Saturday's Afternoon Battles
By Judd Hall
College hoops will take center stage on Saturday with football getting some time off before the bowl season kicks into gear. The SEC/Big East Invitational will still be going on at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. And we have a quality Top 25 test going on in Louisville. Let’s look at both afternoon battles.
UNLV at Louisville
UNLV (9-0 straight up, 4-4 against the spread) kept itself perfect on the season with a 75-72 win at home against Boise State. The Rebs got paced by Chace Stanback, who scored 16 points with six rebounds and three assists in a hard fought game. The Rebels failed to cover as 15-point home favorites, which is the second straight time that has happened for gamblers that backed them. Although this was a prime look ahead spot.
Louisville (7-0 SU, 4-1-1 ATS) enters this game with an unblemished mark thanks to a 61-35 romp over the Dons as a 26-point home favorite. Peyton Siva was the Cardinals’ top performer with 14 points and five assists. It wasn’t the best win for the Cards when you consider that they weren’t accurate at the charity stripe (.438 FT percentage), but they also had four players log double-digits in points.
For the Cardinals to stay unbeaten, they’ll need to find a way to keep Stanback from hurting them. The Rebels’ junior forward is hitting 60 percent of his shots from the field to rank 33rd nationally.
As far as UNLV is concerned, they just need to keep control of the ball. Louisville is fourth in the country in steals, thieving the ball 12.0 times per game this season. The Rebs are turning the ball over 12.6 times per game this year, so that could spell disaster for them on Saturday afternoon.
You’d think that the Cards would have control of this series, but UNLV is 2-1 SU and ATS over the last three games. The ‘under’ is 2-1 in that stretch in that time.
Something else for gamblers is the fact that Louisville is 5-2 SU, but 1-3 ATS when listed as a home favorite against non-conference teams in December.
Tennessee at Pittsburgh
One of the better matchups of the SEC/Big East Invitational takes hold on Saturday afternoon between the Panthers and Vols at home of the Penguins, CONSOL Energy Center.
Pittsburgh (10-0 SU, 3-4 ATS) is the class of the Big East this season, coming in at No. 3 in the AP Poll. The Panthers demolished Delaware State for a 70-42 win on Dec. 8 that wasn’t on the board at the betting shops. Dante Taylor led Pitt with 14 points and 10 boards against the Hornets. Gamblers weren’t too sad about not being able to play Jamie Dixon’s club in that game as they’ve gone 1-3 ATS over their last four games that were on the board.
Tennessee (6-0 SU, 4-2-1 ATS) are well rested after a 86-56 win over the Blue Raiders as a 16 ½-point home favorite on Nov. 30. Tobias Harris came through big for the Vols in this game, scoring 21 points and pulling down six rebounds. That win was an impressive one for Bruce Pearl and Company after their 78-68 win over Villanova as 5 ½-point pups in the NIT Season Tip-Off championship just four nights earlier at Madison Square Garden.
This game will hinge on which team can control the glass. The Volunteers are grabbing 42.3 rebounds per game to rank 17th nationally. That’s a great number, until you realize that Pitt is the best team on the boards, with 45.7 RPG this season. That advantage has helped Ashton Gibbs score 17.4 PPG, while Brad Wanamaker sits just behind him with 12.8 PPG and 5.3 RPG.
Something that the Vols will have to do is snap this insane trend. Pittsburgh is 15-0 SU and 6-4-1 ATS in home games against non-conference teams in December since the 2006-07 campaign.
vegasinsider.com
Pitt Panthers get NCAA odds nod over Volunteers
By: Adam Markowitz
Of all of the duels on the Saturday college basketball betting slate, the one that you certainly aren't going to want to miss is the tussle in the Steel City between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Tennessee Volunteers, the showcase game in the SEC/Big East Challenge.
What a fantastic job that head coach Bruce Pearl has done with his Vols in a year in which there are all sorts of potential NCAA violations that are being investigated! Pearl has a team that is 6-0 already on the season, including a huge upset in the NIT Season Tip-Off against fellow Big East dwellers Villanova, 78-68.
Tennessee is always a team to watch come NCAA Tournament time, but this year, waves are being made early, as a 'W' in this one will certainly march the boys from Rocky Top into the Top 10.
Freshman F Tobias Harris has made a tremendous impact, leading the way for the Vols in scoring at 16.7 PPG. He is shooting a whopping 53.1 percent from the floor and canned six of his eight tries from behind the arc. Harris was good for 15 points and nine boards in that 10-point win over the Wildcats, proving that he isn't afraid of big showcase affairs.
As always, veteran F Scotty Hopson is going to be crucial as well. Hopson is averaging 16.3 PPG, just a shade behind Harris, and he is always a threat for the big-time games as well. Keep a close eye on Brian Williams in the low block, as he is going to have a real fight on his hands against the bigs of the Panthers. Williams is averaging 6.3 points and a team high 8.2 boards per game.
Pitt has been tested a few more times this year, as it is 10-0 on the campaign. However, its schedule hasn't been nearly as tough as that of the Volunteers. The only challenges came against the Texas Longhorns and Maryland Terrapins, and the Panthers put those games away just as they should have, splitting the proceedings on the college basketball lines.
Maryland is the only team in the country that has scored even 70 on Pittsburgh whose defense has been stifling, keeping teams to just 60.1 PPG. The real domination has come on the glass. The Panthers are outrebounding their opponents by a whopping 20 boards per night, winning the battle 45.1 to 25.2.
Head coach Jamie Dixon has a plethora of options that he can turn to on a regular basis off of his bench. Ten different players are averaging at least ten minutes per game, and nine of the 10 are good for at least 10 points, rebounds and assists combined per game, a truly amazing statistic.
If you like star power though, this is also the squad for you. Ashton Gibbs is averaging 17.4 PPG, while Brad Wanamaker is at 12.8 PPG. All of this is happening without Gilbert Brown really doing much for the squad either. The big man has struggled this year, scoring just 8.8 PPG and pulling down 4.7 RPG, and he really has to get his shooting touch in stride. Brown is shooting just 39.2 percent from the field, the second lowest percentage amongst qualified shooters on the team.
These two teams have only met twice in recent memory, clashing in 1998 and 1999. The Vols won both of those games, but this could be a significantly different story. Those UT squads were both significantly better than what the Panthers could offer at the time, and now that the tables have turned just a bit, we wouldn't be surprised to see the No. 3 team in the country offer up a big time beat down to its SEC foe on Saturday.
Gonzaga in underdog role at Notre Dame
By: Willie Bee
Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs find themselves in unfamiliar territory as they prepare for their Saturday matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And no, I'm not talking about the Bulldogs making their first appearance at Notre Dame's Joyce Center in the first-ever hardwood meeting between the two schools.
ESPN2 will have the tip starting at 5:30 p.m. (PT).
Gonzaga heads into the contest 4-4 straight up (3-4 against the spread) and in danger of falling below .500 if it can't pull off the upset win over the Irish. The Bulldogs didn't record their fourth loss of the 2009-10 season until their 21st game, an 81-77 upset defeat in overtime at San Francisco on Jan. 30.
A very tough early season schedule continues with this contest; Notre Dame is the fourth top-25 school the Bulldogs will face in their first nine games and they still have Baylor on the near horizon.
The Bulldogs are coming off consecutive losses as small underdogs to Illinois and Washington State. The fell at home as a plus 1½ choice to the Illini, 73-61, on Dec. 4 and then were chased off the Cougars' floor on Dec, 8 in an 81-59 defeat getting four from the college basketball oddsmakers. The defeat at Wazzu just failed to reach the 140-point total, Gonzaga's fifth straight 'under' against only one 'over' so far.
A 76.9 per game scoring average is right at the same amount of points Gonzaga put up last season when the Bulldogs finished 27-7 and ranked 23rd in the country. The current average is very misleading, however. The Bulldogs scored 203 points in their first two games combined, wins over Southern and IUPUI. Since then they've managed to get over the 76-point plateau just once, an 86-57 win over Eastern Washington that just did cover the 27-point line.
Steven Gray is doing his part to put points on the board for the Zags. The senior guard leads the squad with an 18.4 scoring mark, also topping the team charts with 5.4 assists per game. Poor shooting results by Gray the past two games are a big part of Gonzaga's losses to Illinois and Washington State. He scored just 17 points total in the defeats, hitting on 5-of-22 from the field, 2-of-10 from long range.
Gray's counterpart at Notre Dame is Ben Hansbrough who is coming off consecutive 20-point efforts for the Irish. The 6-foot-3 senior hit 15 of his 27 field goal attempts in the last two contests, netting nine of his 14 shots from three-point land.
Hansbrough's efforts weren't enough to help Notre Dame to a win in their last game, however. The Irish were 8-0 on the season when they arrived in Louisville this past Tuesday to meet Kentucky in an SEC/Big East Invitational battle. Freshman Terrence Jones scored a career-best 27 for the Wildcats who strolled to a 72-58 triumph over the Irish as five-point favorites.
That defeat was the second straight at the window for Mike Brey's club. Notre Dame started the year a perfect 4-0 for its backers before the spread losses to Kentucky and Indiana State on Nov. 30. The Irish were favored by 15½ in that one, an 81-72 win.
Gonzaga will return to Spokane to host Lewis-Clark State College on Dec. 16, a game that likely won't make the betting board. Two days later the Bulldogs will be in Dallas for another toughie when they face the No. 10 Baylor Bears at American Airlines Arena.
Notre Dame won't return to action until Dec. 19 when they host Stony Brook.
Saturday's Best NCAAB Bets
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (-8.5, 140)
Something will have to five when undefeated Tennessee faces undefeated Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Don't expect anything to give down low, though, because both teams are serious in the paint. The Panthers, who have always been known for their toughness inside, are out-rebounding opponents by almost 17 boards per game so far this season.
But they have not yet seen anyone like Tennessee. The Vols boast 6'8'' Tobias Harris (17 points and 6 rebounds per game), 6'10'' Brian Williams, and 6'9'' John Fields.
"It's a very experienced team; a lot of athleticism, good size, very good balance," Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said of the Volunteers. "They play a lot of guys. They're similar to us in a lot of ways: they rebound well, they play hard, they defend. They're probably a little bit more experienced than us."
Tennessee was hoping to get 6'7'', 258-pound forward Jeronne Maymon back for this one, but he is still ineligible despite passing all five of his fall classes.
Pick: Tennessee +8.5
Arizona Wildcats vs. BYU Cougars (-2.5)
Saturday's showdown between Arizona and BYU features an intriguing matchup between Derrick Williams of Arizona and BYU's Jimmer Fredette.
Williams was recently named Pac-10 Player of the Week by the conference's coaches. The sophomore forward notched a double-double against Rice and scored 16 points against Oklahoma, both Wildcat victories. Williams (20.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg) also had 22 and 10 in a Wednesday victory over Cal-State Fullerton.
Fredette, a pre-season First-Team All-American, is equally electric. The senior guard is scoring 22.7 points per game and he enjoyed a stellar homecoming in Glens Falls, NY on Wednesday. He scored 26 points, including seven in a span of 27 seconds early in the first half, en route to a blowout of Vermont.
"I've been through quite a few homecomings as the coach, and this is the most unique and probably the best I’ve had a player actually play in one of these," said BYU head coach Dave Rose. "But that’s how special a player Jimmer is and continues to be."
Pick: BYU
Saturday's Best NBA Bets
Utah Jazz at Dallas Mavericks (-3, 39.5)
Can anyone stop the Dallas Mavericks right now. Maybe the 16-7 Utah Jazz?
The Mavs are on an 11-game winning streak and the Jazz already had one shot--at home--to end the streak at seven last Friday night. But Dallas went into Utah and came away with a 93-81 victory.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points in that showdown, but it was the Dallas defense that stole the headlines. It held the home team to 39.2 percent shooting, including 3 for 14 (21. 4 percent) from three-point land.
No team has shot better than 50 percent against the Mavs and they have held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting six times. They have allowed a total of just three quarters of more than 30 points and they have held the opposition to fewer than 20 points in a quarter on 19 occasions.
"When (Jason Terry) is active defensively and playing the way he can within the system, it lifts the other guys up," explained head coach Rick Carlisle. "And Dirk's had a good defensive year, too. It starts with your better players."
Pick: Mavericks
Minnesota Timberwolves at Chicago Bulls (-9.5, 205)
The Chicago Bulls have won four in a row, even though they are not necessarily playing their best basketball. They played sloppy basketball on Wednesday in Cleveland and they almost blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead on Friday (albeit against the Lakers).
Good thing Chicago has Derrick Rose at its disposal. When all else fails, go to Rose.
The second-year star had 29 point and eight assists against the Cavs and he torched Los Angeles for 29 points and nine assists. Rose put both games away late in the fourth quarter, sparking a 14-3 run to end the game in Cleveland.
"He does it time and time again," teammate Kyle Korver said of Rose. “He wants those moments. He's not just, ‘All right, I've got to try to do this again.' He really relishes it. He's done it with jump shots. He's done it with 3s. He did it driving to the basket."
The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are a dismal 1-11 on the road. The Bulls are 8-2 at home.
Pick: Bulls
College Basketball Knowledge
Early Games
7-0 Louisville has only one win vs team ranked higher than #135, 88-73 win over Butler in opener; Cardinals are 4-1-1 as a favorite, haven't left home yet. Tough spot for 9-0 UNLV squad playing noon tip in eastern time zone; Rebels have beaten Wisconsin/Va Tech, already have couple road wins. Big East home faves of 4 or less points are 4-1 vs spread.
Providence lost 84-75 at Alabama LY, but Friars are 9-2 this year, losing by hoop at Boston College in first road game this week; Friars are 3-4 as favorite this year. Alabama is 4-4, losing at Purdue by 19 in its first true away game; they scored less than 50 points in three of four losses. SEC road underdogs of less than 7 points are 9-4 vs spread.
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