Miami Florida Hurricanes vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Point Spread Picks

Miami is 2-0, ranked No. 5 nationally, and has allowed 13 points all season. Miami went to Stanford and won 45-6 against a ranked team, then hung 77 on Florida A&M. Wake Forest is 2-0 as well, but the resume underneath it is a home win over Akron and two overtimes to survive at Purdue, a team whose only win this season came against an FCS opponent. Tonight's number is built on Wake Forest's record, and the record is the least informative thing about them. Gio Lopez is probable after taking a hit to the hip, and Wake Forest gets Miami in its conference opener at home. Neither of those closes a gap this size. Wake Forest has not faced an offense this close to this one. Indiana comes out of the World Cup break at 26-14, scoring 97.0 points per game, the most in the league. Toronto is 11-29 and allows 93.8 points per game, the most in the league. Indiana won both meetings this season, 113-91 in June and 101-95 in Toronto in August, and the August game matters tonight. Toronto scored 95 in it with Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, and Aneesah Morrow all available. All three are now out for the season. Indiana's defense ranks 12th and will hand Toronto points a better defensive team would not, and that is the one argument against this side. It does not survive the injury report. Indiana has four games left and sits one spot outside home court for the first round. Toronto has been out of the race for weeks. Golden State is 29-11 and allows 75.4 points per game, nearly eight fewer than any other team in the league. Portland is 16-25, eliminated from the playoff race and eight games behind the last postseason spot. Portland lost at home to Phoenix last night and now plays the second night of a back-to-back on the road, with Sarah Ashlee Barker, Sania Feagin and Luisa Geiselsoder out for the year, plus more bodies unavailable. Golden State won both meetings by 18 and by 17. Golden State has not played since August 30 and is still working players back from World Cup duty, which matters before laying this price. Portland is in the same spot as the rest, with nothing to play for, and a Golden State win tonight clinches home court in the first round. None of these three is worth laying on its own. Combine Miami's -1329, Indiana's -809, and Golden State's -669, and the ticket prices out at -257, with no spread to sweat on any leg and three favorites that need to do nothing but win.

The Hurricanes have their best team in years, and have received word that they will be eligible for Bowl play this season, which has to be a huge lift for this unbeaten team. They need some help, but with a game forthcoming vs. Florida State, they can certainly make their case a lot better. Wake Forest has had just one game vs. an elite team, and if that is any indication of what to expect here, they are in a lot of trouble. The Deacons lost to Clemson 56-7 as a 28.5 point dog on the road, and as a result, this number looks pretty small to me. The Deacs simply have not been competitive on the road vs. a team with a winning home record where they are 2-14 ATS in their last 16 such games. This season they are averaging just 14 points per game away from home and that ain't gonna cut it against the Canes who average over 44 per game here. Take Miami.

The Hurricanes may not be up to the level of the National Championship teams of the past, but the program is definitely on an uptick, entering this one at 5-2. The Hurricanes have lost to Virginia Tech and Clemson, and already own big wins over Oklahoma, Florida State and Georgia Tech. They are going to be angry and ready to prove something after dropping the last game to Clemson. The Hurricanes are averaging over 30 points per game and are led by dynamic QB Jacory Harris, who is passing for 9.4 yards per attempt. Their team speed is something that Wake simply can't match up with. The Demon Deacons are struggling offensively right now as they posted just 10 vs. Navy and a 3-spot vs. Clemson in their last two games. Those two losses saw Wake total just 486 yards of offense. The Canes defense is currently ranked No. 34 in the country, and Wake will have a difficult time moving the ball here against a very quick and athletic defense. Then Canes have fared well on the road where they are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 road tilts. And, the Deacons have no bark as a home dog dropping their last four. I like Miami to get the win and cover in this one.