Editor’s Note: Since November 2018, Joe has been publishing picks here and back at All Things NIT, our former site. Overall, the results have been mixed, with an average return on investment, per pick, of -1% when weighting by confidence (1 for low, 2 for medium, 3 for high) across 4,524 published picks, not including pending futures, and an average return on investment, per pick, of +3% across 1,605 completed high and medium-confidence picks (low confidence picks, these days, are in experimental markets for us).
Use these picks at your own risk. Only you are responsible for any money you lose, and you should not bet more than you can afford to lose. If you have a gambling problem, get help.
Odds for these come the better option between Bovada and BetOnline. We used to use the Vegas Consensus, but it’s no longer consistently available in an accurate form online. KenPom is heavily used in making college basketball picks. FiveThirtyEight’s SPI is heavily used in making soccer futures picks. ESPN’s FPI is heavily used in making NFL futures picks.
Merry Christmas.
Utah State vs. Washington State
There’s a tempo clash here, but it’s possible that a big part of Wazzu’s slow tempo is the offensive rebounding, which Utah State should not only neutralize (to an extent), but turn into fast breaks with so many Cougars crashing the glass.
Pick: Over 138.5 (-110). Low confidence.
SMU @ Hawaii
On the other side, Hawaii flexed some defensive might on Friday against Washington State, and they should do the same here against an SMU team that’s often not doing much in the way of scoring. Hawaii is fun. Hawaii is a Big West contender. We like them to keep this ugly.
Pick: Under 135.5 (-105). Low confidence.
