NCAAB National Notes
By Brian Edwards
Florida took an abysmal 1-6 spread record into Saturday’s showdown against Kansas State in Sunrise (where the NHL’s Florida Panthers play). Other than a solid win at FSU as four-point underdogs, the Gators had looked very ordinary so far this season. That lackluster play continued in the early going against the Wildcats, who held UF scoreless for the first six-plus minutes of the game. However, solid defense kept Billy Donovan’s team in the game and it somehow pulled to within three by intermission. In the second half, it was all Gators, who rode the hot shooting of Kenny Boynton (15 points) to a 57-44 win in a pick ‘em affair. The ‘under’ has now cashed in four straight Florida games. UF will face three cupcake foes at home before a New Year’s Eve clash at Xavier.
Kansas freshman phenom Josh Selby made his collegiate debut Saturday and did not disappoint. Selby drained a clutch 3 for the go-ahead points with 26 seconds left in a 70-68 home win over USC. The Trojans easily took the cash as 18-point underdogs. Selby finished with 21 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes of playing time off the bench. The Jayhawks will go on the road to face California on Wednesday.
Mississippi State (7-3 straight up, 0-6 against the spread) remained winless for our purposes when it got destroyed 88-57 by Va. Tech in Saturday’s game in the Bahamas. Renardo Sidney finally made his much-anticipated collegiate debut, scoring 12 points in 25 minutes before fouling out. Sidney made 6-of-11 shots from the field, but he committed four turnovers and grabbed just three rebounds. MSU junior point guard Dee Bost isn’t eligible to return to the floor until the team’s SEC opener (1/8 vs. Alabama).
Gonzaga picked up a crucial win for its profile when it went into Dallas and beat Baylor 68-64 Saturday as a 7 ½-point underdog. Robert Sacre scored a team-high 17 points for the Bulldogs, who will host Xavier on Dec. 22.
San Diego St. (12-0 SU, 9-2 ATS) continued to cash tickets galore with its 90-64 win Saturday over UC-Santa Barbara as a 14 ½-point home favorite. Malcolm Thomas led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Aztecs will be heavily favored in their next five games and will most likely cruise into a Jan. 12 home game against UNLV with a perfect 17-0 ledger.
Do you have Alabama on your fade list yet? The Crimson Tide fell to 1-7 ATS when it dropped a 68-60 decision to Oklahoma State on Saturday in Oklahoma City. The Cowboys took the money as five-point favorites. JaMychal Green is back from suspension for the Tide, scoring 16 points and grabbing five boards against Travis Ford’s team.
Not only did Texas A&M find a way to win outright after trailing Arkansas for most of the second half Saturday, but the Aggies also hooked up their backers in a 71-62 victory in overtime. Mark Turgeon’s squad cashed tickets as a 5 ½-point ‘chalk.’
Ohio State freshman center Jared Sullinger is making a strong case for All-American honors here in the early going of the 2010-2011 campaign. Sullinger scored 30 points and had 19 rebounds in the Buckeyes’ 79-57 win over South Carolina as 18-point favorites Saturday.
Kentucky beat Mississippi Valley State by an 85-60 count Saturday in a non-lined affair. The Delta Devils are coached by Sean Woods, the UK great (and one of the four ‘Unforgettables’) who made the go-ahead bucket before Christian Laettner’s buzzer beater in the Elite Eight loss to Duke in the 1992 NCAA Tournament at the old Spectrum in Philadelphia. John Calipari was ejected from the game for the first time since he coached at UMass back in 1996.
Texas clipped North Carolina 78-76 on freshman Cory Joseph’s winning basket with 1.4 ticks remaining. The Longhorns went into Greensboro, N.C., and emerged victorious as a 3½-point underdog. The loss dropped UNC to 7-4. The Tar Heels will finish out the year vs. William & Mary (12/21) and at Rutgers (12/28).
Check out Donnie Jones and one of the best stories in college basketball so far this season – the UCF Knights. They stayed unbeaten by rallying from a 10-point deficit at intermission to beat Miami 84-78 in overtime. UCF won outright as a two-point underdog to improve to 10-0. In his first year since AD Keith Tribble, a former Gator, plucked Jones, the former UF assistant, away from Marshall, the Knights have quality wins over Florida and UM. Before getting into Conference USA play, UCF plays at UMass (12/22) and vs. Furman (12/29).
Staying in C-USA, UAB owns a dynamite 8-1 spread record to go with its 7-2 SU mark. The Blazers host VCU (12/21) and George Washington (12/27) and play at Duke (1/5) before starting their league schedule.
With home losses to Ohio State and Florida, FSU couldn’t afford to get tripped up on its way to Hawaii in a late-night road game Saturday at Loyola-Marymount. The Seminoles downed LMU 74-63 as six-point road favorites. They play the Warriors, who are 7-2 SU and 4-1 ATS, on Dec. 22.
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