Happy Thursday, fellow sports investors! We split a pair of college hoops selections on Wednesday to run our record to 20-19 on the young season. We were lucky on one play and severely unlucky on the other.
Tahaad Pettiford got off to a hot start against LSU, but thankfully Bruce Pearl reduced his minutes in the second half to help us cash his Under. Unfortunately, our other Under lost in the final seconds, as Elijah Hawkins drained a couple of "meaningless" free throws against TCU.
Those last-second losses are tough to deal with but we're ready to move on. Thursday's card is light because there are very few marquee matchups on the board. However, I did find two plays I like quite a bit in Big Ten action on the ever-so-lovable Fox Sports 1 channel. Those are posted below. Good luck!
OSU at PSU: 6:30 PM EST (FS1)
An old fella like me just loves these early tipoff times! Heck, I wish they would schedule more daytime college hoops games during the regular season, but I guess these kids actually have to go to class sometimes.
As far as Thorton goes, this is a great spot to play him Over this total. The junior guard leads the Buckeyes in scoring with 17 points per game. He's the one Ohio State goes to when they really need a bucket, and I think he puts together a nice performance on the road.
I love that Thornton plays at least 36 minutes per game on average. He may play even more than that tonight, as Penn State is favored at home despite losing 6 of their last 7. Ohio State will need their veteran guard on the floor more often to pull off the upset on the highway.
I also like that Thornton has been shooting the ball well from downtown. The 6'2" 215-pounder has made 6 three-pointers over his last 2 games, so current form is on our side. It doesn't hurt that Penn State ranks just 194th at defending three-pointers. Give me the Over for some early action!
IL at NEB: 8:30 PM EST (FS1)
Why in the Sam Hill is this line so high? Gary is a decent scorer for the Huskers, but his median point total is just 10.5 this season. I don't get why the books would set this number 4 points higher than that.
Gary has scored 14 points or fewer in 14 of his 20 games this season. The 6'6" forward has also stayed under this line in 7 of his last 9 outings. The Under has cashed against this number in 60% of Gary's home games.
The main reason I like this play though is the matchup. Illinois is one of the best defensive teams in the country, as they rank 10th in defensive efficiency and 8th in 3-point defense. The Fighting Illini also ranks 6th in opponent shooting efficiency, so Gary should stay under this point total quite easily.