Game of Day: Creighton at Marquette
By Covers.com
Creighton Bluejays at Marquette Golden Eagles (+3, 143)
Fresh off a statement win in a showdown for first place in the Big East Conference, Creighton hopes to keep the momentum going when it visits Marquette on Wednesday night. The 12th-ranked Bluejays moved atop the league standings on Sunday by bludgeoning then-No. 6 Villanova for the second time in less than a month behind a season high-tying 39 points from Doug McDermott. “I think he’s as good a (college) basketball player as I’ve ever seen,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said of McDermott. “There’s nothing he can’t do."
Marquette lost at Creighton 67-49 on New Year's Eve but carries a season-high three-game winning streak into the rematch. The Golden Eagles have won four of their last five and only a pair of overtime losses last month is keeping them from knocking on the door for an NCAA Tournament berth. Marquette has advanced to the NCAAs for eight consecutive seasons - the sixth-longest active streak nationally - and is among four programs to reach the regional semifinals in each of the last three seasons.
LINE HISTORY: Books opened Creighton as a 3-point road favorite with a total of 143 points.
COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Creighton (-14.9) - Marquette (-2.2) + Home Court (-3.0) = Creighton -9.7
INJURY WATCH: N/A
WHAT SHARPS SAY: "I've touched on it before, but here's the difference between navigating the Big East and the Missouri Valley: Creighton gets no rest after their satisfying Villanova blowout. Instead of hosting Bradley or Missouri State they have to gear up for a trip to Marquette to face the extremely underrated Golden Eagles." - Covers Experts' Doc's Sports.
WHAT BOOKS SAY: "Coming off a big win versus Villanova, Creighton looks to keep the momentum going against Marquette, a team they beat at home by 18 points to end 2013. Look for the line on this game to hover around 8-8.5 in favor of Creighton." - Michael Stewart, CarbonSports.ag.
ABOUT CREIGHTON (21-4 SU, 14-9 ATS, 9-13 O/U): McDermott leads the nation in scoring at 25.9 points per game and is etching his name alongside a Who's Who of all-time greats. McDermott (2,863 points), who was named Big East player of the week for a league-record seventh time, surpassed Larry Bird for 13th place on the NCAA career list and is 22 points shy of eclipsing Tyler Hansbrough (2,872) and Elvin Hayes (2,884). Guard Jahenns Manigat scored 16 points in the win over Marquette on Dec. 31, but he was held scoreless against Villanova and is averaging only 4.8 points in his last five games.
ABOUT MARQUETTE (15-10 SU, 10-12-1 ATS, 11-10-1 O/U): Coach Buzz Williams has played musical chairs with his starting lineup for much of the season, but moving leading scorer Davante Gardner back to the bench has paid off in the recent hot stretch. Gardner has turned in consecutive 16-point outings in a reserve role and taken advantage of his bruising 290-pound frame in those games, going to the free-throw line 21 times and missing only once. Second-leading scorer Jamil Wilson is also on a tear, averaging 19.3 points in the three-game win streak after being held to one point in a loss at St. John's on Feb. 1.
TRENDS:
* Bluejays are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.
* Golden Eagles are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five vs. Big East.
* Under is 5-1 in Bluejays last six overall.
* Over is 3-0-1 in Golden Eagles last four overall.
COVERS CONSENSUS: 52 percent of bets are on Creighton -3.
College Basketball Information
St Joe's won last three games with Rhode Island, beating them 61-57 in first meeting Jan 22. Hawks won/covered four of last five games, 3-2 on A-13 road, winning by 4-3-11 points on foreign soil. URI lost last five games (1-4 vs spread); they're 2-1 as a home underdog, losing home games by 1-5-12 points- underdogs are 4-1 vs spread in their home games. A-13 home underdogs of 5 or less points are 7-10 vs spread.
Cincinnati (-14) beat UCF 69-51 at home Jan 23, making 56% inisde arc, while Knights were 6-17 on foul line. Bearcats are 0-3 as road favorites, winning away games by 16-1-7-4-3 points, with a loss at SMU. Home underdogs are 5-1 vs spread in their road games. AAC home underdogs of 8 or less points are 3-8 vs spread. UCF snapped 9-game skid in last game- they're 0-4 as home dogs, losing at home by 25-12-10-1-20.
Home side won seven of last eight Akron-Buffalo games; Zips lost last four visits here, by 13-3-12-14 points. Akron is 3-2 in last five games (0-5 vs spread) with four of five decided by 4 or less points- they're 2-1 as road dogs, losing two of last three on road, by 3-3 points. Buffalo won five of last seven games, is 5-1 as home favorite, but they lost last home game. MAC home favorites of 5 or less points are 11-13.
Home side won 10 of last 12 Western Michigan-Ohio games; Broncos lost last five visits here, by 4-32-3-16-5 points- they beat Ohio 90-74 in first meeting (+1) Feb 5, outscoring Bobcats 26-7 on foul line, 38-20 in last 10:00 of game. MAC home favorites of more than 5 points are 7-14 vs spread. Ohio won its last three home games; they're 2-4 as favorites at home, winning in Athens by 20-4-5-7 points.
Creighton (-8) beat Marquette 67-49 at home Dec 31; Bluejays were 13 of 35 from arc, 4-4 on line, 12-27 inside arc. Big East home underdogs of 4 or less points are 6-4 vs spread. Marquette won/covered its last three games- they're 5-1 at home, with only loss in OT to Villanova. Eagles are 2-4 as Big East underdogs. Creighton won six of last seven games, is 1-4 vs spread in last five- dogs covered their last four road games.
Vanderbilt (+1.5) beat Missouri 78-75 at home Jan 16, making 12-32 on arc as they avenged an 81-59 loss here LY; Commodores are 3-2 as road dogs, losing away games by 5-23-6 points, winning at A&M/Georgia. Mizzou won last two games by total of six points; they're 2-3 as home favorites, winning at home by 21-8-1-5, losing to Georgia/Kentucky. SEC home favorites of 9+ points are 14-8 vs spread.
Oregon split its last six games after a 1-5 Pac-12 start; Ducks are 1-4 as home favorites, winning last two at home by 12-10 points. Washington (+2.5) beat Oregon 80-76 Jan 23, shooting 57% inside arc; Huskies lost last three visits to Eugene by 5-25-5 points. Pac-12 double digit home favorites are 12-8 vs spread. Washington lost four of its last five games; they lost last six road games, covering one of last four as road dog.
Miami lost six of its last seven games, with last four losses all by 7 or less points; Hurricanes are 0-3 as ACC favorites this year, getting beat SU in all three- they're 0-6 at home, scoring 60 or less points in all six. Notre Dame lost five of last seven games, with both wins in OT; Irish ia 0-5 on ACC road, losing away games by 5-8-2-7-6 points. ACC home favorites of 5 or less points are 6-12 vs spread.
Illinois lost 10 of last 11 games, with only win at Penn State; Illini won four of last six games vs Minnesota, splitting last four played here. Big Dozen single digit home favorites are 12-20 vs spread. Minnesota lost four of last six games but won four of last five at home- they're 1-3 as a home favorite-- underdogs covered five of their six home games. Illinois is 2-3 as a road underdog, losing away games by 25-6-7-10-9 points.
Arizona (-13) beat Utah 65-56 at home Jan 26, after trailing by 10 early in game that was tied with 10:00 to go; Wildcats are 5-0 vs Utah in its Pac-12 games, winning here by 26-4 points. Arizona split its last four games, is 1-6 vs spread in last seven; their last three road games were all decided by 3 or less points. Pac-12 home underdogs of 5 or less points are 11-8 vs spread. Utah won its last five home games.
UCLA (-7) beat Cal 76-64 at home Jan 26, holding Bears to 35% from floor; Bruins lost last three visits to Berkeley by 4-16-13 points. UCLA won/covered six of last seven games; they're 3-2 on Pac-12 road, losing at Utah/Oregon State. Pac-12 home favorites of 4 or less points are 3-5 vs spread. California won three of last four games but lost two of its last three at home- they're 2-5 vs spread in their last seven games.
UNLV led by 16 early, hung on for 76-73 (+8.5) win at Pit Jan 15, with Rebels making 7-13 from arc; teams are now 7-7 in last 14 series games, but Lobos beat UNLV on this court in last two MW tourneys, after loss to Rebels here in regular season. Mountain West home teams are 7-5 vs spread in games where spread was 2 or less points. UNLV won six of its last seven games- they're just 2-4 as a home favorite.
Colorado was just 9-24 on foul line in 72-51 (+5.5) loss at Arizona State Jan 25; ASU won last three series games by 9-1-21 points- they had big rivalry win Friday night, while Buffs won at USC Sunday, so they had two less days to prep for this. Pac-12 home teams are 19-14 vs spread in games where spread was less than six points. Buffs are won four of last five games, are 3-2 as home favorites since Dinwiddie got hurt.
Armadillosports.com
College Basketball: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
TCU at Kansas State
When the NCAAB community examines this game between TCU and Kansas State what jumps out is that Horned Frogs are on a 0-12 skid cashing just four tickets (4-8 ATS) and own a putrid 7-21 ATS mark last twenty-eight vs. Big 12 opponents. With Kansas State on a 7-1 ATS home stretch, 8-4 ATS vs the conference, 4-2 ATS laying 12 to 18, TCU 2-5 ATS taking 12-18 no need over thinking this one. Lay the points.
Arizona at Utah
Wildcats off it's second blemish this time a 69-66 OT loss at Arizona State try to get back on track when they visit Utah Utes on Wednesday. This series has leaned toward the underdog the last 10 meetings with Utes grabbing the cash six times. Wildcats on a 1-6 ATS skid, Utes a sturdy 21-6-1 ATS last 28 on home court, 10-4-1 ATS L15 vs Pac-12 only one way to go 'Play Utah'
Wednesday Betting Notes
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Many consider Syracuse, Florida, Arizona and Wichita State as the top teams in America. On that note, let's take a look at these squads that are in action Wednesday night.
I sampled several noted handicappers and oddsmakers earlier this week for their opinions on a line if the Gators and the 'Cuse were to tangle in Omaha this week. The answers varied but one thing was constant -- neither school would be favored by more than two points.
Can we call UF's home game vs. Auburn a letdown spot? That might be fair (although Kentucky won convincingly at Ole Miss) in that Billy Donovan's team is coming off a much-hyped game at Rupp Arena against Kentucky. The Gators emerged with their first win in Lexington since 2007.
Of course, that UF team which won at Rupp in 2007 went on to win a national title, and there are plenty of the orange-and-blue faithful that feel like this season's senior-laden squad is destined to do the same.
But the task at hand is putting the finishing touches on what has become a laugher of an SEC regular-season race. With the win at UK, Florida (23-2 straight up, 11-9-1 against the spread) owns a three-game lead over the Wildcats.
Most books have installed UF as a 17-point home favorite over Auburn. The total is 136.
UF will be gunning for its 18th consecutive win which would set a school record.
When these league rivals met on The Plains, the Gators had to play well in the final minute to escape with a 68-61 victory. But the Tigers took the cash as eight-point home underdogs.
Auburn (12-11 SU, 10-9 ATS) has won four of its last six games both SU and ATS. The lone non-covers came by 1.5 combined points. The Tigers have been underdogs 12 times, going 6-6 ATS. However, they are 0-3 ATS in three contests as double-digit underdogs.
The 'under' is 15-5-1 overall for UF. The 'over' is 10-8 overall for AU, 6-1 in its last seven games.
Syracuse (25-0 SU, 13-7-1 ATS) is heavily favored -- opening at 14.5 -- for Wednesday's home game vs. Boston College at the Carrier Dome. The Orange stayed unbeaten last week, but it needed a pair of thrilling plays in the final seconds to win at Pitt and vs. N.C. State
Boston College (6-19 SU, 7-15-1 ATS) is sharing the ACC cellar with Virginia Tech as both schools are sporting abysmal 2-10 conference records. The Eagles somehow let a game at Ga. Tech get away last week due to an incomprehensible coaching decision by Steve Donahue.
I hate to keep taking shots at the guy, but that was just terrible clock management. Seriously, I loved Donahue at Cornell when he took it the Sweet 16 before losing to Kentucky several years ago, but I would think he's in deep trouble in Chesnut Hill at this point.
Arizona (23-2 SU, 14-10 ATS) hasn't looked as formidable without big man Brandon Ashley, who was lost to a season-ending injury a couple of weeks ago. The Wildcats lost at Arizona State this past Friday night, leaving them in bounce-back mode for Wednesday's trip to Salt Lake City to face a tough Utah squad.
Utah (17-8 SU, 14-5-1 ATS) has been downright nasty at home this year, winning 16 of 17 games while compiling a 9-2-1 spread record. Going back even further, the Utes are 21-6-1 ATS in their last 28 lined contests at home.
Most spots have the Wildcats favored by 4.5 with a total of 128.5.
Sean Miller's team is 10-2 in Pac-12 play, leading UCLA by only one game. Utah is 6-7 in the league, so getting to the .500 mark is key.
The 'under' is 17-5 overall for Arizona, cashing in each of its last seven game despite going to double overtime in Friday's loss at ASU.
Arizona has won eight in a row over Utah, but the Utes have taken the cash as underdogs in four consecutive head-to-head meetings.
When these schools met in Tucson last month, Arizona won a 65-56 decision but Utah covered the number as a 13.5-point road 'dog.
Wichita State (27-0 SU, 17-6-1 ATS) is favored by 13.5 at Loyola-Chicago. The Shockers have thrived as double-digit underdogs, compiling an 8-5-1 spread record. They have seen the 'over' hit in three straight outings.
Gregg Marshall's team looks like a safe bet to become the first team since 1991 (UNLV) to go into the NCAA Tournament with an unbeaten record.
B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets
Florida back-up point guard Kasey Hill is 'out' for Wednesday's home game vs. Auburn after injuring his groin in Saturday's win at Kentucky. Hill actually returned to the court to log four minutes in the second half before leaving for the rest of the game. Look for Casey Prather, Michael Frazier II and/or Dorian Finney-Smith to run the point in the few minutes that Scottie Wilbekin spends on the bench. Hill isn't expected to miss a significant period of time. -- Kansas State senior guard Shane Southwell is 'questionable' for Wednesday's home game vs. TCU. The Wildcats should cruised whether Southwell can go or not. They are 15.5-point home favorites vs. the Horned Frogs. KSU is off a gut-wrenching loss at Baylor in double overtime.
Ole Miss is done. Last night's loss at home Kentucky sealed the Rebels' fate. They'll be doing the NIT thing this year.
Tough loss for Texas Tech at home vs. Kansas last night, as Andre Wiggins beat the Red Raiders with a late shot. Nevertheless, Tubby Smith is clearly doing an outstanding job in his first campaign in Lubbock.
Will a third SEC team make it to the Tourney? Missouri probably has the best shot, but it must win at home tonight against Vandy, which beat the Tigers in Music City earlier this year. The last season the SEC didn't send three teams to the NCAAs was in 1979.