College Knowledge
-- Georgetown won its last nine games, including wins at Cincy-Notre Dame-Syracuse; they allowed 55.5 ppg in last four games- its last seven wins are all by 6+ points, but they lost last three meetings with UConn, by 8-17-14 points. Huskies won seven of last nine games, winning four of last five at home (lost to Villanova)- they're 3-4 vs teams in top 40. Big East home underdogs of 5 or less points are 6-10 vs spread.
-- Last game of year for Georgia State (ineligible for CAA tourney) team that came back from down 11 in first half to upset Northeastern 78-73 in Boston Jan 30, Panthers' third win in last four series games. CAA home favorites of 5 or less points are 10-19 vs spread. Huskies lost two of last three games; their last eight games were all decided by 7 or less points. State won four of last five home games, with only loss in overtime.
-- Home side won eight of last nine Western Michigan-Toledo games, as Broncos lost seven of last nine trips here, losing last two by 13-9 points. Western won first meeting 79-56 at home, shooting 56% inside arc, game that started current 9-2 run, though Broncos lost last two on road. MAC home teams are 6-15 when spread is 4 or less points. Toledo won seven of last eight games; they won four of five MAC home games.
-- Akron fell behind 23-10 early, pulled away to beat Ohio 86-72 Feb 2, just its second win in last seven series games. Zips lost last two visits to Athens, by 25-24 points, but they've won 18 in row overall, are 4-3 vs top 100 teams. Five of Akron's last seven wins are by 12+ points. Ohio won 12 of last 14 games, losing by 14-19; they force turnovers 26.3% of time. MAC home favorites of 4 or less points are 3-6 vs spread.
-- Saint Louis won last six games over St Joe's, winning last two by 16-12 points; Billikens won last nine games and 18 of last 20, winning last four at home, all by 14+ points- they're off win at Butler, an emotional game. Hawks are 2-3 last five games, losing last three road games by 6-18-12 points- they're playing slowest tempo of any team in A-16, but also force least turnovers. A-16 double digit home favorites are 8-12.
-- Evansville forced 22 turnovers (+13), outscored Wichita 20-11 on foul line in 71-67 win over Shockers Jan 13, Aces' first win in last six series games- they lost last nine visits here, with six of nine by 10+. Wichita is 7-1 in MVC home games, with five wins by 12+ points; they better not look ahead to Saturday game with Creighton. MVC double digit home favorites are 9-14. Aces' last four road losses are by 9 or less points.
-- Home side won last six Arkansas-LSU games; Hogs lost their last four trips here, by 10-11-3-6 points. Razorbacks are 5-2 in last seven games, but are 1-6 on SEC road, with only win at Auburn. SEC home favorites of 6 or less points are 10-12 vs spread. LSU is 6-2 in last eight, winning last game in triple OT; they won last five home games, with four of last five wins by 4 or less points. Jones is getting most out of his team.
-- Nevada beat Boise State 75-59 at home Jan 26, in game Boise shooting ace Eliorraga (44.7% behind arc) missed; Wolf Pack won six of last seven series games, winning last three visits here by 9-6-2. Broncos won four in row at home, four of last six overall. Nevada lost six of last seven, four in row on road, all by 12+ points. MWC home favorites of 8+ points are 8-6 vs spread. Home side won nine of last ten Boise State games.
-- Arizona held USC to 28% from floor, beat Trojans 74-50 at home Jan 26, its fourth series win in row, third by 11+ points; Wildcats won last three road games, by 4-18-17 points- they're 17-0 vs teams outside top 60 in country. USC lost last two games, by 8-16 points; they're 4-3 at home in Pac-12, losing by 8-2-16. Arizona lost three of last four visits to Galen Canter. Pac-12 home underdogs are 12-6 vs spread.
-- San Diego State beat New Mexico 55-34 at home Jan 26, its fifth win in last five series games, holding Lobos to 25% from floor; Lobos' star Williams had 46 by himself in win at Colorado State Saturday. Lobos are are 6-0 at home in MWC, with four wins by 10+ points; they've won six of last seven games, with only loss at UNLV. MWC home favorites of 6 or less points are 11-6. Aztecs lost last three on road, by 3-6-2 points.
-- Colorado won seven of last nine games; they held Stanford to 31.3% from floor in 75-54 win Jan 24. Buffs allowed 59.8 ppg last four games; four of their six Pac-12 losses were by 3 or less points, or in OT. Pac-12 home favorites of 5 or less points are 9-19 vs spread. Stanford lost four of last six games, allowing 79 ppg in last three; they lost last two games at home, by 1-8 points- they beat Buffs by 20-24 points LY.
-- Arizona State shot 57% inside arc, beat UCLA 78-60 Jan 26; Bruins were 5-24 from arc in their second loss in last seven series games. ASU lost last three visits here, by 2-18-17 points; they're 3-4 in last seven games, 3-3 on Pac-12 road, losing by 3-4-5 points. Bruins won four of last five games, are 5-2 at home in Pac-12, with four wins by 8+ points. Pac-12 home favorites of 8+ points are 6-14 against the spread.
-- Davidson is 17-2 in last 19 games vs Elon, winning last three by 8-21-16 points, but lost last visit here by 7. Wildcats won last 12 games, with four of last five road wins by 11+ points- they survived OT game with banged-up Montana Saturday- their last eight conference wins are by11+ points. Elon won 11 of last 13 games; three of their last four wins are by 4 or less points. SoCon home underdogs are 18-9 vs spread.
Amarillosports.com
Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
No. 11 Georgetown Hoyas vs. Connecticut Huskies
The Hoyas posted a huge 57-46 victory over No.8 Syracuse this past Saturday as 7½-point underdogs on the road to move into first place in the Big East at 11-3. They are 21-4 SU overall as a result of a nine-game winning streak and 14-7 ATS after covering in all nine games. The total has stayed UNDER in three of their last four contests. Otto Porter Jr. leads Georgetown in both scoring (15.9 points) and rebounds (7.7), but another of the team's top scorers, Greg Whittington remains out of the lineup indefinitely due to an academic suspension.
With back-to-back victories over Cincinnati and DePaul last week, Connecticut remains in contention for the Big East regular season title at 9-5. It has gone 6-2 SU (5-3 ATS) in its last eight games to improve to 19-7 SU (12-10 ATS) on the year. The total has gone OVER in five of those eight games. The Huskies are averaging 71.1 points a game and shooting 45.4 percent from the field with four different players scoring in double figures.
College Basketball: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Georgetown at Connecticut
The Hoyas (21-4, 14-7 ATS) upending Syracuse 57-46 this past weekend as 7.5 point underdogs have won/covered nine in a row taking over top spot in the Big East. Hoyas defined more by it`s play at the defensive end limiting foes to a mere 55.7 PPG, on 37.4% shooting net 65.0 points/game lead by Otto Porter (15.9) and Markel Starks (12.1). The Huskies (19-7, 12-10 ATS) coming off an 81-69 road win at DePaul marking back-2-back wins are averaging 71.1 points/game with Napier (17.2) leading four different players scoring in double figures. Georgetown 11-3 (12-2 ATS) in Big East play including 5-2 (6-1 ATS) on the road have allowed 65 or more points in conference play only twice holding rivals to a miniscule 52.9 points/game. Hoyas are worth a second look knowing Huskies enter 1-4 (2-3 ATS) this season in Big East scoring 65 or less, 1-9 (2-8 ATS) the past ten situations.
Virginia Tech at Miami (FL)
Canes (22-4, 15-7-1 ATS) taken behind the woodshed Saturday spanked 80-65 by Wake Forest ending their fourteen game win streak while suffering the first blemish in conference play should easily bounce back when they host Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Canes defined more by it`s play at the defensive end limiting foes to a mere 59.2 PPG, on 38.4% shooting should contain Hokies only scoring threat Erick Green (25.2). Canes undefeated on home court (12-0, 9-1 ATS) right the ship against ACC bottom dwelling Hokies (12-15, 11-11-2 ATS) ridding a 3-11 (6-7-1 ATS) slide within the conference including 1-5 (4-2 ATS) on the road.
Wednesday's Top 25 NCAAB Betting Notes
By Covers.com
Michigan Wolverines at Penn State (+14, 133)
Michigan will try to claim its third consecutive win and stay in the conversation for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when the fourth-ranked Wolverines travel to face Penn State on Wednesday night. The Wolverines remain in the top five despite dropping three of four earlier this month, and they've won two straight, including a 71-58 home win over Illinois on Friday. The Nittany Lions remain winless in Big Ten play and have dropped 14 straight dating to an 84-74 home win over Duquesne on Dec. 29.
The Nittany Lions are running out of chances to get that elusive first win in conference play with just four games remaining, including trips to Minnesota and Northwestern before finishing at home against a ranked Wisconsin team. Michigan has won the past five meetings, including a 79-71 home victory Feb. 17. The Wolverines have won two of their past three trips to Penn State. With a win, the Wolverines would match their highest win total under coach John Beilein, tying last year's 24-10 mark.
Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes (-18, 131)
Miami survived three straight close calls before its chance at an unbeaten ACC season ended on Saturday at Wake Forest. The seventh-ranked Hurricanes look to get back on track when Virginia Tech visits on Wednesday. Miami has averaged 54.7 points and 38 percent shooting the last three games, but can still depend on its strong work on the other end of the court. Miami, which is 12-0 at home, would hold at least a two-game lead in the ACC with a victory before playing at second-place Duke on Saturday.
Virginia Tech snapped a nine-game losing streak by beating Florida State on Sunday, shooting 50 percent for the second time in conference play this season. Senior guard Erick Green leads the nation in scoring and poured in 30 points in the Hokies’ 73-64 loss to Miami on Jan. 30.
Georgetown Hoyas at Connecticut Huskies (+2, 124)
Georgetown’s formula of relying on Otto Porter Jr. on offense and its suffocating defense has served it well during its nine-game winning streak. Both will need to be operating at peak efficiency Wednesday when the eighth-ranked Hoyas attempt to end their struggles at Connecticut. Porter tallied a career-high 33 points in Saturday’s win at Syracuse, ending the Orange’s 38-game home winning streak.
Porter, averaging 19.7 points over the last nine contests, has provided the offense necessary to push Georgetown into sole possession of first place in the Big East standings while the defense has allowed only two opponents to eclipse 56 points during the winning streak. Both marks figure to get tested against the surging Huskies, who have defeated the Hoyas six of the last seven times they have met at home. Connecticut has won seven of nine and is among the conference leaders in field goal percentage and scoring offense during Big East play.
Oklahoma State Cowboys at TCU Horned Frogs (+16, 119)
Oklahoma State took the first step to staying in the race for the Big 12 lead with Saturday’s victory at West Virginia. Now the 18th-ranked Cowboys look to continue rebounding from last week’s double-overtime loss to Kansas when they travel to TCU on Wednesday. While the Horned Frogs do have a victory over the Jayhawks this season, that upset is their only conference triumph.
Oklahoma State sits one game behind Kansas and Kansas State in the conference standings, and will host the Wildcats in the regular-season finale March 9. TCU has lost five in a row.
Akron Zips at Ohio Bobcats (-2.5, 134)
Akron looks to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 19 games when it takes on host Ohio in a first-place showdown in the MAC East Division. The Zips come in with a perfect 12-0 league record, but the Bobcats are just a game behind in the standings at 11-1. The two teams played three weeks ago, with Akron coming out on top by 14.
Home is the place to be for Ohio, which is 15-1 in Athens this year and 5-6 on the road. The Bobcats come off a BracketBusters loss to Belmont on Saturday, so they'll certainly be focused on getting back on the winning track. The Zips' defense has been a key to their success, holding 12 opponents to fewer than 60 points, including four of their last five.
St. Joseph's Hawks at Saint Louis Billikens (-11, 124)
With its second straight win over a ranked team Saint Louis jumped into the Top 25 at No. 19 as it hosts St. Joseph's in an Atlantic 10 conference game on Wednesday night. Saint Louis has won nine in a row, the longest active streak in the Atlantic 10 Conference and tied for the eighth longest winning streak in the nation.
The Billikens have beaten St. Joseph's six straight times and Hawks' coach Phil Martelli warned his team to be ready for a monumental task. "Now we go into the deep, deep end of the water," Martelli said. "This team we're playing Wednesday night is playing as well as any A-10 team has ever played. Saint Louis is an absolutely certifiable monster, and I just told the players that I hope they're excited about that."
Louisville Cardinals at DePaul Blue Demons (+15, 146)
Louisville has won three straight games since the five-overtime defeat at Notre Dame and a trip to the Carrier Dome to face Syracuse looms on Saturday. The ninth-ranked Cardinals must stay alert to keep its Big East regular-season title hopes alive when they visit struggling DePaul on Wednesday. Louisville, one game behind league-leading Georgetown, has beaten the Blue Demons nine straight times. The Cardinals aren’t the best shooting team in the league, but they are third in the nation in steals and score 31 percent of their points off turnovers.
DePaul is suffering through another difficult season, losing 11 of its last 12 games. The Blue Demons are third behind league-leader Louisville in scoring offense, but is last in scoring defense. Cleveland Melvin and Brandon Young, two of the top eight scorers in the league, are always dangerous though.
Arizona Wildcats at USC Trojans (+6, 133)
Arizona will try to remain atop the Pac-12 standings when the No. 11 Wildcats travel to USC on Wednesday night. Arizona enters the week all square with Oregon, who beat the Wildcats in their only meeting this season. Arizona has won three in a row after back-to-back losses to California and Colorado, but continues to struggle with consistency during the second half.
Solomon Hill, a 6-7 senior forward for the Wildcats, returns to his hometown of Los Angeles. The team’s second leading scorer (13.6) hasn’t played well in his previous three stops at USC, averaging 5.7 points. Solomon had a string of 15 straight games in double figures snapped Saturday against Washington State. He took five shots and scored five points. The Trojans have lost their last two games following a season-long four-game winning streak. J.T. Terrell is averaging 14.2 points in the 10 games since coach Kevin O’Neill was fired, increasing his season average to 11.2.
San Diego State Aztecs at New Mexico Lobos (-3, 129)
No. 14 New Mexico could take another big step toward winning at least a share of its fourth Mountain West regular season championship in five years with a win over preseason conference favorite San Diego State. The Aztecs, who enter tied for third place with UNLV, trail the Lobos by three games with four games to go. The Lobos hold a two-game lead in the Mountain West over Colorado State after snapping the Rams' 27-game home win streak on Saturday, 91-82, behind 46 points by junior guard Kendall Williams.
One team that has been able to hold its own with Steve Alford's Lobos is San Diego State. The Aztecs have won five of the last seven meetings between the two teams and embarrassed New Mexico in the first meeting, 55-34, in San Diego on Jan. 26. The 34 points were the fewest scored in a game since 1976 by the Lobos who shot just 25 percent from the floor. The Aztecs are 5-2 in their last seven trips to The Pit and are the last Mountain West team to win in Albuquerque (Jan. 12, 2012).
St. Mary's Gaels at Pepperdine Waves (+12, 129)
No. 23 Saint Mary's heads to Malibu after one of its finest stretches of the season last week with home wins over BYU (64-57) and Creighton (74-66). The Gaels have already clinched second place in the West Coast Conference and the No. 2 seed for the WCC Tournament behind No. 2 ranked Gonzaga (27-2, 14-0). Saint Mary's has won 12 straight against Pepperdine, including a 84-72 victory on Jan. 26, and has won eight straight at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Pepperdine, picked to finish last in the preseason WCC coaches poll, enters the contest in seventh place and could finish anywhere between sixth and eighth depending on how things play out in the final week of conference play. The Waves have lost two in a row since edging last place Loyola Marymount, 52-50, on Feb. 14. They are 6-6 at home, including a 58-56 overtime victory of Washington State on Nov. 16, heading into their home finale.
Wednesday Cliff Notes
By Dave Essler
G-Town at UConn: Well, it's hard to stop a train, or to fade G-Town right now, but that may be the play here. Obviously it appears Syracuse isn't playing all THAT well, so I've got to discount that to some extent. Their previous conference road win was at Cincinnati, and certainly the Bearcats are just not that good. What I can't overlook is that this is UConn's next to last home game in a season of change, with no Calhoun and no post season. A reason to perhaps take the Huskies here is that they are the #1 three point shooting team in the Big East, and when Napier and/or Boatright/Calhoun get hot, they get really hot. I do know that G-Towns' three point defense is right up there, but I would contend that much of that is from on-conference play, because there simply aren't great shooting teams in the Big East, aside from G-Town themselves. The Hoyas can get turnover-prone, and UConn gets to the line a ton, shooting over 75% as a team. That in and of itself says Huskies or nothing. Not sure how big I can go, because UConn can have troubles on the offensive glass.
Colorado at Stanford: Both teams hovering around .500 in the Conference so no grand implications there, but Stanford with a major payback issue from a beating they took at Colorado earlier this season. Buff's have had some impressive road wins, but they're young. What often concerns me about youth this time of year is especially with Freshman, who are playing many more games and months than they did even a year ago in HS. And since history tends to repeat itself, last year under Boyle they were thinking Big Dance and lost three of their final four games. Josh Scott is still listed as questionable (missed Utah game w/concussion) and although he's a Freshman, he IS their inside presence at 6'10" and and there IS nobody else to replace the shots he takes, second only by three on the team to Asia Booker. Stanford opened at -3, and I have to think if Scott is out that that number goes a bit higher. This is a Stanford team that's totally fallen short of expectations, after winning the NIT last year and essentially having the same team back. They started with a tough non-conference schedule, but really didn't beat anyone. What they do have going for them in this game is their up-tempo style versus the youth and the payback, so I really can't find a reason to take Colorado. Ought to play the Cardinal ML, because I don't see this coming down, and without Scott, only going up.
Akron at Ohio: Battle for the number one spot in the Conference, and Ohio's only Conference loss WAS to Akron. They did fall on their face against Belmont, badly, which really make this game that much more important if they think they're dancing, because the only hope they've got now is to win the Conference, because their SOS/RPI is terrible. In their last game Akron simply dominated. They had 40 rebounds to 22, shot 63% and had nearly twice as many assists. So how are they going to stop that from happening again, even on their own floor. Akron's much bigger with a much deeper bench (which comes into play in a fast paced game). Only thing Ohio has is experience, which does mean a lot this time of year. I do know that Akron hasn't lost in forever, but they haven't beaten a good team on the road, either, so I do think they're a bit of a paper tiger, especially going forward if they're the ones in the Tournament. If Ohio is going to win this game, they're simply going to have to out run Akron and make their three's, because they cannot rebound at either end. I expect this game to be close, and actually think the best bet, if there is one, is the under. The total could be quite high and with neither team getting to the FT line much, nor making them when they do, that'd be my lean. Hard pressed on paper to take Ohio, but I got to go back to who has Akron beaten on the road and yes, there is revenge, so lean home team slightly.
Arkansas at LSU: LSU has continued to baffle me most of this season. Bring in Johnny Jones to coach, up-tempo the game to fit what Hickey likes to do, and bing, they're actually a team capable of beating almost anyone. They went through a rough stretch early in SEC play, but I'd attribute much of that to a new coach/style as well as a weak schedule. They seem to have figured most of it out. The only caveat to the auto-fade of the Hogs on the road is that LSU travels to Missouri on Saturday, after beating the Tigers earlier, and that may be a bit to big of a game for this team. OK, well documented that Arkansas hasn't won on the road, and do they mail this one in with a semi-wounded Kentucky coming to their gym on Saturday. What really surprises me about the Hogs is that for such a running team they score an inordinate amount of their point INSIDE the arc (except against Florida!). That, against the much bigger LSU team, could be a problem. Since neither team rebounds well and they both like to run, I can make a reasonable case for the over here. Both teams don't turn it over a ton, so there should not be too many wasted possessions. Simply cannot take Arkansas on the road, regardless of how tempting the line might make it.
Wednesday Late Action
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
Both the Pac-12 and the Mountain West conferences get lost in the shuffle during tournament time with most of the focus falling on the East Coast and Midwest programs. Six teams inside the Pac-12 own at least 18 victories, while four clubs in the MWC have reached the 20-win mark already. We'll start the late look at the college card in Albuquerque with two rivals that are bound for the NCAA Tournament.
San Diego State at New Mexico
The Lobos begin this week ranked third in the latest RPI ratings, as New Mexico (23-4 SU and 14-10-2 ATS) seeks its fourth consecutive victory. Steve Alford's team improved to 10-2 in Mountain West play after knocking off Colorado State on Saturday, 91-82 to cash outright as six-point road underdogs. Kendall Williams lifted the Lobos to a strong second-half surge after trailing by three at halftime, as the guard put up 46 points, including 10 three-pointers.
The Aztecs (20-7 SU, 12-9-1 ATS) are fresh off consecutive home victories over Wyoming and Nevada by double-digits, but barely missed cashing in Saturday's triumph over the Wolf Pack as 13½-point favorites. San Diego State hasn't had the best luck on the highway, losing four of its last five away from Viejas Arena, including close setbacks to UNLV, Colorado State, and Air Force by a combined 11 points. Steve Fisher's squad is listed as a road underdog for the third time this season (eliminating the three times in neutral-site situations), as the Aztecs posted a 1-0-1 ATS record the first two times in this role.
San Diego State cruised past New Mexico in its first meeting this season in Southern California, 55-34 as 3½-point favorites. The 34 points was obviously a season-low for the Lobos, who shot a dreadful 25% from the field. New Mexico has lost each of the last two home matchups with San Diego State, but the Lobos own a perfect 6-0 SU and 5-0-1 ATS record at The Pit in conference play.
Colorado at Stanford
The Cardinal's hopes at an NCAA tournament bid are slipping away after losing three of the last four games, including a pair of home defeats to USC and UCLA. Stanford (16-12 SU and 11-14-1 ATS) returns to Maples Pavilion following a split in the Beaver State at Oregon State and Oregon last week, while getting thumped by 11 points in Eugene on Saturday.
Things don't get easier for the Cardinal tonight, who faces a Colorado (18-8 SU, 14-10 ATS) squad that seeks its ninth conference victory, while seeking a season sweep of Stanford. The Buffaloes pounded the Cardinal, 75-54 in Boulder on January 24 to cash easily as four-point favorites. CU grabbed a 15-point halftime advantage and never looked back as the Buffs held Stanford to 31% shooting from the floor.
Tad Boyle's club has won four of their last five games, with the lone loss coming at the buzzer in overtime to Arizona State. Colorado has cashed in four of five opportunities as a road underdog in conference play, including outright victories at Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State over the last month. Nine of the last 10 games for the Buffaloes have finished 'under' the total, including six straight away from Boulder.
Arizona State at UCLA
Two of the squads seeking to catch Arizona atop the Pac-12 hook up in Los Angeles tonight as the Bruins are turning the corner. Since losing at home in overtime to USC to wrap up in January, Ben Howland's team is rolling with four victories in the last five contests. The Bruins (20-7 SU, 11-15 ATS) avenged the home defeat to the Trojans by blasting USC this past Sunday, 75-59 as short road favorites.
The Sun Devils (20-8, 14-9 ATS) wrapped up January with three consecutive victories, but ASU is just 3-4 SU/ATS the last seven contests. The 'under' has cashed in six straight games for Arizona State, while being listed as an underdog for the second time in the previous seven contests. ASU has cashed four of five times in conference play as a road 'dog, as the Sun Devils look for the season sweep of the Bruins after drilling UCLA, 78-60 in late January as three-point home 'dogs.
Since starting conference play at 2-0, the Bruins have failed to cover four of their previous five games at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA has alternated 'overs' and 'unders' in each of the last nine games, coming off an 'under' in Sunday's blowout of USC. The Bruins have failed to cover three straight contests this season, while posting a 2-8 ATS record off an ATS win.
College Basketball Point Spreads and Picks
By: Larry Hartstein
Sportingnews.com
The Pit will be raucous and No. 14 New Mexico (23-4 SU, 14-10-2 ATS), will be playing for revenge – and a chance to clinch a share of the conference title – when the Lobos host San Diego State on Wednesday.
But if there’s any team not intimidated by The Pit, it’s the Aztecs (20-7 SU, 12-9-1 ATS). They’re 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS in their last four visits, covering by an average of nine points. In fact, the road team is on a 14-3 ATS run in this series.
The Mountain West showdown (10:15 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network) headlines a college basketball slate featuring nine ranked teams in action.
The Aztecs, who embarrassed the Lobos, 55-34, at home a month ago, have lost three straight road games by a total of 11 points. They’re getting 5 points Wednesday as they seek to avoid their first four-game road skid in six years.
New Mexico is 13-1 SU and 7-5-2 ATS at home.
“Our Pit crowd should have a lot of fun with this (game),” coach Steve Alford said. “Our guys are driven. They are motivated."
The Lobos itch to erase the memory of their visit to San Diego State. They shot 25 percent and scored their fewest points since 1976.
Lobos leading scorer Kendall Williams (14.4) is coming off a 46-point eruption at Colorado State in which he drained a league-record 10 3-pointers in 13 tries. He scored 14 points in the first matchup with San Diego State, but the rest of the team shot a combined 6-for-35 (17.1 percent).
The Aztecs counter with reigning conference Player of the Year Jamaal Franklin, who’s coming off his 10th double-double and ranks second in the Mountain West in scoring (17.3).
"Our task will be to find a way to win what probably will be a close game,” San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said. “We're excited about the trip. We've played fairly well there over the years, and we're going to need to do that on Wednesday."
The Linemakers' lean: New Mexico won, 91-82, at Colorado State on Saturday, breaking the Rams' 27- game home winning streak. This is a big revenge spot for the Lobos, but the Aztecs have won five of the last seven meetings overall and five of the last seven in The Pit (and one of those losses was in overtime). San Diego State presents matchup problems for New Mexico, and this one figures to go to the buzzer. The points look attractive in this spot.
No. 7 Georgetown (21-4 SU, 14-7 ATS) at Connecticut (19-7 SU, 12-10 ATS), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Line: Georgetown -2.5 Total: 123
The Hoyas enter on a 9-0 SU and ATS run, but this is a tough spot after their emotional win at the Carrier Dome. The Huskies are on a 4-1 SU and ATS run of their own. And they've beaten the Hoyas outright six of their last seven meetings in Connecticut.
The Hartford Courant calls this the biggest game of the season at Gampel Pavilion, the favored venue for UConn players and students.
"It can be devastating for an opponent," leading scorer Shabazz Napier (17.2) told the paper.
Look for the Huskies to focus most of their attention on Player of the Year candidate Otto Porter Jr. He’s won Big East Player of the Week the last two weeks and just lit up Syracuse for 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting, adding eight rebounds and five steals.
"Great player," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "A typical wing player: he can put it on floor, shoot at a high rate, leads Big East in three-point field goal percentage. He gets offensive rebounds, goes down in the block. ... Did I miss anything? Dribbles. He can pretty much do all of it, he's a great player."
The Linemakers’ lean: UConn’s been playing well, but Georgetown may be the hottest team in the nation. The Hoyas are not only winning, they’re shutting opponents down. During the Hoyas’ nine-game win and cover streak, only two teams have scored 60 points.
Georgetown is about 3.5 points better than UConn from a power ratings perspective, so when factoring in the Huskies' home floor, this game should be about a pick ‘em. We’re not surprised, however, that Georgetown is laying a few points here, and we’re taking a long look at the home dog in this spot.
Saint Joseph’s (15-10 SU, 10-12 ATS) at No. 18 Saint Louis (21-5 SU, 15-9 ATS), 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network
Line: St. Louis -11 Total: 125
The balanced and patient Billikens enter on two streaks: 9-0 SU and ATS overall, and 6-0 SU and ATS against the Hawks.
They shouldn’t be viewed as a surprise team. Saint Louis returned all but one key player from the team that won 25 games last season and beat Memphis in the NCAA Tournament. In their nine-game win streak, the Billikens are plus-54 in turnovers, an average of six per game. Their play is a tribute to late coach Rick Majerus.
"This team we're playing Wednesday night is playing as well as any A-10 team has ever played," Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli said. "Saint Louis is an absolutely certifiable monster, and I told the players that I hope they're excited about that."
While they’ve won two of their last three, the Hawks are 0-3 SU and ATS in their last three games as underdogs.
The Linemakers' lean: Not only has Saint Louis won and covered nine straight, they also have four wins over top 25 teams and have beaten St Joe's six straight times. But while the Billikens have climbed into the AP's top 25, this is a big number for team that is probably becoming enamored with itself to be laying. Langston Galloway of St Joe's busted of his shooting slump with a season-high 26 points vs. George Washington on Saturday. Take the points.
No. 10 Louisville (22-5 SU, 13-14 ATS) at DePaul (11-16 SU, 12-12 ATS), 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Line: Louisville -15.5, Total: 143.5
The Linemakers’ take: Everyone seemed to forget about Louisville after its three-game losing streak in late January. The Cardinals were the preseason No. 1, were in last year’s Final Four, are 22-5, and no one is talking about them.
But with a trip to Syracuse coming up this weekend, this could be a let-down spot for Rick Pitino’s group. DePaul may be 2-12 in the Big East this season, but the Blue Demons are a not-too-shabby 12-12 against the number. Sharps will be on the home dog in this spot, and you probably should be, too.