Smart Money College Hoops Weekend Watchdog
Alex Smart Sports
Duke Blue Devils vs. Georgetown Hoyas
The Dookies and Hoyas both take a break from conference play on Saturday. This isn't your average walk in the park for either team, though. Duke has already proven this year that it can play with anyone in the nation. It has already faced arguably 11 NCAA Tournament teams this year, and of the ones outside of the ACC, it has destroyed Charlotte (101-59), Arizona State (64-53), Connecticut (68-59), and Gonzaga (76-41). Georgetown's 'D' had better be able to keep the Blue Devils from dominating on the outside, or it's going to be a long day for a team that is coming off of a dismal 56-point performance against Syracuse on Monday night.
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Missouri State Bears
Missouri Valley Conference ball is always hot and heavy, and two teams that have NCAA Tournament aspirations should put on a great show at the JQH Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Bears had a very impressive out-of-conference run that featured 'W's against a few tourney-caliber squads, but they've fallen off in MVC play. A win against a sure-fire tournament team in conference would go a long way towards righting the ship. The Panthers won the first clash between these teams 84-76.
Baylor Bears vs. Texas Longhorns
Baylor is suddenly struggling to find traction in the Big XII and has lost three of its L/4 conference games. A 76-74 home loss to Kansas State was crippling to its NCAA Tournament hopes, but not all is lost. The Bears are still 15-4 overall and are still probably comfortably in the Field of 65 if the tourney started today, but this schedule down the stretch is going to be brutal. Texas would love nothing more than to erase the memory of those two losses last week by blowing up the Bears in what would be its first cover since December 22nd.
Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Kentucky Wildcats
The Commodores may be the hottest team in the country right now outside of the Big East. Vandy has cashed in ten straight wins SU and is 7-1 ATS in its L/8 overall. Many thought that this recent string of four out of five and five out of seven road tests would cripple the Commodores' chances of making the NCAA Tournament, but all it has done is secured their spot. Kentucky is coming off of its first loss of the season at South Carolina on Tuesday night, and will be coming back home with angry intentions on its minds. The Cats have dropped six out of eight SU against Vandy SU, including a 77-64 loss in Nashville last season.
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
The rivalry between Kansas and Kansas State may provide the best NCAA basketball betting affair of the entire week. Both of these teams are still competing for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and KSU is still trying to prove that it belongs in the discussions with the big boys in college basketball even though it already has a win against then #1 and undefeated Texas to its resume. Kansas won't be a pushover though, as it likely has a deeper and more talented squad than Texas and certainly won't be taking the Wildcats lightly. Manhattan should be rocking for what will surely be a can't miss game.
Saturday's Top 25 Matchups
By Matt Fargo
Duke Blue Devils (7) at Georgetown Hoyas (11) 1:00 PM ET
After starting the season 1-3 on the road, Duke was able to gain some confidence with a rather easy road win at Clemson last weekend. On Wednesday the Blue Devils improved to 5-2 in the ACC with a home win over Florida St. and now steps out of conference for the second to last time this season. This will be the third and final road game this month against a ranked opponent and starts a stretch of a brutal four games. Following this, Duke has a home revenge meeting with Georgia Tech, who won the first matchup this season, followed by two tough road games at Boston College and at North Carolina.
On Monday, Georgetown jumped ahead of Syracuse 14-0 and looked as though the Hoyas were going to capture their second straight conference road win but it was the Orange that dominated after that. Georgetown was outscored by 31 points the rest of the way as the Orange 2-3 zone made things really frustrating for the Hoyas. Georgetown was clearly outmatched by Syracuse in height as the Orange were able to collapse the zone and prevent anything taking place down low. Duke presents the same disadvantages but the Blue Devils are not as athletic and playing at home is a big bonus.
Duke defeated Georgetown last season by nine points at home so this sets up a revenge situation for the Hoyas on top of trying to regroup from the ugly loss on Monday. Both teams were involved in physical matchups this week and the edge has to go to the Hoyas. Duke played Wednesday with the game not ending until after 11 ET so the quick turnaround could be a big disadvantage while the Hoyas have had two extra days.
Vanderbilt Commodores (23) at Kentucky Wildcats (1) 4:00 PM ET
With Vanderbilt’s win at Tennessee on Wednesday, the Commodores are now the lone undefeated team in SEC action. Staying that way will be a challenge on Saturday as they will have to face a Kentucky team that is coming off its first loss of the entire season. With that win over the Volunteers, Vanderbilt has quietly won 10 straight games including three of the last four coming on the road. This is the best SEC start for the Commodores since 1965-66 when they also started 5-0 and this is just the second ranked opponent they have faced this season.
Kentucky comes in as the number one team in the nation but it won’t stay there no matter the outcome of this game. The Wildcats were stung by the Gamecocks on Tuesday, the first time this season in seven games that saw them on the wrong end of a single-digit final score. The first defeat of the season was inevitable for this young squad but it was probably the best thing that could have happened and head coach John Calipari is the happiest of anyone that it took place. The pressure is now gone and Kentucky can once again play loose which is really big edge.
This game will likely come down to the Kentucky defense. The Wildcats have held 14 of 20 opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from the floor while Vanderbilt is a perfect 11-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field so something has to give. Vanderbilt has won six of the last eight meetings in this series but the Wildcats have taken two straight at Rupp Arena.
Kansas Jayhawks (2) at Kansas St. Wildcats (13) 7:00 PM ET
The last time we saw Kansas St. in this situation, it knocked off then number one Texas so the Wildcats will be looking to make it two straight wins over top five teams at home. They had a big letdown after that with a home loss against Oklahoma St. but they came back with what could be a big turning point win as they went to Baylor and defeated the 24th ranked Bears on Tuesday by a bucket. Defeating Kansas is not going to be easy as the Jayhawks have won 25 of the last 26 meeting played in Manhattan (2008 was the loss) and this is arguably one of the best Kansas teams ever to make a visit.
Kansas won its first rivalry game this week as it easily took out Missouri on Monday night to extend its home court winning streak to a national best 54 games. This will be the first quality road opponent since its first and only loss of the season at Tennessee three weeks ago. A victory here likely vaults the Jayhawks back into the number one spot in the polls. Balance and depth are the calling cards of Kansas as through 20 games, nine different players have led the team in steals, seven in points and six in assists. The Jayhawks rank in the top three in all but three Big XII statistical categories.
This should be a very interesting matchup down low as the Wildcats are an attacking team that averages 15.8 offensive rebounds per game and they go to the free throw line 33.8 times per game which is easily the most in the nation. The Jayhawks meanwhile are sixth in the nation in rebounding margin and they allow only 19.2 free throw attempts by the opposition per game. Kansas also has a huge edge in assist/turnover ratio, 1.47 to 0.97.
Saturday's Early Action
By Brian Edwards
Gamblers have a monster card to sort through Saturday, including a slew of early-afternoon showdowns. Let’s take a look at a few of those televised matchups beginning with a Big East battle in Morgantown.
**Louisville at West Virginia**
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened West Virginia (16-3 straight up, 7-11 against the spread) as a six–point favorite.
Louisville (13-7 SU, 5-10 ATS) hasn’t missed the NCAA Tournament since 2006, but Rick Pitino’s team is in serious danger this year. The Cardinals have shaky home losses to Western Carolina and Charlotte as a part of their profile. They are 4-3 in Big East play with an RPI of 47.
Louisville has lost five in a row ATS, although it did capture a 68-60 win Sunday over Cincinnati. However, the Bearcats took the cash as nine-point road underdogs at Freedom Hall. Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa scored 14 points apiece for the Cards.
West Va. has won three consecutive games but is mired in a 3-6 ATS slide. The Mountaineers won a 62-46 decision Tuesday at Depaul, but the Blue Demons covered the number as 17-point home underdogs. Da’Sean Butler, Devin Ebanks, Darryl Bryant and Wellington Smith each scored 14 points apiece for the ‘Neers.
Bob Huggins’ team has won eight of its nine home games, but it has limped to a 3-5 spread record in Morgantown.
Although U of L has seen back-to-back ‘unders’ cash, the ‘over’ maintains a stellar 10-4 overall record for the Cards.
The ‘under’ is 9-7 overall for WVU, 4-2 in its home assignments. The ‘under’ is 5-1 in the Mountaineers’ last six games (regardless of venue).
Louisville has won four consecutive head-to-head meetings against WVU, including last year’s 62-59 win in Morgantown as a 2 ½-point road underdog. The Cards are 4-1 ATS in the last five encounters with the ‘Neers.
ESPN will have the telecast at noon Eastern.
**Duke at Georgetown**
LVSC opened Georgetown (15-4 SU, 8-7 ATS) as a two–point favorite.
Georgetown goes into the weekend in fifth place in the Big East with a 6-3 record against league foes. The Hoyas jumped out to a 14-0 lead Monday at Syracuse, only to go ice cold in the second half and lose 73-56 as six-point road underdogs. Austin Freeman finished with a team-high 23 points and six rebounds.
Since losing at North Carolina St. last week, Duke (17-3 SU, 13-6 ATS) has won back-to-back games against Clemson and FSU. The Blue Devils went into Littlejohn Coliseum last Saturday and collected a 60-47 win as three-point road favorites. Then they took the money in Wednesday’s 70-56 win over FSU as 12 ½-point home favorites. Jon Scheyer had 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Seminoles.
Scheyer is an All-American candidate in my opinion. He leads the Blue Devils in scoring (18.8 points per game) and assists (5.6 APG). Kyle Singler, who had 20 points and seven boards against the ‘Noles, is averaging 16.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
Freeman leads the Hoyas in scoring, averaging 16.0 PPG. Sophomore center Greg Monroe is averaging a double-double (14.8 PPG and 10.1 RPG).
John Thompson III has watched his team go 9-1 SU and 3-4 ATS at home. The only outright defeat came to Old Dominion by a 61-57 score on Dec. 19.
The ‘over’ is on a 5-1 run for the Hoyas, who have seen the ‘over’ go 8-7 overall and 4-3 in their home games.
The ‘under’ is 4-2 in Duke last six games, 10-9 overall for the season.
The ‘over’ is 4-1 in five head-to-head meetings between Duke and Georgetown since 2003.
CBS will provide television coverage at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
**Vanderbilt at Kentucky**
First place in the SEC East will be on the line Saturday at Rupp Arena where Kentucky and its rabid fan base will welcome Vanderbilt to the Commonwealth. The Commodores strut into Lexington with 10 consecutive wins, including Wednesday’s come-from-behind triumph at Tennessee.
Kevin Stallings’ team is 5-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1964-65. Down four points at Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday, Vandy rallied behind the hot shooting of Jermaine Beal to capture an 85-76 win at UT as a 6 ½-point underdog. Beal finished with a game-high 25 points.
LVSC opened Kentucky (19-1 SU, 9-9 ATS) as a 10–point favorite.
John Calipari’s team raced out to a 19-0 start and claimed the school’s first No. 1 ranking since the 2002-2003. But the Wildcats’ tenure as the nation’s top-ranked team will most likely last all of one week after losing 68-62 Tuesday at South Carolina. The Gamecocks won outright as seven-point home underdogs. Devan Downey dominated the ‘Cats with a game-high 30 points. UK freshman center DeMarcus Cousins had 27 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots in the losing effort.
Kentucky is undefeated in 13 home games, but it is just 5-6 versus the number at Rupp Arena.
Vanderbilt (16-3 SU, 11-6 ATS) has been a live underdog, compiling a 4-1 record both SU and ATS in such spots. The ‘Dores have won outright as ‘dogs at Saint Mary’s, at Alabama, at South Carolina and at Tennessee.
During its 10-game winning streak, Vandy is 7-2 ATS in the nine lined contests.
The ‘over’ is on an 8-3 run for UK in its last 11 games. For the season, the ‘Cats have watched the ‘over’ produce a 9-8 overall record and a 7-3 mark in their home outings.
The ‘over’ is 9-6 overall for Vandy, 3-1 in its true road assignments.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
According to multiple reports, UConn head coach Jim Calhoun will miss his fourth straight game Saturday when the Huskies host Marquette at noon Eastern. LVSC opened UConn as a six-point home ‘chalk.’
With Thursday’s win at Auburn, coupled with Mississippi St. blowing a 10-point lead and losing at Courtney Fortson (I mean Arkansas), Ole Miss is now in sole possession of first place in the SEC West with a 4-2 record. The Bulldogs are 3-2, one-half game behind the Rebels.
Ole Miss was scheduled to host Arkansas on Saturday, but the game has been moved to Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader writes that Vandy’s Beal does what it takes to win.
vegasinsider.com
College Hoops Betting TV Guide
By RYAN COLAIANNI
Louisville at No. 9 West Virginia (12 p.m. ET, ESPN)
In the grind of an 18-game Big East schedule, having a reliable bench is a must. For West Virginia, its bench appears to be shrinking. In Tuesday’s win over DePaul, each of West Virginia’s starters played at least 31 minutes and scored all of the teams field goals.
"It's not my job to get them going. It's their job,'' coach Bob Huggins told the Charleston Gazette about his bench.
LaSalle at No. 15 Temple (12 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Winners of seven straight road games, Temple struggled with Charlotte’s 2-3 zone Wednesday night, leading to its first conference loss of the season and putting them in a tie for first in the Atlantic 10 with Charlotte.
"They zoned up and got us stagnant on offense a little bit," Temple guard Ryan Brooks told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
No. 8 Duke at No. 7 Georgetown (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
When Duke is in trouble it seems that it always turns to senior Jon Scheyer. That was apparent Wednesday night when it saw its 16-point lead dwindle to four in the second half. Scheyer was there to pick up his team. He hit a jumper and then found Kyle Singler for a 3-point shot which helped Duke pull away.
Indiana at Illinois (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Back-to-back conference victories have been tough to come by the last two seasons for Indiana but after beating Minnesota and Penn State, Indiana felt like it was starting to come together. However, the Hoosiers came back to earth against Iowa. They had just three assists and 15 turnovers in a lopsided loss.
"This all came down to our lack of being willing to be in a fight today. I can't explain it. We just did not come to be in a fight today,” coach Tom Crean told the Indianapolis Star.
Oklahoma State at Missouri (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Getting out-rebounded by Kansas is nothing to frown about, but getting out-work 56-28 on the glass has to have Missouri concerned heading into Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State. Cowboys forward Marshall Moses is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game and Missouri must find away to get the ball inside to open up shots for its guards.
No. 21 Vanderbilt at No. 1 Kentucky (4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Despite being 5-0 in SEC play and having just three losses overall, Vanderbilt is a relatively unknown team coming off of a road win at Tennessee. The Commodores will face an angry Kentucky team coming off a loss to South Carolina. Vanderbilt has never beaten Kentucky and Tennessee on the road in the same season since the 1973-74.
"Everybody always says Vandy is just a good home team," Jermaine Beal told the Tennessean. "We want to prove people wrong.
No. 2 Kansas at No. 11 Kansas State (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen got off to a terrible start in conference play shooting just 25 percent from the field in his first five Big 12 games. However, in a critical road win against Baylor Tuesday, Pullen bounced back, going six of seven from beyond the arc in route to 25 points. Kansas State will need Pullen to be on top of his game if it is going to beat second-ranked Kansas Saturday night.
Northwestern at No. 5 Michigan State (7 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)
Guard Kalin Lucas has long been the leader for Michigan State but now he is learning to hit the big shot, making him one of the most dominant players in the country. Lucas has had game-winning shots in the past two games, including a 18-foot jump shot to beat Michigan Wednesday night.
Georgia at South Carolina (7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Net)
It was Devan Downey who received the praise in South Carolina’s win over Kentucky Tuesday night, but he did it in a very inefficient way, going just nine of 29 from the field in route to a 30 point effort. Downy did make the shots down the stretch that mattered including a layup while he was fouled that put the game out of reach in the final minute.
Providence at Cincinnati (8 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Cincinnati guard Cashmere Wright lost his starting job to Jaquon Parker two games ago but he showed against Louisville Sunday that coach Mick Cronin doesn’t have to look far down the bench to find a reliable answer at the point guard position. Wright scored 12 points all in the second half and had just one turnover against Louisville.
Game Of The Day: Kansas at Kansas State
By Nick Parsons
An ESPN Big 12 matchup pits the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks (19-1 9-7-1 ATS) against the No. 11 Kansas State Wildcats (17-3 10-4-1 ATS) at Bramlage Coliseum, or the "Octagon of Doom", the arena's unofficial nickname.
"It's probably the best road atmosphere. I can only remember two other atmospheres that rivaled it, since I've been coaching, at Indiana and at Okie State my first year back," said Kansas coach Bill Self. "To me, this was the atmosphere that was the equivalent of those."
K-State students are camping out for seats nearly 24 hours before some games and making so much noise once they get inside that even the home team can have trouble communicating.
Back on top
This No. 2-ranked Kansas squad will return to the No. 1 spot next week. That's because Kentucky just lost at South Carolina.
The Jayhawks have won five games in a row (3-1-1 ATS), but they've only played five true road games all year. One was a loss at Tennessee (76-68) that knocked them out of the top spot.
The Jayhawks front line is stout. Center Cole Aldrich is someone to always worry about and power forward Marcus Morris has been terrific the last five games (19 ppg, 8 rpg).
Dynamic duo
Kansas State knocked off top-ranked Texas (71-62) back on Jan. 18. The Wildcats had a letdown loss at home against Oklahoma State (73-69) on Jan. 23 and then squeaked by a good Baylor team on the road (76-74) this week.
Guards Jacob Pullen (19.2 ppg) and Denis Clemente (14.7 ppg) combined for 42 points against Baylor. The rest of the supporting cast is underrated and they really play well at home in Manhattan (11-1 SU, 6-1 ATS).
What’s at stake
This game for K-State may well have more implications than the one played against the Jayhawks exactly two years ago to the day, when super-frosh Michael Beasley not only guaranteed victory but delivered one for the Wildcats, scoring 25 points. The win snapped a 24-game losing streak at home to their in-state rival, dating back to 1983, and handed Kansas their first loss of the season.
That was big, but a win Saturday could be even bigger for Kansas State. A victory would mean they'd be in the thick of the conference race for the final month of the season, seeking their first ever Big 12 championship (keep in mind though that it won the old Big 8 regular season title several times).
Win, and K-State sits at 5-2 in the Big 12, and would be just one game behind Kansas for first place in the conference. Texas would still be in second place, assuming they defeat Baylor at home, but after the Wildcats upset the then-No.1 Longhorns last week, they should own any tiebreaker should they finish the regular season with the same record (they don't play Texas again).
Conversely, the Jayhawks would make quite a statement as to who should be favored to cut down the nets in Indianapolis should they walk out of Bramlage Coliseum with a victory.
Trends
Kansas is 20-6-2 ATS in their last 28 versus the Big 12.
The under is 8-3 in the Jayhawks last 11 overall.
Kansas State is 9-2-1 ATS in its last 12 overall. The Wildcats are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against Kansas.
NCAA News and Notes
Saturday, January 30
Information on the best of Saturday's college basketball games........
UConn will be without coach Calhoun again; Huskies beat Marquette the last two years 89-73/93-82, but are just 3-4 in Big East this season, losing four of last five games overall. Eagles are 3-0 as Big East road dog, losing away games by 1-2-1-5 points. UConn is 3-1 as home favorite in Big East, winning conference home games by 12-8-16 points.
Louisville won last four games vs West Virginia, winning by 9-3 points in last two visits here, but Cardinals lost three of last four games, losing by 5-3 points in last two away games- they allowed 70 or less points in their four league wins, 92-82-80 in losses. Four of West Virginia's seven games in Big East (5-2) were decided by 1 or 2 points or in overtime.
Duke won three of last four games vs Georgetown, winning last two by 9 points each; Blue Devils are 1-3 in true road games, beating Clemson by 13, but losing to Ga Tech/NC State/Wisconsin. ACC road teams are 32-23 vs spread in non-league games. Big East home teams are 33-37 vs spread. Georgetown won its last five home games.
Underdog covered five of last six Oklahoma State-Missouri games; road teams won last three. Cowobys won last three games by 12-4-7 points; they're 1-2 on Big 12 road, winning at K-State, losing at Oklahoma by 5 in OT, at Baylor by 13. Home side is 4-1 vs spread in Missouri's Big 12 games; Tigers are 2-0 as home faves, beating K-State (6), Nebraska (17).
Underdog covered last five Saint Louis-Richmond games; Billikens won their last two visits here, winning in triple OT LY. SLU is 3-2 this year in A-14, with three of its last four games going OT. Richmond is 0-3 as A-14 home fave, losing to Charlotte, beating UMass by 7, LaSalle by 4. A-14 home favorites are 9-22 against the spread.
Washington beat rival Washington State twice LY, after losing previous seven in series; Coogs won three of last four visits here, winning by 7-4- 4 points, losing by 7- they're 2-2 as Pac-10 road dog, losingby 25-12 at ASU/UCLA, winning at Arizona/USC. Home team is 6-0 vs spread in Huskies' last six Pac-10 games. U-Dub is 2-2 as Pac-10 home favorite.
Home side won last five Vanderbilt-Kentucky games; Commodores won six of last eight in series, but lost last two visits to Rupp by 4-10 points, Vandy is 5-0 in SEC, already winning road games at Alabama, Tennessee and So Carolina. Kentucky lost first game of year at South Carolina last game; they're 1-1 as home favorite, beating Georgia (8), Arkansas (31).
Baylor upset Texas in Big 12 tourney LY, after losing previous 13 games vs Longhorns; Bears lost last six visits here by 22-19-27-5-8-16 points. Baylor is 0-2 on Big 12 road, losing by 7 at Colorado, 6 at Kansas; they are 4-0 vs spread this season as an underdog. Texas is 4-1 in Big 12, but 0-5 vs spread, winning home games by 17-5-12 points.
Stanford won six of last eight games vs Arizona State, with underdog 3-0 in last three SU; Cardinal won four of last six visits here, but is 0-4 on the Pac-10 road this year, losing by 26-33-4-8 points (1-3 as road dog). ASU lost last two games, allowing 79-78 points; they're 0-3 in Pac-10 allowing more than 57 points. Pac-10 home favorites are 11-16.
Old Dominion is 4-3 in last seven games vs Northeastern, winning two of last three visits here; Monarchs won last eight games, winning its last four road games by 16-18-19-3 points- they allowed 48.3 ppg in last six games overall. Huskies had 8-game win streak snapped by Drexel in last game- they're 5-1 at home in CAA- they covered 7 of last 9 games.
USC won six of last seven games vs Oregon, winning its last four visits to Mac Court by 6-2-9-21 points. Underdog is 9-2-1 vs spread in last 12 series games. Trojans are 1-5 in true road games, losing Pac-10 games on road by 1 at Stanford, 8 at Cal, 6 at Oregon State. Ducks snapped their 5-game skid Thursday, their first win in four Pac-10 home contests.
South Carolina won three of last four games vs Georgia; Dawgs lost last two visits here by 6-11 points. Gamecocks upset Kentucky in last game after losing three in row before that- they're 2-1 at home, losing by 10 to Candy, beating LSU by 9. Georgia is 4-1 vs spread in SEC, losing away games by 8 at Kentucky, 3 at Mississippi State, 16 at Florida.
Michigan State won 12 of last 13 games vs Northwestern, beating them 91-70 (-5) in Evanston Jan 2; Spartans shot 57% from floor in that game, are 8-0 in Big 11 after winning last two games on road by a point each. State is 2-2 as Big 11 home favorite. Wildcats are 3-1 as Big 11 road dog, losing by 6 at Illinois, 20 at Ohio State, 4 at Minnesota (beat Michigan).
Cornell won six of last nine games vs Harvard, winning three of last four here, winning by 2-33-21 points; underdog covered nine of last eleven in series. Ivy League has no conference tournament, so this is a huge game. Cornell is 12-1 in last 13 games, losing only by 5 at Kansas; they're 5-3 as favorite this year. Harvard won its last five games, is 2-1 as a dog.
Kansas won 12 of last 14 games vs K-State; favorite is 9-4 vs spread in last 13 series games; Jayhawks are 5-1 in last six visits here, winning by 8-9-14-9-11 points. Kansas won last five games since loss at Tennessee, winning by 12 at Nebraska, 23 at Iowa State. K-State won four of last five games, beating Texas when they were ranked #1 in country.
UCLA won its last nine games vs Oregon State, covering all nine, taking last four visits here by 9-15-23-23 points. Bruins lost last two on road by 11 at Stanford, 5 at Oregon- they're 3-2 as Pac-10 dog. Beavers lost three of last four games, but they're 2-1 at home in league, winning by 3 over Arizona, 6 over USC, losing 66-57 at home to Arizona.State.
Arkansas State (+8.5) lost 64-55 at Denver Dec 31, shooting 38% from floor, 13-26 from line; ASU won six of seven games since- they're 4-0 at home in Sun Belt (1-1 as home favorite) winning home games by 8-15-2-2 points. Denver is 0-4 on Sun Belt road, losing by 18-6-11-12 points. Sun Belt home favorites are 23-16 against the spread this season.
Home side won six of last seven UTEP-UAB games, with Blazers 4-1 in last five. Miners lost last three visits here by 9-8-5 points- they're 5-1 in C-USA, losing by 10 at Houston, but also winning at Memphis. UAB is 6-0 in league, 1-2 as home favorites, winning home games by 8-1-10 pts. C-USA home favorites are 10-12 against the spread this season.
Providence won last four games vs Cincinnati; underdogs covered four of last five series games, with Friars winning last two visits to Shoe by 2-8 points. PC is 1-2 as Big East road dog, losing away games at Marquette by 30, Notre Dame by 15 (won at St John's/DePaul). Bearcats are 0-3-1 as Big East home fave, winning at home by 2-2-8 points (lost to Pitt).
Utah lost five of its last six games vs rival BYU, losing last four visits to Provo by 12-23-8-13 points; favorite covered seven of last nine in series. Utes are 1-2 on MWC road, losing by 17 at New Mexico, 6 at Wyoming winning by 4 at UNLV. BYU had 14-game win streak snapped at New Mexico last game; they're 1-2 as home fave, winning by 4-44-15 points.
Tips and Trends
Duke Blue Devils at Georgetown Hoyas
Blue Devils (-1.5, O/U 142): Duke is 17-3 SU this season and ranked #7 in the country heading into their road contest today. All 3 of the Blue Devils SU losses have come in true road games this season. Duke is 1-3 both SU and ATS in true road games this season. Duke has been the listed favorite in each game they've played this season. Today does represent the smallest spread Duke has been favored by this season. The Blue Devils are 3-2 ATS as a single digit favorite this year. Duke averages more than 82 PPG this season, but have only averaged 65 PPG in their past 2 games. Guards Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith both average 18 PPG for Duke, and they also combine for nearly 4.5 three pointers per game this season. F Kyle Singler rounds out the Blue Devils that average double figures with 16 PPG. Defensively, Duke has held exactly half of their opponents under 60 PTS this season.
Duke is 4-1 ATS last 5 non-conference games.
Under is 9-3 last 12 vs. Big East.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 77 (Side of the Day)
Hoyas: Georgetown is coming off their worst game of the season, a 17 point loss to Syracuse. The Hoyas play arguably their most important non conference game of the season today in front of the President of the Unite States. Georgetown is 15-4 SU and 8-7 ATS against a schedule that is widely considered one of the 5 toughest schedules in the country. The Hoyas are 9-1 SU and 3-4 ATS at home this season. Georgetown is 1-3 both SU and ATS as the listed underdog this season, with all 4 contests coming away from home. The Hoyas will also be playing the revenge card, as they lost to Duke last year SU by 9 PTS. Georgetown has scored at least 72 PTS in 5 consecutive games before their last performance. For the season, the Hoyas average 72 PPG while allowing only 62 PPG. G Austin Freeman leads the Hoyas in scoring at 16 PPG this year. C Gren Monroe averages nearly 15 PPG and also leads the team with 10.1 RPG this season.
Hoyas are 4-10 ATS last 14 home games.
Over is 4-1 last 5 home games.
Key Injuries - F Nikita Mescheriakov (personal) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 68
Kansas Jayhawks at Kansas St Wildcats
Jayhawks (-4, O/U 155): Kansas has enjoyed playing at Kansas St of late, having gone 25-1 SU since 1984. This specific meeting tonight will be far more difficult, despite Kansas being 19-1 SU on the season and ranked #2 in the nation. Kansas is 6-1 SU and 3-3-1 in games away from home this season. This will be only the 3rd game this season the Jayhawks are favored by only single digits. Kansas is 1-1 both SU and ATS in this small favorite scenario this season. The Jayhawks have scored more than 80 PTS in their last 5 games, all of which happen to be league contests. This Jayhawks offense averages nearly 85 PPG, featuring 4 players that average more than 11 PPG this season. Guards Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry combine for nearly 30 PPG, with each player making at least 2 three pointers per game this year. C Cole Aldrich averages 11 PPG and 10 RPG this year, and is currently playing his best basketball of the season.
Jayhawks are 9-3-1 ATS last 13 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Under is 8-3 last 11 overall.
Key Injuries - G CJ Henry (tailbone) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 85 (OVER - Total of the Day)
Wildcats: This game is going to be quite the spectacle, as you could argue this is the biggest game between these schools in the 102 years they've faced off. Kansas St. started their season 11-1 SU, which was their best start in 62 years. The Wildcats stand at 17-3 SU this season and are an impressive 11-1 SU at home. The Wildcats are 6-1 ATS in home games this season, which includes a 4-1 ATS record at home in games they are favored by only single digits. Kansas St. is 2-1 both SU and ATS as the listed underdog this season, with today marking the first time they've been the listed underdog at home this season. The Wildcats average 81 PPG this season, featuring 4 players that average double digits in PTS this year. Guards Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente average nearly 34 PPG to lead the Wildcats this season. Kansas St. needs to improve their defense, as they've allowed 3 of their past 4 opponents to score at least 73 PTS.
Wildcats are 5-1 ATS last 6 home games.
Over is 4-1 last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Key Injuries - C Luis Colon (hand) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 81