24 hours of basketball. Hoops junkies everywhere are going to get their fill of college basketball around the clock next week when ESPN launches its annual 24 hours straight of coverage. This may seem a bit silly to non-sports fans, but it gives mid-majors a chance to have the spotlight to themselves and degenerates more games to bet. The Green Bay Phoenix will take on the Pacific Tigers in one of the late-night games that will be sure to entertain.
At 2 a.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Tuesday, November 15, 2016, at the Spanos Center in Stockton, California.
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Green Bay was a favorite of square betters last year. The Phoenix were extremely profitable at 20-11-2 ATS, played extremely loose, high-scoring basketball, and got hot at the time that everyone paid attention with a 7-1-2 ATS mark down the stretch. This team also kicked it up another level when it took its show on the road, with 12 of its 16 games going over the total.
Meanwhile, the Tigers were a simply awful team last season. Pacific didn’t even go to the West Coast Conference Tournament as part of self-sanctioning ahead of possibly forthcoming NCAA sanctions and finished the season 8-20. Down the stretch, Pacific did pull off a shocking win as a 17-point underdog at BYU that submarined the Cougars chances of an at-large NCAA Tournament bid though.
Coaching Angle
Pacific replaced its coach in the offseason and his replacement was a pretty big surprise in most circles. Former Portland Trail Blazers guard Damon Stoudamire accepted the position as people tilted their heads at the curious decision.
Although he made plenty of money in his NBA playing career, Stoudamire has a passion for the game that isn’t seen in NBA stars post-retirement. He spent a couple years at his alma mater of Arizona cutting his teeth before moving out to Memphis to learn under Josh Pastner last year. Learning under Pastner and Sean Miller showed him what coaching at this level is all about.
If Stoudamire would have waited another season, he likely would have found a better position available, but he felt he was ready and is rolling the dice with Pacific. The school will lose six scholarships over the next three seasons due to academic violations, but is in a talent-rich area and Stoudamire could do something with this program if he can connect with the local recruits.
Last Year’s Meeting
When these two teams met last season in Green Bay, it may have started slowly, but the game finished white hot. The Phoenix and the Tigers combined to put 109 points on the board in the second half as Alec Kobre threw caution to the wind and launched three pointer after three pointer in the comeback. Kobre went 7 for 11 from the three-point arc and torched this defense.
The problem was his teammates couldn’t match his effort. Although they were shooting well from two, the rest of the team went just 2-12 from behind the arc and that stalled the comeback effort. However, the performance was good enough to get Pacific the cover in last year’s meeting.
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Green Bay is the better side and will likely be a road favorite here. The Phoenix play a very entertaining style of basketball that will keep viewers’ attention who stay up past the bewitching hour.
The Tigers might not be good, but should be entertaining in Stoudamire’s first season. There is an excitement in the air as the team hopes to attract recruits to the campus thanks to his name. Whether he can coach or not remains to be seen, but he should recruit well.
Pacific won’t be good this year, but this is going to be a body clock game for Green Bay. It’s hard to adjust to playing at such a different time but Pacific will be more used to it on the West Coast. Grab Pacific and the points here.
College Basketball Odds: Green Bay 84, Pacific 80
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