February 7, 2021 Results:

What we got right:

College Basketball:

#25 Drake at Valparaiso - Drake suffered its first loss of the season at the hand of Valparaiso 74-57 on Sunday. We predicted that Drake wouldn’t cover the spread and they definitely didn’t. Drake shot just 36% from the field and made only two three point baskets in the loss. Valpo did a good job on them defensively, holding them to 25 points below their season average.

Georgetown at #3 Villanova - Villanova won by double digits, but still didn’t look all that impressive to us. This was just a four point game with two minutes left before Villanova made some free throws to put the Hoyas away, 84-74. It was a nice bounce back for the Wildcats, but people putting them on the same tier as Gonzaga and Baylor might want to rethink that.

NBA:

Utah at Indiana - Utah just keeps rolling. They are now 15-1 in their last 16 games after a 103-95 win over the Pacers. Donovan Mitchell led the way for Utah with 27 points and 11 assists. Domantis Sabonis had 20 points for the Pacers, but he went just 7-19 from the field. Rudy Gobert did a good job of keeping him in check, plus he added 16 points and 16 rebounds in the win.

Washington at Charlotte - Bradley Beal scored 31 points for the Wizards. The rest of the team had 66. That is not a good recipe for a win, and it was proved yesterday in the 119-97 win for the Hornets. Charlotte had a much more balanced effort, with six players scoring in double figures, led by Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward, with 26 and 25 points respectively.

Boston at Phoenix - Boston got Kemba Walker back, but he went 4-20 in the 100-91 loss to the Suns. Walker has struggled with his shot since coming back from injury, and now that Jaylen Brown is out they need him to be the Kemba Walker of old. In the win the Suns had five players score between 15 and 19 points. That is balance.

What we got wrong:

College Basketball:

#8 Iowa at Indiana - The Hoosiers won the game on an Armaan Franklin jump shot with one second left, getting the 67-65 win and sweeping the season series against the Hawkeyes. Luka Garza was held in check, as he only had 18 points and two rebounds. Indiana did a great job of doubling him in the post and not giving him any room to breathe.

NBA:

Sacramento at Los Angeles Clippers - De’Aaron Fox scored 36 points as the Kings beat the Clippers 113-110 for their fourth straight victory. The Clippers have now lost two games in a row, although both games were without Paul George, and drop to third place in the Western Conference. They might stay in third place for awhile as the two teams ahead of them, the Jazz and Lakers, are both playing really good basketball.

NFL:

Super Bowl LV: Kanas City vs Tampa Bay - If you honestly say you saw this blowout coming, come talk to us. We have an opening for NFL predictions next year. The Buccaneers defense played the best game we have seen against Patrick Mahomes, and they didn’t allow a touchdown in the 31-9 win over the Chiefs. Tom Brady was ruthlessly efficient, going 21-29 for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Even though everyone wants to talk about Brady and his seventh Super Bowl ring, this game was won by the defense. The Buccaneers front seven had Mahomes on the run all day long, sacking him three times and forcing him out o the pocket on nearly every throw. The game was a perfect Super Bowl for the 2020 season, a huge letdown after all of the buildup the last two weeks.

What we pushed on:

NBA:

Miami at New York - The line on this game was six points. The Heat won this game 109-103. Ban Adebayo and Jimmy Butler both had double doubles for the Heat, while Julius Randle had 26 points and 13 rebounds in the loss for the Knicks. These two teams run it back in Miami on Tuesday, and the Knicks are looking to avenge this loss.