NCAAB Betting News and Notes Wednesday, February 8th, 2017

NCAAB Knowledge

Ole Miss won four of its last five games; they’re 4-0 as SEC road underdogs, with road losses by 7-11 at Florida/So Carolina (3-2SU on SEC road). Tennessee won three of last four games, is 1-1 as a home favorite, beating Miss State/Kentucky in last two home games. Ole Miss won three in row, six of last seven games with Tennessee; they beat Vols 80-69 in first meeting this year, despite going 1-14 on arc, 27-42 on foul line (Vols were 13-24 on line). Rebels won two last three visits to Knoxville. SEC home favorites of 7 or less points are 11-20 vs spread.

Baylor lost its last two games by total of 7 points after a 20-1 start; Bears are 3-2 on Big X road, with losses at West Va/Kansas. Oklahoma State won/covered its last four games; they won as an 11-point dog at West Va Saturday. Cowboys are 1-3 at home in Big X, with only win by 13 over TCU. Baylor outscored OSU 22-11 on foul line in 61-57 home win over the Cowboys Jan 7, Bears’ 3rd straight series win (by 12-4-4 points). Baylor is 3-2 in its last five trips to Stillwater. Big X road favorites of 3 or less points are 5-3 against the spread.

Providence lost three of last four games, is 3-2 as a road underdog (2-4 SU) with road losses by 26-17-1-10 points. Seton Hall lost five of last seven games, is 2-1 as a home favorite (3-1 SU) with home wins by 3-31-13 points, with loss to Butler. Hall lost 65-61 at Providence Jan 14 in teams’ first meeting this year; Pirates won last three series games, by 9-26-4 points, but Friars won three of last our visits here. Seton Hall turns ball over 20.4% of time in Big East, shoots only 60.6% on line. Big East home favorites of 7 or less points are 5-9-1 vs spread.

Cincinnati won its last 14 games; their last loss was Dec 10 to Butler. Bearcats are 3-2 as road favorites, with wins by 6-9-9-17-2 points on AAC road. Central Florida lost four of its last five games, is 5-1 at home in AAC, 1-1 as a home underdog, with only home loss by 5 to SMU. Knights turn ball over 23.5% of time in AAC games. Cincinnati is 6-0 vs UCF in AAC games, winning two meetings here, by 18-23 points. Favorites covered last three series games. Double digit home favorites are 6-11-1 vs spread in AAC games.

Miami won three of its last four games; they’re 3-2 at home in ACC, 1-3 as a home favorite, with home wins by 18-1-15 points, with losses to Notre Dame/Florida St. Dogs are 4-1 vs spread in their home games. Virginia Tech is 1-3 as a road dog, losing away games by 26-15-19-31 points, with a 82-81 win at Clemson. Miami won six of its last seven games with Tech, winning last two played here, by 24-16 points- they also beat Hokies in last two ACC tourneys. ACC home favorites of 8 or less points are 17-10 against the spread.

Oklahoma had only 12 turnovers, shot 56% inside arc in 89-87 upset win at West Virginia on jan 18; WVU was just 7-25 on arc. Sooners won four of last five series games, winning last four here by 13-10-19-2 points. Oklahoma lost its last five games overall (1-4 vs spread); they’re 1-4 at home in Big X, with only win over Texas Tech. West Virginia split its last six games; they’re 3-2 on Big X road, losing at Texas Tech/K-State. Oklahoma is just 16-60 on arc in its last three games. Big X road favorites are 7-6 against the spread.

Iowa won/covered its last three games; they’re 0-4 as a Big 14 road underdog, losing away games by 22-3-35-12 points- they won by 20 at Rutgers, in a pick ‘em game. Minnesota lost five of last six games, is 1-2 as a home favorite, with only home win in four tries by 10 over Ohio State. Gophers are shooting only 43.4% inside arc in league games. Iowa won six of last nine games with Minnesota; Hawkeyes lost five of last seven visits to Twin Cities. Single digit home favorites are 23-20 vs spread in Big 14 games this season.

VCU won its last four games, winning in OT in Olean Saturday after St Bonaventure students stormed court before game was over. Rams are 2-3 as road favorites, winning away games by 9-7-6 points, with losses at Davidson/Fordham, is 3-1 at home in A-14, with only loss by 7 to Richmond. VCU thrashed George Washington 85-55 in first meeting Jan 11; they scored 1.33 pts/possession while GW was 2-16 on arc. Rams won six of last seven series games, winning by 13-4 points in last two meetings here. A-14 road favorites of 5 or less points are 3-5.

Underdogs are 4-1 SU/5-0 ATS in Fresno State’s road games; they’re 2-0 vs spread as an underdog, with only win at Nevada. Wyoming is 2-2 as a home favorite, 3-2 SU at home, losing to Nevada/Boise- their home wins are by 12-1-8 points. Fresno won its last four games with Wyoming, winning first meting this year 85-70, in foulfest where teams took combined 68 foul shots. Bulldogs won their last two visits here, by 5-4 points. Mountain West road teams are 10-7 against the spread in games where spread was 2 or less points.

Cal-Davis won eight of its last ten games overall; they’re 3-0 in Big West home games, winning by 26-4-9 points; Aggies are 1-1 as a home favorite. Davis won three of last four games with Cal State-Fullerton, winning last three played here, by 8-6-5 points. Fullerton won its last two games; they split four Big West road games, are 1-2 as road underdogs, losing away games by 20-11 points, with wins at Cal Poly/UCSB. Titans are turning ball over 22.7% of time in league games. Big West home favorites of 7 or less points are 6-15 vs spread this season.

California won three in row, six of last seven games; they’re 2-2 on Pac-12 road, with underdog covering three of the four games (Cal is 0-1 as a road favorite). Bears lost at UCLA/Oregon, won at USC/OSU. Arizona State covered four of last five games; they’re 2-2 at home, losing to Utah/Wazzu, beating Colorado/Washington. Cal was 11-25 on arc, beat ASU 81-65 at home Jan 1, Bears’ third straight series win. Cal lost three of last four visits to Tempe, but won 68-65 here LY. Pac-12 road favorites of 3 or less points are 1-3 vs spread.

Morehead State won/covered five of its last six games; they’re 3-1 as home favorite, with wins by 10-8-2-26 points, with only loss to Belmont. Murray State lost three of last four games, is 3-2 on OVC road, with losses at Tennessee Tech/Austin Peay by total of seven points. Murray won seven of last eight games with Morehead; teams split pair of meetings in last two OVC tourneys. Racers won last three visits here, by 6-6-5 points. Morehead leads OVC, making 40.4% of its 3’s in league play. OVC home favorites of less than 4 points are 4-8 vs spread this season.

Fort Wayne lost four of its last six games, is 2-2 as a home favorite, winning Summit home tilts by 11-4-30 points, with loss to Western Illinois. South Dakota won three of last four games, is 3-2 as a Summit road underdog, losing away games by 1-10-8 points, with wins at No Dakota St, Denver. IPFW was 3-0 vs South Dakota LY, winning by 20-13-16 points; Coyotes lost four of last five visits here, losing by 5-2-6-20 points. Coyotes are best team in Summit at getting to foul line. Summit League home favorites of 6+ points are 9-5 vs spread.

Armadillosports.com

Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com

Baylor at Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State (15-8 straight up, 11-6 against the spread) is one of the nation’s hottest teams, winning five in a row both SU and ATS after losing its first six Big 12 contests. Three of the five wins during this surge have come by double-digit margins, while the last two came on the road at Oklahoma (68-66) and at West Virginia (82-75).

I was all over Brad Underwood’s first team in Stillwater on Saturday when it went to Morgantown and won an 82-75 decision over the Mountaineers as a 10.5-point road underdog. The 157 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 165-point total. Jeffrey Carroll scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 makes from downtown. Jawun Evans hit 6-of-7 attempts from both the field and the free-throw line in an 18-point effort. Evans had five assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals. Phil Forte was also in double figures with 13 points thanks to 8-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe. OSU hit 25-of-40 shots from the field (62.5%), 8-of-13 (61.5%) from 3-point range and 24-of-27 from the line (88.9%).

Oklahoma State owns an 8-3 SU record and a 3-3 ATS mark at home this season.

Evans is the catalyst for Oklahoma St., pacing the team in scoring (18.3 points per game), assists (5.4 APG) and steals (2.0 SPG). Carroll (17.3 PPG) is averaging 7.1 RPG and is shooting 56.2 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from long distance.

OSU is No. 21 at KenPom.com and No. 27 in the RPI Rankings. The Cowboys have just one defeat to an opponent outside of the RPI’s Top 42, falling 82-79 at Texas. They have three wins over the RPI Top 50, beating TCU (89-76) and Arkansas (99-71) at home, in addition to the aforementioned win at WVU. OSU also has Top-100 wins at Wichita State (93-76), at Texas Tech (83-64) and vs. Georgetown (97-70) on a neutral floor.

Baylor (20-3 SU, 10-8 ATS) has been the nation’s biggest surprise, racing out to a 20-1 start before dropping its last two games. Since losing its first game at West Virginia on Jan. 10 after being tabbed as the nation’s No. 1 team for the first time in school history, the Bears had responded nicely with a five-game winning streak. But that ended last Wednesday in a 73-68 loss at Kansas, though they did take the cash as 6.5-point road underdogs.

Baylor lost again Saturday at home when Kansas State captured a 56-54 win as a seven-point road underdog. Bruce Weber’s team led by 15 at halftime and by as many as 18 in the second half before a furious rally by Balor sliced the deficit to one in the final minute. K-State’s D.J. Johnson missed a pair of free throws with his team up by one late, but he pulled down a defensive rebound off a Baylor miss with 10 seconds remaining. After getting fouled, he made 1-of-2 at the stripe to extend the lead to two. The Bears had three shots to tie in the final seconds, but Johnson blocked Johnathan Motley’s attempt with one tick left. Motley had 17 points and 14 rebounds in defeat. The Bears shot a season-low 38.9 percent from the field and had 16 turnovers compared to only 12 assists.

Motley has enjoyed a dynamite senior campaign, leading Baylor in scoring (16.2 PPG) and rebounding (9.8 RPG). Manu Lecomte (12.3 PPG) is dishing out a team-best 4.3 APG while draining 42.2 percent of his launches from 3-point land. Jo Lual-Acuil (9.9 PPG) leads the Bears in blocked shots (62) and field-goal percentage (58.2%) while pulling down 7.1 RPG.

Baylor has won four of six road assignments both SU and ATS.

Baylor is No. 9 at KenPom.com, No. 1 in the RPI and No. 6 in the Associated Press’s Top 25. Scott Drew’s team is 3-1 vs. RPI Top-25 opponents, 9-3 vs. Top-50 foes and 12-3 against the Top 100. The Bears’ best road wins are at Kansas State, at TCU and at Ole Miss. They also have neutral-court scalps of VCU, Michigan State and Louisville, in addition to home triumphs vs. Oregon, Xavier, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.

Baylor is ranked seventh in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 61.4 PPG. The Bears are ninth in field-goal percentage defense (38.6%). Credit Lual-Acuil’s rim protection for those numbers.

When these teams met in Waco on Jan. 7, Baylor captured a 61-57 win as a 12-point home favorite. The 118 combined points was a thunder ‘under’ with the total closing at 151. Wainright led the Bears with 17 points, while Motley contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. In the losing effort, Forte scored 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Carroll added 14 points and five rebounds, but Evans was limited to 24 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble. Evans went 2-of-12 from the field finished with eight points and five assists.

As of early Tuesday night, several offshore books had Oklahoma St. listed as a one-point home favorite.

The ‘over’ is 10-7-1 overall for the Cowboys, 5-0-1 in their home outings.

The ‘under’ is 11-6-1 overall for the Bears, going 3-3 in their road games. They’ve seen the ‘under’ go 4-1 in their last five contests.

Stanford at Arizona

As of early Tuesday night, several shops had Arizona (21-3 SU, 12-10-2 ATS) installed as a 13.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The Wildcats have been double-digit home favorites in all 12 of their games at the McKale Center,

Arizona is in a first-place tie with Oregon atop the Pac-12 standings after losing Saturday to the Ducks in Eugene. Both schools are 10-1 in league play, two games ahead of both USC and UCLA. Oregon smashed the Wildcats from start to finish in an 85-58 win as a four-point home favorite. Dana Altman’s team led by 20 at intermission thanks to lights-out shooting. The Ducks made 65.2 percent from the field, 64.0 percent from 3-point land and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line. Rawle Alkins scored a team-high 16 points for the Wildcats.

Sean Miller’s team is undefeated in 12 home games with a 4-6-2 spread record.

Arizona is tied for eighth with Florida is the RPI Rankings. Miller’s bunch is 1-3 against the Top 25, 4-3 versus the Top 50 and 7-3 against the Top 100. The Wildcats’ best wins have come at UCLA, at USC, at California and at Stanford. They also have neutral-court victories over Michigan St. and Texas A&M.

Before falling to Oregon, Arizona’s losses had come on a neutral court vs. Butler (69-65) and vs. Gonzaga (69-62).

Arizona is led by Lauri Markkanen, a 6’11” freshman from Finland. Markkanen leads the Wildcats in scoring (15.9 PPG), rebounding (7.5 RPG), 3-point shooting (48.7%) and free-throw shooting (85.4%). Since coming off of a suspension, Allonzo Trier has played in the last five games. The sophomore guard is averaging 14.2 PPG and has a 15/4 assists-to-turnovers ratio. Dusan Ristic and Alkins are both averaging 11.8 PPG.

Stanford (12-11 SU, 10-12 ATS) is in a three-way tie for seventh place in the Pac-12 with a 4-7 mark in conference action. The Cardinal has limped to a 1-6 SU record and a 3-4 ATS mark in seven road assignments.

Stanford halted a three-game losing streak both SU and ATS by capturing an 81-75 win over Utah as a 2.5-point home underdog Saturday in Palo Alto. Junior forward Reid Travis was the catalyst for the Cardinal, producing 26 points, five rebounds and three steals while burying 11-of-15 attempts from the field. Dorian Pickens and Robert Cartwright (5/1 assists-to-turnovers ratio) added 14 points apiece.

Stanford has been an underdog 11 times, compiling a 4-7 spread record with two outright wins against Utah and Seton Hall on a neutral floor. However, the Cardinal is 2-1 ATS in three games as a double-digit ‘dog.

After missing all but eight games last season due to an injury, Travis has averaged 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting at a 56.7 percent clip from the field. Pickens (12.3 PPG) is the only other Cardinal scoring in double figures.

Stanford is No. 68 in the RPI, going winless in six games versus Top-25 foes. The Cardinal is 1-8 against the Top 50 and 2-9 vs. the Top 100.

When these long-time league rivals met in Palo Alto on New Year’s Day, Arizona dealt out woodshed treatment in the form of a 91-52 beatdown as a 6.5-point road favorite. Alkins led the way with 19 points and seven boards, while Ristic finished with 16 points. Travis (11 points, eight rebounds) fouled out after playing just 25 minutes.

The ‘under’ is 13-9 overall for Stanford, 5-2 in its road contests.

The ‘under’ is 12-11-2 for the Wildcats, 6-6 in their home games.

The ‘over’ is 5-1 in the last six head-to-head meetings between these schools.

Trends to Watch - Wednesday
VegasInsider.com

Sooner State Showdowns

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State play host to a pair of Top 15 teams on Wednesday night. The Sooners will square off against West Virginia, and they're holding steady as nine-point underdogs. These two sides met in Morgantown on Jan. 18, and it was the Sooner coming away with an 89-87 overtime victory as 16 1/2-point 'dogs, cashing +1100 on the moneyline. That Sooners win came on the heels of an impressive nine-point win against Texas Tech, and it appeared the Sooners might be turning around their season. However, they dropped a tough overtime game at home against Iowa State, and then have proceeded to lose five in a row since.

West Virginia is trying to wash the sour taste out of their mouth after being upended by OK State over the weekend, 82-75, also in Morgantown. In fact, the Mountaineers have looked rather ordinary lately with a 3-3 SU record over their past six games while going 3-7 ATS over their past 10 outings. The good news for West Virginia is that the Sooners are 0-4 ATS in their past four against teams with a winning mark, but Oklahoma is 4-1 ATS in their past five home games against the Mountaineers.

Speaking of those Cowboys, their game aginst Baylor opened as a pick 'em, and OK State is now favored by one as of Tuesday afternoon. The last time these sides met Jan. 7 in Waco, it was the Bears coming away with a narrow four-point victory, while the Cowboys easily covered a 12-point number. The Bears are 14-3-1 ATS in their past 18 games on the road, but just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 games overall. OK State has covered five in a row, and they rise to the occasion against good teams, going 4-0 ATS in their past four against teams with a winning straight-up mark. OK State is also 3-1-2 ATS inthe past six in this series, with the home team 14-5-2 ATS in the past 21 in the series.

Seminole Revival

Florida State appears to have righted the ship after a rough three rough road games from Jan. 14-28. They got untracked with a 75-57 win at Miami-Florida last Wednesday, and followed that win up with a 48-point throttling of Clemson on Super Bowl Sunday, taking out some pent-up frustrations. They will play host to a Jekyll and Hyde team from North Carolina State, with good wins at Duke and at home against Virginia Tech, but non-competitive games at Louisville and North Carolina.

The Wolfpack come in on a three-game losing streak, and they're just 2-7 ATS over their past nine outings. N.C. State is also 1-5 ATS on the road this season, and 1-6 ATS away from home if you count neutral-site courts. For FSU, home is where the heart is - and the money. They're 4-1-1 ATS in their past six in Tallahassee, including impressive wins over Duke, Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. N.C. State, on the other hand, is 1-6 ATS in their past seven road games, 1-4 ATS in their past five against teams with a winning overall mark. However, the Pack are 8-3 ATS in their past 11 trips to Tallahassee, and the road team has covered in 10 of the past 14. The underdog is also 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings with the 'over' cashing in 10 of the past 14.

Big Ten Desperation

Ohio State will play host to Rutgers, and Vegas has the Buckeyes installed as 10-point favorites. The Buckeyes are just 3-4 ATS as double-digit favorites this season, including a stunning straight-up loss to Florida Atlantic back on Dec. 6 in non-confernce play. The Buckeyes have been a little hard to figure lately, losing games that were supposed to be close at Iowa and home to Maryland, but then winning on the road in Michigan as 9 1/2-point underdogs. The Scarlet Knights have dropped 10 of their past 12 overall, and they're just 4-8 ATS during the span. As double-digit 'dogs this season they are 3-3 ATS. The best trend for Rutgers is the 'under', cashing in 10 of their past 13 outings.

Minnesota will host Iowa in the other Big Ten battle, and the Gophers cannot afford any additional losses if it wants to make a case to the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The Gophers are in a precarious position at 16-7, especially with a 4-6 record inside the conference. In fact, the Hawkeyes have been much better in league play at 6-5, so this will be a grind. The Gophers are favored by 7 1/2 points, but they're just 2-4 ATS over their past six games, and 2-3 ATS in their past five at home. The Hawkeyes enter play with three straight-up wins and covers in a row, although they're just 1-4 SU/ATS in their past five games away from Iowa City. The Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their past five trips to the Twin Cities, and the underdog has cashed in four straight in this series.

Angry Cats

Arizona will look to get back on track against Stanford at 11 p.m. ET in the desert. The Wildcats were demolished at Oregon over the weekend by 27 points, obviously their worst loss of the season. Arizona has hit a rough patch for bettors, too, going 1-3 ATS over the past four outings. The last time these teams met on the farm, the Wildcats stomped the Cardinal by a 91-52 score on New Year's Day as the 'over' cashed. It was Arizona's sixth consecutive cover in the series, too. The 'over' is 4-0 in the past four meetings in Arizona, and 5-1 in the past six in this series.

The Cardinal have been a bit unconsistent this season, but one thing is very consistent - losing away from home. They're just 1-6 SU on the road this season, and 2-3 ATS in five road league games. Their past two road losses in conference have been by an average of 14.0 points. And Stanford is just 8-21 ATS in their past 29 games on the road over the past couple of season, and they're 5-12 ATS in their past 17 against teams with a straight-up winning mark.

Seton Hall hosts Providence
By: Dave Schoenholt
StatFox.com

Struggling Big East brethren Providence and Seton Hall square off on Wednesday night in Newark.

The Friars and Pirates are both headed in the wrong direction with only a month left to get back on track for potential postseason play. Seton Hall has lost five of its last seven contests (4-3 ATS), but may be getting back on the right track after a road win at Georgetown on Saturday (68-66, Hall +3). Prior to that, the Pirates played nationally ranked Xavier tough on the road last Wednesday, losing 72-70 (Hall +5). Back in the Prudential Center to face Providence, Seton Hall is 8-1 (4-4 ATS) this season at home where they will play four of their next five contests. Providence has lost three of their last four games, most recently hanging with defending national champion, #2 Villanova on the road (66-57, PC +9.5) last Wednesday. With a week’s worth of rest in between that game and the tilt against Seton Hall, Providence hasn’t been adversely affected this season with that kind of break (6-5, 7-4 ATS w/3+ days rest). The Friars are just 2-6 (4-4 ATS) on the road this season, however, and sport a mediocre 4-7 Big East conference record to date. It is worth noting that both road wins have come in conference play for the Friars, including their first every win at Marquette (79-78, PC +8 ) on Jan. 28. In total trends, the Under is 5-1 in Seton Hall’s last six contests. The Friars and Pirates have already met this season, with Providence securing a 65-61 (Hall -1.5) win in the Dunkin Donuts Center. It was the 100th meeting between the two long-time Big East schools and Providence now holds a 52-48 all-time advantage. Last season Seton Hall swept Providence, while prior to that, Providence had a string of four straight wins between Feb ’14 and March ’15. The road team in this matchup is 4-2 ATS in the past six meetings.

Coach Ed Cooley’s Friars knocked out Seton Hall in mid-January on the back of efficient offense and a big free throw advantage. Providence shot 47.8% FG (43.8% 3PT) on just 46 shots (16 less attempts than Seton Hall), but supplemented their effort from the field with 22 trips to the charity stripe (versus just 8 for the Pirates). F Rodney Bullock (16.9 PPG, 6 RPG) and G Kyron Cartwright (10.7 PPG, 6.8 APG) led the way with 22 and 20 points respectively, in the win. The Big East’s active leading assist leader (with Maurice Watson Jr. injured), Cartwright added eight assists and just one turnover in the win. Bullock, Providence’s leading scorer, has really struggled over his past two games, producing just 14 total points (5-for-18 FG, 0-of-5 3PT). Providence just doesn’t have enough weapons to survive in key games without Bullock producing, and they need his length (6’8”) in the game as one of the more undersized power seven teams in the country. F Emmitt Holt (12.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG) teams with Bullock on the frontline, and their job will be to keep the nation’s leading rebounder (Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado) from eating them alive on the glass. At 307th in the country in rebounding, this is a poor matchup for the Friars, who allowed Delgado to snatch 16 boards in their first meeting. Jalen Lindsey (10.5 PPG, 47.7% 3PT) has proven to be an effective sniper in conference play, shooting 16-of-30 3PT over his last five games.

For Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard, his Pirates revolved around their version of the “big three”: F Angel Delgado (15.0 PPG, 13.1 RPG), G Khadeen Carrington (16.6 PPG) and F Desi Rodriguez (15.7 PPG). All three are part of a junior class that (along with departed Isaiah Whitehead) was to transform the Seton Hall program. The Pirates came away with a Big East Tournament title last season, but have an uphill climb – despite the individual success of these aforementioned three – to garner an NCAA berth this season. Carrington, Delgado and Rodriguez all play north of 30 minutes per game in a thin Pirates rotation and scored 45 of Seton Hall’s 61 total points the last time they played Providence. Chief amongst Coach Willard’s concerns should be getting Carrington and Rodriguez to improve their efficiency in conference play. Since Jan. 16, Carrington and Rodriguez are shooting 26.2% FG and 33.8% FG, respectively (five games). Carrington is averaging just 10.0 PPG in that span. Fortunately not in a slump is Delgado, who’s enjoying a monster year as the nation’s leading rebounder. Tied for second in the nation in double-doubles (17), Delgado has gone from just a role player to a legitimate offensive threat, raising his scoring average 6+ points over last season. The 6’10” junior is averaging 18.0 PPG and 18.0 RPG over his last four games and should threaten those numbers against a smaller Providence frontcourt on Wednesday night. With their main perimeter threats struggling, the Pirates need consistent help from freshman sparkplug Myles Powell (10.7 PPG). The only respectable offensive threat beyond Carrington, Rodriguez, and Delgado, Powell is capable of huge games (26 points, 6-for-12 3PT versus Xavier) but equally capable of disappearing (seven out of 10 Big East games in single-digits scoring).