Betting Lessons Learned from the Hardwood

How could you not come away impressed with how Memphis completely bottled up Gonzaga’s offense. The Bulldogs had no good looks, never got close to an offensive rhythm. The difference in quickness resembled college vs high school teams. Not putting the Tigers back in the Final Four, however this is a team on the come and oddsmakers are going to be adding points the rest of the season.

The SEC has caught a lot of grief and deservedly so. One team that has quietly emerged is the LSU Tigers. They have the conferences best record at 7-1 (6-1-1 ATS) and have bountiful experience with upperclassmen like Marcus Thornton, Tasmin Mitchell and Garrett Temple who were all on the team that went to the Final Four. With the SEC down and the Tigers losing by 30 at Utah and recently by 10 at home to Xavier, this is hardly an elite team, but they still have time to come together and be a force in March and should keep covering conference spreads.

While talking SEC, with Alabama’s loss at LSU, this makes it 17 consecutive road defeats for the Crimson Tide in conference play. (6-11 ATS)

Notre Dame’s performance (or lack there of) looked like the Irish football team when it flew West the last several years to face USC. No determination, no desire. Losing seven games in a row with do that after you have been in the Top 10. Luke Harangody is a great college player, yet obviously, not a locker room lawyer who shake up his teammates. No fight left in the Irish, being strictly play against.

Arizona State has won four Pac-10 road games in a row (4-0 ATS) for the first time in 28 years. True.

Two of the best teams in the Atlantic 10 were upset this past weekend. Xavier and Dayton both could have been looking ahead to this Wednesday’s matchup and got clipped in unusual fashion. The Musketeers were beaten because DuQuesne shot a blistering 81 percent in the first half and lost by four as five-point favorites. The next day, Dayton was in position to be tied for first place in the A-10 and they never came out of the locker room at halftime, outscored by Charlotte 46-29, who won for just the second time in league play.

Florida State is 18-5 (11-5-1 ATS) and four of their losses have come against North Carolina, Duke, Miami-Fl. and Pittsburgh. The Seminoles are the tallest team in the country and wore down Clemson at there place, closing the contest on 23-4 run to pull the upset. This is a dangerous underdog.

If anyone finds the Texas, Syracuse and Georgetown teams from early January, please make sure to call respective coaches, each is wondering where they disappeared to.

In the NBA, arguably the most impressive performance all season was the Los Angeles Lakers sweeping Boston and Cleveland on the road. They did so without Andrew Bynum and pedestrian to sub-par efforts from a somewhat ill Kobe Bryant. The Lakers demonstrated mental toughness not normally associated with this club.

You can’t help but feel for the Minnesota losing Al Harrington, back to being a doormat after 10-4 and 9-4-1 ATS January.

Did the Clippers really win back-to-back road games by a total of 45 points or was I just punch drunk from going a few a rounds with Chris Brown? That is the first time the Clips have won two road games consecutively since Nov. 6-7, 2007.