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Tonight in the ACC Louisville travels to Miami. This is the first time both have squared off as Louisville being a new member to the ACC. The Cardinal are four point road favorites after a tremendous come from behind win over North Carolina.

The come from behind win helped stop a possible three game losing streak to the Tar Heels. Last year Carolina had won and they had also won the first matchup of this season.

Does that win and Louisville being ranked in the top ten warrant a four point number against Miami?

It’s hard to say yes or no on this game. Usually one can look at a point spread and reason for justification on the number. But neither the Cardinal or Hurricane have been consistent enough to field a proper gauge on this game.

To me this game will be a permanent marker on both team’s seasons. Miami can reverse course on a mediocre season and get back into the thick of things for an automatic bid. A win over Louisville and already over Duke should put them in strong consideration.

Louisville on the other hand has had their struggles protecting leads all season long. Pitino is missing both the effective press he had for four years and a strong big man inside to protect the rim. Harrell is a big body but by trimming his weight he has left Louisville vulnerable inside.

In prior years offensively Louisville could co-depend on Luke Hancock or Russ Smith to carry their team. In fact last year they primarily went to both in second halves exclusively. This year they have not found their go to guy especially outside of twelve feet (Harrell).

Miami has the team defense to stay in this game against Louisville. The question is can they avoid mental miscues of poor offense? They’ve struggled with size all season because they lack interior strength offensively. Attacking the guards on the perimeter forces poor shots and quick transition points. That’s how Florida State and countless other teams have been able to defeat Miami, who shoots over 23 three pointers a game.

This game will likely draw the most action on the board tonight. In my opinion it’s one that should be scouted to see which direction either team will go. Past Pitino teams would elevate their play and carry it forward to March Madness. Miami is the unknown. The talent is there but will the execution be there at home in a must-win situation?

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Zack Cimini gives out three Super Bowl props. Catch them here and good luck with any wagers/pools on Sunday.

*** Note the prop on Chris Bosh is still a go even though Dwayne Wade has been officially declared out 2-3 weeks with him hamstring injury.

Super Bowl Props from Zack Cimini on Vimeo.

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Watch as Zack, Shaun, and John give their ATS opinions on a big ten matchup between Wisconsin and Iowa.

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There have been some unbelievable wild finishes ATS in college basketball each and every night. Whether it’s a deciding made or missed free throw, wild overtimes, offensive spurts or cold shooting. There are countless ways to be beat by the number in any sport. During these stretches where the odds are extremely close to the actual ending you have to be prepared for close finishes.

Thursday in college hoops features conference play from the Big West, Southern, Big Ten, Pac-12, and some smaller conferences. Do not forget also there are two rescheduled games being played. DePaul vs Providence and Michigan State vs Rutgers.

Odd start times in both of those games may be intriguing to bettors but I scratched both games off my train of thought for today. I’ve never seen a rescheduled game be played to a high standard in any sport. Mentally the players are thrown off and honestly I’d be leery of either big favorite. Providence and Michigan State have epitomized two teams that can bring their B+ game 50% of the time and their D- game the other 50% of the time. Providence lost to Brown at home in non-conference play while Michigan State lost to Texas Southern.

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Today one of the best games on the college basketball board comes from the Atlantic 10. Last year VCU and George Washington played a couple of intriguing matchups. This year should be no different as both teams have looked the part of a 1A and 1B top A-10 team along with Dayton.

VCU is coming off a neck and neck nationally televised win as 13 point favorites over Saint Louis. Saint Louis did a great job in dribbling against VCU’s press and limiting VCU’s inside the paint offense.

George Washington on the other hand has faced the easier portion of the A-10 schedule lately. They handled Fordham, Duquense, and George Mason. One has to wonder if they can come out with the proper aggression on the road against VCU after facing easy opponents.

Last year the teams split both matchups in the regular season before VCU defeated GW by 19 points in the A-10 conference tournament. Key contributors last year for George Washington are gone in Maurice Creek and big man Isiah Armwood. Armwood helped immensely by attacking VCU in the paint and with offensive rebound putbacks.

Pace should be frenetic in this one like the matchups last year. Besides George Washington going cold in the second half in the A-10 tournament the other two matchups featured a 76-66 final and a 92-75 final. Both teams went to the free throw line at a high rate as well.

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Sunday in the ACC the Louisville Cardinal will travel to Pittsburgh for their first matchup in the ACC conference. The two teams were opponents for the duration of their time in the Big East conference. Las Vegas handicappers, Jeff Saad, John Cranton, and Zack Cimini give their opinions from an ATS perspective.