country, and the Davidson guard could be the difference here. Winthrop can’t score at all, but Davidson’s defense is only average, so the Wildcats won’t be able to exploit that edge as much as they could. Winthrop plays solid defense, but they haven’t seen an offense as strong as Davidson’s, or a player as good as Curry. I’m not confident that Winthrop is ready for the step up in class.

3) ATS records – It’s not Winthrop’s fault that they have only played three games with a spread, but it makes it difficult to know how they perform when bettors’ money is on the line. It also means that it is harder for the books to set an accurate line. On the other hand, Davidson, at 15-9 ATS, is a proven performer that has been decently consistent for bettors.

Post from: Ultra Sports Bet

Davidson (+11.5) vs. North Carolina in Charlotte – A good friend of mine is in Charlotte on business and is going to this game. He knows nothing about college basketball and could care less. That drives me crazy. In his honor I’ll make a quick pick on the game. The game is in Davidson’s backyard, they are going to be fired up to play against the top team in the country, and North Carolina will be pacing itself far more – they have bigger fish to fry this year than Davidson. This is North Carolina’s first game, while Davidson already has an overwhelming victory in the bank. I am confident that North Carolina will win, but I am willing to bet that Davidson can keep it somewhat close. Pick: Davidson.

UPDATE: Davidson hung tight with the top team in the country and ended up losing a close game 72-68. That’s an easy cover. There are a few things to be very optimistic about on the Davidson front. First, stud soph Stephen Curry was the leading scorer and showed the world just how talented he is. Second, though North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough shredded the Wildcats early, they were able to stay composed and get him in foul trouble so that he was a non-factor in the second half. Finally, Davidson won the second half. That’s the sign of a classy team. This is a very good team that should roll through the Southern Conference. North Carolina, on the other hand, looks like they need to grow into their mind-numbing talent. They won here, but they will need to step it up to keep winning when it matters.

Post from: Ultra Sports Bet