Old Dominion vs UMass Odds
| Old Dominion Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7 -110 | 154 -110o / -110u | OFF |
| UMass Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7 -110 | 154 -110o / -110u | OFF |
The UMass Minutemen and Old Dominion Monarchs both have a win on their Christmas wishlist, but only one will be victorious in this one at the Diamond Head Classic.
UMass could've been in the winner's bracket without a monumental collapse against Georgia Tech. On the other side, Old Dominion's draw was unfavorable. The Monarchs faced TCU in the first round, and the Frogs dropped 111 points.
Here's Old Dominion vs. UMass odds and a pick, including a college basketball betting guide for Sunday, Dec. 24, on this Christmas Eve.
Old Dominion Monarchs
You can't allow second chances to Old Dominion's star freshman.
And that star freshman is Vasean Allette, the breakout individual player from the Diamond Head Classic. The highly-skilled guard has found his stride recently, scoring 21+ points in four of the past five games. He's becoming the type of player who leads the opposing team's scouting report.
Moreover, Chaunce Jenkins is a perfect complimentary scoring option for Allette. Jenkins is tough to defend, as opponents have to respect the nearly 40% 3-point percentage and his elite athleticism. It's pretty tough for opponents to game plan against a pair of bonafide studs like Allette and Jenkins.
I'm all the way in on ODU's duo. The two could easily explode for 50+ points together and beat just about anybody.
That's about where the game planning ends, though. Who else on ODU's roster scares opponents? Pretty much nobody.
Tyrone Williams is solid, but he's an inefficient scorer. There isn't another player on ODU's roster capable of going out and creating a bucket, and the lack of options really puts pressure on its stars.
My biggest concern about ODU here is its lack of interior size. The Monarchs start 6-foot-7 freshman Dani Pounds at the five, and he's foul-prone. Against Temple, Pounds played only 11 total minutes, which forced Williams to play the five at only 6-foot-6. Sure, he plays a little bigger, but he's a smaller four-man at best.
Good luck defending UMass' Josh Cohen and Matt Cross when your tallest players stand 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-6. That's less than ideal considering UMass just dominated the undermanned Portland frontline.
Massachusetts Minutemen
Frank Martin added a bonafide A-10 superstar in big man Cohen. The Lincroft, NJ native displays superb post footwork and strength, averaging 18 points and seven rebounds per game. In UMass' win over Portland, Cohen scored 29 points on a pristine 9-of-9 shooting.
Joining Cohen in the frontcourt is Cross, whose game took a major jump this season. The 6-foot-8 floor-stretcher is the perfect compliment to Cohen's post-oriented game. Cross is athletic and can shoot it from deep, which allows him to attack opponents one-on-one. Cross is averaging over 16 points and a team-leading eight rebounds per game.
The Minutemen want to get out and play quickly, ranking 43rd in Adjusted Tempo, according to KenPom. They've scored 89+ points in three of the past four games, thanks in large part to the up-tempo offensive attack.
Also, keep an eye on freshman rising star Jayden Ndjigue. He's quickly emerging as the best guard in UMass' rotation, scoring 11+ points in the past two games. Ndjigue's effectiveness on both ends makes him a serious factor in Martin's rotation.
The one roster issue for UMass is the guard situation, so the more Ndjigue plays, the better.
Also, UMass is completely steady offensively. The Minutemen limit turnovers, create a ton of second chances on the offensive glass and get to the foul line a ton. They're one of the best offensive-rebounding teams nationally (25th).
UMass is a very bad defensive rebounding team, though, and its defense in general is a work in progress. KenPom places the Minutemen 168th nationally in Defensive Efficiency.
Old Dominion vs. UMass
Betting Pick & Prediction
I wrote about three Diamond Head Classic games on Sunday, but if you forced me to pick one spread for the day, it's UMass.
The circumstances for ODU are less than ideal. Its frontcourt is super depleted, not to mention head coach Jeff Jones was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack this week.
That's too many problems for ODU to keep this one close against a surging UMass team.
Pick: UMass -6.5 (Play to -8.5)
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