Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 | 3:27 p.m.
The fifth season of the annual Play of the Day betting competition between the Sun's sports staff is now under way, effective July 1.
Bankrolls start at $10,000 for each of the four participants, with the objective to increase it as much as possible over the next year. The minimum daily wager is $300, with a $200 penalty assessed for failing to place a bet on an assigned day.
Past winners are Case Keefer in 2017-2018, Ray Brewer in 2016-2017 and 2015-2016, and Taylor Bern in 2014-2015.
UCLA minus-1.5 vs. Arizona State: $440 to win $400
Don’t let its last two games fool you; UCLA has been a much better team since the firing of Steve Alford.
The Bruins won and covered in their first three games under interim coach Murry Bartow before coming back to life and losing by double digits to Oregon State and USC last week. The Beavers and Trojans are underrated if anything, though.
Arizona State, on the other hand, is overrated. The Sun Devils have a couple nice wins — namely Kansas and Mississippi State — but haven’t played as well in conference.
They already have a couple no-shows in upset losses to Utah and Stanford.
UCLA could provide a similar surprise, considering it’s one of the only teams in the Pac-12 that’s capable of thriving at the uptempo pace Arizona State prefers to play. The Bruins are also strong defensively, which could also frustrate the Sun Devils.
Based on how both teams have played in conference, UCLA should be laying at least 3 points here. The Bruins should win tonight.
Current Standings: Brewer (16-13-1, $12,120), Keefer (26-19-2, $12,056), Emerson (2-3, $7,187), Grimala (14-14-1, $4,050)
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy