Tip off: 9:25 PM EST
Spread: MI -6.5
Total: 124
Bet at Bookmaker, where these betting odds were taken from.
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech didn’t have a lot going for them last season, when they finished 13-18 with a 5-11 ACC record. Then, they lost about the only thing they did have going for them, Iman Shumpert. The result is a Yellow Jackets team that is a dismal 11-19 with a 4-12 in conference record.
There haven’t really been any highlights to hang the season on either; no big wins over ranked opponents, nor really any major upsets at all. Hanging with then #3 ranked Duke on January 7th and losing by “only” 7 could be considered an accomplishment of sorts, if you’re on an easter egg hunt for moral victories, and most bettors and fans alike are not.
What is perplexing, however, is why the Yellow Jackets are only 6.5 point underdogs when the Miami Hurricanes have already humiliated them by winning by 15 on Georgia Tech’s home court. Why would this be any different in a neutral location?
Glen Rice Jr had 13 points in the loss that night, and Mfon Udofia chipped in 14 as well, but the Yellow Jackets managed only 49 points while shooting 35.7% from the floor. There is a little solace to be taken in the fact they only turned the ball over 7 times, but again, moral victories, and their limitations.
For as awesome as Glen Rice Sr. was at Michigan and in the NBA, Rice Jr. is just clearly not on his father’s level. Though he has improved his shooting percentage to a career high 45.7%, he is still only hitting 33.3% of his threes and scoring a meager 13 points per game. The bar was set much higher for Rice, who is really just a borderline all ACC player when it is all said and done, not an All-American, not an NBA prospect, just another decent player on a bad team.
What makes the Yellow Jackets so bad is that for as mediocre as Rice Jr is, his teammates are still worlds below him in a world where mediocrity is confused for greatness. Udofia is the second leading scorer, yet averages only 9.8 points per game. Rice doesn’t only do the majority of the scoring, but also leads the team in rebounding as a 6’5″ guard, with 6.7 per game. The Yellow Jackets are about an average rebounding team with 35 a game, so that does speak at least a little to Rice’s propensity to hit the boards. It’s just a bit depressing because his shot looks sweet and fluid, it just doesn’t seem to produce the kind of results one would think would be awarded to it based on the merit of Rice’s shooting mechanics.
Yellow Jackets Betting Trends:
Ga Tech last 10 vs Miami (FL): 3-7 SU, 4-6 ATS, 4-6 OU, Avg Total: 134
Miami (FL)
Miami was pleased last year with their 21-15 season, despite a 6-10 ACC record, as they were invited to the NIT and reached the quarterfinals where they lost to Alabama by 15.
This year has been brighter still. The Hurricanes posted a 9-7 ACC record (9-2 out of conference, even more impressively) and if they play well in this tournament, and in any post season invites, they will easily eclipse last season’s win total.
They’ve had some impressive wins over ranked opponents, too. On February 26th, they defeated the #16th ranked Seminoles after losing to them a couple weeks prior on the 11th, and they also knocked off then #5 ranked Duke on February 5th, at Cameron Indoor Stadium…
So the potential is there for the Hurricanes, who have ben a good scoring team (86th in the nation) with 71.8 points per game, while their rebounding is no where near as impressive as it was in years’ past.
The Hurricanes are led by the quartet of Durand Scott, Kenny Kadji, Malcolm Grant, and Reggie Johnson. Johnson missed the first part of the year due to a knee injury, but has come on strong since returning in late December and has averaged 10.5 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in the 19 games he has played this season. It’s a slight regression from last year’s 11.9 & 9.8, but he may return to better form as the post season progresses. The weight he dropped while rehabbing only helped him in the long run, anyway, as he shed about 20 pounds.
Scott, a 6’5″ junior guard from the Bronx, has been a starter since joining the Hurricanes and has continued his steady play. One could knock Scott for a lack of statistical improvement, but the team is better, and he’s been solid, so to do so would be petty. Oddly, he struggled in the impressive win over Duke, shooting just 3 of 12 from the floor. I say oddly because the Hurricanes are only 4-7 when he shoots under 40% from the field.
Hurricanes Betting Trends:
Miami is 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 games and the total has gone OVER In 4 of their last 5 games. The Hurricanes are 8-4 SU in their last 12 games and they are 7-2 SU in their last 9 against Georgia Tech. The total has gone UNDER In 5 of the Hurricanes’ last 6 games against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
