Bully The Bookie - 01/26
2018-19 BULLY THE BOOKIE RECORD
NCAAF: 30-21-1 (0-0 last article)
NFL: 31-26-4 (3-5 last article)
Overall: 61-47-5 (3-5 last article)
Football fans have been dreading this weekend for awhile. First weekend without football since late August. However, the Bookie is still around for us to bully as we are going to shake things up now. Moving forward, we’ll start looking at college hoops, the NBA and the NHL when we want to stuff that bookie in a locker for all his lunch money.
If you want more day to day plays, I will be giving plays on twitter @JDpowerblogger daily.
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Golden State Warriors @ Boston Celtics
Saturday, January 26th, 2019 8 PM
PICK: WARRIORS -2 as this is quite a low spread for the almighty Warriors -- especially with a healthy lineup. Experts and hoop heads have been waiting on the arrival of Boogie Cousins; and he certainly hasn't disappointed. 3-0 since Cousins' debut, with an overall record of 34-14, although that may be subpar to Golden State's standards. However, Steph has missed 11 games and Draymond Green has missed 14, so the Warriors haven't been the same NBA Juggernaut we are use to.
As for the Celts, these guys can ball and this can very well be an NBA Finals preview. Boston may be an impressive 19-5 at home but none of those wins came against a team of Golden State's caliber.
PREDICTION: 116-110 WARRIORS
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Atlanta Hawks @ Portland Trailblazers
Saturday, January 26th, 2019 10 PM
PICK: TRAILBLAZERS -10 AND OVER 228 TOTAL POINTS as the worst defense in the NBA travels across the country to take on a strong team in Portland. Trailblazers are led by one of he strongest backcourts in the NBA with Dame Dolla and Cj McCollum having a great campaign this year. Their 30-20 record has them sitting at 4th in the West and these guys may make a playoff push. Hawks are flying real low this year and are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Currently in the midst of a rebuild, Atlanta is led by rookie Trae Young and John Collins. These two will be able to score but will struggle to guard the elite scoring from Cj and Lilard.
Quick Facts
- Hawks rank 30th in points allowed (117.47 per game)
- Portland has the 8th best home offense (115.48 per game)
- Hawks have the fastest pace of play in the NBA
PREDICTION: 134-115 TRAILBLAZERS
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Davidson Wildcats @ Saint Louis Billikens
Saturday, January 26th, 2019 2 PM
PICK: Billikens -2.5 as two A10 teams who share the same record meet in the Lou. These two are eerily similar. Two mid-major programs that made a run in March Madness last year; with both teams undefeated at home. I think that trend continues. Saint Lou does NOT lose at home and this game will put them ahead of Davidson to get back atop the A10 standings.
PREDICTION: 68-63 Saint Louis
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#12 Marquette Golden Eagles @ Xavier Musketeers
Saturday, January 26th, 2019 2 PM
PICK: UNDER 145.5. Marquette has yet to face National Champion and Big East champion, Villanova. They are strong and can ball but their #12 ranking will drop a couple spots after they lose to Nova. For today’s game, I see Xavier playing Marquette real tough. The spread in this game is actually only -2 for the #12 ranked team. Even after considering the blowout loss Xavier took earlier this year when these two teams met with a score of 70-52. Xavier has displayed incredible defense in conference play at home this year. They tend to slow down the pace against these high scoring teams. I do not pick them to win but I will pick them to keep this game under 75 to hit the under.
PREDICTION: 72-68 MARQUETTE
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West Virginia Mountaineers @ #1 Tennessee Volunteers
Saturday, January 26th, 2019 4 PM
PICK: VOLUNTEERS -16 as the best team in college ball hosts one of the bigger disappointments. West Virginia started the season ranked #13 but their 9-10 record has knocked them way out of the top 25. Their biggest problem -- defense; or lack their of. They’ve given up 90 points three times this season as well as 80 points another three times. WV Coach Bob Huggins made WV famous for their full court press defense, cleverly labeling the Mountaineers as Press Virginia. However, the press has failed them this year and Volunteers may be able to hit 100 on them.
PREDICTION: 101-78 VOLUNTEERS
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#9 Kansas Jayhawks @ #8 Kentucky Wildcats
Saturday, January 26th, 2019 6 PM
PICK: Kansas +6 as two top ten teams meet in Lexington. Jayhawks coach Bill Self is in his 16th season and John Calipari is in his 10th, when these two coaches clash it`s always a classic.
You can guarantee that both coaches had this game circled all year and both teams will deliver. This game is a complete toss up and with that being said, it’s hard to believe the spread is two possessions.
PREDICTION: 74-72 KENTUCKY
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Arizona State Sun Devils @ USC Trojans
Saturday, January 26th, 2019 8 PM
PICK: USC -2 as USC attempts to defend their home dominance in the PAC-12. Since conference play began, their home record has steadily improved to 11-4. The Trojans have banged off four straight home wins to start conference play and they show no signs of stopping now. Arizona State led by Montreal native and rookie Lugentz Dort have been hot at home. But when they travel, the Sun Devils start to cool off. ASU is only 4-3 on the road this year and they’ve suffered two double digit L’s at Utah and at Stanford. USC will handle the road wary Devils.
PREDICTION: 78-70 TROJANS