YTD Record: 7-3-1

January 2^nd: 4-2

January 9^th: 3-1-1

I only have four plays this week. As always, if you have questions feel free to reach out below or on Twitter @Smithers513. Good luck! 

NC State @ Florida State +1.5

This is an awful spot for NC State. The Wolfpack come into this game off one of the hardest stretches of games you’ll see. NC State has played UNC, Duke, UVA, Pitt, Cincinnati, Louisiana Tech, West Virginia, and Tennessee. That’s a stretch of 8 games against a possible 8 tournament teams in a row. They’ve played their two biggest rivals in the last week, Duke and North Carolina at home, and now hit the road for an ultimate letdown spot against a fairly mediocre Florida State team. I just don’t know how the Wolfpack are able to get back up emotionally and energetically after the gauntlet they’ve been through recently. The Seminoles are no juggernaut whatsoever, but they’ve been pretty solid at home as of late, winning games over Florida and Virginia Tech. This is way more of a fade on NC State than a play on the Seminoles, but I’ll take the short home dog in conference play.

Wichita State @ Evansville +4.5

This is a classic clash of defense versus offense, and I’m really looking forward to this game. I have been looking for spots to fade the Shockers this year, given that I’m not totally sold on their roster. Wichita State has been fairly mediocre against the better part of their schedule this year, losing to Utah and George Washington, with their best wins being over Seton Hall, Alabama, and Tulsa. That’s nothing to write home about. Especially since the Alabama game was one they had little business winning until the Tide gave it away. Evansville is a team that is a great play at home getting points in conference play, and the Aces have a history of beating top flight MVC teams at home, already beating Northern Iowa this year. You’ll get a max effort game from the Aces against a Wichita State team that I think is laying too many buckets in this one. I like the Aces to win straight up.

Kentucky @ Alabama +9.5

I’ve tweeted it recently, but I really feel that Kentucky is going to run into a loss sooner rather than later. UK seemed to regain their mojo blowing out Mizzou, but I am not buying into that. The Tigers are simply not a good basketball team and that game was a blowout from the jump. Kentucky is a team that has success because of their energy. When they are energized and play to their defensive ceiling, they are unbeatable. But on the road, it is a lot harder to replicate that defensive intensity than when you play on a neutral court or at Rupp Arena. Alabama is kind of what you expect from a middle-to-upper tier SEC team, not really good at anything in particular, but scrappy. John Calipari has won a game at every opposing SEC school except for Alabama. I think Kentucky wins tomorrow, but it is going to be a grinder of a game that the Cats win by a couple of possessions.

Florida at Georgia PK

There’s nothing like regaining your public image like beating up on some SEC bottom feeders. Just ask the Gators. A few weeks ago there was some serious concern about what Florida had become this season and where this team could go, after dropping two games in a row to Florida State and UConn. Three wins over South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Auburn isn’t going to change that for me. The Gators have yet to prove themselves, and I think we catch them in a perfect spot to fade them going to face a Georgia team that is in a bit of a must-win scenario. The Bulldogs have NCAA tournament aspirations and they don’t have too many resume boosting opportunities on the schedule left after this Florida game. I was impressed with Georgia’s ability to go into Vandy as an underdog and get a very important win in an obvious look-ahead spot on Wednesday. I like the Bulldogs to win this game and get a very important win for the program.