College Basketball Information
Memphis (-14) made 12-19 from arc, ran out to a 29-5 lead and crushed Rutgers 101-69 Feb 4 at home, but Tigers lost last two road games, at SMU/UConn. Memphis is 3-0 as a road favorite. Rutgers lost nine of its last 12 games- they got beat by 48 at Louisville in last game. Knights are 2-2 as home dogs, with home losses by 7-11-12 points. AAC home underdogs of 9+ points are 2-4 against spread.
Michigan State won last five games vs Purdue, winning last two visits to Mackey Arena by 14-13 points; Spartans are just 3-4 last seven games, but are 6-0 vs spread on road, 4-0 as road favorites, wiith four five road wins by 14+ points. Big Dozen home underdogs of 5 or less points are 7-8 vs spread. Purdue won four of last five home games, but is 0-2 as a home underdog- their home losses were by 9-14 points.
Green Bay's 7-1 C Brown sat out 75-60 (-2) home loss at Valparaiso on Jan 29; Valpo shot 64% inside arc with Brown on bench- he's played 27+ minutes in every game since, with Phoenix winning four of the five, but they've faild to cover last four home games. Horizon home favorites of 8+ points are 7-9 vs spread. Valpo won seven of its last nine games, is 3-2 as road underdog, with only road losses by 5-19 points.
UTEP won six of last seven games with Tulane, winning last three by 2-9-12 points, but they're 2-3 in last five visits here. Miners won nine of last 10 games games overall, are 2-0 as road favorites- they covered eight of last 10 games overall. C-USA home underdogs of 6 or less points are 8-5 vs spread. Tulane won three of last four games, covered six of last eight- they've won their last three home games.
Gonzaga (-8.5) beat BYU 84-69 Jan 25, making 10-22 from arc, 65.6% inside arc in Bulldogs' fifth straight series win- they split two visits to Provo, winning by 5 here LY. WCC home favorites of 3 or less points are 6-3 vs spread. Gonzaga won nine of last ten games, last four on road in WCC, but they lost last road game at Memphis. BYU won five of its last six games; they''re 7-0 SU at home in conference this season.
Georgetown/Seton Hall split last six meetings; Pirates (+6.5) won 67-57 at Georgetown Jan 18, making 11-20 from arc in game they trailed by 9 at half. Seton Hall lost last three games overall and five of last six home games. Georgetowen had 3-game win streak snapped last games- they're 2-4 on Big East road, winning at Butler/DePaul. Big East home teams are 8-6 vs spread if spread was 3 or less points.
Oregon State (-2.5) outscored Wazzu 19-1 on foul line in 66-55 win at Pullman Jan 22, Beavers' second straight series win after losing five of six to Coogs before that. Wazzu won two of last three visits here; they lost last four games overall, are 1-5 as road dogs, with five of six losses on road by 18+ points. Pac-12 home favorites of 9+ points are 15-10 vs spread. Underdogs covered four of Beavers' five home games.
St Mary's won its last 17 games vs San Francisco, winning last seven in this gym; Gaels split their last six games, are 4-3 on WCC on road, not as strong as usual- they beat Dons 88-73 (-9) at home jan 11, making 11 of 21 from arc in game where both sides shot 59% inside arc. WCC home teams are 14-15 vs spread in games if spread was less than 5. Dons are 5-2 at home in WCC- they covered five of their last six games.
USC lost its last five games, but covered last two on road; Trojans lost 79-71 (+6) in OT to Stanford Jan 26, making just 19-30 on line. USC is 5-3 in last eight series games, winning two of last three visits to Farm. Stanford won three of last four games, covered eight of last ten- they're 3-1 as home favorites, but lost two home games to Cal/Arizona. Pac-12 double digit home favorites are 12-9 vs spread.
UConn (-12) made 12-23 from arc, beat Temple 90-66 at home Jan 21; Huskies won six of last seven games, are 2-1 as road favorites, winning road games by 10-11-20 points (3-3 SU). Owls upset SMU last game; they're 2-10 in AAC, 2-3 in last five games, 2-2 as home dogs, losing home games by 7-10-4-24 points. AAC home underdogs are 7-14 against spread. Six of last seven Temple losses are by 10+ points.
Canisius won six of last eight games but lost last two at home; they won 86-74 (+2.5) at Quinnipiac Jan 25, holding Bobcats to 6-27 from the arc. Road team covered last six Canisius games; Griffins are still 5-3 as home favorites, despite losing last two. Quinnipiac won last four games, three by 8 or less points- they won last three road games, two in overtime. MAAC home favorites of 6 or less points are 12-14 vs spread.
Duke won nine of last ten games, covered eight of last nine; Blue Devils are 9-2 in last 11 games vs North Carolina, winning three of last four in Dean Dome, with wins by 10-1-16 points. Tar Heels won/covered their last seven games, they won last five at home, are 0-2 as ACC underdogs. Duke is shooting 42% from arc in ACC; UNC holds teams to 31% on arc. ACC home teams are 10-19 vs spread if spread was 4 or less points.
Hawai'i (+6) tied game with late trey, won 90-86 in OT at Irvine, Jan 25, in game where Anteaters' 7-6 center Ndiaye fouled out in only 22:00 on court. Teams split last four meetings; Irvine lost by 4 here LY. Big West home favorites of 4 or less points are 4-3 vs spread. Hawai'i won three in row overall, are 3-2 as home favorites, winning at home by 31-14-9, losing to to Long Beach/UCSB. Irvine won last four, allowing 54.8 ppg.
Armadillosports.com
Duke at North Carolina
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Duke and North Carolina fans had waited nearly three months of the 2013-2014 campaign to see their teams take on their bitter rivals. And then that wait got pushed back another week when Mother Nature dumped snow galore on The South, particularly in the state of North Carolina, in the middle of last week.
But the long wait for the renewal of this storied rivalry will end tonight in Chapel Hill at the Smith Center. As of early this morning, most books had Duke (21-5 straight up, 17-9 against the spread) installed as a 1.5-point road favorite. North Carolina (18-7 SU, 14-11 ATS) is playing its best basketball of the season, winning seven in a row both SU and ATS. Despite falling behind by double digits in the first half and getting zero points and only 13 minutes out of second-leading scorer James Michael McAdoo before he fouled out, the Tar Heels won 81-75 Tuesday night at FSU. They hooked up their backers (my hand is raised) as 1.5-point road favorites.
Kennedy Meeks was sensational, producing 23 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field. Meeks also had seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Marcus Paige was steady as usual, finishing with 20 points, four steals and seven assists without committing a turnover.
Paige is the catalyst for UNC. He averages 17.2 points and 4.6 assists per game.
Since losing an epic overtime game at Syracuse on February 1, Duke has won four consecutive games. Even better, the Blue Devils are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games.
Coach K's squad failed to cover the number and was fortunate to come out victorious in Saturday's 69-67 win over Maryland as a 13.5-point home 'chalk.' Jabari Parker led the way with 23 points and eight rebounds.
Then on Tuesday, Duke went to Atlanta and rolled to an easy 68-51 win at Georgia Tech as an 11-point road favorite. Parker tallied 16 points, 14 boards and three blocked shots against the Yellow Jackets. Rodney Hood added 14 points.
Duke doesn't take too many one-and-done players, but it has embraced the presence of Parker. The freshman sensation has rewarded them by leading the Blue Devils in scoring (19.2 points per game), rebounding (8.7 RPG) and blocked shots (1.3 per game).
Likewise, Coach K doesn't take too many transfers. In fact, Rodney Hood from Mississippi State is just the fourth transfer during his tenure, joining Seth Curry, Dahntay Jones and Roshown McLeod. Hood has produced by averaging 16.2 PPG while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three-point land.
Duke has been a road favorite five times, posting a 3-2 spread record. Whether favored or listed as underdogs, the Blue Devils have five consecutive spread covers on the road.
UNC has won 12 of its 15 home games, compiling an 8-7 spread record. The 'under' is 13-12 overall for Duke. The 'over' had been hitting at a 7-2 clip in the Blue Devils' nine previous games prior to back-to-back 'under' appearances in their wins over Maryland and Ga. Tech. The 'over' has hit in seven of UNC's last nine games to get to 13-12 overall. The 'over' is 8-6 for the Tar Heels in their home games.
Duke has beaten UNC in seven of the last nine meetings, including three in a row in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils cruised to a 69-53 win as two-point road 'dogs at UNC last year. McAdoo had a team-high 15 points for the Heels in the losing effort.
The 'under' is 8-2 in the last 10 head-to-head meetings.
ESPN will provide television coverage tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets
This space didn't hesitate to justifiably rip Boston College head coach Steve Donahue for his mishandling of the clock and his timeouts in a crushing loss last Thursday at Georgia Tech. On a similar note, we'll eagerly pay props to Donahue for leading his team to the biggest upset of the 2013-2014 college basketball season last night at the Carrier Dome. BC took previously-undefeated and top-ranked Syracuse to overtime before winning a 62-59 decision as a 13.5-point road underdog. The Eagles hooked up money-line supporters with a monster +850 payout (risk $100 to win $850).
Alabama forward Nick Jacobs has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team. Jacobs was averaging 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Crimson Tide, one the nation's most disappointing teams with an abysmal 10-15 overall record and a 4-8 mark in SEC play.
The news for the Wyoming Cowboys and Larry Shyatt couldn't possibly have been worse Wednesday. That's when the news of an ACL tear for leading scorer Larry Nance Jr. came down. Nance was leading Wyoming in scoring (15.4 PPG), rebounding (8.6 RPG), blocked shots (2.1 BPG) and steals (1.4 SPG). The Cowboys have won eight of their last 11 games to give themselves a chance to earn an at-large NCAA bid, but that task became much more formidable with the loss of Nance. They are 17-9 overall and 8-5 in the Mountain West.
With BC's upset win of the 'Cuse, red-hot Virginia is now alone atop the ACC standings with a 13-1 record. The Cavaliers have three home games on deck (Notre Dame, Miami and Syracuse) before finishing the regular season at Maryland.
UCLA trounced California by an 86-66 count as a two-point underdog last night. Jordan Adams led the Bruins with 28 points, six rebounds and five assists. Kyle Anderson had another stat-stuffing performance, producing 11 points, nine boards and seven assists.
College Basketball Lines and Leans
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
While Duke-North Carolina has much of the college basketball world’s attention Thursday night, The Linemakers on Sporting News offer picks on a couple of other games:
Michigan State (-5, 140) at Purdue
The Linemakers’ lean: Michigan State continues to deal with all kinds of injuries, including one to point guard Keith Appling’s wrist. Appling is listed as probable for tonight, but he’s clearly struggling with his shot. Sparty has lost four of its last seven games outright, and it’s hard to trust them laying points on the road, especially with Appling’s wrist issue and several other health concerns.
Their defense, though, holds opponents to 64.8 points per game and won’t let up at Purdue. The UNDER is 6-1 in Michigan State’s seven Big Ten road games this season, and we’re leaning UNDER the 140 tonight.
Gonzaga at BYU (-1.5, 151)
The Linemakers’ lean: BYU got smoked by Gonzaga by a 84-69 count in the season’s first meeting on Jan. 25, and in fact, has lost three straight to the Bulldogs. But the Cougars have won 10 of their last 13 games – and have ticked off nine straight victories at home. While they haven’t necessarily been covering a lot of spreads, we’re not too concerned about laying a number as short as tonight’s. Gonzaga has been coasting through a weak West Coast Conference schedule, and its task figures to get tougher tonight in front of an amped-up Provo crowd.
Also, look for a fast pace and plenty of points. BYU gets shots up quicker than any other team in the nation. We can see both teams scoring in the 80s.
BYU and OVER are our plays.
Spartans look to rebound
By Sportsbook.ag
Michigan State (21-5 SU, 14-10 ATS) at Purdue (15-10 SU, 9-13 ATS)
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Michigan State -5
No. 13 Michigan State will look to bounce back from a surprising loss to Nebraska as it travels to West Lafayette on Thursday to take on Purdue.
The Spartans (14-10-1 ATS overall) are coming off one of the most shocking losses of the season on Sunday when they lost to Nebraska at home by nine points. That gives Michigan State alternating wins and losses for eight straight games, but the school is still tied for first place in the Big Ten at 10-3 SU (9-4 ATS) with a game looming against Michigan on Sunday.
The Spartans are also 6-1 SU (7-0 ATS) in true road games this season where they outscore the host teams by a hefty 11.0 PPG margin. For Purdue, the season has been a struggle, as the team has lost five of its past seven games SU (3-4 ATS) to fall to 9-13 ATS overall and 5-7 (SU and ATS) in conference play. The Boilermakers do own a 12-2 SU mark at home, but are just 4-7 ATS at Mackey Arena.
However, Purdue is coming off an 82-64 rout against rival Indiana on Saturday where the high-scoring Hoosiers shot a pitiful 32.2% from the floor. These two teams haven’t played yet this season, but the Spartans own a five-game win streak (SU and ATS) in this series with all five victories coming by at least 13 points. But dating back to 1997, the schools have an even 7-7 split (SU and ATS) in meetings at West Lafayette.
Michigan State is just 23-40 ATS (37%) when facing a marginal winning team (51% to 60% win pct.) under head coach Tom Izzo, but the Boilermakers are 0-8 ATS after an ATS win this season.
Michigan State entered the season as one of the favorites to win the national title, and despite the current rough patch, this team has all the pieces necessary to reach the Final Four. The Spartans offense scores 76.9 PPG (49th in Div. I) on 46.7% FG (60th in nation) and 37.9% threes (31st in Div. I) because they do such a great job of sharing the ball, ranking seventh in the nation in assists (17.2 APG). They also do a solid job of rebounding the ball with a +4.9 RPG margin and 38.3 total RPG (35th in Div. I), while ranking among the top-60 teams in the nation in scoring defense (64.8 PPG, 48th), shooting defense (38.8% FG, 13th), steals (7.4 SPG, 56th) and blocks (4.8 BPG, 57th).
The biggest thing for Michigan State is that the Spartans need to get healthy, as PG Keith Appling (14.4 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.5 RPG), PF Adreian Payne (16.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG) and SF Branden Dawson (10.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG) have all missed time, or are currently out in Dawson’s case (broken hand). Appling is the leader of this team, but his wrist injury that kept him out for three straight games is not yet fully healed. He logged only 19 minutes in the loss to Nebraska, tallying just two points and one assist, but he scored 17 points in his team's 78-65 rout at Purdue last season. Payne missed seven games with a foot injury from Jan. 11 to Feb. 1, but he is finally healthy, as evidenced by his 18.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG over his past three contests. The 6-foot-10 Payne has the ability to dominate a game in many different areas. While he plays in the paint for the Spartans, Payne has the ability to stretch the defense and shoot from the perimeter, knocking down 43% of his three-point attempts.
This forces the opposing big men to play defense on the perimeter, opening driving lanes for players like leading scorer SG Gary Harris (17.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.7 APG). Although Harris has seen his shooting percentages drop significantly from 46% FG and 41% threes as a freshman, to 41% FG and 32% threes in his sophomore season, he did a great job of attacking the rim in Sunday's game, going to the line seven times, which was the same amount of FT attempts that he had in his previous four games combined.
With all of the injuries that the Spartans have suffered, freshman SF Kenny Kaminski (6.1 PPG, 48% threes) has taken his game to another level. He has scored at least eight points in four of his past five games, including a 19-point performance in a win against Penn State on Feb. 6. With the NCAA Tournament nearing, the most important thing for the Spartans is to get healthy. However, they can ill-afford to look ahead to the Michigan game, as the Boilermakers are still hungry for that signature win this season.
Purdue averages only 73.1 PPG (125th in Div. I) on a subpar 42.9% FG clip (251st in nation) and 34.0% threes, but is relentless on the glass with 39.7 RPG (16th in Div. I) and a +3.8 RPG margin. The defense surrenders 70.0 PPG (175th in nation) on low shooting percentages (41.3% FG and 32.0% threes) thanks to a hefty 5.6 BPG (27th in Div. I). While the Boilermakers come into this game with 10 losses on the season, they have been competitive for the most part. Six of these 10 losses are by 10 points or less, including two conference road defeats by three points each.
Senior SG Terone Johnson (12.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.3 APG) has been the leader this season for the Boilermakers, reaching double figures in all but five of the team’s games. He has been very good from the three-point line (38%), but must improve on his free-throw percentage (57%).
C A.J. Hammons (10.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG) is the leader on the glass, and is an emerging star in the Big Ten. The sophomore showed his ability in a triple overtime win against Minnesota on Feb. 5, when he finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. Hammons will be tested in this game, as Payne presents him with a very difficult matchup.
SG Ronnie Johnson (10.7 PPG, 38% threes, 3.6 APG) and SG Kendall Stephens (7.5 PPG, 37% threes) are two players that are capable of having big games, and will need to do just that for the Boilermakers to get the victory.
Senior SG Sterling Carter (4.9 PPG) had a big game in Saturday's win, scoring a season-high 19 points to lead his team. Carter played just 18 minutes versus Indiana and made 6-of-8 FG and 5-of-6 threes.
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