Game Time: 7:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, March 1st, 2022

Venue: George Gervin GameAbove Center, Ypsilanti, Michigan

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

 

DraftKings Sportsbook:  

Caesars:  Spread: 

VegasInsider:  Spread: 

WynnBet: Spread: 

 

Broncos: 3-15 in conference, 7-22 overall (Mid-American)

Eagles: 5-13 in conference, 10-19 overall (Mid-American)

A Mid-American conference matchup of terrible Division 1 men’s college basketball teams.  I write three betting recommendations a day.  They are bets that I make.  Why have I chosen this one?.. Like every bettor I know the goal is to break the Sportsbook’s bank.  I don’t care whether it is Duke vs Gonzaga… or SouthEastern Barber College vs the Dalton Trumbo school of Uber Drivers.  I bet basketball and I try to bet the most obvious outcomes versus the Sportsbooks point spread.  When making bets I assign value to the numbers/rankings/stats/and history plus my opinion of the abilities on display… If it says something clear about the outcome vs the point spread… That is the game I bet on.  If the numbers paint a clear advantage toward one side over or under the point spread… I go Hog Wild and bet big…. If the numbers paint a murky picture, but I think I have a good idea of the outcome I go conservative and bet small… usually while adding the pick to a parlay so a small bet can pay big money. … So?.. Why this game of losers in the mid-American?… when you usually write about NBA matchups?  I think that the winner is clear ATS when I check this game on the schedule.  I also have insiders all over the country that are good for an opinion with just a phone call.  The WM Broncos will play the EM Eagles in a town I will never go to on purpose… Yet I will put $$ in play to make my monthly nut and keep the bankroll churning.  Let’s look at the numbers.

The Western Michigan Broncos have won only 4 of their last ten games… still it represent more than 50% of their total wins.  During that stretch they went 5-5 ATS.  With only 3 Overs and 7 Unders.  WMU’s two studs are 6’1 guard Michael Flowers, who leads the team in points and assists… and 6’8 forward Brandon Johnson who leads the team in blocks and rebounds.  Neither of these guys are NBA bound. 99% of division 1 players are not NBA bound so that is not a terrible knock… but it is short-hand for they don’t really have any college all-stars… just some college players who lead their team in random categories.  The lack of quality players doubles down when you realize these two guys are in year 5 and year 6 of college ball… so international play… or coaching hasn’t called either of them out into the real world.  Basketball dreams are hard to kill… This team needs new younger blood to even start to build something special.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles have won only two of their last ten games.  During that stretch they only went 2-8 ATS.  They are terrible on defense and not great on offense and they have no one on the injury list.  They have a better record than Western Michigan, but c’mon,,, they are in total freefall.  The Eagles leading scorer 6’2 guard Noah Farrakhan is a good scorer for sure at 16.9 ppg… but his usage is off the charts and he offers little on the defensive end.  Telling of how bad this group has started to play with each other is a 3 game stretch where the team lost to Kent State, Buffalo, and Ohio… all three were losses ATS.  Before that stretch started the Eagles lost to Ohio but won ATS… meaning as teams dip into these guys a second time, they beat them by a larger margin.  The offense seems to all be Noah Farrakhan and the defense seems to be… NOTHING.  They are playing a form of diminishing return… a quick glance at game footage will show you unengaged, unresponsive defensive sets as Noah prepares for his next offensive attack… You can not win playing that way at any level.  The problem the coach must be having is about faith.  He must replace Noah as the primary ball-handler… but Noah is the current star of a bad team… the coach must have faith that he will get better results with a walk-on running point.  If he can engage everyone he will find better results… but the bruises if it doesn’t work is career altering.  No win situation.

NBA has been my "bread and butter" this season, but during the All-Star Break I've gone a PERFECT 4-0 in NCAAB the L2 days! Yesterday's big winners were Maryland and a 10* on Oklahoma State! Time to dip into the PLAYBOOK for this Tuesday winner! Remember, since Dec 1, all of my picks have made an EYE-POPPING, JAW-DROPPING $35,120 OVERALL!  Don't miss out! Get Will Rogers’ pick!!  It's available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. Also don’t miss Monday’s picks!!  All your NCAA basketball needs for the entire college basketball season!  All your needs in any sport for that matter! 

WMU is 7-22 on the season, but 13-12-1 ATS.  They have logged 13 Overs, 12 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 1-13 in road games.  They are absolutely terrible on the road.  They really don’t travel well.  A bad road team if I ever saw one… do you hear me?

EMU is 10-19 on the season, but 12-16 ATS.  They have notched 16 Overs and 12 unders.  They are 8-6 in home games.  Some of those home games were against tiny schools from even tinier conferences.

WMU is 310th in scoring with 65.3 ppg, 296th in rebounds with 29.8, and 348th in AST/TO ratio with 0.7.  On defense they rank 326th while allowing 76 ppg from opponents.

EMU is 215th in scoring with 69.7 ppg, 229th in rebounds with 31.3 per game, and 349th in AST/TO ratio with 0.7.  On defense they are a doormat at a ranking of 328th while allowing 76.2 ppg from opponents.

Our prediction for Tuesday, March 1st is… EMU 77 - WMU 61

Yes, a prediction for a big loss by a marginal favorite.  The truth is that WMU has been sliding in every category all season long.  EMU has been either holding steady at bad or terrible and then slightly rising to less than terrible to almost OK.  College kids are learning no matter what you think… EMU is learning to play together more and more week after week.  The results will not be felt in the standings but they will be felt when they play a WMU team that is also bad and has been sliding in every category this season.  EMU is at home and will win ATS… which is the only type of win care about when I bet the NCAA.

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EMU is 18-34 ATS against conference opponents the last 3 seasons.

EMU is 32-17 versus terrible teams (outscored by avg 8+ pts) since 1997.

EMU is 6-1 ATS versus horrible foul drawing teams the last 3 seasons. 

WMU: No injuries reported.

EMU: No injuries reported.

WMU: Mileek McMillan, B. Artis White, Lamar Norman, Josiah Freeman, Danny Kolp

Emu: Monty Scott, Noah Farrakhan, Darion Spottsville, Mo Nije, Nate Scott