Monday's Tip Sheet
By Brad Young
**West Virginia at Pittsburgh**
-Las Vegas Sports Consultants installed Pittsburgh as a nine-point home 'chalk' over West Virginia, with the total set at 135. ESPN will provide coverage of this Big East matchup beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET.
-West Virginia (16-7 straight up, 9-11 against the spread) snapped a two-game SU losing skid by throttling Providence Saturday as an 11 1/2-point home favorite, 86-59. The Mountaineers improved to 3-1 ATS the past four performances.
-West Virginia jumped out to a 42-27 halftime advantage, and finished the contest by shooting a robust 50 percent (32-of-64) from the field. Guard Alex Ruoff paced the offense with 24 points and six assists, while forward Da'Sean Butler added 17 and nine rebounds.
-The Mountaineers maintain a 6-4 SU and 4-6 ATS road record, winning those affairs by an average score of 72-68.
-Pittsburgh (21-2 SU, 11-6 ATS) is riding a modest three-game winning streak after pummeling DePaul Saturday as a 16-point road 'chalk,' 92-69. The Panthers are 3-1 ATS their last four board games.
-Pittsburgh dominated the Blue Demons on the boards, 40-22, while shooting a blistering 56 percent (38-of-68) from the field. Forward DeJuan Blair led all scorers with 32 points and 14 rebounds, while Levance Fields added 13 and 16 assists.
-The Panthers sport a 14-0 SU and 5-3 ATS home ledger, winning those matchups by an average score of 84-62.
-Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS the previous five meetings with West Virginia after winning January 25 as a one-point road underdog, 79-67. The Mountaineers had covered back-to-back outings in this series before the last meeting.
**Kansas at Missouri**
-LVSC opened Missouri as a 4 1/2-point home favorite over Kansas, with the total listed at 153. ESPN starts its coverage of this Big XII affair at 9:00 p.m. ET.
-Kansas (19-4 SU, 11-7 ATS) continued its winning ways with Saturday's victory over Oklahoma State as an 11 1/2-point home 'chalk,' 78-67. The Jayhawks are 1-2 ATS the past three outings.
-Kansas jumped out to a 37-24 halftime advantage, and finished the contest by shooting 46 percent (28-of-61) from the field. Guard Mario Little came off the bench to provide 13 points and five rebounds, while center Cole Aldrich added 12 and 18.
-The Jayhawks are 5-4 SU and ATS on the road, winning those games by an average score of 71-68.
-Missouri (20-4 SU, 10-7 ATS) has strung together three consecutive victories SU and ATS after Saturday's triumph over Iowa State as an 8 1/2-point road favorite, 82-68.
-The Tigers outrebounded the Cyclones, 31-27, while shooting a stellar 57 percent (35-of-61) from the field. Forward DeMarre Carroll enjoyed a solid effort with 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Kim English added 16, five and four.
-Missouri sports a 14-1 SU and 5-3 ATS home record, winning those endeavors by an average score of 88-63.
-Kansas is 4-0 SU and 1-2 ATS the last four meetings with Missouri, but this is the first encounter this season.
vegasinsider.com.
Game of the day: West Virginia at Pittsburgh
By COVERS.com
Game: West Virginia Mountaineers at Pittsburgh Panthers
Chairman of the boards
Pittsburgh Panthers center DeJuan Blair pulled down 14 rebounds during his team's win over DePaul on the weekend. Nine of those rebounds were on the offensive glass, helping the beefy Blair score a career-high 32 points.
Blair's presence on the boards is sparking the comparison to another meaty, low-post player who made a living hustling for rebounds.
"He's not as athletic as Charles Barkley, but he's certainly bigger," DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright told reporters. "Their hips are right up to here on you and they just don't give up space. He's the kind of guy that when they have festival seating at a stadium ... you want to be standing next to Blair. You're going to get a good seat. He's going to be at the front."
The solid sophomore is averaging just under 10 rebounds per game during conference play. He recently grabbed 22 rebounds in a win over Notre Dame. Blair will bang with a more slender WVU frontcourt Monday.
The Mountaineers starting forwards, Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks, stand 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9 respectively but don't carry the same framework as Blair. They allowed the Panthers big man to pull in 11 rebounds and score 16 points during Pitt's 79-67 win over two weeks ago.
“You can't have those big, wide bodies stand in the lane,” WVU coach Bob Huggins told reporters following that loss. “We just got down and tried to stop them in the lane and that is a recipe for disaster.”
Ruoff stretch
West Virginia Mountaineers shooting guard Alex Ruoff welcomed back an old friend during his team's much-needed win over Providence Saturday: his shooting stroke.
Ruoff had his best day behind the arc since Christmas, knocking down 6-of-7 3-pointers to finish with 24 points. The senior was marred in a shooting slump for most of the New Year. After hitting a school-record nine 3-pointers Dec 23, Ruoff is shooting just over 30 percent from long range during Big East play.
"Alex is 6-for-7 and I think that has as much to do with us playing well as anything else,'' Huggins told the Charleston Gazette following the weekend win. "And we did play well. That's as good a team effort as we've had in a while.''
Ruoff was hitting trifectas at a 41-percent clip last season. He's averaging over 16 points and makes up more than 18 percent of the Mountaineers offense this year.
Playing the Fields
Pittsburgh's offense is switching into high gear. The Panthers have scored 90 or more points in each of their past three games and point guard Levance Fields is the man behind the wheel.
Fields scoring has helped Pitt pile it on opponents but it's his playmaking ability that has the offense clicking. The 5-foot-10 senior spark plug has dished out 36 assists during this span including a school-record 16 helpers against DePaul Saturday.
"My first option," Fields told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "is to get guys involved. I'm getting assists, but the guys deserve it because they are hitting their shots."
Fields boasts a 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio and dishes out an average of eight assists during conference play. He has only three turnovers over the past three games.
Production from the pine
West Virginia needs more from its reserves if it wants to even the count in the basketball edition of the Backyard Brawl.
The bench scored 16 points in the win over the Friars, outscoring Providence reserves' six-point contribution. The WVU subs scored just six points against Pitt two weeks ago and had feeble efforts of six and eight points in losses to Louisville and Syracuse.
"We've got some guys who aren't very skilled," Huggins told the Charleston Daily Mail last week. "Let's be honest. But they're going to play hard. They're great kids and we will win. We will win.
"Before all is said and done, we're going to be fine because they are good kids. But it's hard. We have to play every game like it's for the championship."
The biggest problem is that the bench is putting more fouls on the score sheet than points. Top reserves Kevin Jones, John Flowers and Cam Thoroughman backup the WVU frontcourt, however, Huggins doesn't have much in the way of reserve guards.
West Virginia (16-7, 9-11 ATS) at (6) Pittsburgh (21-2, 10-6-1 ATS)
The Backyard Brawl takes to the hardwood as West Virginia travels to Pittsburgh looking to put an end to the Panthers’ three-game winning streak.
The Mountaineers snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday with an 86-59 home win over Providence, easily cashing as an 11½-point chalk. West Virginia has lost two straight on the road in Big East action (1-1 ATS) and three of its last four away from home (2-2 ATS).
Pitt has won three straight (2-0 ATS) and is coming off Saturday’s 92-69 win at DePaul, cashing as a 16½-point road favorite. The Panthers are a perfect 14-0 in front of the home fans (6-2 ATS) where they average 83.4 points per game and 50 percent shooting, while giving up 62.2 ppg on 41 percent shooting.
West Virginia is 5-5 SU and 4-6 ATS in Big East play, though the four spread-covers came in the last six games. Pitt is 8-2 in league action (6-4 ATS), including 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS at home.
When these two squared off in Morgantown, W.V., back on Jan. 25, the Panthers rolled to a 79-67 win as a one-point ‘dog. Pitt has won five of the last six meetings (4-2 ATS) and squeaked out a 55-54 home win a year ago as a three-point favorite. The Panthers are 12-5-1 ATS in the last 18 matchups, and the favorite is 10-4-1 ATS in the last 15.
West Virginia is just 3-8 ATS in its last 11 contests after a non-cover, but otherwise it is on positive ATS runs of 6-2 on Mondays, 4-1 as an underdog and 14-4-1 as a road ‘dog of seven to 12½ points. Pittsburgh is on ATS streaks of 5-2 at home, 9-4-1 on Mondays, 4-1 against Big East foes and 4-0 as a favorite of seven to 12½ points.
The Mountaineers have topped the total in seven of their last nine as a ‘dog of seven to 12½ points and the Panthers are on “over” runs of 4-1 at home, 15-5 against Big East competition, 45-22 as a home favorite and 4-1 after a spread-cover. Also, the over has been the play in three of the last four battles in this rivalry following a 4-0 “under” streak.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
(21) Kansas (19-4, 12-5 ATS) at Missouri (20-4, 10-7 ATS)
The Jayhawks carry an eight-game winning streak into Mizzou Arena to take on Missouri in a Big 12 showdown.
Kansas’ eight-game winning streak (7-1 ATS) has left them a half-game behind Oklahoma in the Big 12 standings – the only two teams still unbeaten in league play – and the Jayhawks are a perfect 4-0 SU and ATS on the highway in conference action. On Saturday, Kansas went to Oklahoma State and won 78-67, narrowly covering as 10½-point favorites.
Missouri has won seven of its last eight (6-2 ATS) and crushed Iowa State 82-68 Saturday, cashing as a nine-point road chalk to improve to 7-2 in the Big 12 (6-3 ATS). The Tigers are 14-0 at home this season (5-2 ATS in lined games), including 4-0 SU (3-1 ATS) in Big 12 play, and for the season they average 89.2 ppg on 50 percent shooting at Mizzou Arena while giving up just 62.4 ppg on 37.8 percent shooting.
The Jayhawks have won five straight in this rivalry (3-2 ATS), sweeping the season series in each of the last two years. In last season’s trip to Missouri, they scored a 76-70 win but came up short as seven-point favorites. The underdog is 9-4-2 ATS in the last 15 meetings between these rivals, and the Tigers have gotten the cash in six of the last nine at home.
Kansas is riding several positive ATS trends, including 21-8 overall, 4-0 on the road, 8-1 against Big 12 competition, 20-7 against teams with a winning record, 10-3 as a road ‘dog and 6-0 on Monday. The Tigers are on ATS spirals of 18-37-1 in Big 12 action and 8-20-1 ATS as a favorite of less than seven points, but they are on positive pointspread trends of 6-2 overall and 4-1 after a spread-cover.
For the Jayhawks, the under is on runs of 4-1 on the road, 4-1 on Mondays, 4-1 as ‘dogs, 5-1 after a spread-cover and 4-0 in Big 12 play. Missouri is riding “over” streaks of 5-1 overall, 8-3 at home, 5-1 in Big 12 action, 12-5 after a spread-cover and 7-0 on Monday. In this rivalry, the over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings overall and 6-1 in the last seven clashes at Missouri.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NONE
Gametimepicks.com
W VIRGINIA (16 - 7) at PITTSBURGH (21 - 2) - 2/9/2009, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
W VIRGINIA is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 3-2 against the spread versus W VIRGINIA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 4-1 straight up against W VIRGINIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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KANSAS (19 - 4) at MISSOURI (20 - 4) - 2/9/2009, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MISSOURI is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) when playing with one or less days rest over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS is 33-21 ATS (+9.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS is 33-21 ATS (+9.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) against conference opponents this season.
KANSAS is 11-4 ATS (+6.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
KANSAS is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
MISSOURI is 2-1 against the spread versus KANSAS over the last 3 seasons
KANSAS is 4-0 straight up against MISSOURI over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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BOISE ST (16 - 6) at FRESNO ST (9 - 14) - 2/9/2009, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOISE ST is 18-6 ATS (+11.4 Units) as a road underdog of 3 points or less or pick since 1997.
BOISE ST is 64-37 ATS (+23.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
BOISE ST is 33-18 ATS (+13.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record after 15 or more games since 1997.
FRESNO ST is 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
FRESNO ST is 15-29 ATS (-16.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
FRESNO ST is 20-41 ATS (-25.1 Units) when the total is 140 to 149.5 since 1997.
FRESNO ST is 14-27 ATS (-15.7 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
FRESNO ST is 5-17 ATS (-13.7 Units) in all home games over the last 2 seasons.
FRESNO ST is 5-17 ATS (-13.7 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.
FRESNO ST is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in a home game where the total is 140 to 144.5 since 1997.
FRESNO ST is 7-18 ATS (-12.8 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
FRESNO ST is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in February games over the last 2 seasons.
FRESNO ST is 5-17 ATS (-13.7 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
FRESNO ST is 18-33 ATS (-18.3 Units) after failing to cover the spread in 3 or more consecutive games since 1997.
FRESNO ST is 41-62 ATS (-27.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
FRESNO ST is 40-63 ATS (-29.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOISE ST is 4-1 against the spread versus FRESNO ST over the last 3 seasons
BOISE ST is 4-1 straight up against FRESNO ST over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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LOYOLA-MD (11 - 14) at SIENA (18 - 6) - 2/9/2009, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOYOLA-MD is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) when the total is 140 to 149.5 over the last 2 seasons.
LOYOLA-MD is 26-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
LOYOLA-MD is 26-12 ATS (+12.8 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
LOYOLA-MD is 26-12 ATS (+12.8 Units) in road lined games over the last 3 seasons.
LOYOLA-MD is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in road games against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
LOYOLA-MD is 28-5 ATS (+22.5 Units) in road games in February games since 1997.
LOYOLA-MD is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) in road games after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
LOYOLA-MD is 32-16 ATS (+14.4 Units) in road games off a loss against a conference rival since 1997.
SIENA is 3-10 ATS (-8.0 Units) against conference opponents this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
LOYOLA-MD is 5-1 against the spread versus SIENA over the last 3 seasons
LOYOLA-MD is 4-2 straight up against SIENA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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WOFFORD (10 - 11) at UNC-GREENSBORO (4 - 18) - 2/9/2009, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UNC-GREENSBORO is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in all home games this season.
UNC-GREENSBORO is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in home lined games this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
WOFFORD is 3-1 against the spread versus UNC-GREENSBORO over the last 3 seasons
WOFFORD is 3-1 straight up against UNC-GREENSBORO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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FURMAN (5 - 17) at ELON (7 - 14) - 2/9/2009, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
FURMAN is 3-1 against the spread versus ELON over the last 3 seasons
ELON is 3-1 straight up against FURMAN over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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RIDER (13 - 9) at MARIST (7 - 18) - 2/9/2009, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
RIDER is 42-66 ATS (-30.6 Units) as a favorite since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
RIDER is 4-2 against the spread versus MARIST over the last 3 seasons
MARIST is 3-3 straight up against RIDER over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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IONA (11 - 13) at MANHATTAN (13 - 10) - 2/9/2009, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
IONA is 59-39 ATS (+16.1 Units) in road games after a conference game since 1997.
IONA is 10-3 ATS (+6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MANHATTAN is 15-28 ATS (-15.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MANHATTAN is 15-28 ATS (-15.8 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
MANHATTAN is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in all home games over the last 2 seasons.
MANHATTAN is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.
MANHATTAN is 7-17 ATS (-11.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
MANHATTAN is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record after 15 or more games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
IONA is 4-1 against the spread versus MANHATTAN over the last 3 seasons
IONA is 3-2 straight up against MANHATTAN over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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MURRAY ST (11 - 10) at E ILLINOIS (11 - 11) - 2/9/2009, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
E ILLINOIS is 12-26 ATS (-16.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
E ILLINOIS is 3-2 against the spread versus MURRAY ST over the last 3 seasons
MURRAY ST is 4-1 straight up against E ILLINOIS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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AUSTIN PEAY (13 - 10) at TENNESSEE TECH (11 - 12) - 2/9/2009, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
AUSTIN PEAY is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
TENNESSEE TECH is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
AUSTIN PEAY is 3-2 against the spread versus TENNESSEE TECH over the last 3 seasons
AUSTIN PEAY is 4-1 straight up against TENNESSEE TECH over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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TENNESSEE ST (6 - 17) at JACKSONVILLE ST (11 - 11) - 2/9/2009, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TENNESSEE ST is 21-34 ATS (-16.4 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
TENNESSEE ST is 18-32 ATS (-17.2 Units) after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
TENNESSEE ST is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) off a loss against a conference rival this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
JACKSONVILLE ST is 4-1 against the spread versus TENNESSEE ST over the last 3 seasons
TENNESSEE ST is 3-2 straight up against JACKSONVILLE ST over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
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UT-CHATTANOOGA (11 - 13) at SAMFORD (11 - 12) - 2/9/2009, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UT-CHATTANOOGA is 1-9 ATS (-8.9 Units) in February games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
7:00 PM FURMAN vs. ELON
Furman is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Elon
Furman is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Elon
Elon is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Elon is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
7:00 PM LOYOLA vs. SIENA
Loyola is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
Loyola is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Siena is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Loyola
Siena is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Loyola
7:00 PM WEST VIRGINIA vs. PITTSBURGH
West Virginia is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
West Virginia is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 21-2 SU in its last 23 games
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
7:00 PM WOFFORD vs. UNC GREENSBORO
Wofford is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against UNC Greensboro
Wofford is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against UNC Greensboro
UNC Greensboro is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
UNC Greensboro is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
7:30 PM RIDER vs. MARIST
Rider is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Marist
Rider is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Marist
Marist is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Marist is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
8:00 PM AUSTIN PEAY vs. TENNESSEE TECH
Austin Peay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tennessee Tech
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Austin Peay's last 7 games when playing Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Austin Peay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tennessee Tech's last 6 games when playing at home against Austin Peay
8:00 PM IONA vs. MANHATTAN
Iona is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Iona's last 9 games
Manhattan is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Iona
Manhattan is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Iona
8:00 PM MURRAY STATE vs. EASTERN ILLINOIS
Murray State is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Eastern Illinois
Murray State is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games when playing Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Eastern Illinois's last 5 games at home
8:30 PM CHATTANOOGA vs. SAMFORD
Chattanooga is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chattanooga's last 5 games on the road
Samford is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Samford is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
8:30 PM TENNESSEE STATE vs. JACKSONVILLE STATE
Tennessee State is 1-6-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Jacksonville State
Tennessee State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Jacksonville State
Jacksonville State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Jacksonville State is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home
9:00 PM KANSAS vs. MISSOURI
Kansas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Kansas is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Missouri is 6-2-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Kansas
Missouri is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Kansas
10:05 PM BOISE STATE vs. FRESNO STATE
Boise State is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Fresno State
Boise State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Fresno State
Fresno State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boise State
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Fresno State's last 5 games when playing at home against Boise State
Tips and Trends
West Virginia at #5 Pittsburgh
West Virginia: The Mountaineers are 2-6 against ranked opponents this season, but they are coming off a dominating 86-59 win over Providence on Saturday. They will be looking to snap a three-game series skid at Pitt and hand the Panthers their first home loss of the season. “As of right now we are ninth in our league and that’s not good enough,” West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins. “We have got to win some games here and make a move here in the second half of the conference schedule.”
West Virginia is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 Monday games.
The OVER is 3-1 in the last 4 meetings.
Key Injuries - G Joe Mazzulla (shoulder) is OUT.
PROJECTED SCORE: 66 (Side Play of the Day)
Pitt (-7.5, O/U 136): To say Pitt's DeJuan Blair has been a monster lately might be an understatement. Blair has averaged 24.3 points and 14.7 rebounds in helping the Panthers win their last three games, including a 92-69 rout of DePaul on Saturday. “He’s not as athletic as Charles Barkley, but he’s certainly bigger,” Blue Demons head coach Jerry Wainwright said of Blair. “Their hips are right up to here on you and they just don’t give up space.” Blair had 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 79-67 win at West Virginia on January 25th. “This is the best I’ve been playing,” Blair said. “I’m going to try to keep it going.”
Favorite is 10-4-1 ATS in the last 15 meetings.
The OVER is 15-5 in Pitt's last 20 games vs. Big East.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: 70
#24 Kansas at Missouri
Kansas: The Jayhawks have gotten off to an 8-0 start in Big 12 play but realize a tough road lies ahead starting with this game at Missouri. Kansas plays three of its next five games on the road, including visits to Kansas State and Oklahoma following this meeting with the Tigers. “It gets harder from here,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “We’re as good as we can be as far the league races goes. Certainly, I’m really looking forward to going to Columbia. I think it will probably be as difficult a setting as we’ve played in all year, but we need that.”
Kansas is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games vs. Big 12.
The OVER is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: 76 (OVER - Side Play of the Day)
Missouri (-4, O/U 152): The Tigers bring a 15-game home winning streak into this matchup with Kansas, and they have also won seven of eight overall. Perhaps a bigger accomplishment was achieved on Saturday in an 82-68 victory at Iowa State, as Mizzou got to 20 wins for the first time in six years and avoided looking ahead to this nationally televised game. “We had great focus going into the game,” Tigers head coach Mike Anderson said. “Our leadership and seniors stepped up, and we were focused on the game. It wasn’t easy, with this game in between Texas and Kansas. Twenty wins is something we haven’t done since I have been here.”
Missouri is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games overall.
The OVER is 8-3 in Missouri's last 11 home games.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: 80
NCAAB Today
Notes on today's games.
Pitt drilled West Virginia 79-67 in Morgantown 15 days ago (-1); they shot 55% from floor in that game, with just nine turnovers. Panthers are 3-1 as Big East home favorite, winning at home by 23-13-18-13 points. Mountaineers lost three of last four road games- they're 2-3 as underdog in Big East play, losing road games by 22-6-15 points.
Kansas is 9-2 in last eleven games vs rival Missouri, winning last couple visits here, 92-74/76-70; this is first time in five years Tigers are favored to beat KU (lost 84-82 last time). Mizzou won seven of last eight games are 3-1 as Big 12 home favorite, winning its home games by 45-31-11-17 points. Jayhawks are 8-0 in Big 12 and getting four points? Hmmmm
Boise State won seven of last nine games vs Fresno State, with the home team winning seven of last eight in series; Broncos' last three visits here were decided by total of four points (underdog 5-0 vs spread in last five series games played here). Fresno is 1-3 at home in WAC, with two of three losses in OT. Boise won three of its last four games.
Siena (-8) won 75-68 at Loyola Dec 3, taking 35 FTs to 11 for Loyola in Greyhounds' gym; Saints (12-1) had first MAAC loss at Rider Saturday; they're 3-4 as MAAC home favorite, winning home games by 17-6-13-10-17-1-18 points; Loyola is 4-1-1 as MAAC road dog, losing on road by 12-2-14 points- they're 6-7 in MAAC, but 4-3 on road.
Wofford, NC-Greensboro are both playing their third game in five days; Wofford is 3-3 on road, losing three of last four on foreign soil- they are 7-0 in SoCon when allowing 71 or less points, 0-5 otherwise. UNCG has scored more than 71 points in just two of last seven games- they lost six of last seven games, but are improving, covering their last four games.
Furman is 3-2 in last five games (5-0 vs spread) after 0-8 start in league, upsetting Samford, Chattanooga at home in last two games; Paladins are 2-4 as SoCon road dog, losing away games by 11-27-40-16-9-2 points. Elon is 0-4 vs spread as home favorite, losing three of last four at home, with only win by point over Chattanooga in double overtime.
Rider handed Siena its first MAAC loss Saturday, now they have a trap game at Marist squad that lost last seven games (three of seven in OT). Rider (-8) won first meeting 76-65 Jan 4 (was 41-23 at half); they're 3-3 on MAAC road (nderdog 4-2 vs spread). Red Foxes lost last four home games by 6-9-1-19 points, after winning first three MAAC home tilts.
Manhattan won three of last four games after upsetting Loyola Saturday they lost 71-51 (+4) at Iona 15 days ago, shooting just 29.6% from floor 3-23 from arc, while Gaels shot 59% from floor. Underdog is 6-0 vs the spread in Iona's road games, with five of the six decided by either one or two points. Jaspers lost three of their last four home games.
Eastern Illinois (+8) lost 58-46 at Murray State Jan 22, shooting meager 29.1% from floor, 3-13 from arc; Racers won despite making 37.3% of shots from floor- they had three-game win streak snapped in 83-80 loss at Austin Peay Saturday (favorite covered their last five games). Murray is 3-4 on OVC road. EIU won three in row, six of last eight games.
Tennessee Tech (+7) lost 87-71 at Austin Peay Jan 22, despite making 11-25 from arc; Peay shot 53.4%, made 9-17 from arc- they snapped a three-game skid with 83-80 win vs Murray State Saturday. Governors lost last two road games, at Eastern Kentucky, Morehead, after winning first five on road. Tech lost three of its last four home games.
Tennessee State fired its coach Friday, lost by 27 at home the next night, now visit Jacksonville State squad that is playing third game in five nites but won first two- they won three of last four games, covered last six in row. Gamecocks lost 59-57 at TSU Jan 22, but Tigers lost five games in row since, losing by 8-21-18-30-27 points.
Third game in five nights for both Samford, Chattanooga, but Mocs are on road for all three, while Samford finally gets home. Bulldogs lost last three games, by 3-6-13 points- they're 4-3 at home in SoCon, 3-2 vs the spread as home favorite. Mocs are 3-4 on SoCon road- they're 2-2 as an underdog this season. Samford is 3-3 against spread as a home favorite.
Monday Research
By Indiancowboy
Wofford vs. NC Greensboro
I'm not the one to ride a team with just 4 wins on the year, but NC Greensboro for a team that is outside the top 300 just comes off a huge upset with over Ga Southern outright on the road. Plus, NC Greensboro returns home for this evening game and has revenge from being swept last year on a very small chalk at home. Wofford does have some road wins over conference opponents, but anything can happen in the Southern Conference on any given day within about 50-60 spots so no thanks.
Pittsburgh vs. WVU
Well, if you want an active dog with revenge, why not take a look at WVU? Pitt comes off a huge rout on the road, this game is nationally televised, WVU of course does have loads of revenge from Pitt beating them at home, the line opened up at -9 and has actually gone down to -7.5 despite the majority of the public on Pitt and who is to say that WVU can't be game like they were when they took it to the Hoyas on the road? The only reason why I laid off was because this WVU team did lay down to Syracuse and Louisville on the road and lost both game by DD and failed to cover - but this could be a good spot for them to step up but Pitt is actually my highest ranked college squad, so I'm just staying away overall. no thanks as next to Tom Crean Jamie Dixon is one of my favorite coaches as I believe Dixon has a great shot this year at a Title as this team is deep, well coached and veteran savvy.