50* Powerhouse Play on Tulsa -6 -110

After today’s game between the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (1-1) and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, one team will fall below .500 and the other will gain a winning record.

Oral Roberts recently recovered from a season opening loss to Oklahoma State with a 95-81 win over the Houston Baptist Huskies. The Golden Eagles’ opposition was able to reach 80 points in both contests.

On average, Oral Roberts is scoring 85 points and allowing 80.5 points per game.

Against Oklahoma State, the Golden Eagles allowed five players to score 10 points or more. Against Houston Baptist, the Golden Eagles allowed guard Jalon Gates to hit six threes on his way to 25 points.

Oral Roberts’ leading scorer is Deondre Burns, who’s scored 21 points per game.

Tulsa opened the season with an eight-point win over Houston Baptist before dropping their second game to UT Arlington.

On average, the Golden Hurricane are scoring 69.5 points and allowing 72.5 points per game.

Against Houston Baptist, forward Jeriah Horne led all scorers with his 22 points. Guard Brandon Rachal earned a double-double in that contest with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Against UT Arlington, guard Reggie Jones led Tulsa with 19 points from the bench.

50* Powerhouse Play on Northeastern -2 -109

Today, either the Northeastern Huskies (2-0) or the UMass Minutemen (2-0) will be served their first loss of the season when these two teams go head to head.

In their first two games of the season, Northeastern beat up on Boston University and Harvard. Both contests were decided by five-point margins. Against Harvard, the Huskies scored at least 40 points in each half.

On average, Northeastern is scoring 78 points and allowing 73 points per game.

There’s no denying that guard Jordan Roland leads this Northeastern team on the floor. In addition to his four rebounds and two assists per game, Roland is averaging a monstrous 40.5 points per game so far this year after dropping 42 in the Harvard game.

After a comfortable win over Lowell River, UMass barely edged out Fairfield in a 62-60 contest. In the latter game, the Minutemen only received three points or fewer from five of its nine players who played at least nine minutes.

On average, the Minutemen are scoring 70.5 points and allowing 62 points per game.

UMass is led by guard T.J. Weeks, who’s averaging 16 points, 4.5 rebounds, and two steals per game. Center Tre Mitchell has added another 14 points and eight rebounds per contest.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on DePaul +9½ -110

Having started the year with three games in four days, the DePaul Blue Demons (3-0) have jumped out to a flawless record. Tonight, the Blue Demons will be on the road to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0).

While they haven’t played NCAA Tournament-level competition thus far, DePaul has taken care of business against whoever’s been put in front of them. Through three games, the Blue Demons have won by at least 11 points in each contest against Alcorn State, Chicago, and Fairleigh Dickinson.

On average, the Blue Demons are scoring 75.3 points and allowing 56 points per game.

Thus far, DePaul can boast four players averaging 11 points or more. Charlie Moore has separated himself as the top scorer on the team with 19.3 points per game in addition to his five assists and 2.3 assists per contest.

With an 87-60 win over SIU Edwardsville, Iowa started the season on the right foot. The Hawkeyes were led by center Luka Garza, who earned a double-double with a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Guard Joe Wieskamp was Iowa’s next-best player, as he went for 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Apart from Garza and Wieskamp, no other Hawkeye player scored more than nine.

50* Powerhouse Play on Samford +9 -110

Both the Samford Bulldogs (1-1) and Belmont Bruins (0-1) are trying to build some momentum early in the 2019-20 season. One team will fail to do so when these team face off this evening.

Samford is just a four-point, double-overtime loss to Morehead State away from beginning the season 2-0. Despite dropping their season opener, the Bulldogs bounced back with a 68-42 victory over KY Wesleyan. Samford put together a consistent performance against Wesleyan, scoring 33 and then 35 while holding Kentucky Wesleyan to 21 in both halves.

The Bulldogs rely on their starters for the majority of their points, but they appear to be up to the task. Against Wesleyan, guard Brandon Austin led all scorers with 17 points. Forwards Robert Allen and Jalen Dupree added another 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Belmont went up against Illinois State in their season opener. Despite jumping out to a 31-23 lead at the half, Belmont ended up losing by seven points to the Redbirds.

In addition to Nick Hopkins’ 12 points from the bench, the Bruins had three starters with 13 points or more. Center Nick Muszynski led the way with 20 points, followed by 17 from Grayson Murphy and 13 from Adam Kunkel.

50* Powerhouse Play on UC-Santa Barbara +5½ -109

When the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (1-0) and UCLA Bruins (1-0) go head to head this evening, one team will exit the game with their first loss of the season.

The Gauchos opened the year against Jackson State, who they dominated in a 21-point victory. UC Santa Barbara had racked up 83 points by the end of the game, using a 46-28 second-half performance to pull away.

While holding Jackson State to just three players with double-digit points, UC Santa Barbara had four double-digit scorers of their own.

Three Gauchos starters had 17 points or more, as Amadou Sow led the way with 20 points in addition to his nine rebounds and two assists. Max Heidegger added another 19 points, and guard Jaquori McLaughlin had a strong performance with 17 points, four assists, and three rebounds.

UCLA could breathe a sigh of relief after surviving Long Beach State in the season opener. After trailing at the half, the Bruins needed a 42-point second half to win by the score of 69-65.

A balanced UCLA offense had four players with at least 10 points, but no Bruin scored more than 15 against Long Beach State.

Leading the way for UCLA was Tyger Campbell, who managed just 15 points in 37 minutes on the floor.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on San Jose State -1½ -109

The San Jose State Spartans (1-0) are aiming for a perfect start through two games of the season. To do so, they’ll need to overcome the visiting Portland Pilots (1-1).

After a dominant victory over Willamette, Portland dropped a 76-65 contest to USC. The Pilots struggled to keep up throughout the game, letting the Trojans get too far out in front with a 41-35 first half.

In the USC game, Pilots guard Isaiah White led the team with 22 points. White made six of his 10 three-point attempts and both of his free throws. Only two other players, Takiula Fahrensohn and Jojo Walker, had 10 points in the game.

The Spartans earned a 79-71 win over Hofstra in the season opener. Tonight will be San Jose State’s first home game of the year.

The Spartans had four players score double-digit points in the victory over Hofstra. From the bench, Richard Washington led the way with 23 points in addition to his seven rebounds and three assists. Forward Craig LeCesne was a force in the paint with 19 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Guard Seneca Knight added another 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

50* Powerhouse Play on Cal-Irvine +3 -110

While the UC Irvine Anteaters (1-0) earned a victory in their season opener, the Pepperdine Waves (0-1) weren’t so fortunate. Tonight, these two squads will face off in Firestone Fieldhouse.

With a huge come-from-behind performance, the Anteaters earned a big 76-73 victory over San Diego. UC Irvine was outscored 48-34 in the first half, then used a suffocating defensive effort to limit San Diego to just 25 second-half points.

In an effort to bridge the 14-point gap the Anteaters were up against, three Cal Irvine starters scored at least 13 points. Guard Evan Leonard led the team with 19 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists while hitting all 10 of his free throws.

Tommy Rutherford added another 16 points and six rebounds while Collin Welp scored 13 points and four rebounds.

Pepperdine faced a tough task in a season-opening matchup against California, and they couldn’t stand up to it. By a score of 87-71, the Waves were beaten handily despite taking a two-point lead into the locker room at half.

Guard Colby Ross was the best player on the floor for Pepperdine. In 35 minutes, Ross scored 19 points and added seven assists and three rebounds. Kessler Edwards was right behind Ross, scoring 18 points of his own.

50* Powerhouse Play on Long Beach State +2 -110

Both the San Diego Toreros (0-1) and Long Beach State 49ers (0-1) got off to a rough start in their respective season openers. Today, it’s going to get worse for one of these two squads who face off today.

The UC Irvine Anteaters handed San Diego a tough three-point loss in their first game of the season. The Toreros fell apart with just 25 points in the second half after jumping out to a 48-34 lead at halftime.

Stamina may have been an issue for San Diego with only seven players seeing meaningful minutes on the floor. Both Joey Calcaterra and Braun Hartfield played 35 minutes.

Offensively, Hartfield led the way with a team-high 17 points in addition to his eight rebounds and two assists. Guard Marion Humphrey added another 14 points.

Long Beach State took a tough loss of their own as the UCLA Bruins came out on top by just a four-point margin. This was another case of letting the game slip in the second half after the 49ers earned a 33-27 at halftime.

Of the three Long Beach State players who reached double-digit points, Michael Carter III and Chance Hunter did most of the damage. While Carter III had 20 points, Hunter added another 19.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Tennessee State +3 -109

While the Chattanooga Mocs (0-1) failed to come out of their season opener as victors, the Tennessee State Tigers (1-0) did. Today, these two teams will face off against one another.

Against Alabama A&M, Tennessee State exploded for 106 points while holding their opponent to just 66. With 64 points in the first half, the Tigers nearly matched the Bulldogs’ total in half the time.

Apart from two 14-point scorers, Alabama A&M didn’t have another player reach double-digit points against Tennessee State. Meanwhile, four of the Tigers’ five starters and a bench player all reached 10 points or more.

Leading the way for Tennessee State was Carlos Marshall Jr., who dropped 22 points with four rebounds and three assists. Guard Will Harris added another 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.

With a 79-68 loss to Eastern Kentucky, Chattanooga picked up where they left off last year after a 20-loss season. The Mocs actually led at the half, but were outscored 46-30 in the second half.

Three Chattanooga players went for 12 points or more, but two Mocs who played double-digit minutes failed to score a single point.

David Jean-Baptiste led the way with 18 points in addition to his five rebounds.

50* Powerhouse Play on Loyola-Chicago +5½ -110

Both the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (1-0) and the Furman Paladins (1-0) kicked off the college basketball season with a win. Tonight, these two teams will go head to head.

In Loyola’s first game, which came against UC Davis, the Ramblers demolished their opponent by scoring 82 and holding the Aggies to just 48 points. Loyola jumped out to a 39-22 lead at the half and never looked back.

In the opening contest, four Loyola starters reached double-digit points. Center Cameron Krutwig led the way with 15 points in addition to his 11 assists and eight rebounds. Krutwig finished the night 6-for-8 from the floor, and figures to be a big part of Loyola’s plans going forward.

Tate Hall was another vital player for the Ramblers in the season opener. In total, Hall scored 14 points while racking up nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Furman was on the road against Webber to open the season. A relatively close game ended in a seven-point victory for the Paladins.

Much of Furman’s offense came down to the trio of Noah Gurley, Alex Hunter, and Clay Mounce, who were the only three Paladins in double digits. Gurley was the leading scorer of the bunch with 18 points.

50* Powerhouse Play on Marist +7½ -110

The Marist Red Foxes are set to open their 2019-20 college basketball season with a matchup against the VMI Keydets (0-1).

Marist will be looking to improve upon a season in which they managed just 12 wins. To end the season, the Red Foxes followed up a four-game winning streak with a five-game losing streak, including a 71-68 overtime loss in the season finale.

Against non-conference competition last year, the Red Foxes went 5-7 while allowing 68.9 points per game and scoring 65.8 points per game.

On the flip side, VMI went 3-6 out of conference and allowed those opponents to score 81.8 points per game while scoring 70.9 points per game of their own.

The Keydets started the season with a 80-68 loss to East Carolina. In that contest, only two VMI players managed to get to double-digit points.

Greg Parham was the leading Keydets scorer by a wide margin with 23 points. Parham also added four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Jake Stephens, who scored 10 points in 22 minutes, was the only other VMI player to reach double digits.

In addition to a lack of scoring, the Keydets have an issue slowing down opposing offenses. Against ECU, VMI allowed two Pirates to score 20 points or more.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Siena +20½ -109

Cincinnati, Ohio will be the destination for a showdown between the Siena Saints (1-0) and the #19 Xavier Musketeers (1-0). Siena is getting 20.5 points in this contest.

The Saints opened the season with a big 96-80 win over American. In that game, Jalen Pickett led all scorers with his 22 points from the bench. Pickett also added five rebounds and four assists in his 30 minutes on the floor.

In addition to Pickett, Siena had three other scorers drop 14 points or more. Forward Elijah Burns was perhaps the most influential player on the floor for the Saints as he put up 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Manny Camper pitched in with 14 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

A fast-paced Siena team figures to offer more of a challenge for Xavier than the Musketeers’ first opponent, Jacksonville University. Despite severely outmatching Jacksonville, Xavier was only able to muster a 19-point victory, and they’re laying more than 20 points tonight.

Against Jacksonville, both Tyrique Jones and Naji Marshall scored 17 points. While Jones also snagged 11 rebounds, Jones added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

In total, four Musketeers scored at least 11 points.

50* Powerhouse Play on Ohio State -6½ -109

A pair of Ohio rivals will take the court in the season opener as the Cincinnati Bearcats go into Columbus to take on the #18 Ohio State Buckeyes.

After a strong 14-4 performance in the American Athletic Conference and a 28-7 season overall, head coach Mick Cronin left Cincinnati for greener pastures at UCLA. Cronin has been replaced by John Brannen, who led Northern Kentucky to two NCAA Tournament berths in three years.

Although they appear to be outmatched this evening, the Bearcats can lean on returning wing player Jarron Cumberland. Last season, Cumberland averaged 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Cincinnati will also send out transfer point guard Chris McNeal, who averaged 9.5 points a game last year, but who’s also going to be playing for his fifth team in five years.

After bringing in the top recruiting class in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are ready to bounce back from a disappointing 20-15 season.

The Buckeyes have a host of talent ready to replace the likes of C.J. Jackson, who averaged 12 points and 3.5 assists per game last year. Look for E.J. Liddell, who highlights a freshman class as a 6-6, 236-pound all-around player who blocked 500 shots in high school.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Belmont -6 -114

After losing their head coach to retirement and their star guard to graduation, the new-look Belmont Bruins will look to start the season strong against the Illinois State Redbirds.

Rick Byrd did a wonderful job in his last season in charge of the Bruins, leading the team to a 27-6 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. Byrd now hands to reigns over to his former player, Casey Alexander.

On the floor, Belmont also loses a big piece in the form of guard Dylan Windler, who was a first-round draft pick after a senior season in which he averaged 21.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

However, the Bruins are returning three starters from a year ago, including OVC Freshman of the Year Nick Muszynski, who averaged 14.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Last year, Belmont was the second-ranked scoring offense in college basketball with 86.9 points per game.

Illinois State was perfectly average last year. On top of a 9-9 record in MVC play, the Redbirds went 17-16 overall.

The Redbirds are returning only one starter from last season – Zach Copeland. If Illinois State will improve, they’ll likely need more than 9.6 points per game from Copeland.

50* Powerhouse Play on California +2½ -109

Berkley, California will be the site of a non-conference season opener for both the Pepperdine Waves and Cal Golden Bears with the latter playing host.

Under first-year head coach Lorenzo Romar, Pepperdine won 10 more games than the year prior last season. However, the Waves still finished with a losing record after winning only 16 games and advanced the school’s streak of NCAA Tournament absences to 17 seasons.

Colbey Ross was Pepperdine’s standout player last year. On average, Ross put up 19.7 points and seven assists per game whilst shooting 39.6% from three. In addition to Ross, Pepperdine will feature Kameron Edwards, who scored 14.7 points with 6.2 rebounds per game, and Kessler Edwards who scored 10 points with 5.6 rebounds per game.

The Pepperdine offense played with pace under Romar, but left themselves open to attack on the defensive end. Opposing offenses were able to score by shooting 53.9% from the field.

California is looking for a quick turnaround after last year’s 8-23 season, and they brought in former Georgia head coach Mark Fox to do so. Fox finished with a winning record in each of his last five seasons with Georgia in a tough SEC.

Senior Justice Sueing led the 2018-19 Cal team with 14.3 points and six rebounds per game.

50* Powerhouse Play on George Washington +6½ -110

Both the George Washington Colonials and Towson Tigers struggled throughout the season last year. Tonight, both teams will aim to start a new campaign on the right foot as they face off on Towson’s home floor.

In the Atlantic Ten, George Washington managed just four conference wins as part of their 9-24 overall record. Meanwhile, Towson earned a similar record of 10-22 while going 6-12 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

After last year’s underperformance, the Colonials decided a change was needed at head coach. So, George Washington opted to hire Jamion Christian, who spent a single year in Siena, where he led the Saints to a record of 17-16 and 11-7 in conference play.

Christian will try to open things up for guard Maceo Jack, who returns as the team’s third-leading scorer form a year ago with 11.5 points per game.

Towson played decent defensive basketball last year, holding opponents to 43.6% shooting from the field. However, the Tigers’ offensive production was severely lacking. By shooting 32.7% from three and 43.5% from the field, Towson struggled to outscore anyone.

Senior Brain Fobbs led the team with 17.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

50* Powerhouse Play on Clemson -6½ -105

Neither the Virginia Tech Hokies or the Clemson Tigers will be ranked as the 2019-20 college basketball season gets underway. Tonight, these two teams will go head to head on Clemson’s home court.

Last year, Clemson finished with a record of 20-14 and went 9-9 in ACC play. Virginia Tech finished the season with a 26-9 record that included a 12-6 performance in the conference.

These two squads most recently met back in February. Although you can’t necessarily glean too much from a contest between last year’s teams, it’s worth noting that Clemson earned a 59-51 victory at home.

After a trip to the Sweet 16, head coach Buzz Williams departed Virginia Tech in favor of Texas A&M. Now, new coach Mike Young will have to see what he can do without the team’s top five scorer from a season ago, all of whom are no longer with the Hokies.

Finding offense will be tough for a Virginia Tech team that ranked 170th in the nation with 73.5 points per game last season.

By allowing just 63.9 points per game last year, the Tigers ranked 23rd in scoring defense. Offensively, Clemson will be counting on Curran Scott, who scored 8.9 points a game at Tulsa, and Tevin Mack, who scored nine points per game at Alabama.

50* Powerhouse Play on East Carolina -7½ -109

After a 10-21 season, the East Carolina Pirates are aiming for a more successful season this year. To start towards that goal, the Pirates will play host to the VMI Keydets in the first game of the new campaign.

VMI finished the 2018-19 season as one of the worst teams in the Southern Conference. Only Western Carolina was worse in a conference that featured the likes of Wofford, UNC Greensboro, and Furman.

The Keydets don’t have a lot to build on, and it’s gotten even worse after guard Bubba Parham, who led the Southern Conference in scoring, decided to transfer away from VMI to Georgia Tech. Without another scorer averaging even 11 points per game a season ago, VMI will miss the 21.4 points per game Parham racked up last year.

East Carolina only managed three wins out of 18 conference games last season to finish 13 games back of the AAC-leading Houston Cougars.

Second-year head coach Joe Dooley is spearheading one of the biggest rebuilds in the country with only two players returning from last year’s squad: Seth LeDay, who scored 11 points per game, and Jayden Gardner, who scored 16.3 points per game. 11 newcomers are joining this Pirates team.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Bradley -4½ -109

The Hawks of St. Joe’s will kick off the season with a non-conference contest as they host the Bradley Braves.

Bradley is coming off a strong 20-15 season in which they won nine of their 18 games in conference play. With Drake leading the conference, the Braves finished fifth in the MVC standings.

By allowing just 65.3 points per game, Bradley ranked 35th in the nation a year ago. The Braves were clearly a defensive team, as they ranked 366th with their 66.5 points per game on offense.

St. Joe’s was one of the weaker teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference, trailing well behind 25-8 VCU and 24-10 Davidson. With just six wins out of their 14-19 record coming in the conference, the Hawks will need a big improvement if they’ll come close to competing for anything meaningful this year.

The Hawks were a mediocre team on both side of the ball a season ago. While St. Joe’s ranked 269th in scoring offense with 70.5 points per game, they ranked 211th in scoring defense with 72.6 points allowed.

After serving as St. Joe’s captain for three years, guard Lamarr Kimble transferred to Louisville, taking his 15.6 points per game with him.

50* Powerhouse Play on Miami-FL +7 -105

After finished with a record of 20-14 a year ago, the #5 Louisville Cardinals are set to kick off the college basketball season against the Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables.

While both teams will be short-handed to start the season, Louisville will have the biggest of the losses with the absence of center Malik Williams, who averaged 9.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in his last five games. After breaking his foot in September, Williams is likely to return later this month.

In Williams’ place will be Steven Enoch, who averaged 10 points and 5.6 rebounds per game from the bench over the Cardinals last 20 games.

Miami is looking to rebound from a 14-18 season, and they should have more talent and depth in that endeavor. Last season, the Hurricanes played the majority of their games with a seven-man rotation. This year, Miami should have more to offer with center Rodney Miller and forwards Sam Waardenburg and Anthony Walker in the frontcourt.

Last season, guard Chris Lykes led the Hurricanes with 16.2 points per game in addition to his 3.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. Guard Dejan Vasiljevic was the best shooter on the team, hitting 91.8% of his free throws and 36.7% of his attempts from three.