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Oct 24, 2024
A Numbers Game | October 24, 2024 | Hour 1
A Numbers Game | October 24, 2024 | Hour 1
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0:00
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0:25
The numbers tell the story. They always do. You're one of those idiots who believe in analytics. This is a numbers game with Gil Alexander on VSiN. Good Thursday morning to you.
0:35
It is a numbers game at VSiN, the sports betting network, vsin.com, Game Plus, iHeartRadio, YouTube TV. However you're taking us in, we appreciate it. It's Gil Alexander.
0:43
This gentleman on my left, on your right, is, uh, Kelly Midlin, producer number nine. So much more than a producer, and not a sidekick either. Somebody called you a sidekick and, uh, boy, people revolted.
0:52
Wow, yeah, Twitter reaction to that. Oh. Wow. People did not like that. And that was, uh, I think it was over w- a, a way, a, a past viewer listener who had just re-signed up, right? That's correct.
1:02
And was happy to see us again. He was happy- So yeah... to see us, yes. After a year he came back to VSiN, and he's, uh, he was, he's ha- thrilled to see us. So I, I appreciate the support, Twitter. Yeah.
1:10
But you don't need to go attacking longtime fans. It's okay. [laughs] I got it. I got it. So whatever. Let's... [laughs] On the show, it's Thursday, you know that means Zach and Crack.
1:18
Zach Cohen, uh, to talk multiple sports with us, but, uh, he's got some, uh, thoughts on, I don't know, maybe, I don't know if he has any tennis thoughts. It's a weird time of year.
1:27
But he certainly will have some football, some basketball, I don't know, maybe beyond. We'll see. That's coming up. Dallin Cuff will join us, talk college basketball with us. Can't wait for that. Yeah.
1:37
His sort of, uh, pre-flop college basketball thoughts, uh, college basketball, uh, just around the bend here.
1:42
Dallin Cuff from, uh, ESPN, and he's also, of course, a big soccer guy, so we have to get his Premier League picks as well.
1:47
Yeah, he was at, uh, Big East Media Day yesterday, a college basketball guide from VSiN out today as well. Yeah. So a little college basketball talk getting started. Yeah.
1:55
Uh, Dallin, uh, is al- he also makes what, what was formerly Daily Wager and is now ESPN Bet. He also makes that show that much better, would you agree? Oh, he's so good. When he hosts that.
2:05
He, he's one of those multi-talented people. He does the college basketball studio analyst, ESP- the ESPN Bet show. Yeah, all of those are so, yeah, he's so good on all of them.
2:12
And, um, uh, listen, we got through yesterday. We're still friends. Can we get through today still friends if we do a little, uh, we do a little politics?
2:20
Here's the thing, I just wanna make it, it's just gonna be a few minutes today, obviously with the election 12 days away.
2:25
But, uh, figured because we do on this show, speaking of college basketball, we do a college basketball tried and true March Madness formula, right? Yep.
2:33
A college basketball championship formula which through the decades has produced the small group, if it's even a group, sometimes it just lands on one or two teams, from which a, a national title, title, you know, champion will actually come.
2:48
And it's, it always works, with the exception, remember, there's that 2014 Yukon team which really broke it. Other than that, it always works. So there is a gentleman who has his own presidential election formula.
3:01
Mm-hmm. Um, and he has been right nine of the last 10 elections. I don't know if he did it before that.
3:07
But he's been right nine of the last 10, and the only one he got wrong was Bush-Gore 2000, which obviously went to the judges, if you will. [laughs] I was gonna say, a lot of people got it wrong, yeah.
3:18
Yeah, it went to the judges on that one. So he can be, uh, he can be excused from that. Now, again, apolitically speaking, I'm not saying I agree with it, because I'm not sure I do. Mm.
3:27
But we'll get into that coming up on the show, 'cause that might be of interest to people who are, uh, who are betting on said thing. And we have our Larceny Smooth Bet of the Week as well coming up. That's right, we do.
3:36
Um, day two of the NBA. I'm curious what you thought the biggest sort of takeaway was in our never-ending quest to have way too quick reactions to this stuff.
3:45
But, uh, the marquee matchup, Suns beat the Clippers in OT, 116-113 after James Harden missed a free throw. That could have possibly, uh, sent it into, uh, double overtime. Yep. Uh, Warriors dropped 139 on the Blazers.
3:59
Is Scoot not starting? Is, is that the deal for the Blazers? Coming off the bench. Yeah, and he led them in scoring with 22. Led, led in scoring, yep. Uh, what was your biggest takeaway from last night?
4:06
Uh, yeah, I mean, probably Golden State Warriors. Uh, that, you know, just going back to that game, it was, uh, you know, impressive defensive performance. I watched a lot of the first half.
4:15
Um, I didn't watch the end of the game, so to wake up and kind of see that it was 139 that they ended up dropping on the Blazers' offense really woke up in the, uh, in the, uh, second half.
4:23
I, I think it's just an interesting team to watch. I'm not completely sold on some of the younger guys, uh, coming up through the program, yeah, you know, Kuminga and Moody and everybody.
4:32
I, I think I still need to see more, Gil, before I can really buy in completely to this Warriors team.
4:37
But they are, they've been talking about it, and I think they're trying to transition to more of this defensive mindset, what, you know, one through five this year.
4:45
I, I think it's just gonna be interesting to watch, 'cause I, I, I think it's, uh, Fred who I may- heard made this comparison, but it was, it was a great comparison of the Warriors maybe trying to be a little bit like the new look Chiefs, where it's focused on defense, [laughs] and then you still got that Steph Curry- Yeah...
4:59
Patrick Mahomes that can turn it on when he needs to. Uh, but really the defense is gonna lead this team. So I, they're gonna be one of the teams to watch for me here these first few weeks because of that.
5:07
Biggest thing last night was probably the injuries, right? Maybe Dejounte Murray, his first- Dejounte Murray... first game for the Pelicans, breaks his hand. Yeah. That was confirmed.
5:14
By the way, ESPN was running the, uh, the red breaking news thing as if, you know, something colossal in the world had happened, they ran it so often. But he, uh, he breaks his hand. And then, uh, James Wiseman,
5:26
I don't know the extent of that. I was getting the old Achilles questions all over Twitter last night. Yeah. Did you see that? So a, a non-contact.
5:33
I was gonna say, not as obvious as your Deshaun Watson Achilles injury- No... that's for sure. No, not at all. He did, you know, I, it, it was not definitive to me if it ends up being an Achilles or just a calf.
5:43
Uh, either way, it sucks for him, but he did have the telltale sign of looking back at his leg confused, but he walked off a little too easily. That's kind of what I thought, but yeah. Yeah.
5:53
And I don't think I've seen I was gonna say, I don't think I've seen any- No, there's no-... official update on that. So yeah No, no official word yet.
6:00
The, the DeJounte Murray one, though, is, that's a killer for anything that they were...
6:04
The Pelicans were trying to do something different and new with this team this year, and, and you really weren't, they're not playing a full-time center, uh, at all, which you just [laughs] you just don't.
6:14
I mean, we've talked about stretching the floor and everything in today's NBA, but still everybody rolls out a center. They're really not doing that.
6:21
So it was really gonna depend on a lot of these length, you know, more lengthy long players that they have, forwards, guards, that are all tall, and Murray was a part of that.
6:32
So it, it's gonna be interesting to see if they feel like they need to change what the makeup of this team is now with him, I mean, likely out for the year, I would think, with a fractured hand, or at least a long time.
6:41
Um, that one w- that one was tough, and especially since it happened end of game.
6:45
I know there's a lot of people that, that, espe- including myself, that if you were watching games in that early window last night, you didn't really pick up on it right away. Uh, Thursday Night Football tonight.
6:53
It is the Minnesota Vikings at the Los Angeles Rams. Pretty good matchup, I guess, on paper. Uh, tonight at SoFi. The Vikings down to a two-and-a-half point favorite.
7:04
This has crossed the three to two and a half now, uh, in favor of the, uh, the visiting Vikings.
7:10
Uh, if you have listened to this show every Thursday morning, I, I us- you know, la- in the years past, I really haven't had plays on Thursday Night Football.
7:19
I've had plays five weeks in a row on Thursday Night Football. If you go all the way back to week three- Really? I had the Patr- and w- we talked about it right here the first time. Yeah, yeah.
7:27
I had the Patriots-Jets under. Yeah. That was a winner. Uh, the week after that, Dallas-Giants under. That was a winner. Week five, then I went back to the well one too many times. I had the, uh, Tampa-Atlanta under.
7:38
That was almost over, over in terms of- Yeah [laughs]... the, the, uh, the total by halftime. So that was a real horrible play. But then San Francisco-Seattle, I had San Francisco.
7:47
And last week, Denver-New Orleans, I ultimately ended up with Denver. I was toying between the under- That's right. Yeah, yeah... and Denver. That's right, yeah. So that's four and one in the last five weeks.
7:54
And I always say when I, when I come on here, talk about Thursday Night Football, I lean a lot on, uh, Sean Koerner, who is, uh, he does great stuff over at Action Network.
8:03
I'm, I'm sure he does more than Thursday Night Football, as I always say, but this is when I catch him. He's a director of predictive analytics over there.
8:08
And he made, I'll tell you what he made the case for today, 'cause for me, I do not, for the first time in six weeks, I don't have a play in this game, and I won't have a play in this game pre-flop.
8:19
He, he made the case for the Rams. And I'll tell you what he said, and part, part of this stuff, and you can sort of judge. Uh, Sean McVay, five and two against the spread on four days' rest. That's a data point, right?
8:30
Mm-hmm. A data point. Uh, Sam Darnold, far more efficient against man coverage than he is against zone. Uh, he's 10.6 yards per attempt, second in the NFL against man.
8:42
Uh, 7.8 yards per attempt, 14th in the NFL against zone. And the Rams play zone, zone D, 76% of the time, sixth highest, so maybe that's a slow down Darnold factor right there.
8:55
Uh, Rams' past events has been below average, he points out, by DVOA, Aaron Schatz's number, uh, 24th over there at FDN in DVOA.
9:03
Uh, but they benched Radavius White after week four, and they've gotten a whole bunch better since then, uh, with, uh, Kobe Durant, Darius Williams, Akela Witherspoon, and, and crew up there.
9:13
So that'll be big against, uh, obviously the wide outs, Jefferson and Addison, for the Vikings. Darnold also ranks, he points out, 28th in EPA per drop back. That's expected points added per drop back against pressure.
9:25
But fifth in EPA per drop back from a clean pocket. And he points out the Rams' defense, and I wouldn't have guessed this, fifth in pressure rate this season, even without Aaron Donald.
9:36
So all of that is sort of, by the way, your guy, Jared Verse, who, uh, didn't play real football last year. He played exhibition football- That's right... at FSU. He didn't know that, but that's what ended up happening.
9:46
That he's generated 29 pressures this season.
9:48
It o- it has only resulted in one sack, but it's one of these a- it's one of these things where analytics is really good, because the mainstreamers says, "Oh, he's only got one sack, how good is he?"
9:57
But 29 pressures, eventually that's, you're just kind of unlucky- Mm-hmm... if you haven't had more than one sack.
10:02
So all of that in the mix, and by the way, Darnold has taken a sack, you ready for this, on 25% of his pressures this season, which is above league average. So all of that is sort of pro Rams, anti Vikings. Um,
10:18
Vikings love to blitz. We know that about Brian Flores, continuing sort of on this. Uh, they lead the le- they lead the league with a 43% blitz rate.
10:26
Stafford, 22nd in EPA per drop back, both against the blitz and when facing four or fewer rushers.
10:33
He's actually averaged 8.0 yards per temp when blitzed with Cooper Kupp on the field, as opposed to 6.5 yards per attempt without him. So Cooper Kupp will play tonight.
10:43
Uh, that, that's that courtesy of Next Gen Stats, by the way. Cooper Kupp in the lineup tonight, and you would imagine the Rams will try to, uh, use him liberally, as they always do.
10:53
Yeah, the, uh, the other one that was a little bit of surprise today, 'cause I didn't, I didn't think he was gonna play, Puka Nacua upgraded this morning to questionable.
11:00
So I, you know, still up in the air, but- Oh, Puka... I, any upgrade, I think, on game day, that, that's, uh, signaling pretty good things.
11:07
On the other side, TJ Hawkinson's still a big question mark, I think, for tonight. So that is, uh... I, I'm with you. I don't, I don't have a bet. I won't have a bet on this game.
11:15
This has been kinda interesting to monitor all week, because I do think we're getting a lot of... I, you know, I think almost any NFL bettor that I respect, I've [laughs] I've heard mention this game.
11:25
They're on the Rams, seemingly. Yeah. But I could see a lot of public money coming in tonight on these Vikings, especially if this is down to two and a half.
11:33
He also points out, like, if you're, if you're on the over in this game, too, he points out, uh, Kyren Williams runs inside the tackles at the fifth highest rate in the league, and the Vikings D is actually elite covering outside runs- Yes...
11:44
but not so much on the inside. Um, so with Cashman, you know, and, and by the way, uh, linebacker Blake Cashman is gonna be out here.
11:53
So Sean McVay may try to exploit the Vikings run defense by attacking them inside with Kyren. So for me, it's not a play for the first time in six weeks on Thursday Night Football, but just some food for thought anyway.
12:03
Yeah, I, Kyren Williams, uh, props might be the only thing I'm looking at tonight. Okay. How about some Zach Cohen on the other side? We'll get his thoughts on football, basketball, and beyond.
12:12
It's a numbers game at VSiN, the Sports Betting Network[upbeat music] A numbers game on VSiN, the sports betting network. The sports equinox is upon us, all four major sports in action.
12:29
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12:35
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12:51
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13:03
Again, I'm fascinated by the fact that we went with Shohei, TJ Watt, Connor McDavid, and then when it came to the NBA, I get it, he got traded to the Knicks, but we decided to go with KAT there. Yeah. Yeah.
13:13
Well, well, we've got a guy on the line that might be able to answer that question. He might be able to answer. He, he might be able to answer that question.
13:18
I don't know, I don't know if he's responsible for the graphic for sports equinox. No, I, I don't think he is. I don't think he is. By the way, and we, we'll get to Zach here too, he might chime in on this.
13:24
What did you make of the whole Joel Embiid, we're going to investigate this thing? Um, well, I heard- listened to Daryl Morey before the game, uh, yesterday, and it was, uh...
13:35
I, I actually think he made a pretty good point of whenever you get something like this, the NBA does a, quote-unquote, "investigation."
13:42
So I do think it's being, I think it's being blown out of proportion a little bit with that, but I... Like, nothing's gonna come of it.
13:49
We, we know him to have a history of injuries, though, so it's not like- So that's the thing. Yeah. Nothing's gonna come of it because of that. It- they're just gonna lean on what his history's been, and- Yeah...
13:57
it's a mu- it's much easier to explain with a guy like Paul George, who can say, "Hey, I'm currently hurt. Like, this is my injury." That's why this is coming up, because you're like, "Hey, Joel Embiid's lost 25 pounds.
14:07
Like, he looks great. He played in the Olympics. Why isn't he out there?" Um, that's why they're kinda stuck right now, but at the same time, they're just gonna go back and they're like, "Look how injured he's been."
14:15
I mean, you do understand both sides, right?
14:16
'Cause the Sixers, as we, as I talked about the other day, it's like, okay, look, we, we, we've played it this way where Joel Embiid tries to play the whole season and he always breaks down, and so we can't play it this way.
14:25
This is how we can win a championship, by completely aggressively load managing. On the other hand, the N- [laughs] the NBA does have a point, where it's like, it's opening night. Yes. Can you have the guy on the court?
14:37
Come on. I mean, it's very sa- like, it's, it's very sad. For as many people that wanna rip on the NBA for things like this- Yeah. Oh... I can't defend on o- You cannot defend it...
14:44
on opening nights of how many star players are hurt. Nobody's made the quality point though yet, Gil. I'll make it right now. We've talked about this for years in the NFL.
14:53
When are we gonna get to the pressing issue of cutting down the preseason in the NBA? It's clearly taking a toll on these guys. [laughs] They can't handle it. We need to cut down games. Oh, they played a preseason? Yeah.
15:03
Oh, I forgot about it. [laughs] Zach Cohen joins us, ladies and gentlemen, courtesy of the Progressive Guest Line.
15:07
He, uh, can be found on Twitter @BettingOnX, VSiN senior writer, part of the glue that holds this whole operation together, and was integral, even though he, uh, you know, backs off if you don't like it, but was integral in, uh, putting together the NBA betting guide.
15:20
How you doing, Zach? I'm doing well. I did not pick that KAT picture. I did pick the picture for the NBA guide, though. You did? Who's on the cover of the NBA guide? It was a Thunder picture with, uh- That's right...
15:30
Chet, SGA, and Jaylen Williams. That's right. See, that's a quality choice right there. Quality choice. Makes sense, yeah. Yeah. Oh, we'll get to the bottom of this, Zach. [laughs] We'll get to whoever's responsible.
15:38
[laughs] It's like a witch hunt. Um, okay, about the NBA. By the way, you, you... What side of the Joel Embiid thing are you on? Is there even a side to be on? Or you think it's a li- a Much Ado About Nothing, right?
15:50
Yeah, I mean, like, it'd be nice if he was out there for opening day, but I know that they have a plan for him that, you know, is more in, you know, about the playoffs, and you have to kind of trust them to do whatever they want, because this is a team that has not been healthy in the playoffs in the past.
16:02
They made a huge investment in Paul George to come out there, you know, and play, you know, when, when the games matter most. So they're gonna do whatever they can to do that.
16:10
Uh, I've texted with Kit JVT and Kelly, I have a theory that he has a weight loss goal that he's trying to reach. I've, I've seen him on the sidelines. He looks great.
16:17
I, I just feel like they're trying to get as much pressure off his knees as they can. He's like, uh, the, the Wegovy has not kicked in quite, quite enough. [laughs] Enough yet. Yeah.
16:26
Um- Gotta give it a few months, Joel... any, anything the first two nights, a- again, I always preface it by saying this is way too early to, to make any kind of judgments, but maybe there's something.
16:34
I thought the Celtics, you know, hoisting 61 threes, I get it, 13 of them were trying to break the record at the end, but that's something to me, right? 'Cause it, it's a signal like, oh, we're still gonna do this.
16:44
Uh, we're gonna just try to shoot the lights out on teams. Uh, was there anything on, in the first two days that stuck out to you?
16:50
I mean, that was actually my big takeaway, is that the, the Celtics are only gonna lean further and further into the three-point thing. Like, that's what they think gives them a mathematical advantage every night.
16:59
We saw in game one they had a lot of opportunities to shoot. They did not turn down any of them.
17:03
So, yeah, I, I couldn't really overreact to the first two nights that much, but that was the big one to me, is I think we're gonna see a lot more threes out of them, even though they really led the league in them last year.
17:12
It really is simple math. If we shoot 50 of these, and we make 50%, that's 25 times, that's 75 right there.
17:20
[laughs] The, the only thing, Zach, I don't know if you've heard this, but, like, the only question I have about it, like, I feel like there's a lot of, a lot of people I've heard talk about this, that they're looking at team total overs or Boston just overs, game overs right away, and I don't know that that's f- you know, forcing the issue of taking more threes doesn't, A, doesn't necessarily mean they're all gonna go in every single night, and B, doesn't mean you're getting open looks every single time.
17:42
So I... Do you have any thoughts on that? 'Cause I feel like I've seen a lot of people rushing to, rushing today to play their over for tomorrow. Yeah, I wouldn't be jumping to do it.
17:50
I mean, not a lot of teams are going to guard them the way that the Knicks did. The Knicks were throwing two guys on the ball and just were scrambling, you know, for most of those possessions.
17:56
So they were getting wide open looks in that game. You're probably not going to see that. That's not the way to guard Boston. You really have to try to play it straight up, as straight up as you can.
18:05
Or their game today, I'm sorry. Four games today in the NBA. Two are, uh, you know, big lines. Two are very tightly lined, including the Thunder, and the Nuggets, and the T-Wolves, and the Kings. What do you got tonight?
18:17
I, I like the Timberwolves money line, uh, in that game against the Kings. I just think that Sacramento really struggled to defend the three ball last year.
18:24
Uh, they were the second worst team in the league in opponent three-point accuracy, and I don't really think that bringing in DeMar DeRozan is going to help a lot of things defensively.
18:32
I think that Keon Ellis is going to be working his butt off in this game trying to defend Anthony Edwards. He is the only plus defender in that starting five.
18:41
And I do think that the Timberwolves are a little bit more equipped now to beat the Kings, who they had trouble with last year.
18:46
I just think that Randle is going to bully Murray in this game, and I also think that Gobert can do a good job on Domantas Sabonis.
18:53
So this is a game where it's gonna be tough because obviously it's Sacramento's home opener, but I do think Minnesota bounces back from that game the other night, and I do think we're gonna see a better defensive effort from them.
19:02
I actually think that that trade, it shouldn't, uh, you know, change their identity that much from last year.
19:08
And I know that they didn't look great defensively in night one, but I think it'll look a lot better night two.
19:12
All right, I wanna squeeze in, uh, before we get to your football plays, I am contractually obligated to ask you about tennis. Do you have a tennis play?
19:19
Yeah, I have Brandon Nakashima plus 120 against Karen Khachanov today. I just kinda think that that number looks a little off to me. I think Nakashima, for the better part of 2024, has been the better player than him.
19:30
He has a higher hold percentage, uh, has been better f- you know, from the forehand and backhand wings in my opinion.
19:35
Uh, return percent, you know, percentage hold, uh, break percentage is a little lower than Khachanov's, but I just kinda give him the edge everywhere else.
19:43
And I think with a big server like this in an indoor court, uh, you're at least looking at kind of a coin flip match.
19:48
So plus 120 is a really good number, and I actually think it should be, you know, a little closer to 55/45 in terms of percent that, you know, Nakashima wins. All right. Indoor hards.
19:57
Going with Brandon Nakashima as the, uh- Yeah... tennis hardos call it. Are you excited? Do you have WTA and, uh, ATP Finals fever? Are you getting that yet?
20:04
No, I, I don't ha- you know, it, you, you hear Novak Djokovic come out and say that he doesn't even care to play, and it really just kinda dampens the entire thing for me. Yeah. Um, I'm somewhat excited.
20:14
Somewhat excited. All right, let's talk Thursday Night Football. You have a play tonight. Yeah. I have the Rams plus three in this game.
20:21
I, I think that we're going to see a much better passing game out of Los Angeles with Cooper Kupp back. Uh, I think that we've seen, you know, they run the ball really well this season.
20:29
They're 10th in the league in rush EPA per play. But I do think that that passing game has been lagging behind, and it's because they have not had bodies. And I know that the offensive line is a bit of a mess right now.
20:39
But Stafford's gonna be able to get the ball out a lot quicker now that he has receivers he can trust. And I do think that the defense is going to hold up pretty nicely against Minnesota.
20:47
Uh, Sam Darnold has really come crashing back to earth after a red-hot start to the season.
20:51
Uh, over the last two weeks has been, you know, struggling pretty mightily, and I do think that that's not going to be a team that's gonna be able to score very easily against this Rams right now.
20:59
There's so much love for the Rams out there in this game. Yeah. And the market's showing too. By the way, we're showing a three now. We should point out we showed a two and a half earlier.
21:06
Uh, we showed DraftKings' number earlier. That's two and a half. Now we're showing the Circa number, which is still at three. So obviously shop around, and based on your conviction, bet accordingly.
21:17
Um, okay, and then your favorite play on Sunday is? I like the over, uh, 44 and a half in Browns-Ravens.
21:24
I, I think that this Browns team is just not going to be able to stop a Ravens team that has been probably the best team in the league offensively this year.
21:31
I know Cleveland's defensive line is going to have something to say about that.
21:34
I think that, you know, it's a division game, a rivalry, but I think that the Ravens are still gonna be able to run the ball on them, and I think they're gonna be able to get that passing game going.
21:42
I also kinda think that Cleveland's gonna be upgraded [laughs] with Jameis Winston in there at quarterback. I, I just think they're gonna be able to take more shots down the field.
21:49
I don't think he's going to be as hesitant as Deshaun Watson was. I know that he doesn't really have the mobility that Watson had, although Watson's mobility had waned a little bit since what we saw at Houston.
21:58
But I just think that this offense is gonna look a lot better with Winston in there instead of, uh, Watson. Yeah. I've, I'm smiling because I'm, for two reasons.
22:05
One, Kelly loves himself some Jameis Winston, so that's music to his ears. But also, just the, I can't even argue with that. Yeah. It is an upgrade to Jameis Winston. It is.
22:13
Like, do you think you would, maybe you did think you would have that sentence this year. This is an upgrade to Jameis Winston.
22:17
I'm doing a fun, uh, Jameis SGP for sure, and it's going to be Browns money line over one, one-plus touchdown and one-plus interception for Jameis. You say Browns money line? Was that the first thing you said?
22:28
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, sure. We're just, we're just going big. All right. We're going big. Go for it. Uh, thank you, Zach. Appreciate it as always, man. Enjoy, uh, enjoy the football tonight. Yep, thanks, guys.
22:37
College Basketball Guide today. College Basketball Guide. Could you, could you, would you like to, uh, sort of express who's responsible for the College Basketball Guide in its entirety? Yeah.
22:46
I mean, Adam Burke deserves a lot of credit for what we did with the guide. He did a lot of great work in there.
22:51
Uh, organizing it is also just, you know, a pain, and he did all of that, so he deserves a lot of credit for that. Um, you know, there's gonna be stuff from all of us.
22:58
There's, there's Adam Burke, Greg Pederson, Dot Humans, myself, uh, JBT. Just a lot of really good stuff in there, and it's something that you absolutely need because the transfer portal in college basketball is insane.
23:08
It is insane. Thank you, Zach. Appreciate it. Thanks, guys. Adam Burke getting the, uh, kudos there as he deserves it. Coming back with... A Numbers Game on VSiN, the sports betting network.
23:21
Special Numbers Game investigation reveals college basketball tips off, uh, tips off rather November 4th. Now's the time to get your copy of our annual betting guide as Zach was just talking about.
23:30
This year's guide includes Matt Humans' top 50 rankings, all 32 conferences previewed, Wooden Award candidates, futures and season-long prop bets, plus betting nuggets on every major conference team from Greg "Hoops" Pederson, and I do mean every team.
23:44
The man is an encyclopedia. The only way to get the guide is to become a VSiN Pro subscriber, though. Sign up now for just $120. Get VSiN Pro access to everything we do until May 1st.
23:52
That's all college basketball season long, March Madness and beyond, for less than $20 a month. Sign up today at vsin.com/subscribe.
24:01
Gil Alexander, Kelly Bidlin, and always a pleasure to welcome this gentleman on the show. Uh, I'm not sure where in his pecking order college basketball ranks versus soccer, because he's known for both.
24:12
Played college basketball, in fact, uh, at Columbia, but is a, uh, soccer lobbyist as well according to, uh, his, uh, Twitter bio.
24:18
[laughs] It's Dalen Cuff from ESPN, and we also mentioned earlier we love Dalen when he, uh, hosts ESPN Bet as well, courtesy of Progressive Guest Line. You can follow him on Twitter @dalencuff. How you doing, Dalen?
24:30
Uh, guys, great to be back with you. It's been a minute. Um, I will say I wish I looked better. Uh, we've got a five-month-old son who just hates sleeping right now.
24:37
So your boy's on about 20 minutes last night- Oh, man... laboring through, but we're gonna get it going. I don't need pity. I, we wouldn't, we'd like some bets this weekend to hit, would make me feel a little better.
24:45
I don't- So let's, let's get into it. I don't know, it sounded like a plea for pity there at the beginning. [laughs] I'm, I'm gonna be honest with you.
24:50
Well, no, there was, it was more of an excuse for the appearance, like I just look like an absolute disaster. Maybe I should go hood up real quick. [laughs] Maybe this is better.
24:55
I don't, I don't, I don't know, but- Dal, is this- Not my best work... is this your first child? No, my daughter is six. Um, but this, this dude is, he's, he's testing more patience.
25:06
And at that time there was a stay-at-home mom. [laughs] Kelsey works. Kelsey does the 7:00 AM SportsCenter, guys. It's fiance, Kelsey Riggs on ESPN, 7:00 AM SportsCenter.
25:12
So she's gone out the house at like 3:00 AM, so she has all the room to complain if she wants, and she's not, of course. But- Just the guy, 'cause you know, we're soft... listen. That's how it works.
25:19
Listen, whenever you refer to your five-month-old as this dude- [laughs]... I know you're off to a great start. [laughs] Sounds great. Um, all right, Dal, well, let's start.
25:27
So we just talked about our college basketball betting guide. You're obviously a huge college basketball fan. I am already invested in Alabama to win it all. Do I have a, a shot here? Yeah, you have a shot.
25:38
Now, I will say this, th- this is what the, I, I feel like I write this every year the last couple years since the transfer portal, and now AL really has come into, into stead.
25:46
I do a preseason, you know, they want me to basically to write a preseason, you know, pick with futures in terms of national championships, final fours. National championship is so hard to predict in this sport.
25:54
And if you're looking at it and you want to play a national championship play, it is, try to go with veteran.
25:59
Teams that have guys that have veteran players that if they have been there before, done it before, and got there before. So with all that said, Bama 10 to 1 is a good bet. You have a couple mo- new transfers coming in.
26:09
You have Alabama's, basically you have Mark Sears who could be the national player of the year. Grant Nelson, one more year, kind of bedded in at Alabama. Uh, Nate Oats a great coach. They went on that run last year.
26:18
I think Cliff Omoruyi coming from Rutgers really makes this team different.
26:21
To have that rim protection defensively, uh, I think is one of what gives Alabama the chance to, to be the best team in the country at the end of the season to cut down the nets. It'll be a process for everybody, guys.
26:30
These numbers will fluctuate because when you have so many teams that have new players, now a lot of these teams on people's screens right now, the reason they're there is 'cause they have guys returning.
26:37
But there are still new dudes in the mix, and there will be other teams that have a lot of transfers meld really well and improve a ton through November and December and in January conference play, start to really sort of figure it out, and those teams will come on later in the year and their odds will probably reflect that.
26:51
But these teams up here deserve to be there. Alabama, it's a good pick.
26:54
I can't argue it, and I do think the transfer from Rutgers really helps them sl- solidify the defensive side of the ball, which was their weakness last year, but they still overcame that and got themselves to a final four.
27:03
As does the great Houston Mullet from, uh, Pepperdine, I should mention also. Uh, also a nice addition to Alabama. Mm. Mm.
27:08
Now, I steered you towards them, but if you had a choice, if you, if you were making a wager on the, uh, title winner at this point, who might it be based on the number?
27:17
The, guys, I don't ever make the futures for a championship. I like some final fours. Okay. Now, the last two years was, was weird. The last two years, the same, it was the same team.
27:24
Uh, two years ago they came inches shy. It was Creighton losing to San Diego State in the Elite Eight. Creighton got, what, sweet 16 last year, so it wasn't quite the same thing.
27:31
Um, when you look at the, at the odds overall, I think that's where you're trying to find some value. I'm looking for teams usually, you know, six to 15 to 1 and, and kind of off the beaten path.
27:41
'Cause again, all these teams that are, you're seeing on your screen right now, all the UConns or Kansas or Dukes, your Bama, Houston, those numbers are not gonna be even great to get to a, to a final four because they are not just the brand names, but they are the betting favorites in this regard.
27:53
I, I think when you look at, um, teams that have really retooled and you wonder what the coaching success they've had in the past, it's like more looking for trends than specific teams at this point in time for me.
28:03
'Cause honestly, guys, we're still two weeks out. I was at the Big East media days yesterday talking a bunch of Big 12 coaches. I feel like I'm still gathering some information 'cause you can read all you want on paper.
28:12
Uh, the difference is the coaches that are in it right now, and off the record, they will share how things are actually coming together.
28:17
And sometimes it's really good, and sometimes they'll tell you, "I have no freaking clue." Wow.
28:22
And that's when you start to have these exhibitions and these scrimmages, and even in those things, you don't necessarily know. So there's a lot of questions to be asked with two weeks out.
28:31
I think when we get to that point, I'll probably start off to write my piece.
28:33
I'll spend some more time with it and really focus on, again, that final four option and looking at those numbers, the teams that are a little bit off the beaten path, and particularly the coaches that I feel like, "Hey, we really got something here.
28:42
We really kind of blended it well together." Is there even one of those teams off the beaten path that might not be on, on most people's radars that you're like, "Okay, that team might be something"?
28:52
Well, I can't do Creighton again for a third year, but I do like [laughs] that they did the transfer portal.
28:56
Um, and I think also you're, you are playing a little bit of the, the brand name game in terms of teams that have less of that brand name gives you a chance to have, you know, some more value.
29:04
'Cause obviously that's, that, they factor that into all these numbers. All you guys know that. Um, I'm trying to think of one team off the beaten path. Uh, I think Marquette could be interesting, um,
29:17
just because I know they lost Kyle, Tyler Cole, if they lose Oso Ighodaro. But I do think that when you have Cam Jones, Sam Jones hopefully back from his ACL, they get a couple transfer pieces. Shakur's team is smart.
29:29
They are tough. They do exude him, and that's what this Marquette team has done the Texas teams didn't do. I think he's gone back to his DNA a bit. They got great guard play.
29:36
They've got guys that have made, you know, very, have had been battle tested in the Big East, have won the Big East, couldn't get over the hump in the big dance.
29:43
But, uh, I think their number in terms of a, a final four, this may be a chance for them, for them to kind of get, get over that piece and get there. I think Florida's gonna be interesting, too.
29:50
I think they've got some great guard play.
29:52
Uh, Condon in the middle I think is gonna be, uh, he is a really good player, but I think he'll continue to assert himself, and they all got some good transfers, some good young players as well.
30:00
Um, so I think Florida could be a team that could, you could look out for, 'cause again, it is tried but true. You need veteran guards that can get you buckets and create plays in March. They have that.
30:10
Uh, Marquette has that. So those are two teams that kind of jump out. I appreciate that.
30:13
All right, well, one last college basketball question then before we move on to soccer, which is, and this might be an impossible question to answer, but I'm just gonna ask you to sort of give your best shot here based on what you have seen, what you hear.
30:25
Uh, there have only been three freshmen to win the Wooden Award before. Mm. KD, AD, uh, and Zion. Cooper Flagg. Yeah. Might this be the fourth? He has a shot. What are, what w- h- and his number, what, plus 700, guys?
30:40
Now, and now- Yeah... that's tough because him as the favorite. 'Cause bear in mind, when Zion came in, guys, he wasn't even expected to be the best recruit on that team.
30:48
RJ Barrett was the higher recruit, the one that was picked to be the first team All American.
30:52
It was Zion that was the comet, literally and figuratively, like soaring through our televisions, that then took over college basketball. Cooper comes in with a ton of, ton of pressure.
31:00
The thing that he does have is he, he has a play starter in, in, in Proctor.
31:03
He's other, other guards and some bigs that have been played through, you know, have, have been around a little bit now, have got some experience. Um, he could do it. He is exceptional.
31:11
He is, he is a guy that's got hard skills at 6'11". He can finish with both hands. He can score at all three levels. He's gotta become... He's gotta be a little more committed defensively.
31:20
Every freshman's gotta figure that out and gotta learn that. Um, but I think when you look at that list, if I'm picking a player, I, I'm leaning towards a Mark Sears, um, more than Cooper Flagg.
31:31
I think I know what Mark Sears is gonna put up night in and night out.
31:34
Um, and I think that's, that, his level of effectiveness on a team that I think could be really good, to your initial question, leads me to say Sears would be the place, uh, person I'd put more of my money on.
31:43
I think AJ Storr up there is interesting, 'cause he may not even start for Kansas. That's interesting, 'cause he was really good, obviously, in the second transfer spot for Wisconsin.
31:50
I think he brings something really different to KU.
31:53
But to have him up there at 20 to 1, that's a little surprising to me to see, but that's, uh, it's interesting, 'cause I don't know if he'll really even necessarily start out the gate.
32:01
Yeah, for those, uh, not watching, Cooper Flagg and RJ Davis from Carolina are the short shots, both at 7 to 1. Then Hunter Dickinson in his, uh, 17th year of college basketball at plus 750. Exactly, geez.
32:11
[laughs] And then Sears at 9 to 1. Uh, last couple minutes here, Dallin. You are a huge soccer fan. Um, are you... Is, is soccer right on par with college basketball for you, by the way?
32:20
Right on, right in the same- Yeah, uh, yes. Guys, I, I...
32:23
The passion I have for watching the Premier League, guys, I, I lo- there's nothing, there's nothing I actually love watching more than those Premier League mornings. Mm-hmm.
32:29
And partially kind of how it fits into our, the, the landscape of our lives, where you can wake up and you roll out of bed and the games are on and you're locked in.
32:35
And, um, I've become a huge Arsenal fan over the last 20 years. And when you look at these numbers, um, this is concerning to me, 'cause I, I, I wanted Arsenal pre-season. They were second favorite to City. The City...
32:45
Now, I'm sure your audience probably knows, but City could be, face a points deduction based on all the financial rules they have broken. I'm just gonna say it.
32:53
I'm biased in this regard, guys, but I'm pretty sure they broke these freaking rules. [laughs] There's a lot of, there's a lot of paper trail out there.
32:58
[laughs] The question is, will they actually be punished for it, and will they be punished in this year?
33:02
Last year, they punished Everton and Nottingham Forest, two teams from the bottom of the, of the, of the league, but they did punish them in-season.
33:08
So if they do the same thing to City, that changes these odds significantly. And I do think if that was not lingering out there, their number, they would be odds-on favorites here.
33:16
This is a plus money play because that thing is lingering in the ether. I think if you're looking at a futures bet, these two teams are playing this weekend, Arsenal, Liverpool.
33:24
Liverpool might have the best setup to do this, guys. They, they, they're not, no longer in the, the, the, the Europa League. That means they don't have to play on Thursdays. They're back in the Champions League.
33:32
They've got some depth. They got a new coach. The City situation could happen. And Arsenal got, the three games they've dropped points in this year, guys, they haven't finished with 11 guys on the field.
33:39
They've gotten red cards in three of their eight matches. Like, they've had some real problems. They had some injury issues. So I'm saying if you're gonna go bet a future here, Liverpool's very interesting.
33:47
In the game this weekend, Arsenal, Liverpool, you might see a defensive battle. The under is not g- the under is gonna be juiced, uh, plus money, I imagine. That would be your play.
33:57
So that's where I'm at on this game coming up on Sunday. Dallin, appreciate it so much. Good luck with the boy. Uh, thank you very much.
34:03
And next time, guys, I'll come loaded with more plays just to fire off like I normally do- [laughs]... especially when we start college football. You're awesome. Thank you so much.
34:09
[upbeat music] A numbers game on VSiN, the sports betting network. Back on a numbers game, live from Circa Resort Casino, downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. It's Gil Alexander.
34:26
It is, uh, Kelly Bidlin alongside. Hey, uh, you got $10,000 to, uh, put on a bet here, Kelly, at all? Of course. Do you? Always. What about 9,000? I think that works as well. [laughs] If I've got 10, I've got 9.
34:37
If you're that type of player and wanna put that on an NFL line at the best price in the market, perhaps you're looking to get your in-game play instantly accepted, introducing Sport Trade, the app that's gonna change sports betting forever, minus 104 lines instead of the typical minus 110.
34:49
Instant in-game betting and a concierge player service, Sport Trade, perfect for those who want a premium betting experience. Sport Trade, live in New Jersey, Colorado, Iowa, now Arizona, coming to Virginia soon.
34:59
Download Sport Trade. Use code VSiN to earn 10% cashback on each wager in your first week. Terms apply. Gotta be 21 years or older to play.
35:06
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER. It's Gil Alexander, uh, Kelly Bidlin, uh, alongside, of course. Um, we get tweets @BeatingTheBook.
35:18
Always appreciate the feedback. Have I read tweets today? I don't think I've read any tweets yet. No, you haven't. Uh, this is from, let's see, where do we start? Let's start with, uh, Anthony Trittolo.
35:27
Anthony Trittolo, "I love the show, especially on Thursdays when Crack Man is on. I also feel that the moniker of sidekick is a powerful term. Just think of Batman and Robin. Robin was a great sidekick."
35:37
I, I don't mind- Still with us? I don't mind it, but- Uh... let's pick a better sidekick than Robin. Robin was weak. Hmm. Robin was weak, really? Yeah. Okay.
35:45
Colin Murphy, "I cannot wait for the new Jardiance commercial featuring JoEl and Bead, the original Jardiance woman and Kelly." [laughs] The three of you. Let's do it. Let's go. The three of you.
35:54
[laughs] Zach Cohen- Wait for the call. [laughs] Ja- Zach chimes in, "With Jardiance, it's easy to see- [laughs] "... we're working with JoEl and Bead."
36:02
Uh, Shine, Professor Shine says, "The Sixers and, uh, Daryl Morey did not realize that they can load manage Embiid and still have him play in the opener?
36:10
I'm in this area, and the optics are bad as, are as bad as you think. It's all anyone is talking about." Shine is with me on that. Hmm. Like, come on, Sixers. Well, I mean, the, yes, the optics are terrible.
36:20
I'm not disagreeing with that. And then Prime Time, "Yo, I'm sorry. As a Bucs fan, I was not disappointed in the decision to rest Embiid and George in the season oper, uh, season opener.
36:30
Obviously, MLB's pitch clock is to blame." [laughs] That's right, it's always the MLB pitch clock.
36:36
He adds, "PS, I'm, uh, home ill today, catching you on You- uh, YouTube TV, and you and Kelly are on the wrong side," he says. What's up? Thank you for that Still bothering some people out there.
36:46
[laughs] Still bothering some folks. Um, okay, you ready for the Larceny Smooth Bet of the Week? Let's do it. Let's do it. Larceny Smooth Bet of the Week.
36:54
Once again, uh, Smooth Bet of the Week presented by Larceny Wheat Bourbon. Locking a win in seas tonight, Bardstown, Kentucky. 46% alcohol by volume. Think wisely, drink wisely.
37:04
All right, Kelly, uh, Larceny Smooth Bet of the Week. I have, uh, discussed this on multiple occasions this week. I don't know if you know this, but the World Series begins tomorrow night. No way. No, it's true.
37:16
It's a bit of a, it's a bit too long of a break. It is. It is. Yeah, and it is Yankees-Dodgers, which is great for, for, you know, the, the network, um, you know, for Fox, everybody, uh, airing this.
37:26
It's, it's a wonderful thing, and, and as I said, and as Paul Spoor said, didn't really want this to be the matchup based on our bets, but now that it's here, cool, embracing it.
37:34
Um, but yeah, because they played a six game, the Dodgers and Mets, we had to wait apparently till Friday. Had they got that series done in five like the Yankees did in the ALCS, we would've had this started already.
37:46
We would've already had two games under our belt. Anyway, uh, I'm on the Dodgers. I'm on the Dodgers at minus 124. Uh, you could see it as high as minus 135 now, but, you know, shop around.
37:55
There might be, uh, close to that price right now. And my, my reasoning again is that I just feel like the margin of error is so much thinner for the Yankees. And is there a possibility the Yankees could win this series?
38:08
Obviously, it's baseball.
38:09
But if you're asking me, uh, why I made the bet, the bet is simple, that I believe the Dodgers lineup is so good, so impervious to, you know, one player, two players having a bad run, that they're so loaded that they will make up for that against the Yankees, you know, starting pitching staff that is headlined by Gerrit Cole, who hasn't been spectacular, uh, in this postseason.
38:33
And then there's Carlos Rodón, who's, you know, look, you g- you c- we've seen good Carlos Rodón of late, but there's absolutely no one that I trust less, to be quite honest with you, as a guy who used to bet Carlos Rodón games over a dec- uh, seemingly about, like, eight years ago when he played for the White Sox, when he was a walk machine.
38:52
So I'm always braced for that, for that return.
38:55
Um, but I guess what I'm saying is I'm, I don't find the Yankees starting pitchy, uh, pitching staff, uh, that reliable against this kind of Dodgers lineup, which is one of a kind, quite frankly.
39:07
And the Yankees bullpen, which is really thin, right? Because you have Kaindle and Holmes and Hill and Weaver. Maybe you get Nestor Cortes, uh, back to, uh, to bolster that.
39:16
But Kaindle's a guy who all he does is throw change-ups. That's the kind of thing where the Dodgers will absolutely, with their patience, uh, destroy that kind of thing.
39:23
So that's on the one hand, that's how I believe the Dodgers are just set up to win this series. I believe they'll do it rather quickly. I have a bet in, on them doing it in five at six to one odds as well.
39:36
Now, the case for the Yankees, 'cause I wanna be fair about it, as I've said all week is, the path for the Yankees is pretty simple to me.
39:42
Aaron Judge returns in this World Series to becoming the Aaron Judge that we all remember him to have been in the regular season.
39:48
Giancarlo Stanton continues the hot streak and does not revert to how he was in the regular season.
39:54
Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres do not revert to how they were in the regular season, and they're actually as patient, uh, as they have been in the postseason and still get on base.
40:03
The point of all this discussion is most things do revert to how the m- the larger sample size had, had, uh, as their staples.
40:11
And so with this extra rest, I really do think it hurts the Yankees because you're not continuing to play, and the likelihood of you reverting to your mean is that much more.
40:21
And so I do believe the path, though, is for those things to happen, good Judge, still good Stanton, still good, uh, Torres and Volpe. Cole has a great outing or two. Rodón is this guy that, of late, that is spectacular.
40:37
And the real key for the Yankees, if Torres and Volpe and the, the guys not named Stanton, Judge, and Soto are able to get on base, the whole key for the Yankees is get to that Dodgers bullpen.
40:50
The Dodgers starters are thin, I agree. Flaherty, Bueller, um, and Yamamoto, that's their starters, so they're gonna have to have a bullpen game.
40:58
And the key to the Dodgers' postseason run has been, both against the, uh, Mets and then the Padres prior to that, the fact that Dave Roberts has managed this well enough where the opposing batters did not get to see Dodgers' bullpen, part of that bullpen, which by the way, is super deep.
41:13
They've used so many pitchers, right, out of the bullpen. Hudson, Banda, Kopech, Phillips, Treinen, Kasparian, Brasier, uh, Honeywell, Enriquez, Knack. Those guys aren't really that good.
41:26
Mark Borcher did a great job of breaking that down yesterday.
41:29
But if you only get to see them once or twice at the most, your rate of success is gonna be exponentially greater than if you have, than if you get to see them a third time or a fourth time during a long series.
41:40
So that's the Yankees path. Get to the Dodgers starters early, get to the bullpen early, so that they can then, as the series moves on, see those bullpen parts multiple times. But
41:52
I made the bet on the Dodgers because I believe that is a much thinner path than what the Dodgers have. The Dodgers have much more margin for error.
41:59
And so I thought minus 124, which is the precise n- number I betted at, was a great price.
42:03
Yeah, one question, uh, for you on that 'cause it, we've really, all we've heard is some Do- Dodgers love from some sh- uh, from some sharp guys.
42:11
All we've really seen in the market is movement towards that Dodgers side more and more. What do you think's the buy point for someone like a, like a Mark Borcher or something like that on the Yankees?
42:21
Plus, uh, he said plus one, anything plus 110. I would go- Okay... plus 120, plus 125. 'Cause we're, we're seeing it hit plus 120 now, so I, yeah. Yeah, it's getting there. It's getting there. Okay.
42:30
It's getting there, yeah. Uh, before we get to the Crackman, I wanted to get this in 'cause we talked politics yesterday on the show, and again, we're 12 days away from the election.
42:37
Not sure if you're aware of that, Kelly. Yep, coming up. 12 days away. Um, you early voting or you voting on day of? V- uh, voting on day of. I am, too. I'm a day of voter. Um, I like that, I like the whole process.
42:46
I like to be part of the fabric of our great nation.
42:49
Um, but one of the things we do with college basketball is we have the tried and true college basketball formula that we do that is, that always works with the exception of the 2014 UConn Huskies.
42:57
And so listen, apolitically speaking, I don't endorse this. Um, I'm not even sure I buy into it at all.
43:04
But, uh- There is a gentleman, he's a professor at American University, his name is Allan Lichtman, and he has predicted the winner of each of the last 10 national presidential elections in this country. He's nine of 10.
43:17
The only one he missed on was Gore and Bush in the year 2000. Of course, as I said, uh, colloquially speaking, that went to the judges, if you will.
43:25
Um, well, he has a tried and true formula of 13 different keys, um, to this formula, 13 different ones, and his point here is that Kamala is leading those 13, nine to four, nine to four, and he points out that Trump needs to win six of them, six of them.
43:45
We can flash those up on the screen. I won't go through all of them, but you'll see that the green check marks are for Kamala, the, uh, the four Xs are where Trump wins. There is some subjectivity to it, right?
43:55
Like, if you go into some of these, right, they're-- I'm, I'm looking at, uh, you know, uh, I'm trying to think of one, uh, sustained social-- um, a White House party has made major changes to national policy, right?
44:07
That's sort of a nebulous one, where he gives that to, uh, the Kamala side. So anyway, per his formula, if you buy into such a thing, he has Kamala winning 12 days out here from the election.
44:21
I, again, just wanna preface it by saying, or, or sort of back up by saying, I don't endorse this.
44:26
I'm just saying because we do it for college basketball, I thought it would be interesting to go to a guy who has been successful nine out of 10 times picking the winner of the presidential election.
44:34
Obviously, it will only matter what the Electoral College has to say 12 days from now, but per Allan Lichtman, he's trying to go 10 for 11. He's got Kamala.
44:44
Or will he go nine for 11, and it will be former President Donald Trump who wins the presidency again? Um, it's a coin flip to me, man. Yeah. It is, though. We'll see what-- That's Lichtman's point of view, anyway.
44:55
We'll come back. Crack Man unscripted next on the Numbers Game at VSiN, the sports betting network.
A Numbers Game
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