Monday's Best NCAAB Bet
Pittsburgh Panthers at West Virginia Mountaineers (-2, 130)
Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins claims his team isn’t wearing down and has no issues with depth. The scoreboard seems to indicate otherwise.
"They play a hundred of them in the NBA against the best athletes in the world,'' Huggins said. "A hundred of them. They seem to keep playing. We're fine. We've just got to make some shots.''
But the team didn’t make many shots in a 66-50 loss at Villanova on Saturday. West Virginia struggled against a physical and faster Wildcats team, going as deep as it could into its bench. In recent games against Louisville and Cincinnati, Huggins played a mere seven. He went eight deep against Seton Hall and attempted to go with a nine man rotation against the Wildcats. But the results didn’t pan out. In the loss to Villanova he tried to give some of his starters a rest, but recently reinstated forward Casey Mitchell logged just 13 minutes and Jonnie West played only a couple.
Overall, the West Virginia bench combined for 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting and committed four turnovers.
Meantime, the Panthers come calling off a 71-59 win over Cincinnati that saw eight different players make a basket. The turnaround from a Saturday game to a Monday game also is West Virginia’s shortest break all season between contests.
Hopefully they got to bed early – they are going to need their rest.
Pick: Pittsburgh
Missouri at Kansas: What Bettors Need to Know
By Marc Lawrence
With the football season now in the rear-view mirror, our focus shifts to the hardwood where a battle of Big 12 basketball powers tips off when Kansas (22-1, 7-1) hosts Missouri (18-5, 4-4) at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence Monday. The Tigers will be looking to settle a score from a pair of losses suffered against the Jayhawks last season.
Twin engines
Marcus and Markieff Morris, the twin-brother engines that power the nation’s No. 2-ranked team, have been firing on all cylinders this season.
The two forwards are averaging 16.7 points per game and 60.1 percent from the field and 13.1 points per game and 58.7 percent from the field, respectively.
Together they combined for 33 points on 11-of-13 shooting in Kansas’ 86-66 win over Nebraska Saturday. Both misses were 3-pointers by Marcus.
Jayhawks head coach Bill Self said it would be difficult to lose Marcus and Markieff. Self said they are the two best passers and that when they pass well, the rest of the team benefits.
As a result, backup senior guard Brady Morningstar enjoyed his best statistical game of the season when he went 5 for 7 from the field. The resurgent Morningstar had 19 points and six assists with no turnovers.
Morningstar answered the call when Self sat freshman guard Josh Selby with a stress reaction in his right foot. Self insisted sitting Selby was because of precautionary measures and said Morningstar did a good job stepping up on the starting role.
“I really don’t expect much of a drop off even though I know our best players have to play,” Self said. “I think we have a bunch of best players.”
Defense be damned
The 86 points Kansas scored is the most Nebraska, with the best defense in the conference, has surrendered since Feb. 17 of last year.
With the Jayhawks shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 54.2 percent from behind the arc, it didn’t matter how good the opposing defense is.
“I thought, the entire game offensively, that’s as good as we can execute,” coach Self said. “Of course, it helps when you make shots, and we had some guys step up.”
Tiger pause
Missouri leaped out of the starting gate with a 14-1 record in its first fifteen games this season before hitting the skids.
The Tigers posted a 3-4 record in its previous seven contests heading into Saturday’s game against Colorado before finally coming away with a convincing 89-73 victory.
Head coach Mike Anderson shook up the lineup after consecutive Big 12
road losses, benching guard Kim English.
English, Missouri's top scorer from last year with a 14-point average, was 1 for 8 with four points at Oklahoma State and entered the game shooting 29 percent in conference play.
A starter in 21 of Missouri’s 22 games this season, English responded with 21 points in a rare reserve role.
More brotherly love
Not to be outdone by Kansas’ Morris brothers, Missouri started a brother-tandem of its own for the first time this season when Phil and Matt Pressey teamed together in Saturday’s win over Colorado.
The siblings are the sons of former Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Paul Pressey.
Phil Pressey had 13 points, five steals and three assists, but Matt Pressey contributed only three points in 22 minutes.
In this series
Kansas is:
• 4-0 ATS the last four meetings
• 11-5 ATS when the Tigers own a win percentage of more than .700
Missouri is:
• 16-8-1 ATS when the Jayhawks own a win percentage of .840 or greater
• 9-6 ATS when the Jayhawks are off a win of 20 or ore points
Tape measure
According to Covers.com College Basketball Statistics, here is a breakdown of how each team ranks among 345 others in three pivotal stat categories, namely offensive field goal percentage, defensive field goal percentage and rebound margin this season:
Offensive FG Percentage
Kansas 52.0 – No. 1
Missouri 46.6 – No. 43
Defensive FG Percentage
Kansas 38.3 – No. 10
Missouri 42.1 – No. 116
Rebound Margin
Kansas +7.7 - No. 9
Missouri -0.6 – No. 194
Chew on this
Kansas coach Bill Self is 95-9 straight up and 60-41-3 against the spread at home in conference games during his career as a Division-1 coach, including 26-11-1 ATS versus a conference foe off a SU and ATS win.
NCAA Betting Preview: Missouri at Kansas Jayhawks
By: Willie Bee
It's currently a two-horse race in the Big 12 between the Kansas Jayhawks and Texas Longhorns. Sitting 2-3 in both of the latest sets of rankings, the Jayhawks and Longhorns appear destined to decide one of the regional No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament with the two schools on a collision course for the Big 12 Conference Championship Game on March 12 in Kansas City.
Mike Anderson and his Missouri Tigers will try to at least throw a small fly in that ointment when they travel to Lawrence for Monday's hardwood Border War matchup with Kansas. Tip-off at Allen Fieldhouse is 6 p.m. (PT) with ESPN providing the broadcast.
Missouri (18-5 straight up, 9-9 against the spread) was listed No. 14-15 by the writers and coaches respectively, and should be down a notch or two in both polls following the 76-70 loss at Oklahoma State this past Wednesday. The defeat was the Tigers' second straight both on the floor and against the NCAA odds. Missouri was a slight two-point road favorite in Stillwater, and was a 7½-point underdog before that when Texas rolled past the Tigers, 71-58, in Austin on Jan. 29.
The Tigers rebounded for their fans and backers this past Saturday, pulling off an 89-73 home win over Colorado as 9½-point chalk. Anderson shook up his lineup with Kim English coming off the bench and the two Pressey siblings, Matt and Phil, both starting. The change proved successful with English posting a season-high 21 points, hitting three of his six long range shots and adding six rebounds in 24 minutes. Phil Pressey had five of Missouri's 15 steals with the Tigers forcing 23 overall Colorado turnovers.
The 89 points were more on par with Mizzou's 83.3 season mark, sixth in the nation, after the squad averaged just 64 per game in the two previous losses. The final marked the second consecutive 'over' for the Tigers who are 10-7 that direction on the season, 4-1 'over' in true road games.
Meanwhile in Lincoln this past Saturday, Kansas (22-1 SU, 11-10 ATS) pasted an 86-66 defeat on Nebraska. The Jayhawks, five-point road favorites, beat the Cornhuskers for a 17th-straight time thanks in part to Brady Morningstar's season-best 19 points. The senior guard never stepped inside the arc to shoot, going 5-of-7 from three-point land and adding four points from the line plus a team-high six assists.
The Morris Brothers, Markieff and Marcus, combined for 33 points and 1-of-13 shooting from the field. Markieff was a perfect 3-for-3 from long range with Kansas hitting at a 54.2 percent clip from outside the line, 55.6 percent overall on the day.
Saturday's triumph was the fourth straight for the Jayhawks since their lone defeat of the season to Texas on Jan. 22. Three of the four have been by 20 points or more, with Kansas cashing for its backers the last three. All four of the recent victories have jumped the total; the Jayhawks are 12-7 'over' on the season, 6-2 in Big 12 play.
Kansas has dominated this series that dates to the 19th century, winning 169 of the 263 battles. The Jayhawks are 87-33 in Lawrence, winning the last 11 at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks currently are on a 3-0 stretch against Missouri, both SU and ATS. Bill Self's squad took the Tigers down twice last season, winning 84-65 as 12-point home chalk and 77-56 on the road in Columbia as a four-point favorite. Both games finished 'under' the total with the game in Lawrence just falling short of the 151-point line.
A rematch between the two schools is scheduled for the final Saturday of the regular season (March 5) in Columbia. In the more immediate future, Before we get to that Kansas takes four days off before hosting Iowa State this Saturday while Mizzou returns home to entertain Oklahoma the same day.
College Basketball Knowledge
Home side won eight of last 10 Pitt-West Virginia games, with Panthers 7-3 in last 10, splitting last four here. Pitt G Gibbs is out (knee); thats big blow to Panthers, who are 9-1 in Big East, 4-0 on road. WVU split last four games; they've scored just 56.4 ppg in last five games. Big East home teams covered 11 of 17 games if spread was 3 or less points.
Detroit (+9) lost 81-69 at Cleveland State Jan 20; they're 2-6 in last eight series games- Vikings are 4-3 in last seven visits here. Detroit won last two games, but is just 1-4 vs spread as Horizon underdog. Cleveland St. had its 6-game win streak snapped by Butler Saturday. Faves are 10-5 vs spread in Horizon games if spread is less than 4 points.
Butler won eight in row, 11 of last 12 games vs Ill-Chicago, winning last six games played here, by 4-19-26-16-19-18 points, but Bulldogs are 2-4 in last six games overall, failing to cover last five as a favorite. Flames are 1-11 in Horizon, 3-4 as road dog, losing away games by 2-24-12-24-9-14-6 points. Double digit favorites are 5-8 vs spread in Horizon games.
Youngstown has been gritty at home, but is 1-5 as a Horizon home dog, with road losses by 9-15-24-5-13-22 points; they lost 66-62 (+6) Jan 20 at home to Wright State. Raiders are 2-3 as Horizon home fave, winning home games by 24-3-5-13-6 points (lost to Valpo). Double digit faves are 5-8 against the spread in Horizon games, 5-5 at home.
Kansas PG Selby (foot) is out, but Jayhawks still won last three games by 24-22-20 points- they won three in row, eight of its last nine against rival Missouri, taking the last seven here by 9-12-33-3-19-25-19 points. Mizzou is 0-4 on Big 12 road, losing away games by 13-2-13-6 points. Double digit home favorites are 2-5 vs spread in Big 12 games.
New Mexico State won six of last seven games vs Louisiana Tech, with Tech losing last five visits here by 15-4-9-2-2 points. Bulldogs are 2-8 in WAC but covered four of last five, including last three on road. Aggies didn't play Saturday; they're 4-0-1 as home favorite, winning by 12-18-25-9-8. WAC home favorites of 8+ points are 4-9 against the spread.
Underdog is 11-1 vs spread in Siena's MAAC games, 7-0 in last seven Loyola tilts; Saints are 0-7 as a favorite, 0-5 at home (4-2 SU) with home wins by 6-4-2-7 points. Loyola covered its last four games as underdog. Siena (+3.5) won 76-59 at Loyola 10 days ago. Single digit home faves are 7-14-1 against the spread in MAAC games this season.
NC-Greensboro started season 0-15, is 4-3 since (6-0-1 vs spread), with only one loss by more than a hoop; they won two of last three at home- they're 1-0 as a favorite. Citadel scored 55-60 points in losing last couple road games, but they did win last two on road (2-3 as road dog). Home team is 12-8 vs spread in SoCon games if number is 3 or less points.
Manhattan is 4-19, a horrible team, but they've covered last five games on the road, losing by 10-12-2-7 points, with win at Marist on halfcourt shot at buzzer. 7-5 Iona lost last four games by total of 11 points; they are 4-1-1 as home favorites, winning at home by 9-24-18-18-38 points, with loss to Rider. Double digit home favorites are 12-6-1 in MAAC.
Tennessee Tech (+12) upset Austin Peay 71-68 in Clarksville Jan 20th, their third win in last four series games; Tech survived 22 turnovers by holding Peay to 36% from floor. AP lost four of their last six trips here; they're 3-4 in last seven games overall, after starting out 6-0 in OVC. Single digit home underdogs are 7-11 against the spread in OVC games.
Eastern Illinois (+14) won 61-60 at Murray State Jan 20th, in large part due to Racers' subs going 2-9 from foul line; it was Panthers' first win in last seven series games. Murray is 5-2 in last seven visits here, winning by 18-6-11-6-9 points. Underdog covered Eastern's last nine games. OVC home underdogs of 6+ points are 5-3 vs spread.
Tennessee State (-9) beat Jacksonville State 68-63 Jan 20, in a game Jax led by 10 at half; teams split season series in each of last five years, as Gamecocks won four of last five series games played here. OVC home underdogs of less than 4 points are 0-8 vs spread. Tigers lost three of last four games; they're 2-4 on OVC road, with wins by 10-3 points.
Tips and Trends
Pittsburgh Panthers at West Virginia Mountaineers
PANTHERS: Pittsburgh has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are one of the very best teams in the nation. The Panthers are 21-2 SU this season, ranking them 4th in the country. Despite being 21-2 SU, the Panthers are just 9-9 ATS overall this year. Pittsburgh has been facing inflated lines all season long, and tonight will mark just the 2nd tim this season they will be the listed underdog. The Panthers beat Georgetown on the road earlier this season SU as the listed underdog. Pittsburgh is 4-0 SU and 2-2 ATS in true road games this year. The Panthers split the season series with West Virginia last year, with their SU win coming in overtime. With Ashton Gibbs out with an injury, G Brad Wanamaker will have to step even more the next few weeks. Wanamaker is averaging 12.3 PPG and a team high 5.2 APG this season. F Gilbert Brown has a great all around game, as he's averaging 11.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG this season. The Panthers are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 Monday games. Pittsburgh is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Panthers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against the Big East. Pittsburgh is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS win.
Panthers are 5-1 ATS last 6 games following a SU win.
Under is 6-2 last 8 road games.
Key Injuries - G Ashton Gibbs (knee) is out.
Projected Score: 61
MOUNTAINEERS: (-1, O/U 130) West Virginia has been playing well up until their last game at Villanova. The Mountaineers were dominated in that game, losing 50-66 SU. West Virginia is back at home now, where they are 9-1 SU and 5-2 ATS overall this season. The Mountaineers are 15-7 SU and 9-10 ATS overall this year. West Virginia is 6-8 ATS as the listed favorite this year. The Mountaineers are 0-2 ATS when they've had less than 48 hours to prepare for a contest. Forward Kevin Jones is 1 of 4 Mountaineers that average double figures in PPG. Jones averages 13.3 PPG this year, while also grabbing a team high 7.1 RPG. G Truck Bryant is averaging 10.7 PPG this year, but has been held to single digits in each of his past 5 contests. The Mountaineers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games games against a team with a winning percentage above .600%. West Virginia is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against the Big East Conference. The Mountaineers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU loss.
Mountaineers are 4-1 ATS last 5 home games against a team with a winning road record.
Under is 5-0 last 5 games overall.
Key Injuries - F Dante Taylor (knee) is questionable.
Projected Score: 68 (SIDE of the Day)
Missouri Tigers at Kansas Jayhawks
TIGERS: Missouri got a much needed win over Colorado in their last game. The Tigers need all the momentum they can get, as they haven't been firing on all cylinders of late. The Tigers have plenty of revenge on their minds tonight, as they were beaten soundly in both meetings with Kansas last year. Missouri is 18-5 SU and 9-9 ATS overall this season, as they are ranked 15th in the national polls. The Tigers are just 1-4 SU and ATS overall this year. Missouri is 2-1 ATS as the listed underdog, with tonight representing the largest spread the Tigers have faced this season. Missouri is 1-1 ATS in games with less than 48 hours to prepare. G Marcus Denmon leads Missouri in scoring, averaging 16.7 PPG this year. F Ricardo Ratliffe is averaging 11.7 PPG and a team high 6.8 RPG this season. The Tigers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win. Missouri is 18-37 ATS in their last 55 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600%. The Tigers are 20-42 ATS in their last 62 road games.
Tigers are 6-2 ATS last 8 games following a SU win.
Over is 8-3 last 11 Monday games.
Key Injuries - F Kadeem Green (knee) is out.
Projected Score: 75
JAYHAWKS: (-10, O/U 154) Kansas is playing like the best team in the nation right now, as they've simply destroyed their opponents of late. The Jayhawks won by 20 PTS or more against Nebraska and Texas Tech, both times on the road. Kansas is 22-1 SU this season, currently ranking them 2nd in the national polls. The Jayhawks are 11-10-1 ATS this season, which includes 3 consecutive ATS wins. Kansas is 12-1 SU and 6-5 ATS in home games this eason. The Jayhawks are 12-10 ATS as the listed favorite this season, including 9-6 ATS as a double digit favorite this year. F Marcus Morris leads the Jayhawks in scoring, averaging 16.7 PPG to go along with 6.8 RPG. Fellow F Markieff Morris is averaging 13.1 PPG and a team high 8.5 RPG this season. In total, 6 different Kansas players averaging more than 8 PPG this year. The Jayhawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win. Kansas is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 home games against a team with a losing road record.
Jayhawks are 19-7 ATS last 26 Monday games.
Over is 4-1 last 5 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600%.
Key Injuries - G Josh Selby (ankle) is questionable.
Projected Score: 88 (OVER-Total of the Day)