CBB Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The men's college basketball season closes-out the month of January and we have already witnessed a number of shocking upsets and fantastic finishes. You have to believe that the best is yet to come as teams get set to hit the stretch run in their quest to earn a spot in this March's NCAA Tournament. Every game on the schedule from now until the end of the regular season is an opportunity to take another step toward making that dream a reality.
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 30 - No. 2 Missouri Tigers vs. Texas Longhorns
Missouri cruised past Texas Tech 63-50 this past Saturday, but could not cover as a 23½-point home favorite. The Tigers are now 19-2 straight-up on the year, but just 10-6 against the spread. They are 6-2 SU (5-3 ATS) on the road and the total has gone 'over' in five of the eight games.
Texas continues to struggle in the Big 12 with just one victory in its last five conference games. The slide started with an 84-73 loss to the Tigers as a 9 ½-point road underdog on January 14 and continued with a 76-71 loss to No. 7 Baylor this past Saturday as a seven-point road dog. The Longhorns are now 13-8 SU and 6-10 ATS. They have been opened as one-point home underdogs for this game.
Tuesday, January 31 - Tennessee Volunteers vs. No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats
Tennessee won for just its second time in its last six games and is now 10-11 SU (11-7-1 ATS) overall after knocking off Auburn 64-49 as an 8½-point home favorite this past Saturday. One of the Volunteers' earlier losses in the SEC this season was a hard-fought 65-62 setback to the Wildcats on January 14 as 9½-point home underdogs.
Kentucky is 21-1 SU on the year but just 6-14-1 ATS. It did cover the spread in its last two victories on the road, but is still a woeful 2-10-1 ATS at home this season. The total has stayed 'under' in 13 of the 21 games overall, but has gone 'over' in seven of the 13 games at home.
Wednesday, February 1 - Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks
Oklahoma snapped a two-game slide with a stunning 63-60 victory over No. 24 Kansas State this past Saturday as an 11½-point road underdog. The Sooners are 13-7 SU and 7-9 ATS on the year. The first time these two met this season, Oklahoma lost 72-65 as a 4½-point home underdog.
Kansas is coming off a stunning 72-64 loss to Iowa State as a seven-point road favorite. Saturday's loss dropped the Jayhawks to 17-4 SU and 10-10 ATS. They are 11-1 SU at home this season and 6-5 ATS. The total has also gone 6-5 in the 11 games.
Thursday, February 2 - No. 6 Duke Blue Devils vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Duke comes into this game at 18-3 SU after posting an 83-76 nonconference win over St. John's this past Saturday, but it fell to 8-13 ATS after failing to cover as a 17 ½-point home favorite. The Blue Devils are 3-2 SU on the road this season and 2-3 ATS. The total went 'over' in three of the five games.
Virginia Tech fell to 12-9 SU overall and 1-5 SU in the ACC with Saturday's 73-69 loss to Maryland as a two-point road favorite. The Hokies are now 6-10-1 ATS overall and the total has stayed 'under' in 11 of the 17 games. They are 8-4 SU at home this season, but just 3-5 ATS.
Friday, February 30 - Cornell Big Red vs. No. 23 Harvard Crimson
Cornell is 7-11 SU (5-5 ATS) overall this season and still looking for its first victory on the road against nine previous defeats. The total has stayed 'under' in seven of 10 games overall and in five of seven on the road.
Harvard continues to hold a spot in the national rankings with nine wins in their last 10 games SU but is just 4-6 ATS. Overall, the Crimson are 18-2 SU and 9-6 ATS. They are a perfect 6-0 SU (1-3 ATS) at home this season and the total has stayed 'under' in 11 of their 14 games overall.
Saturday, February 4 - No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 25 Wisconsin Badgers
Ohio State rolled-over No. 22 Michigan this past Sunday 64-49 as a 14-point home favorite to improve to 19-3 SU and 11-6 ATS. The Buckeyes now lead the Big Ten with a 7-2 SU record and are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games. They are 2-4 ATS on the road this season and the total has gone 'over' in four of the games.
Wisconsin improved to 17-5 SU with last Thursday night's 57-50 victory over No. 17 Indiana, but failed to cover as an eight-point home favorite. The Badgers are 12-7 ATS overall and 6-5 ATS at home with the total staying 'under' in eight of the 11 games. They face Penn State on the road this Tuesday night before returning home to host the Buckeyes on Saturday.