Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Tuesday, March 20, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
NCAA tournament
NCAA’s resume Thursday night.
Other tournaments
Tuesday’s other tournaments
Penn State won four of its last five games; they’re 13-4 outside the Big 14 (NC sked #324). Nittany Lions used four starters 36:00+ minutes in Saturday’s win at Notre Dame- Carr, Reaves played whole 40:00. PSU is #239 experience team that plays pace #209. Marquette won seven of its last nine games; they played two guys more than 28:00 in Sunday’s 101-92 home win over Oregon Sunday, making 12-26 on arc. Eagles are shooting 41.7% on arc (#3); they split pair of Big 14 games this year, losing at home to Purdue, winning at Wisconsin.
Louisville won three of its last four games; they lost by 29 at Kentucky in their only SEC game this season. Cardinals played one guy more than 29:00 in Sunday’s 84-69 home win over Middle Tennessee State, when they made 11-21 on arc. Mississippi State won three of its last four games; they’re #325 experience team that is 14-1 outside SEC, albeit vs #345 non-conference schedule. Bulldogs split last six true road games, winning at buzzer at Baylor Sunday, when they played three starters 33:00+.
Tuesday's NIT Tip Sheet
March 19, 2018
By David Schwab
NIT Betting Results
The first two matchups in the quarterfinals for this season’s NIT men’s basketball tournament take place this Tuesday night on ESPN.
First up in Region 1, Penn State travels to Milwaukee to face the Marquette Golden Eagles at 7:00 before the Cardinals will host Mississippi State in a Region 2 matchup from Louisville.
No. 4 Penn Stateat No. 2 Marquette (ESPN, 7:00 p.m. ET)
Opening Odds: Marquette -1 ½, Total 153
Betting Matchup
The Lions knocked Ohio State out of the recent the Big Ten Tournament as five-point underdogs before falling to Purdue by eight points in the semifinals as 8 ½-point underdogs. They came into the NIT as 9 ½-point home favorites in an opening round matchup against in-state rival Temple and went on to win 63-57. Enjoying the role of underdog, Penn State went on to beat Notre Dame 73-63 in Saturday’s second round matchup as a 5 ½-point underdog on the road. It is now 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games closing as an underdog.
Against Temple, the Lions overcame an 11-point deficit on the strength of junior guard Josh Reaves’ double-double (19 points and 11 rebounds) and a pair of clutch three-point shots by senior guard Shep Garner late in that game. In the victory against the Fighting Irish, sophomore guard Tony Carr elevated his game as the team’s leading scorer (19.5 points) with game-high 24 points. Penn State shot just 37.9 percent from the field on Saturday while going 9-for-26 from three-point range.
Marquette’s run in the Big East Tournament ended with a 94-70 loss to Villanova as a 11 ½-point underdog. It opened play in this tournament with a 67-60 victory at home against Harvard as a 12-point favorite. Covering at home as 4 ½-point favorites, the Golden Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals with a 101-92 victory against Oregon. This was the first time in the Golden Eagles’ last four games they covered a spread and the total has gone OVER in four of their last six games.
The 101 points scored against the Ducks was Marquette’s highest total of the season. Senior guard Andrew Rowsey led the way with 29 points and nine assists as one of four players in double figures playing off the bench. The Golden Eagles shot a blistering 57.6 percent from the field and they connected on 12-of-26 attempts from three-point range. Sophomore guard Markus Howards has been the team’s leading scorer all season long with 20.4 points per game and he added 18 points in the winning cause.
Betting Trends
-- The Nittany Lions have gone 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games against the Big East and the total has stayed UNDER in 16 of their last 21 nonconference games.
-- The Golden Eagles are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last seven Tuesday games.
-- This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
No. 4 Mississippi State at Louisville (ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET)
Opening Odds: Louisville -5, Total 143 ½
Betting Matchup
The Bulldogs lost to Tennessee 62-59 in their second game of the SEC Tournament, but they manage to cover as six-point underdogs. With Sunday’s 78-77 upset against Baylor as 5 ½-point road underdogs in the second round of the NIT, they are now a perfect 4-0 ATS in their last four outings. The total went OVER 135 points against the Bears after staying UNDER in four of their previous five games. Mississippi State is 6-1 ATS in its last seven road games and the total has gone OVER in five of those contests.
In a 66-59 opening round victory against Nebraska, the Bulldogs got a big effort from junior forward Aric Holman off the bench with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Quinndary Weatherspoon was the hero against Baylor with a game-winning three-point shot with time running out on the clock. The junior guard has led the way all season long with a team-high 14.5 points while converting on 48.4 percent of his shots from the floor. The Bulldogs are averaging 73.6 PPG.
Louisville dropped four of its last five regular season games SU, but it did beat Florida State as a 2 ½-point underdog before losing to Virginia by 17 points as a seven-point underdog in the ACC Tournament. After getting past Northern Kentucky at home in this tournament, the Cardinals beat Middle Tennessee 84-68 on Sunday as 4 ½-point home favorite. They are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games with the total going OVER in four of their last six games at home. Louisville is 5-4 ATS over its last nine games overall.
The duo of Ray Spalding and Jordan Nwora playing off the bench combined to score 34 points in Sunday’s win. The Cardinals also got a big effort from sophomore guard Ryan McMahon off the bench with 15 points while going 5-for-8 from the field. Louisville shot 53.7 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from three-point range. This was just the second time it surpassed its 76.1-point scoring average in its last nine games.
Betting Trends
-- The Bulldogs have failed to cover in seven of their last eight games against an ACC team and the total has gone over in five of their last seven games following an ATS win.
-- The Cardinals are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against the SEC. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five Tuesday games.
-- This will be the first meeting between the two in recent memory.
Penn St. Nittany Lions vs. Marquette Golden Eagles Preview and Predictions 03-20-2018
19th March 2018 by Gracenote
Penn State and Marquette were in Madison Square Garden for their respective conference tournaments earlier this month, and both aim for a return trip when they meet in the quarterfinals of the NIT on Tuesday in Milwaukee. The fourth-seeded Nittany Lions knocked off Temple at home to begin the tournament before ending top-seeded Notre Dame's season with a 73-63 victory Saturday at South Bend, Ind.
Tony Carr scored 24 points as Penn State moved to within one win of its sixth all-time berth in the NIT semifinals. "I'm really proud of my team, the way they fought, the way they competed, especially on the road here at Notre Dame on St. Patrick's Day, you figured everything would be going against us," Nittany Lions coach Patrick Chambers told reporters. "These guys came out and were ready to play. We really buckled down and did some really good things on the defensive end. It always goes back to our identity, defending and rebounding." Defending can be difficult against the Golden Eagles, who rank fourth nationally in 3-point shooting and buried 12-of-26 from beyond the arc in a 101-92 victory over Oregon in the second round.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT PENN STATE (23-13): Carr, a sophomore, rebounded from a career low-tying two-point performance on 1-of-12 shooting against Temple to post his 15th 20-point game this season. Josh Reaves chipped in 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals with zero turnovers in 40 minutes. Standout forward Mike Watkins has missed six straight games with a knee injury and is probably out for the remainder of the tournament, likely yielding more starts for freshman John Harrar, who had six boards and two blocked shots in 23 minutes against Notre Dame.
ABOUT MARQUETTE (21-13): The Golden Eagles scored 58 points before halftime against the Ducks en route to their best offensive showing of the season, and Andrew Rowsey led the charge with 29 points and nine assists. "When we have a guy like (Rowsey) it just gives us life," Markus Howard - who hit four 3-pointers and scored 18 points - said of his teammate. "It makes it easier for us off the ball to make plays." Rowsey and Howard average more than 20 points per game and Sam Hauser is the one other double-digit scorer at 14.1, but is averaging 4.3 points on 4-of-17 shooting over his last three games.
TIP-INS
1. The winner takes on Louisville or Mississippi State in the semifinals on March 27 in New York.
2. Rowsey is 24-for-47 from 3-point range over his last five games while making 9-of-28 shots inside the arc in that span.
3. The teams have not met since Marquette defeated Penn State 87-79 in the semifinals of the 1995 NIT at Madison Square Garden.
PREDICTION: Marquette 77, Penn State 75
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Louisville Cardinals Preview and Predictions 03-20-2018
19th March 2018 by Gracenote
Fourth-seeded Mississippi State and host No. 2 seed Louisville will be playing for the right to go to Madison Square Garden in New York City when they meet Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the NIT. The Bulldogs needed a buzzer beater to oust No. 1 Baylor in the second round while the Cardinals used a pivotal second quarter to outlast No. 3 Middle Tennessee State.
Quinndary Weatherspoon was the hero against Baylor as his 3-point attempt with one second remaining bounced off the front of the rim and dropped in, putting the Bulldogs one win away from their first trip to the NIT semifinals since 2007. "I like to take those big shots," the junior, who won a pair of games with late baskets in the regular season, told the media. "I'll be looking for those moments. We're going to use this (NIT) as motivation to get to the NCAA tournament next year." Weatherspoon hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left to lift the Bulldogs to a 59-56 victory over Jacksonville State Nov. 26 and a week later came up with a steal and a layup with one second remaining in a 61-59 victory over Dayton. Sophomore guard Ryan McMahon hit four 3-pointers and scored 13 of his 15 points as the Cardinals outscored Middle Tennessee 26-10 in the second quarter and held on to win by that same 16-point margin.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (24-11): Tyson Carter hasn't come up with back-to-back big games very often this season, but will try to do it in this one for the Bulldogs. The 6-4 sophomore guard came off the bench to make 5-of-6 3-pointers and score 19 points against Baylor and will go for consecutive games in double figures for the first time since enjoying four straight such games in February. Aric Holman, a 6-10 junior forward from Kentucky, has also been a productive reserve in the NIT for the Bulldogs, making 11-of-17 from the field while registering 29 points, 18 rebounds, six blocks and four assists in two games.
ABOUT LOUISVILLE (22-13): McMahon, who matched his career high with the 15 points against Middle Tennessee, hasn't been bothered by the NIT's deeper 3-point line, which at just over 22 feet is 20 inches beyond the normal NCAA line. "I shoot most of my threes from back there, just because people push me back so far already. So, I don't think there was too much of an adjustment," the Florida native told the media. Anas Mahmoud has received just 10 minutes of playing time in each of the NIT games - less than half of what he received during the regular season - but the 7-0 senior center from Egypt is still affecting shots with four blocks in the tourney and is second on the school's single-season list with 103 blocks.
TIP-INS
1. The Cardinals are in search of their fourth trip to the NIT semifinals and first since 2006.
2. After scoring in double figures four times during the regular season, Xavian Stapleton has done so in both NIT games with 27 total points for the Bulldogs, who are 1-3 against the Cardinals.
3. Louisville's David Padgett has recorded the second-most wins (22) for a first-year coach in school history behind the legendary Denny Crum, who won 26 games and went to the Final Four in his first season in 1971-72.
PREDICTION: Mississippi State 82, Louisville 77
NCAAB
Long Sheet
Tuesday, March 20
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PENN ST (23 - 13) at MARQUETTE (21 - 13) - 3/20/2018, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
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MISSISSIPPI ST (24 - 11) at LOUISVILLE (22 - 13) - 3/20/2018, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOUISVILLE is 30-17 ATS (+11.3 Units) in all home games over the last 3 seasons.
LOUISVILLE is 30-17 ATS (+11.3 Units) in home lined games over the last 3 seasons.
LOUISVILLE is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
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NCAAB
Tuesday, March 20
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Trend Report
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PENN STATE @ MARQUETTE
Penn State is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Penn State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Marquette is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Marquette is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
MISSISSIPPI STATE @ LOUISVILLE
Mississippi State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Mississippi State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Louisville is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Louisville is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games at home
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