College Knowledge
-- Home side won four of last five Purdue-Wisconsin games; Boilers lost last two visits here, by 7-7 points. Purdue lost seven of last nine games; they've lost last three on road, by 20-28-10 points-favorites covered all eight of their Big Dozen road games (0-6 as road dog). Big Dozen double digit home favorites are 13-11 vs spread. Wisconsin won seven of last eight games, covering last five; they're 3-4 as a home favorite.
-- Michigan State (+1.5) shot 55% inside arc, forced 16 turnovers (+8) in 75-52 thrashing of Michigan Feb 12, its 12th win in last 17 series games, but Spartans did lose last two visits here, by 1-7 points. State lost last two games; they're 5-3 on Big Dozen road, with losses by 13-5-8 points. Michigan is 3-4 in last seven games after bad loss at Penn State- they are 3-4 as home faves. Big Dozen home favorites of 6 or less are 14-7.
-- Pitt (-4.5) held Villanova to 32% from floor, forced 18 turnovers (+3) in 58-43 win in Philly Jan 16, Panthers' fifth straight series win, by 5-3-10-9-15 points. Pitt is a bully team; their last six wins were all by 10+ points- Panthers are 2-5 in league games decided by less than 10 points. Big East home favorites of 9+ points are 11-17 vs spread. Villanova won five of last seven games; they're 4-2 vs spread as a road underdog.
-- North Carolina (+3) won 77-72 at Florida State Jan 12, shooting 53% inside arc, 8-20 outside it; Tar Heels won 13 of last 16 series games, are 5-1 in last six played here, with four wins by 13+. UNC won four in a row, all by 9+ points since losing at Duke; they're 5-2 as home favorites. ACC double digit home favorites are 14-5 vs spread. Seminoles are 2-5 in last seven games, losing last three on road by 25-18-10 points.
-- South Florida won its last seven games with DePaul, winning last two here by 9-11 points, but Bulls lost last nine games (1-8 vs spread) since upsetting Georgetown Jan 19, its only Big East win this season. USF is 0-1 as a league favorite. DePaul lost 11 of last 12 games, but is 4-3 as a road underdog, with four road losses by 11+ points, other two in OT. Big East home favorites of 5 or less points are 7-18 vs spread.
-- Washington (+4.5) won 68-63 in Pullman Jan 5, racing to 23-6 lead, blowing it, then rallying late for 8th win in last 10 series games. Cougars lost three of last four visits here, losing by 7-28-10 points. Pac-12 home favorites of 7 or less points are 18-29 vs spread. State is 2-5-1 as a road dog, with five of seven road losses by 11+ points. Huskies lost eight of last 11 games; they're 3-2 as home favorite, winning by 10-4-10 points.
-- Trap game for Virginia after it beat Duke last game; Cavaliers (-9) beat Boston College 65-51 at home Jan 26, shooting 64% inside arc but Cavs lost three of last four visits to BC, losing by 5-13-3 points. Eagles lost 10 of last 13 games but won three of last four at home, beating Wake and Maryland in last two at home. Five of BC's last seven games went under the total. ACC home underdogs are 21-9 against the spread.
-- Stanford (-3) made 9-15 from arc in 87-56 waxing of Utah Jan 27, kind of game losing side doesn't easily forget, especially when Cardinal lost five of last seven games, including last three at home. Utes lost three in a row, by 4-10-18 points, scoring 53.3 ppg; they're 5-3 as Pac-12 dogs on road. Pac-12 double digit home favorites are 5-9 vs spread. Stanford lost four of last five games, failed to cover last four home games.
-- NC State (-9) beat Georgia Tech 83-70 at home Jan 9, shooting 54% inside arc in game they trailed by 4 with 10:17 left. Wolfpack won two of last three visits here, four of last five overall; they're 2-5 on road, 0-3 as road favorites, with only wins by 5 at BC, 1 at Clemson. ACC home underdogs of 5 or less points are 13-7 vs spread. Tech is 5-8 in its last 13 games, losing three of last four at home (1-2 as ACC home dog).
-- Manhattan (+2.5) shot 31.1% from floor, 8-19 from foul line in 51-41 home loss to Loyola Jan 25, its fifth straight series loss, by 15-12-1-2-10 points. Jaspers won six of last seven games, are 6-0 as MAAC road dogs-- underdogs covered all eight of their road games. Loyola won five of last seven games; they're 3-5 vs spread as a home favorite. MAAC home favorites of 7 or less points are 9-17 against the spread.
-- Fairfield (-13) were up 20 at half, crushed Marist 71-37 Jan 24, its 7th win in last eight series games, but how do Stags bounce back from awful 34-31 loss at Manhattan Friday night? MAAC home underdogs of 5 or less points are 8-5 vs spread. Fairfield won two of last three visits here; they lost four of last six on road. Marist won three of last four games, with three of those four wins by five or less points (4-2 as home dog).
-- Iona (-11) won 66-62 at Siena Jan 4, after being down 10 with 10:10 to play; Gaels lost their last six visits here, with last two by 6-3 points. Iona lost six of last eight games overall, with one of those eight decided by more than four points. Gaels are 4-4 as home faves (0-3 in last three). MAAC double digit home favorites are 8-6 vs spread. Siena lost six of last seven games; they're 3-5 as MAAC road underdogs.
Amarillosports.com
Michigan State at Michigan: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Wolverines (-4, 132.5)
Michigan’s Big Ten title hopes probably ended after blowing a 15-point lead in the second half and losing at last-place Penn State on Wednesday. The fourth-ranked Wolverines should be an angry, focused group when they return home to face rival Michigan State on Sunday afternoon. Michigan can still be a major factor in the conference and NCAA tournaments, but must find answers after losing four of its last seven. The Wolverines are certainly comfortable at home where they are 16-0 overall and 7-0 in the Big Ten. However, they were hammered at Michigan State 75-52 on Feb. 12.
The 10th-ranked Spartans also need to restart, coming off consecutive losses to Indiana and Ohio State. Michigan State, which outrebounded Michigan 39-27 in the first meeting, is 5-3 on the road in conference play and stands one game behind Indiana in the Big Ten going into the weekend.
ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (22-6, 11-4 Big Ten): One of the reasons the Spartans could not get over the hump in close games against the Buckeyes and Hoosiers was leading scorer Keith Appling’s sudden shooting slump. The junior guard was 2-of-14 from the field and 0-of-6 from 3-point range the last two contests, dropping his scoring average to 13.4 -- slightly ahead of freshman guard Gary Harris (13.2). Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix have done a solid job inside, both averaging more than 12 points the last five games. Payne, Nix and Branden Dawson (10.4 points) all shoot over 50 percent from the field.
ABOUT MICHIGAN (23-5, 10-5): The Wolverines might have needed the slap in the face from Penn State to get back to basics and finish strong. After facing the Spartans, Michigan plays at Purdue and hosts Indiana to end the regular season. Player of the year candidate Trey Burke hasn’t slowed down, shooting 49.6 percent from the field. Burke is second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.8) and first in assists (6.9). Tim Hardaway Jr., averaging 15.2 points, will have to be better than the 1-of-11 shooting performance at Michigan State. The Wolverines can also play better defense. They stand ninth in field-goal percentage defense in Big Ten games.
TRENDS:
* Wolverines are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games overall.
* Home team is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
* Under is 7-1 in the last eight meetings.
* Under is 7-1 in Wolverines’ last eight vs. a team with a winning record.
TIP-INS:
1. The Spartans are third in the Big Ten in scoring defense and Michigan is second in offense.
2. Michigan F/C Jordan Morgan scored 11 points against Penn State, his first time in double figures since Jan. 3.
3. The Wolverines lead the all-time series 94-76, but Michigan State has won 20 of the last 26 meetings.
Sunday Hoops Action
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The Big Ten kicks-off the final week of college basketball's regular season with two big matchups on Sunday's slate. At the top of the list is No. 9 Michigan State vs. No. 4 Michigan, but to get you warmed up for that long standing rivalry, Purdue will head to Madison to face No. 17 Wisconsin. The Big East also gets in the act this Sunday with Villanova on the road against No. 23 Pittsburgh in a high noon start. The following is a handicapping guide for all three conference showdowns starting with an in-depth look at our game of the day.
Vegas Insider's Game of the Day
No. 9 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 4 Michigan Wolverines
The Spartans come into this matchup with back-to-back losses both straight-up and against the spread to Indiana and Ohio State that put a major crimp in their chances to win the Big Ten regular season title. They are 22-6 SU overall and 11-4 in conference play. Michigan State is 5-4 ATS in its last nine games but under .500 on the year at 10-13-2 ATS. The total has gone OVER in three of its last five games.
Behind a 17-point night by Gary Harris, the Spartans rolled over Michigan 75-52 as 1½-point home underdogs the first time they met this season with the total staying UNDER the 127-point line. Both Harris and Keith Appling are averaging over 13 points a game and Michigan State as a whole is scoring 70 points a game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from three-point range.
The Wolverines need to quickly regroup for this contest after a stunning collapse against Penn State is this past Wednesday in an 84-78 loss as 13-point road favorites. It was the Nittany Lions first conference victory this season and Michigan's fifth loss against 10 wins in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are now 23-5 SU and 13-12-1 ATS after failing to cover in six of their last seven games. The total has gone OVER in five of their last seven games.
Trey Burke could be a big factor in this game after scoring a game-high 18 points the first time these two teams met, but also look for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III to play a significant role for the Wolverines as well. Michigan has the edge in scoring with 76 points-per-game and is shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. Defensively, it is allowing an average of 62.1 points a game verse Michigan State's 59.9-point average.
The home team in this series has covered the spread in the last four meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in seven of the last eight games between the two. Michigan State is just 1-5 ATS in its last six trips to Michigan.
Best of the Rest
Villanova Wildcats vs. No. 23 Pittsburgh Panthers
ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi had Villanova listed as one of the last four-in when it comes to this year's NCAA Tournament but it probably needs a victory on Sunday to stay on this list after losing to Seton Hall 66-65 this past Monday as a four-point road favorite. Overall, the Wildcats are 18-11 SU and 16-9-1 ATS. They have failed to cover in three of their last four games and the total has stayed UNDER in six of their last nine outings.
Pittsburgh is 10-6 SU in the Big East this season including a 58-43 rout over Villanova as a 4½-point road favorite on Jan.16. It is just 2-2 SU and ATS in its last four games after losing to Marquette and Notre Dame before knocking-off St. Johns and South Florida its last two time out. The Panthers are 11-11 ATS overall this season but just 4-7 ATS at home. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of their last eight games.
Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers
Purdue has been relegated to playing the role of spoiler in this contest after losing seven of its last 10 games to fall to 13-15 SU on the year and 6-9 in Big Ten Play. It has failed to cover in six of its last eight games and is a costly 10-16-1 ATS overall. The Boilermakers have really struggled on the road this season with just three SU victories in 10 games and a 3-6-1 road record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last six games.
The surging Badgers will win the Big Ten regular season title if they win their final three games and Indiana loses one more time as a result of a 64-59 victory over the Hoosiers as 10½-point road underdogs earlier in the year. They are now 11-4 SU in conference play and 22-6 overall with a 6-1 record in their last seven games. ATS, Wisconsin has covered in seven of its last nine games but is still below .500 on the year at 11-14. It has gone 15-2 SU at home this season and 8-7 ATS. The total has gone OVER in five of its last seven contests.