With a straight-up win, Georgia Southern would complete the greatest college hoops league tournament run ever -- six wins in six days. Hard to envision a storybook ending against top-seeded Troy, which has been required to play just once. The Trojans took the lone regular season clash by five points in Statesboro. They were not taxed in the semifinals, having led Southern Miss by 13 at halftime before coasting to an eight-point victory. All credit to the 10th-seeded Eagles for fighting fatigue through the past few victories. It's asking a lot to extend it through one more game.
Troy won the regular season of the Sun Belt conference by one game at 12-6, and they play Georgia Southern tonight in the conference tournament championship game. Troy won the only meeting over them this year at Georgia Southern, 83-78, and has won the last four meetings. In that January 24th meeting, Troy was a 4.5-point favorite. It was a fairly evenly played game with Troy having more turnovers but also having seven more free throws. Troy beat Southern Mississippi yesterday, but it was their first game in over a week, while Georgia Southern has played the last 5 days and won and covered them all. They’ve covered six straight. Georgia Southern has momentum, and that's basically why I'm playing them.
We see this every March - a few teams get ridiculously hot and become shock winners of their conference tournaments. But what's happening with Georgia Southern is on another level. This is their sixth game in six days, now their fifth as an underdog. While I have nothing against Troy here in the Sun Belt Championship Game, the Eagles may be a team of destiny. Getting 6.5-points is enough for me to take the plunge, while at the same time sprinkling the money line.
