February 10th, 2021 Results:

What we got right:

College Basketball:

#8 Houston at South Florida - This game went exactly like we thought it would. Houston clamped down defensively, holding South Florida to 42% shooting. The Cougars recipe for winning is playing tough defense and getting the ball in the paint. They did both of those in spades yesterday, and that is why then won the game 82-65.

#9 Virginia at Georgia Tech - This game was even more of a defensive struggle than we thought. Neither team hit 60 points in the 57-49 Virginia win. The Cavaliers held the Yellow Jackets to 36% shooting and won this game despite only taking two free throws and committing 17 turnovers. Their were only 18 fouls called the whole game, so the referees were letting the teams play. You love to see that.

Georgia at #16 Tennessee - Tennessee had an 18 point half time lead and we thought they were going to cover the spread. Then they let up and let Georgia score 55 points in the second half, and held on for the 89-81 win. Coach Rick Barnes needs to get his team to play for 40 minutes, otherwise the Volunteers could face an early exit come March.

#21 Wisconsin at Nebraska - Wisconsin kept Nebraska winless in the Big Ten, holding the Cornhuskers to 36% shooting in the 61-48 victory. This was a nice break for the Badgers, who are scheduled to face three ranked teams in their next four games. With how loaded the Big Ten is, you don’t get many chances to get a big win, and Wisconsin took advantage today.

NBA:

Toronto at Washington - Bradley Beal was held to 24 points, almost ten below his season average, and the Raptors hit 19 three pointers in the 137-115 victory over the Wizards. Six players hit multiple three pointers for Toronto, who had seven players score in double figures. Teams have to be licking their chops when they play the Wizards and their terrible attempt at playing defesne.

Chicago at New Orleans - Zach LaVine scored a season high 46 points, and the Bulls hit a franchise record 25 three pointers in the 129-116 win over the Pelicans. LaVine hit nine of those 25 three pointers, while Coby White hit eight of them on the way to 30 points. The Pelicans had no answer for the three point shooting for Chicago. Playing the second game of back to back games and trying to chase the Bulls off the three point line, the Pelicans had no shot.

Cleveland at Denver - Make that five straight losses for the Cavaliers, as they were humbled by the Nuggets 133-95. Denver had a well balanced attack here, with Paul Millsap leading six players in double figures. Denver won every quarter in the rout and ended their three game losing streak.

Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Lakers - Another overtime game for the Lakers. That makes three in a row. Los Angeles won its sixth straight game in the 114-113 win over the Thunder, with LeBron James scoring 25 points in the victory. The Lakers were once again without Anthony Davis, and Lebron has had to play extra minutes the last three games. He has earned his day off today.

What we got wrong:

College Basketball:

#25 Rutgers at #15 Iowa - The time in the rankings will be short lived for Rutgers, as they fell to Iowa 79-66 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes earned the season sweep of the Scarlet Knights behind 26 points and 10 rebounds from Joe Wieskamp. Now lets see if Iowa can beat a ranked team other than Rutgers. Their next chance to do that will be next Thursday, when they head to Wisconsin.

Marquette at #5 Villanova - This game is what we have come to expect from a Jay Wright coached team. Villanova shot 63% from the field in the 96-64 win, proving to the rest of America that they are still a force to be reckoned with.

#10 Missouri at Ole Miss - We are now doubting Missouri again. In their first game since knocking off Alabama, the Tigers got walloped by the Rebels. In the 80-59 loss, Missouri got outplayed in every facet of the game. Offensively they were a mess, defensively they were a sieve, and no those same questions we had our back.

NBA:

Atlanta at Dallas - Atlanta had a nine point lead going into the fourth quarter, but Luca Doncic led a comeback as the Mavericks escaped with the 118-117 win. Doncic had another triple double and once again outplayed Trae Young. Like we have stated, these two will forever be linked after the draft day trade, and Doncic won both games against Young and the Hawks this year.

Indiana at Brooklyn - Both Kyrie Irving and James Harden played, and the Nets had one of their best defensive games of the season in the 104-94 win over the Pacers. Irving had 35 points and 8 assists, while Harden had 19 points and 11 rebounds, but the story of this game was the Nets actually held an opponent under 100 points. We won’t see that too many times this year.

Charlotte at Memphis - The Grizzlies ended a four game losing streak with the 130-114 win, and set a franchise record with 23 three pointers made in this game. Kyle Anderson hit six of those three pointers and ended the game with 27 points. This game was won in the third quarter, when Memphis outscored Charlotte 31-15 and never looked back.

Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota - Karl Anthony-Towns played for the first time in 14 games, but his return wasn’t enough as the Timberwolves fell 119-112 to the visiting Clippers. Towns had 18 points and 10 rebounds, but was upstaged by Kawhi Leonard, who had a season high 36 points in the win.

Milwaukee at Phoenix - We were right in the fact that Milwaukee would score over 120 points again. What we were wrong about was that their defense couldn’t hold the Suns down, as Phoenix walked away with the 125-124 win. Devin Booker scored 30 points in the win, while Giannis scored 47 in the loss. The Bucks five game winning streak is no more.