SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2010 – COLLEGE BASKETBALL FREE PICK
Rhode Island Rams (19-4) vs. #21 Temple Owls (19-5)
The Rhode Island Rams will make the trip to Philadelphia to tip off against Atlantic 10 No. 21 Temple Owls in an Atlantic 10 contest at the Liacouras Center on Saturday.
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The last time these two teams tangled the Owls outlasted Rhode Island, snapping the Rams’ eight-game winning streak, in 68-34-overtime win on Jan. 10.
The No. 21 Temple Owls lost for just the second time in 10 games as the Richmond Spiders bit them, 71-54 last Saturday. Lavoy Allen led Temple with 17 points and a career-high 19 rebounds and Ramone Moore added 17 points in the loss. The Owls shot a miserable 32 percent overall, while being out rebounded 16-2 offensively that resulted in nine second-chance points. Temple entered the contest as one of the NCAA’s stingiest defensive teams holding opponents to 57 points (38 percent shooting overall) per game, and 27.4 percent 3-point shooting, both fifth-best nationally.
Four days later the Spiders ended Rhode Island’s four-game win streak with a 69-67 on Wednesday night. Rhode Island allowed the Spiders to shoot a whopping 73.7 percent (14 of 19) in the second half to rally fro the win. Delroy James scored 13 points and Cothran 11 in the loss. Despite the loss, Rhode Island has a 19-3 record through 22 games for the second time in three seasons, but this was the was the point in 2007-2008 where Rams melted down losing nine of their last 11 games and missed the NCAA Tournament, for the eighth straight time, going back to 1999.
The odds are makers have the Rams as +4 1/2 –point underdogs in this one.
Rhode Island is desperate to secure their first NCAA berth since 1999, and with five A-10 conference games remaining will hope to grab one on the road leapfrogging them into a three-way tie for fist in the conference.
I expect the Owls to bounce back both defensively and offensively after last weekends rout taking this one at home by at least five.
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- Rhode Island is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games
- Rhode Island is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Rhode Island’s last 8 games
- Rhode Island is 10-4-1 ATS in its last 15 games on the road
- Temple is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Temple’s last 7 games
- Temple is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
- Temple is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
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