NCAAB News and Notes Saturday 12/27

12:00 PM MIAMI vs. ST. JOHN'S
Miami is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Miami is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
St. John's is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Miami
St. John's is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Miami

1:00 PM NOTRE DAME (OH) vs. CLEVELAND STATE
No trends available
Cleveland State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Cleveland State is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home

2:00 PM BINGHAMTON vs. TULANE
No trends available
Tulane is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Tulane is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

2:00 PM BRYANT vs. MARYLAND
No trends available
Maryland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
Maryland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

2:00 PM WASHINGTON STATE vs. LSU
Washington State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Washington State is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
LSU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
LSU is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games

3:00 PM DREXEL vs. RIDER
Drexel is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Drexel is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Rider is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Rider is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games

3:00 PM FLORIDA ATLANTIC vs. KENTUCKY
Florida Atlantic is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Florida Atlantic is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Kentucky is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Kentucky is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home

4:00 PM DARTMOUTH vs. CALIFORNIA
Dartmouth is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
Dartmouth is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
California is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
California is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games

4:00 PM HOFSTRA vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE
Hofstra is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Hofstra is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
No trends available

4:00 PM IUPUI vs. MASSACHUSETTS
No trends available
Massachusetts is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home
Massachusetts is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games

4:00 PM SIU EDWARDSVILLE vs. MISSOURI
SIU Edwardsville is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
SIU Edwardsville is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Missouri is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
Missouri is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games

4:00 PM UAB vs. LOUISVILLE
UAB is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Louisville
UAB is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Louisville
Louisville is 16-8 ATS in its last 24 games
Louisville is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

4:00 PM WEST VIRGINIA vs. OHIO STATE
West Virginia is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of West Virginia's last 10 games on the road
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Ohio State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

5:00 PM MICHIGAN STATE vs. OAKLAND
Michigan State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Michigan State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oakland
No trends available

6:00 PM NORTHWESTERN STATE vs. ARKANSAS
No trends available
Arkansas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Arkansas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

6:30 PM PORTLAND vs. AIR FORCE
Portland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Portland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Air Force is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Air Force is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home

7:00 PM FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON vs. SETON HALL
No trends available
Seton Hall is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
Seton Hall is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home

7:00 PM IONA vs. SOUTH FLORIDA
Iona is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
Iona is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
South Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
South Florida is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games

7:00 PM SAN FRANCISCO vs. HOLY CROSS
San Francisco is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
San Francisco is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
No trends available

7:00 PM TENNESSEE-MARTIN vs. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Tennessee-Martin is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Tennessee-Martin is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
Florida International is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Florida International is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games

7:30 PM HAMPTON vs. VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
No trends available
Virginia Commonwealth is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Virginia Commonwealth's last 5 games

8:00 PM GEORGIA STATE vs. TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO
Georgia State is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Georgia State's last 16 games on the road
No trends available

8:00 PM PORTLAND STATE vs. TEXAS SOUTHERN
Portland State is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games
Portland State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
No trends available

8:00 PM WESTERN ILLINOIS vs. IOWA
No trends available
Iowa is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Iowa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

9:05 PM SACRAMENTO STATE vs. SOUTHERN UTAH
Sacramento State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Sacramento State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
No trends available

10:00 PM UTAH vs. UC IRVINE
Utah is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Utah is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
UC Irvine is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games at home
UC Irvine is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

10:00 PM VERMONT vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON
No trends available
George Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
George Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

10:05 PM IDAHO STATE vs. NEVADA
Idaho State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Idaho State is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
Nevada is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Nevada is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games at home

10:30 PM SAN JOSE STATE vs. SAINT MARY'S
San Jose State is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games on the road
San Jose State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Saint Mary's
Saint Mary's is 6-0-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Saint Mary's is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

12/28, 12:30 AM COLORADO STATE vs. HAWAII
Colorado State is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Colorado State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Hawaii is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Hawaii is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

Tips and Trends

UAB at #19 Louisville

UAB: The Blazers have just six scholarship players on the roster after three were dismissed from the team due to academics a little over a week ago. Guard Terrence Roderick was the only player who had started for UAB, but the team has not shown any ill effects of that lack of depth so far. The Blazers have won three straight, including two by at least 27 points after pounding Florida Atlantic 76-43 on Monday. “This was a good victory in many ways,” UAB coach Mike Davis said. “We had a chance to play some guys who needed to get some playing time and also had a chance to give some of our starters a little rest.”

UAB is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
The OVER is 9-3 in UAB's last 12 games as an underdog.

Key Injuries - G Terrence Roderick (academics) is OUT.
F Jeremy Mayfield (academics) is OUT.

PROJECTED SCORE: 67

Louisville (-13.5): Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino has noted that he would make lineup changes for this game in order to help jump-start the offense. Pitino's starters made only 17-of-46 shots (37 percent) in a 70-64 loss to Minnesota last Saturday. He publicly called out his players on Friday for being "moody" and knows they are more talented than they've shown so far. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have mood swings and that’s why I think we’re not reaching our potential right now,” Pitino said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with basketball, I think it has to do with psychology. That’s the unfortunate thing. We’ve got to get through that period.”.

Louisville is 0-4 ATS in its last 4 games overall.
The UNDER is 16-5-1 in Louisville last 22 home games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 80

College basketball bettors' TV guide
By MATT SEVERANCE

It's a fairly quiet weekend in college basketball with schools on holiday and conference play about to begin. Once the new year hits, there won't be a slow weekend through the Final Four. Yes, your basketball jones will be satisfied soon. Here's a look at some of the better matchups this weekend.

Miami Hurricanes at St. John's Red Storm (Saturday, noon, ESPNU)

Hurricanes coach Frank Haith challenged his team's toughness after it was routed by Clemson 91-72 last Sunday for UM's second-worst home loss since 1997. The Canes couldn't hang on to the ball (22 turnovers, most in the Haith era) and were just 12-for-26 from the free-throw line.

St. John's is 9-2 but has played no one and was just thumped by Virginia Tech, making the Red Storm 0-2 this year against the ACC. St. John's should get forward Justin Burrell back for this game after he missed time with broken bones in his face. But the Johnnies won't have point guard Malik Boothe, who is out at least three weeks with a torn tendon in his thumb. Boothe was averaging 30.3 minutes per game, third-highest on the team and 8.4 points and 5.0 assists per game.

Washington State Cougars at LSU Tigers (Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN2)

As usual, the Cougars are among the nation's stingiest teams, allowing more than 58 points just once. In Wazzu's last game, a victory over Idaho, senior forward Caleb Forrest got his first start of the season over Nik Koprivica.

Will that continue?

“Is our lineup set in stone?” coach Tony Bennett said. “Certainly not. But he helped us.”

Forrest had six points and four rebounds in 31 minutes against the Vandals. The Cougars' three losses have been to likely NCAA Tournament teams Gonzaga, Baylor and Pitt. LSU has won 12 in a row at home dating to last season.

UAB Dragons at Louisville Cardinals (Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPN2)

The No. 19 Cardinals had a week off following their second loss to an unranked team this season, falling 70-64 to Minnesota last week. Head coach Rick Pitino promised lineup changes following that loss but didn't specify what that would be.

"I haven't liked this team since the first day of practice in terms of execution," Pitino said to the Louisville Courier-Journal. “We haven't beaten anybody yet.”

Freshman big man Samardo Samuels has been effectively neutralized in the past two games, with one total assist and nine fouls. The Dragons will play fast and should have an advantage in the backcourt, led by Robert Vaden.

West Virginia Mountaineers at Ohio State Buckeyes (Saturday, 4 p.m., CBS)

The No. 13 Buckeyes are quietly unbeaten heading into their final non-conference tune-up before opening Big Ten play and have the longest winning streak in the country (14, dating to last season).

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins tried desperately to get the Buckeyes to play Cincinnati when he was coach of the Bearcats but could never get OSU to agree to a game. He finally gets his shot and, yes, is motivated in his return to Ohio.

Mountaineers guard Alex Ruoff shook off a slump and hit a school-record nine 3-pointers and had a career-high 38 points in a rout of Radford Tuesday night. It was the first time since 1983 that a Mountaineer scored at least 38 points in a game. Ruoff's explosion was good news for a team that struggles (32.2 percent) from the 3-point line. However, the Mountaineers lost starting point guard Darryl Bryant to an ankle injury in the game and his status for Saturday is up in the air. West Virginia already is without fellow starting guard Joe Mazzulla because of a shoulder injury.

High Point Panthers at Minnesota Golden Gophers (Sunday, 7 p.m. ESPNU)

It's doubtful that High Point gives No. 23 Minnesota much of a game, as the 11-0 Gophers are off to the program's best start since they opened with 11 straight wins in 1976-77. It's Tubby Smith's first-ever 11-0 start and the Gophers were legitimized by last weekend's 70-64 upset of Louisville. Ten Gophers average at least 14.0 minutes a game.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at North Carolina Tar Heels (Sunday, 7:45 p.m., Fox Sports Net Regional)

The Scarlet Knights have racked up a 9-3 record against a bunch of cupcakes, so expect a rude awakening on Sunday night. You could say the No. 1 Heels are an upgrade over the likes of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. It's the second consecutive season that the Scarlet Knights have faced a top-ranked UNC team (they lost 93-71 last season), and Rutgers has never beaten a No. 1 team.

How is this for a grueling schedule: after playing the top-ranked Heels, Rutgers faces No. 3 Pittsburgh and then No. 2 Connecticut. It's thought to be the first time any school will have faced the top three teams in the polls in a seven-day period. Carolina, meanwhile, has won 11 straight games (or all of them) by double figures, tying a school record set by the 1992-93 team. The Heels also have won 37 straight regular season games against non-conference opponents.

Washington State (8-3, 4-5 ATS) at LSU (9-1, 2-1 ATS)

After an early-season schedule that has featured a slew of weak opponents, LSU takes a rare step up in class when it hosts Washington State inside the Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Seven of the Tigers’ nine wins have come against non-Division I competition, including Monday’s narrow 62-59 home victory over McNeese State. Two days prior, LSU faced its toughest challenge of the season when it played Texas A&M on a neutral court in Houston, losing 72-61 as a one-point favorite.

Washington State is coming off consecutive blowout wins over Montana State (70-51 as a 15-point favorite at a neutral site) and Idaho (55-41 as an 11-point road chalk). Those victories come on the heels of a 1-3 slump that included SU and ATS losses to ranked opponents Pitt (57-43), Baylor (58-52) and Gonzaga (74-52).

Aside from the defeat to the Aggies, LSU has given up 65 points or less in every other game this year, holding six foes under 60 points. Meanwhile, the Cougars, who have long been a strong defensive club, have limited 10 of their 11 opponents to 58 points or less. For the season, Washington State leads the nation in scoring defense (48 ppg allowed) and ranks second in field-goal defense (33.5 percent).

Washington State is in pointspread slides of 1-4 on the road, 2-5 after a spread-cover and 2-5 on Saturdays. Likewise, LSU is in ATS funks of 2-6 in non-conference lined games, 8-24-1 on Saturdays and 0-6 versus Pac-10 opponents. However, the Tigers are 7-2 ATS in their last nine lined games overall and 5-1 ATS in their last six at home.

For the Cougars, the under is on runs of 8-3 overall, 36-15-1 in non-conference action, 6-1 on the road, 6-2 on Saturdays and 4-0 following a victory. Also, the under is 25-9 in LSU’s last 34 non-league games, 25-7 in its last 32 on Saturdays and 5-2 in its last seven against the Pac-10.

ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER

UAB (8-3, 5-6 ATS) at (19) Louisville (7-2, 4-5 ATS)

Louisville returns to the court for the first time since last Saturday’s upset loss to Minnesota, with the Cardinals hosting UAB at Freedom Hall.

After a stunning 68-54 upset loss to Western Kentucky on Nov. 30, Louisville began December with five consecutive wins, including four by double digits. But the Cardinals’ streak was halted in last Saturday’s 70-64 loss to unbeaten Minnesota in Glendale, Ariz. Louisville, which went off as a nine-point favorite, shot just 37.7 percent from the field in the defeat, including missing 13 of 17 tries from 3-point range.

UAB has followed up a 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS slump with a three-game winning streak (2-1 ATS), beating up on Jacksonville State (75-48), Troy (73-68) and Florida Atlantic (76-43), all at home. The Blazers have faced just one other ranked opponent this year, losing 77-67 to then-No. 11 Oklahoma as a 5½-point underdog in the Preseason NIT in New York.

Both of these teams can score the basketball, with Louisville averaging 77.9 ppg on 44 percent shooting and UAB putting up 75.1 ppg on 45.3 percent shooting. However, in their two losses, Louisville has averaged just 64 ppg while scoring 77 or more in its seven wins.

These former Conference USA rivals last met in the 2005 Conference USA tournament championship game, with Louisville winning 74-67, but the Blazers covering as a 12-point favorite. The Cardinals have won the last five meetings going back to 2002, but UAB has cashed in six of the last eight clashes. Also, the underdog is 7-1 ATS during this eight-game stretch.

The Cardinals are in an 0-4 ATS rut and they’ve failed to cover in four of their last five games against Conference USA opponents, but Rick Pitino’s troops are 5-1 ATS in their last six games after an outright loss. Meanwhile, UAB is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 Saturday contests, but otherwise is in pointspread droughts of 2-5 overall, 1-4 against teams with a winning record and 1-5 after a non-cover.

The under is 6-1 in Louisville’s last seven overall, 35-17-1 in its last 53 non-conference games, 16-5-1 in its last 22 at Freedom Hall and 6-2 in UAB’s last eight games after a SU win. Lastly, the under is on a 3-0 roll in this rivalry.

ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER

West Virginia (9-2, 3-5 ATS) at (15) Ohio State (9-0, 4-2 ATS)

College basketball’s marquee game of the day comes from Value City Arena in Columbus, where unbeaten Ohio State hosts Bob Huggins and his surging Mountaineers.

The Buckeyes own the nation’s longest winning streak going back to the end of last season, winning their last 14 in a row (9-2 ATS in lined action), including the 2007 postseason NIT championship. This season, Ohio State has recorded five double-digit wins en route to a 9-0 start, including three consecutive home routs of Iona (71-53 as a 16-point chalk) and Division II foes Jacksonville (81-68) and North Carolina-Asheville (83-59).

Since suffering a tough 68-65 loss to then-No. 23 Davidson at Madison Square Garden, West Virginia has reeled off three straight victories over Duquesne (68-63 on the road), Miami of Ohio (82-46 at home) and Radford (89-54 at home). The Mountaineers easily covered as an 8½-point favorite against Miami of Ohio, snapping an 0-5 ATS slump.

No team has scored more than 68 points against Ohio State this season, and the Buckeyes rank third in the nation in scoring defense (53.6 ppg allowed) and 13th in field-goal defense (36.4 percent). Meanwhile, West Virginia has allowed more than 68 points just once – in an 80-73 road victory at Ole Miss – and is yielding just 56.1 ppg, which ranks 14th in the country.

In addition to its 1-5 ATS slump overall, West Virginia is 1-4 ATS in its last five road games. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are on spread-covering tears of 9-2 overall, 8-2 at home, 12-2 in non-conference action and 4-0 versus the Big East.

The over is 8-3 in the Mountaineers’ last 11 road trips, but the under is 37-17-1 in Ohio State’s last 55 games on Saturday and 10-1 in its last 11 versus the Big East.

ATS ADVANTAGE: OHIO STATE