NCAAB News and Notes Monday 3/23

BELMONT vs. OLD DOMINION
No trends available
Old Dominion is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Old Dominion is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON vs. RICHMOND
College of Charleston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
College of Charleston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Richmond is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Richmond is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

JAMES MADISON vs. LIBERTY
James Madison is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of James Madison's last 5 games
No trends available

KENTUCKY vs. CREIGHTON
Kentucky is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Kentucky is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Creighton is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Creighton is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home

STANFORD vs. WICHITA STATE
Stanford is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Stanford is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Wichita State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Wichita State is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games

OAKLAND vs. BRADLEY
No trends available
Bradley is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Bradley is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games

IDAHO vs. PACIFIC
Idaho is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Idaho's last 7 games
Pacific is 3-12 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Idaho
Pacific is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Idaho

NORTHEASTERN vs. TEXAS EL PASO
Northeastern is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
Northeastern is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games
Texas El Paso is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Texas El Paso is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home

VERMONT vs. OREGON STATE
No trends available
Oregon State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oregon State's last 5 games at home

DAVIDSON vs. SAINT MARY'S
Davidson is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games
Davidson is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Saint Mary's is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Saint Mary's is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

NCAAB Today

Monday, March 23

Creighton won 12 of last 13 games, but covered just three of last ten as the home favorite; Bluejays' last three wins are all by five or less points. Kentucky lost its last three road games by 13-18-7 points; its last road win was Feb 14 at Arkansas. Wildcats are 3-6 in last nine games overall.

St Mary's won six of last seven games, and improves with time as Mills' hand continues to heal; Gaels' last four wins are all by 10+ points; they are 13-1 outside the WCC this year. Davidson is 7-4 outside the SoCon with wins vs West Virginia, at home vs NC State and at South Carolina.

Charleston lost 70-65 to Temple in only game vs A-14 foe; they led by 19 at half at Troy in first NIT game, held on to win by hoop, now they draw Princeton-style Richmond team that was lucky to draw a terrible St John's club in first round-- Spiders have won of their last five games.

Wichita State won last eight home games, with last loss Jan 7 to Salukis. Home side won Shockers' last seven games. Stanford is 12-0 outside the Pac-10, with only road wins at Yale, Colorado State, Santa Clara; they've won four of last six games overall. Wichita is 10-5 in last fifteen games.

Northeastern had lost six of last eight games before winning at Wyoming in first round of NIT (64-62); now Huskies get another long road trip, at UTEP (Huskies lost 89-48 at Memphis Dec 31- UTEP coach Barbee is former Calipari assistant). Miners are 8-3 in their last eleven games.

Oregon State had lost four in a row before tense 49-45 win vs Houston in NIT first round; Beavers have been favored once in 2009, beating rival Oregon 57-54 (-2.5) Jan 31. Vermont is 15-2 in its last 17 games, tying for top in America East, but losing road game in conference tournament.

Liberty is 2-1 vs CAA this year, beating George Mason, Wm&Mary in OT in December, then getting crushed 80-56 in a Bracket Buster game at Old Dominion. James Madison won 85-81 at Big South champ Radford Dec 14, Dukes' win in NIT 1st round snapped a four-game losing skid.

Old Dominion won 11 of last 13 games, covered just two of last six as a home favorite; Monarchs are 6-4 outside CAA. Belmont finished 3rd in Atlantic Sun; they lost by 17 to James Madison of CAA Dec 30 out at Santa Clara, on neutral court. Bruins were in NCAAs last couple years.

Bradley lost 73-61 to UMKC in November, only Summit foe they faced this year; Braves were 5-2 as MVC home favorite this year, but are just 4-6 in last ten games overall. Oakland took North Dakota State to wire in Summit title game, Grizzlies' only loss in their last eleven games.

Idaho beat Big West champ Cal-Northridge 78-75 Feb 21; Vandals won six of last eight games, were 5-3 as WAC road dog, winning two of last three road games. Pacific won six of last seven games, covered four of its last five as home favorite- they lost at home to WAC's Fresno St 66-64.

Monday's NIT Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards

Just because the NCAA Tournament is going on a three-day hiatus doesn’t mean gamblers have to take a break. The NIT continues Monday night with a pair of games on the family of networks, including a matchup of potential future lottery picks (Steph Curry and Patty Mills) when Saint Mary’s hosts Davidson on the left coast.

**Kentucky at Creighton**

--Most sports books are listing Creighton (27-7 straight up, 15-13-1 against the spread) as a two-point favorite with a total of 139. UK is plus-110 on the money line (risk $100 to win $110).

--Kentucky (21-13 SU, 14-14-1 ATS) advanced to the second round of the NIT by beating UNLV 70-60 as a 7 ½-point home favorite. Jodie Meeks scored a team-high 19 points and Patrick Patterson finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

--Creighton is in the midst of a 1-5-1 spread slide in its last seven games. The Bluejays edged Bowling Green 73-71 in the first round of the NIT, failing to cover the number as 12 1/2-point home favorites. Creighton sophomore guard P’Allen Stinnett led the winners with 18 points and six assists.

--Dan Altman’s team owns a 16-2 SU record at home but is just 6-8 ATS. The Bluejays are 3-2 ATS in five home games as single-digit favorites.

--Billy Gillispie’s team has been an underdog in four true road games this year, posting a 2-2 ATS mark.

--Creighton is led by senior guard Booker Woodfox, who averages 15.7 points per game. The Bluejays’ second-leading scorer is Stinnett, who scores at a 12.4 PPG clip.

--Meeks and Patterson both garnered first-team All-SEC honors, but this inside-outside combination doesn’t have much help on the offensive end. The Wildcats have endured abysmal point-guard play all year and starting center Perry Stevenson lost all confidence in scoring around the basket during a late-season slump. Meeks leads the SEC in scoring (24.1 PPG), while Patterson averages 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

--Creighton was eliminated from the NIT by an SEC team last season when Florida spanked the Bluejays 82-54 in a second-round game.

--Although the ‘under’ has cashed in three of its last five games, Creighton has still seen the ‘over’ hit at an incredibly lucrative 19-9 clip overall. On the flip side, the ‘under’ is 16-13 overall for the ‘Cats, who have seen the ‘under’ cash in four straight games.

--ESPN will have the telecast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

**Davidson at Saint Mary’s**

--Most spots have installed Saint Mary’s (27-6 SU, 15-12-1 ATS) as a four-point favorite with a total of 143. The Wildcats are plus-160 on the money line (risk $100 to win $160).

--Davidson (27-7 SU, 13-16-2 ATS) knocked off South Carolina 70-63 as a three-point road underdog in its NIT first-round assignment. Junior guard Stephen Curry led the winners with 32 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. The All-American drained 5-of-9 attempts from beyond the arc. Senior center Andrew Lovedale added 17 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

--Randy Bennett’s team advanced to the second round by capturing a 68-57 home win over Washington St. as a 4 ½-point ‘chalk.’ Patty Mills showed zero signs of rust in leading the Gaels to victory with a game-high 27 points. After struggling in his first games back in the WCC Tournament, Mills has looked like his old self in back-to-back performances, begging the question of whether or not the Selection Committee made a major mistake in leaving St. Mary’s out of the NCAA field.

--The matchup between Curry and Mills obviously makes this a must-see matchup. Curry leads the nation in scoring with a 28.7 PPG average. He also averages 5.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. As for Mills, he averages 18.7 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per contest.

--St. Mary’s is 13-1 SU and 6-5 ATS at home this season. The Gaels are 3-0 ATS in three home games as single-digit favorites.

--Bob McKillop’s squad is 4-1 ATS in five games as an underdog this year.

--The ‘over’ is on a 7-1 run in St. Mary’s last eight home assignments. The ‘under’ is 15-13 overall for the Gaels, but they have watched the ‘over’ go 8-3 in their home games.

--The ‘under’ is 18-12 overall for the Wildcats.

--Tip-off is scheduled for 11:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--As of early Monday morning, LVSC had still not released the numbers for Tuesday’s NIT quarterfinal matchups. Auburn is hosting Baylor, while Penn State will face Florida in Gainesville.

--In CBI action tonight, Liberty is a three-point home favorite vs. James Madison. Bettors need to know that one of the Dukes’ best players Juwann James is “doubtful” with a hand injury. James averages 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

--Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader chronicled Billy Gillispie’s press conference Sunday. The status of UK's second-year head coach appears tenuous at best. A loss tonight and Gillispie could be a goner in Lexington.

--Five potential UK candidates:
1-Jay Wright (Villanova)
2-John Calipari (Memphis)
3-Travis Ford (Oklahoma State)
4-Tom Izzo (Michigan State)
5-Mike Anderson (Missouri)

vegasinsider.com

Stephen Curry vs Patty Mills puts NIT in spotlight
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) -It's one of those games packed with intrigue that makes March so much fun: The nation's top scorer facing one of the country's most dynamic players in a matchup of future NBA point guards.

Only Stephen Curry and Davidson vs. Patty Mills and Saint Mary's isn't a late-round NCAA tournament game. They play Monday night in the second round of the NIT, giving the nation's older but second-fiddle tournament a big lift.

Books have the Gaels set as 4-point favorites while the total is set at 143 points.

''Davidson and Steven Curry,'' Mills said. ''That's exciting.''

Good luck getting a ticket if you're near Saint Mary's Moraga, Calif., campus for the insomniac special for the East Coast - an 11:40 p.m. EDT tip-off.

The game at the 3,500-seat McKeon Pavilion was the fastest sellout in school history. Fans will flock to see Curry and his deadeye, lightning-quick stroke play against the speedy, athletic Mills - even if neither school expected to be in this event.

A year after their storybook NCAA tournament run ended a missed 3-pointer away from the Final Four, Curry and Davidson (27-7) lost in the Southern Conference semifinals and didn't get an at-large NCAA bid.

The Gaels (27-6) were shocked when they were left out of the 65-team field, as four of their losses came with Mills sidelined with a broken right hand.

Mills returned, but struggled in the West Coast Conference tournament, going 2-for-16 from the field in a loss to Gonzaga in the title game.

Yet the Australia Olympian showed he was back at full strength Tuesday by scoring 27 points with a variety of 3-pointers, nifty drives and pull-up jumpers in a first-round NIT win over Washington State that improved the Gaels' home record to 14-1.

Curry, meanwhile, poured in 32 points - his 15th game of 30 or more this season - in Davidson's victory at South Carolina in the first round.

''That win on Tuesday really rejuvenated our sprits a little bit,'' said Curry, whose 2,609 career points is tied for 28th in NCAA history. ''It was a tough after Selection Sunday and that just reinforced the fact that we have an opportunity to make a story.''

A good one, too. The 6-foot-3 Curry takes his nation-best scoring average of 28.7 points and his 39 percent 3-point shooting to suburban San Francisco, site of Mills' athletic heroics over the past two seasons. The 6-foot Mills is averaging 18.2 points and has improved his shooting from long-range to 35 percent.

''There are a lot of parallels between Mills and Steph because of their ability to not only manufacture points for themselves but their ability to manufacture points for their team, and their ability to make their team better,'' Davidson coach Bob McKillop said.

Don't expect Curry to guard Mills, however. Since he moved to point guard this season, Curry has generally not guarded the opposing playmaker. That duty will likely fall to senior Max Paulhus Gosselin, a gritty defender who is six inches taller than Mills but not nearly as quick.

''Just to pressure him and make him work for 94 feet down the court,'' Curry said of the defensive game plan.

Saint Mary's will try to slow Curry, who with 410 3-pointers is two away from moving into the top five in NCAA history.

''We'll have to figure out a way to guard them, but I can't be giving out my secrets,'' coach Randy Bennett said.

Curry and Mills' paths crossed once before, when Curry played for the United States and Mills for Australia in the 2007 under-19 world championships. But the countries never played in the competition. Curry said he's spoken to Mills a few times since then.

The winner will play at San Diego State in the quarterfinals Wednesday, while the loser will wonder if their star guard has played his last college game. Curry, a junior, and Mills, a sophomore, have said they'll wait until their seasons end before deciding whether to declare for the NBA draft.

''He's a great player,'' Curry said of Mills before the Wildcats boarded a cross-country flight Sunday. ''He's gotten a lot of attention this year for the things he's done and where he's got his team.

''It's beyond just me and him out there playing. I'm just excited to go out there and play and take on a new, different opponent.''

But as much as Curry tried to deflect attention from his matchup from Mills, his teammates knew better. Waiting for Curry to finish an interview before beginning practice, one player yelled playfully, ''Let's go Hollywood.''

Curry blushed, finished his answer and ran to join his team.

NIT/CBI/CIT Research
By Indiancowboy

Kentucky vs. Creighton

How about Kentucky hitting the road for the first time in this tourney to face a Creighton team who was on the bubble for the Tourney. Kentucky beat UNLV in their first round game by 10 at home covering the spread. I have them as a top 50 team facing a Creighton team who is a top 75 team. This game is on ESPN. If I'm not mistaken, Creighton hasn't beat a top 50 team all year. Kentucky has faced the tougher competition this year overall as well. I can see this game either way.

James Madison vs. Liberty

JMU took care of business against Mt. St. Mary's winning by 11 at home. But what does this team have to offer on the road? It was striking to see what this Liberty team did to Rider at home. JMU will surprise you a bit on the road, they did lose to Towson and Deleware. JMU is a great ft shooting team at 75.5%. Remember, Liberty beat Virginia on the road outright by a few points earlier this year. They beat GM at home in double-overtime, nearly beat Clemson on the road losing by just 5 points. I think Liberty does well today at home.

Stanford vs. Wichita State

Roughly 63% like Stanford here on the road. Stanford crushed Boise State at home by 20. Stanford is a top 50 power ranking team facing a Wichita State who is a top 125 power ranking team. Wichita State has beaten Cleveland State, Illinois State and Siena this year so this team does have quite a bit of bite. Stanford did beat Arizona State on the road and does have some bite, so you have to respect that. But, I lean on the home court here and a slight fade of the public with Wichita State as they are 14-3 at home - but Stanford is ranked roughly 75 spots higher in the power rankings - but the home court might neutralize that.

Oakland vs. Bradley

Oakland came back in thier last contest big in the 2nd half and defeated Kent State. Oakland is a solid team but they haven't shown much prowess on the road outside of winning against Oregon on the highway. Bradley beat Illinois State, Drake, Evansville etc...so I can seem them doing well as well. No lean - although if you lean on Oakland, this game is likely to go over.

Idaho vs. Pacific

Idaho is a top 160 team hitting the road to face a Pacific team that is ranked top 125. Idaho did beat Nevada on the road by 5 who is a top 100 team, lost to top 60 Utah State by 9, lost to top 225 Hawaii by 25 though, did beat Boise State, Fresno State on the road and Drake at home. Pacific can ball as they beat CS Northridge on the road in OT and defeated a good Portland team at hoem by 6. I can see this either way although the total seems a bit low to me so if you think Idaho does well today, this game likely goes over.

Vermont vs. Oregon State

Vermont beat Wisc GB on the road by 4 who is a top 100 team and faces an Oregon State team who is a top 125 team. I like Oregon State and have rode their backs several times this year. In all do honesty, Vermonth has not played a tough road schedule - althouh they did beat Wisc GB and although Vermont has some size up front, Oregon State has beat better teams at home this year including Houston, Cal (twice), Stanford (twice) and I can see Oregon State hanging tough again. I want to lean Oregon State, but again, Vermont will come focused as they always do just like they did against Wisc GB and remember, Oregon State only shoots 66% from the line while Vermont shoots aruond 70% are just a well coached team from top to bottom.

Northeastern vs. UTEP

NE is a top 110 team that took care of Wyoming on the road by a few points. They face a UTEP team that is ranked in the top 85 today however. NE did beat Drexel, Wright State, ODU, VCU and Providence all on the road this year. UTEP beat Nevada at home by a bucket to earn them this spot. I know the line is high - but I think so for reason. Remember, when UTEP wins, they usually win big. They defeated UAB by 18 at home, they beat Texas Tech by 18, James Madison by double-digits and even beat Houston on the road by 7 - not to mention St. Mary's by double-digits on neutral footing. I actually lean on UTEP here, but albeit small as NE is a low-scoring team and if UTEP can figure out the size NE runs, I can see them winning by dd.

Davidson vs. St. Mary's

It's tough to go against Davidson as they now they decide to play with a chip on their shoulder. They won at South Carolina at 7 and now face a very good St. Mary's team catching 4.5. St. Mary's took care of Utah State, lost to Gonzaga by 2 at home, and has a star that we didn't get to see in the tournament unfortunately. I can see this either way as this should come down to FT's late and the spread is a bit too dicey.