MO VALLEY:
GOW:
Roll with me on Bradley + 8 1/2.
Let's get into this one.
Bradley has been a disappointment to me so far. They have two all conference guards in Ruffin and Crouch and their record is a disappointing 7-6. But we should look at that. Here are the teams they have lossed to and their records:
Illinois Chicago (8-5)
#15 Vanderbilt (13-0)
#7 Michigan State (12-1)
#16 Butler (12-1)
VCU (9-3)
Northern Iowa (9-3)
That fellas..is one brutal non conference schedule. They hold wins over quality opposition too. Going into Missouri with a gym that's 1/2 empty and having two all conference guards against a Mo State team that is clearly down this year? Hell the 8 1/2 points are a gift. Bradley should win this game moneyline.
Looking at Mo State I haven't been impressed at all with their output. The head coach is gonna be out the door this year, mark my words. Anyways, Mo state is also 7-6 and played a tough non conference with losses to Bama, Arkansas, Toledo, Purdue, Utah and SIU. But the difference is the quality of the team. The loss of all conference guard Jim Ahearn has really made the team multi facetd on offense, but that's not a good thing. They have no playmaker, no give me the ball when we're done own mentality and against an athletic team like Bradley with two great guards, should spell disaster. No guarantees but this one looks too easy.
ROLL WITH ME ON BRADLEY + 8 1/2 @ Mo State
Missouri Valley GOW
Play #2:
Creighton -3 @ Indiana State. The Sycamores are also a team that seems to be out of it before the conference season starts. They have talent, but can not put it together. Creighton comes off a surprising double digit loss at home to Illinois State and Altman will have the troops fired up for a battle tonight. The listed total of 133 seems tasty on the over, but I'm going to stay away. My source in Omaha tells me that the key factor in tonight's game is the assistant coaching for Indiana State. Kevin McKenna was an Altman (Creighton's head coach) assistant for 12 years and has moved on to Indiana State. Even though this Jay's team is much different, they are going to have more trouble scoring than recent games due to the knowledge of Altmans's system. If you watch Creighton you know they run a base offense with 3 point shooting. This year, they have talented freshman (my boy P'Allen Stinnett included) and the team is jelling quicker than expected, but this is a MAJOR factor. Creighton won't deviate from their sets for these two annual games and it should help Indiana State keep the scoring down. BUT...with all that being said, Creighton has better athletes, a better coach, is coming off a rare double digit loss at home, and is playing a bad team. I have to take the road favorite.
ROLL WITH ME ON CREIGHTON -3