Multiple times each week, The Gaming Juice’s resident action seeker, Brad Evans, will attempt to blast the ‘books with his favorite selections on sides, totals, props, teasers or parlays. As always, fade or follow Brad’s picks — fading is encouraged — but that’s up to you.
Sledgehammer Special — SGP: Nevada -5.5, Game OVER 130.5 (+105, MGM)
Admittedly, Friday slates are generally the worst type of appetizer before Saturday’s main course. Yep, they’re jalapeno poppers from TGI Friday’s without the proper bacon wrap. Don’t deny me the extra saturated fat, Friday’s.
Though quality options on the board are sparse, there is a conference that always takes this bettor’s money — the Mountain West. It’s flavorful. It’s irresistible. And it’s a damn joy to bet on.
Digging in on a game only a gambler would consume, Nevada is in a prime position to titillate.
The Wolf Pack, a projected No. 11 seed on the latest Bracket Big Board, are No. 23 in BartTorvik’s overall analytics since January 23. Compiling a 6-2 record straight up during that stretch, they’ve executed balanced basketball, getting buckets while defending at a plus level. Not surprisingly, they’re inside the top 65 nationally in offensive and defensive efficiency this season.
San Jose State head coach Tim Miles has to be sleep deprived. His Spartans have wielded nothing but foam swords. With an unsightly 1-8 record over the last month, they’re No. 234 in eFG offense and a completely craptastic No. 357 in eFG defense.
More specifically, they’ve given up a staggering 56.2% inside the arc and 42.8% (!!!) outside of it. Horrid. Complicating matters are their mounted turnovers and rebounding flaws to further lower the bar.
Steve Alford’s group jettisoned San Jose State to an alternate dimension earlier this month in Reno. In that 90-60 rout, Nevada snared 18 offensive rebounds, drained 11 3-pointers, committed only five turnovers and totaled an obscene 1.43 points per possession. The Spartans, meanwhile, netted just 0.90 points per possession and were outrebounded by 14.
The road is usually unkind, but in front of a “capacity” 251-person, largely disinterested home crowd in San Jose, Nevada earns the units. Give me all the Alt Rock action!
Season record: 6-3, +3.43 units
BONUS TIME — 2-leg ML: Cornell, Akron (+125, DraftKings)