College Basketball News and Notes Thursday, April 4

College Knowledge

Iowa won seven of its last eight games; they're 10-0 vs spread since loss at Nebraska Feb. 23. Hawkeyes (-3) beat Iowa State 80-71 Dec 7, their only game vs Big X opponent this season. Baylor won its last four tilts, scoring 89 ppg; Bears lost to Northwestern by 4 at home Dec 4 in only game vs Big Dozen foe. Baylor played only two starters more than 31 minutes Tuesday, turned ball over only seven times (+4). Iowa played three subs 11+ minutes Tuesday; they were +9 in turnovers (17-8); they are #294 in experience, #35 in bench minutes. Under is 8-4 in last dozen Iowa games. Baylor is #182 in experience, #229 in bench minutes but has best player on court in senior guard Jackson.

Armadillosports.com

Baylor vs. Iowa
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Baylor and Iowa prevailed in the NIT semifinals Tuesday night to advance to Thursday’s finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

As of early Wednesday night, most betting shops had Iowa (25-12 straight up, 24-9 against the spread) installed as a one-point favorite after the game opened as a pick ‘em. The total was at 141 or 141½.

Baylor (22-14 SU, 16-15 ATS) captured a 76-70 win over BYU in the semifinals as a three-point favorite. The 146 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 155-point total.

Senior point guard Pierre Jackson was the catalyst for the Bears, torching the Cougars for 24 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Cory Jefferson added 21 points, while Isaiah Austin produced a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.

A tight game that had nine ties and six lead changes in the first half shifted Baylor’s way when Jackson scored seven straight points to ignite a 12-2 run. The scoring spree led the Bears to a 64-54 advantage with 3:24 remaining.

Gamblers backing Baylor started to feel comfortable, but that relaxation quickly turned to angst when BYU’s Matt Carlino drained three 3-pointers in a 49-second span to pull his team to within four with 19 ticks remaining. However, Jackson sealed the victory with a pair of free throws.

Iowa took the cash for the 10th straight time and advanced to the finals by beating Maryland 71-60 as a 3.5-point ‘chalk.’ Roy-Devyn Marble was the catalyst with 21 points and nine rebounds. Eric May finished with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals without committing a turnover, while Aaron White added 10 points, eight boards and a pair of blocked shots.

Fran McCaffery’s team has been dynamite as a single-digit favorite this season, compiling a 9-2 spread record. Meanwhile, Baylor has a 5-4 ATS mark in nine games as an underdog.

Iowa has won 11 of its last 14 games with two of those losses coming at Indiana and vs. Michigan St. in the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes probably would’ve been invite to the NCAA Tournament if they could’ve pulled out victories in overtime losses on the road at Wisconsin and at Purdue.

Iowa also had narrow defeats at home vs. Indiana and Michigan St., in addition to a 62-59 loss at Minnesota.

Scott Drew’s squad certainly has the talent of an NCAA Tournament team but this team pulled too many no-shows. For instance, the Bears lost at home to Charleston and Northwestern and got spanked at Texas on March 4.

The ‘under’ is 19-13-1 overall for Iowa.

The ‘over’ is 16-14 overall for Baylor despite seeing back-to-back ‘unders.’

Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

Iowa is in the NIT finals for the first time in school history. Baylor was in the 2009 finals but lost a 69-63 decision to Penn St.

East Carolina won the College Insider Tournament by winning 77-74 at Weber St. in Tuesday’s finals. The Pirates won in Ogden as 9.5-point underdogs, hooking up money-line backers with a +400 payout. Miguel Paul scored a game-high 23 points for ECU.

Rutgers pulled the plug on Mike Rice’s tenure early Wednesday morning. Look for Danny Hurley, a Seton Hall alum who played for his father at St. Anthony’s High School, to emerge as a top candidate.

Minnesota has hired Richard Pitino to replace Tubby Smith as its next head coach. Pitino led Florida International to 18 wins this year in his first season as a head coach.

The old Big East will now be called the American Athletic Conference.

Florida signee Chris Walker won the McDonald’s All-American dunk contest on Tuesday in Chicago. Walker and Kasey Hill, both of whom are five-star recruits, will join the Gators next season.

UF junior power forward Patric Young indicated that he’s undecided about returning to school or turning pro following his team’s loss to Michigan this past Sunday at Cowboys Stadium. Young is projected as a mid-to-late second-round pick in most mock drafts.

NIT Championship Game: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com

Iowa vs. Baylor (+1, 141)

One team will leave Madison Square Garden with its first National Invitation Tournament championship Thursday, and Baylor senior guard Pierre Jackson and Iowa junior guard Roy Devyn Marble will do their best to make sure it's their team holding the trophy. Jackson has recorded three straight double-doubles and is averaging 20.3 points and 11.3 assists at the tournament. Marble has led his team in scoring in all four NIT wins and is averaging 24.3 points, 4.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals.

Third-seeded Iowa, which has won 11 of its last 14 games, is playing in its first NIT championship. The second-seeded Bears are in the NIT title game for the second time in five years, losing to Penn State in 2009. "I think there's only two happy teams at the end of the year," Baylor coach Scott Drew said after his team beat Brigham Young in the semifinals. "The team that wins the NCAA and the team that wins the NIT. We want to be one of those happy teams."

BETTING TRENDS:

-Iowa has covered in 10 straight games
-Iowa is 9-0 ATS in its last 9 nonconference games
-Iowa is the No. 1 ATS team in the country at 24-9 ATS
-Baylor is 5-1 ATS in its last 6
-Over is 5-0 in Iowa's last 5 vs. the Big 12

ABOUT IOWA (25-12): Marble is averaging 22.9 points in six NIT games over the past two seasons. "It's postseason play," Marble told the Des Moines Register. "It's a fun time to be playing. Everybody is watching you. When you get opportunities to play in the Garden, and on national television, you just want to play your best and continue to win." Sophomore forward Aaron White adds 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds but eyes were on 7-1 freshman center Adam Woodbury (5.1 points on 50 percent shooting) after the Maryland win. Woodbury finished with nine points and two blocks and frustrated Maryland's Alex Len with tight man-to-man defense.

ABOUT BAYLOR (22-14): Jackson is set to become the first player to lead a major conference in both scoring (19.9) and assists (7.0) since Arizona's Jason Terry in 1998-99. "Pierre is like a time bomb," Drew told the media Tuesday."You just wait for him to go off." Cory Jefferson, a 6-9 junior forward, and 7-1 freshman center Isaiah Austin each add 13 points and power the Bears' inside game. Senior guard A.J. Walton owns the school record for games played at 140 and is tied with Quincy Acy with 97 career victories.

TIP-INS

1. Iowa won its only meeting with Baylor, beating the Bears 67-44 on Dec. 2, 1983, in the first round of the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City.

2. Iowa is 19-2 when scoring at least 70 points.

3. Baylor tied a school record with four postseason wins, including a 2009 NIT runner-up finish to Penn State and a 1948 NCAA runner-up finish to Kentucky.

NIT Championship Betting Preview: Iowa vs. Baylor
Atssportsline.com

The NIT Championship goes on Thursday night featuring Iowa from the Big Ten against Baylor of the Big 12. But this one is in New York City on Tuesday night. Both teams had the talent to be in the NCAA Tournament but just missed out due to mediocre conference records. Check below for a preview of the NIT Championship with key betting trends and angles along with March Madness statistics.

Baylor Bears (22-14 SU, 16-15 ATS) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (25-12 SU, 24-9 ATS)

Betting Odds:

Iowa is a 2-point betting odds favorite after opening up as a pick'em. The total is 141.5 in most books after opening at 139.

Recent Matchups

None.

Key Betting Trends

Iowa is:
4-0 ATS last four neutral site games.
18-3 ATS last 21 following a SU win
18-4 ATS last 22 following an ATS win.
23-6 ATS last 29 overall.

Baylor is:
5-1 ATS last 6 overall
5-1 ATS last 6 non-conference games
10-22 ATS last 32 following an ATS win.

Who has the edge?

Iowa beat Maryland, 71-60 on Tuesday to reach the finals. Roy-Devyn Marble led the Hawkeyes with 21 points and nine rebounds. They upset Virginia on the road on March 27, 75-64 to reach the NIT semifinal. This is a young team who starts just one senior in guard Eric May. The Hawkeyes has 10 wins since February 6, which is second only to Ohio State in the Big 10. Iowa wins with defense because they shoot just 42.4 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from beyond the arc. They hold teams to just 38.9 percent field goal shooting and 29.5 percent from beyond the arc. They also forced Maryland into 16 turnovers and turned it over just six times.

Marble (6-6, 194) is a talented junior who leads the way with 15.2 points per game along with 108 assists (41 percent from the field). Aaron White (6-8, 218) is the second-leading scorer with 12.9 points and leads in rebounds with 6.2 per game. Freshman Adam Woodbury (7-1, 235) averages 5.0 points and 4.7 rebounds. He'll be tested once again by another quality big man in freshman Isaiah Austin (7-1, 220).

Baylor is coming off a 76-70 win over BYU to reach the Finals as a 3.5-point betting odds favorite. Guard Pierre Jackson led the Bears with 24 points and 10 assists, while Cory Jefferson added 21 points.

Baylor also beat Long Beach State (112-66), Arizona State (89-86) and Providence (79-68) to get here, covering two of those three games. Jackson leads the Big 12 in scoring (19.9 points) and 7.o assists. Jefferson (13.0 points) is a thin 6-foot-9 forward who is skilled, but the key is freshman Austin, who had 14 points and 10 rebound against BYU. He's a serious NBA prospect, who averages 13.0 points and 8.3 rebounds, while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor.

Baylor averages 75.1 points per game and shoots 35.1 percent from the three-point line. They allow teams to shoot 41.5 percent from the field and 352.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Bottom Line:

Baylor is the more athletic team though Marble can make up the difference. He's averaged 22.9 points in six NIT games going back to last year. Iowa doesn't necessarily want to slow the pace down because they are 19-2 when scoring at least 70 points, but can they run with Jackson and the Bears?