College Knowledge
-- Northeastern lost its last two games after starting 12-1 in CAA play; 10 of Huskies' last 11 games were decided by 7 or less points- they won nine of last 11 games vs James Madison, winning three of last four here, with wins by 16-22-12 points. Dukes won seven of last nine games, are 3-4 on CAA road, with all three wins by 7 or less points. CAA home favorites of 6 or less points are 11-19 against the spread.
-- Ohio State won its last five games vs Minnesota, with four of the five wins by 10+ points; Gophers lost last five visits here, by 14-16-6-22-3 points. Buckeyes lost three of last four games, but losses were against top 10 teams- they're 3-3 as Big Dozen home favorite, winning at home by 26-3-9-9-10 points. Gophers also lost three of last four; they're 2-2 as road underdog. Big Dozen home faves of 6 or less points are 12-7.
-- Syracuse (-11) won 72-66 at Providence Jan 9, game they trailed by 6 with 13:49 left; Orange were 3-21 from arc, Friars 9-18, but Orange beat PC for 11th straight time, winning by 25-7-17-7-23 points in last five games played here. Syracuse is 3-2 as home favorite, with four wins by 11+ points, Friars won last four games, all as underdogs- they're 3-2-1 as road dogs. Big East double digit home favorites are 6-11 vs spread.
-- Illinois State (-7) beat Evansville 67-62 Jan 26, game they trailed by 4 in last 11:00; State outscored Aces 21-11 on foul line, making 21-31 on charity stripe. Redbirds are 2-5 as home faves, winning last four home games by 2-5-36-20 points- they blew 5-point lead in last 0:40 Sunday vs Wichita. MVC home underdogs of 5 or less points are 14-6 vs spread. Aces lost four of last five games, covered four of last five as a dog.
-- Kentucky (-12) beat Vanderbilt 60-58 in Nashville Jan 10, surviving a 18-0 Vandy run midway thru second half; Vandy grabbed 20 offensive boards that nite. Wildcats lost last two games since Noel got hurt, by 17-30 points- Tennessee shot 58% against them last game. SEC double digit home favorites are 10-12 vs spread. Vandy lost five of last seven games, but three of their last four losses were by four or less points.
-- Air Force (+3) beat Boise State 91-80 Jan 19; Lyons had 37 points on 18 shots from floor, as Falcons scored 1.28 ppp, but Flyboys are 1-3 in last four games, 1-4 on MWC road, with only win at Wyoming- they've lost road games by 5-39-23-5 points. MWC home favorites of 7 or less points are 11-5 vs spread. Boise State lost six of last nine games; they're 3-1 SU at home, 1-2 as home fave, winning by 7-5-7 points.
-- Southern Mississippi is 3-2 as C-USA home favorite, winning home games by 11+ points, with loss to Memphis; four of their last six games were decided by 4 or less points. UTEP allowed 74+ points in last three losses, 67 or less in its last five wins; Miners are 2-3 on road in C-USA, losing by 3-6-18 points. C-USA home favorites of 8 or less points are 17-10 vs spread. Southern Miss has rematch with Memphis up next.
-- Oklahoma State (+9.5) upset Kansas 85-80 in Lawrence Feb 2; Brown hit 7-10 behind arc, rest of Cowboys were 1-14. State won seven games in row, are 6-0 at home in Big X, with last three wins by 2 points or in OT. Kansas won last two games by 21-26 points after losing previous three games; they won at Ohio State, in only other game they were dog this season. Big X home teams are 3-1 vs spread if number is 3 or less.
-- Iowa State (-4) beat Baylor 79-71 Feb 2, making 60% inside arc and outscoring Bears 25-11 on foul line; Cyclones lost last four road games, by 5-2-9-3 points (2-1 as road dog). Baylor lost four of last six games; they're 3-3 as home favorites, winning in Waco by 7-11-10-27-20, with a loss to Oklahoma. Big X home favorites of 6 or less points are 8-4 vs spread. Cyclones' last seven games all went over the total.
-- Pacific won five of last seven games with Cal-Irvine, going 5-4 in last nine visits here; Tigers are 9-3 in last 12 games, but 2-4 on road in Big West, with three of four losses by 8 or less points. Anteaters are 7-0 at home in conference, with five of seven wins by 7 or less points, or in OT. Big West home favorites of less than 5 points are 10-14 vs spread. Irvine is 4-3 vs spread as a Big West home favorite this season.
-- Favorites are 7-2-1 vs spread in Colorado State's MWC games; Rams (-3.5) beat UNLV 66-61 Jan 19, outscoring Rebels on foul line 19-9 in game they trailed by 3 with 3:40 left. State won last six games, winning by 11-3-4 points in last three road games. MWC home favorites of less than five points are 6-3 vs spread. UNLV is struggling without dynamic PG, but they're 5-0 at home in MWC, winning by 5-12-12-9-2 points.
-- Arizona (-4.5) beat Washington 57-53 in Seattle Jan 31, just second series win in last seven tries for Wildcats; teams were combined 4-30 on arc that game. Huskies' win in Tucson LY was their first in last six trips here, with losses by 30-20-9-17-11 points. U-Dub lost last four games on road, by 8-5-2-11 points; they're 5-2 as road dog. Pac-12 double digit home favorites are 2-8 vs spread. Arizona is 1-5 as a home favorite.
-- Gonzaga (-5.5) shot 63% inside arc, outscored Santa Clara 27-17 from foul line in 81-74 road win Jan 5, Zags' 20th win in last 22 series games. Gonzaga won eight of last nine visits here. Zags are 2-3 as WCC home favorite, winning home games by 5-20-14-26-19 points. Broncos are 0-3 vs spread as WCC dog this year; they're 3-2 on road, losing by 4-17 points. WCC double digit home favorites are 6-8 vs spread.
Armadillosports.com
Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Kansas bounced back from a rare three-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over Kansas State and Texas. It routed the then-No.10 Wildcats by 21 points as a 7½-point home favorite. The Jayhawks improved to 21-4 SU on the year and into a three-way tie atop the Big 12 standings with Kansas State and Oklahoma State at 9-3. They are just 2-4 ATS in their last six games (11-13 ATS overall) and the total has gone OVER in three of their last five games. Kansas has three players scoring in double figures led by Ben McLemore’s 16.7 points a game.
The Cowboys find themselves in the thick of the Big 12 regular season title race as a result of a seven-game winning streak that includes a thrilling 84-79 overtime victory over rival Oklahoma this past Saturday as nine-point home favorites. They are 19-5 SU and 12-10-1 ATS overall with the total going OVER in six of their last seven games. Oklahoma State is averaging 73 points a game while shooting 44 percent from the field. Both Marcel Brown and Marcus Smart are scoring over 15 points a game with Smart leading the team in assists with 4.5 a game.
College Basketball: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Providence at Syracuse
Syracuse (21-4, 13-8 ATS) will try to move a step closer to a league championship when they host Providence (14-11, 13-8 ATS) at the Carrier Dome Wednesday night. Orange will be vigilant in this game, mindful of the fact that they were nearly ambushed by the Friars in Rhode Island earlier having to overcome a nine-point first-half deficit before walking away with a 72-66 victory while missing the boat at the betting window as 11 point road favorites. Yes, Syracuse almost lost to Providence over a month ago but Friars aren't about to catch Jim Boeheim's troops sleeping at home. Orange balanced as any team in the country lead by a quartet of double-digit contributors net an impressive 74.8 PPG while holding opponents to just 59.3 PPG on 37.2% shooting will be tough to topple. They've been unbeatable at the Carrier Dome posting thirty-seven straight victories cashing 21 of the 32 lined games. Lay the lumber, Orange on a 7-2 ATS stretch at home laying double digits, 10-1 (7-3 ATS) vs Providence including 5-0 (4-1 ATS) on home court won't be challenged by Friars scoring just 68.1 points/game.
Kansas at Oklahoma State
Jayhawks have shaken off it's funk with back-to-back wins over Kansas State and Texas. Jayhawks in a three way tie atop the conference with K-State, Oklahoma State sit at 21-4 (11-13 ATS), 9-3 (5-7 ATS) in the Big 12. Jayhawks have three double-digit scorers lead by Ben McLemore (16.7) with the team netting 73.4 points/game. Jayhawks head into Stillwater 4-2 SU on the road in Big 12 play but a lowly 1-5 ATS. Cowboys on a seven-game win streak including an 85-80 win at Kansas are 19-5 (12-10-1 ATS) overall, 9-3 (5-7 ATS) in the conference. Pokes score 73.0 per/contest and have four netting double figures lead by Markel Brown at 15.8 per/game. Pokes are 6-0 at home vs the Big 12 but just 2-4 ATS. Series wise, Jayhawks have had the upper hand of late posting a 9-4 (6-6-1 ATS) mark including 3-3 SU/ATS running the hardwood in Pokes back yard. Kansas is 3-0 (1-1-1 ATS) avenging a loss to Cowboys with all three Kansas victories coming at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
Wednesday's Top 25 NCAAB Betting Notes
By Covers.com
The race towards March is on. Check out all of Wednesday's Top 25 betting action:
DePaul Blue Demons at Georgetown Hoyas (-15, 135)
It wasn’t long ago that No. 11 Georgetown was an unranked team that began Big East play with a 2-3 record. However, the Hoyas will put the conference’s longest winning streak on the line on Wednesday when they host DePaul. On Jan. 19, Georgetown provided South Florida with its only league win, but since that setback, the Hoyas have trumped three top-25 opponents and won seven straight overall.
The win streak has allowed Georgetown to move from the bottom half of the conference and into a three-way tie for first with Marquette and Syracuse, the latter of which it will meet Saturday. In the meantime, the Hoyas stand a good chance at remaining atop the Big East with a home game against the Blue Demons. DePaul snapped a nine-game slide with Saturday’s victory over Rutgers, but has lost 11 straight against Georgetown.
Providence Friars at Syracuse Orange (-12.5, 130)
Providence has suddenly put itself in major contention for a postseason bid after a four-game win streak, its longest in Big East play since 2004. The healthier Friars attempt to beat their third ranked team of the month when they travel to Syracuse on Wednesday. Providence was without guards Vincent Council and Kris Dunn for 10 and nine games, respectively, with injuries and leading scorer Bryce Cotton missed two close Friars’ losses. Providence must continue its strong play on the defensive end to win at the Carrier Dome for the first time since 1999.
Eighth-ranked Syracuse is only 3-3 its last six games, but is 15-0 at the Dome this season – 5-0 in league play. The contest will start a critical three-game stretch for the Orange, who host Georgetown on Saturday and play at Marquette on Monday. Syracuse won at Providence 72-66 on Jan. 9.
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ohio State Buckeyes (-6, 121)
Both Minnesota and Ohio State have 18 victories this season, but neither is playing well entering Wednesday’s matchup at Columbus. The visiting Golden Gophers are far removed from a 15-1 start, losing seven of their past 10 and falling into a three-way tie for sixth in the Big Ten standings. Minnesota is last in conference games in defending the 3-point shot, which could prove problematic against the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is third in the conference in 3-point shooting (36.5 percent), and junior Lenzelle Smith Jr. (39.1 percent) and Deshaun Thomas (38.5 percent) rank in the top 12 in the Big Ten in shooting from beyond the arc. Ohio State is fifth in the conference standings, three games out of first.
Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats (+7, 112)
No. 17 Wisconsin will be fighting to keep its Big Ten title hopes alive when it travels to slumping Northwestern on Wednesday night. The Badgers are two games behind conference co-leaders No. 1 Indiana and No. 5 Michigan State, but are flying high after a routine 71-49 win over No. 18 Ohio State.
The Wildcats enter on a three-game losing streak, having posted a season-low 41 points against in-state rival Illinois on their home floor on Sunday. Its the longest skid of the season for Northwestern, and even a matchup against a Badger squad that's been less than adequate on the road would seem a tough place to stop it. Wisconsin hasn't lost to the Wildcats since Jan. 7, 2009, in Evanston.
Kansas Jayhawks at Oklahoma State Cowboys (-1.5, 138)
Oklahoma State puts its seven-game win streak on the line Wednesday against No. 9 Kansas in a critical Big 12 contest, with both teams trailing first-place Kansas State by a half-game. The 14th-ranked Cowboys are trending upward behind the play of freshman point guard Marcus Smart, who scored a career-high 28 points in an 84-79 overtime win over Oklahoma on Saturday.
Kansas bounced back after suffering its first three-game losing streak since 2005 with dominating wins over Kansas State and Texas last week. Oklahoma State ended Kansas’ 33-game home win streak with an 85-80 victory Feb. 2, but the Jayhawks have defeated the Cowboys in five of the last seven games. Kansas freshman guard Ben McLemore, who leads the Big 12 in scoring in conference play at 17.8 points per game, had 23 points against the Cowboys in the first matchup.
Houston Cougars at Memphis Tigers (-19, 158)
Memphis staved off a second-half rally from Marshall last time out to win its 16th straight game, the second longest streak in the nation. The 19th-ranked Tigers host Houston Wednesday in a Conference USA game needing two more wins to clinch their second-straight conference title. Memphis has try to avoid looking past the Cougars with Southern Mississippi, its lone threat in the conference, on deck.
Houston is coming off a heart-breaking loss to Tulsa in triple overtime. The Cougars scored five points in the final five seconds of regulation to force the extra sessions but ran out of gas in the final period. TaShawn Thomas was named the conference's Player of the Week averaging 27.5 points and 13 rebounds over a pair of games last week.
Colorado State Rams at UNLV Runnin' Rebels (-3, 138)
Colorado State has a clear route to sole possession of first place in the Mountain West. It will be far from easy though. To reach a showdown for the top spot in the league on Saturday with New Mexico, the 21st-ranked Rams must first end UNLV’s 13-game home winning streak on Wednesday night. Colorado State has won six straight contests since losing at New Mexico on Jan.23. That came one game after beating UNLV 66-61 at home. The Rams have five players averaging at least 9.9 points and led the nation in rebounding through Monday.
UNLV has lost three of its last five games, but the two victories were against No. 16 New Mexico and talented San Diego State at home where the Runnin’ Rebels are 15-1 overall and 7-0 in the league. UNLV, led by freshman Anthony Bennett, could use another key victory to seal an NCAA bid.
Washington Huskies at Arizona Wildcats (-12, 137)
A Pac-12 championship is still within reach for No. 12 Arizona heading into its game Wednesday night against visiting Washington. The Wildcats ended a two-game losing streak with a win Sunday against Utah, leaving them a game behind first-place Oregon with five remaining. Washington ended a three-game losing streak with Saturday’s victory against Oregon State. The Huskies, the defending conference champions, were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 but are tied for eighth with Stanford.
Washington has one of the premier scorers in the Pac-12 in junior guard C.J. Wilcox but he was stymied by Nick Johnson when these teams met Jan. 31, scoring 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting in the 57-53 win by the visiting Wildcats. That was part of an overall decline by Wilcox, in which he shot 34.9 percent from the floor during an eight-game stretch that resulted in seven losses. He regained his touch against Oregon State, shooting 7-for-14 and scoring 24 points.
Santa Clara Broncos at Gonzaga Bulldogs (-15, 142)
No. 3 Gonzaga appeared to have cleared the last major hurdle on the way to an undefeated season in the West Coast Conference when it eased past Saint Mary's to cap a sweep against its biggest conference rival. The Zags host dangerous Santa Clara needing one more win to match the most its ever had in regular-season play. Kelly Olynyk continues to state his claim for national Player of the Year winning the conference's weekly honor for the second time last week.
Rising Santa Clara looks to end the Zags' eight-game winning streak in the one-sided series. Gonzaga has won 26 of the last 27 meetings. Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating has beaten Gonzaga just once, that coming in 2011. The Broncos beat Pepperdine last game 70-60 as senior Raymond Cowels III scored the 1,000th point in his career.
Wednesday Cliff Notes
By Dave Essler
Kansas at Oklahoma State: Both teams tied w/K-State in the loss column, so this has really big implications. Most brackets have these two as #4 and #5 seeds, so a win here, especially by the Cowboys, can go a long, long, way. They could be a bit weary, both physically and mentally, after the OT win over the Sooners. However, they'd better be ready because they beat Kansas in Kansas this season, and very few teams do that. But, aside from a game at ISU later, they should be favored to win out, so winning here is even more important. Kansas also plays at ISU and at Baylor, who they beat soundly. Mental edge here probably goes to the home team, but Kansas does have the size and the experience advantage. Cowboys still a bit young, but they do get to the FT line, as does Kansas. Because the Jayhawks have had some turnover issues, I doubt I could take them on the road. And because Oklahoma State hasn't been a great offensive rebounding team, that may mean more fast break/transition baskets, and in what ought to be a close game I would lean to the over, as almost-too-easy as it looks. I do think the number gets bet up, so the sooner the better on that one, or, wait til very late and see what happens. This is a Kansas team that lost to TCU, and even given the spot they were in, losing SU in that one is tough for me to forget. They play TCU next, and if I were them I'd almost be thinking about beating the shit out of the Horned Frogs more than playing the Cowboys, so lean Oklahoma State here.
Colorado State at UNLV: OK, so NOW the Rebels are back in bettors favors and we've forgot all about the Rams, or so it seems. Highly unlikely I could fade a team that rebounds as well as CSU, and CSU is tied in the loss column with the Rebels. CSU beat the Rebels by five at home a month or so back in a game that really was fairly even (statistically), but they key thing was that the Rams were able to slow the game down. Clearly that's not what the Rebels want here. I probably want no part of this game, since the Rams simply don't play defense to create turnovers, and that's what they'll need to keep this a close game. If there's a total it will probably be over 140, which might tempt me to take the under. I simply don't expect CSU to buckle even if the Rebels play "their" game, and would lean to UNLV a bit but as I said a second ago, I cannot bet against the better coached team.
Minnesota at Ohio State: Well, we were all over Iowa the other night after watching what they did to Penn State, and we loved Wisconsin over the Buckeyes, so we've been right on these teams recently. Now, both teams come in after brutal losses. Usually in that case I'd tend to go with the better coach, which IMO is none of the above. As I said last week, without Sullinger and other options Craft had last year, his numbers almost across the board are down this season. Both teams have big game in the near future, but Minnesota has six days off while OSU has Michigan State on Sunday. Both of these teams are likely #6 and #7 type seeds if the season were to end right now, so there're really no place to go but up, which would seemingly put more pressure on OSU given the preseason hype. Minnesota hasn't won on the road in conference since they beat Illinois almost six weeks ago, which is always tough for me to back, However, there's the chance they they simply couldn't play worse than they did against Iowa and are under valued here. Buckeyes only conference home loss was to Indiana. I suppose because the Gophers turn the ball over too much and are near the bottom of the conference in defending the perimeter, I'd have to lean Ohio State here, provided they can not allow Minnesota extra possessions, since the Gophers are the number one offensive rebounding team in the Conference. Ohio State just has more ways to win this game, but winning and covering are two different things. This could be one of those game where I take the OSU ML 1* and the Gophers plus the points 3*. Or something to that effect. Again, often times it's all about the number(s) and not so much who is playing that dictates what I might do personally.
Iowa State at Baylor: This is a big game if for no other reason than the fact that they are tied for fourth in the Conference, which obviously makes for a big advantage come Tournament time. Plus, neither team is a lock to get into the Big Dance. Many people smarter than me have them both as either last-in or last-out, so there's probably much more at stake here than a rematch of an ISU eight point win earlier this season. ISU still hasn't won a road conference game, but they do have a gimme coming up, so they can put all their eggs in this one basket, because it's quite likely the difference between and NCAA bid and the NIT. Baylor's only home loss was by three points to Oklahoma. What I don't really like about taking Baylor here is that they will play fast, which is exactly the type of game ISU wants. I'd feel much better about laying those points if the Bears were a slow-down team, and did not have the rematch at Oklahoma Saturday. ISU does have the experience factor going for them, and for as under sized as they are, are a much better rebounding team than one might think. To me, this game has the potential to be the public undoing of the day.
Illinois State at Evansville: Well, for a while there E'ville were the cash machine. They lost a tough one to Creighton at home on Saturday, which was their first home loss (conference) this season, and they've got a chance to avenge an earlier loss to Illinois State. I do have to wonder how much emotion that Creighton loss sapped from them. Their simply not a great defensive team, and Illinois State has already proved they can win on the road, beating the aforementioned Jays. They themselves lost that tough one to Witchita State (this IS the time of year when good team simply find way to win) so this game is more about who rebounds mentally better. See coaching. I think I'd have to take Dan Muller. Illinois State is just a more complete team with some size. I don't like road teams, but with enough points I could be swayed. Because Evansville will want to slow this game down and keep it in the 60's, but Illinois State will want it faster and in the 70's, I do lean over if there is a total. Simpy because ISU has been able to force teams, on the road, to pick up the tempo. Again, see coaching.