Tip off: 8 PM EST
Spread: UCF -2
Total: 131.5
UCF
Last season, the UCF Knights came out of nowhere, and busted into the top 25 National Rankings after going 14-0, but then they won only 7 of their next 19 games and lost to Creighton by 18 points in the CBI.
How can a team burn so bright and then just dissipate into an also-ran by season end?
Simply put: injuries.
Last season, Marcus Jordan (son of MJ for the unversed) messed up his ankle and AJ Rompza suffered a stress fracture, while Dave Diakite had knee surgery. Losing those three players crippled the Knights and coach Donnie Jones said that it “changed (their) flow, and (they) didn’t make the necessary adjustments.” It’s hard for any team to quickly adjust to losing three rotation players, though.
So far, things have goen better for the Knights this year. They have already shocked the defending champion Huskies and are sitting at 8-2. They are clearly the toast of Conference USA and should be making a return to the NCAA tournament, where they will seek to get out of the first round for the first time in school history.
UL-Layfayette
The Leopards finished 13-19 last season and posted a 6-8 Patriot league record. They actually made it to the Patriot League championship game, but lost to Bucknell by 15. It was their second straight run to the championship game, as improbable as it was.
Jim Mower and Ryan Willen, who both are seniors, are leading the team, as was expected. The duo is putting up 33.1 points between them, and Mower had a monster performance against Fair Dickinson, when he put up 37 points on 12 of 16 shooting while playing nearly the entire game. Save a 9 piont stinker against Princeton, Mower has put up double figures in every game, and has scored over 20 twice in addition to the 37 point game.
Still, the Leopards have lost 4 of their last 5 games, and though the spread is only 2 points in UCF’s favor, I think the Knights should win this one by at least 10. I know that’s a pretty bold prediction considering it smacks in the face of college basketball oddsmakers, but UL-Lafayette is nowhere near as good as the underrated UCF club is.
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