College Basketball Knowledge
Home side won both UConn-Tulsa games LY; Huskies lost 66-58 here, won 70-45 at home. UConn won six of last seven games; they won both true road games, by 5 at Texas, by 8 at Tulane. Tulsa is 2-5 vs top 100 teams, beating (VanVleet-less) Wichita, Okla State; they won last couple games by 12-14 points, but split their last six home games. AAC home underdogs are 3-3 against the spread.
Michigan State's only loss was 83-70 at Iowa 15 days ago; Spartans are 14-2 in last 16 games with Iowa, winning nine of last 10; Hawkeyes lost last 9+ visits here, with last thee all by 10+ points. Iowa won its last five games; they're 2-1 in true road games, winning at Marquette/Purdue- they were down 17 at half to Boilers. Spartans didn't have Valentine for that first meeting at Iowa; he is back. Big 14 home favorites are 13-7.
Home side won last five Wm & Mary-Charleston games; Tribe lost last two visits here, by 33-8 points. W&M won last three games by 8-9-18 points; they beat Cougars 78-70 at home Jan 2, leading 44-25 at the half. Charleston split last six games; Canyon Barry has been hurt; they turn ball over 19.4% of time. Charleston is 2-2 vs top 100 teams, with wins over LSU, Hofstra. CAA home underdogs are 3-5 vs spread.
Valparaiso won seven of last eight games with Milwaukee, winning three in row here by 31-13-25 points; Crusaders won first three Horizon tilts by 28-17-18 points; they've got #12 eFG% defense- teams shoot 40.9% inside arc against them. Panthers won last three games, allowing 64.7 ppg; they get 36.9% of points from arc (#28)- they split two top 100 games, with win at Wisconsin. Horizon League home favorites are 7-4.
UAB beat Old Dominion by 9-13 points in first two C-USA meetings in games played at UAB. Blazers won first three C-USA games by 11-22-7 points; they're 3-1 in true road games, all vs teams ranked #177 or lower. #110 ODU won five of last six games but lost last game as favorite of 12 points at Southern Miss; Monarchs are 8-0 at home this season. C-USA home favorites are 8-9 against the spread.
Washington is 3-0 in Pac-12, with two OT wins, another by a hoop; they won in OT at Wazzu Saturday, their first true road game. Huskies lost last four games vs Arizona, losing last two visits here by 18-9 points. Wildcats' leading scorer Trier (hand) is out; Arizona got swept in LA last week after a 13-1 start; their last six wins are by 12+ points. Home faves are 6-4 against the spread in Pac-12 games.
Gonzaga is 8-3 vs BYU in WCC games, 3-2 in last five; Cougars are 1-3 in Spokane, winning 73-70 (+13) here LY. Zags won last six games, but in last three games allowed 81.7 ppg- they're 2-1 as WCC home favorites, winning by 26-23-11 at home. BYU is 1-4 in true road games, losing by 11 at St Mary's; they're 1-3 in top 100 games, with best win over #89 Northern Iowa. WCC single digit home favorites are 4-6 vs spread.
Louisville won its last six games with Pittsburgh, winning last five here by 6-3-3-3-13 points. Cardinals split last four games, all of which were decided by 8 or less points; they're 0-2 vs top 50 teams- their best win was over #85 NC State. Pitt won its last 10 games; its win at Notre Dame Saturday was Panthers' first true road game all season. ACC home faves are 8-11 vs spread, 3-6 if spread was 7 or less points.
Oregon is 7-1 vs Utah in Pac-12 play, winning last four- they've won two of three visits here, with only loss three years ago. Ducks are 13-3, 0-3 in true road games, losing at UNLV, Boise, Oregon State- they're 6-3 vs top 100 teams. Utah's first three Pac-12 games (1-2) were on road; they're 5-4 vs top 100 teams with a neutral floor win over Duke. Pac-12 home teams are 12-6 vs spread if spread was 5 or less points.
Cal-Irvine won five of last six games with Long Beach, winning last two visits here by total of three points. Anteaters are 3-3 in true road games; its last four losses were all to top 50 teams. #118 Long Beach won first two league games by 15-12 points over stiffs; 49ers are 2-8 vs top 100 teams, with last win Nov 19- they're 5-1 at home, with loss to San Diego State by 4. Big West single digit home favorites are 0-3 vs spread.
Stanford won five of last six games with Cal; Golden Bears lost four of last five visits here- road team won four of last five in series. Cardinal is 9-6 vs schedule #10- they lost two of last three games, are 3-2 in last five at home. Cal lost last three true road games by total of 10 points; they've got #8 eFG% defense while forcing 2nd-fewest turnovers in US. Pac-12 home underdogs are 7-2 against the spread.
Home side won last four Fort Wayne-South Dakota State games; IPFW is 0-8 in last eight visits here, with last five all by 20+ points. Mastodons are improved at 14-4, 3-0; three of their four losses are to top 50 teams. Jackrabbits won three of last four games, winning by 4-9-4 points; all of their four losses were in true road games. Summit League home favorites are 3-11 vs spread. Fort Wayne's best win is over #135 Cal Poly.
Belmont scored 87.7 ppg in winning first three OVC games by 10-8-26 points; Bruins are 3-2 vs Murray State in series where home team won all four regular season meetings, Racers losing 70-68/88-87 here. Belmont is shooting 61.2% inside arc, #1 in US. Murray State lost six of last eight to D-I teams; they're 0-4 in true road games, with three losses by 11+. OVC single digit home favorites are 6-8 vs spread.
Armadillosports.com
Thursday's Pac-12 Tips
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Oregon at Utah
Utah (12-4 straight up, 5-8-1 against the spread) will play host to Oregon tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on the Pac-12 Network. As of early this morning, most betting shops had the Utes installed as 4.5-point favorites.
Oregon (13-3 SU, 7-6 ATS) is mired in a 1-3 ATS slump, but it has won back-to-back games and six of its last seven. Dana Altman’s team is off of Sunday’s 71-58 win over Stanford as a nine-point home favorite. Dillon Brooks was the catalyst with 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Tyler Dorsey and Dwayne Benjamin added 12 points apiece, while Chris Boucher contributed nine points, five boards and five blocked shots.
Brooks is averaging a team-best 15.2 points per game for the Ducks, who have four players scoring in double figures. Boucher (12.1 PPG) is second in the nation in blocked shots, rejected 3.3 attempts per game. He averages team-highs in rebounding (8.1 RPG) and field-goal percentage (51.6%).
Utah is unbeaten in eight home games with a 2-3 spread record.
After losing at Stanford (70-68 in overtime) and at California (71-58), Utah captured a 56-54 win at Colorado last Friday in a pick ‘em affair. Lorenzo Bonam paced the Utes with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Utah is No. 22 in the RPI Rankings. The Utes are 3-3 against the Top 50 and 6-4 versus the Top 100. They own neutral-court scalps over Temple, Texas Tech and Duke, in addition to a win at Colorado.
Oregon is No. 11 in the RPI, going 3-1 against the Top 50 and 7-2 versus the Top 100. The Ducks have home wins over Baylor, Valpo, Cal, Stanford, UC-Irvine and Long Beach State. They also have a neutral-court victory over Alabama. Altman’s squad took its defeats at Oregon St., at Boise St. and against UNLV on a neutral floor.
Utah is led by sophomore center Jakob Poelti, who is averaging 17.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per games. The 7-foot Poeltl is first in the Pac-12 and eighth in the country in field-goal percentage, making 66.5 percent of his attempts.
Utah has been a single-digit favorite four times, posting a 1-2-1 spread record. Meanwhile, Oregon owns a 2-0 spread record with one outright victory (vs. Baylor) in a pair of underdog spots this year. The other cover came in backdoor fashion in a 74-72 loss at Boise State.
Oregon has won four in a row in this rivalry, including a 67-64 triumph at last year’s Pac-12 Tournament. The Ducks are 3-0-1 ATS during their four-game winning streak over the Utes, who have just one win in the last eight head-to-head meetings.
The ‘over’ is 9-5-1 overall for Utah, 6-0 in its home games. However, the Utes have seen the ‘under’ cash in their first three Pac-12 games that have all been on the road.
After cashing in three consecutive games, the ‘under’ is 8-5 overall for the Ducks, 2-0 in their road outings.
California at Stanford
California (12-5 SU, 9-8 ATS) and Stanford will renew their bitter basketball rivalry tonight in Palo Alto at 11:00 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports 1. As of early this morning, most books had the Golden Bears favored by 3.5 points.
Cuonzo Martin’s club has lost back-to-back games, yet it maintains a stellar 6-1 spread record in its last seven games. Cal is playing its third straight road game after losses at Oregon St. (77-71) and at Oregon (68-65). The Golden Bears won’t play again until returning home next Thursday to host Arizona State.
Cal is No. 42 in the RPI Rankings, compiling a 3-3 record against the Top 50 and a 5-4 mark versus the Top 100. Martin’s squad has five quality home wins over Davidson, Colorado, Utah, UC-Santa Barbara and Saint Mary’s. The Golden Bears have taken tasted their losses at Virginia, at Oregon, at Oregon State and vs. Richmond and San Diego State on neutral floors.
Cal is led by senior guard Tyrone Wallace, who is averaging team-highs in scoring (15.4 PPG), assists (4.5 APG) and steals (1.1 SPG). Ivan Rabb, a 6-10 freshman out of Oakland, is averaging 12.5 PPG. Rabb is averaging team-bests in rebounding (8.7 RPG), field-goal percentage (64.1%) and blocked shots (23). Jaylen Brown, a five-star recruit just like Rabb, is also enjoyed an excellent freshman campaign. Brown is averaging 14.9 points 6.2 rebounds per contest.
Cal has failed to cover in a pair of games as a road favorite this year. The Bears lost outright in Corvallis and won 78-72 in overtime at Wyoming as seven-point road ‘chalk.’
Stanford (9-6 SU, 6-7 ATS) is off a 71-58 loss Sunday at Oregon as a nine-point underdog. Michael Humphrey scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds for the losers in Eugene. Rosco Allen finished with 13 points and seven boards, while Marcus Allen was also in double figures with 12 points.
Humphrey (10.9 PPG) is averaging team-bests in rebounding (7.2 RPG), field-goal percentage (50.8%) and blocked shots (1.7 BPG). Allen is scoring at a team-high 14.1 PPG clip.
Stanford has won seven of 10 home games while limping to a 3-5 spread record.
Stanford is 4-4 ATS with three outright wins in eight games as an underdog. This is the third home ‘dog situation for the Cardinal, which is 1-1 both SU and ATS in the two previous such spots. They beat Utah as 4.5-point home ‘dogs and lost 75-73 to Texas as one-point home puppies.
The ‘under’ is 8-5 overall for the Cardinal, 4-4 in its home games. Regardless of the venue, Stanford has seen the ‘under’ go 4-1 in its last five outings and 8-3 in its last 11.
The ‘under’ is 10-7 overall for Cal, 2-2 in its four true road assignments.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Then there was only one. In this instance, Southern Methodist is the lone remaining undefeated team following Wednesday night’s action. SMU cruised to a 79-55 win last night at East Carolina as a 14-point road favorite. Larry Brown’s team improved to 16-0 overall and 5-0 in AAC play. Ben Moore scored 17 points, grabbed six rebounds and made four steals, while senior point guard Nic Moore dished out 12 assists without committing a turnover.
South Carolina fell from the unbeaten ranks last night at Coleman Coliseum, where the good times continued to roll in Tuscaloosa during Alabama’s 73-50 blowout win as a four-point home underdog. Avery Johnson is doing a helluva job in his first season with the Crimson Tide.
Jaron Blossomgame scored a team-best 17 points to lead Clemson to a 68-63 come-from-behind win over Duke as a 7.5-point home underdog. The Tigers, who have won four in a row, killed the Blue Devils on the glass with a 33-21 rebounding advantage. They beat a nationally-ranked opponent in back-to-back games for the first time since 1989 when Elden Campbell and Dale Davis were still on the Clemson roster.
Boise State won its 10th consecutive game late last night in Reno. Mikey Thompson led BSU’s balanced offensive attack with a game-high 18 points in a 74-67 win at Nevada as a four-point road favorite. Thompson, a senior point guard from out of Las Vegas, is beginning to flourish with the ball in his hands more due to the loss of Derrick Marks. He also had four assists, three rebounds and three steals against the Wolf Pack. James Webb III added 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Anthony Drmic and Nick Duncan finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
LSU bounced back from Saturday’s loss at Florida to rally past Ole Miss for a 90-81 win as a 10-point home favorite. The Tigers were able to win despite 33 points from Stefan Moody, who looked like an All-American at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU freshman sensation Ben Simmons is undoubtedly going to be an All-American, producing 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds against the Rebels.
Gonzaga, BYU battle
By Sportsbook.ag
BYU COUGARS (12-5) at GONZAGA BULLDOGS (13-3)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Gonzaga -7.5
West Coast Conference heavyweights collide as No. 25 Gonzaga looks for revenge against BYU for snapping the Bulldogs’ 41-game home winning streak last season.
When BYU entered the WCC in 2011, the thought was that the Cougars would immediately make things interesting for Gonzaga’s stronghold on the conference. It took a few years, but the Cougars finally stepped up to the challenge, giving the Bulldogs only their third conference loss in the McCarthey Athletic Center (80-3) in a 73-70 win over then-No. 3 Gonzaga in Feb. 15.
Gonzaga hadn’t lost a home conference game since 2011 (St. Mary’s) until last season. Gonzaga’s home dominance has been tested this season in its non-conference slate, as it has uncharacteristically dropped multiple games (albeit to tough foes in Pac-12 opponents Arizona and UCLA).
The Bulldogs have run through WCC play in the early going (5-0), but they’re only 2-3 ATS (0-3 ATS in last three games). As double-digit favorites in all five games, Gonzaga has struggled in each of the last three, as its failed to put opponents away down the stretch and has allowed 81.6 PPG in the process. Gonzaga’s most recent win was at home against Portland, 85-74, last Saturday (Gonzaga -19).
BYU comes into Thursday evening’s game 3-1 in WCC play, its only defeat coming in Moraga, CA against St. Mary’s, 85-74 on Dec. 31st in the WCC opener (BYU +7). The Cougars have since reeled off three straight wins (2-1 ATS), only failing to cover at -17 when hosting San Francisco last Saturday in a 102-92 win. The total has gone OVER in eight of BYU’s last nine games and has also gone OVER in Gonzaga’s last six games. However, the total has gone UNDER in six of BYU’s last seven games at Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs have owned this series since the Cougars became WCC members, going 8-2 SU (7-2-1 ATS). Gonzaga did mete out some revenge after last season’s home defeat, as the Bulldogs defeated the Cougars, 91-75, (Gonzaga -8) for the Pac-12 Tournament title in Las Vegas only two weeks later.
Gonzaga will be without the services of C Przemek Karnowski (7.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG), who’s now missed the last 11 games and was ruled out for the season after what was initially thought to be routine back spasms. Karnowski had back surgery on Dec. 31st.
BYU will look to keep pouring on the points against Gonzaga’s once-staunch defense. The Cougars’ 16th-ranked scoring offense (84.1 PPG) and hot shooting (40% 3PT, 15th NCAA) will need to continue if the Cougars are to win in this facility two years in a row. BYU’s defense is nothing to write home about (74.8 PPG, 228th NCAA), and it never has been in coach Dave Rose’s tenure in Provo. That said, BYU does a nice job on the glass with a +6.3 rebounding margin (44th NCAA), which is fueled by only allowing 7.2 offensive rebounds per game (23rd NCAA).
On a tear for BYU is sharpshooting G Chase Fischer (18.1 PPG, 36% 3PT). Since bottoming out with 4 points against Harvard on Dec. 22 (6 games), Fischer—a transfer from Wake Forest— has averaged a cool 24.8 PPG (including a career-high 41 points the next day against New Mexico). He’s shot 44% from three (4.7 3PM) over that span. Fischer combines with G Nick Emery (15.3 PPG) to form one of the deadliest three-point duos in the country (6.8 3PM combined). Emery has scored 20+ in two straight, going 16-27 FG and 8-12 3PT.
Utah State transfer F Kyle Davis (12.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG) has been a revelation for the Cougars, but has had trouble against the premier big men he’s faced. (Utah’s Jakob Poeltl and Colorado’s Josh Scott both had big games against BYU.)
The glue of the BYU offense is F Kyle Collinsworth (14.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.5 APG), who already has three triple-doubles this season (most recently last Thursday versus Santa Clara). Collinsworth thrived in the three meetings against Gonzaga last season, garnering a triple-double at home (13 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) while going for 20 points in the win at Gonzaga. He also poured in a career-high 28 in the WCC title game loss to the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga’s once-solid perimeter defense has gone missing. Only once in its first 13 games had the Bulldogs allowed more than 74 points (Dec. 19th vs Tennessee). However, Gonzaga’s last three opponents have eclipsed that mark. Part of this can be due to teams pushing the pace on the Bulldogs, a number that has hit 76 possessions per game over the Bulldogs’ last three games. (Gonzaga’s season-long pace rate has them at 71.6 poss/game, 165th NCAA.)
Gonzaga has also allowed Santa Clara and San Francisco to bomb away for 26-55 from three in two of those three close wins, something uncharacteristic for Gonzaga’s 41st ranked three-point defense (31.1% 3PT). The Bulldogs were actually down by 16 at San Francisco before a herculean effort from F Domantas Sabonis (18.9 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 67% FG) of 35 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to an overtime win. These efforts have become almost commonplace for the outstanding sophomore forward, as he followed up that effort with 28 points and 17 rebounds in last Saturday’s home win over Portland.
Sabonis and F Kyle Wiltjer (21.5 PPG, 49% FG, 42% FT, 90% FT) are the backbone of the offense for coach Mark Few, as Wiltjer has averaged 28 points per game in his last four contests. Wiltjer can ill-afford to play like he did the last time these two teams met in “The Kennel” (4 points, 2-11 FG). Wiltjer should have plenty of looks from three, as BYU allows 8.8 3PT/G (333rd NCAA).
While G Josh Perkins (10.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG) has shown signs of life lately (17 PPG in his last three; 26 points at Santa Clara), he’s still prone to turnovers, and as Gonzaga’s main perimeter disruptor he’s got to do better than five steals in his last eight games.
G Eric McClellan (9.5 PPG) has also solidified his role in Few’s guard rotation, but he’s committed eight turnovers versus five assists over his last three games, and is 2-11 3PT in that span. It will most likely again take 50-60 combined points from Wiltjer and Sabonis for Few’s Bulldogs to be able to match points with BYU’s high-powered offenss. That is, unless Gonzaga can regain their stingy defense from early this season.