College Basketball Knowledge
Akron won its last four games since losing consecutive road games with Central Michigan/Toledo; they're 2-2 on MAC road, winning at Buffalo by 4, Ball State by 9. Zips won six of last eight games with Ohio, losing 83-82 here LY. Ohio won three of last four games, is 3-1 in MAC home games, losing to Bowling Green. Bobcats' home wins are by 6-8-11. MAC home underdogs of less than 5 points are 3-8 vs spread.
Auburn lost its last three games, by 32-17-11 points, scoring exactly 63 in all three games; Tigers are 4-2 in last six games with LSU, winning by 3 in OT in SEC tourney LY, last series meeting. LSU is 2-4 in its last six visits here. LSU is 9-4 in last 13 games, 2-2 in SEC road games, losing at Florida by 6, A&M by 14. LSU lost tough home games to #1 Oklahoma Saturday. SEC home underdogs of 4+ points are 5-2 vs spread.
Kentucky won eight of last nine games with Tennessee, winning three of last four visits here. Both sides lost on road to Big X teams on Saturday. Wildcats are 9-5 in last 14 games, 2-3 in last five on road, with road wins at Alabama by 16, Arkansas by 14 in SEC play. Tennessee lost five of last seven games; they're 2-2 at home in SEC, beating South Carolina and Miss State. SEC home underdogs of 4+ points are 5-2 vs spread.
Georgia won six of its last eight games with South Carolina, beating USC in SEC tourney LY after losing by 17-6 to Gamecocks during the regular season. Dawgs are 3-1 at home in SEC, losing to Texas A&M by 34 in only loss- their wins are by 18-9-3 points. SEC home teams are 5-11 vs spread in games where spread was 3 or less points. Carolina 4-0 at home in SEC, winning by 4-9-10-14 points.
UMass lost its last seven games, losing in OT at home to Fordham last game; Minutemen won seven of last eight games with Rhode Island, but lost 75-59 at URI in last meeting. Rams lost last five visits here, by 2-6-10-28-3 points. URI lost four of its last six games after starting season 10-5; Rams are 0-3 on A-14 road, losing by 5-5-4 points. A-14 home underdogs of 6 or less points are 1-10 vs spread.
Butler is 3-6 in Big East games, splitting four home games; their wins in conference are over DePaul (2), St John's. Bulldogs are 1-4 in last five games with Georgetown, losing by 3-6 points in two in Hinkle. Hoyas lost three of last five games with all three losses by 6 or less points; they are 3-1 on Big East road, losing by 13 at Creighton. Big East home faves of 6 or less points are 5-7 against the spread.
Clemson won six of its last eight games but lost last two on road, by 11-7 points; Tigers won last six gmes with Wake Forest, winning 78-58 in only one of the six played here. Deacons lost last six games, blowing 7-point lead with 0:16 left to Virginia in last home game. Wake's one ACC win was by 3 at home over NC State. ACC home teams are 10-5 vs spread in games where spread was 4 or less points.
UL-Lafayette lost 81-70 at UL-Monroe Dec 3, going 2-18 on arc while ULM was 9-15. Cajuns lost last three series games by 2-12-11 points. ULL won its last six games, all by 9+ points; they're 5-0 at home in Sun Belt, with all five wins by 10+. Sun Belt double digit home favorites are 7-4 vs spread. ULM is 6-0 at home, 0-4 on road in Sun Belt, losing four road tilts by 3-1-14-15 points. This is their first road game in 17 days.
UNLV lost PF Carter (ACL) for year, big blow; Rebels won 86-64 over New Mexico in first meeting three weeks ago- this series has been split the last four years. UNLV won by 3-8 in last two visits here, in series where home side lost four of last five meetings. Lobos are 3-1 at home in MW, losing to Wyoming- three wins are all by 12+. Mountain West home favorites of 5 or less points are 3-7 vs spread.
Alabama won its last five games with Mississippi State, winning by 32-4 in last two visits here. Crimson Tide lost six of last eight games; they are 0-4 on SEC road, losing by 8-8-6-14 points. SEC home teams of 5 or less points are 7-3 vs spread. Bulldogs won two of last three games after starting SEC play 0-5; they're 0-9 vs teams in top 100, with best win vs #102 Ole Miss. MSU is 1-2 at home in SEC, losing to A&M/Tenn.
Duke lost four of last five games, is out of top 25 for first time in nine years. Blue Devils are 17-2 in last 19 games with Georgia Tech, taking last two visits here, 81-74/68-51. Tech lost six of last eight games, with losses by 1-4 points to Va Tech/Louisville in their last two home games. Duke is 2nd-worst defensive rebounding team in ACC. ACC home dogs of 5 or less points are 5-2 against the spread.
West Virginia is 2-3 in last five games after starting season 15-1; they've suspended Holton, who plays top of their press- not sure how long he is out for. WVa is 1-5 vs Iowa State in Big X play, losing by 17-2 points in two visits here. Cyclones won four of last five games, winning by 13-5 in last two home games. Big X home favorites of 6 or less points are 6-4 vs spread. West Virginia lost two of its last three road games.
Indiana is 13-1 in its last 14 games after starting season 5-3; Hoosiers are 3-1 on Big 14 road, losing in OT at Wisconsin in last road tilt. Indiana won four of last five games with Michigan but lost four of last five here, winning 81-73 in '14; home side won 10 of last 11 series tilts. Michigan won its last four games; they're 4-0 at home in Big 14, winning by 23-3-5-11. Big 14 faves are 13-7 vs spread in games with spread of 5 or less.
Armadillosports.com
Tuesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
West Virginia at Iowa State
Iowa State (16-5 straight up, 10-7 against the spread) has won 10 of its 11 home games while posting a 4-3 spread record. The Westgate SuperBook opened the Cyclones as five-point favorites for tonight’s Big 12 showdown vs. West Virginia. As of early this morning, the Westgate had ISU listed as a 4.5-point favorite.
Iowa State is No. 11 in the RPI Rankings with a 4-4 record against the Top 25, a 6-4 ledger versus the Top 50 and an 8-4 mark against the Top 100. The Cyclones have only bad loss vs. No. Iowa by an 81-79 count on a neutral court. They have quality scalps over the likes of Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa at home. They have also won at Cincinnati, at Kansas State and own a neutral-site victory over Colorado.
Iowa State saw its four-game winning streak both SU and ATS snapped Saturday when it dropped a 72-62 decision at Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Cyclones failed to cover the spread as 4.5-point underdogs, while 134 combined points fell ‘under’ the 155-point total. Georges Niang fouled out and was limited to 26 minutes of playing time, but he still scored a team-best 15 points. Deonte Burton was the only other ISU player in double figures with 11 points. Jameel McKay added nine points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots before also fouling out.
Niang is the senior leader and top scorer for Iowa State, averaging 19.0 points per game. Niang is making 52.2 percent of his shots from the field and 84.3 percent of his attempts from the free-throw line. He pulls down 6.3 rebounds per game and has a 66/48 assists-to-turnovers ratio.
Iowa State point guard Monte Morris averages 15.1 PPG and has a 145/31 assists-to-turnovers ratio. He leads the Big 12 in assists and steals (42).
West Virginia (17-4 SU, 11-7 ATS) is off an 88-71 loss Saturday at Florida as a one-point road favorite. The 159 combined points sailed ‘over’ the 142-point total. The Gators raced out to a 15-point halftime lead and cruised to the easy victory. The Mountaineers allowed more points in a game since February of 2014. UF was playing without starting forward Justin Leon.
In the losing effort at UF, Jaysean Paige scored 15 points despite playing only 17 minutes due to foul trouble. Paige hit 7-of-10 shots from the field, sharing team-high scoring honors with Tarik Phillip, who drained 3-of-6 shots from 3-point range.
Bob Huggins will play a second straight game without Jonathan Holton, who has been suspended for at least three games due to a violation of team rules. Holton had started 55 consecutive games for the Mountaineers before the loss at Florida. He is averaging 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
WVU is No. 15 in the RPI, losing four of five games against the Top 25. However, the Mountaineers have six wins over the Top 100, including home victories over Kansas and Kansas State They have additional triumphs at Kansas State, at Texas Tech and vs. James Madison and San Diego State on neutral courts.
Iowa State has won three in a row and four of the last five both SU and ATS in this rivalry. When these schools met in Ames last season, the Cyclones trashed West Va. 79-59 as seven-point home ‘chalk.’ Monte Morris scored 19 points and dished out five assists compared to only one turnover. Abel Nader scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Niang finished with 11 points and six boards.
The ‘under’ has cashed in three straight head-to-head meetings between these schools.
The ‘under’ is 5-2 in WVU’s last seven games. The ‘under’ is 10-8 overall for WVU, but the ‘over’ has cashed at a 5-1 clip in its six road assignments.
The ‘under’ is 11-7 overall for the Cyclones, 6-2 in their home games. They have seen the ‘under’ cash in five consecutive contests.
Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.
Indiana at Michigan
The Westgate opened Michigan (17-5 SU, 11-9 ATS) as a 2.5-point favorite for tonight’s Big Ten clash against Indiana. The number remained there as of early this morning.
Since losing at Iowa on Jan. 17, Michigan has won four in a row, including Saturday’s 79-72 non-covering triumph over Penn State as an eight-point favorite at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Zak Irvin scored a team-best 20 points, while Derrick Walton tallied 13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and seven assists without a turnover. Muhammad-Ali-Abdur Rahkman finished with 15 points and five boards.
John Beilein’s team is 11-1 SU and 6-4 ATS at home this season. Michigan has been a single-digit home favorite only once, losing outright to Xavier by an 86-70 count as a 5.5-point favorite.
Michigan is No. 30 in the RPI, going 2-3 against the Top 25, 2-4 versus the Top 50 and 3-5 against the Top 100. The Wolverines’ best wins are 70-67 over Maryland at home and 78-72 over Texas on a neutral court. They also won 66-59 at N.C. State, but we should note that all five Top 100 defeats have come by margins off 11 points or more.
Michigan star guard Caris LeVert has been sidelined for more than a month and he’ll miss his ninth straight game tonight. LeVert was averaging 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game before sustaining a leg injury.
Walton is averaging 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Irvin is scoring at a 10.6 PPG clip and has a 72/30 assists-to-turnovers ratio.
Indiana (18-4 SU, 11-11 ATS) is in a first-place tie with Iowa at the top of the Big Ten standings with identical 8-1 records. Maryland is one-half game with an 8-2 conference ledgers, while Michigan is one game off the pace with a 7-2 mark in league play.
Indiana has been an underdog twice, going 1-1 both SU and ATS. The Hoosiers won an 80-73 decision over Notre Dame as 1.5-point ‘dogs, but they lost 94-74 at Duke as 10-point puppies.
Since the loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium to the Blue Devils, Tom Crean’s squad has won 13 of its last 14 games. The only loss came at Wisconsin (82-79) in overtime last week. IU bounced back to defeat Minnesota 74-68 on Saturday, but the Gophers easily took the cash as 19-point underdogs. Thomas Bryant scored 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked a pair of shots. Yogi Ferrell and Troy Williams chipped in 13 points apiece.
Ferrell averages a team-high 17.5 PPG and is draining 47.1 percent of his attempts from long distance. The senior PG is handing out 5.7 assists per game and has 27 steals.
Williams is averaging 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He also has 49 assists, 27 steals and 20 blocked shots. Bryant is averaging 12.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He has a team-best 27 blocked shots.
Totals have been an overall wash (11-11) for the Hoosiers, who have seen the ‘over’ go 3-2 in their road outings.
The ‘over’ is on a 10-2 run in Michigan’s last 12 games. The ‘over’ is 14-6 overall for the Wolverines, 7-3 in their home outings.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Georgia has covered the number in four consecutive games and seven of its last eight. The Bulldogs are in must-win territory tonight at home vs. South Carolina. They had a 35-32 halftime advantage at Baylor on Saturday, but came up short in the upset bid of the No. 16 team in the RPI Rankings. Nevertheless, Mark Fox’s team took the money as an 11.5-point underdog in the 83-73 setback. The 11-8 Dawgs have zero Top-50 wins, but they get five more chances for those starting tonight at Stegeman Coliseum.
The ‘over’ has hit in three straight for UGA and eight of its last 10.
SMU suffered its second loss of the season at Houston last night. The Cougars knocked off the Mustangs 71-68 as six-point home underdogs. Devonta Pollard led the way with 23 points.
Texas went into Waco last night and emerged with a 67-59 win over Baylor as a 4.5-point road underdog. The Longhorns have four wins over ranked teams and six wins over RPI Top-50 foes.
LSU needs to take care of business tonight at Auburn as a seven-point favorite. The Tigers allowed a golden opportunity slip away Saturday when they blew a 10-point lead with 10 minutes left against top-ranked Oklahoma in Baton Rouge.
The SEC nearly made some serious noise Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. However, Tennessee allowed a 14-point intermission lead at TCU to get away. LSU gave up the aforementioned double-digit lead to OU, while Kentucky led much of the way at Kansas before losing in overtime. Even worse for UK backers, the Wildcats failed to cover in a six-point loss as 5.5-point underdogs.
Monmouth picked up a big win last night when it won 93-87 at Siena. The Hawks improved to 6-2 against the RPI Top 100. They have wins at UCLA and at Georgetown, in addition to a season sweep of the Saints (RPI: 87) and neutral-courts scalps of Notre Dame and Southern Cal. Monmouth lost by 11 at USC and by three to Dayton (RPI: 13) on a neutral floor. The Hawks are No. 41 in the RPI.
Kentucky will be in bounce-back mode tonight at Tennessee as a seven-point favorite. The Volunteers are 7-3-2 ATS in 12 games as underdogs, 2-1-1 as home ‘dogs.
Indiana visits Michigan
By Sportsbook.ag
INDIANA HOOSIERS (18-4, 8-1 Big Ten) at MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (17-5, 7-2 Big Ten)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Michigan -2, Total: 148
Two of the top-four teams in the Big Ten standings will collide on Tuesday night when No. 22 Indiana visits Michigan.
The Hoosiers (11-11 ATS overall) have won 13 of their past 14 games with the lone loss coming one week ago at Wisconsin, which dropped the team to 2-7 ATS away from home this season. The Wolverines are also red-hot with four straight SU wins, but are 1-4 ATS in the past five contests since upsetting Maryland (currently ranked No. 4 in nation) on Jan. 12. However, they are a near-perfect 11-1 SU at Crisler Center this season with a strong 6-4 ATS record at home.
These schools met only once last season, a 70-67 Indiana home win where both teams shot at least 49% FG, 41% threes and 75% FT. The last meeting in Ann Arbor on March 8, 2014 was also close, as Michigan prevailed 84-80. That was the only time in the past five meetings where the Hoosiers have lost.
There are plenty of reasons for bettors to take either side on Tuesday, as Indiana is 14-3 ATS versus very good teams (8+ PPG margin) after 15+ games in the past three seasons, while its opponent is just 3-12 ATS in this same three-year timeframe versus dominant rebounding clubs (7+ RPG margin).
On the other hand, the Wolverines are 8-1 ATS versus great offensive teams (77+ PPG) in the past three seasons, and 34-16 ATS versus good three-point shooting teams (37%+ threes) under head coach John Beilein.
There are no new injuries since the Hoosiers lost star G James Blackmon Jr. (15.8 PPG) to a season-ending knee injury last month, and Michigan do-it-all leader G Caris LeVert (17.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.2 APG) remains out indefinitely with a lower left leg injury.
Indiana can put up points in bunches with 85.2 PPG (6th in D-I) on 51.7% FG (2nd in nation) and 43.2% threes (3rd in D-I). The team makes 10.0 threes per game this season (11th in nation) and shoots a solid 71.8% FT (94th in D-I). The Hoosiers are an excellent rebounding team with a +8.2 RPG margin (19th in nation), but they commit way too many turnovers (14.6 TOPG, 311th in D-I).
But the defense has been able to force nearly that many miscues (14.2 TOPG, best in Big Ten) by racking up 7.4 steals per game (also tops in Big Ten). Despite a strong 4.3 blocks per game (87th in D-I), opponents are still scoring 68.5 PPG (109th in nation) on 43.4% FG (186th in D-I) and 33.3% threes (122nd in nation).
PG Yogi Ferrell (17.5 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG) is clearly the engine of this offense with a sparkling 2.1 Ast/TO ratio in his nearly 34 minutes per game. Ferrell has been on fire in Big Ten play with 19.3 PPG and 55% threes, and had a well-rounded 18 points, six assists and four rebounds in the win versus Michigan last season.
Another Hoosiers player that has really stepped up recently is freshman C Thomas Bryant (12.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG), who leads the nation with a 73% FG clip (107-for-147). In Saturday's win over Minnesota, Bryant poured in a career-high 23 points on 11-of-13 shooting, while adding eight boards.
Two other Indiana players are also averaging double-figure scoring this season, injured G James Blackmon Jr. (15.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG) and junior F Troy Williams (13.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG). Williams has put up 14.5 PPG in the past four games and was the star of the matchup with the Wolverines last year when he dropped 20 points (6-of-9 FG, 8-for-8 FT) with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Like Indiana, Michigan also knows how to light up the scoreboard with 77.4 PPG (93rd in nation) on a blistering 48.6% FG (17th in D-I) and 41.2% threes (8th in nation). These numbers climb to 79.9 PPG, 50.3% FG and 42.9% threes at home. The Wolverines love shooting from long range with 10.6 made threes per game (6th in D-I), and also know how to protect the basketball with a mere 9.8 turnovers per game (6th in nation) and a stellar 1.63 Ast/TO ratio (also 6th in D-I).
The defense is also top-notch, holding opponents to 64.4 PPG despite allowing a pedestrian 42.4% FG (129th in nation) and 33.5% threes (133rd in D-I). During the club's four-game win streak, opponents have made only 26% threes. Michigan doesn't record many steals (5.7 SPG, 232nd in nation) or blocks (2.5 BPG, 285th in D-I), but it also plays clean with a paltry 15.5 personal fouls per game (5th-fewest in nation). Rebounding could be a problem on Tuesday though, as the Wolverines hold a slim +1.2 RPG margin (160th in D-I).
With leading scorer, G Caris LeVert (17.6 PPG), still out with a leg injury, three players have picked up the slack in replacing LeVert's points. Sophomore G Duncan Robinson (12.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG) is shooting an impressive 50% threes (72-of-145), 49% FG and 96% FT (26-of-27) this season, and has scored at least eight points in 18 straight games.
Junior G Derrick Walton Jr. (11.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.5 SPG) is shooting a career-best 45% threes and has been outstanding over the past five contests with 16.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 4.8 APG. He produced 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in Saturday's win over Penn State.
Junior F/G Zak Irvin (10.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.4 APG) has also been red-hot with 14.7 PPG over the past six games, including 20 points on Saturday. In last year's loss to Indiana, in which both LeVert and Walton didn't play because of injuries, Irvin kept his team in the game with 23 points (9-of-16 FG) and three steals.