*4 Star Play Under* The Wichita State Shockers and Northern Iowa Panthers meet in a heated battle between two former rivals in the MVC.

Wichita State moved on to a bigger conference and Northern Iowa and the rest of the MVC have held that against them. 

Northern Iowa is a great defensive team. The Panthers are elite on the defensive glass, and that is where Wichita State's offensive has generated points from second chances.

Northern Iowa is 358th in overall tempo and I expect them to control the pace here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* New Hampshire is 357th in the nation in offensive efficiency. They are 360th in the nation in effective field goal percentage offense. 

Boston University has been decent on defense in previous years, but their defense has been way down so far this season. I would guess that they improve a bit from here on out, and this is the worst offense they have faced yet.

Boston is 362nd out of 365 teams in the nation in tempo. New Hampshire is 311th in average possession length on offense. A very slow paced game here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Morgan State Bears always like to play fast and have a frenetic style of play. They are looking to create turnovers and get quick scores off their aggressive pressure defense.

Longwood has played eight Division I games this year. They have played seven of those eight games against teams who are 300th or slower out of 365 teams in average possession length. Longwood wants to run, and they are going to get a chance to run here against Morgan State. Their opponents they have played thus far this season have skewed their games lower scoring.

There should be a lot of free throws in this one.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Gardner Webb Bulldogs have allowed a whopping 92.1 points per game so far this year. Their defense is 363rd out of 365 teams nationally in effective field goal percentage defense. They have allowed less than 84 points only once in ten games. 

Georgia Southern is 29th in the nation in tempo. The Eagles foul a bunch on defense and they give up loads of free throws. They have played two very slow paced teams in their last two games, but it is back to a track meet type game here.

Take the over. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Delaware State Hornets have drastically slowed their pace down by a couple seconds per possession this year. Delaware State's offense is terrible, and they have to try to win lower scoring games. Delaware State has scored 59 points or fewer in six straight games against Division One opponents. They also scored 58 points against Division II Virginia State.

Delaware averaged 16.5 seconds per possession last year, but they are using 19.5 seconds per possession this year. They have an even more drastic slowdown of the tempo. 

These two teams are 354th and 362nd in the nation in FTA/FGA so they are very rarely getting to the free throw line.

I have to back the under at this number. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Fordham is 343rd in tempo out of 365 teams. The Rams are very deliberate under Coach Mike Magpayo. Four of their seven games against Division I opponents have finished with 134 points or lower. 

Holy Cross is 325th in the nation in tempo. The Crusaders are very weak and they are coming off a shocking victory over Northeastern.

These two teams are 331st and 348th in FTA/FGA, so I wouldn't expect many free throws here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Brown Bears and Bryant Bulldogs are both defensive teams who slow the pace down to the extreme. They've both played a bunch of really low scoring games, and neither team in this one will try to push the pace. Unless we get some red hot shooting in this one, I think it is the type of game where the first one to 63 or 64 or so is the winner. 

These teams are 289th and 304th in tempo. They are 320th and 338th out of 365 in the country in offensive efficiency.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Denver Pioneers have played seven games. Six of their seven games have finished with at least 154 points scored. Denver is 354th in defensive efficiency nationally and 355th in effective field goal percentage defense. Their coach said in the offseason they might not look very good at times defensively, and that has been the case so far this season.

Eastern Washington is 135th in overall tempo. The Eagles have played a lot of slower paced teams, and they have still had a number of higher scoring games. 

Both teams have been terrible at defending the 3 point shot, and I think we see a lot of long range jumpers attempted here.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The South Dakota Coyotes were an over machine last year. They aren't quite the offense they were last season, but they still play fast and they are still really bad on defense. South Dakota is excellent at getting offensive rebounds and getting to the free throw line. Portland State has fouled at a very high rate for several years in a row because of their aggressive defense.

Portland State prefers to play quickly as well. They turn the ball over a lot, and that could lead to run out chances for South Dakota. The same will happen with Portland State on defense trapping/pressing their way to quick points. 

Take the over here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Minnesota Golden Gophers have focused on defense in practice after last game when Santa Clara torched them from long range. Minnesota ranks 355th out of 365 in tempo nationally. The Golden Gophers rely on offensive rebounds and free throw attempts on offense, but Indiana is good on the defensive glass, and they haven't fouled much this year.

Minnesota has played one of the easiest schedules of defense of anyone so far this year, and Indiana's defense will be the best they have seen yet. Indiana is 4th in the nation in effective field goal percentage defense. 

Minnesota slowed a fast paced Missouri team down to 62 possessions. They slowed Stanford down a 64 possession game too.

Take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Maine Black Bears have played nine games. The highest combined total in a Maine game this year was 137 points. Maine hasn't scored more than 65 points in a game this season. Maine has scored 61 points or less than seven of the nine games.

Maine is good defensively. The Black Bears force a lot of turnovers, and they defend jump shots well. 

Ohio has been disappointing this year. The Bobcats have scored 69 points or fewer in three of their last five games. Ohio isn't getting out in transition nearly as much so far this season.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Delaware State Hornets are 364th out of 365 teams in the country in offensive efficiency. They haven't been able to score on hardly anyone. Delaware State could only score 57 on Niagara. They scored only 57 on UMBC. They only scored 52 on New Haven. They have topped 57 only once against a Division One team. Delaware State has slowed down their pace, and they are 342nd in average length of possession nationally.

Navy is a below average paced team at 253rd. Navy relies on getting to the line, but Delaware State has been good at defending without fouling. 

I think this total is too high by a good margin.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Loyola Marymount Lions have made a concerted effort to slow the game down this year. Jan Vide was their best offensive weapon, but he is out with a foot injury now. The Lions have scored just 65, 70, and 68 points against questionable defenses in their games without him. 

St. Louis plays very quickly, but they are a good defensive team. They are sixth nationally in effective field goal percentage defense. The are very good on the defensive glass too.

Loyola is 45th in effective field goal percentage defense. The Lions should do their best to slow this game down.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Creighton Blue Jays are 274th in the nation in tempo. Creighton has slowed things down a bit this season. The Blue Jays lost Ashworth, Kalkbrenner, and Neal from last year's team. Those guys were key to the team, and Creighton has been down quite a bit in terms of offensive efficiency this year. 

Creighton continues to be one of the best teams in the country at defending without fouling. The  Blue Jays are bottom 50 in the country in FTA/FGA on offense too. 

Nicholls State is 294th in offensive efficiency,  but a respectable 197th in defensive efficiency. They shoot too many long range jumpers, and they'll likely have trouble scoring here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Freeman is still out for Syracuse and without him the Orange are really limited on offense without their star scorer. Syracuse does play relatively quickly, but them mixing in zone on defense typically slows the opponent down quite a bit. 

Tennessee is a top five defense in the country every single year under Rick Barnes. It's really hard to get open looks against this team. Barnes was disappointed in their defensive effort in the loss to Kansas, and I would expect a bounce back from this Vols defense here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Florida A&M Rattlers have played four games this year. They have played three teams who rank in the top 14 in college hoops in average possession length. The other team was 52nd out of 365 teams. Everyone they have played has wanted to run at an extremely quick pace. 

Now, they go up against a Jacksonville Dolphins team that is 307th in overall tempo. Jacksonville is a very slow paced team that leans on their defense to win them games. Four games in a row of Jacksonville's have finished at 136 points or lower.

Florida A&M is likely to struggle to score here, but Jacksonville's slower pace should keep them down a bit too.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* Bryant has changed up the way they play this year under Coach Jamion Christian. They ranked 6th in the nation in tempo last year. They are 254th overall this year and 320th in average possession length on offense. Bryant is 358th in effective field goal percentage offense. They are good at defending without fouling. Bryant has had some very slow paced games most recently.

Stonehill is 357th in offensive efficiency. They are 285th in average possession length on offense, so they are happy with slower paced games. 

Both of these teams turn it over on more than 21% of their offensive possessions. 

Last year's meeting finished at 133, and that was with a Bryant team who wanted to run.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Jacksonville State Gamecocks host North Alabama on Monday night. These two teams have met quite a bit over the last few seasons. Most of the players are different, but the head coaches remain the same.

Five of the last six games between these two have finished 128 total points or fewer. They have a history of tighter low scoring games.

Both teams rank in the bottom 70 in the country in tempo. They are both better on defense than on offense. Both teams are good on the defensive glass too.

Take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Citadel toyed with playing quicker earlier this season, but they have gone back to their roots the last couple games. The Citadel has played their last three games to a pace of 61, 60, and 59 possessions. Presbyterian ranks as the second slowest paced team in the country. The Blue Hose have seen six of their seven games against Division One competition finish at 132 points or less.

The pace should be slow the whole way. Presbyterian is 332nd in effective field goal percentage offense too.

These two have a recent history of low scoring games against each other. This is a neutral site game at a venue where the under is 39-28 in the last 67 games here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The West Virginia Mountaineers definitely prefer the slower paced style of former North Texas Coach Ross Hodge. Hodge is a first year coach with West Virginia, and the Mountaineers have already held three teams to 54 points or fewer. They have had three games finish with a total of 124 points or fewer.

Mercyhurst ranks dead last (365th nationally) in average possession length on offense. They are a very weak team, and they should be trailing large in this one. 

West Virginia with the lead has really taken the air out of the ball and I expect they will here as well. 

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Drake Bulldogs have played four straight games that have stayed under this total in regulation. Drake is 273rd in tempo. The Bulldogs are 10th best at defending without fouling.

GA Tech ranks 13th in effective field goal percentage on defense. They are 11th in 3 point defense and Drake shoots a bunch of three pointers. Five of their seven games have stayed below this.

A neutral floor too.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Delaware State has played five games against Division One opponents. They have scored 51.6 points per game in those five games. In their last game, they lost to Virginia State (Division II) 62-58. 

Delaware State takes a bunch of bad shots, and they turn it over early and often. UMBC doesn't foul much at all, and Delaware State next to never gets to the line.

UMBC has slowed their tempo down a lot this year. They are just 211th in average possession length. They are playing through the post more. 

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* This game is played at Acrisure Arena which is clearly playing like an under venue. 

Minnesota is slowing the pace down significantly, and Santa Clara has been playing toward the pace of their opponent most of the time this season. 

These two teams don't have stellar outside shooting.

Minnesota hasn't scored more than 68 points in a game in regulation in any of their last five games (that includes a game against Green Bay). 

Take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Under* Colorado was slowed down quite a bit by San Francisco tempo wise and I think Washington will slow them down too. Both teams are really good on the defensive glass. 

Acrisure Arena is clearly an under arena based on the scores here and the overall shooting percentages. The under has done well here in a small sample.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* It isn't easy taking an under with USF. The Bulls play very fast and have had quite a few really high scoring games. They have really played a bunch of teams that like to run though. USF has played seven games, and they have played six teams that rank in the top 82 (out of 365 teams) in overall tempo. USF has played three of their last four games against teams that rank in the top 12 nationally in tempo.

Colorado State ranks 362nd out of 365 teams in tempo, so this is a huge change for USF. Colorado State is a slight favorite here. The Rams have several guys shooting far above their career averages in 3 point percentage, and I think they will regress toward the mean in time.

A neutral site game here too.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Eastern Michigan talked a lot about changing the way they play in the offseason. They appear to have figured some things out on the defensive end. Eastern Michigan locked down Cincinnati a couple days ago. They have slowed the pace down in many of their games as well.

NJIT is abysmal when it comes to offensive efficiency. 

This total has been bet up a bit and I'm going to take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Wright State is playing completely different this year. They are slowing the pace down a lot. Wright State drastically slowed the pace down against Kent State and Cal. I think they'll try their best to do the same to Butler here.

Butler has played a bunch of extremely quick paced teams which I think is skewing their tempo data some in the early going.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* An 11 am Pacific tip off here in a consolation game played at a neutral site that is tough for jump shooters.

Nevada and Washington's game yesterday only got to 149 because of a very quick whistle in the 2nd half of that game.

San Francisco is a slower paced team who has looked strong on defense so far this season.

Nevada is really inconsistent on offense and they take too many mid range jumpers.

Take the under.

*3 Star Play Under* The Stanford Cardinal have played pretty quick this year. I suspect they are looking to play a bit quicker than in the past, but they have played a lot of teams that are happy to run. Minnesota isn't that type of team. I think Minnesota does their best to grind this pace down.

Minnesota has been mixing in some zone defenses to slow down opposing attacks too.

Acrisure Arena is a good under venue and overall the shooting percentages here have been lower.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Colorado State Rams are 355th in overall tempo out of 365 teams in the country. Wichita State is 204th in tempo. 

With Colorado State really slowing the pace, it is hard to get to this many points especially on a neutral floor where scoring is typically lower.

Colorado State has a lot of guys shooting very high percentages from 3 point range, and I expect that to regress some. Wichita State is very good at defending near the hoop too.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Washington Huskies have played a bottom ten strength of schedule as far as defenses faced this year. They ran up the points against Arkansas Pine Bluff and Denver. They only scored 69 points against Baylor. Nevada has been pretty good on defense this year, and they are playing at a slightly slower than average tempo.

Washington is loaded with shot blockers, and I think that will bother Nevada with their style of play where they like to get in the paint.

Acrisure Arena hosts this game and it has been playing heavily toward the under.

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Creighton Blue Jays are clearly not nearly as good on offense this year as they have been in some recent seasons. Creighton lost a lot of their consistent outside shooters. The Blue Jays are playing slower this year. Creighton had two very low scoring exhibition games, and now they have scored only 63 against Gonzaga and 60 against Iowa State.

Oregon gets to the free throw line a lot which has contributed to their higher scoring games. Creighton annually has one of the lowest foul rates in the country. 

A neutral floor with this high of a total. I'll take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* UC Irvine is always much better on defense than offense under Coach Russell Turner. UC Irvine has a really good shot blocker down low in Kyle Evans. He should do a really good job keeping S Dakota State out of the paint.

S Dakota State is playing a little slower than last year. They had one game where they put up a ton of points, but they have overall been down this year as far as shooting the basketball.

This is a neutral site game at a location that has trended toward the under through the years.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have a couple really good shot blockers. Talvin Hester's team is well known for their ability to defend in the halfcourt and make teams work very hard to get good looks.

Louisiana Tech also slows the pace down a lot. The Bulldogs are 317th in the nation in overall tempo. LA Tech has played three games against Division One opponents and they have finished 127 points, 119 points, and 111 points. I do think their games will get higher than that, but this total is significantly higher.

Indiana State lost a lot of key scorers from last year's team. They have slowed their pace some, and their shooting numbers have dropped off. Three of their last four games have finished with 122 combined points or less. 

These two just met in a 60-51 game on 11/19. 

Take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Under* Syracuse isn't the same offensively without Freeman. The Orange are still very tough on defense though. They'll make teams work deeper into the shot block than normal, and they protect the rim very well.

Iowa State is an elite defensive team. The Cyclones have taken on some really good offenses already this year, and I think Syracuse is a step down from several of those teams.

A very high total in an early start time on neutral floor.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Eastern Illinois is a terrible offensive team, but they are a team that slows the pace down in a big way and they are scrappy on defense. Central Arkansas tends to play at the pace of their opponent. This game should be played in the halfcourt and as long as we can avoid a foul fest I like this to stay low. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Campbell Fighting Camels are trying to play much faster under their new coach. They are 83rd in tempo nationally. Campbell gave up 96 points to Wisconsin and 91 points to Weber State. They allowed 82 points in a win against Western Michigan. 

Wake Forest is 49th in the nation in tempo. Wake Forest put up 88 points on a slow paced American team in game one. They scored 83 points in a loss to Texas Tech. They put up 109 points against UMass Lowell.

Wake Forest is very good at second chance points, and Campbell struggles on the defensive glass. They are one of the shortest teams in the country. 

A lot of pace and I like the over here.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* Northern Iowa is elite at controlling the pace of the game. They haven't allowed more than 63 points in regulation all season. Loyola is way down this year, and I think they'll struggle badly to get open looks here. Both of these teams play very slowly on offense and this is an early neutral site game a long way from home. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Kansas Jayhawks and Syracuse Orange are both without their star scorers right now. Peterson is the go to guy for the Jayhawks, and they have struggled to get open looks without him on the floor.

Freeman was averaging 18 points per game for Syracuse, and they'll need to get some free help from opponents to put up bigger point totals now. 

Syracuse is first in effective field goal percentage defense nationally so far this season. The Orange are doing a great job protecting the basket.

Kansas is 11th in defensive efficiency. They have a ton of height and shot blocking ability down low. 

With both teams missing their top guy, I'm on the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Georgia State Panthers and Samford Bulldogs meet in Cancun on Tuesday afternoon. This one is played at Hard Rock Riviera in the afternoon and it will certainly be played on this neutral floor in front of a small amount of fans.

Georgia State is 262nd in average possession length nationally. Samford is 303rd in overall tempo as they have slowed some teams down by mixing in zone defenses.

Georgia State hasn't been very good on defense the last three seasons, but the one thing they were good at on defense was defending beyond the 3 point line. Samford takes a ton of three pointers and those aren't likely to be too open here.

Georgia State is 358th in effective field goal percentage offense. 

Neither team commits many fouls.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are an extremely slow paced team. They rank in the bottom ten in the country in average possession length. They don't have much scoring firepower, so they are attempting to win lower scoring ugly games.

UC Davis is a medium paced team, but they are much better on defense than offense, and they can get pulled into this lower scoring games at times. 

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Arkansas State Red Wolves have a new coach who was the Alabama offensive guru for the last couple years. It should come as no surprise that Arkansas State is running like crazy and putting up a ton of points. Arkansas State hasn't had a single game this year finish any lower than 155 total points. 

Arkansas State is great at getting to the free throw line, and they shoot 80.7% from the line as a team.

Jacksonville State has played very slow paced teams in their games thus far. This should be a shock to the system for them, and they are likely to have to speed up their pace at least some.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* Cincinnati is a great defense. They are second nationally in defensive efficiency. NJIT is a bottom 25 offense nationally. NJIT is likely to struggle badly in their halfcourt sets in this game.

Cincinnati's Wes Miller is 32-22 to the under when favored by 10 points or more. His teams tend to lock things down on defense in this spot.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Princeton Tigers played some very fast paced teams early in the season. I believe that has skewed their overall tempo numbers. Princeton doesn't want to run. They no longer have a star in Lee to lead them in scoring either. 

Bradley is a defense first team under Coach Wardle. The Braves are inconsistent on the offensive end.

This is a neutral site game and it is in a location where the under is north of 60% all time.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Oregon State Beavers have been very good at slowing the pace of the game down in recent seasons. They have done the same once again this year. Oregon State defensively does a good job not giving up second chance points which is key against UMass.

UMass likes to run and play very quickly, but they are better on defense than offense. Oregon State's shots will be well contested here.

This is a neutral site game played in a gym that has played heavily to the under. Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Northwestern Wildcats have decided to play quicker this season. Northwestern is playing 2.5 seconds per possession quicker on the offensive end than they did last season. They have more scoring options which takes some of the pressure off Nick Martinelli. The Wildcats put up 100 points an exhibition against Illinois State and 72 against a great defense in Iowa State. They scored 81 points in a win at DePaul and 78 in a loss against Virginia.

South Carolina has played slightly faster, and their offensive efficiency is up with better guard play this year. The Gamecocks haven't had a single game finish below this total this season.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Furman Paladins don't seem to be anything like they have been in past seasons. This team has far less offensive firepower, and for that reason this team is slowing down the pace quite a bit. Furman is just 240th in overall tempo this year. 

Queens is a faster paced team, but they aren't the extreme fast paced team they were a couple short years ago. Two years ago they were 10th in the nation in tempo. They are at 160th so far this year.

Queens is coming off an extremely hot shooting night where they scored 1.49 points per possession. They likely come back down to earth a bit.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Binghamton Bearcats are a really bad team on offense. They put up only 52 against Maryland-Eastern Shore a couple days ago. They scored only 66 against RIT College and 69 against Misericordia College. This team is playing very slowly, and they are highly reliant on getting to the free throw line to have success on offense. Canisius isn't good on defense in general, but they don't foul much at all.

Canisius is in the bottom five in the country in average possession length. They are stalling in a big way. They put up a lot of long range jumpers, and Binghamton's strength is defending the 3 point shot.

A slow pace.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The UC Irvine Anteaters don't have many good offensive options this year. This team will still fight very hard on defense for Coach Turner though. 

Northern Iowa has been elite on defense this year. The Panthers haven't allowed more than 58 points in a game all season. They'll probably allow more than that here, but it might not be by much.

Two teams who are clearly better on defense than offense. Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Niko Medved has really had his Minnesota Golden Gophers slowing the pace of the game down. Minnesota is bottom 15 in the country in tempo. The Golden Gophers aren't likely to want to run here either. 

San Francisco is an underrated defensive team. The Dons usually don't take on strong defenses, and while Minnesota is only ok on defense for a major school, I think they will be good enough to bother San Francisco quite a bit here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Maryland-Eastern Shore is dreadful on offense. They use up nearly the entire shot clock and then put up a lot of bad contested midrange jumpers. Eastern Shore is actually very solid on defense though. They should be able to hold down a Binghamton team that hasn't been able to score on non Division I opponents either. 

Binghamton prefers a slow pace and they should look good defensively against Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Oklahoma State Cowboys do play very fast, but the Cowboys are better on defense than offense. Oklahoma State is an aggressive defense that contests shots very well. 

Nicholls State has been very solid on defense this year. They held Kentucky to only 77 points in the first game of the season. They had just one poor defensive showing against a really good Murray State offense on the road.

Nicholls is a very poor shooting team. They are likely going to struggle to get open looks against OK State. Nicholls will try to slow the pace here.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Oregon State Beavers and Evansville Purple Aces meet in the Virgin Islands on Friday night. This is a neutral court early season tournament and those in general have trended to the under. 

This specific site has trended even more strongly toward the under with some commenting in the past that it has a difficult shooting backdrop.

Oregon State and Evansville both prefer to walk it up and play very slowly. I think it would take a hot shooting night to get over this total. I think this is several points too high.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The South Dakota State Jackrabbits aren't playing the same way they did in the past. South Dakota State is playing much slower than they did in the past. They aren't as good of a shooting team from outside. They are also turning the ball over on offense too much and hurting themselves efficiency wise. 

South Dakota State is pretty good on defense. They were beaten by the Oregon offense, but Oregon has a good offense and they'll make a lot of defenses look bad. Georgia State is likely to struggle here. The Panthers don't move away from the ball well, and their stagnant sets on offense are likely to burn the clock down a lot.

Georgia State has been an under machine this year. Their coach said they would change their style of play in the offseason, and they have thus far. I don't think the oddsmakers have caught up yet.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Tulsa's Coach Konkol talked in the offseason about changing the style of this team. He thought they had been too dependent on their offense and wanted to change the makeup of the team a bit. Tulsa has played some very good offenses in the early going. Now, they get to play Austin Peay who has the weakest offense they have played thus far.

Austin Peay is 314th nationally in offensive efficiency. The Governors are a scrappy defense that forces a bunch of turnovers and has a good shot blocker in Marshall down in the paint. 

This should be a hard fought game and I think this total is too high.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Siena Saints have been tremendous at controlling the pace this year. Siena has played Albany the last two seasons and both games went under this total. Albany has focused on defense this year and slowed things down, so I think this total is set too high. I look for a lot of halfcourt basketball here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Marist Red Foxes are a strong defensive team under Coach John Dunne. His teams are always really hard workers on the defensive end. They will force a lot of turnovers and the vast majority of shots very tough looks. Marist also slows the game down in a big way. Marist's best scorer from last year transferred to Colorado State, so their offense has less upside now.

Army isn't a very good team, but I think their defensive numbers are skewed based on who they have played thus far. Marist is the weakest offense they have faced yet.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Houston Cougars have the best defense in the country. Houston is accustomed to absolutely locking down offenses that are lower levels. Rider is one of the bottom 50 or 60 teams in the entire country. Houston should lock them down in a big way here. 

Rider plays at such a slow pace, and Houston prefers to play that way as well. This could be a game played to 60 possessions or lower.

Kelvin Sampson's teams are 15-1 to the under as a home favorite of 25 points or more. They are a massive favorite here, and I think they hold Rider to an extremely low number.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The UCF Knights have been throwing in the three point jumpers at a nearly 50% clip. That can't continue in the long run. They are first in 3 point FG% this season. Kugel is 16/28 from long range, and he shot 33% on 120 attempts last year, so regression is likely to hit soon.

Pitt is a slow it down defensive team, and if you have one team playing that way it is hard to eclipse this high of a total. 

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Fordham Rams are slowing the pace down in a big way this year. Most of the teams LIU has played this season have been fast paced, and I think that has skewed their overall season tempo numbers quite a bit. 

LIU isn't a great shooting team, and they do get after it on the defensive end. I think the efficiency numbers are pretty low on offense in this one.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* Cornell and Colgate are rivals thanks to their close proximity to each other in central New York. 

Five of the last six times these two teams have played the game has gone under the total. This is easily the highest total there has been in those matchups too.

Colgate will try hard to slow the game down. They aren't the same strong shooting team they were a few short years ago.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* These two teams both rank in the bottom 35% or so nationally in pace of play. I think the tempo should be relatively slow. 

Look at the teams FGCU has played- Illinois (fast and great on offense), GA Southern (extremely fast), and Chattanooga (great offense). Look at the teams Samford has played and the majority of them are fast paced offenses too.

I think this number is inflated based on who they have played thus far. The two teams should play to a pace of 66 or 67 possessions which means it will take very hot shooting to get to the total.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The LA Tech Bulldogs have been a really good defensive team and an under type team the last few years. LA Tech once again has several very good shot blockers. They are lacking outside shooters on the offensive end. LA Tech is typically good at controlling the pace. They have got their pace in both of their Division I games so far this season.

Indiana State has slowed down so far this season. They had a low scoring contest against SIU Edwardsville before being blasted by Duke. This LA Tech offense is a huge step down from Duke.

I like LA Tech to slow this thing down and keep it under.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Texas Longhorns have been very good on defense so far this year. Texas is 22nd in defensive efficiency and 30th in effective field goal percentage defense. The Longhorns have been inconsistent shooting the basketball.

Rider is the third slowest paced team in the nation. The Broncos will be walking it up the court the entire night. They could only score 53 points against Virginia and 53 points against Rutgers too. I think the Texas defense is likely to overwhelm them here.

Texas is laying a huge number here for good reason. I think they slow things down late and it stays under.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Grambling Tigers aren't going to keep hitting more than 44% of their 3 point jumpers all year long. I don't know exactly when regression will hit, but it is coming. Grambling plays at a relatively slow pace, and Grambling turns the ball over a bunch. They'll waste a lot of possessions.

San Diego isn't playing as quickly as they normally do. I suspect they'll speed up some, but they are shooting 47.7% from 3 point range and that isn't sustainable in the long run either.

Neither of these teams attack the basket and get to the line all that much. This total has been inflated by the hot shooting.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Providence haven't been very good on defense this year. Kim English has been known as a defensive-minded guy in the past. After last game, English was quoted as saying he is going to change up the practices and focus heavily on defense because he is unhappy with the defensive efforts out of his team.

New Hampshire is one of the weakest offenses in the country, so there is a real opportunity here for Providence to turn things around on defense. New Hampshire also plays very slowly and almost never gets to the free throw line. 

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Georgia State Panthers made it a goal in the offseason to get better on the defensive end. The coaching staff no longer wanted to push the pace to the extreme and try to win those high scoring shootouts. Georgia State doesn't have many good shooters on this team either. Georgia State has only scored 49, 64, and 61 points in their first three games against Division I opponents. They are 260th in average possession length, so they are slowing the game down.

Arizona State has gotten better on defense the last few seasons, but their offense has tailed off a bit. Bobby Hurley's team is heading out to Hawaii right after this game to play on Thursday. They play in the Maui Invitational this season. 

Arizona State actually played pretty well defensively against Gonzaga for the majority of the game. Gonzaga's offense is a machine, and they only had 54 points with 10 minutes left in that game. 

Hurley's teams have trended toward the under in the large favorite role.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Illinois State Redbirds have played three games, and all three of their opponents rank in the top 80 in the country in tempo. Illinois State prefers to play a slow halfcourt style of game, and they are finally up against an opponent who wants to play that same way.

Long Beach State is a bottom 75 tempo type of team. The 49ers severely lack in scoring firepower. They turn the ball over a bunch too. 

This total is a few points too high.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Oklahoma State Cowboys do play fast, but they are far better on defense than offense. Corpus Christi is slowing down the pace a lot from a year ago. This total is too high unless they shoot lights out.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* I view Maine as a very good under team with their style of play. Maine plays at a slow pace, and they are a tough defensive team. Maine had several good outside shooters last year, but they lost most of them to graduation.

Quinnipiac does play pretty fast, but they have slowed down a touch from last year, and they are good on defense as well.

These two played last year and it was 58-55. I don't think this one will be that low, but I like it to stay under this total.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Bradley Braves have typically been a very good defensive team. They were bad on defense last game and I expect them to come out much better on defense here. These are two teams who play around an average pace. Bradley graduated many of their top shooters from outside from last year. San Francisco lost its top couple guys too. Take the under.

*4 Star Play Under* The Loyola Maryland Greyhounds have played at a very slow pace this year. Loyola Maryland is likely to do their best to slow this game down to a halt. Stonehill is a below average paced team. Stonehill also played last night. This is a Stonehill team that has struggled badly to score the last few seasons, and they should do the same again this year.

This is a neutral court game which is helpful too.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Coppin State Eagles are an extremely inefficient offense. They struggle badly with turnovers. Coppin State relies on getting to the line to score, and South Alabama has been one of the best teams in the country at defending without fouling. 

South Alabama's zone defense should really bother Coppin State. South Alabama forces teams to hit outside jumpers, and Coppin State has been terrible from 3 point range for the last few seasons. 

A slow pace and an early game at a neutral site too.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* Mike Bibby is the new coach at Sacramento State, and he spent the offseason working hard to get his team in shape to push the pace and try to outrun the opposition. Sacramento State will show some full court pressure and I would expect UC Davis to be able to get in the bonus. UC Davis is aggressive each year, and they usually make a lot of trips to the line.

Sacramento State is giving up tons of open looks from long range so far this season. The Hornets are learning a new defense, and it should take some time for them to be good on that end of the floor.

I expect a quick pace.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks may have the worst offense in the country. They are at least bottom five. They reached 52 in overtime against GA Tech. They scored a ridiculously low 29 points against Georgia. They scored 50 against Nebraska by scoring 26 points in the last 11 minutes of the game.

Creighton is typically a below average tempo team. The Blue Jays are always great at defending without fouling too. They will be very good on offense, but they are down a tick from the last couple years with all the key losses. 

Creighton coasts to a large lead and slows the pace down.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers played the Jacksonville State Gamecocks early last year and Jacksonville State won 71-53. That game was played to a really slow pace of just 58 possessions. 

I think both teams prefer to play at a slow pace, and now they get the perfect opponent to play slowly against. 

Coastal Carolina has played two very fast paced teams in the first two games, and I think that has propped this total up a bit.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* Two teams who are both good at grabbing defensive rebounds, and they typically don't foul very much. That's crucial when looking at an under, especially in any kind of relatively competitive game.

Furman has slowed their pace down a lot the last couple games. It doesn't appear the Paladins want to run. They played much slower against their Division II opponent than they did a year ago. They slowed the game down against Troy too.

Northern Iowa isn't as slow as they were a few years ago, but they still move relatively slowly. They are better on defense than offense.

Northern Iowa has held CS Northridge and S Dakota State to 57 and 58 points. I think they can hold down Furman and slow the pace with the lead late here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The College of Charleston has played two strong teams in Liberty and Florida Atlantic. Now, they take a big step down and play South Carolina State. 

Charleston was 50th in the nation in tempo last year, but they are just 241st this season. The Cougars have struggled on defense thus far, but they have played two excellent offenses. South Carolina State is a very weak offensive team. 

South Carolina State only scored 45 points on Louisville and just 62 points against a really bad North Carolina A&T team.

S Carolina State shoots the ball very poorly, and they turn it over a ton as well.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* UMass is a very quick paced team, but they are also much stronger on defense than on offense. I do expect a fast paced game, but UMass will usually shoot a poor percentage on the whole.

Le Moyne is a poor team in general, and they have tried to slow the game down this year because of their lack of offensive firepower. I think they'll struggle with the UMass pressure to where we will see a good amount of wasted possessions from Le Moyne.

This one is a few points too high given the two questionable offenses.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The South Dakota State Jackrabbits look nothing like they did in previous seasons. This team just doesn't have shooters around the outside that previous versions had. They have a new coach too, and he is having them slow down the pace. South Dakota State's games have been going far beneath the total. They only put up 68 points on Dakota State and then scored just 58 at Northern Iowa.

Oregon is a lockdown defensive team. They do push the pace some, but they are far better on defense than offense. 

Both of these teams turn the ball over too much and that should lead to quite a few empty possessions.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* Neither of these teams are any good, and both of them want to play very slowly. 

Mercyhurst did pull an upset at Loyola Chicago in a game where they controlled the pace and slowed it way down. Mercyhurst is a bottom 10 tempo team nationally. 

Canisius is bottom 10 nationally in average possession length as well. The Golden Griffins do take a lot of 3 pointers so there is some variance.

Last year these two met and it was 62-52 in a slow paced game.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Binghamton Bearcats aren't any good on offense. They scored 47 on Syracuse. They scored 59 at home against Niagara. They also only scored 66 against RIT College. I don't see them doing much at all on offense here. 

Georgetown is a defense first team under Ed Cooley. The Hoyas have gotten to the line a lot this year, but one strength of Binghamton last year and this year is they don't foul too much. Georgetown is likely to slow the pace down once they have a larger lead.

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* I like playing unders with Marty Simmons coached teams. He always keeps the team playing a very slow pace, and his teams have been woeful when it comes to offensive efficiency.

Notre Dame's primary focus in the offseason was improving the defense. Coach Shrewsbury said he fully expects a big improvement on defense this year. Their length should really bother Eastern Illinois here.

Notre Dame has tended to slow the pace down when they are winning by margin in the past.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* Loyola Maryland played NJIT last year and won 68-50 on the road. That game was played to a very slow pace of just 64 possessions. These are two teams who want to slow the game down and play in the halfcourt almost exclusively.

NJIT has been a very poor shooting team in the last couple years. NJIT is trying to get the ball inside to their big men more this year, which should make the pace stay slow.

Loyola Maryland is a slow paced team that has been pretty good on the defensive glass.

Take the under here. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Boston College Eagles are a defense first team under Earl Grant. Boston College is good at defending without fouling, and they are good at getting defensive boards. The Eagles pace is 263rd in the country, and they will look to slow it down when they can this season.

Central Connecticut State showed they want to play slowly against Quinnipiac. The Bobcats are a run and gun type team, and C Connecticut really stalled out the pace in that game. They are now bottom 50 in the nation in tempo. They also lack top scoring options. They have been settling for contested jumpers.

Boston College played a game to 132 in regulation against fast paced FAU and then a 123 total against The Citadel. I think this total is a good amount too high.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Pitt Panthers have been very good defensively through the first couple games this year. Pitt has given up 59 points and 60 points in those contests. Eastern Michigan grabbed 22 offensive rebounds against Georgia State, but I don't think they'll come even close to that here. Pitt has been a very good defensive rebounding team under Capel. 

Pitt has played drastically slower in their first couple games of the season. The Panthers rank in the bottom 25 in the nation in average possession length so far this year. 

Eastern Michigan's offense isn't likely to work here, and I expect Pitt to slow things down with the lead.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The South Dakota Jackrabbits have a new coach this year, and they have slowed their pace down drastically. South Dakota State had been in the top 100-150 range in average possession length in the last few years, but they are just 303rd in the country so far this year. South Dakota State only scored 68 points on Dakota State University in their last game. South Dakota State is still good at limiting the opposition to one shot, but they no longer have all kinds of outside shooters like they did in many years in the past. 

Northern Iowa is good on the defensive glass, and they don't put the opposition on the line very much. Northern Iowa isn't as slow as they once were, but they are still clearly a below average pace team.

I think this total is several points too high.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Marist Red Foxes are well coached by John Dunne. Dunne is well known for his excellent defenses and slow style of play. 

Marist had a really good scorer last year in Josh Pascarelli, but he transferred to Colorado State in the offseason. There isn't anyone who appears to be a natural scorer on this Marist team, so I expect them to try hard to get into low scoring battles where they can win with their defense. They just held Xavier to a 66-62 game in their first game.

Dartmouth plays faster than they did in the past, but they are much better on defense than offense. Dartmouth has been top 20 in the nation in both defensive rebounding percentage and defending without fouling in both of the last two seasons.

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* These two teams do both play fast, so I understand a high total, but I think this total is a few points too high.

Albany worked on getting better on defense in the offseason with their newcomers. The coaching staff said they have to up the level significantly on defense to take that next key step. Albany still plays a little faster than average, but they aren't at the extreme levels they were 2 and 3 years ago.

Frank Martin and UMass play very fast, but they are typically better on defense than offense. UMass is always going to work very hard and force a lot of turnovers. 

I expect a fast pace here, but the efficiency numbers don't suggest a total in the 160's.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* The Maine Black Bears were a really good 3 point shooting team last year, but they lost nearly all of their top outside shooters. Maine also took a big jump though because of their excellent defense. Maine's Coach Markwood thinks this team can be even deeper on defense thanks to their athleticism and length. 

Stony Brook lost their best scorer to the portal, and Stony Brook struggled badly on offensive against Farmingdale State scoring just 66 points in their season opener earlier this week.

I expect both of these teams to finish in the bottom 100 in tempo nationally. 

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Air Force Falcons are consistently one of the bottom 10 or 15 teams in the country in terms of tempo. Air Force doesn't have the speed and athleticism to get in a transition battle, so they are going to always do their best to slow things down and win with ball control and win a low scoring contest.

Austin Peay was bottom 100 in the country in average possession length on offense last year too. This Austin Peay team doesn't have many consistent outside shooters. They are scrappy, but they should be happy to play a halfcourt type game and mix in some of their unique defensive looks.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Under* Tennessee is well known for its stout defense. The Volunteers should be excellent on defense again this year. The Volunteers have been top five in the nation in defensive efficiency in each of the last five seasons. They should be there once again.

Rick Barnes teams have played to the under at a 58% clip as a 13 point favorite or larger. Northern Kentucky is short on scoring threats, and I see them having real trouble with this Tennessee defense.

Northern Kentucky is able to mix in some zones and they are typically above average on that end of the floor.

Unders with large spreads have done well early in the season over the last decade. Two teams here who are both better on defense than offense.

Take the under. 

*4 Star Play Over* The Murray State Racers have made it a top priority to get out and run this year. Murray State has a new coaching staff that wants to see a very high tempo. They will be aggressive getting to the basket and getting fouled.

Miss Valley State is among the worst teams in the land, and they just allowed 106 points to UAB. That game was played to a blistering pace of 85 possessions. They should shoot a little better here.

A track meet.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Troy Trojans and Furman Paladins are both coached by guys who have typically liked to push the pace with their teams over the course of their career. Neither of these teams played all that fast last year, but both moved quickly and had high scoring games in the first game of the season. 

Troy gave up all kinds of second chance opportunities against Kent State. Troy is well known for their ability to create quick points off steals, and Furman lacks a great ball handler.

Furman has finished in the top 107 in the country in offensive efficiency every single year since 2018. The Paladins are accustomed to high scoring non-conference contests.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Bucknell Bison lost their star Willamson, a 7 footer who left for Alabama in the offseason. Coach Griffin said in the offseason what he is most concerned about with this team is where they will find the scoring at. Griffin was quoted as saying he loves their defensive identity, but the team is a work in progress on the offensive end. Bucknell slowed the game down quite a bit last year.

Mount St. Mary's is a defensive minded team that typically struggles to get good shots. They only put up 54 points in game one against West Virginia. They also used 18 seconds of the shot clock on average.

Last year these two teams met and shot the ball well in their meeting with each other and it was still only 142 points before OT.

Take the under here. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Cincinnati defense is a top 20 defense nearly every year under Wes Miller. I think it will be very difficult for Georgia State to score in this one. Georgia State only put up 49 points against a weak Eastern Michigan defense in their first game of the season. 

Georgia State's coaching staff talked in depth in the offseason about their top goal being to be much better on the defensive end this year. The Panthers are a team that doesn't foul much.

Wes Miller's Cincinnati teams have been good under bets when they are double digit favorites. They are 30-22 to the under in the last 52 games in that spot.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The South Alabama Jaguars slow the pace down and play strong defense. They mix in a zone defense pretty often, and they are good at controlling the tempo with that zone. They have length on the perimeter, and I think that makes it tough for Alcorn State to shoot over those long guards.

Alcorn State was in a game against Fla State in their first contest, and the Seminoles pushed the pace to the extreme. Now, they get a team who would prefer play a game to 63 or 64 possessions. Alcorn State shot the ball very well against Florida State, and I think that will regress toward the mean here too.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Over* Andy Enfield's SMU team is committed to pushing the pace in a big way this year. SMU was absolutely flying pace wise in their season opening win over Tarleton State. SMU is 2nd fastest in the country in average possession length through one game. SMU averaged just 12.8 seconds per possession in game one. The Mustangs are also good on the offensive glass, and they get to the line a lot. Those are areas where Tex A&M Corpus Christi has struggled defensively in recent seasons.

Corpus Christi does like to use pressure and get out in transition off turnovers. SMU has been a little too turnover prone under Enfield. 

The pace should be high here.

Take the over. 

*3 Star Play Over* The Quinnipiac Bobcats are always going to play very quickly under Tom Pecora. Quinnipiac got into an epic track meet with St. John's in game one. They lost 108-74. 

Central Connecticut has been an inconsistent tempo team under Sellers, but they got into a track meet with Quinnipiac last year. That game finished 84-80. 

The way the games have been called so far this year, I don't see any reason for the total to be this much lower than last year's final.

An up and down tempo with both teams scoring quite a few in transition.

Take the over here. 

*3 Star Play Under* Iowa is one of the biggest pace changers in the country going from Fran McCaffrey to Ben McCollum. Iowa won't necessarily finish at the very bottom of the country in tempo as Drake did the last two seasons, but they are going to go way slower than they have. 

Robert Morris is a team that lost so much of their scoring talent from a year ago. Toole is a good coach and I think he'll want to keep the game at a lower pace too. Robert Morris isn't going to have very good outside shooting or playmakers on offense this year.

This line is a few points too high.

Take the under.