College Basketball Information
Purdue won three in row, seven of its last eight games with Minnesota; they won two of last three visits here, with loss by 3. Both teams lost their first league game; Boilers won by 3 at West Virginia in their only true road game. Gophers won five of last six, are 2-3 vs top 100 teams, but they were 5-19 from arc and forced only 10 turnovers vs Michigan.
Michigan won its last five games with Northwestern, winning last three played here by 9-2-22 points. Wolverines miss injured McGary (back); three of their last four games were decided by 3 or less points. Michigan is 3-4 vs teams ranked higher than #189, with wins by 2-3-3. Wildcats are 0-5 vs top 100 teams, with all five losses by 11+- they lost league opener by 27 to Wisconsin at home.
'Young Kansas team is playing sixth game in row vs top 100 team, with Jayhawks winning last three by 17-22-10 points. Kansas has conference opener Wednesday at Oklahoma- they've gotten better because they did not have game in Lawrence for 29 days, going 3-3 but improving. Aztecs won last eight D-I games, beating Creighton/Marquette on neutral court; they have true road wins at San Diego/Colorado State.
Illinois State won its last three games with Southern Illinois by 20-14-36 points; young Redbirds won last four home games, but lost at Missouri State in OT Thursday in Valley opener, after being up 16 in first half. Salukis lost six of last eight games, coach blasted the players, then two days later the coach's son-in-law died-- been a tough time for him. SIU lost conference opener at home by 15 to Wichita State.
Wichita State won four of last five games with Northern Iowa, but got beat in last meeting LY; Shockers won by 25-25 points last two times teams played here. Wichita is 14-0; its last three wins are by 11+ pts. UNI is 0-4 in true road games, losing by 11-6-11-14 points, but they've won four of last five overall, with home wins over VCU and Iona.
USC-UCLA will be spirited rivalry, on/off court; Bruins won five of last six meetings, but Trojans split last six visits here. USC won five of last six games, with wins over Dayton/Xavier away from home- they're 1-2 in true road games, losing at Utah State/Long Beach, winning at Dayton. UCLA is 3-2 vs top 100 teams, #4 in country with a 57.5eFG%- you'd expect an Alford team to shoot well- they're 39.9% from arc.
Missouri State won Valley opener in OT over Illinois State; they're 2-1 in true road games, beating ODU/Oral Roberts, losing at Louisville by 30. Loyola lost its last three games, by 6-14-12 points, losing opener in Valley 70-58 at Indiana State Wednesday- they were outscored 15-3 on foul line, were -5 in turnovers. Ramblers are 4-1 at home, with only loss to Northern Illinois.
Colorado is 4-1 vs Oregon in Pac-12 play, with three of four wins by 1 point- they whacked Ducks by 23 here LY. Buffs are 2-2 vs teams in top 30, losing to Baylor/Okla State, beating Harvard/Kansas. Ducks are 13-0 after rallying for OT win at Utah Thursday (with 13:45 left, were down 10); they've now won both their true road games in overtime, at Utah and Ole Miss- they shoot 41.7% from arc.
Washington State got crushed at Arizona Thursday with leading scorer Lacy out (appendicitis); Coogs lost four of last five games with Arizona State, losing by 25-2-4-12 points in last four visits here. ASU got waxed at home by Washington Thursday, trailing by 17 half- they were 2-16 on arc. Wazzu is 1-2 in true road games, losing by 16 at Gonzaga, winning by point at Idaho in addition to the Arizona debacle.
Providence won three of last four games with Villanova, sweeping 'nova LY, but Friars are last in country in bench minutes, lost last two games in OT, losing to UMass/Seton Hall by total of 3 points. Wildcats won league opener by 3 at Butler, after Syracuse loss- they force turnovers 22.5% of time. Only one of Friars' last five losses here was by more than 11 points.
Iowa won three of last four games with Wisconsin; Badgers' last couple series wins were in OT. Hawkeyes lost seven of last eight visits to this gym, with five of last six losses by 12+. Iowa is 3-2 vs top 100 teams, losing by 5 to Villanova on neutral floor, 3 at Iowa State. Badgers' last four wins are all by 25+ points- they already have seven top 100 wins.
North Carolina won its last four games with Wake Forest by 9-14-15-25 points; Tar Heels won four of last five visits here, are 1-1 in true away games, losing at UAB, winning at Michigan State. 10-3 Deacons played #320 schedule to get here; they're 0-3 vs top 50 teams, losing by 9-19-15 points. Wake defends arc well, but Carolina doesn't shoot many 3-balls.
UT-Martin upset Murray State LY; they're 2-17 in last 19 series games,. with last eight losses here all by 13+ points, but Racers are down this year, with PG Jackson (knee) out for year- they're 6-7, making 59.8% on foul line, not as good as previous years. Skyhawks lost four in row, are 3-12 vs D-I teams; opponents are shooting 58.4% inside arc- not good.
Armadillosports.com
College Basketball: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Oregon at Colorado
It's Wild Sunday in the NFL but there is still a slate of college hoops action that should peak interest of sports bettors. In a classic something must give tilt the 9th-ranked Oregon Ducks visit 24th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes. The Ducks are 13-0 on the season, Buffaloes are 10-0 on home hardwood. Ducks lead by sharp shooting Joseph Young contributing 19.3 PPG on 54.3% shooting bring a nation best 89.2 points/game into the matchup but tend to give up a slew allowing opponents 74.2 per/contest. Buffaloes have three players dropping double-digits with Spencer Dinwiddle the catalyst (15.3) helping the team net 76.5 per/game. Buffs may not be as productive on the offensive side but the hairy beast surrender just 66.1 per/game. Although, Oregon will be looking at double-revenge having lost both meetings SU/ATS last season NCAAB handicappers who follow Pac-12 closely know Ducks remain in dicey betting territory. The Quacks' are on a 2-10-2 ATS slide vs Pac-12 rivals, 1-5-1 ATS last six road games vs the conference.
Sunday's Tip Sheet
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The first weekend of men's college basketball in the New Year wraps things up this Sunday in a big way with three top shelf matchups between ranked teams. The trio of games starts off with one final nonconference clash between No. 21 San Diego State and No. 16 Kansas, but later in the day some of the best teams in both the Pac-12 and Big Ten will square-off against one another in an early conference showdown. The following is a betting tip sheet for all three of these contests.
No. 21 San Diego State Aztecs vs. No. 16 Kansas Jayhawks
The Aztecs opened play in the Mountain West with a 71-61 victory over Colorado State on New Year's Day to improve to 11-1 straight-up on the year. They covered as 3½-point road favorites to run their record against the spread to 6-3. The total stayed UNDER the 137½-point closing line against the Rams and it has now stayed UNDER in their last five outings.
San Diego State is averaging 76.7 points a game behind a trio of players scoring in double figures. Xavier Thomas leads the way with 16.3 points while shooting an impressive 47.4 percent from three-point range. Josh Davis has been a force under the boards with 11.1 rebounds a game.
It has been an up and down ride for Kansas through the nonconference portion of its schedule with a 9-3 SU record overall. After enduring a tough 1-3 SU stretch in late November into December, the Jayhawks have piece together three SU victories heading into this game. They are 5-7 ATS and the total has gone OVER in four of their last five games.
This is a young but very talented team that should only get better as the season progresses. At the forefront of this youth movement is freshmen Andrew Wiggins, who leads Kansas with 15.9 points while shooting 47 percent from the floor. The Jayhawks are averaging 79.4 points a game and they are shooting an impressive 50.9 percent from the field.
Kansas comes into this nonconference matchup as a four-point home favorite over the Aztecs.
This will be the first meeting between these two in recent memory. San Diego State comes in with a 6-2 ATS record in its last eight games against the Big 12 and Kansas is 2-6 ATS in its last eight nonconference games.
No. 10 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes
The Ducks remained perfect on the year at 13-0 SU with a thrilling 70-68 overtime victory over Utah this past Thursday in their Pac-12 opener as a road favorite in a game that ended as a PUSH. They have gone 1-2-2 ATS in their last five games but remain a healthy 8-2-2 ATS overall. The total has gone OVER in nine of 11 games this season with a posted line.
Oregon has been the top scoring team in the nation with an average of 89.2 points a game while shooting 50.3 percent from the field. Defensively, it has held opposing teams to 74.2 points. At the center of it all is a deep roster with six different players averaging at least nine points a game. Joseph Young has led the way with 19.3 points while shooting 54.3 percent from the field.
Colorado lost its season opener to No. 9 Baylor and dropped a 78-73 decision to No. 6 Oklahoma State on Dec. 21 as part of a solid 12-2 SU start. The Buffaloes failed to cover as 12-point home favorites in a 64-58 victory over Oregon State this past Thursday in their conference opener, but they are 8-5 ATS overall.
The Buffaloes will need a big game from Spencer Dinwiddie and Josh Scott to get past the Ducks this upcoming Sunday. Dinwiddie leads the team in points (15.3) and assists (3.9) and Scott is second in scoring with 13.1 points and pulling down a team-high 9.3 rebounds a game.
The Buffaloes come into this Pac-12 tilt as slight two-point home favorites over Oregon.
These two have met six times since 2004 and Colorado has a 4-2 edge SU but the series is tied 3-3 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in the last three meetings.
No. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers
This will be the Hawkeyes second game in the Big Ten after opening conference play with a 67-57 victory over Nebraska this past Tuesday night. They could not cover as 14½-point home favorites after going 4-2 ATS in their previous six contests. Iowa is 7-5 ATS overall and the total has gone OVER in seven of the games.
Iowa brings a powerful combination of 87.1 points and 45.6 rebounds a game into this matchup, which are both ranked near the top of Division I. A good chunk of this production can be attributed to the elevated play of Roy Devyn Marble and Aaron White. This duo has combined for 28.5 points and 10 rebounds a game, but the Hawkeyes remain deep with a total of 10 players with at least six points a game.
Wisconsin could be one of the biggest early surprises this season after climbing from No. 20 to No. 4 on the strength of a 13-0 SU start. It hammered Northwestern 76-49 as a 10-point road favorite in its Big Ten opener this past Thursday to improve to 10-4 ATS. The Badgers have now covered in seven of their last eight games and the total has gone OVER in three of their last five outings.
Sam Dekker leads a foursome of players scoring in double figures with 14.5 points while pulling down a team-high 6.4 rebounds a game. The Badgers are averaging 75 points a game with a 47.2 shooting percentage from the field and 39.2 percentage from beyond the arc. Defensively, they are holding teams to just 59.8 points a game.
Wisconsin has been opened as a four-point home favorite over the Hawkeyes in this Big Ten battle.
The home team in this series is 7-3 SU in the last 10 meetings. However, Iowa has covered in the last five contests with the total going OVER in the last four.
San Diego State at Kansas: What Bettors Need to Know
Covers.com
San Diego State Aztecs at Kansas Jayhawks
No. 17 Kansas has been focused on locking down its defense in the lead up to a visit from No. 19 San Diego State on Sunday afternoon. The Jayhawks allowed 83 points in their most recent win over Toledo — their highest total in a non-conference game since 2009 — a number which neither coach Bill Self nor his team felt comfortable with. “The emphasis has been defense for sure, there are a lot of things that are correctable that we can do — I don’t think it’s as much from a positioning standpoint as it is a reckless-abandon standpoint,” Self told the Lawrence Journal World.
The Aztecs opened conference play with a win over Colorado State on New Year’s Day, and are looking for their 11th consecutive victory after an early season loss against a marquee opponent in current No. 1 Arizona. San Diego State coach Steve Fisher is confident, though, that this is a different Aztec team from the one that faced the Wildcats on Nov. 14. "I think we're playing with more confidence. Xavier Thames is playing as well as anybody in the country right now, and that wears off (on the rest of the team),” Fisher told reporters in his pre-game press conference.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (11-1): Thames has been a monster for the Aztecs thus far, racking up 16.3 points per game and shooting 47 percent from long range while doing it. His improvement (he averaged 9.5 points last season) along with big contributions form Winston Shepard (13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds per game) have made San Diego State a player on the national stage once again. The Aztecs have been especially good on the boards, hauling in 40.9 rebounds per game — good for 22nd in the nation.
ABOUT KANSAS (9-3): The Jayhawks have rebounded from consecutive losses with three wins over quality opponents in New Mexico, Georgetown and Toledo despite a couple of poor shooting performances from freshman phenom Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins was a combined 6-for-21 from the field against the Lobos and Hoyas before a far better 7-for-14 performance against Toledo. If Wiggins (15.9 points per game) and Perry Ellis (13.9 points), who dropped 21 on the Rockets, can get it going again, it could be a long day for San Diego State.
TRENDS:
* Aztecs are 6-2 ATS in their last eight vs. Big 12.
* Jayhawks are 2-6 ATS in their last eight non-conference games.
* Jayhawks are 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a ATS loss.
* Under is 5-0 in Aztecs last five overall.
TIP-INS:
1. Opponents are shooting a nation low 34.2 percent against San Diego State.
2. Kansas has outrebounded 11 of 12 opponents thus far.
3. Fisher and Self are two of the 11 active coaches who have won national titles.