ESPN Basketball Schedule: Miami vs. Georgia Tech Predictions, Odds and Preview

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a pick Thursday on the Miami Hurricanes (-5.5) to Georgia Tech.

Reasoning: The very young Yellow Jackets have been half a disgrace at times this season and especially away from Hot-lanta. Miami is not much better than mediocre, but they do have quality guard play and being in South Beach should be too much for Georgia Tech.

In fact, just being anywhere outside of their home element should be too much for Yellow Jackets.

Paul Hewitt has not coached his team up very well, and right now, the Jackets are a lower echelon ACC squad that has been awful. They have shown some glimpses at the Thrillerdome as Iman Shumpert, Daniel Miller, Glen Rice and a few others have manned up to beat North Carolina and play better at times against others.

Playing on the road though, has been a completely different story. Until they can clean up their act on the road, they should lose by double digits against any opponent that has anything at all.

Tech is a perfect or imperfect 0-6 on the road and none of those games have even been that competitive.

They lost to a dreadful team in Kennesaw State earlier in the season and were also beat by five to a regressing Siena program. The Saints are far from being the class of the MAAC anymore, all-in-all, Tech has been brutally bad away, and just cannot in anyway, shape of form be trusted in such a spot.

Miami is 12-9 and if a few extremely tight games went their way, their record would be more like 15-6.

This team has played a plethora of games that have come down to the last possession, and they have been snake-bitten with the results. They have quality guard play, led by Malcolm Grant, and today is the game that they should get well with.

There is the potential for a blowout, but in the end, blowout or not, I don’t see these visitors being able to compete.

They haven’t yet, so why tonight?

Top expert pick on this game: Miami (FL)

For more information: Get today’s best sports picks, betting tips videos and more on the OffshoreInsiders.com Network.