College Basketball Knowledge
Wisconsin won nine of last ten games with Northwestern, beating them by 23-15 points LY; Badgers won last five visits here, but they're 9-8 in post-Ryan era, 1-3 in conference. Wildcats lost two of last three games; they're 0-3 vs top 100 teams- their best win is over #112 Nebraska. Big 14 home teams are 2-8 vs spread in games where spread was less than six points. Badgers are 1-2 in true road games, with OT win at Syracuse.
Toledo won four of last six games with Northern Illinois; Huskies are 1-3 in last four visits here. Rockets are 5-1 at home, losing to Oakland; they won four of last five games, giving up 81.5 ppg in splitting their first two MAC games. NIU won its last four D-I games; they're 2-2 in true road games, beating UIC/Idaho, losing to Mizzou/Ohio State. MAC home favorites are 1-4 vs spread.
Florida is 3-1 vs Texas A&M in SEC play, losing 63-62 here LY; Gators lost last three road games by 11-6-14 points- their only true road win is at Navy. Florida split its last eight games; they're 4-5 vs top 100 teams. Aggies won last six games, last two by total of five points; they force a turnover 22.9% of time (#12)- their last loss was 38 days ago at Arizona State. SEC home favorites are 9-2 vs spread.
Kentucky won its last eight games with Mississippi State, with three of last four wins by 18+ points; Bulldogs lost last three visits to Lexington by 6-30-22 points. MSU lost its first two SEC games by 1-14- they are 0-3 in true road games, with loss at UMKC. Kentucky is 9-0 at home, with eight wins by 12+ points; they're very young, but they have #25 eFG% defense in country. Wildcats are shooting just 31.3% on arc.
Home side won last five Kansas-West Virginia games; Jayhawks lost last two visits here by total of 7 points- they won 61-56 here three years ago. Kansas is 2-0 in true road games, winning at San Diego State/Texas Tech by 13-10 points; they're shooting 45.3% on arc (#3). WVU won its last seven games; they force turnovers 28.2% of time (#1), but Kansas does good job (#26) of protecting the ball. Big X home teams are 7-8.
Virginia lost its last two games to Va Tech, Ga Tech, both on road, after 12-1 start; Cavaliers won three of last four games with Miami, winning by 1-25-9 ot; five of last six series games were decided by 4 or less points or in OT. Miami's only loss was as 17-point favorite to Northeastern in first game after Puerto Rico tourney- they have true road wins at LaSalle and Nebraska. ACC home favorites are 5-5 vs spread.
Kansas State won 10 of last 11 games with Texas Tech, losing 64-47 LY in Lubbock; Red Raiders lost last six visits to Manhattan, all by 7+ pts. Tech lost last two games by 7-10 points, scoring 64 ppg, after starting season 11-1- their 76-69 loss at Iowa State LW was their first true road games this year. K-State lost its first three league games by 4-3-10 after starting season 10-2. Big X home favorites are 5-6 vs spread.
Davidson (-3) beat Dayton 77-60 LY in their first meeting as A-14 rivals; Wildcats scored 79 ppg in winning last two games after they lost three of four before that. Davison plays the #13 tempo; they're #1 in country at protecting ball. Dayton lost as 12-point favorite at LaSalle in last game. ending their 5-game win streak; Flyers turn the ball over 20.6% of time (#294). A-14 home favorites are 8-5 vs spread.
Salukis had "big game" vs Wichita Saturday and had their lunch handed to them; curious to see how they bounce back here. Home side won last five Illinois State-Southern Illinois games; Redbirds lost last two visits to Carbondale by total of 7 points. ISU had a 4-game win streak snapped at Indiana State Saturday; they're 2-4 in true away games, beating teams #242/#342. MVC single digit home favorites are 3-6 vs spread.
Providence won four of five games with Creighton, winning last three by 7-12-9 points; teams split pair of games here. Friars had its 8-game win streak ended Saturday; they're 3-0 in true road games, winning by 2-24-8 points. Bluejays won five of last six games; their last nine games were all decided by 10+ points. Big East home favorites are 6-7 against spread. Creighton is 0-3 vs top 50 teams; its best win was over #53 Seton Hall.
Iowa State won its last four games with Texas, all by nine or less points; Cyclones split last six games after 9-0 start, losing two of first three in league- they won at Cincinnati by 2, lost at Oklahoma by 4 in only true road games. Longhorns lost three of last four games, getting upset in last game at TCU. Texas is playing at pace #298, so coach Smart is out of his comfort zone as a coach. Big X home favorites are 5-6 vs spread.
Maryland won its last nine games, winning at buzzer at Wisconsin in its last game Saturday; Terps are shooting 58.6% inside arc (#3), are 2-1 in true road games, with only loss at North Carolina by 8. Michigan won six of last seven games, losing last game at Purdue by 17- they make 42.9% of 3's (#9). Terps beat Wolverines 66-59 LY in first meeting as rivals in Big 14. Big 14 home teams are 2-8 vs spread in games where spread was less than six points.
UNLV fired its coach Sunday after starting Mountain West play 0-3; this is not a confident team, losing five of last six games with leads lost in 2nd half multiple times. Rebels lost six of last nine games in series where the road team won last five meetings. New Mexico won last three series tilts on this floor, by 7-12-2 points. Mountain West home favorites are 6-7 vs spread. Lobos won first three MW games, by 12-15-18 points.
Armadillosports.com
Tuesday's Tip Sheet
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
This Tuesday night’s men’s college basketball schedule features a pair of conference showdowns in both the ACC and the Big 12 where each of the teams facing one another are ranked 11th or bettor in the latest Coaches Poll. Both games also tip-off at 7 p.m. to double-down on the excitement with the Miami Hurricanes on the road against the Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC and the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks out of the Big 12 going on the road to square-off against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
No. 9 Miami Hurricanes at No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers
Betting Point-spread: Virginia -5
Betting Matchup
Miami comes into this showdown in solid form after extending its current straight-up winning streak to eight games with this past Saturday’s 72-59 romp over rival Florida State as a 9½-point home favorite. The Hurricanes are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven contests and the total has stayed UNDER in their last three games after staying UNDER the 147½-point line against the Seminoles.
The Hurricanes are led by senior guard Sheldon McClellan with an average of 16.3 points per game. He has been able to dial things up even higher in his first two ACC starts this season with a combined 43 points while hitting 12-of-22 from the field. Miami is averaging 82.8 points a game, while holding opponents to 64.9 PPG at the other end of the court.
Virginia worked its way into the Coaches Poll Top 5 with an 11-1 SU record in nonconference play, but it took a pretty steep tumble in the latest rankings following back-to-back road losses to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech as solid favorites. Including a 77-66 home victory against Notre Dame in its ACC opener as a 9½-point favorite, the total has gone OVER in all three conference games.
The Cavaliers woes on the road this season have been reflected in a points-allowed average of 70.3 in three SU losses as opposed to a season average of 60.9 points allowed that is the 10th-best total in the country. Their top scorer is senior guard Malcolm Brogdon with an average of 16.8 PPG. Virginia is averaging 74.4 points a game and it falls well down the Division I list in rebounds with 33.4 a game.
Betting Trends
The Hurricanes have covered ATS in five of their last six road games and they are 20-7 ATS in their last 27 games following a SU win. The total has stayed UNDER in 17 of their last 24 Tuesday games.
The Cavaliers have bounced-back with a 7-2 record ATS in their last nine games following a SU loss, but they fall to just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games against a team with a SU winning road record. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of their last 11 games after failing to cover in the previous outing.
Head-to-head in this ACC matchup, the road team has a 5-1 edge ATS in the last six meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in three of the last five meetings in Virginia.
No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks at No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers
Betting Point-spread: PICK
Betting Matchup
Kansas is off to a 3-0 SU (2-1 ATS) start in the Big 12 this season as part of its current SU winning streak of 13 games dating back to late-November. It has gone 6-1 ATS in its last seven games including a 69-59 victory against Texas Tech this past Saturday as a seven-point road favorite. The total stayed UNDER the 149 ½-point closing line in that game and it has now stayed UNDER in four of its last six outings.
The Jayhawks remain one of the most prolific scoring teams in the nation with an average of 88.4 PPG. Four different players are averaging at least 10 points a game led by senior forward Perry Ellis with an average of 16 points. The team’s top shooter has been junior guard Wayne Selden (15.5 PPG). He is hitting 53.2 percent of his shots from the field and 50.6 percent from three-point range.
The 14-1 Mountaineers continue to climb the rankings following a SU 3-0 start in conference play. They knocked-off Oklahoma State 77-60 as 14½-point home favorites their last time out. It was just the second time they covered ATS in their last six games and the total stayed UNDER the 143½-point closing line after going OVER in their previous three contests.
Saturday’s win against the Cowboys was the first time in West Virginia’s current seven-game SU winning streak where it failed to score at least 84 points. The team is averaging 88.1 PPG during this same stretch as opposed to a season scoring average of 86 points that is the sixth-highest total in the country. The Mountaineers have four players averaging at least 12 PPG led by junior forward Devin Williams.
Betting Trends
The Jayhawks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a SU win and they have covered in their last four road games. The total has stayed UNDER in 10 of their last 13 games played on Tuesday.
The Mountaineers are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games played at home, but they have failed to cover in five of their last seven games following a SU win. The total has gone OVER in six of their last seven conference games.
The home team in this matchup has covered ATS in five of the last six meetings and the total has gone OVER in four of the last five games between these two.
NCAAB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Kansas at West Virginia
Top spot in the Big-12 standings will be at stake when Kansas Jayhawks (14-1, 10-3 ATS) and West Virginia Mountaineers (14-1, 7-5 ATS) collide in Morgantown. Kansas has one of the best teams in the country on offense, where Jayhawks feature four double digit scorers dropping 88.4 points/game on 50.1% shooting including a whopping 45.9% from long range. Defensively, Jayhawks are allowing opponents 67.3 points/game on 39.4% from the field, 32.7% from outside.
Mountaineers with four of its own players in double digits are no slouches at putting the ball in the hoop. Mountaineers hit 47.8% from the field, 31.5% from outside netting 86.0 per/contest. Defense the moniker for Mountaineers with its relentless press are giving up 63.4 per/contest on 41.7% from the field and just 25.4% from long range.
Mountaineers, cashing both tickets last year facing Kansas and who are flawless at home at 7-0 with a 3-1 ATS record in lined games, 8-1 (6-3 ATS) on home court hosting a conference rival are worth a second look.
Maryland heads to Michigan
By Sportsbook.ag
MARYLAND TERRAPINS (15-1, 4-0 Big Ten) at MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (12-4, 2-1 Big Ten)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Maryland -2.5, Total: 139
No. 3 Maryland looks to stay hot on Tuesday night when it visits a Michigan team that will likely be without its best player again.
The Terrapins (7-7 ATS) are off to their best start in school history at 15-1, and racked up their ninth straight win with Saturday's 63-60 victory at Wisconsin on a Melo Trimble three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left. Meanwhile, the Wolverines (9-5 ATS) snapped a six-game win streak when they were trounced 87-70 at Purdue on Thursday, which was their second straight game without top scorer Caris LeVert (lower leg injury), who is doubtful to return on Tuesday.
These schools have met only three times in the past 20 seasons with Maryland winning all three meetings with Michigan that occurred in 2000 on a neutral court, and 2008 and 2015 in College Park, MD. Although the Terrapins won 66-56 in the first Big Ten matchup of the schools last season, Crisler Arena is not an easy place to win, as evidenced by the Wolverines near-perfect 8-1 SU (5-2 ATS) record at home this season.
There are plenty of reasons to wager on either side Tuesday, as Maryland is 9-1 ATS on the road versus long-range shooting teams (21+ three-point attempts per game) in the past three seasons, and home underdogs (or pick) are just 50-90 ATS since 1997 after a conference road loss and facing a conference opponent coming off a close road win (3 points or less). But Michigan is 20-6 ATS as a home underdog of 3 points or less since 1997, and is 30-13 ATS versus top-notch opponents (12+ PPG margin) after 15+ games under head coach John Beilein.
LeVert is the only significant injury concern for either team in this game.
Maryland has a high-powered offense that is averaging 78.4 PPG on a blistering 50.9% FG (5th in nation), 38.6% threes (34th in D-I) and 75.8% FT (14th in nation). This success is achieved through great balance, as five Terrapins players are averaging double-figure scoring this season.
Saturday's hero, G Melo Trimble, has a team-high 14.8 PPG on stellar shooting marks of 49% FG, 40% threes and 87% FT. He has been especially hot lately with 45 points in his past two full games, sandwiched around an injury-plagued 14 minutes versus Rutgers on Wednesday when he missed the entire second half with a strained hamstring. Trimble was the best player on the floor versus Michigan last season when he scored a game-high 19 points (4-of-9 FG, 3-of-4 threes, 8-of-9 FT) with five assists and four rebounds.
Freshman C Diamond Stone (13.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG) has scored at least 10 points in nine straight games, which includes his enormous 39-point, 12-rebound effort versus Penn State on Dec. 30.
Junior F Robert Carter (12.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG) also provides muscle down low, which he showed on Saturday when he tallied 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks at Wisconsin.
The other two big Terrapins scorers are F Jake Layman (10.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG) and Duke transfer G Rasheed Sulaimon (10.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 3.4 RPG), who are shooting 48% FG and 49% FG, respectively, this season. Layman scored 10 points versus Michigan off the bench last year, and the senior Sulaimon has knocked down a career-high 49% threes this season.
Maryland also has a great defense that limits opponents to 63.6 PPG (25th in D-I) on 40.9% FG and 31.0% threes (50th in nation). The team has 5.3 blocks per game (37th in D-I) and commits only 16.1 fouls per game (11th in nation), while holding a strong +6.4 RPG margin (42nd in D-I). However, the defense will certainly be tested on Tuesday by the high-scoring Wolverines.
Just like the Terps, Michigan also has an impressive offense that produces a hefty 78.7 PPG (73rd in nation) on 50.1% FG (9th in D-I) and 42.6% threes (also 9th in nation). This is a very unselfish and smart team that has just 9.9 turnovers per game (8th-fewest in D-I) and a stellar 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio (9th in nation). The Wolverines also have a top-notch defense that holds opponents to 62.6 PPG (17th in D-I) on 41.2% FG, but allows a hefty 35.4% clip from long range (244th in nation). Also, they don't force enough turnovers (12.9 TOPG, 199th in D-I) and rarely block shots (2.4 BPG, 287th in nation), while posting a pedestrian +1.5 RPG margin.
Without G Caris LeVert (17.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.2 APG) available, Michigan will once again turn to G Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (6.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG) to fill his starting spot. The sophomore has been huge in this role in the past two games with 39 points (15-of-23 FG, 4-of-8 threes), six rebounds and three steals, and has increased his three-point shooting to 39%, which is up from his 29% clip as a freshman. Abdur-Rahkman also started for an injured LeVert at Maryland last year, and finished with seven points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes.
The only two other double-digit scorers on the team are 6-foot-8 F/G Duncan Robinson (11.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG) and junior G Derrick Walton Jr. (10.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.6 SPG) who are both shooting over 50% from three-point range. Robinson (56% threes) has scored at least eight points in a dozen straight games, while Walton (52% threes) is struggling with a 40% FG clip or lower in five consecutive contests where he has made only 35% FG (15-of-43). During this five-game slump, Walton has been solid behind the arc with 42% threes (8-of-19), but has made only 29% of his two-point attempts (7-of-24).