Packing for Vegas: College Basketball Picks Nov. 21

When it comes to sports betting, my dad always says, "If it looks too good to be true, it usually is."

What he means is: If a spread looks out of whack, the oddsmakers know something that you don't. That was certainly the case last night as what I thought was a lock—Memphis giving 23 to a horrendous Chattanooga team—turned out to be a loser.

Memphis won the game, but only by 12, as they couldn't pull away from the Mocs in the second half. I blame it on whoever changed my article's photo to an unflattering shot of coach John Calipari looking like he needs a bathroom break. I suppose the Tigers' 17 turnovers and 6-23 shooting from downtown didn't help, though.

But today is a new day, and I'm ready to stick it to the bookies—the stupid, stupid bookies who only made Tennessee a 10.5-point favorite against Middle Tennessee State.

Now I'm sure the Blue Raiders are going to be all fired up over the Vols' visit. But will it make a difference against the No. 13 team in the country? Probably not, since Tennessee beat them by 69 points last year. (Note to potential Editors: That was not a typo. Tennessee really beat them by 69 points. The score was 109-40.)

You can say what you want about Memphis last night, but that game was in Puerto Rico, and I think we all can agree that crazy things happen in Puerto Rico. In Murfreesboro, TN? Not so much. I expect the Vols to roll.

The other team I like tonight is Southern Cal. The Trojans dropped a tough one to Seton Hall last night, but I think they'll bounce back against Chattanooga—the same Chattanooga I bashed in yesterday's article. USC is favored by 12.5.

What was the Over/Under?

Texas Tech beat East Central last night by 52 points. Pretty impressive, especially considering East Central scored 115. That's right, Texas Tech scored a whopping 167 as the schools combined for 282 points. You can read an article about it on Bleacher Report here.

I remember my high school basketball team watched a Coach K video on the fundamentals of man-to-man defense. Guess these two coaches never showed that video to their players.

Michigan and UCLA combined for 107 points last night. East Central, which sounds like a high school, eclipsed that number by itself. Heck, Texas Tech had 90 points in the second half alone.

Today's picks: Tennessee -10.5; 1 unit

                      USC -12.5; 1 unit

Season Record: 2-1 (66 percent), +1.9 units