NCAA Betting: North Carolina meets Clemson
By: Willie Bee
Any hope of the North Carolina Tar Heels securing one of the four No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA Tournament appeared dead for most of Friday's ACC quarterfinal matchup with the Miami Hurricanes. In fact, the Tar Heels were only ahead in the game for 2/10ths of a second.
Those 2/10ths of a second turned out to be the most important time of the game as Tyler Zeller's buzzer beater lifted North Carolina to a 61-59 victory after Miami led by as many as 19 points.
The Tar Heels will now turn their attention to the Clemson Tigers in Saturday's conference semifinal that tips at 10 a.m. (PT) with ESPN providing the broadcast.
North Carolina, favored by 10 points, played like anything but the conference top seed for much of the first 30 minutes. The Tar Heels committed 15 turnovers in the first half, six of those in the initial 4:30 of play. Miami didn't find its range from three-point land until late in the first half, otherwise the 'Canes would've taken more than a nine-point lead into the locker room.
Miami would again lose its long range touch midway through the second half when UNC (25-6 straight up, 15-13 against the spread) started to find the net from outside. Leslie McDonald and Kendall Marshall initiated the Tar Heels comeback, with Marshall also contributing 10 assists on the afternoon, none of them bigger than the final dish under the bucket to Zeller for the winner.
It marked the second time this season Miami saw its upset bid over the Heels thwarted at the end of the game. Two-point chalk on the road in Coral Gables in late January, North Carolina needed a Harrison Barnes three-pointer in the waning seconds for the 73-70 triumph.
Friday's victory was UNC's eighth straight, and 13th in the last 14 games. 'Under' bettors have cashed six times during the Tar Heels' winning streak.
Unlike UNC who only led at the end of its game, Clemson was on top of Boston College wire-to-wire at Greensboro Coliseum on Friday, rolling to a 70-47 rout. The Tigers, 4½-point favorites, jumped to an 11-0 lead over the Eagles and never looked back. Boston College's first point in the game came on a free throw with almost 5:30 gone in the first half, and the Eagles' first field goal came just before the seven-minute mark.
Demontez Stitt paced the Tigers with 20 points, adding eight boards and four assists. Jerai Grant contributed 12 points to the Clemson attack and accounted for half of the Tigers' eight blocked shots.
Clemson (21-10 SU, 14-13 ATS) will enter Saturday's tilt on 4-1 runs straight up, against the spread and to the 'under.'
North Carolina turned Clemson back twice during the regular season covering the 5½-point chalk at home in a 75-65 win on Jan. 18 and 'pushing' as a two-point road favorite, 64-62, on Feb. 12. The first matchup just snuck 'over' the 139½-point line while the rematch stayed well 'under' 140.
The last time the two schools met in the ACC Tournament was the 2008 conference championship. North Carolina won the contest, 86-81, 'pushing' the five-point closing odds. The game easily topped the 155½-point total that had been bet up five points from the opening number.
Saturday's winner will go on to this year's ACC Championship on Sunday (10 a.m. PT) that will be seen on ESPN.
Big Ten Semifinals
By Judd Hall
As we get closer to crowning a champion at the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, we find out that it truly is wide open for the last four teams standing. The possibility of a No. 1 overall seed is still out there for the big dance in this group, while dreams of making a better seeding for others is still possible.
Friday’s action was all about the underdogs barking with covering the spread in all four games, with three of them winning outright. And one of those matches was about the most boring thing I’ve ever seen on television.
The path to the conference title game opens up at 2:00 p.m. EST on CBS when the Buckeyes take on the hated Wolverines in the first semifinal contest.
Ohio State (30-2 straight up, 14-13 against the spread) might be one of the best teams in the nation, but they have a nasty habit of playing down to its competition. That was the case on Friday afternoon as the Buckeyes held on for a 67-61 overtime win against Northwestern, failing to cover as 12-point favorites.
Jared Sullinger paced the Bucks with 20 points and 18 boards in the win over the Wildcats. It wasn’t his best outing though, going 2-of-12 from the field for the game. He made up for it though with 16-of-18 from the charity stripe. That was the only bright spot considering OSU went 3-for-15 beyond the three-point line. Ohio State is now 17-0 SU, but 6-11 ATS when listed as a double-digit favorite this season.
Michigan (20-12 SU, 18-8 ATS) is making its first trip to the semis since 2004 after tripping up the Fighting Illini 60-55 as a three-point underdog. Darius Morris helped the Wolverines rally for the win by scoring eight of his 17 points in the last eight minutes of the second half. The victory extends their SU win streak to three games and is now on a 6-0 ATS run.
The Buckeyes swept the season series with Michigan, but the Maize and Blue covered the spread both times as double-digit pups. These two met in last year’s tournament in the quarterfinals. Evan Turner drained a three-pointer from near midcourt at the buzzer to pick up a thrilling 69-68 win. The victory helped propel Ohio State to the conference championship and sent the Wolverines back to Ann Arbor for the rest of the season.
The saving grace for Michigan is that even though the Buckeyes are 4-1 SU over the last five head-to-head meetings, they are 5-0 ATS. The ‘over’ is 3-2 in those contests.
The ‘over’ is 6-3 over the last nine games for the Wolverines.
Ohio State has seen the ‘over’ go 17-13 this season, but the ‘under’ is on a two-game run at the moment.
We’ll find out the who the other participant in the title game will be when Spartans and Nittany Lions square off at 4:00 p.m. EST on CBS.
Michigan State (19-13 SU, 11-19-1 ATS) was supposed to be in this spot before the season started. Yet the way they’ve played all year made them a true bubble club. Well, Sparty won’t have to worry about that now after dropping Purdue 74-56 as seven-point underdogs. Kalin Lucas had a career night, scoring a personal best 30 points to lead the Spartans to the upset win. This was MSU’s second straight outright win as an underdog and third straight ATS win in this role.
The Spartans will be taking on the other darkhorse left in the Big Ten tourney, Penn State (18-13 SU, 16-11 ATS). The Nittany Lions keep their NCAA hopes alive after a shocking 36-33 win over Wisconsin as 7 ½-point pups that put college basketball back about 25 years. Talor Battle led PSU with a grand total of nine points. That’s not a half of basketball for nine points…that’s the whole damned game. Tim Frazier was more integral to the Nittany Lions making the trip to the semifinals with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Penn State most likely needs to win this game in order to push itself into the big dance. The plus side for them is that they split the season series with the Spartans, both teams winning and covering on their home courts.
Despite what we saw on Friday night, this game has a chance of going above the closing total. That’s because the ‘over’ is 7-2 in the last nine head-to-head meetings.
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Big 12 Title Game
By Kevin Rogers
The Big 12 Championship takes place on Saturday evening with the top two seeds playing for the automatic berth. In reality, both Kansas and Texas will each be either a number one or two seed in next week's NCAA Tournament. However, the winner of this game may get a slightly easier road to the Final Four, depending on how the committee slots these clubs.
Top-seeded Kansas failed to cover the second straight game in this tournament after knocking off fifth-seed Colorado, 90-83 as 12-point favorites. KU got into a track meet with a Colorado team that likes to run, as the Jayhawks took advantage by shooting 49% from the floor. The Morris brothers (Marcus and Markieff) each put up 20 points, while the Jayhawks knocked down 29 of 33 free throws to advance to their fifth conference championship in six seasons.
The Longhorns beat Texas A&M for the third time this season with Friday's 70-58 victory as 6 ½-point 'chalk.' Texas managed another cover in this series after downing A&M the two previous meetings by 20 points or more. The 'Horns defense stifled the Aggies by limiting Mark Turgeon's club to 35% shooting from the field on Friday. Meanwhile, Texas shot well by connecting on 49% of their shots from the floor, led by Jordan Hamilton's 17 points.
In a surprising twist, Texas rallied past Kansas, 74-63 at Allen Fieldhouse on January 22 to hand Bill Self's team their first loss of the season after an 18-0 start. The Longhorns came back from a 15-point deficit following an 18-3 hole to start the game to cash as 7 ½-point underdogs. Texas trailed 42-32 with 14 minutes remaining in regulation, but the 'Horns went on a 22-5 run to pull away and snap KU's 69-game home winning streak.
Since that game, Kansas is 13-1 SU and 7-6-1 ATS, while going 0-4-1 ATS the last five games. The Jayhawks own a 1-3-1 ATS mark the previous five contests as single-digit favorites, including SU losses to Texas and Kansas State. The offense has clicked since the Texas defeat, as the 'over' has hit in 10 of the last 14 games, while eclipsing the 82-point mark on 10 occasions.
The Longhorns have covered three straight games following consecutive losses to Kansas State and Colorado. Texas is one of the best ATS teams in the country with a 20-8 ledger against the number, including a 12-3 ATS record away from Austin. The 'Horns are predicated on defense as evidenced by a 13-5 mark to the 'under' in Big 12 action.
Kansas has won the conference tournament seven of eight times since the Big 12 championship started in 1997, including a perfect 4-0 record under Self. Texas hasn't seen the same luck by failing to win this tournament despite five opportunities in the title game. What has made matters worse for UT is three losses from 2006-08 to Kansas, including an overtime setback in 2007.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY - LAST 5 SEASONS
SEASON WINNER LOSER SCORE LINE
09-10 KANSAS K-STATE 72-64 -6
08-09 MISSOURI BAYLOR 73-60 -6.5
07-08 KANSAS TEXAS 84-74 -5.5
06-07 KANSAS TEXAS 88-84 -6
05-06 KANSAS TEXAS 80-68 +3
The game tips off at 6 PM EST from the Sprint Center in Kansas City and will be televised on ESPN.
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SEC Tourney Semifinals
By Brian Edwards
The SEC Tournament semifinals are set to tip off at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. In the first game, Kentucky (23-8 straight up, 11-14-1 against the spread) will look to avenge a regular-season loss against the champion of the SEC West, Alabama.
After his team pushed past Ole Miss 75-66 as a nine-point favorite, UK head coach John Calipari told the media, “Alabama had us down 20 down there. We had a little run at the end, but they smashed us. We're playing a team that smashed us."
UK freshman point guard Brandon Knight was the catalyst with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists against the Rebels. Doron Lamb scored a team-high 19 points, knocking down 7-of-10 shots from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Alabama (21-10 SU, 15-12 ATS) beat Georgia for a second time in less than a week by rallying from a 14-point second-half deficit to force overtime. In the extra session, the Crimson Tide pulled away to capture a 65-59 win as a 1½-point underdog.
JaMychal Green led the way with 20 points, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots and four steals. Charvez Davis chipped in 15 points. For UGA, Travis Leslie had a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.
When these teams met at Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 18, Alabama held off a late Kentucky charge to preserve a 68-66 win as a four-point home underdog. Green finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Tony Mitchell added 15 points and seven boards.
In the losing effort, Terrence Jones had 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Knight was limited to 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field.
The 'under' has gone 5-2-1 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these programs. In the first meeting this year, the 134 combined points made bets on the total pushes with the 134-point tally.
The 'under' is 14-10-2 overall for UK, cashing in each of its last three outings.
Florida (25-6 SU, 13-13-1 ATS) went to intermission trailing Tennessee, but the Gators rode the hot shooting of Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker to capture an 85-74 win as 3 ½-point favorites. UF beat the Vols three times for the first time in school history.
Boynton finished with a team-high 22 points, burying all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Walker had 17 points, making 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Chandler Parsons, who was recently named SEC Player of the Year, scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists, made two steals and had a pair of blocked shots.
Billy Donovan’s team will face Vanderbilt (23-9 SU, 15-11-2 ATS) in the second game of Saturday’s afternoon session. The Commodores withstood a game effort from Mississippi St. and pulled away in the final minute to collect an 87-81 triumph. They closed as six-point favorites at most books, resulting in a push for gamblers. The 168 combined points jumped ‘over’ the 144½-point total.
John Jenkins paced Vandy with a game-high 29 points one night after sitting out a win over LSU due to a foot injury. Jeffery Taylor added 20 points and five assists. Despite playing less than two minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Renardo Sidney scored a team-high 22 points for the Bulldogs. Dee Bost finished with 16 points and 11 assists, while Ravern Johnson scored 18 points.
UF beat Vandy in both head-to-head meetings this season, including an 86-76 win at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville last Saturday. The Gators got at least 13 points from all five starters, led by Boynton’s 17.
Florida has won nine of their last 10 games, going 6-3-1 ATS during that stretch. If they can win the SEC Tournament, it says here that they’ll be worthy of a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
As of early Saturday morning, there was no line for either of these games yet. Both contests will be televised by ABC.
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College Basketball Knowledge
Conference USA Tournament (El Paso)
Memphis (+4.5) lost 74-45 at UTEP Feb 28, shooting 33%, 1-18 from arc with 20 turnovers; Tigers made 10-18 from arc Friday- they're 5-3 vs spread as a C-USA underdog. Memphis won its last four appearances in C-USA final. Higher-seeded team is 7-1 in this game the last eight years. They're letting fans in game for free, so should be an exuberant Saturday morning crowd rooting on the hometown Miners.
ACC Tournament (Greensboro)
Last year was first time in eight years both higher-seeded teams won in ACC semi-finals; North Carolina beat Clemson twice this year, 75-65 at home (-5.5) Jan 18, then 64-62 (+2) at Littlejohn Feb 12. Tar Heels were down 19 in second half to Miami Friday, rallied to win at buzzer. Tigers are 4-1-1 vs spread as underdog this season; they're just 4-7 in this event the last nine years.
Atlantic 14 Tournament (Atlantic City)
After starting season 7-20, St Joe's won four of last five games; Hawks (+11.5) lost 65-59 at Dayton Jan 12, having to bus to Dayton because of a snowstorm- trip took 9+ hours. St Joe's shot just 37% for game, 5-17 from arc. Dayton made 8-13 from arc in Friday's upset of Xavier, with Flyers racing out to 21-3 lead over #1 seed. Lower-seeded teams are 6-4 in A-14 semifinals last five years. Hawks are 5-3 in last eight as a dog.
SEC Tournament (Atlanta)
Kentucky (-5) lost 68-66 at Alabama Jan 18, shooting 38% from floor in game they once trailed in by 20; Tide made 7-14 from arc. Alabama was down 48-34 with 7:33 left Friday, rallied to win in OT, with all five of its starters playing 34+ minutes. Tide is 3-7 vs spread as dog this year. Kentucky won six of last seven games, but is 4-7-1 vs spread in its last dozen games when favored. Lower seeds are 7-3 SU in SEC semifinals the last five years.
Big 12 Tournament (Kansas City)
Texas (+7) got down 12 at half, then went on 36-13 run and upset the Jayhawks 74-63 in Lawrence (+7) Jan 22, outscoring Kansas 25-11 on foul line. KU won this tournament four of last five years, beating Texas in finals three times; team with better Big 12 record won last six finals. Longhorns have had easier time so far this week, beating Sooners/Aggies by 20-12 points. Kansas beat Oklahoma State/Colorado by 6-7 points.
Big East Tournament: UConn vs. Louisville Preview and Pick
Connecticut Huskies vs. Louisville Cardinals
THE STORY: With the way Kemba Walker is playing right now, No. 19 Connecticut certainly looks capable of becoming the first team to win five games in five days at the Big East tournament. Standing in the way is another team that is playing pretty well at the moment - No. 14 Louisville, which is aiming for prime NCAA tournament seeding. Walker will be looking to continue his record run when the ninth-seeded Huskies take on the third-seeded Cardinals on Saturday in the final of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN3.com
ABOUT LOUISVILLE (25-8): The Cardinals won four of five to close out the regular season and earn a double bye in the tournament. They started their run to the finals Thursday by crushing Marquette 81-56. It looked as though Louisville’s run was going to come to an end Friday when No. 2 seed Notre Dame took a 46-32 lead into the half. But the Cardinals came out of the locker room a different team, locking down on defense and holding the Irish to six field goals in the second half to force overtime. Preston Knowles 20 points to lead Louisville while Terrence Jennings scored four in overtime and finished with 16 in the 83-77 victory.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT (25-9): Walker became the first player in Big East tournament history to score 20 points in four straight games when he went off for 33 Friday, and added 12 rebounds, six steals and five assists as the Huskies escaped with a 76-71 overtime victory over No. 4 seed Syracuse. No team has won five games in five days to win the tournament since it expanded to this format three years ago. But after dominating DePaul and Georgetown in the first two rounds, Connecticut has made a statement with victories over No. 1 seed Pittsburgh on Thursday and the Orange on Friday. Walker’s 111 overall points are a tournament record, and the Huskies are aiming for their first tournament title since 2004.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Louisville took both meetings this season, 79-78 in double overtime at Connecticut on Jan. 29 when Peyton Siva took over late, and 71-58 at home on Feb. 18 when the Cardinals held Walker to 16 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
UP NEXT: The Huskies have worked their way into the mix for a top four seed when the field of 68 is announced on Sunday while Louisville could jump up as high as a No. 2 or 3 seed with the Big East title.
PREDICTION: UConn 88, Louisville 84
Big Ten Tournament: Semifinals Preview and Picks
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan Wolverines
THE STORY: Teams that overcame second-half deficits meet Saturday when archrivals Ohio State and Michigan play for a third time this season in the Big Ten Conference semifinals. The Buckeyes trailed Northwestern by three with under five minutes to play before forcing overtime and feeding freshman Jared Sullinger in the extra session for the 67-61 win. The Wolverines overcame a 12-point deficit with a 21-4 run to knock off Illinois 60-55 behind electric young guards Darius Morris and Tim Hardaway Jr. Ohio State has a pair of single-digit wins against Michigan this season.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Buckeyes won in Ann Arbor 68-64 on Jan. 12, using a 12-0 second-half run to take command and holding off a late rally. William Buford tallied 19 points and Jared Sullinger added 12. Darius Morris led Michigan with 18. Sullinger dominated inside at Columbus on Feb. 3, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in a 62-53 win. Michigan led by six early in the second half before the Buckeyes got it inside to Sullinger – using the same strategy they used Friday against Northwestern. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 15 points and Morris 12 but was 1 of 7 in the second half. Michigan will have to find a way to contain Sullinger with its undersized front line, and Morris will have to create open perimeter opportunities for Hardaway and the rest of his teammates to pull off the upset.
PREDICTION: Ohio State 67, Michigan 61
Michigan State Spartans vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
THE STORY: Resembling the team that was ranked No. 2 in the preseason rankings rather than the one that played inconsistently all season, seventh-seeded Michigan State beat second seed Purdue on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten Conference tournament on Saturday afternoon. The win most assuredly clinched an NCAA tournament berth for the Spartans, who will play Penn State, which is coming off the ugliest win that can be imagined against No. 13 Wisconsin.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: The schools split their two games this season with each winning on its home court. Penn State won 66-62 at Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 8, as Taylor Battle shook a poor-shooting game by draining a clutch jumper from the right baseline with 18 seconds left to provide the Lions with a three-point lead. Jeff Brooks had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Andrew Jones scored 16 and Battle 13 on 3-of-13 shooting. Durrell Summers led Michigan with 21 but air-balled a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 10 seconds left. The Spartans throttled the Lions 75-57 at the Breslin Center one month later. Drymond Green had a triple-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists and Kalin Lucas scored 15 of his 24 in the second half. Battle scored 19 and Brooks 15. The Lions, who used just 10 minutes off the bench Friday, will have to keep their frontline players out of foul trouble against the Spartans’ big, beefy and deep frontcourt contingent.
PREDICTION: Michigan State 62, Penn State 59
ACC Tournament: Semifinals Preview and Picks
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Clemson Tigers
THE STORY: Clemson all but assured itself of an NCAA tournament appearance after throttling Boston College 70-47 in Friday’s ACC tournament quarterfinal. Top-seeded North Carolina is riding high after storming back from a 19-point second-half hole to stun Miami 61-59 in another quarterfinal Friday. Tyler Zeller’s game-winning basket at the buzzer capped one of the most memorable comebacks in tournament history and extended UNC’s winning streak to eight games.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: The two teams have met twice previously this season, with North Carolina winning both games – in Chapel Hill (75-68) on Jan. 18 and at Littlejohn Coliseum (64-62) on Feb. 12. The Tigers were clearly bothered by the Tar Heels’ size and length up front in both contests, as Jerai Grant (Clemson’s second-leading scorer at 12.4 points per game and leading rebounder at 6.8) failed to score and managed just one rebound in the game at Clemson.
PREDICTION: UNC 65, Clemson 55
Virginia Tech Hokies at Duke Blue Devils
THE STORY: It’s unclear whether No. 5 Duke will have conference Player of the Year Nolan Smith when the second-seeded Blue Devils face sixth-seeded Virginia Tech in an ACC semifinal Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. Smith, a senior guard who averaged 21.6 points in the regular season, jammed his toe and had to leave Friday’s quarterfinal win over Maryland. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Smith would have X-rays, calling him questionable. Virginia Tech won the only regular-season meeting, upsetting then top-ranked Duke 64-60 on Feb. 26. The Hokies enter the semifinals after a dramatic game with Florida State, winning after the officials waved off the Seminoles' buzzer-beating, go-ahead bucket.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Virginia Tech fans stormed the court after the Hokies beat Duke 64-60 on Feb. 26. Jeff Allen was dominant, getting 18 points and 15 rebounds, as all five starters scored in double figures.Kyle Singler led the Blue Devils with 22 points. Duke hit just 4 of 20 from beyond the arc.
Duke had won the previous four meetings and 14 of the previous 16. Six of the last nine games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.
PREDICTION: Duke 76, Virginia Tech 68
SEC Tournament: Semifinals Preview and Picks
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
THE STORY: Kentucky goes on the second leg of its Payback Tour, looking to avenge another regular-season loss. After taking out Ole Miss on Friday, the Wildcats will be out to even the score against Alabama. This game is a classic battle between offense and defense. Alabama leads the SEC in scoring defense (58.8 points) and Kentucky leads the conference in scoring offense (76.8 points). At least Alabama shouldn't have to worry about the possibility of winning the SEC West and missing the NCAA playoffs. The Tide's impressive comeback win over Georgia in the second round should have solidified their position in the championship field.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Alabama defeated Kentucky 68-66 in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 18. Kentucky leads the all-time series 100-36 and has won five of the last six against the Tide.
PREDICTION: Kentucky 74, Alabama 67
Florida Gators vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
THE STORY: Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings didn’t like his team’s toughness and poise in its regular-season finale, an 86-76 home loss to No. 12 Florida. Saturday, he’ll get to see if his players learned from that defeat when No. 24 Vanderbilt plays the Gators in an SEC semifinal at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Commodores dropped both games to Florida this season and have lost 17 of their past 22 meetings.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Florida won 86-76 in Nashville in the regular-season finale as all five starters scored in double figures and the Gators won the rebounding battle, 30-21. Boynton led the way with 17 points, hitting 4 of 9 3-pointers.
On Feb. 1 in Gainesville, Florida beat Vandy 65-61 in overtime thanks to Kenny Boynton’s go-ahead 3-pointer with a minute left. John Jenkins scored 22 for the Commodores, just like he did in the first meeting, but air-balled a 3-pointer right after Boynton drained one.
PREDICTION: Florida 81, Vanderbilt 80
Big 12 Tournament: Texas vs. Kansas Preview and Pick
Texas Longhorns vs. Kansas Jayhawks
THE STORY: To say Kansas is the team to beat in the Big 12 tournament would be an understatement. The top-seeded Jayhawks will try for their fifth tournament title in six years - and eighth in the league's 14-year history - when they take on No. 2 seed Texas in the final Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. The Longhorns are seeking their first Big 12 tournament title - and the first for any Texas school - after losing in the championship game five times from 2001 to 2008.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN3.com
ABOUT KANSAS (31-2): After a sluggish start to the tournament, when they needed a second-half rally to beat No. 9 seed Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals, the Jayhawks got back to their dominant ways in Friday's 90-83 semifinal win against Colorado. Led by 20 points apiece from twins Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris, Kansas controlled the paint, shot 49.1 percent and outrebounded the Buffaloes 39-25. Guards Tyrel Reed and Tyshawn Taylor did their part, too, with 15 points apiece. The Jayhawks are 14-1 in the Big 12 tournament since 2006, with the lone loss against Baylor in the quarterfinals in 2009.
ABOUT TEXAS (27-6): After losing three of their last five regular-season games, the Longhorns have looked more like the team that was in line for a Big 12 title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament so far this week. They dismantled Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and beat a good Texas A&M team for the third time in three meetings this season in the semifinals. Tristan Thompson, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, posted his fourth consecutive double-double - and ninth of the season - in the 70-58 win against the Aggies with 14 points and 10 of his 13 rebounds on the offensive end. Sophomore guard Jordan Hamilton had another big game with 17 points and eight rebounds, and J'Covan Brown added 15 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers in the second half.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Longhorns are responsible for one of Kansas' two losses; they snapped the Jayhawks' 69-game home winning streak with a 74-63 victory at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 22. Brown scored 23 points off the bench to lead Texas back from a 15-point second-half deficit.
UP NEXT: Both teams are headed to the NCAA tournament - the Jayhawks likely as a No. 1 seed - so they'll be camped out in front of the television Sunday evening to see where they're headed and who they'll face in the first round.
PREDICTION: Texas 75, Kansas 72
Pac-10 Tournament: Washington vs. Arizona Preview and Pick
Washington Huskies vs. Arizona Wildcats
THE STORY: No. 15 Arizona seeks to sweep both the regular season and Pac-10 tournament titles when the Wildcats face off against Washington in the Pac-10 finals Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats reached the Pac-10 tournament championship game for the first time since 2005 by outlasting Southern Cal on Friday. Washington looks to atone for a disappointing regular season and defend its Pac-10 tournament title with a win Saturday.
TV: 6 p.m. EST, CBS
ABOUT ARIZONA (27-6): Arizona continued its march through the Pac-10 tournament, picking up a 67-62 win over Southern Cal on Friday, despite being outshot by the Trojans. Derrick Williams again led Arizona with 20 points and six rebounds as the Wildcats won their fourth consecutive game. Arizona has played tough defense in Los Angeles, but has yet to win in dominating fashion. In its first game against Oregon State, Arizona relied on consistent 3-point shooting to capture a nine-point win. Arizona is 5-1 all-time in Pac-10 tournament championship games.
ABOUT WASHINGTON (22-10): After falling to third place in the Pac-10 during the regular season, the Huskies have a chance to win their second-straight Pac-10 tournament Saturday. Washington has been shorthanded the entire tournament, with just eight scholarship players in uniform. Junior point guard Isaiah Thomas has sat out just two minutes of the tournament and will need to deliver another big game
for the Huskies. Terrence Ross has performed well for the Huskies in the tournament, scoring 13 points Friday in his second career start.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: The teams split the season series, with Washington winning 85-68 in Seattle on Jan. 20 and Arizona winning 87-86 in the desert on Feb. 19. In both teams’ wins, their star players played big roles. Thomas notched 22 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in Washington’s win and Williams scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Arizona’s win. The player with the biggest day will likely carry his team to victory.
PREDICTION: Washington 78, Arizona 75
Mountain West Tournament: BYU vs. San Diego State Preview and Pick
BYU Cougars vs. San Diego State Aztecs
THE STORY: Jimmer Fredette made his strongest pitch yet for National Player of the Year honors on Friday but he has more work to do Saturday as No. 8 Brigham Young meets No. 6 San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference tournament title game. Fredette scored a career-high 52 points in the Cougars’ semifinal victory over New Mexico and now seeks to add a conference tournament title to his long list of accomplishments. San Diego State will also be highly motivated as both of its losses were to BYU. The Aztecs reached the title game when D.J. Gay hit the game-winning shot with 4.9 seconds left of its semifinal victory over host UNLV. The two teams shared the regular-season title, but the Cougars are the top-seeded team based on sweeping the season series with San Diego State.
TV: 7 p.m. EST, Versus.
ABOUT BYU (30-3, 14-2 Mountain West): Fredette had a game for the ages in the 87-76 victory over New Mexico. He hit 22 of 37 shots, including seven 3-pointers, while surpassing Danny Ainge as the program’s all-time leading scorer. Fredette has seven career 40-point games. Jackson Emery added 14 points and five steals and Kyle Collinsworth had 11 points and nine rebounds for BYU, which is playing without leading rebounder Brandon Davies. Davies is suspended for the rest of the season for violating the school’s honor code. Fatigue and bench productivity rate as concerns for the Cougars in their third game in three days.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE (31-2, 14-2 Mountain West): The Aztecs face a team that solidly outplayed them in two meetings during the best season in school history. The earlier two losses came with Davies on the court and San Diego State has a decided frontcourt advantage with Davies now seated on the bench in dress clothes. Forward Kawhi Leonard and center Malcolm Thomas are a top-notch inside duo and Gay furthered his reputation as a clutch player with his game-winning shot against UNLV. Leonard had 18 points and Gay scored 15 against the Rebels.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: BYU won both meetings by 13 points. The Cougars notched a 71-58 home win on Jan. 26 and made it a sweep with an impressive 80-67 road victory on Feb. 26. BYU has won seven of the last eight meetings between the schools.
UP NEXT: The winner claims the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The losing team is headed to the NCAA tourney as an at-large selection.
PREDICTION: San Diego State 73, BYU 70
Big East Championship
By Judd Hall
The goal of any team in the Big East tournament is to be the last one to leave Madison Square Garden. You do that and you’re the team cutting down the nets as champion. That’s something that Louisville (24-8 straight up, 19-10-1 against the spread) will be aiming to do for the second time in three years. All that stands in its way is the Huskies at 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.
The Cardinals made it back to the conference final thanks to a blowout win over Marquette on Thursday night. On Friday evening, the ‘Ville pushed past the Fighting Irish with an 83-77 overtime win as a two-point pup. Rick Pitino’s club cashed in at plus-130 (risk $100 to win $130) for the mild upset.
Louisville’s win was particularly impressive on two fronts. The first one being that they got into Ben Hansbrough’s head as he turned the ball over six times and scored just 13 points. The other being the Cards not only rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit, but they also won in the extra session with Peyton Silva fouling out with 15 points.
Pitino’s team has been on a great run right now with a 6-1 SU mark in its last seven games. More importantly for us, the Cardinals are 7-0 ATS in that stretch. The ‘under’ went 5-2 in those tests.
Connecticut (22-9 SU, 17-11 ATS) had a relatively hum drum season that put them into the unenviable task of playing the opening round on Tuesday. No team had won four games in as many days to reach the Big East title game since they adopted the new format in 2009. Yet here the Huskies stand, a win away from their first conference title since 2004.
The Huskies reached this point by taking down DePaul, Georgetown, Pittsburgh and Syracuse. In the most recent game, UConn needed overtime to get the 76-71 win over the Orange as a four-point underdog. Kemba Walker continues to prove how good he really is by scoring 33 points and grabbing 12 rebounds against Syracuse.
Calhoun’s crew is going to have to hope that the third time is the charm for winning a conference title. They’ve lost both meetings with the Cardinals this year SU and ATS. In fact, the Huskies are 0-4 SU and ATS over the last two seasons against Louisville.
The trends for this year’s Big East tournament has shown that defense is optional on occasion. We’ve watched the ‘over’ go 11-3 through the first 14 games in the tourney. Underdogs have went 6-8 SU and 7-7 ATS in those contests to boot.
As strong as the ‘over’ has been for this year’s event, the championship game has given us different info. The favorites have gone 6-3 SU and 5-4 ATS in the last nine finals. Plus, the ‘under’ 6-3 during those title clashes.
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