Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The 2011-12 men’s college basketball season has reached the halfway point of its first full month of conference play and we have already seen our fair share of stunning upsets and fantastic finishes as teams continue their quest to secure a place in this year’s NCAA Tournament in mid-March. Every game on the schedule from now until the start of the conference tournaments at the end of the season is a golden opportunity for the top teams in the country to continue to build a resume that is worthy of an automatic invitation to the big dance.
The following is a brief look at the top matchups for each day this week along with a few facts and figures to help handicap the games.
Monday, January 16 - No. 15 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 24 Marquette Golden Eagles
Louisville cruised past DePaul this past Saturday 76-59 as a 15½ -point home favorite to raise its record on the year to 14-4 straight-up and 7-7-1 against the spread. It was just the Cardinals’ second victory in their past five games after opening the season with 12 straight wins.
Marquette upended Pittsburgh 62-57 as a 9½ -point home favorite on Saturday to post just its third victory in its last six games. The Golden Eagles are also 14-4 SU and 6-8-1 ATS. They are 9-1 SU at home this season, but only 1-5-1 ATS. Marquette has been opened as a five-point home favorite over the Cardinals.
Tuesday, January 17 - No. 7 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 13 Michigan Wolverines
The Spartans’ 15-game winning streak came to a stunning end this past Saturday with an 81-74 loss to Northwestern as five-point road favorites. It was just their third loss of the season against 15 wins and it dropped their record ATS to 10-5. The total has now gone ‘over’ in seven of Michigan State’s last eight games.
Michigan is also coming off a tough loss on Saturday in a 75-59 setback to Iowa as a 2½-point road favorite. The Wolverines fell to 14-4 SU on the year and 8-7 ATS. They remain a perfect 11-0 SU at home this season, but are just 4-4 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in nine of their 15 games overall this season.
Wednesday, January 18 - No. 20 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Mississippi Rebels
The Bulldogs pushed their way past Alabama 56-52 last Saturday as 1 ½-point home underdogs to raise their overall record on the year to 15-3 SU and 9-8 ATS. Not counting tournaments, Mississippi State has played just two games on the road this season and is 1-1 both SU and ATS.
Mississippi has now lost five of its last seven games including a 69-68 overtime setback to Auburn this past Saturday as a one-point road favorite. Overall, the Rebels are now 11-6 SU and 6-8-1 ATS. They are a perfect 8-0 SU at home and 3-2-1 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of six home games this season.
Thursday, January 19 - No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
The Tar Heels will be looking to pick up the pieces from Saturday’s embarrassing 90-57 beatdown at the hands of Florida State as six-point road favorites. It was North Carolina’s first loss in its last 10 games and it is now 15-3 SU on the year and 9-8 ATS. The Tar Heels remain ranked first in the nation in scoring with an average of 85.2 points a game.
Virginia Tech is still looking for its first victory in the ACC this season after Saturday’s 61-59 shocking loss to Boston College as a 10-point road favorite. The Hokies are now 11-6 SU overall and 5-7-1 ATS. They have failed to cover the spread in four of their last seven games.
Friday, January 20 - Green Bay Phoenix vs. Cleveland State Vikings
Green Bay snapped a four-game losing streak with a 57-56 win over Wright State on Saturday, but could not cover as a 5½-point home favorite. The Phoenix are now 7-10 SU overall and 7-7 ATS. They have yet to win a game on the road this season at 0-9 SU, but are 5-3 ATS.
The Vikings are coming off a 72-66 loss to Valparaiso this past Sunday as one-point road underdogs. They are 15-4 SU overall and 5-2 SU in the Horizon League. Cleveland State is 7-9 ATS and the total has gone ‘over’ in its last eight games after staying ‘under’ in its first eight.
Saturday, January 21 - No. 1 Syracuse Orange vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Orange notched their 19th-straight victory of the season with a 78-55 romp over Providence this last Saturday as 20-point home favorites. They are 13-5 ATS overall and a perfect 4-0 ATS on the road. Syracuse is averaging 80.4 points and 37.1 rebounds a game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field.
Notre Dame came up way short in a 67-53 loss to Connecticut this past Saturday as a two-point home underdog. The Irish fell to 11-7 SU and are a costly 3-7-2 ATS. The total stayed ‘under’ the 129-point line against the Huskies and has now stayed ‘under’ in six of their last seven games.