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Sometimes you want to make a quick pitstop, empty the bladder, grab a bag of salty snacks and limber up the limbs before hitting the open road again. For the fast-minded who enjoy simple $2 scratchers hoping to uncover the jackpot-winning image, here are quick thoughts and leans on Friday's Ohio State-Texas A&M showdown.
No. 21 Ohio State (2-0) at No. 23 Texas A&M (2-1)
Date: Friday, November 15
Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
The pick — Texas A&M -4.5 (-110, BetMGM)
When a coach with 403 career wins and nine NCAA Tournament appearances discusses his insights on various matchups, ears promptly perk up.
On Wednesday’s “BetMGM Tonight” (watch the live stream here), Tom Crean — the former Marquette, Indiana and Georgia sideline barker — hopped on the program and answered our pressing college basketball questions with intricate reasonings and sound detail. When this knucklehead asked him to FADE or FOLLOW KenPom’s three-point win projection on 23rd-ranked Texas A&M in Friday’s home matchup against No. 21 Ohio State, he emphatically said, “They’ll win by even more.”
You earned my undivided attention, Coach Crean.
The X’s and O’s arguments laid down by Crean were simple. The Aggies’ outbound passes, quick buckets in the shot clock, overall scoring balance and depth give them, in the coach’s mind, a stark advantage. He also stressed the Buckeyes won’t have the luxury of uncontested shots like they did in their 80-72 toppling of Texas in their season opener.
The advanced data offers verification of what Crean was selling.
Through three games, Buzz Williams’ A&M bunch ranks top-30 nationally in effective field goal percentage, allowing 40.8% inside the arc and 30.9% outside of it. The experienced backcourt combo of Wade Taylor and Hayden Hefner has meshed with Pharrel Payne and Andersson Garcia in the paint, and it has made the Aggies formidable across the board.
The road blemish at UCF to open the season may deter buyers, but Texas A&M has second-weekend potential come March.
Jake Diebler’s OSU crew will be a force in a wide-open Big Ten race. Tucked inside the top 25 in eFG offense and defense, the Buckeyes have quickly clicked, but costly turnovers (21.4% of possessions in two games) and average glass execution are early weaknesses. Their depth also pales in comparison.
In the end, TAMU’s rotation of capable bodies, offensive rebounding prowess and stalwart defensive efforts should somewhat stymie Meechie Johnson and company. After digesting Crean’s expert perspective and analyzing the data, only one conclusion is reached.
Gig ‘em.
Season record: 2-2, +0.26 units
BONUS TIME — Alabama -1.5 at Purdue (-110, BetMGM)