College Knowledge
-- Florida allowed 48 ppg in winning its first two SEC games by 33-22 points; Gators are 3-1 in true road games, with only loss at Arizona in game they led by six in last minute. Texas A&M won its first two SEC games by 18-12 point, with win at Kentucky; they're shooting 38.9% on arc (#21 in US); how did they lose at home to Southern? SEC home dogs are 3-2 against the spread.
-- Valparaiso won five of last six games vs Detroit, but lost to Titans by 20 in Horizon League title game LY, third year in row teams met in the conference tourney. Crusaders won last two visits here, by 10-2 points. 13-5 Valpo was held to 54 or less points in four of five losses this year; they're 5-4 on road, with win at Murray State. Horizon home favorites of 5 or less points are 3-1 vs spread.
-- 16-1 Michigan lost for first time at Ohio State Sunday, its first loss in three true road games; Wolverines won three in row, seven of last eight games vs Minnesota, beating Gophers in OT in conference tourney last spring. Michigan is 3-0 in last three visits here, winning by 3-8-7 points. Big Dozen road teams are 5-3 vs spread if number is 5 or less. Gophers lost last game by 7 at Indiana, after being down 52-29 at the half.
-- Middle Tennessee is 3-0 in Sun Belt home games, winning by 17-18-10 points; Blue Raiders are 5-3 in last eight games vs Little Rock- home team won four of last five. UALR is 0-6 on road this year, losing league away games by 14-9-3 points. Trojans lost last two visits here, by 17-8 points. Sun Belt home favorites are 13-6 vs spread, 3-2 if laying double digits. Middle Tennessee is forcing turnovers 24.6% of time (#22).
-- Home side won seven of last eight South Florida-Rutgers games; USF lost lost three of last four visits here, losing by 18-3-9 points. Big East home favorites of 6 or less points are 0-8 vs spread. Bulls scored 45 ppg in losing first three league games by 11-8-26 points; they're only winless team in Big East. Rutgers is 2-2 in conference, but wins were by total of seven points, with Knights scoring just 59 ppg in four games.
-- New Mexico State is 4-2 in WAC after winning pair of road games by total of 3 points last week; they won two home games by 20-11 points. Utah State is 5-0 in WAC, with three of five wins by 7 or less points. Home side won 11 of last 15 USU-NMS games, as USU lost five of last seven visits to Las Cruces, losing by 3-7-30-3-20 points. WAC home favorites are 3-11 against the spread, 1-7 if laying single digits.
-- 14-3 VCU hasn't lost since Thanksgiving weekend; they've won 12 in a row, winning first two Atlantic 16 games by 12-7 points. Rams force turnovers 30.7% of time, #1 in country. St Joe's won four of last five, losing at home by 6 to Butler. Hawks are #38 in country at protecting ball; they're 4-2 on road- only one of their five losses was by more than seven points. A-16 home favorites are 9-5 vs spread.
-- Oregon State is 0-3 in Pac-12 play, losing three home tilts; they beat UCLA in Corvallis LY, ending 13-game series losing skid. Beavers lost last eight visits here, by 11-8-18-47-35-25-9-8 points. Bruins are 14-3 after slow start, 4-0 in Pac-12, winning its home games by 14-8 points. Beavers won by 5 at Portland State in its only true road game this year. Pac-12 home favorites are 6-16 vs spread, 1-4 if laying 8+ points.
-- Fullerton won five of last seven games vs Irvine, winning last three in its home gym, all by six points; Titans are 3-1 in conference, winning its two home games by by 7-2 points. Anteaters beat Fullerton in Big West tourney last spring. Home team is 5-0 SU in Irvine's Big West games, as Anteaters lost two road games, by 3-5 points. Big West home favorites of 5 or less points are 3-8 against the spread.
-- This is USC's first game since firing O'Neill; chances are they'll play a little faster. 7-10 Trojans have played #12 schedule in country, that did not help the former coach. Oregon won last five games vs USC, winning last two here by ten points each; Ducks are 2-1 on road, with wins at UNLV/Oregon State, losing at UTEP in triple OT. Pac-12 underdogs are 21-6 vs spread, 5-0 at home. USC is 2-1 at home in conference.
-- Belmont scored 87.8 ppg in winning first four OVC games, winning at home by 35-37 points, but Eastern Kentucky is also 4-0 in OVC, while allowing only 60.8 ppg. Three of EKU's wins were at home, but they've won at Murray State, scoring 20 unanswered points in that game. OVC double digit home favorites are 4-6 vs spread. EKU lost at Illinois by 13, West Virginia by 7, in its only two top 100 games.
-- Western Illinois won its last ten games, but best team they beat in the 10 games was #149 Ill-Chicago; WIU lost its last seven games vs South Dakota State, losing to Jackrabbits in OT in Summit finals last March. State won last three visits here, by 1-31-6 points; they're 9-2 vs teams outside top 100, but just 3-6 in true road games. Summit home favorites are 5-9 vs spread, 3-5 if laying single digits.
-- Tennessee State won four of last six games vs Jacksonville State, with 66-57 road win 12 days ago, when Gamecocks shot just 34.2% at home, 19-34 from foul line. Tigers won last six games after 3-7 start; they are 5-0 in OVC, winning home tilts by 8-32-12 points. JSU allowed 57 ppg in winning all three of its conference road games. OVC home favorites are 7-9 against spread, 3-3 if laying single digits.
Armadillosports.com
Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
No. 11 Florida Gators vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Florida won its first two SEC games with victories this past week over Georgia and LSU. It is now 12-2 SU on the year and 7-4 ATS. The total stayed UNDER in Saturday's game against the Tigers but it had gone OVER in its previous three. The Gators are shooting a respectable 48.3 percent from the field and averaging 73.6 points a game. They have four different players scoring in double figures led by Kenny Boynton's 13.8 point average.
The Aggies are off to a perfect 2-0 SU start in their new conference with back-to-back wins over Arkansas as 1 ½-point home favorites and Kentucky as 15-point underdogs on the road. They are 12-3 SU overall and 5-3 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in three of their last four games with a posted line. Texas A&M is led by Elston Turner, who leads the team in scoring (17.1 points) and rebounds (6.5). As a team, the Aggies are averaging 66.7 points a game.
Thursday's Bounce-Back Spots
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
The highlight of Thursday’s college hoops card will come from the Big Ten Conference, as Michigan and Minnesota will collide at The Barn in Minneapolis. Both schools are in a five-way tie for second place in the conference, one game behind league-leading Wisconsin, which is in sole possession of the top spot with a 4-0 record following its upset win Tuesday at Indiana.
Michigan (16-1 straight up, 9-6 against the spread) will be in bounce-back mode for the first time this year after dropping a 56-53 decision Sunday afternoon at Ohio St. as a two-point underdog. The Wolverines, the nation’s last remaining unbeaten team, fell behind the Buckeyes 29-8 early and were down by 12 at intermission.
John Beilein’s squad wouldn’t fold, though, pulling even at 46-46 with 5:58 left on a 3-pointer from Glenn Robinson III. But Michigan couldn’t overcome 20 points from DeShaun Thomas and stifling defense from Ohio St. guard Aaron Craft, who forced Trey Burke into a 4-of-13 shooting performance from the field.
Burke finished with a team-high 15 points, while Tim Hardaway Jr. had 12 points but made only 5-of-15 from the floor. Michigan shot just 38.3 percent from the field and freshman Nik Stauskas (13.5 points per game, 52.3% from 3-point range) was held scoreless and missed all three attempts from beyond the arc.
Minnesota (15-2 SU, 11-4 ATS) saw its 11-game winning streak snapped in Saturday’s 88-81 loss at Indiana at Assembly Hall. However, after trailing 52-29 at halftime, the Gophers rallied to within three in the final minute and covered the spread as eight-point underdogs.
Andre Hollins was the catalyst in the comeback, scoring a game-high 25 points thanks to five treys. All five starters scored in double figures with Trevor Mbakwe tallying 13 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.
In his fifth year at the helm, Tubby Smith clearly has his best team at Minnesota. The Gophers, who already have eight wins over RIP Top 100 squads, have a balanced offensive attack and plenty of depth. They have proven themselves on the road with dominant wins at Illinois and at Florida St., in addition to neutral-floor victories over Memphis and Stanford.
Rodney Williams, a 6’7” senior forward, doesn’t get as many shots as I would like to see him get, but he’s extremely productive nonetheless. Williams has an excellent mid-range jumper and attacks the rim relentlessly. His matchup with Robinson will be fun to watch.
The battle between the big men will be another interesting watch, albeit PG-13 at least. Michigan’s Jordan Morgan plays his role to near perfection. Morgan is one of the country’s best post defenders, sets brutal screens to get Hardaway and Stauskas open for clean perimeter looks and hits the boards hard at both ends.
Also, Morgan doesn’t need a lot of touches and rarely takes a bad shot. With that said, he’s a strong finisher.
Mbakwe, a sixth-year senior who missed nearly all of last season with a torn ACL, is just now getting back to 100 percent healthy and regaining his conditioning in the last few weeks. He has four double-doubles in the last six games.
Michigan has won three in a row over the Gophers and seven of the last eight, going 5-3 ATS in the process.
The ‘over’ is 10-5 overall for Michigan, 2-1 in its three true road assignments. The ‘over’ is 6-4 overall for Minnesota, but the ‘under’ is 4-1 in its five home games with a total.
BetOnline.com opened Minnesota as a 3.5-point favorite.
Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Duke (15-1 SU, 9-7 ATS) will also be looking to respond from its first defeat Thursday when it hosts Ga. Tech at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils, playing without Ryan Kelly for the first time, lost 84-76 Saturday at North Carolina St. as one-point road ‘chalk.’
Kelly, who averages 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, is ‘out’ indefinitely with a foot injury. Senior guard Seth Curry has also been bothered by an ankle sprain, but he’s ‘probable’ against the Yellow Jackets. Curry averages 16.4 PPG.
Ga. Tech (10-5 SU, 6-7 ATS) has lost three in a row, including Saturday’s 70-65 overtime loss to Va. Tech as a 10-point home favorite. The Yellow Jackets have been road underdogs twice, going 0-2 both SU and ATS with a pair of double-digit defeats at Illinois and at N.C. St.
The ‘under’ is on a 13-3 run in the last 16 head-to-head meetings between these long-time ACC adversaries. Duke has won eight of the last nine over the Yellow Jackets.
BetOnline.com opened the Blue Devils as 17-point 'chalk.'
ESPN will have the telecast at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Coming off its 83-71 win over Kentucky on Saturday at Rupp Arena, Texas A&M returns home Thursday to take on Florida. ESPN2 will have television coverage at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The Gators will be without junior forward Casey Prather, who will miss the next 10-14 days with a sprained ankle. Mike Rosario, who missed Saturday’s blowout win at LSU with an ankle injury, is poised to return to the lineup against the Aggies.
Illinois St. has suspended senior guard Tyler Brown indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team. Brown was averaging 15.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The Redbirds started 9-3 and nearly pulled an upset at Louisville, but they took a five-game losing streak into Wednesday’s game at Wichita St.
Vandy plus eight was Tuesday’s Bad Beat. The Commodores led by three at the end of regulation when Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson buried a 35-foot bomb at the buzzer to force overtime. The Rebels went on to capture an 89-79 win to take the cash as eight-point road ‘chalk.’ Henderson has helped Andy Kennedy’s team to a 14-2 record by averaging 19.1 points per game. The Rebels’ two losses came by five combined points to Indiana St. and Middle Tennessee, both of whom are RPI Top 50 teams.
CBB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Michigan at Minnesota
Both Minnesota (15-2, 11-4 ATS) and Michigan (16-1, 9-6 ATS) look to bounce back when they collide on Thursday. Golden Gophers had an 11-game win streak halted by Hoosiers at Assembly Hall last time out, Wolverines' perfect start came to an end with a road loss at Ohio State. Minnesota lead by Andre Hollis (14.4), Rodney Williams (12.5) averaging 76.3 PPG, surrendering 61.4 per contest reeling off ten straight on home court (6-2 ATS) appear to have an edge. However, Gophers exposed for 88 points on 50.9% shooting in the loss at Indiana need to tighten defensive screws for any chance at toppling Wolverines who have little problem finding the basket netting 79.1 points/game. Consider Michigan and it's high-powered offense knowing Wolverines have cashed five of six on the road vs the conference and that a packed house at Williams Arena hasn't helped Gophers in this series as Wolverines are 5-1 ATS last six visits.
College Basketball Point Spreads and Betting Guide
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
Thursday's college basketball lineup features eight games involving Top 25 teams. The Big Ten features a battle of top 10 teams when Michigan travels to take on Minnesota, while Duke plays host to Georgia Tech and Florida travels to Texas A&M. Check our live odds board for updated college basketball point spreads.
No. 10 Florida (12-2) at Texas A&M (12-3) - 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Line: Florida -10.5, Total: 123
Trends:
Gators are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games overall.
Aggies are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games.
Aggies are 4-1 ATS in their last five games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600.
Aggies are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 vs. SEC.
Under is 5-1 in Aggies last six overall.
The Linemakers' take: Both teams have won four straight coming into this game. Florida is expected to have second leading scorer Mike Rosario back tonight after he missed the last game with an ankle issue. The Aggies have been better than a lot of people thought they'd be. They just won, 83-71, at Kentucky behind 40 points from Elston Turner. This is a tough stretch for the Gators as they play Missouri on Saturday. It's a big number and could be a good spot for A&M. They have always been a tough out at home.
St. Joseph's (9-5) at No. 22 VCU (14-3) - 9:00 p.m. ET (CBSC)
Line: VCU -11, Total: 133
Trends:
Hawks are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600.
Hawks are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games overall.
Rams are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games.
Rams are 4-0 ATS in their last four games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600.
Rams are 7-2 ATS in their last nine vs. Atlantic 10.
Over is 7-0 in Hawks' last seven games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Under is 4-0 in Rams' last four home games.
The Linemakers' take: St. Joe's got off to a slow start, but they have now won four of their last five, the loss being to Butler by six points. We are very impressed with VCU. This may be Shaka Smart's best team yet. They lead the country in steals, turnover margin, can light it up from three, and they run all night long. They call their play "havoc," and it is appropriate. The only losses on their resume are to Duke by nine, Missouri by three and Wichita State by two. We don't like to lay double digits but can't play against the Rams at home.
Some more games and trends for your wagering consideration:
Georgia Tech vs. No. 3 Duke – 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: Duke -15.5, Total: 128.5
Trends:
• Under is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings in Duke.
• Under is 13-3 in the last 16 meetings.
• Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
• Favorite is 17-7 ATS in the last 24 meetings.
• Yellow Jackets are 8-17 ATS in the last 25 meetings.
• Yellow Jackets are 2-7 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Duke.
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 9 Minnesota – 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Minnesota -2.5, Total: 140
Trends:
• Over is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.
• Wolverines are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Minnesota.
• Underdog is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
• Road team is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
No. 8 Gonzaga vs. Portland – 10:00 p.m. ET
Line: Gonzaga -15.5
Trends:
• Under is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.
• Home team is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
• Bulldogs are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
• Favorite is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
No. 21 Oregon vs. USC – 11:00 p.m. ET
Line: Oregon -3, Total: 134.5
Trends:
• Ducks are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
• Over is 12-4 in the last 16 meetings.
• Ducks are 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings in Southern California.
• Road team is 20-7 ATS in the last 27 meetings.
• Underdog is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Saint Joseph’s vs. No. 22 VCU – 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: VCU -10.5, Total: 133
• Hawks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
• Hawks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win.
• Hawks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win.
• Hawks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Thursday games.
• Rams are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games.
• Rams are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss.
• Rams are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 vs. Atlantic 10.
• Under is 11-1 in Hawks' last 12 Thursday games.
• Over is 5-1 in Hawks' last 6 vs. Atlantic 10.
• Over is 10-3 in Hawks' last 13 overall.
Northwestern vs. No. 23 Illinois – 8:15 p.m. ET
Line: Illinois -10, Total: 131.5
Trends:
• Over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
• Underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
• Fighting Illini are 8-21 ATS in their last 29 games overall.
• Fighting Illini are 6-18 ATS in their last 24 Thursday games.
• Fighting Illini are 5-17 ATS in their last 22 vs. Big Ten.
Oregon State vs. No. 24 UCLA – 9:00 p.m. ET
Line: UCLA -13.5, Total: 153
Trends:
• Favorite is 19-7-1 ATS in the last 27 meetings.
• Beavers are 7-19-1 ATS in the last 27 meetings.
• Beavers are 1-6 ATS in the last 7 meetings in UCLA.
• Beavers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Pacific-12.
• Beavers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
• Beavers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games.
• Bruins are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 vs. Pacific-12.
• Bruins are 13-4-1 ATS in their last 18 Thursday games.