College Knowledge
-- Ohio State won last seven games vs Iowa, winning last four here, by 2-8-5-29 points; they crushed Hawkeyes 76-47 in LY's only meeting. Buckeyes are just 3-2 in league but won two home tilts by 26-3 points. Iowa won last two games after starting league play 0-3; all three of their Big Dozen home games were decided by 4 or less points (1-2). Big Dozen double digit favorites are 8-6 vs spread, 5-4 at home.
-- Michigan State beat Wisconsin three times LY, with 63-60 OT win its first win in Madison in at least a decade (lost last seven visits here, with five of seven losses by 13+ points). Spartans won last two away games, at Iowa/Penn State, after losing at Miami/Minnesota in first two games on foreign soil. Big Dozen single digit home favorites are 3-5 vs spread. Badgers allowed 50.5 ppg in four league wins, 70 in loss at Iowa.
-- Pitt won nine of last ten games vs Providence, winning three of last four visits here, with wins by 27-8-4 points; Panthers won last couple road games, allowing 45-43 points- they allowed 61 or less points in its three league wins, 67+ in losses. Providence Big East home teams are 1-15 vs spread in games with spread of 6 or less points; Big East home dogs are 5-6.
-- NC State won last five games vs Wake Forest, with all five wins by 11+ points; Wolfpack won last two visits here by 25-36 points- they're 1-2 in true road tilts this year, winning by 5 at BC, losing at Michigan/ Maryland. Home team won all five of Wake's ACC games; Deacons beat BC/Virginia at home, lost road games by 18-1-16 points. ACC home underdogs are 4-1 against the spread.
-- Missouri coach Haith may be fired because NCAA came down hard on Miami situation, so Tigers are in flux, and without Bowers, their star big guy; Tigers won their two SEC home games by 16-17 points, but got beat by 31 at Florida Saturday. SEC double digit home favorites are 5-3 vs spread. South Carolina is 1-3 in SEC, losing by 2-3-7 points- they're turning ball over 24.2% of time. They need a fulltime PG.
-- Kansas is 18-3 in last 21 games vs K-State, winning by 18-6 points in LY's meetings; Jayhawks split last four meetings here. Big X home sides are 6-9 vs spread; home dogs are 1-2. Kansas won last 15 games overall; three of those (Ohio St.Tex Tech/Texas) were on road- they trailed by 11 with 14:00 left in Austin Saturday, won by 5. Wildcats won their last eight games, including handing Florida one of its two losses.
-- Memphis won its last 13 games vs Tulane, winning last four here by 32-44-27-5 points. Conroy has improved Green Wave program; they're 13-5, with only one loss (by 18 to Ga Tech) by more than nine points. Memphis is 3-0 in league, winning by 13-16-26 points; they may have to run table in C-USA to get at-large berth to NCAAs. C-USA home favorites of 6+ points are 6-1 vs spread.
-- Home side won five of last seven Louisville-Villanova games; Cards lost three of last four visits here, with only win by point in '09, but this Villanova program has slipped. Wildcats lost last three games, by 11-15-3 points; five of their seven losses overall are by 11+ points. Louisville won both its Big East road games by 15 points (Seton Hall/UConn). Big East double digit favorites are 3-6 vs spread, 1-1 on road.
-- Illinois lost five of last seven games after 12-0 start; Nebraska is 1-5 in last six games after 9-4 start- they've lost both Big Dozen home tilts by 6-9 points. Illini scored just 58.3 ppg in four Big Dozen losses; they are 0-2 on road, losing by 7-23 on Big Dozen road. Home side won both series games LY, with Illini losing 80-57 here in Huskers' first year in league. Big Dozen home underdogs are 5-7 vs spread.
-- Road team won four of last six BC-Maryland games; Eagles won three of last four visits here, losing 81-65 in LY's visit. BC is 1-3 in ACC, but all three losses are by 5 or less points- they're 2-2 on road, losing by 4-3 points at Charleston/Wake. ACC home favorites are 9-9 vs spread, 6-8 if spread is single digits. Maryland lost three of last four games; they're 2-3 at home, beating Va Tech by 23, NC State by a point.
-- Kentucky won seven of last eight games vs Alabama, splitting its last four visits here (lost 68-66 in last visit in '11); Wildcats won their two SEC road games by 2-23 points at Vandy/Auburn. Alabama won three games in row, allowing 52.3 ppg after 9-6 start; they're 0-3 vs top 50 teams, losing by 2-19-16 points. SEC home teams are 4-8 vs spread if number is 8 or less points; home underdogs are 3-4.
Armadillosports.com
Tuesday's Top 25 NCB Betting Notes
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes on all of Tuesday’s ranked college basketball games:
Iowa at (15) Ohio State (-11)
After splitting a pair of three-point games against the high-powered Michigan teams of the Big Ten, Ohio State returns home for another pivotal league battle against Iowa. The Buckeyes handed rival Michigan its first loss of the season on Jan. 13 and took Michigan State to the wire on Saturday. The Hawkeyes also suffered a three-point loss to the Spartans before turning around their fortunes in the Big Ten with wins over Northwestern and Wisconsin, which had been unbeaten in conference play. Ohio State forward Deshaun Thomas is leading the leading scorer in conference play at 23.2 points per game, while his team is posting just 62.2, better than only four other teams in the 12-team league. Iowa has lost seven straight meetings and six in a row at Ohio State.
South Carolina at (22) Missouri (-14.5)
The Tigers were clobbered 83-52 by the Gators on Saturday and have lost their first two Southeastern Conference road games, but are 10-0 at home this season. Missouri hasn’t looked good without senior forward Laurence Bowers (16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds), who has missed the past three games with a sprained MCL in his right knee. He is listed as doubtful. All three of South Carolina’s conference losses have come by seven points or less, including a 58-51 home defeat to Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Gamecocks are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games.
(11) Michigan State at Wisconsin (-6)
The Spartans have won five consecutive games, possess a 5-1 mark in conference play and are in first place by a half-game over Wisconsin and Michigan. Wisconsin had held 11 consecutive foes to 60 points or less before the Hawkeyes put up 70 points on them Saturday. The Badgers allow a conference-low 55.8 points per game. Michigan State is especially tough on the glass, outrebounding opponents by an average of eight per game. The Spartans are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games.
(18) NC State at Wake Forest (+7.5)
North Carolina State is among the top teams in the nation on offense, but needs to improve on defense if it is to emerge as an elite team down the stretch. The Wolfpack lead the ACC with an average of 78.9 points and in field goal percentage at 51.1 percent - one of seven teams in the country at 50 percent or better. North Carolina State, though, is second-to-last in points allowed at 68.6. The Demon Deacons are 7-2 at home, with both their ACC victories coming at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Wake Forest is coming off a 66-65 loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday and has lost five straight to N.C. State. The Demon Deacons are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall.
(5) Louisville at Villanova (+12)
Louisville’s run as the nation’s top-ranked team didn’t last long. Saturday’s two-point loss to Syracuse knocked the Cardinals down to No. 5 entering Tuesday’s road tilt at Villanova. The Wildcats have lost three consecutive games after falling to Providence on Saturday. Turnovers have been an issue all season for the Wildcats but they really plagued them during their recent 69-66 loss to Providence. Villanova committed a season-worst 25 miscues and the Friars had a huge 30-6 edge in points off turnovers. The Wildcats are averaging 57.8 points over their last four games after averaging 81.5 over the previous four contests.
(2) Kansas at (13) Kansas State (+3)
The top spot in the Big 12 standings will be on the line when Kansas State hosts bitter rival Kansas. The second-ranked Jayhawks and the Wildcats are the only teams undefeated in league play. The Jayhawks have won 15 straight - the longest win streak in the nation - since a 67-64 loss to Michigan State on Nov. 13, but they barely survived a sluggish effort Saturday in a 64-59 win at Texas. Kansas defends extremely well, holding opponents to 34.8 percent from the field - second-lowest in the nation. Kansas State has won eight straight since a loss to Gonzaga in Seattle, and the Wildcats are coming off a 69-60 home win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Kansas has won 44 of the past 47 meetings overall but is 1-4 ATS in its last five games overall.
Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 16 Kansas State Wildcats
Make it 15 wins in a row for Kansas with this past Saturday’s 64-59 victory over Texas as an eight-point road favorite. It is now 16-1 straight-up on the year but just 7-9 against the spread. The Jayhawks have failed to cover in four of their last five games and the total has stayed Under in their last three. They are averaging 76 points a game while shooting a healthy 48.4 percent from the field but they have failed to post more than 70 points in four of their last five outings.
Kansas State’s current winning streak reached eight games after it knocked-off Oklahoma 69-60 as a seven-point home favorite this past Saturday. The win raised its overall record to 15-2 SU and 6-6-1 ATS. The Wildcats are a perfect 9-0 SU (4-2 ATS) at home and the total has gone OVER in their last four games with a posted line. Rodney McGruder is the only player scoring in double figures with an average of 15.5 points a game. He is shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and the team as a whole is shooting 43.1 percent.
College Basketball: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Louisville at Villanova
Louisville’s (16-2, 10-8 ATS) run as the nation’s top-ranked team didn’t last long. The Cardinals suffering a 70-68 loss to Syracuse Saturday have dropped to number-5 in the most recent rankings. Off just it's second loss of the season the Russ Smith (19.3), Peyton Siva (11.3) lead Cardinals netting 76.4 points/game while allowing 57.2 to the opposition will bounce back here. Cardinals simply have too many weapons for the offensively challenged Wildcats (11-7, 9-5-1 ATS) averaging a lowly 57.7 PPG the last four on the hardwood. Expect Wildcats to suffer it's second double digit loss facing a top-25 opponent. Stick with Louisville knowing Cardinals are on a 6-2 ATS stretch vs Villanova and that Wildcats are just 6-19-1 ATS in their last 26 home games, 1-4-2 ATS L7 at home vs the conference and hit the hardwood on a 4-9-2 ATS slide L15 vs the Big East.
College Basketball Lines and Leans
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
Michigan State beat Wisconsin in all three meetings last season. A lot of the same key players for both teams will be on the court again tonight at the Kohl Center, where the Badgers are 5.5-point favorites over the surging Spartans.
It’s hard to get a handle on Wisconsin right now. A game after winning at No. 2 Indiana, the Badgers fell behind by 20 in the first half of a 70-66 loss at Iowa on Saturday.
Wisconsin is extremely tough at home, though. The Badgers are 86-9 in Big Ten home games under coach Bo Ryan and 10-1 at home overall this season, their only loss coming against Virginia in November.
But Michigan State is the more-talented team, with as many as four NBA Draft prospects. Wisconsin has no players listed in CBS college basketball writer Jeff Goodman’s top 101 prospects.
The Spartans have won five straight and are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games as underdogs.
The Badgers are just 5-8 ATS as favorites this season. Their poor free-throw shooting hasn’t helped. Wisconsin is among the worst teams in the nation in free-throw percentage, at 62.4 percent.
This will be the first game at the Kohl Center with students back for spring semester, according to Wiscnews.com.
The Line:
Wisconsin opened as a 6-point favorite Tuesday morning at the LVH Super Book, but Michigan State money pushed the point spread down to -5.5. As of about 9:15 a.m. PT, Some Nevada sports books have -5.5, other have -6.
The Badgers were 6.5-point favorites versus the Spartans in last season’s game in the Kohl Center, a 63-60 overtime win for Michigan State.
The Total:
The total opened at 123 at most Vegas shops.
Michigan State is scoring 70.3 and allowing 58.4 points per game. Wisconsin is averaging 70.2 and allowing 55.8 points per game, eighth fewest in the nation.
Last year’s three meetings, including an overtime game, averaged 121.3 points.
The Linemakers Power Ratings:
Michigan State 143.2 (No. 19)
Wisconsin 145.7 (No. 13)
The Linemakers’ Lean: It’s tough laying six points in what’s expected to be a low-scoring game. That’s why we’re looking at the UNDER in this spot.
Michigan State averages just 4.7 3-pointers per game, and teams are shooting just 38.2 percent from the field against Spartans. That in addition to Wisconsin’s struggles from the foul line create value on the UNDER.
More leans from The Linemakers:
Iowa +11.5 at Ohio State: Iowa beat Northwestern and Wisconsin last week, while Ohio State split with the two Michigan schools. Ohio State has struggled to score, except for Deshaun Thomas, who is averaging 23.2 point per game in Big Ten play this season. The Buckeyes are very tough defensively, but Iowa is a better rebounding team and a better free-throw shooting team. This looks like a big number — we expect another hard fought Big Ten battle.
Kentucky -4 at Alabama: Bama has won three straight, including 50-49 over Texas A&M on Saturday. Kentucky should keep improving, though, and has five guys averaging double figures on the year. Alabama may be the first team ever to have two starting guards named Trevor. Trevor Releford is the leading scorer at 16.2 ppg, and Trevor Lacey is second at 12.5. Kentucky has won the last two meetings and 11 of the last 13. We think the young Wildcats will pull away late.
Kansas State (+3.5) vs. Kansas: This is a good Kansas team — we’re just not sure it's an elite Kansas team. And the Jayhawks have yet to be tested on the road this season. This is only their fourth true road game, and they’re 1-2 ATS in away games on the year. Kansas State is a tough place to play, and while the Wildcats have only one player averaging in double figures (Rodney McGruder), they go nine-deep.