Big Ten Report
By ASA
Editor’s Note: Don’t miss out on daily college basketball winners from ASA on VegasInsider.com. Click to win!
Each week we will take an inside look at the pulse of college basketball around the Big Ten and other schools in the Midwest region. We will highlight certain trends, hot streaks, cold streaks, and injury updates. There are a number of things that caught our attention as professional handicappers this week. We’d like to share some…
Big Ten
Illinois Fighting Illini: After dropping three of five games, the Illini have bounced back by winning three straight conference games, including a huge home win over fifth ranked Ohio State. Junior guard Brandon Paul dropped 43 points on the Buckeyes and is now averaging 20.4 points over the past five games. After that big win, be conscious about a let-down performance this weekend when Illinois travels to Penn State.
Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans have reeled off 15 straight wins after kicking off the season 0-2. They’ve won their first four conference games in impressive fashion; winning against Indiana, at Nebraska, at Wisconsin, and Iowa by 16 points per game. MSU is doing it with suffocating defense (13th in opponents’ field goal percentage) and strong rebounding (+13.3 rebounds per game).
Indiana Hoosiers: Indiana seems to be getting a bit overvalued by the oddsmakers. The Hoosiers are 15-1 but have failed to cover three of their last four games. They notched notable primetime victories over Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Kentucky but this is still a young squad and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a midseason swoon.
Wisconsin Badgers: Wisconsin has dropped three straight conference games (0-3 ATS) after its 18-point loss to Michigan on Sunday. The Badgers have made just 33% their last three games including 21.4% beyond the arc. The 41 points against Michigan was Wisconsin’s lowest regular season point total since 1999.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: Nebraska’s rough start continues. The Huskers have yet to win a conference game in their first season as a member of the Big Ten. They’ve dropped those four games by an average of 18 points per game. Center Jorge Brian Diaz (10.9 PPG) returned to the lineup against Illinois and will likely see more time going forward.
Minnesota Gophers: Minnesota has dropped four straight conference games to open Big 10 play and is just 1-5 ATS in its last six games. The Gophers play three of their next four games on the road, including road tests at 15-1 Indiana and 15-2 Michigan State.
Iowa Hawkeyes: The Hawks opened up Big Ten play strong, winning two of their first three games (3-0 ATS). They got a bit of a wake-up call their last two, however, losing to Ohio State and Michigan State by a combined 63 points.
News & Notes from other teams around the Midwest
Iowa State Cyclones: Iowa State has won seven straight games and is 2-0 in conference play after convincing wins over Texas and Texas A&M. Four players average double figure points per game and the Cyclones are one of the better rebounding teams in the nation (44th in rebounding margin). We’ll find out a lot more about Iowa State in the next two games with matchups against ninth ranked Missouri and 10th ranked Kansas.
Missouri Tigers: After averaging 86 points per game during their 14-0 start (never scoring fewer than 75 points); the Tigers managed just 59 points in their first loss of the season to Kansas State (shot 32.7%). Still, Missouri ranks 4th nationally in points per game, 2nd in field goal percentage, and 11th from beyond the arc. Depth could be an issue as Kadeem Green decided to transfer last week. Green, a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman, was averaging 3.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.5 minutes off the bench for Missouri.
Kansas State Wildcats: K State is one of the more difficult teams to forecast. In their last three games the Wildcats got whacked at Kansas (lost by 18 points), smoked Missouri (won by 16), then lost at home to Baylor. Oklahoma Sooners: The Sooners 10-2 start to the season appears to be somewhat of an aberration. They’ve now dropped their first three conference games by an average of 19 points per game (0-3 ATS).
Marquette Golden Eagles: The Eagles have dropped four of their last six games and are just 2-6-1 ATS the previous nine overall. Scoring is down from 84 points per game through the first 10 games to just 66 points per game over the previous six. One thing remains constant; however, Marquette is strong as an underdog with a 3-0 ATS mark this season.
Cincinnati Bearcats: Cincinnati recently got three players – Yancy Gates, Cheikh Mbodj, Octavious Ellis – back after each served a six-game suspension. The Bearcats are integrating them back into the lineup; most notably Gates, who is averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds since his return.
Dayton Flyers: The 12-4 Flyers have won back-to-back games since losing starting forward Josh Benson. Benson led the team in blocked shots and field goal percentage, and was second in points and rebounds before a knee injury ended his campaign. His absence hasn’t hindered Dayton yet, as the Flyers reeled off wins against Saint Louis and Temple (2-0 ATS).
Xavier Musketeers: Xavier has now dropped five of its last seven games and is just 1-6 ATS over that span. The Musketeers start a three-game home stand on Wednesday to try and get out of this funk.
Cleveland State Vikings: Starting guard Trevon Harmon suffered a concussion on December 31st against Youngstown State. The Vikings lost a halftime lead after Harmon was injured and lost the game by eight points. He missed the Vikings’ game against Illinois-Chicago (W 73-56), but returned against Loyola-Chicago last Saturday. Harmon led the team with 20 points and Cleveland State cruised to an easy victory.
Missouri State Bears: Starting center Caleb Patterson missed two games with a concussion. Patterson is the team’s second leading scorer and the team’s best defensive player in the paint (big reason why MSU is 27th in opponent’s field goal percentage). He returned in a big way in the last game against Southern Illinois with 15 points off the bench in the 12 point win. The Bears were 1-1 without him.
Wichita State Shockers: Wichita State has won 11 of its last 12 games and is tied atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings. The oddsmakers are favoring the Shockers a bit too much, however, as WSU is 0-4 ATS the last four games and just 2-6 ATS as a double digit favorite this season.