National NCAAB Notes
By Brian Edwards
Minnesota saw its unbeaten record go up in flames Monday night when Virginia captured an 87-79 win on the road as a 13-point underdog. Mustapha Farrakhan exploded for a career-high 23 points to lead the Cavaliers back from a 39-29 deficit at halftime. Bettors backing UVA on the money line at the Las Vegas Hilton were paid 8/1 odds (paid $800 on $100 wagers). In his return from a six-game suspension, Devoe Joseph scored 16 points in 23 minutes of playing time off the bench for the Gophers. Tubby Smith’s team, which fell to 6-1 straight up and 5-2 against the spread, will return to the court Saturday at home against Cornell.
Tennessee is off to a 5-0 start after beating VCU and Villanova at Madison Square Garden to win the NIT Season Tip-Off. The Vols knocked off Villanova 78-68 as six-point underdogs thanks to 15 points and nine rebounds from freshman Tobias Harris. Scotty Hopson scored a game-high 18 points against the Wildcats, who had beaten UCLA 82-70 in the tourney’s semifinal round.
Notre Dame (7-0 straight up, 3-0 against the spread) won the Old Spice Classic in Orlando by beating Wisconsin 58-51 as a three-point underdog in the finals. The Irish knocked off Georgia (89-83 in overtime) and California (57-44) prior to besting the Badgers.
UAB (5-1 SU, 6-0 ATS) remained perfect for our purposes by blasting Troy 78-57 Monday as an 8 ½-point road favorite. The Blazers have already bagged a road win at Arkansas and can take down another SEC squad Friday when they play at Georgia. Mike Davis’ team also has looming non-conference games vs. VCU (12/21), vs. George Washington (12/27) and at Duke (1/5).
Siena (2-4 SU, 3-2 ATS) isn’t the same team without former head coach Fran McCaffery, national assists leader Ronald Murphy and MAAC Player of the Year Alex Franklin. But the Saints still have senior power forward Ryan Rossiter, who is averaging 20.2 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.
Mississippi St. needed overtime to beat Troy at The Hump on Nov. 26. The Bulldogs stayed unbeaten with the OT win over the Trojans, but they are 0-4 ATS so far. Ravern Johnson is fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 27.2 PPG. Rick Stansbury’s team will get junior point guard Dee Bost and sophomore center Renardo Sydney eligible for a Dec. 18 game at Va. Tech.
Northwestern (4-0 SU, 2-0 ATS) will host Ga. Tech tonight in its toughest test to date. The Wildcats are off a 65-52 home win over Creighton as 8 ½-point home favorites. John Shurna scored a game-high 23 points.
Butler guard Ronald Nored did not play in an overtime loss to Evansville in overtime. Nored sustained a concussion in the team’s win over Siena and won’t play Wednesday in the Bulldogs’ Horizon League opener vs. Loyola-Chicago. He is questionable for Saturday’s national-title game rematch against Duke in New Jersey.
Since losing its opener at George Mason, Harvard has won four in a row. The Crimson thumped Colorado 82-66 as a 1 ½-point home underdog Sunday. Keith Wright was the catalyst for the winners with 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots.
UNLV (6-0 SU, 3-2 ATS) is off to a flying start with quality wins over Wisconsin, Murray St. and Va. Tech. The Rebels have non-conference road games coming up against Nevada and Louisville and will play host to Boise St. on Dec. 8. The Broncos are 6-0 SU and 5-0 ATS.
Jimmer Fredette made clutch plays at crunch time to lead BYU to nail-biting wins over South Florida and previously-unbeaten Saint Mary’s this past weekend. The All-American guard is averaging 24.8 PPG for the Cougars, who are 6-0 SU but have failed to cover the number in three straight outings.
In addition to BYU and UNLV, San Diego St. is the Mountain West’s third undefeated team. The Aztecs, who are 4-1 ATS and have also seen the ‘over’ go 4-1, host Saint Mary’s on Wednesday and play at Cal on Dec. 8.
vegasinsider.com.