College Basketball Knowledge
Syracuse won six of last seven games with Notre Dame, winning three in row by 16-6-5 points; Irish lost last four visits here by 19-12-16-6, but ND won its last four games, scoring 81.5 ppg; they're 2-1 on ACC road, losing by 11 at Virginia. Orange is 3-2 since Boeheim returned from his suspension; they're 1-2 at home in ACC, with lone win over lowly BC. ACC homefavorites of 5 or less points are 5-6 vs spread.
Iowa is 7-0 in Big 14 for first time since 1980; they've won eight games in row, winning Big 14 road games by 7-17-14 points. Hawkeyes are 7-3 vs top 50 teams, sweeping Purdue. Maryland lost 71-55 at Iowa LY, in teams' first meeting as Big 14 foes; Terps split last four games after 14-1 start to season; they're 4-0 at home in league, with three wins by 13+ points. Big 14 home favorites of 6 or less points are 5-4 vs spread.
UConn won four of last five games with Cincinnati, with all four wins by six or less points; Huskies won last three games by 12-18-6 points, allowing 53.7 ppg; .they won last three home tilts. Cincinnati won five of last seven games, with both losses by a hoop; they're 2-3 in true road games. winning at VCU, South Florida. AAC home favorites of 7 or less points are 2-6 against the spread.
NC-Wilmington swept James Madison by 12-20 points LY, after they had lost six of previous seven series games. Seahawks won five games in row, scoring 77.8 ppg; they're 2-1 on CAA road, losing at Towson by 16. JMU also won last five games, with four wins by 12+ points; they won last two home games by 14-23 points, after losing firts two CAA home games. CAA home faves of 6 or less points are 3-10 vs spread.
Middle Tennessee won 56-53/90-51 in its first two C-USA games with Marshall, but Thundering Herd is much-improved this year, going 6-1 in C-USA after a 4-9 pre-conference mark. Herd is playing first home game in 19 days; they're 3-0 at home in C-USA, winning by 18-23-18 points. MTSU won their last six games, with wins at Charlotte, Old Dominion. C-USA home favorites of 5 or less points are 5-2 vs spread.
Evansville won six of last nine games with Southern Illinois, winning by 6-8 in last two visits here; these two teams are on track to meet in MVC semis in March. Purple Aces won four of last five games; they're 2-2 on Valley road, winning at Missouri State/Illinois State. Salukis won four in row and 10 of last 11 games- they're 3-1 at home in MVC, losing only to Wichita. Valley home underdogs of 3 or less points are 4-1 vs spread.
Arizona State is 12-2 in last 14 games with Oregon State; Beavers lost last seven visits here, six by 10+ points. Sun Devils lost last three tilts, all by 5 or less points; they're 1-6 in Pac-12, with only win over Wazzu at home by 11. Oregon State is 3-4 in Pac-12 despite playing five games at home; they're 0-2 on Pac-12 road, losing by 17-6 at Colorado/Utah. Arizona State has worst eFG% defense in Pac-12 this month.
Richmond-George Washington split their last eight games; Spiders lost last two visits here, 83-65/73-65. GW is 3-0 at home in conference, with wins by 6-27-4 points. Richmond lost five of last seven games; they're 1-7 vs top 100 teams, with only win over Cal on neutral floor. Spiders have worst eFG% defense in A-14; teams are shooting 43.3% on the arc against them. A-14 single digit home favorites are 9-7 vs spread.
Michigan State won its last six games with Northwestern, winning last two here 54-40/68-44; Spartans snapped 3-game skid with win against Maryland last game- they're 2-2 on Big 14 road, winning at Minnesota by 8, at Penn Sate by 27. Wildcats lost last three games, need signature win to get back on NCAA bubble; they're 1-3 at home in Big 14, with losses by 13-9-9 points. Big 14 single digit home underdogs are 4-9.
UCLA lost 96-93 in double OT at Washington Jan 1; Bruins were 38-50 on foul line. Huskies 27-40 in game UCLA led by 10 in first half- they turned ball over 25 times. U-Dub lost last three visits to Westwood by 6-2-22 points. UCLA is 3-4 in Pac-12 with wins by 3-7-9 points; they are 2-1 at home in league, losing to USC. Washington is 5-2 in Pac-12, with three games going OT; they're playing at #5 tempo in country.
Long Beach State lost six of last nine games, but won 77-67 at UCSB 8 days ago, shooting 61% inside arc. Gauchos are 3-2 in last five games in series, but are 1-6 in last seven visits here, with five losses by 12+. Big West single home favorites are 3-8 vs spread. UCSB is 2-3 in Big West, with losses by 8-9-10 points; they lost by 8 at Hawai'i, won by 3 at Cal Poly in only road games. UCSB foes are shooting 27.6% on the arc.
Arizona is 10-3 in its last 13 games with Oregon, beating Ducks LY by 18-34-28 points. Oregon lost lost five of last six visits to Tucson, losing 67-65/90-56 last two years. Wildcats split last six games after 13-1 start; they swept Washington schools by 32-24 points in only two conference games. Oregon won five of last six games; they're 1-2 on Pac-12 road, losing by 13 in Corvallis, 4 at Colorado, with lone win by 18 at Utah.
South Dakota State won five of last six games with Omaha, winning by 17-19-22 points in last three meetings. Jackrabbits can tie Omaha for 1st place here, are playing first home game in two weeks- they won all three Summit home games by 9-4-16 points. Summit League single digit home favorites are 8-14 against spread. Omaha won eight of its last nine, with only loss in OT to Fort Wayne- they're 4-0 on Summit League road.
Armadillosports.com
Thursday's Top 25 Trends
VegasInsider.com
Notre Dame at Syracuse
The Fighting Irish have turned things around since a 1-2 start in ACC play by winning four straight games. Notre Dame routed Boston College, 76-49 on Saturday as 19½-point favorites in spite of losing leading scorer Demetrius Jackson to a hamstring injury two minutes into the game. Jackson will miss Thursday’s matchup at Syracuse, as the Orange have won each of the last three meetings with the Irish. Syracuse saw its three-game winning streak come to an end in Sunday’s 73-65 setback at Virginia, but the Orange has covered four straight games.
Iowa at Maryland
Two of the top teams in the Big 10 hook up for a crucial battle in College Park. Iowa is the lone unbeaten club in the Big 10 after Indiana lost on Tuesday, as the Hawkeyes own a 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS record. The Hawkeyes have picked up several solid road wins in the conference at Michigan State and Purdue, while pulling off the season sweep of the Boilermakers this past weekend, 83-71 as 2½-point home favorites. Maryland suffered its second conference loss in eight tries with a 74-65 defeat at Michigan State on Saturday. The Terps haven’t been tested at home in conference play, beating Penn State, Rutgers, Ohio State, and Northwestern, while going 2-2 ATS in those victories.
Michigan State at Northwestern
The Spartans snapped a three-game losing streak with 74-65 home victory over Maryland to improve to 4-4 in conference play. Michigan State has won six straight meetings with Northwestern since 2013, including a 68-44 rout of the Wildcats in Evanston last season. Northwestern has dropped three in a row since getting demolished at Indiana on Saturday, 89-57. In all five Big 10 losses, the Wildcats have been limited to 62 points or less, while owning a 1-3 SU/ATS record at home in conference action.
Oregon at Arizona
The Ducks are a perfect 4-0 at home in Pac-12 play, but have lost two of three games away from Eugene against conference foes. Oregon is coming off a home sweep of USC and UCLA to pull into a first-place tie atop the Pac-12 with Washington at 5-2. Arizona has yet to lose a home game this season (11-0), while already playing five of seven conference contests away from Tucson. The Wildcats lost their last game, 74-73 at California, their third conference defeat by three points or less. Arizona won all three meetings with Oregon last season, including a 90-56 blowout in Tucson.
NCAAB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Oregon at Arizona
Pac-12 leading Oregon Ducks (16-4, 10-7 ATS) look to pad their lead when the head to Tucson to take on Wldcats (16-4, 11-9 ATS). Ducks off a pair of home victories certainly have momentum on their side. But, the road ahead will be a tough one.
Ducks have not been at their best on the road this season with only one win out of four tries away from home. Additionally, this is not a place where teams like to go and play. The Wildcats are great on McKale Center hardwood, they've gone a perfect 11-0 SU this season with a 7-4 mark against the spread and have won 20 consecutive hosting a conference rival posting a profitable 14-6 record against the betting line.
Wildcats winning all three meetings vs Ducks last season, two regular season games here in Tucson and the Conference Championship cashing all three as double digit chalk the lean is Wildcats.
Washington at UCLA
These two teams are pretty evenly matched, and the proof of that can be found in their earlier meeting this season when it took double OT to separate them. There is likely going to be very little separating them in the point spread, and I believe that the OVER/UNDER is the bet that could be the most intriguing here. MyBookie.ag will have full odds for this game as soon as they go live.
Why bet on the Washington Huskies
The Huskies (13-6, 5-2) are a team that seems to enjoy playing the game of basketball, as they seem bound and determined to play OT as often as possible. 3 of their 7 conference games this year have gone to OT, and the Huskies have been able to pull out the win in 2 of them. One of those wins was an absolutely thrilling 96-93 2OT win over the Bruins earlier in the year, and this one figures to go along those same lines. Washington has won 2 of 3 on the road in conference play so far, with their only road loss coming at the hands of a ranked Arizona Wildcats team. This game is likely to turn into a shootout, and the Huskies certainly have the offensive firepower to win. They are averaging 84.5 PPG, but are also giving up 78.9 PPG.
Why bet on the UCLA Bruins
It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the Bruins (12-8, 3-4) last week, as they split a pair of road games in Oregon. They will enjoy getting back to the cozy confines of their home court, where they have won 3 of their last 4 games. Revenge will very much be on the mind of the Bruins heading into this one, as they have to still be smarting after their double OT loss to Washington earlier this season. That set off a little bit of a slide for the Bruins, and they will be hoping that a win here will have the opposite effect of that loss. This is another team that can score at will, posting an average of 79.8 PPG. They are giving up 77.7 PPG, which is not quite so good.
Expert Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction
About the only thing that seems like a given with this game is that we will see a lot of points being scored. The Huskies came away with a win in their last meeting, and I think they will do the same again on the road.
Thursday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Iowa at Maryland
Iowa (16-3 straight up, 10-6 against the spread) will hit the road tonight to put its unbeaten Big Ten record on the line against Maryland. As early this morning, most betting shops had the Terrapins listed as four-point favorites.
Fran McCaffrey’s squad looks the part of a legit Final Four contender and at this point, it would be somewhat shocking if Iowa doesn’t end its Sweet 16 drought that extends back to 1999. After that season, Iowa forced Dr. Tom Davis, its all-time winningest coach, into retirement by not renewing his contract.
Iowa has won nine in a row and hasn’t tasted defeat since blowing a 20-point lead in an 83-82 loss at Iowa State. The Hawkeyes captured an 83-71 win over Purdue on Sunday in Iowa City. They easily covered the number as 2.5-point home favorites. Jared Uthoff led the way with 22 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Adam Woodbury produced 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Anthony Clemmons contributed 10 points, six assists, two steals and only one turnover.
Iowa is No. 8 in the RPI Rankings, going 2-2 versus the Top 25 and 7-3 against the Top 50. The Hawkeyes have beaten Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue by double-digit margins at home. They’ve also won by 17 against the Spartans at Breslin Center, blasted Wichita St. by 23 on a neutral court and also knocked off Purdue in West Lafayette.
Iowa’s three losses have come by just 12 combined points in Ames and in a pair of neutral-court games against Dayton and Notre Dame.
Maryland (17-3 SU, 9-11 ATS) is undefeated in 11 home games with a 4-7 spread record. The Terrapins return to College Park after losing Saturday at Michigan St. by a 74-65 count as 3.5-point underdogs. In the losing effort, the Terps were destroyed on the boards by a 44-32 margin. Melo Trimble finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Robert Carter had 13 points and five boards before fouling out.
Maryland is No. 10 in the RPI despite being winless against RPI Top-50 opponents. The Terps’ two other defeats came in Chapel Hill and Ann Arbor. They have scalped Top-100 foes like Georgetown, UConn, Princeton, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Trimble is the catalyst for Mark Turgeon’s team. The sophomore point guard is averaging team-highs in scoring (14.4 points per game), assists (5.6 APG) and steals (1.3 SPG). Carter is averaging 13.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. The transfer from Ga. Tech has a team-best 31 blocked shots. Diamond Stone, the five-star recruit and true freshman center, has a 13.2 PPG average and is also pulling down 5.5 boards per contest.
Maryland has shooters galore, evidenced by its field-goal percentage (50.3%) that ranks fifth in the country. The Terps are seventh in the nation in free-throw shooting (76.3%).
The ‘under’ is 10-9 overall for the Terps, 6-5 in their home games.
The ‘over’ is 10-6 overall for Iowa, 3-2 in its five road assignments.
In the only previous meeting between these schools, Maryland went to Iowa City last year and took woodshed treatment in the form of a 71-55 defeat. Trimble scored 20 points in the loss.
ESPN will provide the broadcast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Oregon at Arizona
As of early this morning, most books had Arizona (16-4 SU, 11-9 ATS) listed as a 7.5-point favorite. The Wildcats are one-game back of the league’s co-leaders, Oregon and Washington, both of whom are 5-2 in conference play.
Oregon (16-4 SU, 10-7 ATS) posted back-to-back home wins over USC and UCLA this past Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Ducks dropped Southern Cal by an 89-81 count as 4.5-point favorites before beating UCLA 86-72 as 6.5-point ‘chalk.’
Dillon Brooks scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Bruins. Chris Boucher finished with 18 points, 10 boards and four blocked shots, while Elgin Cook added 17 points, five rebounds, one steal and six assists compared to only one turnover.
Brooks is scoring at a team-best 16.2 PPG clip and is also bringing down 6.5 RPG. Boucher is averaging 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per game. The 6’10” junior is converting a team-high 54.8 percent of his attempts from the field.
Oregon is No. 4 in the RPI Rankings with eight wins over the Top 50 and nine against the Top 54. The Ducks own quality home wins over Baylor, Valpo, UC Irvine, California, Stanford, USC, and UCLA. They also won by 18 at Utah and beat Alabama on a neutral court. Oregon’s losses have come at Oregon State, at Colorado, at Boise State and vs. UNLV on a neutral floor.
Arizona is undefeated in 11 home games with a 7-4 spread record. The Wildcats return home this week after splitting a pair of road games at Stanford and at Cal last week.
Cal snapped Arizona’s three-game winning streak in Saturday’s 74-73 win as a two-point home underdog. Gabe York scored a team-best 15 points for UA, but he made only 6-of-17 shots and committed three turnovers compared to just one assist. Ryan Anderson tallied 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
Sean Miller’s team is No. 29 in the RPI Rankings and in need of some quality wins to bolster its profile. Arizona has faced five Top-50 foes and won only once. The Wildcats’ best win is at Stanford (RPI: 46). They have Top-100 triumphs over Boise St. (twice), Washington, Arizona State and Gonzaga. The wins over ASU and Gonzaga came in true road games.
UA’s four losses have been by 10 combined points at UCLA, at USC, at Cal and vs. Providence on a neutral court.
Arizona is led by Anderson, the transfer from Boston College who is averaging 14.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Anderson is draining 56.6 percent of his shots from the field and 40.0 percent from long distance.
Arizona is still without its second-leading scorer in Allonzo Trier, who was scoring at a 14.8 PPG clip before breaking his hand nearly three weeks ago. Trier, a true freshman guard, is expected to miss a few more weeks.
Arizona has been a single-digit favorite seven times this year, compiling a 3-4 record both SU and ATS. This is the Wildcats’ first single-digit home ‘chalk’ spot, though.
Oregon has been an underdog four times, going 3-1 ATS with a pair of outright victories.
Arizona dominated Oregon in three head-to-head meetings last year, winning by scores of 80-52, 90-56 and 80-62.
The ‘under’ has cashed in back-to-back games between these schools and six of the last seven.
The ‘under’ is 10-7 overall for the Ducks, 3-1 in their road outings.
The ‘over’ is 14-6 overall for the Wildcats, 9-2 in their home games. The ‘over’ has hit in eight of their last nine outings.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Clemson covered the spread for the eighth straight time last night in a 73-60 win over Pittsburgh as a 1.5-point home favorite. The Tigers have won outright in six of their last seven games.
After missing Saturday’s loss at Mississippi St. due to a hamstring injury, Ole Miss star guard Stefan Moody returned to the court last night to lead his team past Auburn, 80-63. The Rebels, who took the cash as 6.5-point home favorites, trailed the Tigers 30-29 at intermission. However, it was all Andy Kennedy’s club in the final 20 minutes. Moody hit 6-of-12 from 3-point range and dished out five assists compared to merely one turnover. Marcanvis Hymon added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Boise State raced out to a 40-32 halftime advantage at UNLV last night, but the Rebels outscored the Broncos by 18 in the second half to capture an 87-77 win as 3.5-point home favorites. The 164 combined points jumped ‘over’ the 150-point total. BSU lost for just the second time in 14 games. Meanwhile, the Runnin’ Rebels won for the fourth time in five games under interim coach Todd Simon. Patrick McCaw scored a game-high 25 points despite fouling out early and logging just 29 minutes of playing time. McCaw buried 5-of-6 attempts from downtown.
Monmouth returns to the court tonight to play at Quinnipiac. The Hawks, who are No. 40 in the RPI Rankings, can’t afford another bad loss in order to garner an at-large NCAA Tournament invite. They beat the Bobcats 88-74 at home a few weeks ago. The Hawks are favored by 11.5 tonight.
Washington is a six-point underdog tonight at UCLA. The Huskies have won outright in five of nine games as underdogs this year. They have seen the ‘over’ go 10-1 in their last 11 games.
Utah covered in a 73-64 win over California as a seven-point home favorite last night.
Arkansas pulled an upset last night at Bud Walton Arena where it clipped Texas A&M 74-71 as a three-point home underdog.
Virginia Tech lost a 91-83 decision to Louisville as a 10-point home underdog. The Hokies covered the spread for the fifth time in a row and the seventh time in eight games.
Thursday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (14-5) at SYRACUSE ORANGE (13-8)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Syracuse -2.5, 141
Former Big East rivals Syracuse and Notre Dame tangle once again, as the No. 25 Fighting Irish look to win in the Carrier Dome against the Orange for the first time since 2007.
Coach Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish will be looking for some payback on the Orange’s home floor after being upset at home last season 65-60 (Notre Dame -8.5) as the No. 9 team in the nation to unranked Syracuse. Again, Notre Dame enters this game in the national rankings, but if they’re to return the favor against the Orange, the Fighting Irish will have to do it without leading scorer, G Demetrius Jackson. Jackson, who averaged 17.6 PPG and 5.3 APG until Saturday’s win over Boston College, injured his hamstring moments into that contest and didn’t record any points, rebounds, or assists.
The Irish do come in as winners of four straight (2-1-1 ATS) and are 3-1 SU (3-1 ATS) on the road this season, including a win at Duke on Feb 16th. Syracuse is 3-2 SU (4-1 ATS) since getting their hall of fame head coach, Jim Boeheim, back on the bench after his NCAA sanctions.
After dropping his first game back, at home to North Carolina, the Orange reeled off three straight wins which included a road win at Duke as well. Syracuse couldn’t pull off the road sweep of two nationally ranked teams, as they most recently fell at Virginia on Sunday, 73-65 (Syracuse +9.5). Syracuse has opened this season with only one conference home win (1-2 SU) over last place Boston College.
Historically, Syracuse is 14-6 SU (10-9-1 ATS) since 2001 against Notre Dame, with the two teams playing consistently as former Big East and current ACC rivals. Notre Dame is 3-13 SU (8-7-1 ATS) in the Carrier Dome dating back to 1996, and has never been a road favorite against Syracuse in that span. The total in this rivalry has been UNDER for six games straight now, dating back to 2010.
Thankfully Notre Dame was playing cellar-dweller, Boston College, when Jackson pulled up lame with his hamstring issues. The Fighting Irish easily dispatched of the Eagles, 76-49 (Notre Dame -19.5) on the strength of stifling defense (BC shot 28.6% FG) and impeccable free throw shooting (25-27 FT).
While it will be interesting to see how the normally efficient (1.17 Points per possession, 10th NCAA) Fighting Irish attack the vaunted Syracuse 2-3 Zone without their point guard, coach Brey’s teams have historically always been very careful with the ball and shot selection, regardless of personnel, and this year’s team is no different (9.2 TO/G, 2nd NCAA; 49.9% FG, 9th NCAA).
In Jackson’s absence, Brey turned to G Steve Vasturia (12.8 PPG, 3.3 APG, 50% FG) to run the point, and while not a pure point guard, Vasturia produced 16 points and four assists in Saturday’s win. More of an offensive load will also fall on double-double machine, F Zach Auguste (13.9 PPG, 10.1 RPG). During Notre Dame’s current four-game winning streak, Auguste is averaging 16.8 PPG and 10.8 RPG. Maybe most importantly, Auguste has stayed on the court for 30+ minutes in all four wins.
F Bonzie Colson (12.6 PPG, 7 RPG) is the x-factor of this Notre Dame team, and could be just the mismatch that Syracuse loathes in the middle of their zone. Colson has the strength of a power forward, the quickness of a guard, and doesn’t shy away from contact. Catching the ball in the middle of the zone and given a step for a head full of steam to the basket could be bad news for the Orange trying to contain Colson on Thursday, as he won’t shy away from big games (31 points at Duke).
F V.J. Beachem (11 PPG, 42% 3PT) would normally be a big key against a team like Syracuse, but coach Brey’s sharpshooter has really struggled lately (6 PPG, 2-12 3PT over his last four games).
Syracuse catches a slight break, avoiding Jackson in this game, but given how poorly they’ve defended the interior against the likes of teams with only one paint presence -- Duke’s Marshall Plumlee and Virginia’s Anthony Gill (35 points, 25 rebounds, 14-22 FG combined) -- taking on Auguste and Colson together could yield frightening results on the glass.
The lone inside force for Syracuse is F Tyler Roberson (10 PPG, 9 RPG), he of 14 points and 20 rebounds in the win over Duke two Mondays ago. Boeheim can’t ask that of Roberson every game and, predictably, Roberson was human in the loss to Virginia on Sunday (6 points, 7 rebounds, 4 fouls). Syracuse will have to continue their consistency beyond the arc (40% 3PT or better in last three games) if they’re to defeat the Fighting Irish, who are very suspect defending the arc (39.1% 3PT allowed, 330th NCAA).
It was G Trevor Cooney (13.7 PPG, 2.8 3PM) who sank Notre Dame in South Bend last season, as Cooney hit two back-breaking threes to put Syracuse ahead to stay down the stretch. Cooney was 10-20 from three on the road in wins over Wake Forest and Duke just 10 days ago before cooling for a 2-8 performance at Virginia. In addition to Cooney, G Michael Gbinije (17.4 PPG, 4.5 APG) and G Malachi Richardson (13.4 PPG) both average more than two threes per game, as while Syracuse only averages 70.4 PPG (211th NCAA), they get 37.9% of their points from threes (17th NCAA).
In the Orange’s last three games, they’ve gotten a staggering 48.1% of their total points from shots beyond the arc. While it was in a loss, the freshman Richardson really looks to be coming into his own, as he led Syracuse with 23 points (6-10 3PT) on Sunday at Virginia against their vaunted “pack line” defense that usually stifles perimeter threats.
OREGON DUCKS (16-4) at ARIZONA WILDCATS (16-4)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Arizona -7.5, 152
Top 25 Pac-12 rivals meet as No. 23 Oregon visits Tucson hoping to avenge three lopsided defeats against Arizona last season.
The No. 18 Wildcats will have had four days to digest their 74-73 (Arizona -2.5) loss to undermanned California last Saturday. Thankfully, the Wildcats return home to the McKale Center where they’re 11-0 SU (7-4 ATS).
Saturday’s defeat was Arizona’s first loss without injured freshman G Allonzo Trier (14.8 PPG) who was really coming into his own before breaking his hand in the Wildcats’ epic 103-101 loss against USC on Jan. 9th. Trier is doubtful for the game Thursday night. Without Trier, Arizona held serve to defeat Washington and Washington State, scoring 90+ points in each game, while also going to Palo Alto and beating Stanford on the road, 71-57. Arizona went 3-0 ATS in that span before the loss at Cal on Saturday.
Oregon is 1-2 SU (1-2 ATS) on the road in Pac-12 play, their lone victory coming against Utah on January 14th. The Ducks lost at Colorado, 91-87 (PK) on January 17th before reeling off two home victories last week against USC (89-81, Oregon -5) and UCLA (86-72, Oregon -6.5) respectively.
Oregon comes into this matchup with Arizona having been pasted three times last season by the Wildcats by an average defeat of 26.6 points. Oregon is 4-16 SU (10-10 ATS) when facing off against Arizona away from Eugene. The total when Oregon plays Arizona has gone UNDER in six of the last seven meetings.
Coach Dana Altman’s Ducks come into this contest averaging 76.8 PPG against Division 1 opponents (83rd NCAA), on the strength of turning their defense into offense (6.1 BPG, 7th NCAA; 7.6 SPG, 41st NCAA vs D1 opponents). Oregon excels getting into the paint, shooting 52.1% inside the arc (57th NCAA vs D1 opponents), as unsurprisingly that plays into the strength of their three best players, F Dillon Brooks (16.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG), F Chris Boucher (12.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.3 BPG), and F Elgin Cook (13.5 PPG).
The Ducks will need improved play from freshman G Tyler Dorsey (13.4 PPG, 45% 3PT) if they’re to reverse their downward recent trend against the Wildcats, as he’s their key perimeter threat but only has 14 points over his last two games. Brooks has emerged as the leader of Altman’s offense as of late, upping his scoring to 18.7 PPG (57% FG) over his last three games. Steady sophomore G Casey Benson (6.1 PPG, 3.3 APG) doesn’t fill the box score, but he plays 27.9 minutes per game and is 9-16 3PT over his last five games.
Senior F Dwayne Benjamin (8.7 PPG) is always liable to have a big game, but his inconsistency makes those games impossible to predict. After going for 26 points (6-11 3PT) as Oregon split with Colorado and USC, Benjamin slipped back into anonymity in the win over UCLA (4 points in 14 minutes).
Coach Sean Miller has done a masterful job mixing personnel this season to deal with injuries, first to C Kaleb Tarczewski (10.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG) and now to Trier. Arizona isn’t the top 10 powerhouse they were last year, oozing with NBA talent, but Miller’s work with this squad shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Speaking of the big man, since Tarczewski has returned, he’s played the best basketball of his career. His last five games speak for themselves, with averages of 13 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Tarczewski has six straight games with double-figure scoring.
F Ryan Anderson (14.9 PPG, 10 RPG) is the steady leader of the Wildcats, as the Boston College transfer is seemingly a lock to stuff the box score for numbers always consistently close to his season average. Anderson and Tarczewski combine to lead an offense that shoots 49.3% FG versus D1 opponents (9th NCAA). That said, without Trier in the lineup, Anderson hasn’t looked for his shot more often, as he hasn’t attempted more than 10 FG in a game in 2016, a trend that may continue against Oregon’s stingy defense in the paint.
Picking up the slack in Trier’s scoring absence has been G Kadeem Allen (9.0 PPG, 3.7 APG) who’s averaged 11.3 PPG over his last eight games. G Gabe York (13.9 PPG, 44% 3PT) has been as steady in the backcourt as Anderson has been up front for Miller’s Wildcats, but while the points have been there, York’s efficiency has been waning with more shots to go around (38% FG over his last four games).
G Parker Jackson-Cartwright (4.8 PPG, 3.9 APG) has soaked up many of Trier’s extra minutes and has averaged 6.8 APG over his last four games, providing Miller with a pure point guard option when he’s on the floor.
Game of the Day: Iowa at Maryland
By Covers.com
Iowa Hawkeyes at Maryand Terrapins (-4, 146.5)
Two of the top teams in the Big Ten - and the country, for that matter - square off Thursday when Maryland hosts Iowa in an intriguing matchup between Final Four contenders. The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes are aiming for their 10th straight victory, while the No. 8 Terrapins suffered their worst loss of the season at Michigan State last time out.
Maryland shot 38.6 percent and missed 19 of its 27 3-pointers in its loss to the Spartans, and getting outrebounded by 10 didn't help matters either. “We know what we have to do to win this league and get better as a team every day," forward Robert Carter Jr. told reporters. "We don’t want to drop two in a row. We feel like we have an opportunity to get back on track.” It won't be easy, with Iowa the league's only unbeaten team in conference play and owner of two wins against the same Spartans group that just defeated the Terps. No. 21 Purdue was no match for Iowa on Sunday as Jarrod Uthoff led the Hawkeyes with 22 points while Adam Woodbury notched 13 and 10 boards.
LINE HISTORY: The line has yet to move since hitting the board, with Maryland pegged as 4-point favorites. The total opened at 146.5.
INJURY REPORT:
Iowa - F D. Jones (out for season, knee).
Maryland - G D. Wiley (out for season, knee).
WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Iowa has seemingly been a team on a mission this season. Not only did they beat Michigan State once this season, they did it for a second time out in East Lansing. The Hawkeyes are getting it done on both sides of the ball and are one of the more balanced teams in the country." - Covers Expert SPS Investors.
ABOUT IOWA (16-3, 10-6 ATS, 10-6 O/U): After shooting 37.2 percent from 3-point range as a junior, Uthoff is up to 48.3 percent this year, including a 15-of-27 clip over the last five games. He has reached 20 points in five of his last six outings, while Peter Jok has shot at least 50 percent in four straight games after failing to do so in his previous five contests. Woodbury enters on the heels of three straight double-digit scoring performances, averaging 12.3 points and nine boards on 66.6 percent shooting in this contests.
ABOUT MARYLAND (17-3, 9-11 ATS, 9-10-1 O/U): The Terps are 9-0 following a loss the last two seasons, but they'll need a strong effort from Trimble to extend that streak. The sophomore guard had a pair of disappointing games in mid-January but has rebounded nicely with 42 points over the last two games. “(Trimble) is just as dangerous when he’s looking for shots for himself as he is when he’s loading other people up,” said Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. “Those are the toughest guys to guard, especially when they can stop behind a screen and make a 3; he can put up points in a hurry.”
TRENDS:
* Iowa is 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Maryland is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games.
* Over is 4-1 in Iowa's last 5 overall.
* Under is 6-1 in Maryland's last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
CONSENSUS: The public is fairly split in this matchup of Top 10 teams, with 52 percent of bettors giving Maryland the slight edge. Bettors love the over here, with 73 percent of wagers on it.