MLB Best Bets – Free (Wednesday 7/24)
Josh Gross
Multiple times each week, FTN Bets’ resident college basketball junkie, Brad Evans, will attempt to posterize the ‘books with his favorite selections, whether sides, totals, teasers or parlays. As always, fade or follow Brad’s picks — fading is encouraged — that’s up to you.
2-leg alternative line parlay play: Ohio St. (-4.5), Utah St. (-3.5) (Tipico Sportsbook)
Odds: +142
Leg 1: Penn St. at Ohio St. (-4.5)
On a meteoric rise whether in popularity polls or advanced metric ranks, Greg Oden U is starting to exhibit the attributes of a Final Four contender. Balanced on both ends, the Buckeyes can bludgeon opponents in the post with the three-headed monster of EJ Liddell, Justice Sueing and Zed Key. Stretching defenses, they can also drop bombs from outside as dagger plungers Duane Washington (38.5%), Justin Ahrens (50.7%) and Seth Towns (40.0%) have shown. Punishing on the free-throw line (74.2%), assertive on the glass (No. 1 DR% in B1G) and tough to score on along the perimeter (29.2 3PT% D), they possess few weaknesses. Floor general C.J. Walker’s return, who scored eight points in 24 minutes against Wisconsin, only amplifies their prodigiousness. Penn St. should hang on the boards, but its forgiving defense (1.092 pts/poss allowed in B1G), turnover downside and overall inconsistency on offense explain why it currently sits below water (5-6). Unless Myles Dread, Myreon Jones and Seth Lundy ignite from three, it’s unlikely they will remain within striking distance. Fade this pick? Repeatedly shorting Gamestop stock in a desperate attempt to improve your margins may be a more profitable endeavor.
Leg 2: Utah St. (-3.5) at UNLV
Decades. That’s the rough years-lost equivalent consuming the first fundamentally unsound, herding cats battle between Utah St./UNLV. In the second half, with about four minutes remaining, the CBS Sports Network broadcast team posted the shooting percentages of the two teams. It read, unbelievably, Utah St. 13%, UNLV 16%. Barf. Errant passes. Whiffed layups. Low-percentage jacks. It was a pitiful display of basketball that surely damaged viewer corneas from coast-to-coast. For the visiting Aggies, who are far superior on paper in most important categories, the second go round should yield more fruitful results. Hey, they only have one direction to go. Their ability to lock down defensively (0.792 points per possession allowed in MWC), rain threes with Brock Miller (42.7%), Marco Anthony (36.4%) and Steven Ashworth (34.6%) and collect second chances (37.2 OR%) are major advantages. The Rebels shot an unordinary 8-of-16 from three in the first half, which, combined with Utah St’s hilariously inept second-half execution, propelled them to the victory. It’s doubtful it will be repeated. In what should be a much more palatable contest, the Aggies split the regular season series.
Season record: 11-17
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