Big Monday Action
By Chris David
Which conference will produce the national champion this season? The majority of experts will most likely name a school from the Big East or Big 12, since those two groups are expected to make up 15 of the 65-team field in the upcoming NCAA Tournament according to the latest Bracketology reports.
For the past nine weeks, the two conferences have been featured every Monday on ESPN with a weekly double-header.
In the first 15 matchups, the road team has won eight while the favorites have produced a 12-3 straight up and 9-6 against the spread record. The ‘under’ has gone 9-6 during this span, and six of the seven affairs in the Big 12 have gone 'under' the number.
Will these trends continue or can the Hoyas and Sooners capture outright road victories? Let’s take a closer look.
Georgetown (19-8 SU, 12-11 ATS) at West Virginia (22-6 SU, 11-16 ATS)
It’s rare to see the Mountaineers and Hoyas square off more than once during the Big East regular season and that could be a good thing for both schools since the pair has been known to slug it out. Georgetown has won three of the last four against West Virginia and only one outcome during this stretch was decided by single digits.
Head coach John Thompson III and the Hoyas have been a tough team to gauge, especially over the last eight games. The school has gone 4-4 both SU and ATS, which include solid victories against Duke, Villanova and Louisville. Unfortunately, those wins have been offset with losses as double-digit favorites to South Florida, Rutgers and most recently to Notre Dame last Saturday.
What team will show up on Monday? The Hoyas have gone 8-4 SU and 7-4 ATS in road and neutral contests this year and only one of the four losses have come by 7 ore more, which is what West Virginia is laying at home in this spot.
The Mountaineers haven’t been playing their best basketball lately either, evidenced by a 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS mark over the last six games. On Saturday, West Virginia rallied past Cincinnati 74-68 at home but didn’t come close to covering the 13-point number. After the lackluster win over the Bearcats, some might wonder if Bob Huggins will have his team ready on Monday.
Considering, West Virginia hasn’t fared well on Big Monday (0-2 SU, 0-2 ATS) after playing an afternoon game on Saturday, a look at the road underdog might not be a bad investment.
West Virginia has gone 12-2 SU and 5-8 ATS in Morgantown, with the losses coming to Syracuse (71-72) and Villanova (75-82).
Georgetown’s Austin Freeman (flu) only played 23 minutes in the loss to Notre Dame on Saturday but is expected to be back on Monday. Freeman leads the team with 17 points per game, and only produced five points against the Irish.
West Virginia has a nice test on Saturday at Villanova, while Georgetown wraps up its regular season at home against Cincinnati.
Oklahoma (13-15 SU, 10-15 ATS) at Texas (22-7 SU, 11-14 ATS)
Monday marks senior night for Texas and most would expect the crowd to be rocking, especially with key players Damion James (17.5 PPG) and Dexter Pittman (10.4 PPG) playing their final game in Austin. Unfortunately for the pair, this season probably hasn’t gone as expected.
Texas began the year with 17 straight wins and was ranked No. 1 in the country before the wheels fell off the wagon. Since the hot start, the school has gone 5-7 (3-9 ATS) and won’t be ranked headed into this matchup. Rick Barnes team picked up a little steam with two straight wins over Texas Tech (71-67) and Oklahoma State (69-59) but the momentum ended on Saturday with a 16-point road setback at Texas A&M (58-74).
Even though the Longhorns have been mired in a funk, the Sooners have been worse. Oklahoma has dropped six in a row (1-5 ATS) and the team hasn’t won a conference road game (0-7 SU, 2-5 ATS) all season.
The home team has won three straight in the series, which includes Oklahoma’s 80-71 upset victory against Texas as a 6 ½-point underdog on Feb. 6. The Sooners connected on 10 bombs from 3-point land and also made 20-of-28 (71%) trips from the free throw line, which was a lot better than Texas’ numbers at the charity stripe (10-of-27, 37%) in the loss.
If you toss out this loss in early February, Texas has gone 7-1 both SU and ATS in its last eight encounters against Oklahoma. The ‘under’ has gone 6-3 in the last nine battles between the two.
Most books opened the Longhorns as healthy double-digit favorites for this contests and Barnes’ kids have gone 5-6 ATS when laying 10 plus, but they’re 1-4 ATS in the last five instances.
Oklahoma has only been a double-digit ‘dog once and it covered (+20.5) last Monday in an 81-68 loss at Kansas. The one thing that has kept the Sooners in games has been their 3-point shooting (8.3 per game) and free throw percentage (73.4%). If the shots are falling and it’s a close game, Jeff Capel’s squad will certainly keep it tighter than expected.
After losing point guard Dogus Balbay to a season-ending knee injury, the backcourt took another blow in Saturday’s loss to the Aggies. J’Covan Brown (neck) suffered a hard fall and was removed from the court on a stretcher. His status is listed as day-to-day.
Texas has gone 1-1 both SU and ATS on Big Monday this year, while Oklahoma has produced a 1-1 SU and 2-0 ATS ledger.
The Longhorns close the regular season on Saturday at Baylor, while the Sooners finish at home versus Texas A&M the very same day.
vegasinsider.com
Game of the day: Georgetown at West Virginia
By Nick Parsons.
Georgetown (19-8, 9-7 Big East) tries to get back on the winning path and notch a quality road win tonight when it heads to Morgantown. The Hoyas have plummeted to seventh in the conference standings.
Meanwhile, West Virginia (22-6, 11-5) looks to secure third-place in the conference standings with a win today. The Mountaineers have a tough game to close the season, playing at Villanova on Saturday, but can earn a bye in the first two rounds of the postseason tournament with a win tonight.
What’s a Hoya?
A rock – as in these Hoyas are sinking like a rock. Georgetown was regarded as perhaps the best team in the Big East early in the season but has since fallen to the middle of a packed conference.
The Hoyas have lost three of their last four games and two of them were not good losses. They lost at Rutgers and then again on Saturday as a double-digit favorite at home against Notre Dame (without Luke Harangody).
Ouch.
The Hoyas shot 51 percent in the game but didn’t defend. The Irish shot 57 percent from the floor in the game, leaving Georgetown with just 20 total rebounds. Patrick Ewing must be rolling over in his grave.
Georgetown was once 11-1 and there was talk about landing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoyas will still be in the dance but the wheels have fallen off.
Last meeting
Due to an unbalanced Big East conference schedule, this is the only time these two teams meet this season. Last year West Virginia hammered Georgetown 75-58 as a 5-point favorite. The last two games in this series have gone over the total after four straight went under.
That makes me sick
Georgetown leading scorer Austin Freeman scored just five points in Saturday’s loss to ND. He played 23 minutes but was battling a stomach flu and looked sluggish.
He was given an IV before tip-off and did not start. How much better he feels tonight will be a factor.
Big Monday, a big headache
This will be the second straight week that West Virginia plays on Monday night after playing a Saturday game and it is the third Big Monday game for the Mountaineers. The quick turnaround was a focal point for coach Bob Huggins’ plans.
“We’ve prepared for stretches like this,’’ point guard Joe Mazzulla said. “That’s where the three-hour practices come in and the mental aspect and the things Huggs demands from us.’’
Still, the Mountaineers have lost both prior Big Monday games (against Villanova and UConn).
“Everybody wants to do it,’’ Huggins said after West Virginia polished off Cincinnati 74-68, and then immediately got to work on Georgetown. “But then you do it and it’s hard.’’
Huggins also said it was hard to face the Big Monday opponents his team has seen this season. While Connecticut offers pretty much a standard style to prepare for, neither Villanova (four guards) nor Georgetown (Princeton motion) is easy to game plan for and it’s even harder with just one day in between.
Give me five who can play
Huggins was incensed by his team’s effort in Saturday’s win over Cincinnati. Trailing by 13 points in the first half, he pulled all of his starters and inserted some rarely used reserves.
The bench-warmers rose to the occasion and got the Mountaineers back on track.
“I just can’t stand people playing harder than us,” Huggins said.
De’Sean Butler continues to slump shooting the ball. He’s only been over 50 percent from the floor in 3 of his last 17 games.
Butler scored 27 against the Hoyas last year.
Trend setting
The under is 7-1 in Georgetown’s last eight Monday games.
The under is 4-0 in Georgetown’s last four road games Georgetown is 10-24 in their last 34 Big East games.
The Hoyas are 5-1 ATS following a loss against the spread. They are also 4-1 ATS following a straight up loss
West Virginia is 1-4 ATS in last five Monday games.
The under in this series is 3-0-1 in last four games at WVU.
Hoyas slumping headed toward finish line
Doug Upstone
When Georgetown (19-8, 12-11 ATS) is at their best, it can literally beat any team in the country. When the mental aspect is off-kilter, unsightly performances are the norm rather than an aberration, similar to what happened at home in loss to Notre Dame 78-64, their third loss in four games.
Though this subject has been beaten to death here and other places, the lack of spark off the bench has never helped ignite the Hoyas out of lethargic play or for other reasons. Against the Irish, leading scorer Austin Freeman was battling the flu and scored a season-low five points, with no help in sight. Georgetown better bring the energy to Morgantown or they tumble to 11-26 ATS against Big East foes the last two campaigns.
Its not easy what to make of West Virginia (22-6, 11-16 ATS), being similar to other clubs coach Bob Huggins had at Cincinnati. With the available talent, an Elite 8 showing or better is possible, but when Mountaineer players are clanging hoists off the rim, a second round NCAA Tournament upset appears just as likely. Though the Big East is rugged enough, Georgetown is the right opponent to test West Virginia, since they are 8-2 ATS this season off a spread loss.
The Mountaineers off their come from behind home win over Cincinnati 74-68 is 33-13 ATS on their own floor off a home triumph and is a 5.5-point favorite over Georgetown with a total of 138 at Betonline.com. Georgetowns lack of scoring in last outing had them falling below the oddsmakers number and they are only 4-19 ATS after one or more Unders over the last two seasons. The Hoyas are 21-9 UNDER after a loss by 10 points or more and West Virginia is 14-3 UNDER at home after a win by six points or less.
This final Big Monday, Big East matchup begins at 7:00 Eastern and has West Virginia 6-0 ATS after failing to cover the spread in two or more games this season, winning by 17 points per contest.
NCAAB News and Notes
Monday, March 1
Information on Monday's college basketball games.
Erratic Georgetown beat Villanova-Louisville last month, also lost three times as double digit favorite; Hoyas lost four of last seven games, split last six games vs West Virginia, are 3-2 vs spread as Big East road dog. Mountaineers split last six games, are 3-5 as Big East home faves, with home wins by 1-34-3-19-12-6 pts. Last home game for De'Sean Butler.
Texas is 5-6 in last 11 games; they lost 80-71 at Oklahoma Feb 6 (-6.5), game they trailed by 18 at half, as Sooners hit 10-24 from arc. Texas is 2-4 as Big 12 home favorite, winning its home games by 17-5-12-40-10, with losses to Baylor/Kansas. Oklahoma lost last six games (1-5 vs the spread); they're 2-6 vs spread in last eight games as an underdog.
Fresno State (+4) shot 28.6% in 69-43 home loss to Utah State Jan 21; Aggies were 12-21 from arc in that game. Bulldogs lost four of last five games, are 3-4 as WAC road underdog, losing away games by 8-9-15-16-4-27 points. Utah State is 5-1 as WAC home favorite, winning in Logan by 44-22-19-18-11-6 points. Fresno better play better than Saturday.
Georgia Southern won three of last four games, making 28-53 from arc in last two; Eagles are 9-2 vs spread in last 11 games, 5-3 as road underdog. NC-Greensboro lost six of last seven games, , but they are 2-0 as a home favorite in SoCon games; last time they were favored was Jan 28. UNCG is 3-5 at home in conference, with wins by 10-13-7 points.
(11) Georgetown (19-8, 12-11 ATS) at (8) West Virginia (22-6, 11-16 ATS)
The struggling Hoyas make the trek to WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va. for a Big East showdown with West Virginia.
Georgetown has dropped three of its last four (SU and ATS), including Saturday’s 78-64 home loss to Notre Dame as a 10½-point chalk. The Hoyas allowed the Irish to shoot 57.1 percent from the floor and got outrebounded 26-15. Georgetown’s lone win in the last two weeks was a 70-60 victory at Louisville, cashing as a four-point pup.
The Mountaineers have won three of four overall (2-2 ATS) and are coming off Saturday’s hard-fought 74-68 home win over Cincinnati, falling well short as a 13-point favorite. West Virginia lost a week ago tonight at UConn, 73-62 as a 2½-point road chalk, and it has struggled to stop teams lately, allowing 75.2 points per game over the last five.
The Mountaineers halted a three-game SU and ATS losing skid to the Hoyas last season, winning 75-58 and cashing as five-point road ‘dogs to end a 3-0 ATS run by Georgetown in this series. Prior to that, West Virginia had gotten the cash in five of the previous six clashes.
Georgetown has struggled to cash in Big East play, currently 10-24 ATS in its last 34 conference games and 2-6 ATS in its last eight Monday contests, however the Hoyas are 5-1 ATS in their last six after a non-cover. The Mountaineers are on ATS slides of 1-4 on Monday and 0-4 at home against teams with winning road records.
For the Hoyas, the under is on several surges, including 4-0 on the road, 7-1 on Monday, 4-1 in Big East action and 35-17 on the road against teams with winning home records. West Virginia has topped the total in five of seven overall and five of six after a non-cover, but it is on “under” runs of 5-2 on Monday and 5-2 at home against teams with winning road records.
In this series, the under has been the play in three of the last four meetings in Morgantown.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
Oklahoma (13-15, 9-16 ATS) at (21) Texas (22-7, 10-15 ATS)
Oklahoma will try to end its freefall when it visits the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas for a Big 12 game against the rival Longhorns.
The Sooners have dropped six straight (1-5 ATS) since a Feb. 6 victory over Texas in Norman, Okla. On Saturday, Oklahoma fell 70-63 to Baylor, coming up short as a 4½-point home pup. The Sooners have struggled offensively of late, scoring just 68.4 ppg and shooting just 40.9 percent from the floor over the last five contests while allowing 81.6 ppg and 52.1 percent shooting.
Texas had its brief two-game winning streak (1-1 ATS) halted on Saturday when Texas A&M delivered a 74-58 drubbing to the Longhorns as a one-point home favorite. In its most recent home game Wednesday, Texas prevailed 69-59 over Oklahoma State, cashing as a nine-point favorite. The ‘Horns are much more comfortable at home, where they’re 14-2 SU, averaging 84.6 ppg and limiting the opposition to 63.1 points and 36 percent shooting. Despite those strong numbers, though, Rick Barnes’ squad is just 4-9 ATS in lined games at the Erwin Center.
Oklahoma upset the Longhorns back on Feb. 6, winning 80-71 at home as a 6½-point underdog. The host has won each of the last four regular-season clashes, but Texas has gotten the cash in six of the last eight. The Longhorns are 5-0 ATS in the last five series clashes in Austin and the favorite has covered in four of the last five overall.
It’s been all bad news for the Sooners at the betting window, as they’re on ATS slides of 1-5 overall, 16-36-3 on the road, 4-10 after a non-cover and 24-51-3 on the road against teams with a winning home record. Texas has cashed in 27 of 38 Monday games, but is currently on ATS skids of 3-13 overall, 6-21-1 in Big 12 action, 2-5 at home and 3-9 coming off a non-cover.
Oklahoma has topped the total in five of six Monday contests but stayed under the posted number in 19 of 29 roadies against teams with winning home marks. The Longhorns have stayed below the number in 18 of 26 on Monday and four of five after a non-cover. Finally, the under has been the play in five of the last six series meetings between these rivals in the Lone Star State.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TEXAS and UNDER
Tips and Trends
Georgetown Hoyals at West Virginia Mountaineers
Hoyas: It's amazing Georgetown is still ranked in the national polls, as they've lost 7 of their past 15 games SU since starting the season 11-1 SU. Even more recently, the Hoyas have lost 3 of their past 4 games SU. The most recent SU losses for the Hoyas have come when the Hoyas have struggled offensively, averaging about 62 PPG in their past 5 losses. Georgetown is 19-8 SU and ranked #11 in the nation this past week. The Hoyas are 8-4 SU and 7-4 ATS in both true road games and neutral court settings this season. Georgetown is 3-4 ATS as the listed underdog this season, winning their past 2 games both SU and ATS in this specific scenario. Today's point spread is the highest the Hoyas have faced as the listed underdog this season. Georgetown needs to win their final games SU to have any chance of a double bye into the Big East Quaterfinals. G Austin Freeman leads the Hoyas with 17 PPG this season, but is coming off a season low 5 PTS in his last game where he was also battling the flu.
Hoyas are 4-1 ATS last 5 games following a SU loss.
Under is 4-0 last 4 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Key Injuries - F Nikita Mescheriakov (personal) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 70 (SIDE of the Day)
Mountaineers (-6, O/U 137.5): West Virginia appears to be hitting their stride as they close out their season, as they've won 3 out of their past 4 games SU. This little mini run comes after West Virginia lost consecutive games SU for the 1st time this season. The Mountaineers are 22-6 SU and ranked #8 in the country. The Mountaineers are 12-2 SU and 5-8 ATS at home this season. The Mountaineers are 1-3 ATS as a single digit home favorite this season. Entering tonight, the Mountaineers are actually losers of 4 of their past 5 games ATS. West Virginia has scored at least 74 PTS in 6 of their past 7 games. F Da'Sean Butler is 1 of 4 Mountaineers averaging double digits in PTS this season. Despite recent offensive struggles, Butler is averaging 16.9 PPG this season to lead West Virginia in scoring. F Devin Ebanks is averaging 10.8 PPG and a team high 8.5 RPG this season.
Mountaineers are 0-4 ATS last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Over is 5-2 last 7 games as a favorite.
Key Injuries - None.
PROJECTED SCORE: 71
Oklahoma Sooners at Texas Longhorns
Sooners: Oklahoma merely wants this season over, as they continue a downward spiral to end their season. Oklahoma is looking to avoid a season high 7th straight SU loss tonight. If the double digit underdog Sooners lose tonight, it will be their longest losing streak in the past 41 years. One of the lone bright spots this season was the Sooners SU win over Texas earlier this month at home. The Sooners won that game 80-71 as 6.5 underdogs. The Sooners haven't approached that point total since, failing to score more than 76 PTS in their last 6 games. Oklahoma has struggled to score since G Willie Warren has been out with a sprained ankle. Oklahoma was 2-18 from 3 point land in a SU loss to Baylor in their last game. The Sooners are 13-15 SU and 9-16 ATS for the entire season. The Sooners are 1-9 SU and 3-7 ATS on the road this season. Oklahoma is 5-8 ATS as the listed underdog this season, with today marking only the 2nd time this season the Sooners are a double digit underdog.
Sooners are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 vs. Big 12.
Under is 13-6-1 last 20 games as a road underdog.
Key Injuries - G Willie Warren (ankle) is out.
F Tiny Gallon (suspension) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 62
Longhorns (-14, O/U 147): Texas will attempt to put it all together in front of their home fans in their final home game of the regular season tonight. Texas was expected to be a frontrunner for the Big 12 title this season. However, things haven't gone according to plan as Texas is merely tied for 6th place in conference play. After starting the season 17-0 SU, Texas is only 5-7 SU since then. Head Coach Rick Barnes has stated this season is his worst coaching job of his career. The Longhorns are still ranked #21 nationally with a 22-7 SU record this season. Texas is 14-2 SU and 6-6 ATS at home this season. Texas is 5-6 ATS as a double digit favorite this season. THe Longhorns are 3-13 ATS since the beginning of 2010. Luckily for the Longhorns, they still have a healthy F Damion James. James is averaging a double double this season, 17.5 PPG and 10.3 RPG this season to lead the Longhorns. James is the all time leading rebounder in Big 12 history, yet is coming off a career low 1 rebound game. James will be playing the final home game of his career tonight, so expect nothing short of brilliance tonight.
Longhorns are 3-9 ATS last 12 games as a favorite.
Over is 6-1 last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.
Key Injuries - F J'Covan Brown (head) is questionable.
G Dogus Balbay (knee) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 76 (UNDER - Total of the Day)