Wednesday's Best College HoopsBets
By Covers.com
Iona Gaels at Richmond Spiders (Pick ‘em, 145.5)
The Iona Gaels had a seven-game winning streak at Marshall on Sunday, but they left a lasting impression on the Herd.
“We beat an outstanding club,” Marshall head coach Tom Herrion told reporters after his club prevailed 82-63 as a 1.5-point favorite. “I thought after the first 10 minutes, we settled into the game. We recognized how fast they were, but it took us almost 10 minutes to settle into their speed. They play at a break-neck speed.”
Senior Michael Glover paced the attack by hitting nine of his 10 attempts from the floor for 20 points and added six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Richmond will look to rebound from an embarrassing 73-51 blowout loss to VCU and should be able to run the floor with the Gaels for at least a while.
Pick: Over
Cincinnati Bearcats at Wright State Raiders (4, 111.5)
Wednesday's game between Cincinnati and Wright State expects to be a low-scoring, grind-it-out contest as two of the better defensive teams in the nation meet at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio.
It's the Bearcats first game since Saturday's brawl against archrival Xavier, an incident that received national attention and resulted in eight players being suspended, most notably Cincinnati's Yancy Gates. The senior forward bloodied Xavier's Kenny Frease with a blindside punch to the face in the melee and will begin his six-game suspension for the Wright State game.
The Bearcats started the season ranked No. 22, but lost two surprising early home games to Presbyterian and Marshall, blowing second-half leads in both. Cincinnati, picked fifth in the Big East preseason coaches poll, has topped the 70-point mark only twice.
Pick: Under
Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
Florida International Golden Panthers vs. Maryland Terrapins
It has been a rough start for FIU this season with just three wins in its first nine games. The Golden Panthers are 3-2 ATS overall and 2-1 ATS on the road. They are ranked in the bottom third of Division-I in both scoring and rebounds.
Maryland improved to 5-3 SU on the year with wins in three of its last four games. The Terrapins have only covered twice in six games with posted lines this season and are 1-2 ATS at home. They are averaging 68 points a game, but giving-up 70.9 points, which is ranked 254th in the nation.
NCAAB Preview
Cincinnati is down three players after Saturday's brawl with Xavier, so they're shorthanded here, visiting Wright State team they beat 77-69 at home LY. Bearcats beat Georgia by 6, lost by 23 at Xavier in previous road games. Wright State is 3-6 vs D-I teams, with #187 Miami the best team they beat/ Big East road favorites of 5 or less points are 9-7 vs spread; Horizon dogs of 5 or less points are 5-8- home dogs are 3-4.
Ole Miss won its last five games, with three of last four wins by 3 or less points- they're 8-1 despite 57.7% shooting from foul line so far, but better not look past this to game with Southern Miss Saturday. Three of Rebels' eight wins are by more than 11 points. UL-Lafayette is 4-6 vs D-I teams, with only top 100 game a 76-67 loss to Kent. Sun Belt road underdogs of 13+ points are 14-6 vs spread; SEC home favorites of 11+ points are 7-15-1 against the spread.
Maryland is 5-3 but doesn't have a win by more than 9 points, despite playing three teams ranked below #200; Terrapins are #3 in country at getting to foul line, but make just 63% once they get there. FIU is 3-5, with all three wins by 3 or less points; they turn ball over 23.9% of the time, make just 44.6% of 2-point shots. Sun Belt road underdogs of 9+ points are 18-9 vs spread; ACC home favorites of 9+ points are 11-9.
Northern Illinois is 0-8, one of four winless teams in country, and they played four teams ranked #235 or worse; they lost 86-84 at DePaul LY. Huskies are 0-4 vs top 150 teams, losing by 62-2-33-14 points. Horizon double digit underdogs are 8-7-1 vs spread; home dogs are 3-4. Big East road favorites are 13-12. DePaul is 6-3, winning only road game by 11 at Loyola; only one of its six losses was by more than 11 points.
Auburn hasn't played in 12 days; they're 4-1, losing to Seton Hall by 22 in only game vs team ranked higher than #278. South Florida is 0-4 away from home vs D-I teams, losing true road games by 23 at VCU, 28 at Kansas. Bulls beat Auburn 61-49 LY, last game before they ended year on 4-18 skid. Big East road underdogs of 6 or less points are 4-8 vs spread; SEC home favorites of less than 5 points are 7-1, 3-0 at home.
First game at Thomas & Mack in three weeks for 9-2 UNLV team that has played #20 schedule so far; Rebels won last two games vs UTEP, both by 13 points. Young Miners (2nd-youngest team in USA) are 2-4, but upset New Mexico State last game; they're 0-2 on road, losing by 16-5 points. Conference USA road underdogs are 15-9-1, 5-2 if getting double digits; MWC home faves are 18-13-1, 8-7 if laying 10+ points.
Iona's massive road show continues in Richmond; Gaels are 7-2 playing #55 schedule- this is their 5th road game in row. Iona makes 58.5% of its 2-point shots, #3 in country. Richmond is 6-3, losing to three top 100 teams they played, by 13-9-22 points. MAAC teams are 6-9 vs spread when number is less than 5 points, 5-6 on road. Atlantic 14 teams are 20-13 vs spread when number is less than 5, 5-2 at home.
Princeton is 3-6 vs D-I teams, allowing 57 or less points in all three of its wins; they're 0-5 when allowing more than 57. Tigers lost four of five games decided by 6 or less points. Rider is 1-9, losing last five games, allowing 84.8 ppg; their only win was by a basket over #307 Howard. Broncs are 1-3 at home, losing by 18-6-16 points. Ivy League road favorites are 4-2 vs spread; MAAC home underdogs are 0-4.
Charleston smoked Tennessee 91-78 in Knoxville LY; 7-1 Cougars won last four games, beating Chattanooga in double OT in last game, 11 days ago. Tennessee lost at home to 2-9 Austin Peay Saturday, its fifth loss in a row vs D-I teams, with three of last four losses by 5 or less points. SEC road underdogs of less than 5 points are 8-1 vs spread; Southern Conference home favorites are 4-1. Volunteers lost 89-81 at Oakland in their only true road game so far.
Home side won seven of last eight Denver-Northern Colorado games, as Pioneers lost last three visits to Greeley, by 15-23-15 points, but so far this year, Denver is 8-2, with wins over Southern Miss/St Mary's and a rare win at Utah State. Bears are playing D-I team for first time in last 18 days; they've already lost two home games. Sun Belt road favorites are 3-2 vs spread; Big Sky home teams are 5-10, home dogs are 2-4.
Eastern Washington is 5-4, 0-2 vs Pac-12 teams, losing to Oregon by 8, Washington State by 26. Eagles make 35.5% of 3-point shots, which is good vs porous Bruin defense (#193 in defensive efficiency). UCLA is just 2-5 vs D-I teams, beating Penn by 4 in first game since Nelson got booted. Bruins Pac-12 single digit home favorites are 8-12 vs spread; Big Sky road underdogs are 17-13 vs spread, 7-6 if getting less than 10.
Cincinnati at Wright State Preview
Covers.com
Cincinnati Bearcats at Wright State Raiders (+4, 111.5)
THE STORY: Wednesday's game between Cincinnati and Wright State expects to be a low-scoring, grind-it-out contest as two of the better defensive teams in the nation meet at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. It's the Bearcats first game since Saturday's brawl against archrival Xavier, an incident that received national attention and resulted in eight players being suspended, most notably Cincinnati's Yancy Gates. The senior forward bloodied Xavier's Kenny Frease with a blindside punch to the face in the melee and will begin his six-game suspension for the Wright State game. The Raiders are looking for their first win in eight tries against the Bearcats.
ABOUT CINCINNATI (5-3): The Bearcats started the season ranked No. 22, but lost two surprising early home games to Presbyterian and Marshall, blowing second-half leads in both. Sophomore guard Sean Kilpatrick leads in scoring (14.5) while point guard Cashmere Wright hands out 4.4 assists per game. Gates, the team's leading rebounder (9.5), is second in scoring at 13.5 points and had 18 points and 12 rebounds effort in the loss at No. 9 Xavier. Cincinnati, picked fifth in the Big East preseason coaches poll, has topped the 70-point mark only twice.
ABOUT WRIGHT STATE (4-6): The Raiders are 1-1 in Horizon League play, and even more so than Cincinnati have struggled offensively. Wright ranks 326th in the nation in scoring (55.2 points) and field goal percentage (36.9). Junior guard Julius Mays is the only Raider scoring in double figures, and he's averaging just 10.2 points. He also leads the team in assists (2.8), steals (1.5), and 3-pointers (13). Sophomore A.J. Pacher leads in rebounding (4.2). Wright has been in its share of close games as four of the last five have been decided by four points or fewer, including Saturday's 51-49 win at Miami (Ohio).
TIP-INS:
1. Points may be hard to come by in this matchup of Southwestern Ohio schools. Cincinnati ranks 13th in scoring defense, allowing just 55.6 points, while Wright State is 43rd at 59.6.
2. Joining Gates with six-game suspensions are Cheikh Mbodj and Octavius Ellis, while freshman Ge'Lawn Guyn will sit one game. Gates, who will miss the Bearcats' Big East opener at Pittsburgh on Jan. 1, could return for the conference home opener Jan. 4 against Notre Dame.
3. Wright State is a young team as its roster shows 11 of 15 players are freshmen (seven) or sophomores (four).
CINCINNATI (5 - 3) at WRIGHT ST (4 - 6)
Top Trends for this game.
WRIGHT ST is 28-12 ATS (+14.8 Units) when the total is 119.5 or less since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
WRIGHT ST is 1-0 against the spread versus CINCINNATI over the last 3 seasons
CINCINNATI is 1-0 straight up against WRIGHT ST over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
LA-LAFAYETTE (5 - 6) at OLE MISS (8 - 1)
Top Trends for this game.
LA-LAFAYETTE is 47-70 ATS (-30.0 Units) in non-conference games since 1997.
OLE MISS is 28-10 ATS (+17.0 Units) on Wednesday games since 1997.
OLE MISS is 34-18 ATS (+14.2 Units) after scoring 80 points or more since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
FLA INTERNATIONAL (3 - 6) at MARYLAND (5 - 3)
Top Trends for this game.
FLA INTERNATIONAL is 23-41 ATS (-22.1 Units) in December games since 1997.
FLA INTERNATIONAL is 42-69 ATS (-33.9 Units) after a non-conference game since 1997.
FLA INTERNATIONAL is 39-62 ATS (-29.2 Units) in non-conference games since 1997.
MARYLAND is 52-25 ATS (+24.5 Units) on Wednesday games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
DEPAUL (6 - 3) at N ILLINOIS (0 - 8)
Top Trends for this game.
DEPAUL is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
N ILLINOIS is 1-0 against the spread versus DEPAUL over the last 3 seasons
DEPAUL is 1-0 straight up against N ILLINOIS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
S FLORIDA (6 - 4) at AUBURN (4 - 1)
Top Trends for this game.
AUBURN is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
AUBURN is 0-0 against the spread versus S FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
S FLORIDA is 1-0 straight up against AUBURN over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
UTEP (2 - 4) at UNLV (9 - 2)
Top Trends for this game.
UNLV is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in a home game where the total is 135 to 139.5 over the last 2 seasons.
UNLV is 6-19 ATS (-14.9 Units) in home games on Wednesday games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
IONA (7 - 2) at RICHMOND (6 - 3)
Top Trends for this game.
RICHMOND is 43-27 ATS (+13.3 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
RICHMOND is 43-27 ATS (+13.3 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
IONA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) when the total is 140 to 149.5 over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
IONA is 1-0 against the spread versus RICHMOND over the last 3 seasons
IONA is 1-0 straight up against RICHMOND over the last 3 seasons
PRINCETON (4 - 6) at RIDER (1 - 9)
Top Trends for this game.
PRINCETON is 40-21 ATS (+16.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PRINCETON is 40-21 ATS (+16.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
PRINCETON is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
PRINCETON is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road lined games over the last 2 seasons.
PRINCETON is 59-39 ATS (+16.1 Units) in road games after a non-conference game since 1997.
PRINCETON is 80-56 ATS (+18.4 Units) in non-conference games since 1997.
PRINCETON is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
RIDER is 1-13 ATS (-13.3 Units) in all home games over the last 2 seasons.
RIDER is 1-13 ATS (-13.3 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.
RIDER is 7-24 ATS (-19.4 Units) in home games after a non-conference game since 1997.
RIDER is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in home games after allowing 80 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
RIDER is 22-41 ATS (-23.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
TENNESSEE (3 - 5) at COLL OF CHARLESTON (7 - 1)
Top Trends for this game.
COLL OF CHARLESTON is 42-24 ATS (+15.6 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
COLL OF CHARLESTON is 42-24 ATS (+15.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
COLL OF CHARLESTON is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) when the total is 140 to 149.5 over the last 2 seasons.
COLL OF CHARLESTON is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
TENNESSEE is 81-55 ATS (+20.5 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLL OF CHARLESTON is 2-0 against the spread versus TENNESSEE over the last 3 seasons
COLL OF CHARLESTON is 1-1 straight up against TENNESSEE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
DENVER (6 - 2) at N COLORADO (3 - 5)
Top Trends for this game.
DENVER is 22-39 ATS (-20.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
DENVER is 22-39 ATS (-20.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
DENVER is 8-25 ATS (-19.5 Units) when the total is 120 to 129.5 over the last 3 seasons.
DENVER is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) in road lined games over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) in a road game where the total is 120 to 129.5 over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
DENVER is 1-10 ATS (-10.0 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
N COLORADO is 1-1 against the spread versus DENVER over the last 3 seasons
N COLORADO is 1-1 straight up against DENVER over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
E WASHINGTON (5 - 4) at UCLA (3 - 5)
Top Trends for this game.
E WASHINGTON is 25-43 ATS (-22.3 Units) in December games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
IONA vs. RICHMOND
Iona is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Richmond is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games
Richmond is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
PRINCETON vs. RIDER
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Princeton's last 6 games on the road
Princeton is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Rider is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Rider is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
CINCINNATI vs. WRIGHT STATE
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Cincinnati's last 19 games on the road
Wright State is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home
Wright State is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE vs. MISSISSIPPI
Louisiana-Lafayette is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Mississippi is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Mississippi is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN vs. THE CITADEL
No trends available
The Citadel is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Charleston Southern
The Citadel is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
TOWSON vs. COPPIN STATE
Towson is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Towson is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
No trends available
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL vs. MARYLAND
Florida International is 5-20 SU in its last 25 games on the road
Maryland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Maryland is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home
MCNEESE STATE vs. LOUISIANA TECH
No trends available
Louisiana Tech is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games at home
Louisiana Tech is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing McNeese State
BETHUNE-COOKMAN vs. BAYLOR
No trends available
Baylor is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Baylor is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
CHICAGO STATE vs. WICHITA STATE
No trends available
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Wichita State's last 7 games
Wichita State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
SEATTLE vs. ARKANSAS STATE
No trends available
Arkansas State is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games at home
TENNESSEE vs. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Tennessee is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Tennessee's last 15 games on the road
College of Charleston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
College of Charleston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
DEPAUL vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
DePaul is 2-23 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of DePaul's last 6 games on the road
Northern Illinois is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games at home
Northern Illinois is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
DENVER vs. NORTHERN COLORADO
Denver is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Northern Colorado is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
Northern Colorado is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Denver
SOUTH FLORIDA vs. AUBURN
South Florida is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
South Florida is 2-15 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Auburn is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Auburn is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
TEXAS EL PASO vs. UNLV
Texas El Paso is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Texas El Paso is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
UNLV is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
UNLV is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
UC SANTA CRUZ vs. UC RIVERSIDE
No trends available
UC Riverside is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of UC Riverside's last 7 games
EASTERN WASHINGTON vs. UCLA
Eastern Washington is 4-21 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Eastern Washington's last 10 games on the road
UCLA is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
UCLA is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Wednesday's Top Trends
RIDER is 1-13 ATS (-13.3 Units) in all home games (vs Princeton)
CINCINNATI is 1-11 ATS (-11.1 Units) off a road loss (vs Wright St)
COLL OF CHARLESTON is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) in home games after scoring 85 points or more (vs Tennessee)
MARYLAND is 52-25 ATS (+24.5 Units) on Wednesday games (vs FLA International)
DENVER is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games after a non-conference game (vs N Colorado)