Even while missing players, The Johnnies have been scrappy and pulled off wins with scoring in the paint and tenacious defense. Ken Pom has St. John’s ranked as the 15th best team in the country (equal with their ranking in the AP poll) and the 4th best defensive team according to defensive rating (89.0). Additionally, due to UCONN’s struggle so far, the Big East is beginning to feel like a two team race between the Red Storm and the Marquette Golden Eagles. Ken Pom has given a slight edge to the Eagles as they are ranked 13th compared to the Johnnies at 15, however St. John’s has the slight edge in the Big East standing as they currently hold the 1st place position. The Johnnies and Golden Eagles have still yet to play in the 24-25 season but will on February 4th and March 8th. Two games to circle on your schedule for sure.

The brunt of their schedule is still ahead of the Johnnies, but the 18-3 record they have built for themselves offers much more cushion than the squad from Queens is used to. Two games against UCONN, a rematch vs Creighton, and a pair versus Marquette won’t be easy, but St. John’s is a legit team!

Ohio State is now far and away the favorite to win the National Championship in football (currently sitting at +110 on Draft Kings Sportsbook) after dismantling the #1 ranked Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Ohio State jumped out to an early 34-8 first half lead thanks to a pair of 40+ yard touchdowns from standout WR Jeremiah Smith. Ryan Day’s Buckeye offense utilized their star, offensive weapons better than ever in this BIG 10 rematch. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined for 179 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns while Smith and Emeka Egbuka combined for 259 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. This performance resembled how many expected this 2024 Ohio State offense to perform throughout the regular season, and is unrecognizable from their atrocious effort against Michigan a few weeks earlier. Currently, OSU is a touchdown favorite against Texas in the semis after the Longhorns barely scrapped by against ASU on Wednesday. I think Ohio State is peaking at the right time, and no remaining team has a defense capable of slowing down this offense. Bet the Buckeyes at plus money while you still can.

Moving onto the hardwood, the Penny Hardaway coached Memphis Tigers are performing well through the team’s first 13 games. The Tigers are 10-3, suffering losses to top ranked SEC teams Auburn and Mississippi State, and also dropping a game to Arkansas State which remains the only blemish on the team’s resume thus far. Memphis is led by a trio of guards: sophomore PJ Haggerty, and seniors Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers. The team as a whole is shooting an impressive 40.2% from beyond-the-arc with all three of there star guards also shooting above the 40% mark. Memphis is currently ranked 34th according to KenPom, however they have played the 3rd hardest Non-Conference-Strength-of-Schedule according to KenPom Net-Rating. A 10-3 record is very impressive considering the level of opponents they have faced thus far and even though Penny Hardaway has had an excellent tenure as Memphis (never winning less than 20 games in a season since taking over for Tubby Smith in 2019), this might be Penny’s best chance at making a deep run in the tournament. Despite the regular season success, Memphis has only made the tournament twice in six seasons under Hardaway never making it past the second round. If PJ Haggerty continues to excel (he is currently averaging 22.1 PPG with 47.5/40.5/82.9 splits) and the rest of the squad continues shooting well from three, this team can make a long run in the tournament. They have already proved they can defeat top teams as they took down the defending champs, UCONN, at the Maui Invitational in November. Memphis is +2000 to make the final four as of now.

Notre Dame is Legit

The Irish hosted the Virginia Cavaliers yesterday and took care of business starting the game on a 35-0 run before surrounding two garbage time TDs to the Cavs to secure an impressive 35-14 victory. Ever since their disappointing loss to Northern Illinois, The Irish have been nothing short of dominant with wins over then undefeated Navy and 22nd ranked Louisville on the road. Despite concerning QB play from Duke transfer Riley Leonard, Notre Dame has the 2nd best point differential in the country over their last 3 games (35.7). If ND can win-out, beating 16th ranked Army at Yankee stadium and USC on the road, the Irish will be a lock for the CFP and be a real contender due to their elite defense and solid running back play from Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.

Kansas is Deep (In College Basketball)

Quickly pivoting to the hardwood, the Kansas Jayhawks are the number one ranked team in the country and for good reason. The 4-0 Bill Self led squad has impressive wins over the 10th ranked North Carolina, surviving a late comeback attempt from the Tarheels at Allen Fieldhouse, and Michigan State at the Champions Classic. The star of this Jayhawks team is Hunter Dickinson (who is somehow still in college), but the supporting roles of KJ Adams and Dajuan Harris along with a deep bench is what makes Kansas so dangerous for opposing schools. AJ Storr, who was a one of the biggest transfer attractions following his performance at Wisconsin the previous season, is coming off the bench for Bill Self and has played a huge role in Kansas’ victories over UNC and Oakland providing 13 and 16 points in those respective matchups. Kansas’ non-conference schedule doesn’t get any easier as they are still slated to take on two ranked teams in Duke and Creighton before starting conference play in the loaded BIG XII. We will certainly learn more about this Jayhawk squad in the coming weeks, but they have clearly proven themselves as the best team in the country thus far.

Kiyan Anthony is Staying in NY

Twenty-two long years ago, a highly touted recruit from New York named Carmelo Anthony decided not to declare for the NBA draft straight out of high school, instead opting to play college ball at Syracuse. Melo averaged 22 points a game his freshman year and lead Cuse to a National Championship. From there, Anthony had a hall of fame career including 7 seasons with his hometown New York Knicks. On Friday, Carmelo’s son Kiyan (A top-40 recruit in the 2025 class from LUHI) made his decision to commit to his father’s alma mater. Kiyan most likely will not get the attention that Bronny James got at USC a year ago, but nontheless it is an exciting moment for the Anthony family and New York basketball fans.

Now, is this absolutely an overreaction following a singular game against a far inferior Fordham team? Absolutely! But is that not why we watch sports to begin with? Regardless, Pitino’s squad absolutely showed up on Monday defeating the Rams 92-60 at Carnesecca Arena in Jamaica, Queens. The Johnnies shot an impressive 54.5% from the field led by the scoring efforts of sophomore Simeon Wilcher (17 PTS) and their high profile off-season acquisition Kadary Richmond (16 PTS). The duo of Wilcher and Richmond will absolutely be one to keep your eyes on as the season progresses. Slick Rick was certainly pleased with his squad’s performance, even if he did flame the administration for their lack of efficiency getting fans into the sold out arena.

The Big East is certainly going to be one of if not the best conference in all of college basketball this season and even if the popular assumption is that UCONN is destined to dominate for another season, I believe St. John’s has the chance to give the Huskies and the rest of the Big East squads trouble. The Red Storm came in at 5th place (Behind UCONN, Creighton, Xavier, and Marquette) in the preseason coaches poll. Rick Pitino is only in his second season in Queens and unlike last year, his team is filled primarily with “his players.”

It’s still early in Pitino’s tenure, but St John’s fans are starving for a competitive team that can make a legitimate run in the Big East Conference Tournament let alone a March Madness run. However, I am confident that “New York’s Team” is going to be a legitimate contender in the 2024-2025 season.

Ohio State vs Texas, Nov. 4th, 10:00 EST

Texas was ranked the 19th best team in the preseason coming off of an impressive 2023-2024 campaign. Unfortunately for Longhorn fans, some of their best players in 2024 are not returning for this season. Dylan Disu and Max Abmas, the best scorers last season, graduated and are now in the NBA. Only one player was selected to a Pre-Season All SEC team as transfer G Tramon Mark from Arkansas was chosen to the 3rd team.

On the other hand, unranked Ohio St is coming into this matchup as only a 2.5 point underdog, mostly due to their utilization of the transfer portal this offseason. Former five-star recruit Sean Stewart transferred from Duke to OSU due to playing limited minutes his freshman season. Additionally, former five-star center Aaron Bradshaw entered the transfer portal after a freshman season at Kentucky marked by injury and disappointment. Now in Columbus, both of these former high-school standouts will receive a significant boost in minutes. Despite being inexperienced, the front court duo of Stewart and Bradshaw has the potential to be electric and I am banking on them to dominate Texas down low.

The early lines for the games are Texas -2.5 with the o/u set at 146.5. All things considered, this is a pretty standard line for Vegas. It is a neutral site game so they gave the slight edge to the safer, more established program while placing the total at a reasonable, average CBB number. While it is too early to tell where most of the public money on the game is going to be, it’s safe to assume that Texas (aided by that number 19 next to their name) will be the popular play. However, I am willing to take the risk on OSU because of the sheer talent and potential in their front court compared to the Longhorns. Additionally, this Texas team is going to miss the scoring of Disu and Abmas way more than people think. For those reasons, my first official CBB play of the season will be Ohio State ML at +125.

Pick: Ohio State +2.5 (-110) & Ohio State ML (+125)

With the new 12-team playoff format, a matchup of two one-loss Mountain West Conference teams is no longer just a fun novelty game for fans of the teams and hardcore gamblers, it has serious playoff implications. Don’t get me wrong, I will always get up for a 10:30 game with a Heisman-caliber RB having a historical season, and a UNLV offense that is casually dropping 50 points every other game. And to make this Friday's game even better, the undercard of Louisville at BC is going to be awesome.

Boise St at UNLV, 10:30 PM, o64.5

The over-on-the-point total has to be the play here. Both teams score an incredible amount of points on offense and play very little defense. Now, I’m no expert, but that sounds like a recipe for a lot of touchdowns. Jeanty is certainly going to break off a few runs for touchdowns that make him look like the reincarnation of 2009 Marshawn Lynch and the Rebels’ replacement for Sluka under the center, Hajj-Malik Williams, has done a fantastic job in a strange situation. I want to lean towards Boise State on the spread this game, but 3.5 points on the road against this talented UNLV is too many.

BC at Virginia Tech, Thursday 7:30

Boston College started the season 5-1 before a soul crushing 10 point loss at Virginia two weeks ago. On the other hand, the Hokies, also coming off a bye, nearly upset Miami on the road and Rutgers at home in weeks 5 and 4 respectively. Virginia Tech is much better than their 3-3 record and if their game against Miami went slightly different, we would be talking about this team in a whole other light. However, they didn’t beat Miami, they didn’t beat Rutgers, and their 3 wins against Marshall, ODU and Stanford are anything but impressive. I am willing to back the Eagles and Bill O’Brien coming off the bye week.

BC +7.5

BC ML (+220)

Florida State at Duke, Friday 7:00

Anyone with a pulse is well aware that Florida State has been wildly underwhelming this season posing an atrocious 1-5 record so far in 2024. Now, they are faced with the task of going on the road on a Friday night to take on the 5-1 Duke Blue Devils. Just looking at the records, you would be shocked to hear that Duke is only a 3.5 point favorite. Duke hasn’t played a monster schedule but have complied impressive wins against both UNC and Northwestern. This pick is based on the sole fact that thisd line makes no sense and Vegas must know something that we don’t. Close your eyes, plug your nose, and bet Florida State.

FSU +3.5

FSU ML (+135)

Shedeur Sanders = Commando (1985)

Shedeur, son of NFL Hall of Famer and current CU coach Deion Sanders, has been called a lot of things over his two years as an FBS QB, but boring is not one of them. He is outspoken, talented, and most importantly, fun to watch. Most people agree that Shedeur is not the overall best quarterback in college football, but he is must-watch TV every Saturday for most casual college football fans. Similarly, Commando is not considered Schwarzenegger's best, or even one of his best, films, but it is still wildly entertaining. Commando is a ridiculous, over-the-top movie that sees Arnold murder over 70 enemies while inexplicably avoiding bullets from anyone who dares attempt to shoot at John Matrix. No action film explains Sanders as a ball player and entertainer quite like Mark Lester’s 1985 (almost satirical) action thriller.

Cam Ward = Die Hard (1988)

Stay with me on this one because it may seem like a stretch but there is some logic. Cam Ward started his career at Washington St where he was their signal caller for two full seasons. During his tenure, the Cougars went a combined 12-13 despite Ward’s above-average performances. Ward entered the transfer portal last off-season and ended up choosing the Miami Hurricanes as his new home for his senior season. The Canes were not criticized for their choice to bring in Cam, but there was speculation entering the season. Most of his critics have been silenced as after Week 5 Ward leads the ACC in both TD passes and passing yards. In a similar vein, John McTiernan’s 1988 classic Die Hard was not without its skeptics before becoming a smash hit and spawning four sequels. The star of the film, Bruce Willis was relatively unknown and was seen as a risk to star in an action movie of this magnitude. The concern was so great that Willis was absent from the original posters of the movie. Like 80s movie critics before Die Hard’s release, few were confident in Ward to be the star that he has been so far in 2024.

Arch Manning = Aliens (1986)

James Cameron tackled the tough task of following up Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror classic, Alien, by making one of the quintessential 1980s action movies in Aliens. Arch Manning, like Cameron, also had to carry the baggage of a famous name. Almost every sports fan is aware that Texas’ backup quarterback Arch Manning is the nephew of NFL superstars Peyton and Eli Manning. Despite having the enormous pressure of carrying the last name that many associate with football royalty, Arch has excelled in his few games filling in for Quinn Ewers. Also, like how Cameron expanded on Scott’s original film by adding multiple alien antagonists to Scott’s original vision, Manning has the ability to scramble outside of the pocket in addition to his incredible arm talent (something his uncles were not exactly known for).

Let me know how you feel about this blog and if you would be interested in part II!

It is no secret that this season’s week 6 is the weakest amongst the slate of matchups (excluding week 0) 2024 has to offer, but beneath the layer of manure, there are a few gems. Despite the low total offered in Michigan at Washington, it should be entertaining. The 4:00 EST matchup between BIG 10 surprises Rutgers and Nebraska has the potential to be a hard-nosed, defense-focused brawl. Nonetheless, the game that I am most excited about is the 7:30 primetime matchup featuring the undefeated, fourth-ranked team in the country, Tennessee Volunteers, and the explosive offense of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Tennessee is led by star QB, Nico Iamaleava who has found himself in Heisman conversations early in his 2024 campaign. Nico has impressed many this season despite most of his heavy lifting being against wildly inferior opponents. The Vols are coming off a nice win at Oklahoma two weeks ago, a team that has been dealing with QB difficulties since the benching of presumed star Jackson Arnold. On the other hand, the 3-2 Razorbacks are returning home after a near victory at Kyle Field against the Texas A&M Aggies. QB Taylen Green is the X factor for the Arkansas offense. The 6’ 6” 230 lbs signal-caller has had an up-and-down 2024 season but has shown flashes of greatness.

I have been bullish on this much-improved Arkansas squad and truly think they have a chance to upset this Tennessee squad at home this Saturday. A classic let-down spot for the Vols going on the road to face a scrappy SEC opponent. Give me the over, Arkansas on the spread, and even the Razorbacks ML.

Over 58.5

Arkansas +13.5

Arkansas ML (+400)

JVST at KENN:

The odd man out of this Friday’s tetralogy is Jacksonville St vs Kennesaw St. The combined record of these two programs in 2024 is 1-7. Kennesaw St is in their first year of FBS play and has yet to win a game. This game is going to suck. Since we have such a stacked card, I really do want to pass on this one, but I’m going to lean toward JVST with the points on the road. But seriously, don’t bet on this game.

JVST -14.5

HOU at TCU:

Houston’s offense has been brutal the entire season and has been held scoreless in their previous two games. On the other hand, TCU has scored over 34 points in all of their games in 2024 and is coming off of a huge 38-27 victory at Kansas on Saturday. Houston has been such a disaster this season that there is absolutely no way that I will be backing the Cougars until I am proven wrong. With that being said, I’m going to be taking TCU and the points at home this Friday.

TCU -15.5

MSU at Oregon:

One of the two ranked 9:00 matchups on Friday is Oregon’s first matchup against a legacy BIG 10 conference opponent this season (UCLA does not count at all as BIG 10). The Duck has been a massive favorite in all four of their matchups thus far in 2024 but has only covered once. Oregon and Dillon Gabriel had high hopes entering 2024 in their first season as a member of a new conference, but they have disappointed. Michigan State, on the other hand, has had an up-and-down season, with the deepest valley being a fourth-quarter blown lead against BC. I think that MSU’s defense will prove challenging enough to keep this game close, but I really don’t have enough faith in their QB, Aidan Chiles, to back the Spartans.

Under 52.5

Syracuse at UNLV

Ignoring all of UNLV’s QB controversy and NIL talking points, I think UNLV is still a very good team and well deserving of the 24 next to their name on the scorebug. That being said, Syracuse has been pretty good this year, and Kyle McCord has been a pleasant surprise for the Orange. I really like CUSE in this game but am worried that they are going on the road for the first time this season. The 6.5 point spread is very reactive to UNLV demolishing Fresno State last week and the fact that Syracuse has to travel across the country. I can’t bet on this game because I reside in New York, but I would lean Syracuse and the over in the contest.

lean Syracuse +6.5 & Over 59.5

Texas St. at Troy:

The Thursday double-header starts with a 7:00 EST game between Texas St. and Troy. Both teams are coming off brutal outright losses as favorites the prior week (Texas St. as an 11-point favorite and Troy as a 6.5-point favorite). This game is played at Troy with the home team being a two-touchdown underdog. Troy has been a mess offensively but their lone bright spot has been WR Devonte Ross. He has been practically their whole offense and I expect him to burn Texas St. weak secondary. This is gonna be an ugly one but the pick is Troy spread.

Troy +14.5

SHSU at UTEP:

This matchup of low-tier Texas schools will take place at 9:00 EST. The Sam Houston State Bearkats have been a surprisingly good team this season holding a record of 4-1 with their sole loss being at UCF in week 2. On the other hand, UTEP is winless and has played pitifully so far in 2024. The spread is closer than one might assume at only 10.5 points, but I’m still gonna back SHSU with the points on the road. UTEP is a mess all around and the Bearkats have not struggled to put up points this season.

SHSU -10.5

lean Over 50.5

Thanks for reading and make sure to come back later in the week for the Friday preview and more college sports articles at The Tailgate!