CBB Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The start of this year's NCAA Men's Tournament is a little over a month away and it is crunch time for a number of teams which are either jockeying for position for a top seed or trying to work their way off of the bubble to even get into the big dance. The remaining few weeks of the regular season leading up to the conference tournaments are filled with a number of key contests that will go a long way towards shaping the actual 68-team field.
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.
Monday, Feb. 20 - No. 10 Baylor Bears vs. Texas Longhorns
Baylor has dropped three of its last four games to fall to 22-5 straight-up and 9-5 SU in the Big 12. It is 8-12 against the spread overall and the total has gone an even 10-10 on the year. The Bears beat Texas 76-71 on Jan.28 as seven-point home favorites and are 2½-point road underdogs this time around. Texas's recent four-game winning streak came to an end with a 90-78 loss to Oklahoma State this past Saturday as a four-point road favorite. The Longhorns are now 17-10 SU overall and 7-7 SU in conference play. They are 14-2 SU and 4-6-1 ATS at home with the total staying 'under' in seven of the 11 games.
Tuesday, Feb. 21 - No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats vs. No. 23 Mississippi State Bulldogs
Kentucky's tear through the SEC has it a perfect 12-0 SU in conference play and it is 26-1 SU overall. The Wildcats are 10-15-1 ATS this season, but 6-1 ATS in their last seven games. They are 6-4 ATS on the road and the total has stayed 'under' in nine of the 10 games. Mississippi State has lost its last three games and four of its last six to fall to 19-8 SU and 6-6 SU in the SEC. The Bulldogs are 11-14 ATS overall and 6-10 ATS at home this season. They are just 1-6 ATS in their last seven games and the total has gone 'over' in their last three games against the Wildcats.
Wednesday, Feb. 22 - No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Kansas's four-game winning streak has it tied with Missouri atop the Big 12 standings at 12-2 SU. The Jayhawks are 22-5 SU overall and 14-11-1 ATS. They beat the Aggies 64-54 at home on Jan.23, but came nowhere near covering the 19-point spread. They are 6-5-1 ATS on the road this season and the total has stayed 'under' in 11 of the 12 games. Texas A&M is just 4-10 SU in conference play and 13-13 SU overall. It has lost five of its last six games, but hung tough in a 71-62 loss to No.3 Missouri this past Saturday as a seven-point home underdog. The Aggies are 11-9 ATS overall and 6-4 ATS at home. The total has gone 6-4 in the 10 games.
Thursday, Feb. 23 - No. 4 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 21 Florida State Seminoles
Duke will look to avenge an earlier 76-73 loss to the Seminoles as a 10½-point home favorite. It comes into this matchup 23-4 SU overall and tied with Florida State and North Carolina at 10-2 SU for the lead in the ACC. The Blue Devils are 12-15 ATS this season and 7-6 ATS on the road. Florida State rolled over North Carolina State 76-62 this past Saturday as a two-point road underdog to boost its overall record to 19-7. The Seminoles are 13-11 ATS overall and 8-5 ATS at home. They are 1-4 ATS in their last five games and the total has stayed 'under' in five of their last seven games overall.
Friday, Feb. 24 - No. 13 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
Marquette is 22-5 SU on the year and 11-3 SU in Big East play. The Golden Eagles are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games and have covered in seven of their last nine. They are 13-10-1 ATS overall and 9-4 ATS on the road. The total has gone 'over' in seven of their last nine games overall and in nine of the 13 games on the road. West Virginia is 17-10 SU and 13-11 ATS. It is just 2-5 both SU and ATS in its last seven games and the total has gone 'over' in seven of its last 10 games. The Mountaineers face No.25 Notre Dame this Wednesday night on the road before returning home for Friday night's game.
Saturday, Feb. 25 - No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels vs. No. 22 Virginia Cavaliers
North Carolina extended its overall record to 23-4 SU this past Saturday with a 74-52 rout of Clemson as an 11½-point home favorite. The Tar Heels are now 14-12 ATS on the year and 3-0 ATS in their last three games. They are 5-5 ATS on the road this season and the total has gone 'over' in six of the 10 games. Virginia lost to the North Carolina 70-52 on Feb.11 as a nine-point road underdog and has lost three of its last five games to fall to 20-6 SU and 13-8 ATS on the year. The Cavaliers are 3-5 ATS in their last eight games overall and the total has stayed 'under' in six of their last seven. Virginia is 15-2 SU at home this season but just 5-5 ATS.