Bobbalfe.com Podcast

Episode 197  :  We now are 26-12 in our last 38 hoops picks good for 68%. We have one Member VIP Member Pick on the Wednesday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #783-784UCF -2.5 over South FloridaThe first matchup this year was hard to watch as there was a foul on almost every single play.  Central Florida were the much better team at home as Tacko Fall has a huge night and got to the foul line at will.  Fall is a bad foul shooter, but he puts the opponents bigger players on the bench with foul trouble.  USF did a great job of rebuilding their program, but it's all been smoke and mirrors.  This team had a weak non conference schedule and beat the bottom of the barrel in the American Conference this year. You could say the same for UCF, but this Knights team is a lot further along in their development.  I don't believe USF will be able to handle shooters like Dawkins and Taylor and they will be frustrated trying to guard Fall at well over 7ft tall

Episode 196  :  We now are 25-12 in our last 37 hoops picks good for 68%. We have one Member VIP Member Pick on the Tuesday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball9:00 PM ESTRotation #633-634Indiana +2.5 over WisconsinThe margin for error is so small in the Big 10 Conference that’s why it’s no secret that the best teams in the nation with losing records are Penn State, Indiana and Illinois.  On any given night a home team in this conference can beat anybody from top to bottom.  Indiana has been one of the most unlucky teams in the nation this year.  The way the ball has bounced against them in closing seconds of games has been unbelievable.  This team just has not won close games in the Big 10, but have the talent to do so.  Wisconsin is the perfect opponent because they are not going to blow teams out.  I believe this game comes down to the wire again and just laws of averages are going to make this go in the favor of the Hoosiers tonight.  This could be the win they need to pul

Episode 195  :  We now are 24-12 in our last 36 hoops picks good for 67%. We have one Member VIP Member Pick on the Monday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball9:00 PM ESTRotation #865-866Kansas State/Kansas Under 134It’s amazing the injuries that Kansas has suffered, but KState is dealing with their own injuries.  Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes are dealing with nagging foot injuries.  Cartier Diarra is done for the year.  This is a game in which I don’t think there are enough pure passers creating offense to make this high scoring.  I also don’t think the three point shooting will be as successful as it has in the past between these two teams.  Vegas knows these teams score a lot of points when they get together yet they made this total super low.  The boys in the Vegas are not in this business to lose money.  I don’t think this game lives up to the hype.  Take the Under.

Episode 194  :  We now are 24-11 in our last 35 hoops picks good for 69%. We have two VIP Member Pick on the Sunday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.com NCAA Basketball3:45 PM ESTRotation #833-834Michigan -4 over Michigan StateMichigan State is a great three point shooting team, they have the best player on the court in Cassius Winston and are a great second half team.  This team obviously has the coaching as well to get a big win on the road, but sometimes it is easy to out think yourself.  Michigan State is missing two of their best players and might be without another key senior reserve player today.  Michigan is so good at home and plays rock solid defense.  Every single player on Michigan produces each night.  This team does not rely on one or two players to lead them to victory.  Michigan State in my opinion won’t be able to play 40 solid minutes of basketball with this current rotation.  Teams like Rutgers didn’t make them play.  The Wolverines will.  If Michigan State can go on the r

Episode 193  :  We now are 24-9 in our last 33 hoops picks good for 73%. We have two VIP Member Pick on the Saturday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball12:00 PM ESTRotation #611-612Tulsa +7 over TempleTulsa has three solid seniors who won't be intimidated on the road.  This team beat Temple this year and also Temple does not really have a big presence in the middle of their defense with their center being out.  I believe this line is just too inflated for this Temple team.  Temple is not a great shot blocking team so look for Tulsa to get easy buckets.  This should be a solid offensive game.  Take Tulsa.NCAA Basketball6:00 PM ESTRotation #711-712Syracuse +5 over DukeDuke is the best team in the country, but they are young and coming off a bad loss in which not only did they lose to their rivals, but they lost their best player.  Zion Williamson is a threat under the basket, can rebound, can block shots and he can hit three pointers.  The guy can do it all and not having

Episode 192  :  We now are 23-9 in our last 32 hoops picks good for 72%. We have one VIP Member Pick on the Friday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball9:00 PM ESTRotation #863-864Davidson -1 over Rhode IslandThe point spread doesn’t matter in this game so to me this game comes down to Bob McKillop vs David Cox at the coaching position.  Cox is in his first year as a coach and McKillop has almost 600 wins at Davidson.  The Rams of URI have struggled big time this year and go in too many scoring droughts for my liking.  This is a rebuilding year as they lost too many great players from last year.  Davidson is coming off a tough home loss in which a frantic comeback came up a bucket too short.  The Wildcats will be focused tonight and I don’t believe Rhode Island has the talent to make this home court significant.  Take Davidson.

Episode 191  :  We now are 21-9 in our last 30 hoops picks good for 70%. We have one VIP Member Pick on the Wednesday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #795-796Syracuse -2 over LouisvilleThis is the game before the “GAME” tonight on ESPN.  Syracuse had a week off to get right physically and I believe they can use their zone defense to make Louisville play sloppy and turn the ball over.  I don’t think this is going to be a shootout by any stretch.  Syracuse has a little bit of a size advantage tonight which should make it a little harder for Louisville to get clean wide open looks.  Defense should be the name of the game and at the Carrier Dome this favors the Orange.  Take Syracuse.

Episode 190  :  We now are 20-9 in our last 29 hoops picks. We have one VIP Member Pick on the Tuesday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball6:00 PM ESTRotation #601-602Dayton/Davidson Over 133Both teams share the basketball well and won’t beat themselves with turnovers.  Davidson is a perfect 12-0 at home this year and over the last few decades wins just about every game at home.  I am shocked this line is this low.  Dayton might be the most dangerous team in this conference on a neutral court.  This team has great finishers right around the basket and are one of the best teams in the nation at 2 point shooting percentage.  Dunks and layups are always great at pumping up shooting percentages.  Davidson shoots a lot of 3’s and at home typically get in the zone.  I think both teams are going to put on a show tonight in one of the better A-10 matchups this year.  Take the Over.

Episode 189  :  We now are 20-8 in our last 28 hoops picks. We have one VIP Member Pick on the Monday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball8:00 PM ESTRotation #853-854Wisconsin -9.5 over IllinoisIllinois might be the best 15 loss team in America.  This is a team that is surging.  Wisconsin has looked off the last two games so backing Illinois getting 9.5 points seems like the sexy pick, but whenever the public is on a big dog you have to be careful.  Illinois makes their living at forcing turnovers.  This defense is really bad so the extra times they get to not have the other team shoot is huge.  The Illini force 17 Badgers turnovers at home in the first meeting at still lost by double digits.  Wisconsin will more than likely not turn it over close to that number and with their slow pace will take Illinois out of their game.  Superior coaching and smart decision making should get the Badgers back in the win column.  Take Wisconsin.

Episode 188  :  We now are 20-7 in our last 27 hoops picks as we cashed a 2-0 ticket Saturday in College Hoops.  We have one VIP Member Pick on the Sunday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball2:00 PM ESTRotation #817-818George Mason +3 over St. BonaventureGeorge Mason is one of only a few teams that return their entire roster from last year.  This team even have injuries to two key guys right now, but still in my opinion are the superior team.   St. Bonnies goes as Courtney Stockard goes.  This team relies just too much on one player.  In the prior meeting this year the Patriots of George Mason dominated this team on the glass and at the foul line.  I just don’t think St. Bonnies can handle physical teams.  The Bonnies are not a great three point shooting team so I expect similar results as the game we just saw a few weeks ago.  Take George Mason.

Episode 187  :  We now are 18-7 in our last 25 hoops picks.  We have two VIP Member Picks on the Saturday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball4:00 PM ESTRotation #669-670VCU +1.5 over DaytonThis should be a great defensive game.  Dayton is really starting to look good and have great players who can score from point blank range.  VCU plays excellent defense.  Dayton does not do well in low scoring games.  When this team scores under 67 points they are 0-6.  The Flyers will be without Trey Landers tonight which will hurt them on the glass especially on offensive put backs.  VCU should be able to force enough turnovers and capitalize on a thin Dayton team to get a big road victory.   Take VCU.NCAA Basketball6:00 PM ESTRotation #697-698Temple +1 over South FloridaWe picked on South Florida the other night and won.  This is a team that had an easy schedule early on, but now they will be exposed down the stretch.  This team lost about 80% of production in every major category.  Temp

Episode 186  :  We now are 17-7 in our last 24 hoops picks.  We have one play coming out of the A-10 Conference on the VIP Friday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #853-854St. Joes +10 over DavidsonSt. Joes has been hit hard yet again with the injury bug as Lamarr Kimble and Piefrancesco Oliva have been out and Markell Lodge now joins them.  St. Joe’s does have the luxury of having an experienced basketball team and is playing a Davidson team that is not very deep.  The Wildcats are the gold standard for the weak A-10 Conference this year.  This team is good, but they are not the same team they were last year.  The oddsmakers know this team wins almost every home game so in my opinion really have pumped this line up.  This is a conference in which any team can win on any given night.  St. Joe’s is awful after a win and great after a loss.  This team was just destroyed the other night.  I would not be shocked to see them take this team to the wire.  Take S

Episode 185  :  We now are 16-7 in our last 23 hoops picks.  We have one play coming out of the American Athletic Conference on the VIP Thursday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #637-638Tulsa -6.5 over TulaneThis is a great chance for Tulane to get their first conference win since this time last year.  Tulsa has been struggling on the road so if there is ever a chance to break the streak it’s tonight.  Tulane is a young team that just can’t score.  Tulsa has shot over 50% in their last three games and it’s just so hard for the bottom feeder teams in the America Conference to compete with the rest of the pack.   This is a conference that is improving, but Tulane is just not even close to being good enough to stay a member.  I just don’t know how focused this team will be if they get down early.  Tulsa is a senior lead team that should get a rare road win after playing in some really tough buildings this year.  Take Tulsa.

Episode 184  :  After a tough 0-2 Tuesday Night we now are 15-6 in our last 21 hoops picks.  We have two plays on the VIP Wednesday Card.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #793-794UCF -7.5 over South FloridaSouth Florida has been one of the most impressive teams this year.  This squad lost about 80% of their production from last year and have jumped out to a 17-6 record this year, but this team had one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the nation and most of their conference wins have come against the bottom teams in the league.  UCF beat this team twice last year and that was while they were injured.  USF might be without Alexis Yetna tonight who is dealing with a leg injury.  UCF should be able to get USF into foul trouble and although it might be pretty they should win by double digits. Take Central Florida.NCAA Basketball8:00 PM ESTRotation #813-814Syracuse/NC State Over 143.5Syracuse is obviously well coached and they have been decent on the road

Episode 183  :  We now are 15-4 in our last 19.  We have two plays on the VIP Card tonight tipping off early at 6:30 PM EST.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball6:30 PM ESTRotation #601-602St. Bonaventure/St. Joe's Over 134St. Joe's is coming off an emotional victory as they honored their coaches dad who passed away last week.  This team was on fire in this building and crushed St. Louis who typically is a good defense.  Charlie Brown is starting to really look like a superstar and sometimes tragedies bond a team for the better.  I still think the Hawks have a long way to go with the injuries they have suffered this year, but this team should put up points tonight.  St. Bonaventure's had no problem scoring in the first meeting this year.  St. Joe's got out to the worst possible start you could imagine a few weeks ago against this team.  I don't expect that to be the case tonight.  Look for both teams to do enough to make this high scoring.  Take the Over.NCA

Episode 182  :  We now are 15-3 in our last 18 as we finished off the week with UConn/Memphis Under 157.5 Let's jump start the week on the winning note as we go with UNC +1 over Virginia.  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #855-856UNC +1 over VirginiaVirginia was unsure on the status of Ty Jerome in the last game against Duke.  Jerome played with a stiff back, but will he be ready to go at full strength just 48 hours later on the road?  On top of that Mamadi Diakite looked like he suffered a concussion in the last game.  Will he be ready to go?  Both of these guys not at 100 percent hurt the ball movement, inside game and overall defense.  Virginia has been out of character as of late as they have committed a lot of turnovers the last few games.  UNC is an athletic basketball team that is going to play with purpose tonight on their home court.  I am not so sure UVA will be able to have the freshness in their legs to compete on the glass.  Take North Carolin

Episode 181  :  We now are 14-3 in our last 17 as we swept the Saturday board going 2-0.  We finish off the week with a UConn/Memphis Under 157.5  My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball2:00 PM ESTRotation #827-828UConn/Memphis Under 157.5Memphis is almost automatic at the FedEx Forum.  This team is coming off a tough loss to Cincinnati at home and the statistical odds of losing two straight here are rare, but I don’t trust Penny Hardaway to outcoach Dan Hurley by this big margin.  UConn is missing Adams and it’s looking like Gilbert will be out tonight as well.  This take a lot of UConn points, assist, three point shots and good foul percentage off the floor.  Memphis already plays solid home defense so I don’t like the Huskies chances.  UConn should take a page out of Cincinnati’s book and slow the game down.  Both teams are face paced, but this total is set really high based on two healthy teams at full strength.  Take the Under.

Episode 180  :  We now are 12-3 in our last 15 as we dropped St. Louis -1.5 over St. Joe's last night.  We have two top rated VIP Picks on the Saturday Card. My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball4:00 PM ESTRotation #679-680Dayton +1.5 over Rhode IslandDayton experienced growing pains last year with a new coach and felt the pain of a blowout loss the last time they were in this building.  Jared Terrell and EC Matthews were a great 1-2 combo for URI and the crowd brought the roof down.  This year it’s much different.  It’s URI with a rookie head coach and a lot of young players seeing increased minutes for the first time this year.  Dayton is a very good basketball team that is effective from close range.  This is a team that does not need to rely on the 3 point shot.  The Flyers can play defense, has size and are very athletic.  Take Dayton.NCAA Basketball6:00 PM ESTRotation #713-714Duke/Virginia Over 135.5In the matchup three weeks ago both teams were awful from the three point l

Episode 179  : Houston -1.5 over UCF cashed the ticket last night.  We are 12-2 in our last 14 Basketball Picks.  Friday we go with St. Louis -2.5 over St. Joes. My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #851-852St. Louis -2.5 over St. JoesIt’s the same story for St. Joes once again this year.  INJURIES.  Lamarr Kimble is out once again and Piefrancesco Olivia who is a great 6th man is also out.  The Hawks have also been without the services of Anthony Longpre the last few games with a concussion.   St. Louis is made up of a lot of transfers from big programs and this team players excellent defense.  In addition to great defensive play this team guards the three point line well.  If you can play solid defense and hold opponents to limit three pointers you can win anywhere.  I just don’t trust St. Joe’s ability to create steals, share the ball and grab boards with key injuries.  Take St. Louis.

Episode 178  : Wichita State -5 cashed the ticket last night!  Tonight we keep it in the American Athletic Conference going with Houston -1.5 over Houston. My February VIP Package is FREE at BobBalfe.comNCAA Basketball7:00 PM ESTRotation #617-618Houston -1.5 over UCFOn paper these two teams are pretty even.  UCF might actually have more overall talent from the starters, but Houston has the coaching edge, the bench point edge and I like how the defend the three point line.  UCF is a really big team yet they stink at getting rebounds.  That tells me they have size, but not the greatest of athletes.  Houston is great at grabbing rebounds and this team had the postseason experience from last year to deal with games of this magnitude on the road.  Take the Cougars.