College Knowledge
-- Pitt won seven of last eight games vs St John's, losing by 1 here two years ago; they beat Red Storm twice LY, by 14-20 points. Panthers lost last two games, scoring 55.5 ppg, after winning seven of previous eight- they're 4-3 on Big East road, with three wins by 10+ points. Five of six St John's losses in Big East have been by 12+ points- they won last five at home. Big East home underdogs of 6 or less points are 7-15 vs spread.
-- Michigan State (-2) beat Ohio State 59-56 Jan 16, jumping out to 13-2 lead, then surviving 15-0 Buckeye run right after that; OSU hit 10-25 on arc, only 9-22 inside. Spartans won 11 of last 13 games (losses by 5-4), winning five of last six on road (lost at Indiana). Ohio State is 2-3 in last five games but is 5-1 at home in conference, losing to Indiana by 13. Big Dozen home favorites of 6 or less points are 12-6 vs spread.
-- Duke (-11) beat Boston College 62-61 two weeks ago, as they flew up and back same day because of snow issues; game was 27-27 at half. BC shot 53% inside arc, but couldn't finish game at end. Blue Devils are 6-0 at home in ACC, with all six wins by 13+ points. Eagles lost last five road games, with three losses by five or less points. ACC double digit home favorites are 11-5 against the spread.
-- Notre Dame won four of last five games with Cincinnati, winning first meeting this year 66-60 (+4.5) Jan 7, making 9-16 from arc, while UC was just 5-11 on foul line. Bearcats lost four of last five games, losing last two on road, by 4-7 points. Irish won six of last eight games, taking last three at home, last two in OT. Big East home favorites of 5 or less points are 6-17 against the spread.
-- LaSalle won six of last eight games, losing at Temple Thursday, first loss in last four road games; Explorers beat Rhode Island last two years, by 1-14 points, after losing previous five games to Rams. URI lost seven of last nine games; they're 1-5 at home in league, losing by 8-1-6-6-13; its one was by 3 over Dayton. A-16 home underdogs of 7 or less points are 6-12 vs spread. LaSalle is 12-2 vs teams ranked outside top 200.
-- Georgia Tech (+2.5) beat Virginia 66-60 Feb 3, its first win in last six series games; Cavaliers were up 57-48 with 8:12 left- Jackets shot 58.1% inside arc. Tech lost last two visits here, by 7-8 points. Virginia lost last two games, but is 6-0 at home in league, with wins by 9+ points. Tech is 2-3 since upsetting Virginia but won both road games, at Va Tech/Wake. ACC double digit home favorites are 11-5 vs spread.
-- USC (+10) upset UCLA 75-71 in OT at Pauley Jan 30, shooting 55%, which offset -10 turnover ratio (17-7); it was first win in last five series games for Trojans, who won four of last five games overall- they're won last three home games, by 1-4-11 points. Pac-12 underdogs are 28-12 in games where spread is 5 or less points. UCLA is 7-0 in league when it allows less than 75+ points, 2-4 when it allows 75+.
-- Temple won last two road games by point each; five of their last six games were decided by a point. Owls. (-9) beat Charlotte 89-88 at home Feb 6, 6th series win in last seven tries for Owls, who won last three by 9-1-22 points. Home teams won seven of last eight series games; Temple lost three of last four visits here, winning by 14 in last visit LY. A-16 home teams are 3-11 in games where spread is 2 or less points.
-- Northwestern (-2) beat Purdue 75-60 at home Feb 2, shooting 65.2% inside arc in game it never trailed (led 23-8 after 10:00), first series win in last five tries for Wildcats, who lost four of last five visits here. Purdue lost five of last six games, with only win vs Penn State; Boilers are 9-3 vs teams ranked outside top 100. Big Dozen home favorites of 7 or less points are 13-7 vs spread. Wildcats lost last four games, all by 10+.
-- Streaky Illinois won last five games after 3-8 skid (after 12-0 start to season); Illini (+5.5) lost 74-60 at home to Michigan Jan 27, fourth loss in row to Wolverines, who shot 59% inside arc. Big Dozen double digit home favorites are 10-9 vs spread. Illini is 3-3 on road, winning last two on foreing soil; its road losses are by 7-23-5 points. Michigan lost three of last five games, but is 6-0 at home, with four wins by 15+ points.
-- Florida State lost four of last five road games, with all four losses by 18+ points, only win by hoop at Ga Tech; Seminoles are 5-2 in their last seven games vs Virginia Tech, sweeping Hokies LY in games decided by 1-4 points. ACC home underdogs of 4 or less points are 9-3 vs spread. Hokies lost last nine games, losing by 32 at home to Duke in last game; three of their last four losses were by 10+ points.
-- Old Dominion is 4-23 this season, 2-3 since changing coaches; they're 1-6 on CAA road, with only win at Drexel- they're won last six games vs Hofstra, but lost three of last four visits here, winning by 11 in last visit two years ago. Hofstra lost 11 of last 12 games, scoring 49.3 ppg during 4-game losing streak; they've lost last five home games. CAA home underdogs of 4 or less points are 4-8 vs spread.
-- MAAC is #14 conference, Big South #29, so class edge to Siena team that is awful, scoring 55.2 ppg while losing last five games. Saints have one win this season by more than five points. Radford lost four of last five games, losing four of last five on road; three of their last four wins were by 3 or less points. Siena split its last six home games, but almost impossible to endorse either side in this battle of lightweights.
-- Montana State lost last four games, allowing 80.8 ppg; its 55.7 eFG% is 4th-worst in country, but Bobcats won five of last seven home games vs D-I opponents. South Dakota lost its last six games, with four of last five losses by 13+ points; Coyotes lost last three road games, by 13-19-15 points. South Dakota makes 37.4% behind arc, so they should get some good shots vs Bobcats' porous defense.
Armadillosports.com
Sunday's Top 25 NCB Betting Notes
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on all of Sunday’s ranked college basketball games:
(22) Pittsburgh at St. John’s (+6)
Pittsburgh looks to bounce back from back-to-back Big East losses when it takes on St. John’s in Madison Square Garden. Pittsburgh won seven of its last eight games before the skid. The Red Storm shoot a Big East-worst 64.8 percent from the foul line, rank second-to-last in 3-point percentage (30.2) and allow 66.5 points per game, good for third-to-last in the conference. The Panthers are 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings.
lllinois at (7) Michigan (-11.5)
Illinois looks to win its sixth straight game when it visits Michigan. The Fighting Illini’s five-game win streak includes victories over No. 1 Indiana on Feb. 7 and then-No. 18 Minnesota on Feb. 10. Michigan, which is 15-0 at home, has lost three of its last five and needed overtime to beat Ohio State 76-74 on Feb. 5. The Wolverines have beaten Illinois in the last four meetings, including 74-60 on Jan. 27 in Champaign. The Fighting Illini are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games and Michigan is 0-5 ATS in its last five contests.
Boston College at (6) Duke (-16.5)
The Eagles are 0-6 all-time at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but did play Duke tough in Boston earlier this month in a 62-61 loss to the Blue Devils. Boston College must find a way to slow down Duke's dynamic duo of Mason Plumlee (17.5 ppg) and Seth Curry (17.1), who make the Devils one of only five teams in the country with two players averaging at least 17 points. The Blue Devils have lived and died with the 3-pointer all season, but had one of their finest perimeter shooting performances in Thursday's rout of Virginia Tech. Duke posted a .706 shooting percentage beyond the arc, the highest all season for a Division I team playing on the road. The Blue Devils are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games.
Cincinnati at (25) Notre Dame (-2)
The Bearcats have lost four of five games and have slipped to 10th place in the Big East. Cincinnati would slip below .500 in league play with a loss to the Fighting Irish and any further decline could put their NCAA tournament hopes in jeopardy. Notre Dame has won six of its last eight games. The Fighting Irish defeated the Bearcats 66-60 in Cincinnati on Jan. 7, but are just 1-5 ATS in their last six home games.
(5) Michigan State at (18) Ohio State (-3.5)
Michigan State, which pounded No. 7 Michigan on Feb. 12, is in the midst of a five-game stretch where it will play the other four ranked teams in the Big Ten. The Spartans fell out of first place with Tuesday’s home loss to top-ranked Indiana – snapping a five-game winning streak – and must face the Big Ten’s two stingiest scoring defenses (Ohio State and No. 17 Wisconsin) in succession. The Buckeyes have lost three of five, but are coming off a 70-44 thumping of Minnesota on Wednesday. Ohio State is 1-7 against top-25 competition this season, which includes a 59-56 loss at Michigan State on Jan. 19. The Spartans are 8-1 ATS in their last nine trips to Ohio St.
College Basketball: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Michigan State at Ohio State
Pay-Back will be top of mind when Buckeyes (19-7, 13-10-1 ATS) host Spartans (22-5, 10-12-2 ATS) on Sunday. Buckeyes falling 59-56 in East Lansing on January 9th have lost three of the last four meetings (1-2-1 ATS). Buckeyes powered by Deshaun Thomas (20.1) score 70.7 per/contest and stand out on the defensive end allowing just 59.0 PPG on a lowly 39.3% shooting. Spartans equal to the task in offense (69.1 PPG) are solid themselves on defense surrendering 59.7 PPG on 39.6% from the floor. Always tough going against Buckeyes in their own back yard but Spartans 4-0 (2-1 ATS) off a loss this season have enjoyed success on this hardwood winning 6-of-9 meetings cashing eight of the nine tickets.
Sunday's Tip Sheet
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
There are just two weeks remaining in the men’s college basketball regular season and for the most part every conference title remains up for grabs. This Sunday’s slate includes a couple of huge matchups that could have a major impact on a few of these races starting with No. 4 Michigan State on the road against No. 18 Ohio State. The following is a handicapping guide for this Big Ten showdown as well as a brief look at the game of the day in the ACC and Big East.
Big Ten Game of the Day
No. 4 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes
The Spartans will have to quickly put this past Monday’s disappointing 72-68 loss to No. 1 Indiana as one-point home favorites in the back of their minds heading into this showdown. They now trail the Hoosiers by one game in the conference standings and has dropped both games of this season’s series. Michigan State is 22-5 straight up on the year and 11-3 in Big Ten play. It has gone 3-1-1 against the spread in its last five games but is just 10-12-1 ATS overall. The total has gone OVER in five of its last seven games.
Michigan State is averaging 70 points while holding its opponents to 59.6 points a game. It is shooting 46.8 percent from the field. Keith Appling and Gary Harris are each averaging over 13 points a game and Adreian Payne is chipping-in another 9.8 points while leading the team in rebounds with seven. Harris is the team’s top long-range threat; hitting 43.2 percent from three-point range.
Ohio State’s chances of winning the Big Ten regular season title faded over the past few weeks with a 2-3 SU record in its last five games. This slide has dropped the Buckeyes to 19-7 overall and 9-5 in conference play. A 2-4 record ATS in their last six games has them 13-10-1 ATS on the year. They are 14-2 SU at home this season but just 8-6 ATS and the total has gone OVER in four of their last five games overall.
After suffering a tough two-point loss to Michigan in overtime on Feb. 5 as a seven-point road underdog, Ohio State was blown-out by 13 points in a loss to Indiana as a one-point home favorite and by a ridiculous 22 points as a four-point road underdog last Sunday to Wisconsin. The Buckeyes are averaging 70.7 points a game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field. They have allowed an average of 59 points a game this year.
The road team in this series is 16-5-1 ATS in the last 22 meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in four of the last five games. Michigan State is 8-1 ATS in its last nine trips to Ohio State.
ACC Game of the Day
Boston College Eagles vs. No.6 Duke Blue Devils
Boston College can only play the role of spoiler in the chase for the ACC regular season title with a dismal 4-9 SU record in conference play. However, there is a ray of hope to actually pull off an upset on Sunday after taking Duke to the wall in a 62-61 loss on Feb. 10 as an 11-point underdog at home. Overall, the Eagles are 12-14 SU but above .500 ATS at 12-8-2. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five games. Boston College is scoring 67.2 points a game while giving-up an average 67.6 points to its opponents.
The Blue Devils’ grip on a No. 1 seed for both the conference and NCAA Tournament took a bit of hit with a two-point loss to Maryland as four-point road favorites last Saturday, but they followed it up with a 88-56 romp over Virginia Tech this past Wednesday as 12 1/2-point favorites on the road. Duke trails Miami by three games in the ACC standings and is 23-3 SU (14-12 ATS) overall. It returns home where it is a perfect 13-0 SU but 6-7 ATS. With blue-chip players such as Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry leading the way, the Blue Devils are ranked 10th in the nation in points-per-game with 78.5 while shooting 47.4 percent from the field.
Big East Game of the Day
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. No.25 Notre Dame
The Bearcats fell to 7-7 SU in conference play with a 73-66 overtime loss to Connecticut this past Thursday as one-point underdogs on the road. They are now 19-8 SU on the year and 10-13 ATS. Cincinnati is just 1-4 SU in its last five games and a costly 2-5 ATS in its last seven outings. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of its last 10 games. Part of the reason for the recent slide is the fact that the Bearcats have failed to hit their season average of 69.7 points in their last eight games.
Notre Dame still has an outside shot at winning the Big East regular season title; sitting 1.5 games behind Syracuse at 9-5. It is 21-6 SU overall after beating Pittsburgh 51-42 this past Sunday as a 10½ -point road underdog. This pushed the Irish’s record ATS to an even 12-12 overall. They have already beaten Cincinnati once this season with a 66-60 victory on Jan.7 as 4½-point road underdogs. To complete the season sweep, Notre Dame will need another big effort from Jack Cooley and Jerian Grant. These two have got it done all season long with a combined 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists.