Towson vs. Wake Forest Odds
| Towson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8 -110 | 146 -110o / -110u | +270 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8 -110 | 146 -110o / -110u | -345 |
After ripping through the CAA regular season with a 15-3 record and the highest offensive and defensive efficiency in the conference, Towson stumbled to an awkward 13-point loss to Delaware in the conference tournament.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest blew its at-large NCAA chances with an odd five-point loss to Boston College in the ACC Tournament.
Both fan bases are disappointed. The players are probably disappointed, too. But don’t expect either team to take its foot off the gas in the NIT.
Towson is catching eight in this one, so is that too many points for a talented Tigers squad?
Towson Tigers
By Doug Ziefel
It was a bitter ending to the season for the Tigers. They won the Colonial regular-season championship and looked poised to go dancing for the first time in over 30 years, but they were bounced in the second round of the conference tournament.
However, their disappointing loss does not take away from just how impressive this Towson team is. It plays extremely slow (317th in tempo), but was 57th in offensive efficiency and eighth in the country in offensive rebounding.
Their trio of Cam Holden, Nicolas Timberlake and Charles Thompson all averaged double-digit points for the season, and each brings a different offensive skill set to the table.
The big concern for this Towson team entering the NIT is that it was largely untested in non-conference play. The best team it played all season was San Francisco, and it lost to the Dons by 10.
The number of power conference teams the Tigers would be slated to face is a big step up in competition and will determine just how good the Tigers are.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
I will never forgive Wake Forest for its performance against Boston College in the ACC Tournament, inevitably knocking itself off the bubble. We were robbed of an Alondes Williams tournament.
Not all is lost, though, as Wake Forest takes on Towson in the first round of the NIT. Ranked as the second-best team to miss the NCAA Tournament – only behind Oklahoma – Wake Forest comes in as one of the more balanced squads in this bracket.
The Demon Deacons are led by the best player in the field, Alondes Williams, a star guard who averages 19.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. The kid can flat out ball and will command the attention of any defense he goes against.
He doesn’t do it alone, as he is accompanied by Jake LaRavia. LaRavia tried to will Wake Forest to a win vs. Boston College, as he was the leading scorer (21 points) when Williams and Daivien Williamson both struggled down the stretch.
Wake Forest plays fast and attacks relentlessly, which turns games into track meets for any opposing defenses. When the 3s fall and the defense is forced to stretch out, Williams & Co. can attack and are a real treat to watch.
Towson vs. Wake Forest Betting Pick
These two teams combined to go a whopping 40-22 ATS this season.
Towson was the slightly more impressive team from a trends perspective, however. Towson was a perfect 7-0 ATS as an underdog – including 4-3 SU in that spot – and went 13-4 ATS on the road.
I’m worried about Towson’s size because Wake is a lengthy team and is longer at every position. But Towson’s defensive metrics were above average in every area except defending post-ups, and Wake isn’t going to do that.
I also believe that this is too many points. BartTorvik makes this spread Wake -7.5, while KenPom makes it -6.
The line is already starting to move that way, too, with many of the books shifting the number down from Towson +8 to Towson +7.5
Therefore, I’m seeing value with Towson +8 and I am looking to hop on it quickly — you can still find the line at FanDuel. However, if it drops down to +7, I’ll be staying away.
Pick: Towson +8 (Play to +7.5)
