Early Tip Sheet
By Judd Hall
Every team in the country has had the better part of five months to make their cases to be invited to the big dance. But now some of those clubs are playing with a sense of urgency in a last-minute effort to improve their resumes. Meanwhile, other squads will take to the court this Saturday to try and get a better seeding in the NCAA tournament.
Connecticut Huskies at Pittsburgh Panthers
--Las Vegas Sports Consultants have made the Panthers 4 ½-point home favorites with a total of 138.
--Connecticut (27-2 straight up, 11-12 against the spread) is on a roll by winning three straight contests. The Huskies’ most recent triumph came against Notre Dame as 11 ½-point home faves on Feb. 28, 72-65. Jeff Adrien was spot on with this shooting, hitting 11 of his 15 shots from the field for 25 points. Hasheem Thabeet was his typical unstoppable force in scoring 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking eight shots.
--Despite winning its last three games, UConn has upset bettors by covering the spread in just once in that stretch. In fact, Jim Calhoun’s program is on a 2-5 ATS run in its last seven contests. The ‘under’ has cashed tickets in five of those tilts as well.
--Pittsburgh (27-3 SU, 15-8-1 ATS) is in the running for a No. 1 seed for the tournament, which got bolstered with two consecutive SU and ATS victories on the road against the Pirates and at home versus the Golden Eagles respectively. The gambling public has seen the ‘over’ go 7-2 in the Panthers’ last nine fixtures.
--The Panthers have the chance to do something that only six teams in the history of college hoops have done: beat a No. 1 team twice in the same season. But they might do it without senior guard Levance Fields, who hurt his left ankle against Marquette on March 4.
--While you don’t want to be without a player like Fields, it may not be a big issue against UConn. He only had 10 points and five assists in Pitt’s 76-68 win over the Huskies on Feb. 16.
--Thabeet will be chomping at the bit to step up against the Panthers in this game. He scored just five points and two blocked shots in a foul laden 23 minutes the last time against Pittsburgh. The junior center has erupted since that match by averaging 17.0 points, 6.3 blocks and 11.6 rebounds per game in his last three outings.
--Pitt has won just two of its last three home tilts against the Huskies, covering the number in both victories. The ‘over’ is 2-1 in that spot as well.
--The Panthers are solid play at home this season with an 18-0 SU and 8-4 ATS mark. 6-2 ATS when Big East foes come to town.
--Connecticut has had a full week off to prepare for this game. The Huskies have been great when getting at least three days off with a 14-0 SU record. However, they are just 5-6 ATS.
--CBS will be broadcasting this conference battle at 12:00 p.m. EST.
Syracuse Orange at Marquette Golden Eagles
--LVSC opened the Golden Eagles as four-point home faves with a total of 157.
--Marquette (23-7 SU, 12-12-1 ATS) has won 16 of its 17 games at home. The Golden Eagles haven’t made the bettors much by going 5-6-1 ATS in those matches.
--Syracuse (22-8 SU, 13-13 ATS) is coming off of a 70-40 drubbing of the Scarlet Knights as a 14 ½-point home “chalk” on March 3. Paul Harris scored 18 points, nine boards and a pair of assists in the winning effort.
--The Eagles are fading fast after dropping their third straight match. Their latest disappointment came against Pitt on March 4, 90-75. Making matters worse is that they failed to cover as 10-point road ‘dogs. .
--Jim Boeheim’s club has won both meetings SU and ATS they’ve had against Marquette since they joined the Big East in 2005.
--Syracuse has seen the ‘over’ go 6-5 on the road this year. Marquette has watched the ‘under’ go 2-1 in its last three home tests.
--Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. EST on ESPN plus.
Michigan Wolverines at Minnesota Golden Gophers
--LVSC installed the Golden Gophers as 3 ½-point home favorites with a total of 125.
--Michigan (18-12 SU, 13-10-1 ATS) is seeing its NCAA hope evaporate as they’ve gone 4-6 SU in its last 10 games this season. Yet they’ve posted a 6-4 record ATS in that time.
--Minnesota (21-8 SU, 11-12-1 ATS) came away with a big 51-46 victory over the Badgers as a two-point home “chalk” on March 4. Despite cashing tickets against Wisky, the Gophers are still mired in a 2-6 ATS slump.
--The Wolverines are 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS when playing in “true” road games during the 2008-2009 campaign. The ‘under’ has went 5-4-1 in those games.
--This head-to-head matchup has recently benefited the home squad as they’re 5-3 SU in the last eight meetings, but just 4-4 ATS. The ‘under’ has cashed tickets in five of those contests.
--You can catch this Big Ten battle on CBS at 12:00 p.m. EST.
vegasinsider.com
Saturday's Slate
By Brian Edwards
The stakes can’t get any higher for more than a dozen schools that are vying for the last handful of at-large invitations to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. With Selection Sunday just eight days away, bubble teams are running out of opportunities to impress the committee.
Florida and Kentucky have played themselves out of the picture, but Saturday’s winner will at least take some hope into next week’s SEC Tournament in Tampa. San Diego St. will host UNLV in Saturday’s crucial game for the Mountain West, which might get four teams into the Big Dance (Utah is a lock, New Mexico has a good chance).
South Carolina and Penn St. had better not slip up in road games at Georgia and at Iowa, respectively. Ditto to Arizona, which is a 7 ½-point home ‘chalk’ vs. Stanford.
A pair of teams that are gaining speed and have to win today are Auburn and Washington St. The Tigers are 2 ½-point home favorites vs. LSU, while the Cougars are seven-point underdogs at Washington. Northwestern also fits into the late-gaining mold. The Wildcats, who play Sunday at Ohio St., has never been to the NCAA Tournament in school history.
**Kentucky at Florida**
--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Florida (21-9 straight up, 8-14-1 against the spread) as a 5 ½-point favorite with a total of 145 ½. As of early this morning, every book in Vegas had the Gators at 5 ½. Bettors will probably be able to back UK on the money line for a return of at least plus-180 (winning $180 on $100 wagers).
--Kentucky (19-11 SU, 12-12-1 ATS) has lost seven of its last 10 games after starting 5-0 in SEC play. The Wildcats have lost three in a row both SU and ATS, including Wednesday’s stunning 90-85 loss to Georgia as 17 ½-point home favorites. In a game it absolutely had to have, Billy Gillispie’s team gave up 90 points to the Dawgs, who came to Rupp Arena averaging just 60 points per game against SEC foes. Jodie Meeks scored 23 points in defeat, while Patrick Patterson had 14 points and nine rebounds.
--Billy Donovan’s team has won 16 of its 17 home games, but it owns a mediocre 4-7 spread record at the O-Dome.
--Like the ‘Cats, the Gators are fading fast. They have also dropped three in a row both SU and ATS, including Wednesday’s 80-71 loss at Mississippi St. as one-point favorites. Walter Hodge had a team-high 20 points in Starkville, while Alex Tyus finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Nick Calathes made just 4-of-12 shots from the field and was held well below his average with 11 points. After taking an ill-advised shot with just under three minutes remaining, Calathes was benched by Donovan for the rest of the game.
--According to Joe Lunardi’s last “Bracketology” report released Friday on ESPN.com, Florida isn’t even among the last four or the next four left out of the Big Dance field. On the flip side, Jerry Palm had the Gators as one of his last four schools “in” at CBSSports.com. Personally, I think Florida has to beat Kentucky, Arkansas and Auburn to secure a bid.
--The UF-UK winner will get the East’s third seed at the SEC Tournament and face Arkansas, which occupies the cellar in the West division. Auburn would await the winner of the game against the Razorbacks.
--Florida has won seven of the last nine head-to-head meetings against Kentucky, but the ‘Cats have come out victorious in the last two encounters. When these teams met at Rupp on Feb. 10, UK captured a 68-65 win as a 4 ½-point home ‘chalk.’ Meeks buried a well-defended 3-pointer for the game winner in the final seconds. However, UF quickly pushed the ball up and Calathes was fouled attempting a 3-pointer just before the buzzer. All three of his shots at the charity stripe were off the mark.
--The ‘over’ is 12-10 overall for UF, 6-5 in its home games. The Gators have seen the ‘over’ in five of their last six games regardless of venue. Meanwhile, UK has watched the ‘over’ go 13-12 overall, 4-2 in its last six outings.
--CBS will have the telecast at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
**Washington State at Washington**
--LVSC opened Washington (23-7 SU, 17-10 ATS) as a nine-point favorite with a total of 123. As of early this morning, most books had the Huskies at seven.
--Washington St. (16-13 SU, 10-16 ATS) has caught fire the last two weeks, winning three in a row both SU and ATS. The Cougars are coming off a 51-49 home win over Arizona St. in overtime. They took the money as one-point underdogs. Klay Thompson was the catalyst with 17 points and seven rebounds.
--Washington wins the Pac 10 regular-season title outright with a victory in this spot. As for the Cougars, they announce themselves as a serious bubble candidate going into the league tournament and get back to .500 (at 9-9) in conference play.
--Lorenzo Romar’s squad is 17-1 SU and 9-6 ATS at home this year.
--Washington St. is 2-5 both SU and ATS in seven games as road underdogs this season. The Cougars won outright at both UCLA and Arizona St.
--When these in-state rivals met on Jan. 3, Washington destroyed Wazzu by a 68-48 count as three-point road ‘chalk.’ Isaiah Thomas had a team-high 19 points to go with four rebounds and four assists.
--The ‘over’ is 17-9 overall for Washington, 9-5 in its home assignments.
--The ‘under’ is 16-10 overall for Washington St., 5-1 in its last six games regardless of venue.
--CBS will provide television coverage at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.
**Louisville at West Virginia**
--LVSC opened West Virginia (21-9 SU, 13-14 ATS) as a 1 ½-point favorite with a total of 132. As of early this morning, most spots had Bob Huggins’ team listed as the three-point ‘chalk.’
--Louisville (24-5 SU, 17-11-1 ATS) has won six in a row while going 4-2 ATS. The Cardinals are off a 95-78 triumph over Seton Hall as a 17-point home favorites (resulting in a push). Terrence Williams dominated the game with 14 points (5-of-8 FG’s), 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocked shots. Earl Clark produced a double-double with a game-high 27 points and 14 boards.
--West Virginia owns a 13-2 SU record and a 6-6 ATS mark in Morgantown.
--WVU has won five of its last six games, compiling a 4-2 spread record in the process. The Mountaineers failed to cover the number in their last outing, an 82-63 home win over Depaul as 22-point home favorites. Devin Ebanks had 14 points and 14 boards for the winners.
--When these teams met at Freedom Hall back on Jan. 31, Rick Pitino’s team collected a 69-63 victory, but the Mountaineers took the money as 6 ½-point underdogs.
--The ‘under’ is 16-11 overall for WVU, 6-6 in its home outings. The ‘under’ is on a 7-2 run for the ‘Neers regardless of venue.
--The ‘over’ is 14-13 overall for Louisville, 6-1 in its last seven games.
--Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
Overrated/Underrated
By Joe Nelson
Each week we will take a look at a few teams that may be undervalued or overvalued based our projections of the upcoming national rankings and probable conference and NCAA tournament seeding.
OVERRATED:
AP No. 4 Oklahoma: The Sooners will obviously fall in the standings with a few recent losses but there is still a good chance they end up a No. 2 seed in the tournament. There is an outside chance of still being a #1 seed should they fare well in the conference tournament and some of the other top teams suffer early exits. Obviously either Pittsburgh or Connecticut and either Duke of North Carolina will take a loss this weekend that could keep the Sooners on the elite tier.
The Griffin-less losses also might give OU a bump as well but the reality is they have faced a very easy schedule. The Sagarin ratings peg OU at No. 8 and the Pomeroy ratings have them at #16, they will certainly enter the tournament ranked higher than that and the star power of Griffin, one of the few household names for casual fans will have the Sooners overvalued in the early match-ups.
AP No. 17 Xavier: The Musketeers were an elite eight team last season as a No. 3 seed but recall that they probably should not have made it out of the first round as Georgia led by nine at the half and Xavier came back to win with the help of an absurd 33-5 free throw attempt edge. Xavier picked up several nice wins in non-conference play to create a strong overall profile but this is team that is not playing its best late in the year, losing three of the last six games heading into the final two regular season contests. The Pomeroy ratings have Xavier ranked at No. 25 which seems about right considering that the A-10 has proved to be fairly mediocre once again.
AP No. 25 Syracuse: A blowout of Rutgers last week will keep the Orange in the polls and a win over Marquette could create a big rise upwards. The Orange has won three in a row but in the last month the best wins are over Cincinnati and Georgetown at home, two teams that have faded. Syracuse went 0-5 against the top four teams in the Big East and the early season win over Memphis will carry too more weight than warranted as Memphis had considerable player turnover and is playing much better late in the year. After starting the season 16-1, the Orange are 6-7 since with few quality wins. Always a popular and well known team, Syracuse will likely be a popular pick for a 7-10 or 8-9 match-up but they are vulnerable.
UNDERRATED:
AP No. 7 Duke: We’ll see this weekend if the Blue Devils can knock out North Carolina and gain a bit more national respect but Duke seems to be a team that was overrated for so long that they are now underrated. It sounds odd but no top No. 3 seed will be penciled in for an upset in the first weekend more often than Duke based on their past tournament failures. Duke has a few issues but they rate as one of the most efficient teams in the nation on both sides of the ball and this is a veteran squad that has quietly put together a five-game win streak heading into the finale, beating Wake Forest, Maryland, Virginia Tech, and Florida State in succession and they will likely grab a favorable venue for the first two NCAA tournament games.
AP No. 16 Washington: The Huskies left some reason for doubts a few weeks ago but now have run away with the Pac-10 title. A pesky Washington State squad on a great run is up in the final game but Washington has been by far the most consistent team in the conference and will be the first outright Pac-10 champion in many years that will be given virtually no consideration by the majority of people as a final four threat. Washington has played a quality schedule and has beaten all the top Pac-10 teams at least once, including sweeping arguably the most talented team, Arizona State. The Pac-10 rates just narrowly behind the Big East in most computer rankings and far ahead of the Big 12 and there is chance the teams out west are better than realized.
AP No. 19 Clemson: Most computer models have Wake Forest and Clemson separated by the smallest of margins as 3rd and 4th best teams in the No. 1 conference in the nation. The Deacons are ranked considerably higher in the polls and likely will receive a superior seed despite very similar profiles. Wake Forest beat Clemson the first time around but the revenge opportunity is waiting this weekend. Non-conference wins over South Carolina and Illinois look pretty appealing at this point in the season and the Tigers appear to still be getting penalized for an OT loss at Virginia, a game that came in a very tough scheduling spot. Clemson beat Duke in the lone meeting and did not have the opportunity to face UNC at home as the Tar Heels have benefited from one of the easier ACC schedules. After being upset as a No. 5 seed last year the Tigers will be a strong sleeper team this year.
VegasInsider.com
College basketball bettors' weekend TV guide
By MATT SEVERANCE
It's the final weekend of regular-season play and there is plenty on the line heading into the major conference tournaments. Here is a handful of many intriguing matchups this weekend.
Connecticut at Pittsburgh (Saturday, noon, CBS)
The Panthers beat UConn 76-68 Feb. 16 in Hartford as DeJuan Blair had up 22 points and 23 rebounds. Pitt point guard Levance Fields had 10 points and five assists in that one, but he is questionable for Saturday because of a bruised tailbone suffered in Wednesday's win over Marquette. If Fields can't play, Ashton Gibbs and Jermaine Dixon will fill in at point guard.
California at Arizona State (Saturday, 2 p.m., CBS regional)
ASU has an at-large bid locked up but needs momentum heading into the Pac-10 tournament. The Sun Devils have lost three games in a row when they had a chance to win the Pac-10 regular-season title. All-American James Harden, the Pac-10's leading scorer, has missed 28 of his past 40 shots.
The status of Sun Devils guard Jamelle McMillan is in question for this game after he injured his groin in Thursday's loss to Stanford and left the arena on crutches.
Kentucky at Florida (Saturday, 2 p.m., CBS regional)
The importance of this game can't be overstated, as both are squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble, with the loser finishing just at .500 in the weak SEC. Kentucky somehow lost at home to a bad Georgia team Wednesday (it beat the Bulldogs by 23 earlier this season) and has lost three in a row overall.
UK coach Billy Gillispie admits he is looking for the right rotation. Jodie Meeks is struggling, making just 32 of his past 84 shots, including 11-of-40 from the 3-point line. Forward Patrick Patterson is playing through an ankle injury.
“I'm having a hard time finding five guys that play hard, smart and together the whole time," he said to reporters.
Texas at Kansas (Saturday, 4 p.m., CBS)
Kansas can win the Big 12 title outright with a victory and it is unbeaten at home this year, although the Jayhawks already have locked up the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
KU has quite a Senior Day streak going. The Jayhawks have won 24 consecutive Senior Day games and 25 consecutive final home games of the season (in 2007 there was no senior on the KU roster). The Jayhawks have won four of the past five meetings with Texas.
Louisville at West Virginia (Saturday, 9 p.m., ESPN)
The Cardinals can win the Big East regular-season title with a Connecticut loss earlier in the day and finish no lower than No. 2 with a victory.
Coach Rick Pitino changed the time of the Cards' game-day shootaround so his players could watch Pitt and UConn. Over its last six games, Louisville has made nearly 45 percent of its 3-pointers (62 of 138). The Cards beat WVU 69-63 as 6.5-point favorites earlier this season in Louisville despite turning the ball over a season-high 26 times.
Purdue at Michigan State (Sunday, noon, CBS)
Michigan State already clinched the outright Big Ten title, while Purdue is fighting to keep the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. The Spartans could get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they can finish the season without another loss.
MSU coach Tom Izzo says he won't be raising a Big Ten title banner before this game as he doesn't want to fire up the Boilermakers. That has bitten him a few times in the past against opponents.
Purdue beat the Spartans by 18 earlier this season in West Lafayette with the Spartans tying their season low in points with 54, although MSU's second-leading scorer, Raymar Morgan, was just working back from an illness.
Virginia Tech at Florida State (Sunday, 2 p.m., Raycom/ESPN360)
The Hokies have lost five of six and must win this one to have any tourney hopes, barring an unlikely run in the ACC Tournament. Tech lost to FSU by two on Feb. 21 when a potential game-winning 3-pointer missed at the buzzer.
If the Seminoles defeat Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon, then they are guaranteed of a No. 4 finish in the ACC standings and a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Even if FSU loses, it can still be the No. 4 seed if Wake Forest beats Clemson.
"It's going to be a war," FSU's Toney Douglas told reporters. "Because we're both playing for something.”
Duke at North Carolina (Sunday, 4 p.m., CBS)
What more is there to say? Duke-Carolina for the ACC title for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Last year it was a winner-take-all won by UNC, which already has clinched a share of the ACC this season. It should be an emotional Senior Day at the Smith Center as it's Tyler Hansbrough's final home game.
Duke is banged up, as backup point guard Nolan Smith, a key defender, remains day-to-day with the mild concussion he sustained at Maryland. Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek are also listed as day-to-day after injuring themselves in the Blue Devils' 84-81 win over Florida State Tuesday.
Smith out, Thomas iffy for Duke-North Carolina
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -Seventh-ranked Duke will be short-handed when it travels to No. 2 North Carolina this weekend.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Friday that point guard Nolan Smith will miss Sunday's game as he continues to deal with a mild concussion suffered at Maryland last week. Krzyzewski also said junior forward Lance Thomas is still uncertain due to a sprained ankle suffered against Florida State on Tuesday.
However, 7-foot-1 junior Brian Zoubek will play despite a broken nose suffered against the Seminoles.
The Blue Devils' injury situation is another variable in the latest installment of the backyard rivalry. North Carolina (26-3, 12-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) has clinched a share of the league title and will win it outright by beating the Blue Devils (25-5, 11-4) for a second time this season.
''Look, that's your hand, let's play it and try to win with it,'' Krzyzewski said during a news conference. ''That's why I don't do a lot with injuries (publicly). I don't want any excuses. We're going to go there and if Lance plays, he plays. If he doesn't, we still feel we have a chance to win.''
Smith has missed the past two games and has not been practicing, though the Blue Devils can play Jon Scheyer and Greg Paulus at the point. Thomas' health could be a bigger problem considering Duke doesn't have as much depth on the interior, an area the Tar Heels have an advantage with reigning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, junior Deon Thompson, and freshmen Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller.
The 6-foot-8 Thomas hurt his left ankle after less than a minute of action in the first half against the Seminoles and did not return. He lightly ran in Friday's practice, though Krzyzewski said it was only at about 75 percent and that Thomas would need to practice Saturday in order to play.
''If he's able to play, he'll play and start,'' Krzyzewski said. ''If he can't be at that level, then I would keep him out.''
Zoubek was hurt when he was struck during a scramble for a rebound in the second half, but returned and was on the court in the final minutes of a tight game. Krzyzewski said Zoubek would start if Thomas is unable to go and won't have to wear a protective mask.
The school had said Thomas and Zoubek were day to day earlier this week, while Smith is out indefinitely.
NCAAB Today
Notes on the best of today's games.
Fields is banged-up, not sure if he'll play vs UConn team that lost first meeting with Pitt 76-68; without Fields, Pitt is screwed. Huskies won 15 of last 16 games, are 3-0 as an underdog this season. Panthers are 8-1 in last nine games, are 5-3 as Big East home favorite, winning at home by 23-13-18-13-11-16-1915 points. Status of Fields a big deal here.
Florida (+3.5) lost 68-65 at Kentucky Feb 10; Gators are 2-5 in games decided by six or less points- they're 3-4 as SEC home favorite, winning at home by 10-15-26-4-9-14 points, before losing to Tennessee in their last home game, their fourth loss in last six games. Kentucky lost seven of last ten games, losing last three games by 18-3-5 points.
Marquette lost last three games, by 11-4-15 points, as loss of James has hurt badly; Eagles are 4-3 as Big East home favorite, winning at home by 7-34-22-9-12-14-12 points, with loss to UConn. Syracuse won three in row by 29-24-30 pts, but they're 0-5 vs spread as Big East dog this year with road losses by 14-18-6-17-14 pts (fave 13-4 in their Big East tilts).
Minnesota (+3.5) lost 74-62 at Michigan Feb 19; Wolverines made 13 of 28 on arc in game they led by 15 at half. Michigan is 2-5 as Big 11 road dog, losing away games by 15-15-18-18-10-5 pts, with wins at Indiana, Northwestern. Gophers are 5-7 in last 12 games, but are 4-2 as favorite in Big 11 home games, winning by 9-20-23-8-27-5 points.
Missouri won eight of last nine games, are 6-2 as Big 12 home fave, with home wins by 45-31-11-17-2-23-20-9 points. Tigers are 7-2 vs spread in last nine games. Texas A&M won last four games, covered nine of their last 10; they're 4-2 as Big 12 road underdog, losing away games by 11-9- 20-6-4 points- they won last two on road, at Texas Tech, Nebraska. .
Oklahoma State won, covered its last six games but were favoried in all six; they're 3-2 as Big 12 road dog, losing away games by 6-12-11-25 pts Oklahoma (-2.5) won first meeting 89-81, shooting 58% from floor, but turning ball over 23 times. Sooners lost three of last four games; they are 3-4 as Big 12 home favorites, winning by 15-11-19-6-5-21 points.
Kansas won last five games (4-1 vs spread), with all five wins by nine or more points; they're 4-3 as Big 12 home favorites, winning in Lawrence by 16-20-5-11-17-17-25 points. Texas lost three of last four road games, losing by 3-15-9 pts, with win in OT at last-place Colorado. Jayhawks are 5-2 in last seven vs Texas, winning last two here by 25-4 points.
Ole Miss (+9) won 67-63 at Mississippi State in first meeting, holding State to 31.5% from floor; Rebels are 3-1 vs spread as SEC home fave, winning home games by 9-5-19-16 points, but they lost last two home games. State lost five of last seven games; they're 3-2 as SEC road dog, losing away games by 24-15-2-5 points.
Washington can clinch first outright league title since 50's with win here, vs arch-rival Cougars; Huskies won first meeting 68-48 in Pullman (+2), are 6-1 in last seven games overall, winning last three by 9-3-5 pts- they are 3-5 as Pac-10 road fave, winning in Seattle by 1-5-11-19-19-3-5 pts. Wazzu won last three games; they're 2-3 as a Pac-10 road underdog.
LSU won its last 13 SEC games, beating Auburn 79-72 in first meeting Feb 21 (-9); LSU was 21-22 from foul line, Auburn 7-13 that day, which is Auburn's only loss in its last seven games. LSU is 3-1 as an SEC road underdog. Auburn is 4-1 as SEC home favorite, winning home games by 14-1-13-15-13 points- they won their last four home contests.
West Virginia (+6.5) lost 69-63 at Louisville Jan 31, in game they trailed 45-25 at half; Cardinals shot 55.8% from floor in that games, WV 35.6%. Mountaineers won five of last six games, are 4-3 as Big East home fave, winning home games by 3-23-27-21-11-19 pts, losing to UConn, Pitt. Louisville covered both tries as an underdog this season.
San Diego State (+4) won 68-66 in OT at UNLV Feb 3, holding Rebels to 33.9% from floor; Aztecs are 4-2 as MWC home favorite, winning at home by 9-5-17-31-11-9 pts, losing only to BYU. UNLV is 4-4 in last eight games; they're 2-1 as MWC road dog, losing away games by 7-2-4-9-10 points. Underdog is 5-2 vs spread in their conference road games.
Missouri Valley tournament
Bradley won five of last six games, but lost twice to Northern Iowa this season, 66-61/61-58; Panthers were 17-36 from arc, Bradley 11-35 in the two games. UNI won last three games, by 2-7-4 points; they're 3-5 vs spread in last eight tries as a favorite. Bradley is 2-5 vs spread in its last seven games as an MVC underdog.
Creighton won its last 11 games, with four of last five wins by six pts or less; home side won both their games vs Illinois State this year, as Jays lost in Normal 86-64 (+2), winning 74-70 at home last week (-7.5). State lost last three of last four games, but covered their last three games as a dog. Creighton needed last-second shot to escape Wichita Friday, 63-62.
Horizon League tournament
Wright State won five of last six games, but lost twice to Butler this year 64-48 on road (+10), 69-51 at home (+2, was 39-21 at half). Raiders hit just 8 of 26 from arc in the two games- they're 1-6 vs spread as Horizon underdog this year. Butler won six of last eight games, are 3-6 vs spread in last nine games as favorite. Raiders played Friday, Butler didn't.
Cleveland State won nine of its last eleven games, losing only at Wichita, Butler; home team won both Cleveland State-Green Bay games, with the Vikings losing 80-65 in Green Bay (even), winning 83-75 at home (-6.5). Green Bay won eight of last ten games; both teams are veteran outfits, as Vikings start four seniors, Green Bay three seniors.
Ohio Valley tournament
Austin Peay won five of its last six games, holding Murray State to 0-15 from arc, 32.7% for game in 67-50 upset win Friday; Peay lost twice to Morehead State this year, 84-74 at home Jan 3 (-7.5), 81-63 on road Jan 31 (+2.5)- Eagles got to line 64 times in two games. Morehead is +39 on the boards in its first two OVC tournament games.
MAAC tournament
Home side won both Fairfield-Manhattan games; Stags lost 85-60 (+1.5) at Draddy Gym Jan 26, then won 56-55 at home last Friday (-3), which was Stags' only win in their last five games. Manhattan lost three of last four games; they're 1-3 in MAAC tourney the last three years, Stags are 0-3 in this event the last three years, losing by 7-4-5 points.
Canisius won three of its last four games, shooting 53% but turning ball over 20 times in win over Loyola last night; Griffins lost twice to Siena this year, 91-73 here Jan 29 (+14.5), 78-74 at home six days ago, (+7.5) game Canisius led 40-35 at half. Saints are 16-2 in MAAC this year, are playing at home, where they covered four of nine as home favorite.
Marist is 2-11 in their last 13 games, 5-3 vs spread in last eight games as underdog, but they upset Iona 43-40 last night- Red Foxes upset Niagara 86-68 at home Jan 11 (+8.5), lost 80-72 on the road six days ago (+17). Eagles won 10 of last 11 games, covered six of last eight as favorite; they didn't play last night, advantage for them and Siena in its game.
Road team won both St Peter's-Rider games this year; Broncs won 78-67 in Jersey City Jan 25 (-5, was 49-27 at half), lost 65-64 at home Feb 13 (-9, Peacocks were 11-17 from arc). Rider won three in a row, by 3-2-4 points, eight of last 11 games; they're 5-6 as MAAC favorite. St Peter's won, covered last five games, after a 3-10 start in conference play.