College Basketball Knowledge
Temple won its three AAC games with East Carolina by 13-14-18, with Owls (-9) winning 78-60 at home Jan 9- they were down 11 late in first half. East Carolina won as a 16-point underdog at Memphis Sunday, its first AAC win in seven tries. Pirates are 0-3 at home in AAC, losing by 3-24-15 points. Temple gave SMU its first loss Sunday; they're 2-1 on AAC road (wins by 7-2). AAC home underdogs are 6-7 vs spread.
Home side won all five A&M-Arkansas SEC games; Aggies lost by 11-6 in two visits here. Texas A&M won its last 10 games, only three were on road (wins by 1-4-34)- they waxed Hogs 92-69 at home Jan 2, going 11-26 on arc. SEC home dogs of less than 9 points are 4-9 vs spread. Arkansas lost last three games by 2-14-3; they're 2-8 vs top 100 teams, beating Evansville/Vandy- four of their last ten games went to overtime.
UMass lost its last five games, allowing 86.6 ppg; its only win in A-14 was by 7 at LaSalle. Minutemen lost last three games with St Joe's by 5-6-11 points, in series where home side won nine of last ten games. SJU is 12-1 in last 13 games, winning last five games; last four by 14+ points. Hawks won last two at home by 5-25. A-14 double digit home favorites are 8-5 vs spread. UMass lost last two road games by 30-12 points.
Clemson won five of last six games, with four wins at home, all against top 50 teams; they're 1-2 vs Pitt in ACC play, with road team winning last two meetings. Tigers are favored in ACC for first time this season. Pitt split last four games after starting season 13-1; they're 3-1 on road in ACC, winning by 11-5-23 points, with only loss to NC State. ACC home favorites of less than 5 points are 4-3 vs spread.
Virginia Tech lost its last two games by total of 7 points after 4-1 start in ACC, with all four wins by 5 or less points. Hokies lost 78-63 LY at Louisville, in teams' first ACC meeting- they're old Metro Conference rivals. Cardinals won last three games by 18-19-4 points; they're 2-2 on ACC road, winning by 5 at NC State, 4 at Georgia Tech. ACC home underdogs are 13-7 against the spread.
NC State won its last five games with Georgia Tech, beating Jackets in OT in last two meetings; Tech lost by 13-2 points in last two visits to Raleigh. Wolfpack are 1-6 in ACC with only win big upset at Pitt; they are 0-3 at home in ACC, losing by 5-7-10 points. ACC home favorites of less than 5 points are 4-3 vs spread. Tech is 0-3 on ACC road, losing by 8-5-8 points; they're 1-5 in ACC, after a 10-3 start to season.
Tulsa won its last five games after an 8-6 start, winning last two on road by 14-15 points; Hurricanes beat Houston three times LY, by 18-13-8 points, in first year as AAC rivals. Cougars lost last four games after a 13-2 start to season, scoring 61.3 ppg; they lost last two home games, go UConn/USF. AAC home teams are 3-6 vs spread if spread was 5 or less points. Houston is 2-5 vs top 100 teams; they've played schedule #311.
Baylor had 5-game win streak snapped by Oklahoma Saturday; they've won last two road games, by 5-3 points. Bears were 21-24 on foul line in 79-62 win over Oklahoma State Jan 5- series has been swept in three of last four years- Baylor is 2-10 in last 12 visits here. Cowboys lost five of last six games but are 2-1 at home in Big X, including a 19-point win over Kansas. Big X home underdogs are 5-8 vs spread.
Purdue won five of last seven games with Minnesota, but lost by 3-4 in last two visits here. Boilers are 4-3 in last seven games, with two losses to Iowa; they're 2-2 on Big 14 road, winning by 6 at Wisconsin, 50 at Rutgers. Minnesota lost its last nine games; five of the nine were home games, four by 9 or less points. Big 14 double digit home underdogs are 5-1 vs spread. Teams are shooting 55% inside arc against Minnesota.
Colorado won last five games with Stanford, winning by 21-6 last two years here. Buffaloes won first meeting 56-55 on Farm Jan 3; they're 2-1 at home in Pac-12, sweeping Oregon schools by 17-4 points, losing by basket to Utah. Stanford is 4-3 in Pac-12 but played five home games; they split two road games, losing by 13 at Oregon, winning at Oregon State. Pac-12 home favorites of 6+ points are 7-3 vs spread.
Home side won five of last six Irvine-Northridge games; Anteaters lost seven of last nine visits here, but won 80-49 here LY- UCI is 6-2 in last eight games overall vs Northridge. Matadors are 2-4 in league, losing by 15 to Long Beach, 3 to Riverside in three home games. UCI won its last six games; they're 2-0 on Big West road, winning by 4-9 at Long Beach, UCSB. Big West home underdogs are 2-3 vs spread.
Utah won three of last four games with Cal, losing 715-58 at Cal Jan 3; Utes are 4-1 in last five games since getting swept in Bay Area; they've split first two Pac-12 home games, vs Oregon schools. Pac-12 home favorites of 6 or less points are 6-8 vs spread. Cal Bears are 0-3 n Pac-12 road, losing by 3-6-6 points and that was before they lost PG Wallace, though they did sweep Arizona schools LW at home without him. .
Home side won six of last seven Boise State-UNLV games; Broncos' win here LY was their first in five games vs Rebels in Las Vegas. Rebels are 3-1 since changing coaches, getting upset in Reno Saturday; all three of their MW wins are by 12+ points- their losses are by 3 or less points. Mountain West home favorites of less than 6 points are 0-6 vs spread. Boise is 6-1 in league, losing only to San Diego State by 3 at home.
Armadillosports.com
NCAAB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Baylor at Oklahoma State
The Baylor Bears had a five-game winning streak snapped as they fell to the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. The Bears will aim to get back to their winning ways on Wednesday when they hit the road to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
The Bears (15-4 SU, 5-2 Big 12) were 13th in the rankings heading into their showdown with the top-ranked Sooners, and allowed Oklahoma to shoot 62% from the floor in the 72-82 loss at home. The Bears got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Johnathan Motley off the bench and outrebounded Oklahoma 34-19, but that didn’t matter in the end.
The Cowboys (10-9 SU, 2-5 Big 12) were down by 19 in an 73-89 loss at Kansas State, led by 18 points off the bench from Tyree Griffin. KSU shot 57.7% from the field while OSU shot 41.8%. That is surely a recipe for a loss.
Baylor has won six of their last 10 meetings with Oklahoma State, who had won two in a row in the series before a 62-79 loss on January 5. However, the Cowboys are 7-3 at home so far this season, while the Bears are 2-3 on the road.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Texas A&M at Arkansas
Texas A&M hits the road to challenge Arkansas tonight at Bud Walton Arena. As of early this morning, most books had the Aggies installed as 3.5-point favorites.
Billy Kennedy’s squad leads the SEC by two games with a 7-0 record in league play. Texas A&M has won 10 consecutive games and hasn’t tasted defeat since a 67-54 loss at Arizona State as a three-point favorite.
Texas A&M (17-2 straight up, 7-5-2 against the spread) is 5-3-2 ATS during its 10-game surge. The Aggies are off of Saturday’s 66-53 non-covering win over Missouri as a 19-point home ‘chalk.’ Jalen Jones led the way with 20 points and five rebounds, while Danuel House tallied 17 points, five boards and seven assists without a turnover.
Texas A&M is No. 8 in the RPI Rankings with a 3-0 record against Top-25 opponents. The Aggies are 4-0 versus the Top 50 and 8-2 against the Top 100. They have quality wins over Baylor, Florida, Kansas State and Texas. The win over the Longhorns was on a neutral court, as was a win over Gonzaga and a loss to Syracuse. A&M's best road wins are at Tennessee and at Georgia (by 34 points!).
Jones is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per contest. House is scoring at a 15.2 PPG clip while dishing out 51 assists compared to only 28 turnovers. He also averages 5.1 RPG.
Texas A&M freshman center Tyler Davis has had an immediate impact on the program. Davis, a Plano product, is averaging 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He also has a team-best 20 blocked shots.
Another major contributor in his first season with the Aggies has been senior guard Anthony Collins, who started for three years at South Florida before arriving via the transfer route. Collins has made every one of his 26 free-throw attempts and has knocked down 16-of-31 trifectas (51.6%). He has a 90/28 assists-to-turnovers ratio.
Arkansas (9-10 SU, 8-7 ATS) is No. 103 in the RPI, going winless in four games against the Top 50. The Razorbacks are 2-9 versus the Top 100. They have quality wins at home over Vanderbilt and Evansville.
Mike Anderson’s team has won eight of its 10 home games while posting a 4-2 spread record. UA has dropped three in a row, including Saturday’s 69-66 overtime loss at Georgia as a two-point underdog. The 149 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 145-point total in the extra session. In the losing effort, Dusty Hannahs scored 24 points before fouling out in OT. Anton Bears scored 18 points, while Moses Kingsley finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.
Hannahs is a junior playing his first season with the Hogs after transferring from Texas Tech. The Little Rock product is averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game. Hannahs is draining 3’s at a 47.1 percent clip and has buried 85.5 percent of his attempts at the charity stripe.
Arkansas senior guard Anthlon Bell has similar numbers to that of Hannahs. Bell also scores at a 16.6 PPG clip and is converting 46.4 percent of his launches from downtown. He is making 80.5 percent of his free throws. Kingsley is averaging 16.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The junior center has a team-best 51 blocked shots.
Arkansas owns a 1-1 record both SU and ATS in a pair of games as a home underdog this season.
When these teams met in College Station, Texas A&M raced out to a 47-26 halftime advantage and cruised to a 92-69 victory as an 11-point home ‘chalk.’ Jones scored 28 points and pulled down seven rebounds for the winners. Collins handed out eight assists and committed just one turnover.
The ‘under’ has cashed in four straight for Texas A&M to improve to 8-6 overall. The ‘under’ is 3-1 in its four road outings.
The ‘over’ is 8-7 overall for the Hogs, 3-3 in their home contests.
Baylor at Oklahoma State
Baylor (15-4 SU, 5-8 ATS) is in a three-way tie atop the Big 12 standings, sharing first place with Oklahoma and West Virginia with identical 5-2 records in league play. As of early this morning, most betting shops had the Bears listed as 2.5-point road favorites.
Scott Drew’s team saw its five-game winning streak snapped in Saturday’s 82-72 home loss to Oklahoma as a one-point favorite. Johnathan Motley had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort. Taurean Prince also had 15 points.
Baylor is No. 25 in the RPI Rankings, going 1-4 against the Top 25. The Bears are 4-4 versus the Top 100, however, and have not lost to a team outside of the RPI’s top eight. They have quality home triumphs over Kansas St. and Vanderbilt.
Prince leads Baylor’s balanced scoring attack by averaging 15.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He has 31 steals and 14 blocked shots. Lester Medford makes the offense go, dishing out a team-best 139 assists compared to only 41 turnovers. He is averaging 8.8 PPG and has a team-high 41 steals. Al Freeman (12.5 PPG) is burying 41.2 percent of his shots from 3-point land. Finally, Rico Gathers is averaging a double-double with averages of 12.3 points and 10.7 RPG.
Oklahoma State (10-9 SU, 10-7 ATS) is just one game out of the Big 12 cellar with a 2-5 record in conference action. The Cowboys scored a 69-48 home win over TCU in their league opener, but they lost four in a row after the victory over the Horned Frogs. They snapped the four-game slide by trouncing Kansas 86-67 as nine-point home underdogs last Tuesday.
Travis Ford is on the hot seat in Stillwater, so the win over KU was badly needed. Jawun Evans was the catalyst against the Jayhawks, erupting for 22 points, eight assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals. OSU shot lights out from 3-point land, draining 11-of-21 from beyond the arc. Nine players scored five points or more and the Cowboys won the rebounding battle by a 35-30 margin.
Unfortunately for Ford, OSU saw its three-game run of spread covers end in an 89-73 loss Saturday at Kansas St. The Wildcats took the cash as 5.5-point home ‘chalk.’ Evans was limited to 16 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble. He finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Evans lead OSU in scoring (12.8 PPG) and assists (4.9 APG). The true freshman PG out of Dallas is also averaging 4.4 RPG and has 23 steals. Evans is making 48.5 percent of his attempts from downtown and burying 81.9 percent of his free throws.
OSU has desperately missed senior guard Phil Forte, who averaged 15.0 PPG last year. Forte scored 24 points in the season opener but in the third game of the season, he was sidelined with an elbow injury. He hasn’t played since and his season appears to be in jeopardy.
Baylor is 2-3 both SU and ATS on the road. The Bears have wins at Iowa St. (94-89) and at Texas Tech (63-60), but they lost at Oregon (74-67), at Texas A&M (80-61) and at Kansas (102-74).
OSU has won seven of its 10 home games outright, compiling a 5-3 spread record. The Cowboys are 2-0 ATS as home underdogs.
The ‘over’ is 9-8 overall for OSU, but it has seen the ‘under’ go 5-3 overall.
The ‘over’ is 8-5 overall for Baylor, 3-2 in its five road assignments. The Bears have seen the ‘over’ hit in back-to-back contests and seven of their last 10.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Boise State has won 12 of its last 13 games and has produced a 5-1 spread record its last six times out. Nevertheless, Leon Rice’s team is a four-point underdog tonight at UNLV. BSU is 2-1 ATS as a ‘dog this year, but it has been favored in every game since losing at Arizona back on Nov. 29. The Runnin’ Rebels had won three in a row both SU and ATS since Dave Rice was fired, but that surge was snapped Saturday in Reno when Nevada won a 65-63 decision.
LSU has failed to cover the number in six straight games after beating Georgia by four as an eight-point home ‘chalk’ last night. The Bulldogs trailed by 11 with less than a minute remaining, but J.J. Frazier exploded with a scoring binge that allowed UGA to get within one with more than 20 ticks left.
Purdue is a 14-point favorite tonight at Minnesota. The Gophers, who are 2-2 ATS in four games as home underdogs, have lost nine games in a row and 12 of their last 13. The ‘over’ is 12-5 in UM’s last 17 contests. The Big Ten Network will have the broadcast at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
Ole Miss star guard Stefan Moody is ‘questionable’ for tonight’s home games vs. Auburn. Moody missed Saturday’s loss at Mississippi State due to a hamstring injury. Martavious Newby is also ‘questionable’ and starting forward Sebastian Saiz is ‘out’ with an eye injury.
Virginia Tech owns a 4-0 spread record in four ACC games as a home underdog. The Hokies are hosting Louisville tonight as eight-point puppies.
Wednesday's Top 25 Trends
VegasInsider.com
Texas A&M at Arkansas
The Aggies are the lone undefeated team in SEC play at 7-0, as Texas A&M has won each of its last three games by double-digits. A&M has cashed four straight ‘unders,’ while holding each of its past three opponents to 57 points or less. Arkansas looks to snap a three-game losing streak after falling in overtime at Georgia. The Razorbacks has won two of three SEC home contests with the only defeat coming to Kentucky. The Aggies rolled the Razorbacks in their first meeting earlier this month, 92-69 as 11-point favorites at College Station.
Louisville at Virginia Tech
The Cardinals sit in second place of the ACC behind North Carolina owning a solid 5-1 mark following a four-point victory at Georgia Tech. Louisville has struggled to cover numbers in conference play at 2-4 ATS, while stretching to a 3-7 ATS record since mid-December. The Cardinals are making their first visit to Blacksburg since joining the ACC, as Louisville beat Virginia Tech last season, 78-63, but failed to cover as 22-point favorites. The Hokies began conference play with an impressive 4-1 record, but Tech has lost its last two games to Notre Dame and North Carolina. Virginia Tech has covered six of seven ACC contests.
Missouri at Kentucky
The Wildcats aren’t the team they were last season, but John Calipari’s club owns a 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS record in SEC action. UK goes for its third straight win after dominating Arkansas and Vanderbilt, while sweeping the season series from Missouri last season. The Tigers have lost four in a row since beating Auburn at home earlier this month. Mizzou has covered in its last two road underdog opportunities at South Carolina and Texas A&M, but the Tigers are 2-5 ATS in their past seven SEC games away from Columbia.
Purdue at Minnesota
The Gophers are searching for their first Big 10 win following an 0-8 start, as Minnesota’s last victory came against Chicago State on December 16. Minnesota owns a 3-1 ATS record as an underdog of nine points or more against conference foes, but is 0-4 ATS when receiving eight points or less within Big 10 play. Purdue is coming off its second loss this month to Iowa, falling 83-71 as 2½-point road underdogs on Sunday. The Boilermakers have split four road games in the conference, including favorite victories at Wisconsin and Rutgers. In spite of Minnesota’s struggles this season, they have hung with Purdue as each of the last four meetings have been decided by four points or less.
Baylor at Oklahoma State
Baylor’s five-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday in an 82-72 home loss to top-ranked Oklahoma. The Bears go for the season sweep of the Cowboys after knocking off Oklahoma State at home on January 5 as nine-point favorites, 79-62. Five of Baylor’s seven Big 12 games have gone ‘over’ the total, including two of three road games. The Cowboys upset Kansas at home last week, but that is the only victory in a six-game span for OSU. Playing in Stillwater has benefited the Cowboys, going 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS at home inside Big 12 play.
Loyola Chicago at Wichita State
Following a 1-5 start, the Shockers have stormed back with wins in 12 of their last 13 games. Wichita State has compiled a perfect 8-0 record in MVC play, including seven covers in the favorite role. The Shockers have won and covered five of their last six games at home, while holding five of those opponents to 64 points or less. The Ramblers have won two of their last three games following an 0-5 start in the Valley, but failed to cover in Saturday’s 68-63 home victory over Drake as seven-point favorites. Loyola has cashed in three straight as an underdog, including in road losses at Evansville, Northern Iowa, and Illinois State.
Cal, Utah hook up
By Sportsbook.ag
CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (14-6) at UTAH UTES (15-5)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Utah -7, Total: 136.5
Pac-12 foes California and Utah meet on Wednesday night with both looking to keep their conference winning streaks alive.
When California and Utah meet on Wednesday night, the Utes will be looking to avenge a defeat just 24 days ago when the Golden Bears outlasted visiting Utah, 71-58 (California -3). That game saw senior leading scorer G Tyrone Wallace (15.4 PPG) struggle for 10 points on 3-10 FG while other Golden Bears stepped up. That storyline takes on new meaning Wednesday night, as it did for California’s two home wins last week over the Arizona schools (75-70 over Arizona State; California -7.5, and 74-73 over No. 12 Arizona on Saturday; California +2.5). Wallace will be out with injury indefinitely after breaking his wrist last Monday in practice.
Utah has reeled off three straight victories after an impressive road swing, beating Washington State and Washington, respectively, last week. The road sweep was a first for coach Larry Krystkowiak’s club since becoming members of the Pac-12, as they finished it out in style with an 80-75 overtime win on Sunday at Washington (Utah -4). The Utes return home to a 9-1 SU (2-5-1 ATS) record at the Huntsman Center, while the Golden Bears are only 1-6 SU (2-5 ATS) away from home this season. California is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games on the road, in fact.
California owns a 5-3 SU (5-3 ATS) mark against Utah since the Utes joined the Pac-12 in 2012. Utah’s first home win over California as a Pac-12 member came in last February’s 76-61 (Cal +17.5) win. While Utah is playing more up-tempo than they did last season, the total for six of the last seven games involving the Utes has gone UNDER. Recent history also shows that the total has gone UNDER in five of the last seven meetings between Utah and California.
When coach Cuonzo Martin’s club got the news that senior leader Wallace would be out – possibly for the remainder of the season – it seemed to be almost a nail in the coffin for their postseason aspirations. Losers of three straight going into last Thursday’s game with Arizona State, the Golden Bears got some of that young talent they boast to step up in a big way and possibly save their season.
Freshman F Ivan Rabb (12.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 64% FG) posted the best game of his young career in the win over the Sun Devils, with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and a career-high six assists, while his fellow freshman frontcourt partner, F Jaylen Brown (15.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG) contributed 17 points on 5-7 FG in just 20 foul-plagued minutes. If Martin’s club is going to galvanize without Wallace’s services for the long-term, you can bet that Rabb and Brown (two projected NBA first-round picks) will be at the center of that success.
California capped their great week outlasting No. 13 Arizona at home, 74-73, as junior G Jordan Mathews (13.6 PPG, 45% 3PT) pumped in a season-high 28 points (10-17 FG, 6-12 3PT) off the bench against one of the Pac-12’s best defenses.
Speaking of defense, it continues to be California’s calling card, allowing 66.5 PPG (48th NCAA). California held on against Arizona by thwarting two scoring chances inside the arc in the final seconds, which should come as no surprise as the Golden Bears rank first in Division 1 in two-point field goal defense (39.2% 2PT FG). Off of those misses, California also owns elite defensive rebounding numbers (26.4 DRPG, 30th NCAA) and an overall rebounding margin of +6.9 (31st NCAA).
G Jabari Bird (8.7 PPG) is one to watch in Wallace’s absence, as he’s the only other threat from beyond the arc besides Mathews. A double-figure scorer who’s struggled mightily this season, Bird is starting to get back on track with 38 points (and seven threes) over his last three games.
Utah is led by it’s own future NBA draft pick, F Jakob Poeltl (16.9 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 64% FG, 1.8 BPG), who is the reigning Pac-12 player of the week. Poeltl garnered such honors by scoring 53 points in the two wins over the Cougars and Huskies, including a career-high 29 in the OT win over Washington Sunday night.
Poeltl not only does the obvious things well (scoring in the paint, protecting the rim, rebounding) but he stays out of foul trouble (only 3+ fouls in a game once in January) and his improvement at the free throw line between this year and last has been startling (70% this season; 44% last season). Poeltl went 13-16 from the line on Sunday, punishing the smaller Huskies who had to resort to fouling, and should prove equally tough to stop for California, having already posted a 19 point, 10 rebound double-double against the Golden Bears in Utah’s loss earlier this season.
Poeltl is one of four double-figure scorers for coach Krystkowiak’s club, as the Utes – normally known for a slower pace of play and defense – have looked to score more this season. With F Jordan Loveridge (11.8 PPG), F Kyle Kuzma (11 PPG), and G Lorenzo Bonam (10.4) along with senior G Brandon Taylor (9.0 PPG), the Utes offense is more than just Poeltl. Utah’s 76.8 PPG (84th NCAA) is up from 70.9 last season.
While the Utes have missed the perimeter disruptor they had on defense in departed Delon Wright, they’ve still been effective by keeping opponents off the foul line. (Utah opponents attempt only 15 FT/game, 10th NCAA). Unfortunately, Utah is subpar against the three (39% 3PT against, 327th NCAA) and will have to keep the hot-shooting Mathews from breaking out as he did against Arizona.