Friday's Best NCAAB Bets
By Covers.com
Richmond Spiders vs. VCU Rams (-3.5, 128)
With a light schedule on tap for Friday, the Spiders and Rams will welcome in ESPN2 to take in the annual Black and Blue Classic at the Siegel Center. And it should be a doozy.
Richmond’s lone loss on its schedule was a 70-61 decision to Illinois and the Spiders have rebounded to win and cover the number in their last three. Meanwhile, VCU has won four of its last five and has covered the number in four straight.
The Rams may really get on a roll once point guard Darius Theus gets more comfortable as the starting point guard.
"The more games we play, the more comfortable I get," Theus told reporters. "It hasn't been a big adjustment. Any player who comes in and has to play behind somebody .?.?. this is what I've been waiting for. This is my chance now."
This should be a scrappy affair and with these two clubs allowing about 60 points per game, we’ll look to the under.
Pick: Under
Rider Broncs at Florida Gators (-26, 155.5)
So what did Billy Donovan want from Patric Young after the sophomore put up a career-high 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds in a 78-72 overtime win over Arizona? Well, more.
With guards Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker chucking up bricks all night, Donovan wanted his club to keep feeding the hot hand.
“This is a game where Patric Young should have taken 40 shots in the game. Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton need to do a better job of reading what is going on inside the game,” Donovan told reporters. “This could be a great film because we did win the game, but they can learn a lot from this game, like what teams may potentially do in the future against us and how to respond and react.”
You know Boynton and Walker will bounce back. They hit just two of 15 trey attempts between them against Arizona and will be ready to put it on Rider here.
Pick: Gators
NCAAB Preview
Home side won seven of last eight Iowa-Iowa State games, with State winning last two, 81-71/75-72; Hawkeyes lost last four visits to Ames by 8-12-9-10 points. Iowa lost four of last six games; they're 0-3 vs top 100 teams, losing by 23-16-20 points, losing 80-60 at Northern Iowa in its only true road game. Cyclones are 6-3, scoring 84+ points in five of six wins. Iowa is bad defensive team unless they force turnovers.
Colorado won four of last five games, beating Georgia by 2, Fresno State by 7 at home; Buffs are 1-2 vs teams ranked in top 120. Wyoming won its last six games; they're 7-1, but lost at Green Bay by 8 in only road game this season. Best team Cowboys beat is #177 No Colorado; they're holding teams to 23.3% shooting behind arc. Mountain West road dogs of 7 or less points are 5-2 vs spread; Pac-12 home favorites are 4-9.
Vastly improved Oregon State is 6-1, forcing turnovers on 29.3% of all possessions (#3 in country); Beavers are 3-0 at home, winning by 24-10-25 points. Idaho just lost at home by hoop to Washington State; they're 2-4 vs D-I teams, 1-2 on road, losing by 8 at Long Beach, 5 at Montana, with win at Cal-Davis. Pac-12 double digit home favorites are 11-14 vs spread; WAC double digit road underdogs are 3-5 against the spread.
Florida is coming off OT win over Arizona Wednesday; they're leading country in offensive efficiency, but shooting just 59% at line. Only good thing I can find to say about 1-8 Rider is their 8-point loss at Pitt back in November- they lost their first two league games last weekend by 16-20 points. Gators are off eight days after this game. MAAC road underdogs of 19+ points are 1-4; SEC home favorites of 15+ points are 4-9-1.
UMass split last six games after 4-0 start; they're 5-0 vs teams ranked below #200, with all five wins by 14+ points. Minutemen are forcing turnovers on 26% of possessions. Siena plays six guys; they were lucky to beat crosstown rival Albany last game. Saints are 1-3 on road, losing by 28-2-7 points. Atlantic 14 double digit home favorites are 6-3 vs spread; MAAC road underdogs of 15 or less points are 10-5 vs spread.
Fairfield is 5-4, 1-4 vs teams ranked in top 120, with only win against #112 Arizona State, only team they've beaten thats ranked above #197. Stags turn ball over 23.2% of time, not good. Old Dominion is allowing 58.8 ppg in last six games; they're making just 27.5% behind arc, 63.7% from foul line. MAAC favorites of 5 or less points are 2-5 vs spread; CAA underdogs of 5 or less points are 2-13 vs spread.
Richmond beat VCU by 12 LY, snapping 6-game series skid; Spiders are 0-4 in last four visits here, losing by 5-8-20-8 points. Richmond is 6-2 this season, but lost both games vs top 100 teams, losing at Davidson by 13, by 9 on neutral floor to Illinois. VCU is 5-3, 0-3 vs top 100 teams, losing by 15-13-8 points. Atlantic 14 road underdogs of 5 or less points are 10-4 vs spread; CAA home favorites are 4-7 against the spread.
Rider vs Florida Preview
Covers.com
Rider Broncs at Florida Gators (-26, 155.5)
THE STORY: With one day between games, it’s a good bet that Billy Donovan spent some of the short time with his team discussing end-of-game situations. No. 12 Florida survived a battle with Arizona in overtime on Wednesday, but only after a questionable call gave the Wildcats three free throws in the final seconds of regulation. The Gators have suffered their only losses to teams ranked in the top-3 and may have found a new star in sophomore forward Patric Young. Florida will try to go into its finals break strong when they face Rider in Jacksonville, Fla., on Friday. The Broncos won 23 games last season and played in the College Invitational Tournament but are rebuilding around sophomore forward Daniel Stewart while integrating five freshmen.
ABOUT RIDER (1-8): The Broncos have fallen on hard times in the first month of the season. After giving then-No. 11 Pittsburgh a battle in an 86-78 loss on Nov. 13 and taking Pennsylvania to overtime in a setback four days later, Rider broke through with its first win, edging out Howard, 74-74, on Nov. 21. But that momentum failed to carry over, as four straight losses have come by an average of 16.3 points. Stewart leads the team with 14.9 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 64.8 percent from the floor. He was 9 of 11 in a 95-75 loss at Marist on Sunday.
ABOUT FLORIDA (6-2): The Gators nearly knocked off No. 3 Syracuse on the road last week and got a big challenge from pesky Arizona. Florida, trying to prevent a tying 3-point attempt, was whistled for a shooting foul on an inbounds play in the final seconds after the Arizona player appeared to throw his hands in the air. Young, who scored a career-high 25 points on 12-of-15 shooting, kept the Gators in the game while star guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton combined to go 5 of 27 from the floor.
TIP-INS:
1. Rider has beaten a nationally ranked SEC team in the past, topping No. 18 Mississippi State in the 2009-10 opener.
2. Broncos freshman center Junior Fortunat will make his debut Friday. He missed the first nine games while the NCAA sorted out his eligibility.
3. Florida is 7-0 all-time in the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
IOWA (5 - 4) at IOWA ST (6 - 3) - 12/9/2011, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
IOWA is 184-227 ATS (-65.7 Units) in all games since 1997.
IOWA is 184-227 ATS (-65.7 Units) in all lined games since 1997.
IOWA is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
IOWA ST is 76-51 ATS (+19.9 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
IOWA ST is 1-1 against the spread versus IOWA over the last 3 seasons
IOWA ST is 2-0 straight up against IOWA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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WYOMING (8 - 1) at COLORADO (5 - 3) - 12/9/2011, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WYOMING is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
WYOMING is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in road lined games over the last 2 seasons.
WYOMING is 24-44 ATS (-24.4 Units) in road games after a non-conference game since 1997.
WYOMING is 23-40 ATS (-21.0 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
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IDAHO (4 - 4) at OREGON ST (6 - 1) - 12/9/2011, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OREGON ST is 34-21 ATS (+10.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OREGON ST is 34-21 ATS (+10.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
OREGON ST is 15-4 ATS (+10.6 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
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RIDER (1 - 8) vs. FLORIDA (6 - 2) - 12/9/2011, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
RIDER is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) on Friday nights over the last 3 seasons.
RIDER is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) off a loss against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
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SIENA (3 - 5) vs. MASSACHUSETTS (7 - 3) - 12/9/2011, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SIENA is 11-21 ATS (-12.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SIENA is 11-21 ATS (-12.1 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
MASSACHUSETTS is 17-35 ATS (-21.5 Units) versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
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OLD DOMINION (5 - 3) vs. FAIRFIELD (5 - 4) - 12/9/2011, 9:20 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OLD DOMINION is 67-94 ATS (-36.4 Units) off a win against a conference rival since 1997.
OLD DOMINION is 92-127 ATS (-47.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
FAIRFIELD is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) in road games after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
FAIRFIELD is 36-55 ATS (-24.5 Units) in non-conference games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
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RICHMOND (6 - 2) at VA COMMONWEALTH (5 - 3) - 12/9/2011, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
RICHMOND is 43-26 ATS (+14.4 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
RICHMOND is 43-26 ATS (+14.4 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
RICHMOND is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) when the total is 120 to 129.5 over the last 3 seasons.
RICHMOND is 30-17 ATS (+11.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
RICHMOND is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
VA COMMONWEALTH is 1-1 against the spread versus RICHMOND over the last 3 seasons
VA COMMONWEALTH is 1-1 straight up against RICHMOND over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
RIDER vs. FLORIDA
Rider is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
SIENA vs. MASSACHUSETTS
Siena is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Massachusetts is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Massachusetts is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
IOWA vs. IOWA STATE
Iowa is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Iowa is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Iowa State
Iowa State is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Iowa State's last 5 games when playing Iowa
RICHMOND vs. VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
Richmond is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Richmond's last 10 games on the road
Virginia Commonwealth is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Richmond
Virginia Commonwealth is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home
OLD DOMINION vs. FAIRFIELD
Old Dominion is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Fairfield is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games at home
Fairfield is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
WYOMING vs. COLORADO
Wyoming is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Wyoming's last 6 games on the road
Colorado is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Wyoming
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Wyoming
IDAHO vs. OREGON STATE
Idaho is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Oregon State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Oregon State is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games