College Hoops Bettors' TV Guide: Saturday's Best Games
By DAVE CAREY
West Virginia Mountaineers at Marquette Golden Eagles, 11 a.m. ESPN 2
The backcourt is getting very thin for the Marquette Golden Eagles. The team has a mere four guards on scholarship after point guard Reggie Smith announced he is transferring following his return to the team from Christmas break. Smith started five of the eight games he played this season before being slowed by an undisclosed illness that forced him to miss the past two contests.
Dwight Buycks will likely take over at the point, and will be joined by just Darius Johnson-Odom, Junior Cadougan and freshman Vander Blue. Marquette also could be a little slowed from its game against Vanderbilt on Wednesday and a physical game against West Virginia is a very tall task for a very thin backcourt.
New Mexico Lobos at Dayton Flyers, 2 p.m., CBS College Sports
The Dayton Flyers have a new secret weapon: sophomore center Matt Kavanaugh. After scoring no more than two points in any game during his collegiate career, Kavanaugh exploded for 15 points and seven rebounds in a 69-65 win over Seton Hall.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pounder has been virtually guaranteed more playing time by coach Brian Gregory, who used terms like “poise” and “strength” to describe his performance. And if Kavanaugh can give the Flyers a new dynamic with his low post game, Dayton appears poised to be a real threat in the A-10.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Syracuse Orange, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU
The Orange have some troubling injuries to their young front court players. Freshman Fab Melo, regarded as one of the best center prospects in the country, is dealing with a sprained ankle and a muscle tear in the same leg.
Meantime, C.J. Fair, a first-year player out of Baltimore, is averaging 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, and has missed several games recently with a sprained ankle.
Both players are among the most talented youngsters in the nation, but any extended absence will hurt their development come tournament time and seriously dent the substantial depth touted by the Orange.
Boston College Golden Eagles at South Carolina Gamecocks, 5:30 p.m., ESPNU
The Eagles are soaring thanks to the improved play of junior Reggie Jackson. Flourishing in new coach Steve Donahue’s system which emphasizes outside shooting from nearly every position on the floor, Jackson has emerged as an NBA prospect at point guard by finally being able to utilize his 6-foot-3, 208-pound frame.
Donahue refers to Jackson as a “triple-double waiting to happen.”
Jackson is already regarded as one of the most improved players in the Atlantic Coast Conference thanks to a seven point increase in his scoring average. He also has drastically cut down on his turnovers and is shooting 54 percent from the floor, 51 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the line.
South Carolina better find a way to slow him down to have a chance.
NCAA Betting Preview: Notre Dame at Syracuse
By: Joe Freda
The No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have prevailed in four straight games, with a 2-1 spread record in the three ‘board’ battles of that span. Mike Brey’s squad travels north for Saturday afternoon’s contest against the No. 5 Syracuse Orange, who have started their season with a 14-game winning streak.
Notre Dame’s latest triumph came in Wednesday’s 69-55 victory over No. 9 Georgetown as a 1 ½-point home dog. The Fighting Irish were held to 38.5 percent field shooting, while sinking 22-of-27 at the foul line.
Fighting Irish forward Tim Abromaitis put up a team-high 20 points, while adding four rebounds. The senior drained 5-of-7 from three-point land, improving to 29-for-76 beyond the arc this year.
Notre Dame’s Tyrone Nash finished with 15 points and 10 boards, logging his first double-double in nine games. The New York native added one of his squad’s three blocks.
The lopsided affair’s combined 124 points plunged below the ‘total’ of 145. Nash and Co. edged out Georgetown in rebounds, 32-31.
Notre Dame is 3-1 ATS in its first four games away from home, which all took place at neutral sites. The ‘under’ also cashed at 3-1 in that stretch.
Syracuse extended its unbeaten run with Tuesday’s 81-74 win as a 13-point home favorite against the Providence Friars. The Orange connected on 48.1 percent of their field buckets, including 9-of-22 from three-point range.
Orange forward Kris Joseph piled in a season-high 27 points, while finishing with four assists. The Montreal native played for the entire 40 minutes, hitting 7-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Joseph’s mate Rick Jackson grabbed a team-high 17 rebounds, while adding two of his squad’s four blocks. The senior forward added a season-high five assists, while recording no turnovers.
The contest’s combined 155 points stayed ‘under’ its closing ‘total’ of 155 ½ by a ‘hook.’ Jackson and his teammates held the Friars to 39.7 percent field shooting, allowing 8-of-30 buckets to connect from beyond the arc.
Syracuse dropped to 3-6 ATS in its first nine home ‘board’ dates, putting up 75.9 PPG in that stretch. The ‘under’ moved to 5-3 in the last eight games of that span.
Notre Dame is 3-2 ATS in its last five meetings against the Orange, with the ‘over’ going 4-1.
Syracuse won last January’s matchup between the Big East Conference rivals, 84-71, as a 2 ½-point road favorite. Jackson and Joseph united to hit 5-of-10 from the field for the Orange, while Abromaitis finished with 26 points for Notre Dame.
Saturday’s tip is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (PT), with ESPNU providing the national television coverage.
Notre Dame will have two days off before hosting the Connecticut Huskies as part of Tuesday’s college hoops slate. Syracuse will be idle for one week until next Saturday’s road duel against the Seton Hall Pirates.