NCAAB News and Notes Saturday 2/5

What To Watch: College Hoops Betting TV Guide
By Dave Carey

St. Louis Bilikens at Xavier Musketeers, 11 a.m. ET, ESPNU (-11, 126.5)

If Xavier guard Tu Holloway struggles, so will the Musketeers. He finished with a mere 12 points and was a horrid 3 for 17 from the field in a 66-62 loss to Charlotte. For the season, he averages more than 20 points per game. Now, teams see the Musketeers as beatable and will have a blueprint to shutdown their engine.

"It's tough. We probably were the front-runners in the A-10. Now I know that a lot of teams probably feel like they can beat us because Charlotte beat us," Guard Mark Lyons said.

West Virginia Mountaineers at Villanova Wildcats, 12 p.m., ESPN (-5.5, 136)

The Wildcats have no hope to beat the Mountaineers if they don’t shore up their interior defense. In a five-point win over Marquette, the Eagles made 16 of 18 field goals within two feet of the basket in the second half. Coach Jay Wright says the team made a conscious decision not to foul, but that many in-close looks is troublesome.

"We wanted to continue to get stops," guard Corey Fisher said. "We knew they were going to try to drive to get fouls. Sometimes if they're driving and we help out on defense, they can kick out to their shooters, so it's kind of hard to guard both. But that's something we've got to do. We have to get the stop."

Butler Bulldogs at Cleveland State Vikings, 12 noon, ESPN2 (-4.5, 135)

The Bulldogs’ postseason dreams are on life support after a two-point loss at Youngstown State this week, and now perennial rival Cleveland State has a new secret weapon: sophomore Tim Kamczyc. The 6-foot-6 shooter has scored in double figures only four times this season, but has done it twice in the past four games.

"Tim is a pretty good 3-point shooter," Cleveland State coach Gary Waters said. "I knew there would be a game where he'd step out, and I don't think he's really done that yet."

Northern Iowa Panthers at Drake Bulldogs, 1 p.m., ESPNU (4, 118.5)

The Panthers must find a way to survive without forward Lucas O’Rear. The 6-foot-6, 260-pounder cracked his ankle in a 53-51 win over Illinois State last week and will miss the balance of the season. The starter has twice been named the Missouri Valley Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year and is averaging 6.9 points and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds per game.

“We’ve got 10 guys in uniform now, and everybody is going to have to do a little bit more,” Panthers coach Ben Jacobson said.

Baylor Bears at Texas A&M Aggies, 2 p.m., ESPN (-4.5, 127)

The Aggies had plenty to work on this week at practice after suffering a 21-point beat down from Texas. However, the key for the team may be the health of senior B.J. Holmes. The guard made 6 of 8 field goals and finished with a season-high 19 points in the loss, but banged knees late in the first half and was seen hobbling with a bag of ice on his leg after the game. He is questionable against Baylor.

"I'm hoping it's just a bad bruise," Aggies coach Mark Turgeon said. "It's swollen up on him, just a knot on the top of his knee. He couldn't bend his knee, it locked up on him. It was good to see B.J. actually make some plays."

Memphis Tigers at Gonzaga Bulldogs, 4 p.m., ESPN (-7.5, 148)

The Tigers had a single focus this week in practice: holding onto the ball. In a 68-65 loss to Tulsa at FedEx Forum, Memphis held the visitors to a mere 33.9 percent shooting but still found a way to give away the game. By being careless and not boxing out, the Golden Hurricanes were given plenty of chances to stay in the game. A problem Memphis coach Josh Pastner planned to remedy with extra reps.

“The biggest thing is we gave them 33 extra possessions. They had 16 offensive rebounds and we had 17 turnovers. Our turnovers were unforced,” Pastner said.

Iowa Hawkeyes at Indiana Hoosiers, 4 p.m., ESPN2 (-6, 139.5)

The Hoosiers must continue to find a way to survive without leading scorer Christian Wartford. The sophomore suffered a broken hand in a one-point loss to Michigan State, but the team didn’t seem to miss his 17 points per game in a 60-57 upset of 20th-ranked Minnesota this week. Indiana must reliably find a way to replace his points.

North Carolina State Wolfpack at Duke Blue Devils, 6 p.m., ESPN (-20, 151)

The Blue Devils have a new starter in the backcourt. With Kyrie Irving lost to injury and Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins both struggling, the starting nod was given to freshman Tyler Thornton. He responded with just three points on 1-of-3 shooting, but added three assists and his ability to play lock-down defense helped hold Maryland to a mere 2 of 9 from beyond the arc in an 80-62 win.

Mississippi Running Rebels at Arkansas Razorbacks, 6 p.m., ESPN2 (-2, 142.5)

The unknown story in the Rebels upset of Kentucky was the phenomenal post play of sophomore forward Reginald Buckner. The native of Memphis finished with 12 points and an impressive five blocks, including several that changed momentum and led to fast breaks the other way. But now, he needs to string together consecutive games in conference play.

Connecticut Huskies at Seton Hall Pirates, 7 p.m., ESPNU (2.5, 134)

Kemba Walker needs to find his shooting touch for the Huskies. He is a horrid 27 for 88 the past five games and a wretched 4 for 26 from deep the past four times out. In a recent loss to Syracuse, he missed 11 shots and scored a season-low eight points.

"He's still a great player," teammate Jeremy Lamb said. "I just think he kind of let the referees get in his head. He wasn't getting certain calls and he was frustrated. We told him to just keep playing, 'You're OK.' He wasn't seeing the ball go in and that affected him. He's still making big plays for us, but he had a tough night."

Colorado State Rams at Wyoming Cowboys, 8 p.m., CBS College Sports (4.5, 138)

The Rams nearly upset San Diego State this week. One of the reasons was the return of sophomore guard Wes Eikmeier, who had been sidelined several games with a foot injury. He averages more than 10 points and two assists per game this season and provides valuable depth off the bench, especially with his defense. In a 13-point win over Wyoming earlier this year, Eikmeier had 11 points and four assists.

Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators, 9 p.m., ESPN (1.5, 132)

The Gators have recently been getting huge minutes off the bench from freshman forward Will Yeguete. He is averaging more than six rebounds per game off the pine each of the past two games and is doubling his average minutes over that span. For the season he is averaging just 1.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, but has been smashing those marks.

“Will played hard,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “I’d love for him to be able to make a few more free throws for us, but he’s playing hard.”

Texas Tech Red Raiders at Texas Longhorns, 9 p.m., ESPNU (-22, 145)

Freshman Bean Willis is averaging just 3.8 points per game for the Red Raiders, but his play could hold the key to the team trying to make a run in the Big 12 Tournament. Willis played all 20 minutes in the second half of a blowout to Kansas as coach Pat Knight experimented with him being the lead guard and working to get the ball in the hands of leading scorer John Roberson (16.1 ppg) a variety of different ways. Knight expects to keep working the combination.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Fresno State Bulldogs, 11 p.m., ESPNU (-6, 132.5)

Fresno State just can’t seem to regain their earlier momentum. The Bulldogs have dropped six of their past eight. The problem is the team’s inability to score, as they are averaging a mere 63.4 points per game over their skid and needed overtime to explode for 88 in a win against New Mexico State Thursday. Until the Bulldogs find a way to put the ball in the basket consistently, they will continue to slip toward the bottom of the WAC.

NCAAB Betting Preview: West Virginia at Villanova
By: David Schwab

The West Virginia Mountaineers will be looking to boost their resume for the postseason with a quality win over the Villanova Wildcats this Saturday afternoon in this Big East clash. Tip-off from The Pavilion is set for 9 a.m. (PT) and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

West Virginia is already headed in the right direction by posting a solid 56-44 victory over Seton Hall this past Wednesday night as an 8½-point home favorite. This followed a 66-55 victory over Cincinnati as a 4 ½-point road underdog last Saturday to run their overall record to 15-6 straight-up (9-9 against the spread) and 6-3 SU in the Big East.

Senior guard Casey Mitchell has led the Mountaineers in scoring this season with an average of 16.6 points per game, but has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. Junior forward Kevin Jones, who leads the team in rebounds with an average of 6.9 and is the second leading scorer with 13.2 points a game and senior forward John Flowers, who has averaged 13 points in the last two games, have been forced to pick up the slack in Mitchell’s absence.

West Virginia is averaging 73 points a game and is shooting 43.8 percent from the field, but is only connecting on 32 percent of its three-point attempts and 69 percent of its foul shots. The Mountaineers’ defense remains solid and is ranked 31st in the nation in rebounds with an average of 39 a game.

Last Saturday Villanova fell to No.14 Georgetown 69-66 as a 4½-point home favorite after getting stomped by Providence 83-68 as a 5½-point road favorite in its previous game. The Wildcats were able to snap the two-game slide with a 75-70 win over Marquette as a six-point home favorite on Wednesday night. The net result is an overall record of 18-4 SU and 10-8-1 ATS. Villanova is currently tied for second-place in the conference at 6-3 SU.

Senior guard’s Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes continue to lead the way for Villanova. Fisher is averaging 15.6 points and five assists a game, while Stokes is averaging 15.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. Sophomore guard Maalik Wayns has been a key contributor with 14 points and five assists a game, and along with senior forward Antonio Pena (10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds), helps to round out a very talented starting lineup.

The Wildcats are shooting 44.5 percent from the field and averaging 76 points a game. They are hitting 34.7 percent of their three-point shots and have been extremely effective from the foul-line; converting on 78 percent of their attempts. Villanova matches up well with the Mountaineers under the boards, averaging 39 rebounds a game as well.

West Virginia is 3-2 ATS in its last five road games and 6-2 ATS in its last eight games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in seven of its last nine games.

Villanova is 4-2 ATS in its last six games at home but 0-3 ATS in its last three games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of the last six games.

Head-to-head, these two have split the last four games with each team winning a game at home and on the road. The SU winner of each game also won ATS and the total was evenly split at 2-2.

The Wildcats should open as a four- to five-point favorite this time around and remain a solid pick to win and cover as West Virginia will sorely miss its leading scorer down the stretch of this game.

Kentucky visits Florida in SEC showdown
By: Joe Freda

The No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 23 Florida Gators have played some tight defense recently, with the ‘under’ going a combined 8-1-1 in each squad’s last five games. Saturday night’s college hoops slate has the two Southeastern Conference rivals clashing at Florida’s O’Connell Center, where the Gators are 4-1 against the spread in their last five home matchups against Kentucky.

Kentucky had a two-game winning streak end with Tuesday’s 71-69 loss as a 6½-point road favorite against the Mississippi Rebels. The Wildcats allowed Mississippi to connect 8-of-17 three-point buckets, including a game-clincher from Mississippi’s Chris Warren with three seconds remaining.

Wildcats forward Terrence Jones notched team-highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds. The squad’s leading scorer (17.9 PPG) hit 8-of-11 free throws,
while adding four blocks.

Terrence JonesKentucky’s Doron Lamb logged 20 points and three assists off the bench. The freshman guard hit 8-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.

The tight battle’s combined 140 points ducked below the ‘total’ of 144½. Kentucky outrebounded the Rebels, 35-24, while recording a sizable 18 turnovers.

The Wildcats dropped to 5-6 ATS in their first 11 games away from home, with the ‘under’ moving to 7-2-2. Jones and Co. have put up 71.6 PPG in that span.

Florida escaped with a 65-61 overtime win as a 4½-point home favorite in Tuesday’s matchup against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Gators went scoreless in the final 3:50 of regulation, allowing a 6-0 run from Vanderbilt to send the duel into extra minutes.

Gators forward Chandler Parsons logged 18 points and 11 rebounds, picking up his second double-double in three games. The senior added all three of his squad’s steals.

Florida’s Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton finished with 15 points each. Walker notched a team-high four assists, while Boynton drained 3-of-8 from three-point land.

The contest’s combined 126 points stayed south of the 140-point ‘total.’ Florida went a meager 15-for-26 at the foul line, while outrebounding the Commodores, 42-29.

The Gators slipped to 2-8 ATS in their first 10 home ‘board’ dates, with Billy Donovan’s crew notching 74 PPG in the last five games of that stretch. The ‘over’ dipped to 5-4 in the span’s nine games that contained a ‘total.’

Florida is 5-2 ATS in its last seven meetings against the Wildcats, with the ‘over’ going 4-3.

The foes have not squared off since last March, when Kentucky picked up a 74-66 win as an 11-point home favorite. The Wildcats hit a lofty 8-of-18 from beyond the arc, while being outrebounded, 36-31. Walker and Boynton struggled for Florida, uniting to hit 8-of-29 from the field.

Florida and Kentucky will meet once more on the regular season schedule when the Wildcats host the Gators in three weeks (Feb. 26).

Saturday’s tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT), with ESPN providing the national television coverage.

Florida will be idle for three days, visiting the South Carolina Gamecocks as part of Wednesday’s college hoops card. Kentucky will be off for two days before Tuesday’s home game against the Tennessee Volunteers.

NCAAB Betting Preview: UNLV Rebels at BYU Cougars
By: Stephen Nover

It’s not just a clash of different cultures when UNLV meets BYU Saturday at 1 p.m. PT in Provo, Utah. It’s also a clash of styles.

BYU is 21-2, ranked eighth in the country, and tied for first place in the Mountain West Conference at 7-1 with San Diego State.

The Cougars average the sixth-most points per game in the country at 83.5. They have topped the 80-point barrier 12 times already.

Guard Jimmer Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 27.6 points. He also tops the Cougars in assists per game at 4.2. If the season ended tonight, Fredette probably would earn Player of the Year honors.

UNLV is not the Running Rebels of old. They are defensive-minded holding foes to 61.1 points a game, which ranks them 31st in defense.

Strong defensively, the Rebels lack cohesion on offense. They are averaging only 63.3 points in their last six games. Chace Stanback leads UNLV in scoring at a meager 13 points per game. No other player averages more than 11 points per contest.

The Rebels are 17-5 overall and 5-3 in the Mountain West, good for a third place tie with Colorado State.

UNLV, though, has the worst spread mark in the conference at 8-13 ATS overall. The Rebels have won three in a row, but are 0-4 ATS in their last four games. They have been the biggest underachievers in the league.

The Rebels did get a huge performance from sophomore Quintrell Thomas in beating Utah, 67-54, at Thomas & Mack Center this past Wednesday in their last game. UNLV was 14 ½-point favorites. The combined 121 points went ‘under’ the 143-point total.

Thomas was riding the bench just a couple of weeks ago. He erupted for a career-high 15 points and 16 rebounds, the most boards by a UNLV in five seasons. Thomas, a 6-foot-8 transfer from Kansas, accomplished the double-double while playing only 21 minutes.

Freshman forward Carlos Lopez chipped in with a career-high 14 points for the Rebels and nine rebounds.

BYU had a narrow escape in its last game, a 69-62 road win in Laramie against Wyoming. The Cougars were minus 14. The combined 131 points went ‘under’ the 146 ½-point total.

The Cougars and Cowboys were tied 28-28 at halftime. Fredette scored a game-high 26 points but was just seven-for-21 from the field, including making only two of 11 shots from beyond the arc.

BYU entered the Wyoming matchup off just its second loss, 86-77 to New Mexico on the road. The Cougars were 2 ½-point favorites in that contest.

This is the Cougars’ first home game since Jan. 26 when they defeated San Diego State, 71-56, as 5 ½-point favorites with Fredette pouring in 43 points.

BYU rolled past UNLV, 89-77, at Thomas & Mack Center on Jan. 5 behind 39 points by Fredette and 22 from Jackson Emery. The Cougars won as four-point underdogs, the only time all season they have received points. The combined 166 points sailed ‘over’ the 147½-point total.

UNLV has lost in four of its last five visits to BYU. The Cougars edged UNLV, 77-73, last season at home failing to cover as 7½-point ‘chalk.’ The combined 150 points went ‘over’ the 146 ½-point total.

UNLV defeated the Cougars, 70-66, as one-point favorites in the Mountain West Conference Tournament at Thomas & Mack Center. The combined 136 points went ‘under’ the 147-point total.

The Rebels also defeated the Cougars at home during the regular season, 88-74, as two-point favorites. The combined 162 points went ‘over’ the 146 ½-point total.

Kentucky at Florida
By Brian Edwards

Since winning back-to-back national championships, Florida hasn’t tasted a victory in the NCAA Tournament. That drought spans just three seasons, but that seems like an eternity in the wake of what Billy Donovan has accomplished in Gainesville.

Before Donovan came to UF in 1997, the school had only been to the NCAA Tournament five times. On his watch, the Gators have gone dancing 10 times in 14 seasons.

But this is the longest stretch without an NCAA Tournament win during Donovan’s tenure, so there’s definitely a sense of urgency for this veteran-laded UF squad.

In Big Blue Country, there’s always a sense of urgency. In fact, Kentucky is in the midst of its longest absence from the Final Four in school history. Since Tubby Smith guided his first team to a national title in 1998, the Wildcats have failed to get beyond the Elite Eight.

In other words, the natives are restless. John Calipari came on the scene as the UK savior last season, but he got out-coached (sound familiar?) by Bob Huggins in a regional-finals loss to West Virginia.

Then Patrick Patterson and a quartet of freshmen turned pro early, leaving the ‘Cats with another young squad that basically gets by with just six players getting major minutes. There’s still plenty of talent wearing blue uniforms, but the youth has been apparent, especially on the road in SEC play.

Kentucky (16-5 straight up, 8-8 against the spread) went down Tuesday when Ole Miss senior guard Chris Warren knocked down a deep 3-pointer with just a few ticks remaining. Warren’s audacious game winner lifted the Rebels to a 71-69 win as 6½-point home underdogs. They hooked up money-line backers with a generous payout in the plus-220 range (risk $100 to win $220).

The ‘Cats overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to take the lead prior to Warren’s heroics. Terrence Jones was the key to the comeback, as the freshman forward finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Brandon Knight added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, but he committed six turnovers.

Knight is set to return to his native state for Saturday’s crucial SEC East showdown the O-Dome. He spurned the Gators for UK even though his AAU teammate and friendly high school rival Kenny Boynton was already on the roster.

Boynton hit the go-ahead 3-pointer Tuesday when Florida (17-5 SU, 7-11 ATS) captured a 65-61 win over Vanderbilt as a 4 ½-point home favorite. Senior forward Chandler Parsons paced the winners with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Boynton and Ervin Walker both had 15 points apiece.

The win over Vandy was UF’s 11th against a team in the RPI Top 100. The Gators, who are ranked No. 17 in the RPI, have a 5-1 record against teams in the RIP Top 50. Meanwhile, Kentucky has an RPI of 10 and a 6-3 ledger against RPI Top 100 squads.

Florida has lost four of the last five head-to-head meetings with the ‘Cats, but the Gators are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 encounters between these long-time SEC adversaries. When they met at the O-Dome last year, UK ran away with an 89-77 victory behind Eric Bledsoe’s 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Most betting shops opened Kentucky as a 1 ½-point road favorite with a total of 132.

UF has won 10 of its 13 home games this year, but it has an atrocious 2-8 spread record at home. UK has been a single-digit road favorite six times, going 2-4 both SU and ATS.

Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. The hoops version of the GameDay crew will be in Gainesville.

B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets

Well, we can’t say we didn’t warn him. On Christmas Eve, this space gave Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury a friendly piece of advice. We warned Stansbury that if he didn’t cut ties with the mercurial Renardo Sidney, he’d be in the news again. Granted, all Sidney did was send a re-tweet of Ravern Johnson’s tweet, but that equated to an ‘amen’ to what Johnson initially said. Johnson sent out this tweet following Wednesday’s loss at Alabama:

"Starting to see why people Transfer you can play the minutes but not getting your talents shown because u watching someone else wit the ball the whole game shooters need to move not watch why other coaches get that do not make sense to me." Now that’s the type of senior leadership you’re looking for from Johnson, who averages a team-high 17.7 points per game. On Thursday, Stansbury banned MSU players from using twitter and then on Friday suspended Johnson for Saturday’s game at LSU. Now Sidney and Johnson have both been suspended this year and two players have transferred. In other words, Stansbury has completely lost control of his program.

Steve Lavin will return to Pauley Pavilion on Saturday afternoon as his St. John’s team will take on UCLA, the school that gave Lavin his first head-coaching job. These teams will square off at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. local time) on CBS. Most books opened the Bruins as four-point home favorites.

The action starts at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on Saturday morning when Xavier will host Saint Louis in an A-10 matchup. Most spots opened the Muskateers as 11-point home ‘chalk.’

West Virginia will travel to Philadelphia to take on Villanova at noon Eastern on ESPN. Most books opened the Wildcats as five-point favorites. Barring a last-minute change, WVU is expected to play a fourth straight game without leading scorer Casey Mitchell (16.6 PPG), who is suspended indefinitely for undisclosed reasons. The Mountaineers have won two of three games without Mitchell, going 3-0 ATS.

Both ‘Nova and WVU have seen the ‘under’ cash at a 5-1 clip in their last six games this year.

vegasinsider.com.

College Basketball Knowledge

West Virginia is 5-2 in last seven games vs Villanova, winning two of its last three visits here; road team won both series meetings LY. Wildcats are 2-3 in last five games, 0-3 vs spread in last three. WVU won five of last six league games, with only loss 55-54 (+7) at Louisville. Big East home favorites of from 3-10 points are 17-19 vs spread.

Illinois is 12-1 in last 13 games vs Northwestern. whacking Wildcats in first meeting 88-63 (-8); Illini shot 70% that night, 9-14 from arc, while Wildcats were 9-38. Illinois is 2-4 since that game, losing its last three on road. Wildcats lost last three games, losing to unbeaten Ohio State in last game. Big 11 home teams covered 14 of 20 if spread was five or less.

St John's is 3-5 in last eight games but did upset Duke; they've lost last three road games, by 15-25-25 points. UCLA beat rival USC last game, holding Trojans to 50 points; Bruins won last three road games, by 2-11-14 points. Big East road underdogs of 5 or less points are 4-6 vs spread; Pac-10 home favorites of 7 or less points are 6-4 against the spread.

Baylor lost five of last six visits to Texas A&M, with only win a 5OT marathon in '08; they lost last two visits here by 11-7 points. Bears are 2-4 in last six games, Aggies 1-3 in last four; favorites are 6-1 vs spread in A&M's Big 12 games. Aggies are 2-1 as home favorite, with wins at home by 23-2-8. Big 12 home favorites of 6 or less points are 10-2-1.

Home team is 12-1 in last 13 Old Dominion-George Mason games, with Monarchs losing last four visits to Fairfax by 19-33-8-16 points. ODU (-6) won first meeting this year 69-65, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds. Mason won/covered its last eight games since then. CAA home favorites of 7 or less points are 6-11-3 vs spread. ODU won six of its last seven.

Kansas (-15) beat Nebraska 63-60 Jan 15, its 16th straight series win-- Jayhawks won last six visits here, by 13-21-20-21-6-12 points. Host is 7-0 SU in Huskers' Big 12 games; Big Red is 3-0 at home, allowing just 59 ppg. Kansas is 2-2 as road favorite, winning away games by 5-20-4-22 points. Big 12 single digit road favorites are 8-6 vs spread.

BYU (+4) won 89-77 at UNLV Jan 5, making 14-28 from arc; Fredette had 39 points. Teams split last six meetings here. UNLV won last three games, allowing 60.3 ppg- their MWC losses are by 12-6-15 pts. MWC home favorites of 8 or less points are 6-4 vs spread. BYU is 1-2 as home favorite, winning by 10-16-13 points. Rebels are 1-2 as an underdog.

Gonzaga won by 8 at Memphis LY, its first win in five series games, as Tigers won last two visits here, 68-50/78-77ot. Memphis lost last two games, is 3-4 away from home, 2-3 as underdog. C-USA non-conference road underdogs are 11-7 vs spread; WCC home favorites are also 11-7 in non-league games. Gonzaga covered one of last five as a favorite.

Tennessee won four of last five games vs Alabama, but lost two of last three series games here; this is last game of Pearl's suspension- they've won last five games that Jones coached. Bama won nine of last 10 games, but is 1-5 vs spread as an underdog- their only SEC loss was 70-65 at Arkansas (+1). SEC home faves of less than 8 points are 3-6 vs spread.

Pitt is 6-1 in last seven games vs Cincinnati, winning last four by 6-6-16-3 points; Bearcats lost last three visits here, by 20-6-16 points. Pitt has rivalry game with West Virginia on deck Monday. Cincy is 2-3 in its last five games, losing by 15-8-11 points. Big East home favorites of more than 7 points are 15-11 against the spread.

Home side is 5-1 in Marshall-Southern Miss games; Herd lost last two visits here, by 10-5 points- they waxed USM 95-65 (-1) at home Jan 8; Eagles shot 1-16 from arc in game where Eustachy got tossed with 10:43 left. C-USA home favorites of less than 7 points are 8-12-1 vs spread. Southern Miss won its last three games, by 7-13-4 points.

Home side is 11-4 in last 15 Arizona-Cal games; Wildcats lost last two visits here, by 14-24 points- they beat Cal 73-71 Jan 6, Williams made 16-22 from foul line by himself. Bears are 4-1 at home in Pac-10, with only loss by 21 to Washington. Arizona won its last four games, is 3-2 on Pac-10 road, losing by point at Oregon State, by 17 at Washington. Pac-10 home underdogs of 5 or less points are 7-5-1 vs spread.

Kentucky won four of last five games vs Florida, but lost five of last six visits here, as home team won six of last seven series games. Wildcats are just 1-3 on SEC road, winning by 9 at South Carolina. SEC home teams are 6-8-1 vs spread when number is 4 or less points. Gators won four of last five games, with last three decided by 4 or less points or in OT.

Tips and Trends

St. John's Red Storm at UCLA Bruins

RED STORM: St. John's is playing their best basketball of the season, as they have won back to back games SU, including a huge win over Duke. THe Red Storm have enjoyed having Coach Lavin on the sidelines, as he's instilled passion into this veteran team. St. John's is 13-8 SU and 8-12 ATS overall this season. The Red Storm are just 2-5 both SU and ATS in true road games this year. St. John's is 4-5 ATS as the listed underdog this year. Considering how important this homecoming is for Coach Lavin, one could expect the Red Storm players to have a great performance today. G Dwight Hardy leads St. John's in scoring, as he's averaging 15 PPG while being the only player averaging more than 30 MPG this year. F Justin Brownlee is averaging 13.3 PPG and 4.9 RPG this year for the Red Storm. F D.J. Kennedy is averaging 10.3 PPG and a team high 5.96RPG this year for St. John's. The Red Storm are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600%. St. John's is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

Red Storm are 4-0 ATS last 4 games against the Pacific-10.
Under is 36-16-1 last 53 games following a SU win.

Key Injuries - F Rob Thomas (knee) is questionable.

Projected Score: 68 (SIDE of the Day)

BRUINS: (-4.5, O/U 136.5) UCLA will be welcoming back former coach Steve Lavin today. It's unusual that the Bruins ever have a 10 AM tip, but that's exactly the scenario facing them today. UCLA is coming off a convincing win over USC, their crosstown rivals. The Bruins are 15-7 SU and 9-12-1 ATS overall this year. UCLA is 11-2 SU and 5-7-1 ATS in home games this year. UCLA is 6-3 ATS as a single digit favorite this season. 5 different Bruins average double figures in PPG this year. F Reeves Nelson leads UCLA with 14.2 PPG and 8.4 RPG this year. F Tyler Honeycutt is 2nd on the team with both 13 PPG and 8 RPG this season. G Malcom Lee is averaging 12.9 PPG for the Bruins this season, and will have to step his game up if Lazeric Jones is unable to play this afternoon. The Bruins are 8-19-1 ATS in their last 28 games following a SU win. UCLA is 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 games following an ATS win. The Bruins are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games. UCLA is 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 home games against a team with a losing road record.

Bruins are 5-12 ATS last 17 Saturday games.
Over is 4-0 last 4 games against the Big East.

Key Injuries - G Lazeric Jones (wrist) is doubtful.

Projected Score: 67

Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators

WILDCATS: (-1.5, O/U 132) Kentucky will be fired up to play today, considering they are coming off an upset loss to Mississippi in their last game. Despite that loss, the Wildcats are still ranked 11th in the nation. Kentucky is 16-5 SU and 8-8 ATS overall this season. The Wildcats weren't projected to be this good after losing so much last year, in addition to not having star recruit Enes Kanter eligible. Kentucky is 3-4 both SU and ATS in true road games this season. The Wildcats are 3-5 ATS as a single digit favorite overall this season. Freshman F Terrance Jones has been dynamic this year, as he's leading the Wildcats with 17.9 PPG and 9 RPG. PG Brandon Knight is averaging 17.2 PPG and a team high 3.8 APG this year. G Doron Lamb is averaging 14.2 PPG this season, including 39 PTS in his last 2 games combined. The Wildcats are 44-21 ATS in their last 65 games following an ATS loss. Kentucky is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Wildcats are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games against the SEC.

Wildcats are 6-1 ATS last 7 games following a SU loss.
Under is 5-0-1 last 6 games overall.

Key Injuries - None Reported.

Projected Score: 71 (OVER-Total of the Day)

GATORS: Florida would love nothing more than to beat the Kentucky Wildcats tonight. After all, the Gators lost both meetings to the Wildcats last year. The Gators have been playing very well of late, including 3 overtime wins in their last 7 games. The cardiac kids could be their new nickname, as they seem to win games when pressure is at it's highest. Florida is currently ranked 23rd in the country, and they are in 1st place in the SEC East with a 6-2 SU record. The Gators are 17-5 SU and 7-11 ATS overall this season. Florida is 10-3 SU and 2-8 ATS in home games this year. The Gators are 5-0 ATS as the listed underdog overall this year. G Erving Walker leads Florida in scoring this year, averaging 14.5 PPG. Walker has a great all around game, as he also averages 3.3 APG and 3.2 RPG this season. G Kenny Boynton is averaging 13 PPG this season while typically drawing the opponents best guard defensively. Senior F Chandler Parsons is averaging 10.7 PPG and a team high 7.5 RPG this season.

Gators are 3-8 ATS last 11 home games.
Under is 14-6 last 20 games against a team with a winning SU record.

Key Injuries - F Adam Allen (knee) is out.

Projected Score: 68