CBB Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
Selection Sunday for this season’s NCAA Men’s Tournament is less than a month away and while we have already witnessed a number of amazing buzzer-beaters and stunning upsets, you know the best is yet to come. The remaining basketball schedule is filled with a number of key contests that will go a long way towards shaping the field of 68 teams when the madness gets underway in mid-March.
The following is a brief look at this week’s top matchups for each day along with a few facts and figures to help handicap the games.
No. 10 Kansas Jayhawks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas followed-up last Wednesday night’s 68-54 rout of No.6 Baylor as a two-point road underdog with an 81-66 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday as a 17 ½-point home favorite. The Jayhawks are now 20-5 straight-up and 12-11-1 against the spread. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 15 of their 24 games.
Kansas State fell to 17-7 SU and 9-11 ATS after losing to Texas 75-64 this past Saturday as a four-point road underdog. The Wildcats are 10-2 SU at home, but just 3-5 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of the eight games. These two met on Jan.4 with Kansas coming away with a 67-49 victory as a 10-point home favorite. The Jayhawks are favored by four points on the road in this one.
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Ohio State will surely fall in the rankings after a stunning 58-48 loss to Michigan State this past Saturday as an 8½-point home favorite. The Buckeyes are now 21-4 SU and 12-8 ATS. They are 4-3 SU (3-4 ATS) on the road and the total has gone ‘over’ in four of the seven games.
Minnesota has lost three of its last five games and is now 17-8 SU on the year and 11-10-1 ATS. It is 12-3 SU at home and 6-5-1 ATS. The total has gone 4-7-1 in the 12 games. The Golden Gophers are 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS in their last six games against the Buckeyes overall, but 3-1 SU and ATS at home.
No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Miami Hurricanes
North Carolina bounced-back from last Wednesday’s last-second 85-84 loss to No.9 Duke as a six-point home favorite with a 70-52 romp over No.20 Virginia as a nine-point home favorite this past Saturday. The Tar Heels are 21-4 SU (12-12 ATS) overall and 6-3 SU (4-5 ATS) on the road. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of their last eight games.
Miami is 15-8 SU (10-9-1 ATS) on the year and 10-2 SU (4-5-1 ATS) at home this season. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last six games. The Hurricanes lost to North Carolina 73-56 on Jan.10 as 16 ½-point road underdogs.
No. 22 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 12 Michigan State Spartans
Last Thursday, Wisconsin knocked-off Minnesota 68-61 in overtime as a 1½-point road favorite. The win boosted the Badgers’ record to 19-6 SU and 13-9 ATS. They are 6-2 SU on the road and 5-3 ATS. The total is an even 4-4 in those eight games.
Michigan State beat the Badgers 63-60 in overtime on Jan.3 as a 6½-point road underdog. With Saturday’s win over Ohio State, the Spartans are now 20-5 SU overall and 9-3 SU in the Big Ten. They are 15-7 ATS overall and 9-3 ATS at home. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of their last seven games.
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Virginia Commonwealth Rams
Northern Iowa is 17-10 SU (13-13 ATS) including a 65-62 victory over then-No.12 Creighton as a 1 ½-point home underdog earlier this month. The Panthers are 3-7 SU on the road this season and 4-6 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of the 10 games.
VCU has reeled-off 11 straight wins to move to 22-5 SU on the year. It is 14-11-1 ATS overall and the total has gone 11-14-1 in the 26 games. The Rams are 11-1 SU at home this season and 6-4-1 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in nine of the 11 games.
Mississippi Rebels vs. No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats
Ole Miss is 15-9 SU heading into a Thursday night matchup with Vanderbilt. It is 10-11-1 ATS and the total as gone 10-12. The Rebels are 4-8 SU on the road this season and 5-5 ATS. The total has gone 6-4 in those 10 games.
Kentucky got by Vanderbilt 69-63 this past Saturday as a 4½-point road favorite. The Wildcats are now 25-1 SU on the year and a perfect 16-0 SU at home, but just 10-14-1 ATS overall and 4-10-1 ATS in 15 home games. They have covered the spread in their last six games overall with the total staying ‘under’ in five of those games.