NCAAB Betting News and Notes Tuesday, February 14th, 2017

NCAAB Knowledge

Richmond is 4-1 (5-0 vs spread) since George Mason held them to 36% from floor in 82-77 road upset Jan 22; Patriots were up 15 at the half- they’ve won last four series games. Spiders are 0-3 in A-14 games in Fairfax, with losses by 9-4-10 points. Richmond is 4-2 SU on A-14 road (5-1 vs spread), with losses at Dayton/VCU. Mason won its last three games, is 4-3 at home in A-14, winning last three home games, by 2-20-6 points. A-14 road teams are 12-10 vs spread in games with spread of 3 or less points.

Clemson rallied from 13 down with 7:01 left to win 73-68 at Wake Forest New Year’s Eve; Tigers have won eight games in row vs Wake, winning by 20-14 points in last two visits here. Clemson lost three in row, nine of last 11 games; they’re 1-4 at home in ACC games, with only win by 12 over Ga Tech (1-2 as home favorites). Wake Forest won three of last four games, is 1-4 as a road underdog, losing away games by 16-17-5-7 points, with wins at NC State/BC. ACC home favorites of 4 or less points are 11-9 vs spread this season.

Quick turnaround for Virginia Tech, which beat Virginia in double OT Sunday night; Teams split four ACC meetings; Hokies lost by 5-19 points in two ACC visits here. Pitt won its last couple games after an 8-game skid; they’re 2-4 in ACC home games (0-1 as a home favorite). Hokies is 1-5 on ACC road, losing last three away games, by 19-31-6 points-= their only ACC road win was by point at Clemson. ACC home favorites of 4 or less points are 11-9 vs spread this season. Tech lost Clarke (ACL) for the year, tough blow.

Buffalo’s 4-game win streak started with a 101-91 home win over Central Michigan Jan 31; game was 52-50 at the half. Bulls won three in row, nine of last 11 games with CMU, winning two of last three visits here. Buffalo won its last four games, covered its last five; they’re 4-3 on MAC road, 1-1 as a road road favorite. Chippewas won their last four home games, by 8-9-6-4 points; their only home loss was to first-place Akron by 4. MAC road favorites of 2 or less points are 4-3-1 vs spread.

Toledo won its last four games with Akron, winning 75-61/68-66 in last two games here. Rockets are 1-5 on MAC road this season, with only win by 3 at Ohio- they won last two games overall. Akron are 11-1 in MAC, just 2-4 as home favorites, with home wins by 5-7-15-7-1-2 points. Zips are shooting 56.9% inside arc in MAC play. Both teams play slowish pace; Toledo plays slowest games in MAC, Akron 3rd-slowest. Favorites are 0-5 vs spread (with a pick ‘em) in Toledo’s MAC road games. MAC home favorites of 7+ points are 7-11-1 vs spread.

Auburn blew 20-point halftime lead, lost by 6 at Ole Miss in last game; Tigers won three of last four home games; their home losses are by 12-3-10 points- they’re 2-3 as an SEC underdog this season. Florida won its last six games (5-1 vs spread); they’re 4-0 as an SEC road favorite, with only road loss by 4 at South Carolina. Gators won their last nine and 15 of last 16 games with Auburn, winning last six visits here, by 6-25-3-5-31-7 points. SEC double digit favorites are 10-15-1 vs spread, 2-3 on road this season.

Central Florida lost 77-66 at Tulsa Jan 28, after leading by 6 with 6:37 left; Knights lost last four and eight of last ten series games, losing last six played in Tulsa, by 2-18-9-20-5-15 points. UCF lost six of its last seven games; they’re 5-2 in AAC home games, 3-2 as a home favorite, with losses to SMU/UConn. Tulsa lost its last four games after a 12-8 start; they’re 2-2 on AAC road, 2-1 as a road underdog, with losses by 3 at Houston, 22 at Memphis. Single digit home favorites are 15-8 vs spread in AAC games this season.

Texas beat Oklahoma 84-83 at home Jan 23, after trailing by 4 with 0:19 left. Sooners are 5-2 in last seven series games, winning last four here, by 6-12-2-3 points, but senior G Woodard tore his ACL last game, is out for year, tough blow for young team. Longhorns are 0-6 on Big X road, 4-2 as road underdogs, with losses by 3-9-10-12-15-13 points. Oklahoma lost its last even games (1-6 vs spread); they’re 1-5 at home with only win over Texas Tech. Big X home favorites of 4 or less points are 3-6 vs spread.

Colorado State won/covered six of last seven games; they’re 4-2 on MW road, with losses by 1 at Boise, 21 at Fresno. Rams are winning despite having only seven scholarship players on hand. Wyoming is 4-2 at home in conference games; their last two home wins were by a total of three points- they’re 2-3 as home favorites. Wyoming won its last five games with Colorado State, winning last three played here, by 8-11-7 points. Mountain West home favorites of 3 or less points are 7-10 against the spread this season.

Georgia lost five of last seven games; they’re only 2-3 at home in SEC, 1-3 as a home favorite, with wins in Athens by 5-8 points over Mizzou/Vandy. Mississippi State lost its last four road games (0-4 vs spread), losing by 17-9-27-6 points; young Bulldogs miss injured senior PG Ready, who is injured and done for the year. Dawgs won their last five games with Miss State, winning by 23-6 points in last two played here- they beat State 79-69 in SEC tourney LY. SEC home favorites of 8+ points are 9-15-1 vs spread this season.

Nebraska lost three in row, eight of last nine games; they lost four of last five home games, with last home loss in OT to Wisconsin. Cornhuskers are 1-2 as a home favorite. Penn State is 4-2 as a road underdog, 2-4 SU on Big 14 road, with wins by 13 at Rutgers, 13 at Illinois. Lions covered four of their last five games. Home side won eight of nine Penn State-Nebraska games; Nittany Lions lost all four Big 14 visits to Lincoln, by 12-14-13-16 points. Big 14 home favorites of 5 or less points are 6-13 vs spread this season.

Michigan State won three of its last four games; they’re 5-0 as home favorite, with home wins by 9-28-18-8-11 points, with only home loss to Purdue. Ohio State is 2-3 as a road underdog, with road losses by 5-10-23-13-9 points, with road wins at Nebraska/Michigan. Spartans lost 72-67 at Ohio State Jan 15, after leading 66-58 with 4:46 left; it was Buckeyes’ first win in last six series games. OSU lost its last four visits to East Lansing by 3-4-3-15 points. Big 14 home favorites of 8+ points are 13-13 vs spread this season.

Boise State won its last four games; they won/covered five of six conference road games, with only loss by 9 in Fresno. New Mexico hasn’t played in a week; they’re 1-5 as a home favorite (3-3 SU) with wins over Fresno, Wyoming, Utah State. New Mexico never trailed in 81-70 win at Boise State Jan 17; Lobos were up 20 in first half, have won three in row over Boise by 5-2-11 points. Broncos lost four of last five games in The Pit, with all four losses by 9+ points. Mountain West home favorites of 3 or less points are 7-10 vs spread this season.

Armadillosports.com

NCAAB: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com

Notre Dame at Boston College

Things have not gone well for Boston College in ACC play. The Eagles are 2-11 (8-5 ATS) this season and have a 2-30 (14-17-1 ATS) skid going back to last season. Expect Irish to do what they usually do in this series and that's win. The Irish have won all six meetings (4-2 ATS) between the two teams since Notre Dame joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season. BetOnline currently has Irish 10.5 (-$1.05) point road favorites.

Tuesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Tennessee at Kentucky

Kentucky (20-5 straight up, 13-12 against the spread) will be looking for revenge when it welcomes Tennessee to Rupp Arena tonight. John Calipari’s team took its first SEC loss of the year at Thomson-Boling Arena on Jan. 24, when UT captured an 82-80 win as a 10.5-point home underdog. The 162 combined points slithered ‘under’ the 167-point total. Robert Hubbs III was the catalyst for the Volunteers with 25 points and seven rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Admiral Schofield added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Grant Williams contributed 13 points, six boards, four blocked shots, three steals and six assists without a turnover. Lamonte Turner was also a factor for the winners, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists without a turnover. Malik Monk scored a team-best 25 points for the Wildcats, but he coughed up five turnovers and made only 3-of-13 attempts from long distance. Edrice Adebayo scored 21 points and De’Aaron Fox had 17 in the losing effort.

As of early this morning, Kentucky was listed as a 14-point home favorite. The ‘Cats own a 12-2 SU record and an 8-6 ATS mark at Rupp.

After losing three of four games to throw its rabid fan base into an uproar, Kentucky has responded with back-to-back victories vs. LSU and at Alabama. UK miserably failed to cover the number against the Tigers, who outscored the ‘Cats 58-49 in the second half. LSU took the cash as a 25-point road underdog, while the 177 combined points went ‘over’ the 171.5-point tally. Wenyen Gabriel and Monk led UK with 23 points apiece.

Kentucky finally cashed a ticket Saturday at Alabama, snapping out of a 1-8 ATS slump to beat the Crimson Tide 67-58 as a 7.5-point road favorite at Coleman Coliseum. Monk scored 17 points to pace the ‘Cats, who caught a monster break due to their foes’ atrocious free-throw shooting. Avery Johnson’s team made just 9-of-26 from the charity stripe (34.6%). UK’s Isaiah Briscoe produced a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.

Kentucky has been a double-digit home ‘chalk’ 13 times, posting an 8-5 spread record. Cal’s club took its outright home losses vs. UCLA and Kansas. The other defeats have come at Louisville (73-70), at UT and at Florida (88-66).

Kentucky is No. 9 in the RPI Rankings, No. 13 in the Associated Press’s poll and No. 7 at KenPom.com. The ‘Cats are 2-3 against the RPI Top 25, 4-5 versus the Top 50 and 11-5 against the Top 100. They have neutral-court scalps of North Carolina and Michigan State, in addition to road wins at Ole Miss, at Vanderbilt and at Alabama. UK’s best home victories have come over Arkansas, South Carolina, Valpo, Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia. All of those wins came by margins of 16 points or more, with a 90-81 overtime win over UGA serving as the lone exception.

UK is fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 89.3 points per game. Monk is averaging 21.7 points PPG while draining 41.4 percent of his 3-point launches. Fox is averaging 15.7 points, 5.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game, while Briscoe is averaging 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Adebayo (12.9 PPG) leads the ‘Cats in rebounding (6.9 RPG), field-goal percentage (60.3%) and blocked shots (1.6 BPG).

Tennessee (14-11 SU, 13-10 ATS) has won four of its eight road contests, going 5-3 ATS. The Vols are 8-3 ATS with five outright victories in 11 games as underdogs. There are 5-1 ATS as double-digit ‘dogs, 6-1 ATS when catching 9.5 points or more.

Rick Barnes’s squad is No. 44 in the RPI, going 1-6 against the Top 25, 2-7 versus the Top 50 and 7-10 against the Top 100. Tennessee has the fourth-best strength of schedule. The Vols’ resume would be so much stronger if not for overtime losses at North Carolina (73-71) and vs. Oregon (69-65) at the Maui Classic in Hawaii. UT’s best wins including home triumphs over UK, Kansas St., Ga Tech and Ole Miss. The Vols have also won at Auburn, at Vandy, at Texas A&M and at East Tennessee St.

Tennessee’s at-large hopes have taken big hits with a pair of losses the last three times out. The Vols had won four in a row both SU and ATS until taking a 64-59 loss at Mississippi State two Saturdays ago as four-point road favorites. Then this past Saturday, they couldn’t take advantage of UGA star Yante Maten’s foul trouble that limited him to 17 minutes of playing time. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs won a 76-75 decision in Knoxville as 4.5-point road underdogs. Williams scored a game-high 30 points and also blocked three shots, but it wasn’t enough as Hubbs (10 pts.) was the only other UT player in double figures.

Hubbs leads UT with a 14.3 PPG average and also pulls down 5.0 rebounds per game. Williams, a true freshman forward, is averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game. He is also shooting at a team-best 54.0 percent from the field.

The ‘over’ is 15-10 overall for UK, 9-5 in its home games. However, the ‘under’ is 4-2 in its last six outings (regardless of venue).

The ‘under’ is 13-8-1 overall for the Vols, 5-3 in their eight road assignments. -- The ‘under’ is 10-3-2 in the last 15 head-to-head meetings between these SEC rivals. Also, the ‘under’ is 8-1-2 in the last 11 encounters played at Kentucky.

Ohio State at Michigan State

These two proud programs are in the midst of nightmare campaigns. Michigan State might miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997, while Ohio State is looking at possibly missing the Tournament for a second straight season. There’s certainly time for both teams to recover, but a win in East Lansing is critical for the cause of both of these bitter rivals. As of early this morning, most spots had the Spartans installed as eight-point home favorites.

Michigan State (15-10 SU, 12-12 ATS) is in fifth place in the Big Ten standings, three games behind league-leading Wisconsin. Tom Izzo’s team has won three of its last four games both SU and ATS, including Saturday’s 77-66 won over Iowa as a seven-point home ‘chalk.’ Miles Bridges was the catalyst with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. Nick Ward added 14 points and five boards, while Cassius Winston contributed 12 points and five assists.

Ward (13.1 PPG) leads MSU in rebounding (6.0 RPG), field-goal percentage (59.9%) and blocks (1.8 BPG). Bridges is averaging 16.2 points and 8.3 RPG.

Michigan State has won 11 of 13 home games at Breslin Center while going 7-5 ATS.

Michigan State is No. 41 in the RPI, going 2-5 against the Top 25, 3-5 versus the Top 50 and 7-9 against the Top 100. The Spartans have home wins over Minnesota, Northwestern, Michigan and Florida Gulf Coast, in addition toe a neutral-court win over Wichita St. They’ve also won on the road at Minnesota and at Nebraska. The big stain on Michigan State’s resume is a home loss to Northeastern. The only other opponent to win at Breslin is Purdue.

Ohio State (15-11 SU, 9-15 ATS) is 5-8 in Big Ten play and No. 59 in the RPI. Thad Matta’s team has lost six of seven games against Top-25 opponents and is 2-8 versus the Top 50. The Buckeyes are 6-9 against the Top 100. They have home wins over Michigan State, Minnesota, Providence and UNC Asheville, in addition to road triumphs at Nebraska and at Michigan.

Ohio State has lost six of its nine games on the road both SU and ATS.

Ohio State sophomore guard JaQuan Lyle is ‘questionable’ due to personal reasons after missing Saturday’s 86-77 loss at Maryland as a 7.5-point road underdog. Lyle (11.4 PPG) is averaging team-highs in assists (5.0 APG) and steals (1.1 SPG). Also, the Buckeyes remain without Keita Bates-Diop, who went down with a season-ending injury in early January. Bates-Diop was averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 RPG.

In the loss to the Terrapins, senior forward Marc Loving had 24 points and five rebounds, while Jae’Sean Tate finished with 20 points and five boards before fouling out. Despite playing just 17 minutes and also getting disqualified due to fouls, Trevor Thompson finished with 11 points and 10 boards.

Ohio State is 3-4 ATS in seven games as a road underdog with a pair of outright victories at Nebraska and at Michigan.

When these teams met in Columbus on Jan. 15, Ohio St. captured a 72-67 win as a 2.5-point home favorite. The 139 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 136.5 points. Lyle led the way with 22 points and six assists compared to merely one turnover. Loving and Tate had 12 points apiece. In defeat, Bridges had 24 points and nine rebounds.

The ‘under’ is 13-11 overall for the Spartans, 7-5 in their home games.

The ‘over’ is 15-9 overall for the Buckeyes, 7-2 in their road outings.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

With 2:43 remaining Monday night, Kansas was staring at back-to-back home losses for the first time during Bill Self’s remarkable 14-year tenure. In fact, KU hadn’t lost consecutive games at Allen Fieldhouse since 1988-89, Roy Williams’s first year at the school. With West Virginia holding a 14-point lead, the fans were on their way to the exits and the game was seemingly over – or not. The Jayhawks rallied to force overtime and then scored the first eight points of the extra session. At this point, gamblers backing WVU +5 were in panic mode and potentially looking at a stay at the Heartbreak Hotel for the night. But Teyvon Myer would hit a deep trey to slice the deficit to 82-78 with 16 ticks left. Next, KU’s Landen Lucas missed a pair of free throws, but WVU’s Nathan Adrian allowed the easy defensive rebound to bounce off his knee and out of bounds to give KU the ball back. Still, KU’s Josh Jackson threw the inbounds pass away and WVU’s Adrian made amends with a putback basket with nine seconds remaining. KU”s Frank Mason was fouled next and hit a pair of FTs to give his team an improbable 84-80 win. Fortunately for WVU backers, a wild bad beat was avoided after some seriously anxious moments.

There was a bad beat that came to fruition in an early 7:00 p.m. Eastern tip at the Carrier Dome last night. Bettors taking ‘under’ 141 points for Syracuse’s home game against Louisville came out on the wrong end of this total after the game wen ‘over due to overtime. Regulation ended with the game tied at 58-58 for just 116 combined points, but U of L would win 76-72 in OT to allow ‘over’ supporters to get a miraculous victory.

Before the game started, a moment of silence was observed for former ‘Cuse big man Fab Melo, who suddenly died in his sleep at the age of 26 on Saturday. Melo was a first-round pick for the Boston Celtics, but only played six NBA games. RIP.

Georgia will take on Mississippi State tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens. UGA snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday by winning at Tennessee behind 29 points from senior guard J.J. Frazier. As of early this morning, most spots had UGA favored by eight points. The Bulldogs are just 2-7 ATS at home, while Mississippi St. is 2-4 both SU and ATS in six road assignments.

Mississippi State senior guard I.J. Ready is ‘questionable’ at UGA due to a calf injury that has kept him out for four straight games. Ready averages 8.7 points, 4.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He has a 94/33 assists-to-turnovers ratio.

Virginia Tech’s 80-78 OT win over Virginia was a costly one, as sophomore slasher Chris Clarke was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Clarke was averaging 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Clarke was also hitting 58.8 percent of his shots from the field.

Oklahoma won’t have its best player for the rest of the season. Senior guard Jordan Woodard tore his ACL in Saturday’s 80-64 loss Saturday at Iowa St. Woodard was averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game. One year removed from a Final Four trip, OU is in the cellar of the Big 12 with a 2-8 record. Lon Kruger’s team returns to the court tonight as a 2.5-point ‘chalk’ versus Texas.

Texas is winless in eight road games, but it is 6-2 ATS in those contests. The Longhorns could’ve pushed in a 13-point loss Saturday at Oklahoma St. as 11-point ‘dogs, but they missed a layup on a run-out with about 20 seconds left. After that, OSU ran out of the clock.

Trends to Watch - Tuesday
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com

Hold That Tiger?

Florida takes a trip to the Plains to battle a surprising 16-win Auburn squad. The Tigers have been a tough out this season, although they're somewhat erratic at times. They have good wins at Connecticut, Missouri and Oklahoma, as well as a season sweep against rival Alabama. However, they're just 3-3 SU over their past six outings. They have won three of their past four at home. The Tigers are just 2-5 ATS in their past seven at home, though, so Gators side bettors will want to take notice. The visitors are favored by 10 points as of Monday night.

As a road favorite, Florida is an impressive 10-1 ATS in their past 11 games, and they're 5-1 ATS in their past six on the road. They're also 19-7 ATS in their past 26 games overall as a favorite. The Tigers are 1-5 ATS in their past six as a home underdog, although they're 11-4-1 ATS in their past 16 at home against teams with a road winning percentage over .600.

If you're a total bettor, the trends are all over the board, and it might be a good idea to go another way. The 'under' is 4-1 in Florida's past five outings, but the 'over' is 11-4 in their past 15 on the road. The over is also 11-3 in their past 14 road outings against a team with a winning home mark. For the Tigers, the over is a perfect 7-0 in their past seven, and 7-1 in their past eight at home. However, the under is 9-3 in their past 12 as a home underdog. Even in this series there are conflicting trends. The under is 4-1 in the past five in Auburn, but the over is 4-1 in the past five meetings overall.

Don't Sleep on the Peacocks!

St. Peter's will host Marist in a MAAC game in Jersey City. Whether it is a big school or a small school, winners are winners. The Peacocks have been cashing regularly, going 6-1 ATS in their past seven games, including an 81-65 victory at Marist back on Jan. 26 as four-point favorites. SPU is also 12-3 ATS over their past 15 games dating back to Dec. 28, a cover at Notre Dame. The Peacocks are 6-1 ATS in their past seven MAAC games, 8-1 ATS in their past nine following a straight-up win and 4-1 ATS in their past five as favorites. Over the past two seasons they're also 20-8 ATS in their past 28 against teams with a losing straight up record.

For the Red Foxes, they're at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. They're 2-5 ATS in their past seven as an underdog, 2-5 ATS in their past seven league games and 2-5-1 ATS in their past eight against teams with a winning overall mark. And they're underdogs by 12 1/2 as of Monday night. In their past five as a 'dog of 7 to 13 points, they're 0-5 ATS. While Marist is 4-1 ATS in the past five trips to St. Peter's, the favorite is an overwhelming 20-9 ATS in the past 29 meetings in this series. Total bettors might also be interested to know the 'under' is 4-1 in Marist's past five, and 14-6 in their past 20 road outings. For SPU, the 'under' is 5-2 in their past seven at home, although the 'over' has cashed in four of the past five in this series.

ACC Must-See

Notre Dame is the only ranked team in three ACC outings Tuesday, as they travel to Boston College. The Irish are searching for their 20th victory of the season, and they're favored by 10 points to do just that. Since an eight-point win over N.C. State back on Jan. 11, the Eagles have hit the skids with nine straight losses, all in ACC play. While this season isn't as big of a disaster as last year's winless ACC regular season, the Eagles are still buried in the basement while the Irish find themselves just 1 1/2 games out of first place in the league.

The Irish are 7-1 ATS in their past eight following a cover, and they're 5-1-1 ATS in their past seven on the road. They're also 9-3-1 ATS in their past 13 as a favorite, and 9-3-1 ATS in their past 13 conference tilts, too. And generally they take care of business against the dregs on the hardwood, posting a 7-3-1 ATS mark in their past 11 against sides with a winning percentage of .400 or worse. The Eagles have been feisty against good teams, going 9-2 ATS in their past 11 against teams with a winning percentage over .600, and 5-2 ATS in their past seven at home against teams with a winning road mark. But the Irish are 4-1 ATS in their past five trips to Beantown, 4-1 ATS in the past five in this series and the road team is 5-1 ATS in the six meetings.

Wake goes to Clemson, and they're three-point 'dogs as of Monday night. The Demon Deacons are 6-2 ATS in their past eight against teams with a winning straight up record, but just 1-5 ATS in their past six on the road. The Tigers are 3-8 ATS in their past 11 overall, and 1-4 ATS in their past five at home, so something's gotta give. Bettors might want to look to the series history for the difference maker, as Wake is 9-2 ATS in their past 11 trips to Littlejohn, and 13-5 ATS in the past 18 meetings overall.

The 'over' has also been a dominant trend for both sides lately. The over is 5-0 in Wake's past five road outings, 7-0 in their past seven as an underdog and 9-1 in their past 10 overall. The over is 8-0 in Clemson's past eight at home, 9-2 in their past 11 overall and 4-1 in their past five as a favorite. Of course, the under is 6-0 in the past six in this series, and 5-1 in the past six at Clemson.

Another MAC-tion Packed Night

Central Michigan plays host to Buffalo, and they're a 1 1/2-point underdog at home. On the surface, it appears the 16-9 Chips should be favored over the 13-12 Bulls. Buffalo is 5-0 ATS in their past five overall, and 12-3-1 ATS in their past 16 league games, though, while going 5-0 ATS in their past five against winning teams. CMU is 5-2 ATS in their past seven, and 4-0 ATS in their past four home outings.

If you're confused on a side, consider the 'over'. The over is 7-1 in the past eight meetings in Mount Pleasant, and 6-2 in the past eight overall. Plus, the over is 7-2-1 in the past 10 home games for the Chips, and 15-5 in their past 20 overall. The over is also 5-1 in Buffalo's past six, and 4-0 in their past four on the road against a team with a winning home record.

Akron will play host to Toledo, and they're a touchdown favorite. The Rockets do not mind being a seven-point underdog, as they're 9-1-1 ATS in their past 11 as an underdog between seven and 13 points. They're also 4-1 ATS in their past five against winning teams, although just 2-6 ATS in their past eight on the road. While Akron has won a lot of games, they're not covering spreads. They're 3-8 ATS in their past 11 at home, 1-4 ATS in their past five overall and 0-5 in their past five as a favorite between seven and 13 points.

Desperate OSU, MSU meet
By: StatFox.com

Both Ohio State and Michigan State will be hoping to keep their tournament hopes alive when the teams meet in East Lansing on Tuesday.

Ohio State and Michigan State are both on the outside of the tournament bubble right now, but both teams have enough time to turn things around and change that. The loser of this game will, however, be in a lot of trouble in that regard. The Spartans are the team that is playing the better basketball coming into this one. Ohio State is coming off of an 86-77 loss as 7.5-point road underdogs at Maryland on Saturday, and Michigan State has won three of its past four games after a 77-66 victory over Iowa on Saturday. The Buckeyes will, however, be the more confident team on Tuesday. That is because Ohio State beat Michigan State 72-67 as a 2.5-point home favorite on Jan. 15. The Buckeyes will surely feel like they have the recipe for success against the Spartans, but Michigan State had won-and-covered in the previous five meetings between the teams. One thing that favors the Buckeyes in this game is the fact that they have responded well to losses all season. They are 6-4 SU when coming off of a SU loss, and they are also 5-4 ATS in that same situation. The Spartans, meanwhile, will also have a trend working in their favor. They are an impressive 10-1 SU and 7-4 ATS when playing as a home favorite this season, and they’ll definitely welcome the opportunity to play in front of their fans on Tuesday.

If Ohio State is going to come away with a huge victory in East Lansing then F Marc Loving (12.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG) is going to need to have a big game. Loving has been inconsistent throughout his college career, but he is a very talented player and will definitely be eager to finish out his senior season on a positive note. Loving should be confident on Tuesday, as he is coming off of one of his best games of the year against Maryland on Saturday. The Buckeyes might have lost that game, but Loving had 24 points and five rebounds on 8-for-14 shooting from the floor. Loving was 4-for-8 from three in that game as well, and he’ll just need to come out and be aggressive on Tuesday. F Jae’Sean Tate (14.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG) will also need to do more of the same from Saturday. Tate filled up the box score in that one, finishing with 20 points, five boards, three assists, two steals and a block in 34 minutes of action. His activity all over the floor should give the Spartans some issues. If Loving and Tate can get going on Tuesday then all it will take is some minor contributions from the Ohio State supporting cast in this one. That is not too much to ask for, especially when the Buckeyes have other talented players like G JaQuan Lyle (11.4 PPG, 5.0 APG, 1.1 SPG) and F Trevor Thompson (10.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.7 BPG) around.

With the Spartans likely playing for their season on Tuesday, it can be expected that F Miles Bridges (16.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG) will have a good game against Ohio State. Bridges was dominant the last time these teams met, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds on 9-for-12 shooting from the floor and 4-for-5 shooting from three. He should be able to put forth a similar performance on Tuesday, as he’ll be more comfortable playing in front of the Spartan faithful. Bridges does, however, need some of his teammates to step it up. The Michigan State supporting cast has been the issue all season long, and the Spartans need that to change fast. Two guys that definitely have the talent to help Bridges in this game are C Nick Ward (13.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG) and G Cassius Winston (7.1 PPG, 5.2 APG). Ward and Winston were the two that rose to the occasion against Iowa last game, combining to score 26 points off the bench. For Ward, it’s just a matter of staying out of foul trouble. He has the size and skill to punish any opponent he wants when on the floor. Winston, meanwhile, will just need to see an increase in minutes. He doesn’t always get time, but he can really shoot and knows how to score the basketball.