NCAA News and Notes Wednesday 11/26

5:00 PM WEST GEORGIA vs. TOLEDO
No trends available
Toledo is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Toledo is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games

7:00 PM ARMY vs. BROWN
No trends available
Brown is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games
Brown is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

7:00 PM BOSTON COLLEGE vs. PURDUE
Boston College is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Boston College is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games
Purdue is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

7:00 PM ELON vs. VIRGINIA TECH
Elon is 5-18 SU in its last 23 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Elon's last 9 games on the road
Virginia Tech is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
Virginia Tech is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games

7:00 PM LONG ISLAND vs. SAINT PETER'S
No trends available
Saint Peter's is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Saint Peter's is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games at home

7:00 PM MURRAY STATE vs. INDIANA STATE
Murray State is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games
Murray State is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Indiana State is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games at home
Indiana State is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games at home

7:00 PM NORTHWESTERN vs. BUTLER
Northwestern is 6-18 SU in its last 24 games
Northwestern is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Butler is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Butler is 17-2 SU in its last 19 games

7:00 PM PRINCETON vs. FORDHAM
Princeton is 1-24 SU in its last 25 games on the road
Princeton is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games
Fordham is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Fordham is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games

7:30 PM CLEVELAND STATE vs. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Cleveland State is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games
Cleveland State is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Florida International is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games

7:30 PM LEHIGH vs. RUTGERS
No trends available
Rutgers is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games at home
Rutgers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

7:30 PM MANHATTAN vs. ST. FRANCIS NY
Manhattan is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Manhattan is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games
No trends available

7:30 PM UMBC vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON
No trends available
George Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
George Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:00 PM CENTRAL ARKANSAS vs. VANDERBILT
No trends available
Vanderbilt is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Vanderbilt is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games

8:00 PM CENTRAL FLORIDA vs. MISSISSIPPI
Central Florida is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Central Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Mississippi is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Mississippi is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games

8:00 PM JACKSON STATE vs. NORTH TEXAS
No trends available
North Texas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
North Texas is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games

8:00 PM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS vs. WESTERN KENTUCKY
Southern Illinois is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
Southern Illinois is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Western Kentucky is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Western Kentucky is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games

8:30 PM DETROIT vs. DEPAUL
Detroit is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
DePaul is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
DePaul is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games

8:30 PM EASTERN WASHINGTON vs. MINNESOTA
Eastern Washington is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Eastern Washington is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Minnesota is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

8:30 PM SOUTHERN METHODIST vs. TCU
Southern Methodist is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Southern Methodist is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games on the road
TCU is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Southern Methodist
TCU is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Southern Methodist

9:00 PM ARKANSAS vs. SOUTH ALABAMA
Arkansas is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Arkansas is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
South Alabama is 18-1 SU in its last 19 games at home
South Alabama is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games

9:00 PM NEW ORLEANS vs. COLORADO STATE
New Orleans is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
New Orleans is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Colorado State is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games at home
Colorado State is 3-20 SU in its last 23 games

9:00 PM NORTHERN COLORADO vs. DENVER
Northern Colorado is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Denver
Northern Colorado is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Denver is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games at home
Denver is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games at home

9:00 PM TEXAS STATE vs. WYOMING
No trends available
Wyoming is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Wyoming is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games

9:00 PM UAB vs. OKLAHOMA
UAB is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
UAB is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Oklahoma is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

10:05 PM PACIFIC vs. NEVADA
Pacific is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Pacific is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Nevada is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Pacific
Nevada is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games

10:30 PM AIR FORCE vs. STANFORD
Air Force is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Air Force is 6-13-1 ATS in its last 20 games on the road
Stanford is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Stanford is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

11:00 PM MONTANA STATE vs. OREGON STATE
Montana State is 1-10-1 ATS in its last 12 games
Montana State is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Oregon State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Oregon State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home

NCAAB Today

Notes on the top games on today's card

Fordham is awful, losing its first three games by 3-39-14 points, losing to Columbia-Villanova-Manhattan. Princeton is 1-2, beating Army; they scored 53-55-55 points in first three games, so scoring troubles continue. Ivy League road dogs are 5-5 vs spread. A-14 home favorites are 5-8.

Central Florida got upset win at New Mexico in last game, now visits an Ole Miss team that struggled on Florida trip, losing to Utah, winning by 4 over Marshall. UCF also lost by 17 at Valparaiso. C-USA road dogs are 2-5 vs spread. SEC home favorites are 9-5 against the spread.

Southern Illinois (-5) beat Western Kentucky 88-78 in LY's game; SIU is 2-2 after losing to Duke (83-58), UCLA (77-60) in NYC. MVC teams are 3-7 vs spread on road in non-league games. Hilltoppers just got beat 89-61 at Murray State; Sun Belt home teams are 5-4 against the spread.

Arkansas coach Pelphrey came to Hogs from South Alabama; both sides appear little down this year; USA lost 89-71 at Ole Miss of SEC- they were down 19 at half. Arkansas lost 62-57 at Missouri State in its first road game, after struggling at home with lightweights SE La, Cal-Davis.

TCU (-4.5) lost 71-65 at SMU LY, after being up five at half; Frogs are 1-3, losing last three games to Clemson (70-58), at Charleston (86-75) and vs Nebraska (72-50). Mustangs are 2-2 this year, losing 60-46 at South Florida in their only road game, 84-73 at home vs Illinois State.

Nevada (+2) lost 70-66 at Pacific LY; Wolf Pack is 2-1, winning by 9 at Montana State (-8), 8 vs Oregon State (-13)- they lost at San Diego (+6) 65-51. Pacific lost 68-56 at Cal in its only road game- they were down 16 at half. WAC home sides are 6-2 vs spread. Big West road dogs- 9-4.

St Joe's-Alabama meet for right to leave Maui winning two of three; the Hawks played four kids 30+ minutes yesterday, while Alabama was up 20 at half vs Chaminade and coasted to win. SEC road teams are 2-8 vs spread out of conference- Atlantic 14 road teams are 10-9 vs spread.

Texas lost terrific 81-80 game last night; how do they bounce back vs an Oregon team that got crushed by Tar Heels in semis? Longhorns played four guys 32+ minutes Tuesday, with Abrams (8-27 FG) playing all 40. Ducks won easily Monday, lost big yesterday. Pac-10 underdogs have split four games against spread. Big 12 road teams are 6-1 vs spread.

North Carolina pounded the Ducks last night, now plays someone their own size as Notre Dame survived shaky foul shooting and beat Texas by a point last night. Hansbrough played last night, but not a lot: Heels are most rested, since they coasted twice. Irish bench played a total of only 23:00 against Texas, so conditioning could be an issue here.

Purdue is loaded, with all five starters back from 25-9 team that made it to second round of NCAAs. Boilers are 4-0, with no wins by less than 20 points. Big 11 favorites are 11-7 vs spread. Boston College (3-1) lost last game 53-50 at Saint Louis, a team they beat 61-39 last season.

UAB won at Arizona to get here, then had solid win at Old Dominion in next game; Blazers are 4-0 and haven't played at home yet, winning by a point at Arizona, by 10 at Old Dominion, by 3 on a neutral court over Santa Clara. Oklahoma is 4-0, all home games, beating Davidson 82-78 in its only real difficult game.

Murray State lost 79-62 at home to Indiana State LY; Racers whacked Western Kentucky in last game, now hit road to face Sycamore squad that lost last two games, 86-79 at Northern Illinois, 80-69 at home to No. Texas. Murray lost its only road game 55-47 (+1) at Arkansas State.

Craig Robinson is still looking for his first win at Oregon State; Beavers have lost to Howard, Nevada, Yale (two bad losses). Montana State has an upset win at Colorado (85-82, OT, +11) but also lost to Nevada at home (72-63, +8) and at Boise State (74-61, +7). Big Sky road dogs are 10-8 against the spread. Pac-10 home favorites are 5-11.

Boston College (3-1, 2-1 ATS) vs. (11) Purdue (4-0, 3-0 ATS)

(at New York)

Purdue guns for its first 5-0 start in five years when it takes on Boston College in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden.

The Boilermakers, who haven’t been 5-0 since 2003-04, have won all four of their games by at least 20 points, including Saturday’s 66-46 rout of Coppin State in a non-lined game. Purdue advanced to New York with easy home wins over Eastern Michigan (87-58) and Loyola-Chicago (78-46), covering as a double-digit chalk in both games.

Boston College started the season with three blowout victories, but the Eagles tasted defeat for the first time in Saturday’s 53-50 setback to Saint Louis as a 1½-point road favorite. B.C. got outrebounded 43-32 in the loss after beating its first three opponents on the glass by an average of 11.3 rebounds per contest.

Purdue is getting it done with defense, giving up just 50 points per game and 33 percent shooting this year. However, Boston College has been strong on the offensive end this season, putting up 75.5 ppg on 45.7 percent shooting.

The only other time these schools met on the hardwood was in a preseason tournament in 1978, with Purdue prevailing 82-54.

The Boilermakers are on an 18-4-1 ATS tear since early January, including 12-2 ATS as a favorite, and they’re 13-4-1 ATS in their last 18 after a SU win. However, they’re in pointspread slumps of 3-7 against the ACC and 18-37-3 on Wednesdays. Meanwhile, the Eagles are on ATS runs of 9-3 at neutral sites and 5-1 versus the Big Ten, but they’ve failed to cover in five of their last seven on Wednesday.

The over is 4-1 in Purdue’s last five lined games overall, 4-0 in its last four at neutral sites and 6-2 in its past eight lined non-conference games, but the under is 4-1 in its last five against the ACC. Boston College has topped the total in seven of its last 10 non-conference affairs and five of its last seven on Wednesday, but the under is 4-1 in its last five at neutral venues.

The winner of this contest faces the winner of Oklahoma-UAB in Friday’s tournament championship game.

ATS ADVANTAGE: PURDUE

UAB (4-0, 3-1 ATS) vs. (12) Oklahoma (4-0, 1-1 ATS)

(at New York)

Player of the year candidate Blake Griffin leads unbeaten Oklahoma against UAB in a battle of 4-0 squads in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden.

Griffin saved the Sooners from an embarrassing home loss to Gardner-Webb on Sunday, pouring in career highs of 35 points and 21 rebounds in an 80-76 non-lined home victory. Griffin, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, has registered a double-double in all four of Oklahoma’s games so far, posting back-to-back 20-20 performances in the past two. For the season, he’s averaging 26 points and 19.8 rebounds per contest and shooting 74.5 percent from the field.

The Sooners advanced to the Big Apple with wins over Mississippi Valley State (94-53) and Davidson (82-78), both at home.

UAB punched its ticket to New York by traveling to Arizona and posting a pair of victories over Santa Clara (64-61) and host Arizona (72-71). The Blazers remained perfect with another road win on Sunday, topping Old Dominion 77-62 as a two-point underdog. In that victory, senior swingman Robert Vaden hit eight of his team’s 11 three-pointers to finish with 28 points.

The Sooners are putting up 84.8 points per game and shooting 49.6 percent from the field and giving up 65.2 ppg on 36.7 percent shooting. Meanwhile, UAB is netting 75 ppg and allowing 65 ppg, while outshooting opponents 46.4 percent to 36.7 percent.

In the only previous meeting between these teams, Oklahoma knocked UAB out of the 1983 NCAA Tournament with an 81-63 victory.

The Blazers are 1-4 ATS in their last five neutral-site games, but otherwise they’re on positive spread runs of 5-2 in non-conference play, 5-2 on Wednesdays and 4-0 against the Big 12. Oklahoma has also struggled at neutral sites recently (8-20 ATS), but is on impressive ATS runs of 7-3 in non-league action and 7-1 on Wednesdays.

The under is on runs of 7-3-1 for Oklahoma overall, 5-2-1 for Oklahoma at neutral sites 8-2 for Oklahoma on Wednesdays, 8-1 for Oklahoma against Conference USA opponents and 4-1 for UAB overall (all in non-conference play). However, the over is 5-0 in the Blazers’ last five against the Big 12, 5-2 in its last seven at neutral sites and 8-0 in its last eight on Wednesdays.

ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE

(8) Notre Dame (4-0, 2-1 ATS) vs. (1) North Carolina (5-0, 2-2 ATS)

(at Maui, Hawaii)

After rolling through the first two rounds of the Maui Invitational, North Carolina figures to get somewhat challenged tonight when it hosts eighth-ranked Notre Dame in the tournament finale from Maui.

The Tar Heels trounced tourney host Chaminade 115-70 in a non-lined game Monday, then came back last night and blasted Oregon 98-69, easily covering as an 18-point favorite. Reigning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, playing in just his second game of the season, scored 16 points (12 from the free-throw line) and added five rebounds, while Danny Green tallied a game-high 21 points as five UNC players scored in double figures. The Heels clamped down on Oregon defensively, holding the Ducks to just 29.3 percent shooting.

Prior to North Carolina taking the court, Notre Dame held on for an 81-80 victory over No. 6 Texas as a three-point underdog. The Irish, who upended Indiana 88-50 in Monday’s opening round, survived when a desperation half-court shot by Texas hit the front of the rim as time expired. Forward Luke Harangody had game-highs of 29 points and 13 rebounds Tuesday to pace the Irish, who shot 47.6 percent from the field, including hitting 11 of 24 three-point tries.

North Carolina, which is 41-3 since the start of last season (34-2 in the regular season), has won all five of its games by 15 points or more and is averaging 86.2 ppg (46.5 percent shooting) against Division I foes. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is on a 16-4 SU roll and an 8-4 ATS run dating back to last season, and prior to last night had won its first three games by double digits. The Irish put up 86.2 ppg on 48 percent shooting.

North Carolina is on ATS runs of 37-16 in non-conference play and 5-1 at neutral sites, while the Irish are 1-4 ATS In their last five after a SU victory.

Notre Dame is in the midst of “under” streaks of 6-2 overall, 6-2 at neutral sites and 11-5 against non-conference foes. North Carolina has gone over the total in four straight games on Wednesday.

ATS ADVANTAGE: NORTH CAROLINA

Gametimepicks.com

Princeton at Fordham, 7:00 ET
Princeton: 25-12 UNDER after 3 consecutive non-conference games
Fordham: 1-8 ATS as a home favorite

Northwestern at Butler, 7:00 ET
Northwestern: 2-10 ATS on Wednesday
Butler: 11-3 ATS in November

UCF at Ole Miss, 8:00 ET
UCF: 6-1 OVER after a win by 6 points or less
Ole Miss: 6-0 ATS after 2+ consecutive overs

S Illinois at W Kentucky, 8:00 ET
S Illinois: 10-3 OVER AWAY when the line is +3 to -3
W Kentucky: 60-38 ATS when playing only their 2nd game in 8 days

(TC) Arkansas at S Alabama, 9:00 ET
Arkansas: 1-8 ATS as a road underdog
S Alabama: 11-3 ATS when playing only their 3rd game in a week

Detroit at DePaul, 8:30 ET
Detroit: 8-2 ATS after 3 consecutive non-conference games
DePaul: 18-7 UNDER after a road game

SMU at TCU, 8:30 ET MTN
SMU: 17-10 UNDER after 2 consecutive non-conference games
TCU: 4-17 ATS off a DD loss

New Orleans at Colorado St, 9:00 ET
New Orleans: 11-2 ATS off 2 consecutive DD road losses
Colorado St: 13-26 ATS at home after 2+ consecutive losses

Pacific at Nevada, 10:05 ET
Pacific: 4-15 ATS after playing a game as a road underdog
Nevada: 18-6 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 9 points

Air Force at Stanford, 10:30 ET
Air Force: 44-27 ATS in non-conference games
Stanford: 1-4 ATS after allowing 80+ points

Maui Invitational
Maui, HI
Final Round

St. Joseph's vs Alabama, 2:00 ET ESPN2
St. Joseph's: 9-5 Under on Wednesday
Alabama: 2-9 ATS after a win by 15+ points

Oregon vs Texas, 4:30 ET ESPN2
Oregon: 8-2 ATS on Wednesday
Texas: 1-7 ATS after a loss by 6 points or less

Notre Dame vs. North Carolina, 10:00 ET ESPN
Notre Dame: 6-1 OVER after a win by 6 points or less
North Carolina: 29-9 ATS after a non-conference game

CBE Auto Parts
Final Round
Miami, FL

(TC) Cleveland State vs. Florida Int'l, 7:30 ET
Cleveland State: 6-1 UNDER on Wednesday
Florida Int'l: 6-1 UNDER in November

Preseason NIT
Semifinal Round
Madison Square Garden

Boston College vs. Purdue, 7:00 ET ESPN2
Boston College: 11-2 ATS Away off SU loss as favorite
Purdue: 27-51 ATS on Wednesdays

UAB vs. Oklahoma, 9:20 ET ESPN2
UAB: 6-1 ATS vs. Big 12
Oklahoma: 2-11 ATS off BB ATS wins

Great Alaska Shootout
Opening Round
Anchorage, AK

Portland State vs. Northern Illinois, 11:59 ET
Portland State: 6-0 Over as DD favorite
Northern Illinois: 37-21 ATS as DD underdog

Added Games

Murray State at Indiana State, 7:00 ET
Murray State: 3-11 ATS off an Over
Indiana State: 6-20 ATS as a home favorite of 3 points or less

Elon at Virginia Tech, 7:00 ET
Elon: 1-12 ATS after a game where they made 45% of their FT or worse
Virginia Tech: 26-13 ATS at home after playing as favoroite

Eastern Washington at Minnesota, 8:30 ET
Eastern Washington: 0-8 ATS after having won 3 of their last 4 games
Minnesota: 16-5 Under off road game

Northern Colorado at Denver, 9:00 ET
Northern Colorado: 10-2 ATS vs. non-conference
Denver: 8-1 ATS at home off ATS win

Montana State at Oregon State, 11:00 ET
Montana State: 6-1 Under as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points
Oregon State: 0-8 ATS at home off ATS loss

Write-In Game
CBE Consolation Bracket
Ft. Myers, FL

Richmond vs. Bradley, 5:00 ET
Richmond: 6-1 Over off DD win
Bradley: 7-0 ATS after allowing 55 points or less

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

Maui Classic Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards

Before Thanksgiving Day offers gamblers an NFL tripleheader, bettors have a quartet of games to wager on Wednesday at the Maui Classic. Notre Dame and North Carolina will collide in the finals tonight at around 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

**Alabama vs. St. Joseph’s**

--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened St. Joseph’s (2-2 straight up, 2-1 against the spread) as a three-point favorite. As of 11:00 a.m. Eastern, most books had the Hawks listed as two-point favorites.

--Alabama (2-2 SU, 1-1 ATS) split a pair of home games before coming to Hawaii. The Crimson Tide suffered a shocking 72-69 upset in its opener against Mercer, only to bounce back and thump FAMU 89-48 the next time out.

--Mark Gottfried’s team lost 92-69 to Oregon as a 5 ½-point ‘chalk’ in the first round Monday at the Maui Classic. The Tide raced out to leads of 8-0 and 12-3, but trailed 39-36 at intermission. In the second half, Ernie Kent’s team dominated and cruised to the easy victory.

--‘Bama bounced back yesterday by mashing host Chaminade 78-56 as an 18 ½-point favorite. Senario Hillman scored a team-high 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field, setting his career-high for a second straight game. Hillman had 16 points against Oregon.

--Alabama senior guard Ronald Steele is averaging a team-high 15.5 points per game. However, it’s clear that the former All-American, who sat out last season with injuries to both knees, has lost a step. His ball-handling skills and shooting is still there, but his quickness off the dribble isn’t completely back yet.

--Before coming to Hawaii, Phil Martelli’s team beat Rider at home before losing at Holy Cross in overtime. The Hawks lost 68-50 to Texas as nine-point underdogs in the first round of the Maui Classic. They bounced back yesterday by pulling away from Indiana in the second half for an 80-54 victory as 10-point ‘chalk.’

--Darrin Govens scored a game-high 23 points for St. Joe’s, burying 7-of-9 shots from 3-point land. Ahmad Nivins added 18 points and eight rebounds against the Hoosiers.

--Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

**Oregon vs. Texas**

--LVSC sent Texas (3-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) out as a 14-point favorite, but the number was adjusted to 10 at most books. The total was in the 144-145 range.

--Texas won its first three games of the year in blowout fashion over Stetson, Tulane and St. Joe’s. However, the Longhorns went down to Notre Dame last night 81-80. A.J. Abrams scored a team-high 23 points, but he was an abysmal 8-of-27 from the field and 5-of-17 from 3-point range. Justin Mason had 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Longhorns, while Damion James had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

--Oregon (3-2 SU, 2-2 ATS) got a pair of double-doubles in Monday’s 92-69 clubbing of Alabama. Michael Dunigan, a freshman center from out of Chicago, had 18 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor against the Tide. Joevan Catron had 17 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals against the Tide.

--In last night’s 98-69 loss to UNC, Dunigan had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Ducks.

--For what it’s worth, Oregon played the late-night game against UNC, so Texas will take the court with a couple of extra hours of recovery time.

--These teams met in the 2002 NCAA Tournament with Oregon capturing a 72-70 win.

--ESPN2 will have the telecast at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.

**North Carolina vs. Notre Dame**

--Notre Dame (4-0 SU, 1-1 ATS) advanced to the finals with an 81-80 win over Texas last night as a three-point underdog. The Irish hooked up money-line backers with a plus-130 payout (risk $100 to win $130). The 161 combined points soared ‘over’ the 144-point total.

--Notre Dame junior center Luke Harangody, last season’s Big East Player of the Year, scored 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Kyle McAlarney finished with 19 points, draining 5-of-9 shots from 3-point land while showing off perhaps the best long-distance range of any shooter in the nation. Tory Jackson added 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals for the Irish.

--North Carolina (5-0 SU, 2-2 ATS) trounced Oregon 98-69 last night, easily cashing tickets as a 17 1/2-point favorite. The 167 combined points fell ‘under’ the 170-point tally.

--Danny Green led UNC past the Ducks with 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Tyler Hansbrough, who sat out the tournament-opening win over Chaminade by a 115-70 count, had 16 points in his second game of the season. Hansbrough has missed three of UNC’s first five games due to a stress reacting in his shin.

--UNC senior guard Marcus Ginyard, who averaged 6.9 PPG last season, remains “out” with a foot injury.

--Notre Dame spanked Indiana 88-50 in the first round of the Maui Classic on Monday, taking the cash as a 15-point ‘chalk’ at most books. Jackson paced the Irish with 21 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals. McAlarney had 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. He has made 11-of-20 from beyond the arc at this venue this week.

--LVSC opened UNC as a seven-point favorite, but the number was 11 at most books as of late this morning.

--ESPN will provide television coverage at around 10:00 p.m. Eastern (depending on when the preceding games end).

**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**

--I really liked what I saw out of Syracuse the last two nights in Kansas City. The Orange rallied from a double-digit deficit to force overtime and eventually beat Kansas last night in what was basically a road game even though it was played 45 minutes away from Lawrence. With Jonny Flynn running the show at point guard with shooters like Andy Rautins and Eric Devendorf back in the mix, Jim Boeheim's backcourt is loaded. And Paul Harris is one of the best slashing forwards in the Big East. The 'Cuse is going to be back in the Tournament this season, and it might be able to make a serious run.

--Indiana and Chaminade will square off at 7:00 p.m. ET. tonight on ESPNU. It doesn't appear as if books in Vegas are going to have a line for this game.

--Purdue is a nine-point favorite tonight vs. Boston College in the semifinal round of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden. ESPN2 will have television coverage at 7:00 p.m. ET.

--Oklahoma is a 4 1/2-point 'chalk' vs. UAB in the other semifinal matchup at MSG. Tip-off on ESPN2 should be at around 9:20 p.m. Eastern.

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