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00:00Madison Square Garden, the Mecca, the home tonight of a doubleheader in the Jimmy V Classic between number one, Tennessee, and a really bad Miami team, and then a Michigan team ranked for the first time since 2022. And coach Calipari's Arkansas Razorback. Let's start with the new number one. That is Tennessee Joe ranked atop the AP poll for the first time since 2018 19. They are undefeated. They are perfect.
00:30Miami has lost six consecutive games. The volunteers are a 16 and a half point favorite inside the garden. What do you like?
00:38Well, I mean, I lean towards the under in this one here, Ben, simply because when you look at Tennessee, we're talking about being ranked somewhere around 282nd in adjusted tempo. Miami is worse to 287 here.
00:56So it feels like what we just watched with Miami and Clemson, who is very good defensively, that it feels like this could very well on a neutral court be a bit of a rock fight.
01:09I don't see Miami speeding up. I don't see Tennessee speeding up. Teams have been destroying Miami from the outside from three. If that regresses, or if Miami can finally figure out how to stop playing hero ball and actually play some team basketball, which is very strange for Jim teams, it really, really is.
01:33They're going to get blown out here, but not just blown out. They're not going to have a lot of success scoring here, which is why the scenarios to me lead to under 144 and a half 145. Ben here, the pace will be slow and maybe just maybe enough is enough for Miami and they come out with some effort.
01:55Listen, the ball is the number one team in the AP top 25 second most efficient defense in the country. According to Kenneth Pomeroy, Tennessee has played for power conference opponents this year.
02:07They have won all four. They have covered in all four in a route of Syracuse in Brooklyn. Yes, my alma mater. That is now a football school. A couple of weeks ago, the orange were the only team Joe to score more than 62 points.
02:23Against Tennessee, Syracuse scored 70, but again, that was a blowout. Syracuse made it a little bit tight at a point in the second half, lost the game by 26. My bet for this game, Miami team total under 63 and a half.
02:38As you mentioned, the Hurricanes are struggling. They have lost six in a row against some teams that are very questionable to lose games against and they have not been great offensively. Here's a really intriguing game inside MSG, Michigan vaulted into the top 25, not just the top 25 top 15 number 414, excuse me, maize and brew in year number one under Dusty May, Michigan has lost just once this year.
03:07It was against Wake Forest in a game that actually is not going to age all that well, but still a power conference loss. Arkansas has played a couple of power conference teams.
03:20They have not been all that great outside of a win against Miami, by the way, part of that six game slide for the canes. They have not covered as the underdog against either Baylor or Illinois. That being coach cows hogs in power conference competition, just two and seven against the spread this year for the Razorbacks, Michigan lay in three and a half inside Madison Square Garden. What's the play here for our second of our double header tonight? The Jimmy V classic.
03:48Well, you got two teams, new coaches, total roster turnover for both. I love the makeup. I love Dusty. There's a big fan of them here at FAU. Ben, as you know, and they you could expect a lot of things from them. You can expect them to play.
04:05Absolute suffocating defense and really get after you. They've got the shooters. They work to get guys open. The points have been phenomenal for them. Their depth, but they also turn the ball over a ton. And that's part of the deal and the growing pains for Michigan right now. I'd like to see fewer turnovers. And if they can keep the turnovers to a minimum, I mean, they're averaging, I think, 15 a game, Ben, that'll get you killed against a team like Arkansas with Calipari.
04:34But I like their size. I like their rebounding and I love their elite defense here of Michigan. I like them in this game in a big way.
04:44Me as well, laying three and a half points. If you don't know the name, start to learn it. The seven foot Yale transfer that plays like a point guard in Danny Wolfe. His points prompt tonight against Arkansas is 12 and a half. He has scored at least 13 in three straight, including two huge rank wins at the time for Michigan against Xavier and a non-conference tournament against Wisconsin in the second quarter.
05:14And that was in the Kohl Center just a week ago. Speaking of Wisconsin, it's a Big Ten bash once again tonight. The Badgers lost both of their games last week to the Maize and Blue at home in the Big Ten opener. Non-conference, but in-state showdown and a top 15 tilt against Marquette. Wisconsin remains in the top 25, but a road trip to Champaign.
05:38Joveneri, as always, you are the best of the best. You got a busy day, so maybe we'll let you go here. We go to Jon Rothstein up next on the Earth Club.
06:08Jon Rothstein joins us here on the show on behalf of the FanDuel Sportsbook. Already suited up. The tie is knotted and tied. He's going to be in studio tonight for a huge Tuesday night of College Hoops there with CBS Sports. Rothstein, as always, we appreciate the time. Thanks for being here on SportsGrid.
06:28Great to be with you, Ben.
06:30Jimmy V, classic Jon Rothstein inside Madison Square Garden in the greatest city in the world, that being New York City. But we start out with a Champaign party. A Big Ten bash tonight in Illinois. The Illini looking for Big Ten win number one after losing in OT on Friday in Evanston against those Cats. Always good as a dog.
06:54Same story for Wisconsin. Upset last week, Jon, inside the Kohl Center by Michigan. In fact, Wisconsin lost both of its games a week ago to the Maize and Blue. The in-state showdown against Marquette. Tonight, though, in Champaign, looking for win number one in Big Ten competition. The Illini, a six and a half point home favorite inside the State Farm Center. Jon, what's the key matchup in your estimation?
07:23Well, I think you have to look at what Illinois does defensively against Jon Tonje, who did not have a great game on Saturday against Marquette, but has played like a first or second team All-American so far this season. But Ben, when you look big picture right now, this is a litmus test type week for Illinois and Brad Underwood.
07:41Are the Illini going to be a team that just has a lot of unique long-term prospects with great upside like Yaka Jonas, Eva Sitch, and Will Riley? Or is Illinois going to be a bona fide contender for the Big Ten regular season title and a high seed in the NCAA tournament? After tonight's tilt against Wisconsin, Tennessee will visit Champaign on Saturday. That is a gargantuan five-day stretch for the Illini.
08:06Jon, when you look at the Big Ten title odds right now, we discussed it earlier in the year. Until proven otherwise, that Big Ten regular season crown still runs through West Lafayette, but Michigan is the favorite at plus 340. There you see the Illini at plus 750. Wisconsin, a 20-1 number despite being a top 20 team in college hoops.
08:29When you look at Purdue or elsewhere atop the odds board, who do you think is the best challenger to the Boilermakers at this moment?
08:59I got to tell you, the performance that UCLA had on Sunday in Eugene was really impressive. I'm not saying, obviously, that UCLA was flawless down the stretch because it wasn't. UCLA for 37 minutes was clearly the better team than Oregon, and in the last two or three minutes, there was a lot of miscues that McCrone and Steam will need to rectify.
09:21But UCLA is markedly better than the team the first week of the season that went to Las Vegas and lost to New Mexico. I see the Bruins researching. I see unparalleled depth in the Big Ten, and I see a team that looks to be a force in that league. UCLA is a unit right now that doesn't have a Jaime Hawkins, that doesn't have a Johnny Juicing, but the whole looks greater than the sum of its parts in Westwood.
09:48Third best price for the Bruins to win the Big Ten Championship this year, plus $6.50. Huge road win in Eugene over the weekend. Oregon still ranked 12th in the country, but John, the favorites to win the Big Ten title right now in year number one was some Dusty May magic in Ann Arbor.
10:07That's the Michigan Wolverines. Dusty May has come in right away and made Michigan an 8-1 basketball team with a couple of huge Big Ten victories to start off their conference slate. What has Dusty May done so well for the Mays and Blues this early on?
10:37Well, Dusty May has been a power forward center combination in all of college basketball. This is a brand new team in Ann Arbor, but one again that has been anchored by great point guard play. Trey Donaldson at Michigan is vastly better than the Trey Donaldson that we saw at Auburn last season. Michigan also has stacked wins over power conference competition.
10:59The Wolverines are 2-0 in the Big Ten, wins against Wisconsin and Iowa. The Wolverines beat Xavier, beat Virginia Tech, and beat TCU. That means Michigan is 5-0 against power conference competition with the exception of the loss it took in Greensboro against a solid Wake Forest team. Dusty does not sleep in May.
11:21No, he certainly does not. They responded with those five consecutive victories against power conference foes. Another one on the line tonight, John, inside Madison Square Garden. Taking on John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks. Michigan, three and a half point favorite inside MSG. What's the key matchup in this game tonight to end out our doubleheader inside the Garden?
11:45The post-defense of Arkansas on that tandem we just talked about for Michigan, Golden and Wolf. You know, I was on the broadcast crew on Thanksgiving Day for the Arkansas-Illinois game in Kansas City. And the big issue that Arkansas had was defending the three-point line, especially when you look at their bigs and their inability to stay with Tomislav Ivacich of Illinois.
12:08I see potentially some of the same issues tonight for Arkansas on defense against somebody like Danny Wolf who can play away from the basket. That's going to be a key, key thing to look at. Another question, too, for Arkansas is can John Calipari get consistent play all at the same time from Boogie Flann, DJ Wagner, and John L. Davis?
12:27There's been pockets of quality play from Davis and Wagner, but all three have yet to be clicking on the same time. If that happens, combined with the Deuce Dero, you're going to have a pretty capable Arkansas team in that SEC fight. But the Razorbacks are still searching for their first marquee win of the season. The best win that Arkansas has to this point is a road victory over a struggling Miami team.
12:49Miami has lost six straight. They will take on the number one team in the country now in Tennessee to open up the action at the Garden tonight in the Jimmy V Classic. You can see that 16-and-a-half point spread. John Rothstein, as always, we appreciate the time. Enjoy your College Hoops Tuesday. More on the early lives next.