Follow the Unit Instructions.
CBB
(3 Picks)
1:30 PM EST: Iowa State -4.5 (3 Units).
Iowa State is another team with the length to slow down Kansas's Hunter Dickinson. Like the Cinci pick on Monday, they're a long, physical, strong rebounding team. They're 41st in Rim and 3 Rate and force teams to take midrange shots on 23% of possessions, 20th best in CBB. They're currently ranked 2nd in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency and at Home they're arguably the best defense in the Nation. They hosted #4 Houston earlier this Month and held them to just 53 points.
Kansas has also struggled on the road this season. Their most recent road trip was a 6-point loss to a bad WVU team they were laying 10 points too. They blew out a terrible Oklahoma State team the road trip prior but also lost their first conference road game to UCF. We touched on all this Monday, but Iowa State is very similar to both UCF and CINCI in size and defense. Kansas hasn't been able to beat that just yet. Iowa State's offense is much more respectable than both UCF and Cinci's however. They also bring that physicality to the offensive side of the ball and get to the line 23rd most in CBB. Hunter Dickinson dealt with foul trouble against both UCF and Cinci.
7:00PM EST: UCF vs Cincinnati Under 135 (4 Units).
These two big physical defenses meet today. UCF is 6th in Adj D and Cinci is 17th. Neither one is very good offensively, UCF ranks 200th in Adj O and Cinci is 71st. With UCF playing on the road, it's hard to see them putting together a strong enough performance offensively to push this past the number. They're 323rd in FG%, 303rd in 3PT %, and 223rd in FT%. Their last road trip was a 42-57 loss to Houston. Cinci is 6th and UCF is 15th in Defensive rebound %. There's going to be plenty of singular empty possessions on offense.
8:00PM EST: Alabama -12.5 (3 Units).
Alabama may have 6 losses already but it's still one of the best teams in College Basketball. KenPom has them ranked 8th and it's because they're offensive juggernauts. They're 4th in PPG, 30th in FG%, 14th in 3PT %, and 8th in FT%. They're a very long and athletic group and despite not playing a true Center they're still 28th in rebound rate.
They just hosted and beat a very good #8 Auburn team by 4 their last time out despite shooting just 38.2% from the floor. Those Tigers have an elite defense, something today's tigers do not. Auburn's 5th in AdjD while LSU is 53rd. LSU has really only played 2 legitimate offenses all year and they got annihilated each time. They gave up 93 @ Auburn and 96 to Texas on a Neutral floor. Alabama is stronger offensively than both of those teams.
Alabama just poised to blow the doors off following a subpar shooting outing. They don't struggle in back-to-back games and this LSU defense isn't great and matches up worse. The Ride can get scorching hot from 3 and put-up scoring barrages in a hurry. LSU ranks 136th in opponent 3PT % and are 332nd in opponent 3-PT Rate at 43.2%. That's against the 98th ranked offensive strength of schedule too. Alabama is also shooting a remarkable 44.2% from deep at Home this season. Alabama will have ample opportunities to blow the doors off.
