Needless to say, the effort put forth by Tennessee State at Arkansas-Little Rock last night was disappointing. This loss sets the Road Dogs back to 2-7 early in the season, but I am the least bit deterred. Old non-conference rivals are clashing before teams are sealed off to conference play. Time to get you on your way with the BetCrushers NCAAB Road Dog Report for 12/11/2019.
There’s a number of reasons why TSU +5.5 did not come through last night. ALR shot well beyond expectation, while the visiting team laid a major egg from the floor and at the line. That happens at times. TSU’s hot-shooting Michael Littlejohn hit a pair of threes early but cooled off to 2-9 from downtown (as cold as my college hoops picks this week). Conversely, the Trojans’ key threats came through with flying colors. As I noted in yesterday’s handicap, Ruot Monyyong is a massive roadblock down low (he had a double-double at half) and Markquis Nowell is a big scoring threat (25 points, 5-8 from downtown). In addition to the fast-paced, sloppy gameplay that adds volatility to the matchup, the flaw in my handicap appeared to be how disruptive of a force Monyyong would be to Tennessee State’s strategy.
(1273) Cornell Big Red @ Colgate Raiders -11.5
The Big Red square off against longtime rival Colgate at 7:00 ET. Cornell comes in with a disappointing 1-7 record and I do not expect them to get their second win this evening. Colgate has a respectable 6-4 record but just snapped a 5-0 run with an 82-93 loss at Niagara. The Raiders have experience, despite appearing to have a slightly less formidable team than last season.
Colgate moves the ball fairly well and works to produce high-percentage shots from the floor. They’re shooting 56.8% inside the arc and is a spectacular 80% from the stripe, although they do not get to the line very often. Senior forward Rapolas Ivanauskas may be akin to Little Rock’s Monyyong in that he could be a disruptive force versus Cornell’s main offensive threat, Jimmy Boeheim. Ivanauskas is strong on the boards and is a good hi-low pair with junior guard Jordan Burns, who is averaging 16.5 PPG.
Tonight’s road dog needs to lessen their dependency on the outside shot (or manage to exceed their expected shooting percentage) and keep playing disciplined basketball. They do not turn the ball over or send their opponents to the free throw line often. Ivanauskas can get into foul trouble, so Coach Brian Earl may look to attack him to neutralize the big man. I expect Colgate’s Jordan Burns to be a scoring machine, so it will be important for the Big Red to keep his damage to a minimum and not let him turn them over.
On the Money
Despite a 1-7 SU record, Cornell is 5-3 ATS and has played within one point of the number in four games. They are 3-2 as a road dog, opposing Colgate’s 4-5 overall ATS and 2-1 as home favorite. Look at a common foe this season: NJIT. Cornell lost to the Highlanders 58-59 as a 2-point dog at home, while Colgate beat them 80-75 as an 8-point home favorite. The lines implied a 10-point difference between Colgate and Cornell on a neutral court, though the results were separated by 6. With the home court factored in, +10 is a fair number for this matchup considering these are familiar foes that have played to a single-digit margin in seven of their last eight showdowns.
My solo shot is Cornell +11.5 on the Road Dog Report for 12/11/2019. It’s been tough sledding the last few days but nothing atypical in the course of a high-volume college basketball season. BOL to you and your plays tonight!
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