Saturday, Morning Post (1 of 3)

Well, to start things off, I have two games for you. Let's get started off on the right foot, although by far the strongest plays are in the 2 and 3 post:

First, take Duke -6 1/2 at Maryland. In the unforgettable words of Gary Williams, "well, certainly Duke is Duke...they're on TV more than Leave it to Beaver reruns." How true. Well, Duke is on TV again today and they should take it to a Maryland team that is not playing great ball as of late. They do have only one loss at home, but they have not played ANYONE at home this season. They only decent team that they have played there was North Carolina and NC pounded them by 15. Duke, on the other hand, has played some tough teams on the road and has survived. Hell, in two of their last 3 games, they have won at BC and at NC...two places that are much tougher this season than Maryland is. Mary has struggled to find offense with McCray gone for the year and Caner-Medley can only do so much. Against Duke, it won't be enough.

Duke -6 1/2 (**)

Next, go with S. Ill. +5 at Creighton. Yes, I know that S. Ill has lost to the better teams in the conference on the road, but you have to dig a little deeper. They lost in overtime at N. Iowa and in overtime at Wichita State. This shows that this team can go down to the wire with the best teams in the conference on the road. Creighton has been playing good as of late, but in this matchup at the top of the MVC, I see it as a one basket game either way. This game will come down to the final possession and S. Ill could win. Either way, they stay within the number.

Southern Illinois +5 (**)

***Check back around 1:00pm Central for the next update. ***