College Knowledge
Iowa is 9-3 in last 12 games, but is playing first true road game since a March 2 loss at Indiana; Hawkeyes lost six of last seven on road, with 74-72 win at Penn State only win. Iowa lost by 16 at Va Tech in its one game vs ACC opponent. Virginia won 19 home games in row since loss to Delaware in November; Cavaliers won at Wisconsin, in only game vs a Big Dozen opponent. Iowa last played Friday; Virginia on Sunday.
BYU is 0-7 this season vs teams ranked in top 60; beat team they beat is #70 Weber State in December. Cougars played four starters 30+ minutes in fairly easy win Monday; they lost last four road games vs teams in top 200. Southern Miss won six of last seven games, losing to Memphis in double OT in C-USA title game; Eagles won last six home games; five of six wins were by 7+ points.
Providence is 9-3 in last 12 games, but lost two of last three away tilts, losing in OT at UConn, by 25 at Syracuse; Council/Cotton played 39/40 minutes in Monday's win over Robert Morris, but Friars did use three starters 13+ minutes. Baylor beat St John's by 19 in only game against a Big East opponent- they won last three home games, by 23-46-3 points. Bears had extra time to prepare; they haven't played since Friday.
George Mason beat Houston in OT Monday after leading 17-0; Patriots' last seven games were all decided by 6 or less points, or in OT. Mason used four starters 30+ minutes Monday- they made 11-22 from the arc. Western Michigan won its first two tourney games in OT, using three of its starters 34+ minutes Monday at Wyoming- four of its last five true road games (2-3) were decided by four or less points.
Wright State won five of last six games, allowing less than 60 points in its last seven wins; Raiders played only one guy more than 30 minutes in Monday's 57-51 win over Richmond. Santa Clara is 5-3 in last eight road games- they played two guys 31-32 minutes in win at Purdue, with star Foster scoring 34 points. Travel here isn't bad, from West Lafayette to Dayton. Santa Clara won five of its last eight away games.
Oral Roberts lost four of its last six road games, but won first two games in this tournament, scoring 84-76 points; Eagles played three starters 33+ minutes in easy win Monday, using two subs more than 4 minutes. Weber State won 15 of last 16 games, losing by 3 at Montana in Big Sky title game; they've won 12 in row at home since BYU beat them here in December. Wildcats haven't played since Saturday vs Air Force.
Amarillosports.com
Wednesday's NIT Action
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The Sweet 16 is right around the corner in the NCAA Tournament, but the NIT is down to its Elite Eight with three games to determine who will move on to Madison Square Garden next Tuesday night. Seven of the eight teams in this round are third seeds or higher with the lowest seed being Providence (4). The premiere contest takes place in Charlottesville with a late-season ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Iowa at Virginia
The Cavaliers own a perfect 20-0 record at home, as UVA will play its final game at John Paul Jones Arena this season with a potential trip to New York for the NIT Final Four on the line. Iowa invades Charlottesville with an eight-game ATS win streak, while six of its last seven victories have come by double-digits. The Hawkeyes advanced to this round of the NIT following solid home triumphs over Indiana State (68-52) and Stony Brook (75-63).
Virginia's bubble burst for an NCAA Tournament bid by losing late-season contests to Florida State, Boston College, and N.C. State. However, Tony Bennett's team is making the most of its NIT appearance with home wins over Norfolk State (67-56) and St. John's (68-50), but the Cavs only covered in the victory over the Red Storm as 10½-point favorites. The cover snapped a five-game ATS skid for Virginia, who has compiled a 14-3-1 ATS record at home this season.
The Hawkeyes are the best ATS team in the nation (22-9), in spite of winning just two of 10 true road games this season. Iowa closed the season cashing five of its last six opportunities when receiving points away from home, but Fran McCaffery's club lost all six times to Michigan State, Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. In November's ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Iowa traveled to Virginia Tech and was trounced by the Hokies, 95-79 as two-point underdogs.
BYU at Southern Mississippi
Two underrated teams from mid-major conferences hook up in Hattiesburg as the Cougars travel to the Gulf Coast off home blowouts of Washington (90-79) and Mercer (90-71). BYU cashed each time in the favorite role, while obliterating the 'over' (148 vs. Washington and 144 vs. Mercer) in both victories. Southern Miss held off Louisiana Tech's late rally in a 63-52 home win on Monday to cash as six-point favorites, avenging an earlier road loss to the Bulldogs in December.
The Golden Eagles have won five of six overall with the lone defeat coming in double overtime to Memphis in the Conference USA tournament final. The 'under' in Monday's triumph over Louisiana Tech snapped a four-game streak to the 'over,' while Donnie Tyndall's team is now 10-3 to the 'over' the previous 13 contests. Southern Miss owns a mediocre 6-7 ATS record as a favorite of 6½ points or less this season, but the Golden Eagles have won each of their last three games in this pointspread spot by double-digits.
BYU is playing only its third true road game since February 8, as the Cougars are 2-4 ATS this season away from Provo. The Cougars won just once in six tries in this role, coming at Santa Clara on January 12 as two-point 'dogs in an 82-64 victory. The last 10 games have not been kind to BYU backers with a 3-6-1 ATS record, but all six ATS defeats came as favorites of eight points or more.
Providence at Baylor
The Bears try to salvage their season by looking for their first appearance in the NIT Final Four since losing in the championship to Penn State in 2009. Baylor's offense has gone nuts in two NIT blowouts over Long Beach State (112-66) and Arizona State (89-86), but the Bears failed to cover as 8½-point favorites against the Sun Devils on Friday night.
Providence used a late run to eliminate upstart Robert Morris on Monday, 77-68 as 7½-point 'chalk.' The Friars closed the season winning six straight games at the Dunkin Donuts Center, while posting a 5-4 ATS record as a road underdog. Ed Cooley's team has put together a 1-4 SU/ATS mark on the highway following a home victory, which includes recent setbacks at Connecticut and Syracuse.
Baylor has covered just once in its last four opportunities as a home favorite, while going 8-3 to the 'over' in the previous 11 games overall. Scott Drew's club has eclipsed the 80-point mark in five of the last six contests played in Waco, as the Bears put up a 60-spot in the second half of Friday's win against Arizona State. Since 2010, Baylor owns an impressive 11-1 ledger to the 'over' in postseason games (including conference tournaments).
Wednesday's NIT Quarterfinals: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Iowa Hawkeyes at Virginia Cavaliers (-4, 123)
Virginia found itself on the doorstep of playing in Madison Square Garden at the start of the season, but a surprising setback dashed its hopes. The Cavaliers haven’t lost at home since and can guarantee themselves a visit to the “world’s most famous arena” as well as a spot in the National Invitation Tournament’s Final Four in New York next week with another such victory on Wednesday over Iowa. Virginia missed its first chance at playing at MSG on Nov. 13 when it suffered its lone home loss on Nov. 13 to Delaware in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament.
Virginia has since rolled off 19 consecutive victories at John Paul Jones Arena, including double-digit wins over Norfolk State and St. John’s in its first two games in this event. The Hawkeyes, who have won nine of their last 12 contests, represent the final hurdle for the Cavaliers. Iowa has been every bit as impressive in the first two rounds of the NIT, registering a pair of double-digit home wins over Indiana State and Stony Brook.
ABOUT IOWA (23-12, 22-9-0 ATS): One of the most important factors in the Hawkeyes’ finish has been the strong play of leading scorer Roy Devyn Marble (14.8 points). Marble missed one contest and averaged a mere 7.3 points in the seven subsequent games following an ankle sprain during practice on Jan. 7, but is averaging 18.3 since. In the team’s NIT victories, Marble is averaging 26 points, 5.5 assists and one turnover. "He is making plays and not turning the ball over," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery told the team’s website. "He's very unselfish and scoring a lot more. It seems to be having a comforting effect as everyone around him feels good (when he has) the ball.”
ABOUT VIRGINIA (23-11, 18-12-1 ATS): First-year players combined to score 46 of the Cavaliers’ 68 points in Sunday’s victory over St. John’s. Both Justin Anderson (18) and fellow freshman Taylor Barnette (13) secured career-high point totals – necessary performances considering leading scorer Joe Harris was held to seven points, 9.4 below his season average. “I thought the first-years really gave us a lift and played very good basketball. That was pivotal in this game,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett told the team's website. Junior Akil Mitchell grabbed nine rebounds against the Red Storm to give him 305 for the season, marking only the eighth time a Cavalier has reached the 300-rebound mark.
TRENDS:
* Hawkeyes are 0-4 ATS in their last four vs. Atlantic Coast.
* Cavaliers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight vs. Big Ten.
* Under is 7-3 in Hawkeyes' last 10 overall.
TIP-INS:
1. Iowa ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring (70.4 points) while Virginia possesses the fourth-best scoring defense in the country (55).
2. The Cavaliers’ 20 home wins is a single-season school record.
3. The winner of this contest will meet either Alabama or Maryland in the NIT semifinals.
BYU Cougars at Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (-5.5, 151)
Brigham Young has bounced back nicely from a shocking 72-69 loss to San Diego in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament with impressive back-to-back home wins over Washington (90-79) and Mercer (90-71). The Cougars, playing in their 11th National Invitation Tournament, improved to 14-8 all-time in that tourney with Monday night's win over the Bears. BYU won the NIT in both 1951 and 1966 but is making its first appearance in the event since 2006.
Southern Mississippi, the top seed in its portion of the bracket, is playing in its ninth NIT and won the event in 1987. The Golden Eagles, who have won five of their last six games, defeated Charleston Southern (78-71) and Louisiana Tech (63-52) in the first two rounds in Hattiesburg, Miss., increasing their school-record home win streak in non-conference games to 30. Southern Miss is 4-1 all-time in NIT home games and is 53-6 at Reed Green Coliseum since 2009. The winner will face Baylor or Providence in the semifinals in New York City on April 2.
ABOUT BRIGHAM YOUNG (23-11, 15-17-1 ATS): The Cougars have been looking to redeem themselves following their early exit in the WCC tourney and seemed to have found their shooting touch in the process, scoring 90 points in back-to-back games. "The disappointment of the conference tournament was real to our players," BYU coach Dave Rose told the Deseret News. "They really feel excited about this opportunity to continue to play, and not finish with the note we had there. It's good to see. They're playing with a lot of togetherness." Guard Tyler Haws, who scored a school NIT record 37 points in the opening win over Washington, leads the team in scoring (21.5) and has connected on 38.5 percent of his 3-point tries while 6-9 senior Brandon Davies, who had 26 points and 10 rebounds against Mercer, is averaging 18 points and 7.9 rebounds. Sophomore guard Matt Carlino, who began his career at UCLA, has been a big offensive key in the first two NIT games averaging 19 points, nine assists and 6.5 rebounds.
ABOUT SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (27-9, 16-16-1 ATS): The Golden Eagles, unlike BYU, won't blow teams away with their offensive stats but make up for it on the defensive end. Southern Miss averages 9.8 steals per game - which ranks fourth in the nation - and, despite not having a starter taller than 6-7, led Conference USA in rebounding margin (plus-5.8). The Golden Eagles, who outrebounded 26 opponents this season, finished with a 44-22 edge in points in the paint in Monday night's win over Louisiana Tech and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds. "They were tremendous defensively," Louisiana Tech coach Michael White said. "Their zone was terrific. They did a good job of limiting our penetration." Senior forward Dwayne Davis (16.3) and junior guard Jerrold Brooks (10.8) are the only players to score in double figures for well-balanced Southern Miss, which has six players averaging 8.4 points or more.
TRENDS:
* Cougars are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 road games.
* Golden Eagles are 4-11-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall.
* Over is 25-9-1 in Golden Eagles last 35 overall.
TIP-INS:
1. Haws, who has scored 20 or more points in 23 games this season, now has 1,127 career points and is one of two sophomores in school history to reach 1,000 points in a career. The other was Danny Ainge.
2. Carlino has connected on 9-of-18 3-point attempts in the NIT, many from well beyond the arc.
3. Southern Miss PG Neil Watson broke the school single-season record with 63 steals this season, topping the old mark of 59 set by Casey Fisher in 1985-86.
Providence Friars at Baylor Bears (-9, 147)
Two of the top backcourt players still remaining in the NIT will try to push their teams through to the semifinals when second-seeded Baylor hosts No. 4 Providence on Wednesday. Baylor senior point guard Pierre Jackson averages 19.7 points and 6.7 assists. He put up 26 points and a career-high 16 assists in Friday’s 89-86 win against visiting Arizona State. Providence junior Bryce Cotton does less ball-handling than Jackson but just as much scoring, averaging 19.6 points. Cotton is averaging 22.5 points through the first two games of the tournament.
The player responsible for distributing the ball for Providence is senior point guard Vincent Council, who is averaging 10 points and seven assists. He’s also coming off a double-double in the second round, finishing with 12 points and 10 assists in a 77-68 win Monday against visiting Robert Morris. The four-year starter is shooting 33.6 percent, however, the lowest mark of his career.
ABOUT PROVIDENCE (19-14, 16-12-1 ATS): The Friars need to find a way to slow the high-scoring Bears and a good start would be winning the rebounding battle. Providence is ranked 38th in the nation in rebounding (37.8) and Baylor is 41st (37.7). Kadeem Batts and LaDontae Henton are the key figures in the middle for the Friars. Batts, a 6-10 junior forward, averages 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds and Henton, a 6-6 sophomore forward, is averaging 13.4 points and 8.3 rebounds. Both players struggled with foul trouble in the win against Robert Morris, so keeping them on the floor will be vital for Providence.
ABOUT BAYLOR (20-14, 14-15-0 ATS): The Bears will counter down low with 7-1 freshman center Isaiah Austin and 6-9 junior forward Cory Jefferson. Like Batts and Henton, they lead their team in rebounding while also ranking second and third in scoring. Austin is averaging 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, while Jefferson comes in at 12.4 points and 8.2 rebounds. Austin has shown signs of having heavy legs, however. He has recorded double digits in rebounding once in the last 11 games after hitting that mark 12 times in his first 21. Jefferson has been an offensive roll lately, shooting 30-for-41 in the last four games.
TRENDS:
* Friars are 0-5 ATS in their last five vs. Big 12.
* Over is 4-1 in Bears' last five non-conference games.
* Over is 15-7 in Friars' last 22 overall.
TIP-INS:
1. Baylor will be trying to win at least three postseason games for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Bears advanced to the NIT finals in 2009 and the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2010 and 2012, losing to the eventual champion each time.
2. Providence is ranked 260th out of 292 teams in 3-point shooting (31.3). The only player for the Friars shooting better than 30 percent from beyond the arc is Cotton (36.8).
3. The winner will play top-seeded Southern Mississippi or third-seeded BYU in the semifinals April 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York.