Kyle Hunter Free Sports Picks & Handicapping Review

*3 Star Play Under* The East Carolina Pirates are 316th in spacing on offense this year. East Carolina has struggled to score in recent games. The Pirates have played the 344th toughest slate of defenses so far this year. South Carolina is absolutely one of the best defenses they have seen thus far.

East Carolina is 312th in overall tempo. They will try to slow the game down. They rank 30th in shot selection allowed, and their defense has improved through the season.

South Carolina is a below average paced team as well. The Gamecocks are 46th in effective field goal percentage defense. They protect the paint well, and East Carolina isn't a good three point shooting team.

The last two years these teams have met and the combined totals have been 120 and 130 points. I think around 130 is where this will land as well.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play Under* The Mercyhurst Lakers are a new Division One team. It's clear that this team is going to struggle to score this year. They are 322nd in the nation in shot selection. They are 347th in offensive efficiency. They have faced a relatively easy slate of defenses and a fairly difficult slate of opposing offenses in the early going.

Lafayette is 301st in offensive efficiency. The Leopards are 311th in offensive rebounding percentage. Lafayette is 272nd in the country in overall tempo rating.

Mercyhurst is 356th in average possession length. This team is stalling about as much as anyone. They are up against a Lafayette defense that is 94th in effective field goal percentage defense.

A slow paced halfcourt battle between two teams who settle for a lot of bad shots here.

Take the under. 

*3 Star Play on Utah* The Utah Utes have one of the best home court advantages in the country. Utah's crowd is a raucous one, but even more importantly the court being at a high elevation really can hurt the opposition.

Utah as a favorite of 15 points or less is 94-59 ATS dating back to 2005. That's a 17.9% ROI betting Utah as a home favorite of -15 or less. The Utes are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games in this spot.

St. Mary's is still well coached and they'll have a solid season, but their upside is much lower this year without Aidan Maheny. St. Mary's was taken to overtime by UTSA at home on Tuesday night. The Gaels have gotten a lot of second chance points this year,  but Utah is a good defensive rebounding team. Utah is one of the rare few teams that is taller than St. Mary's too.

This is St. Mary's first road game this year. It's a really tough place to play your first road game. Utah is well rested since they haven't played since November 30th.

Take Utah here. 

*3 Star Play on Miami Ohio* The Ohio Bobcats have a long history of getting to the MAC Championship game and then falling short. In this case, they are up against a Miami (Ohio) team that is clearly more talented than they are. 

Ohio is running the football on 64% of their offensive plays. Miami is allowing just 2.71 yards per carry in MAC play. The Redhawks have a star in Salopek leading the defense. I don't see Ohio's running game finding much room here.

Miami was first in the MAC in yards per play margin, and it wasn't very close. Miami already beat Ohio 30-20 earlier this year. That game was at home, but Miami led 30-6 before Ohio scored a couple late touchdowns to make it look closer. Ohio had just 3.8 YPP in that one compared to Miami's 6.4 YPP. 

Ohio's secondary can be beaten at times. They are just 49th in opponent QBR this year. Gabbert is a veteran who I trust more than Ohio's QB Parker Navarro. 

Miami is excellent on special teams and they get great field position.

I think Chuck Martin will have his group ready to go. 

Take Miami.