Sunday's Slate
By Brian Edwards
**Kansas at Tennessee**
Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Kansas (14-0 straight up, 6-5 against the spread) as a seven-point favorite, but the number was 5 1/2 in most betting shops early this morning.
Tennessee (11-2 SU, 5-4-1 ATS) will be playing its first game since senior team leader Tyler Smith was dismissed from the program Friday following his arrest for possession of a gun with an altered serial number. The other three players arrested along with Smith – Cameron Tatum, Melvin Goins and Brian Williams – remain suspended indefinitely and will not be on the bench when UT hosts the nation’s top-ranked team. They were jailed after a traffic stop on New Year’s Day that netted a pair of guns, a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and an open container of alcohol.
With only six scholarship players in uniform Wednesday, the Volunteers stepped up and beat Charlotte 88-71 as 13½-point home favorites at Thompson-Boling Arena. Senior center Wayne Chism was the catalyst for the winners, producing 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocked shots. Scotty Hopson added 17 points.
Bill Self’s team had to rally in the final minute to beat a feisty Cornell squad 71-66 Wednesday night. The Big Red easily covered the number as a 20 ½-point underdog, but came up short of the outright victory when Sherron Collins took over at crunch time. Collins finished with a game-high 33 points to offset 24 points from Cornell’s Ryan Wittman. Cole Aldrich chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds.
Kansas has only been a single-digit favorite once this season. That was last Saturday in Philadelphia where the Jayhawks stroked Temple 84-52 as seven-point road favorites. Freshman Xavier Henry had a team-high 15 points, while Aldrich added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
This is KU’s third true road game. In addition to their win over the Owls, the Jayhawks also won a 73-61 decision at UCLA. The Bruins took the money, however, as 15 ½-point home underdogs.
UT is an underdog for just the third time this year and the first time at home. The Vols, 1-0-1 ATS in the two previous situations, lost 73-72 against Purdue on a neutral court as one-point underdogs. They won at Memphis by a 66-59 count as 2 ½-point puppies.
The ‘under’ is 4-1 in KU’s last five games, 6-4 overall. The ‘under’ is 4-2 overall for the Vols, 2-1 in their home games.
When these schools met in Lawrence last year, KU captured a 92-85 win as a three-point home favorite. The 177 combined points leaped ‘over’ the 150 ½-point total. Collins scored a game-high 26 points and dished out nine assists for the Jayhawks, while UT’s Smith had 21 points and nine rebounds. KU’s Aldrich added 22 points, 10 boards and six blocked shots.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Eastern on CBS.
**Virginia Tech at North Carolina**
LVSC opened North Carolina (11-4 SU, 5-8 ATS) as a 13-point favorite. However, as of early this morning, most betting shops had refrained from posting a line due to the “doubtful” status of Hokies’ junior guard Malcolm Delaney.
Virginia Tech (12-1 SU, 4-4 ATS) has won nine in a row since suffering its only loss of the season 61-50 at Temple. The Hokies are 4-1 ATS in lined games during their winning streak. They come to Chapel Hill off a 103-94 overtime win over Seton Hall in Cancun, Mexico. Seth Greenberg’s team won outright as a four-point underdog. Junior guard Derenzo Hudson erupted for a career-high 41 points for the winners, who also got 23 points and 13 rebounds out of junior forward Jeff Allen.
Delaney, who averages a team-high 19.8 points per game, did not play against the Pirates after leaving a win over Longwood with a sprained ankle in the opening minute.
North Carolina could be without senior guard Marcus Ginyard, who has missed back-to-back games with a sprained ankle. Ginyard, who is averaging 11.0 points, 4.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game, is listed as "questionable" and will be a game-time decision.
UNC is in bounce-back mode following Monday’s stunning OT loss by an 82-79 score at Charleston. The Tar Heels lost outright to Bobby Cremins’ team as 13 ½-point road ‘chalk.’ Ed Davis had 19 points, 16 rebounds and six blocked shots in the losing effort.
Roy Williams’ squad is unbeaten in 10 home games but is just 3-5 versus the number at the Dean Dome.
North Carolina has won four consecutive head-to-head meetings against Va. Tech, but the latter has been the money maker for our purposes. The Hokies are 5-1 ATS in the last six encounters between these ACC adversaries dating back to Jan. 13 of 2007.
The ‘over’ is 5-0 for Va. Tech. The ‘overs’ have appeared in a pair of road games, two neutral-site games and one home outing. Meanwhile, UNC has watched the ‘over’ go 6-4 overall, 3-2 in its home games.
FSN will have the telecast at 7:45 p.m. Eastern.
Please check back soon for more college basketball analysis and B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets.
vegasinsider.com
(18) Temple (12-3, 10-5 ATS) at Rhode Island (12-1, 6-4 ATS)
The Owls will try to snap Rhode Island’s eight-game winning streak when they visit the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I., for this Atlantic-10 Conference matchup.
Temple was riding a seven-game winning streak to close out 2009 then welcomed Kansas to Philadephia and lost to the top-ranked Jayhawks 84-52 as a seven-point ‘dog on Jan. 2. The Owls rebounded from that loss and won their conference opener on Wednesday, blowing out St. Joseph’s, 73-46, easily covering as 14 ½-point favorites. Defense is the Owls’ specialty as they allow just 55.7 points a game and 37.3 percent shooting.
Rhode Island hasn’t lost since a Dec. 2 trip to VCU when it fell 82-80 as a 2 ½-point pup. The Rams went to Akron on Tuesday and scored a 68-63 upset as one-point ‘dogs, but they have yet to play a conference game. They know how to light up the scoreboard, averaging 84 points a game at home and shooting it at a 48.6 percent clip.
These teams split their two matchups last season with the home team getting the win and cover in each. Rhode Island scored a 67-59 home win as a three-point chalk on Jan. 28 and 10 days later Temple returned the favor with a 68-62 home win as a five-point chalk. These rivals have alternated wins and covers in each of the last six meetings and the straight-up winner is a perfect 10-0 ATS dating back to the 2004 campaign.
Temple is on several ATS runs, including 45-22-1 overall, 5-1 on the road, 19-6-1 in A-10 matchups, 8-1 on Sundays and 21-10 after a spread-cover. Meanwhile, Rhode Island is on ATS skids of 8-17-1 in conference play, 1-8 at home, 2-5 after a spread-cover and 0-5 at home against teams with winning road marks.
It’s been all “unders” lately for the Owls, including 33-16-2 overall, 6-2-1 on the road, 10-2 in conference action and 18-7-2 after a spread-cover. The Rams have stayed below the posted number in six of seven in Atlantic-10 play but topped the total in 35 of 51 home games and four of five after a spread-cover. However, the “over” has been the play in five of the last eight in this rivalry.
ATS ADVANTAGE: TEMPLE
(1) Kansas (14-0, 6-5 ATS) at (14) Tennessee (11-2, 5-4-1 ATS)
The top-ranked Jayhawks put their season-long 14-game winning streak on the line when they visit the Thompson Boling Center in Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Volunteers.
Kansas got tested on Wednesday when tiny Cornell went into Fog Allen Fieldhouse and battled the Jayhawks to the wire before finally falling 71-66, easily cashing as a 20 ½-point underdog to the top team in the land. Kansas turns up the heat on defense when it takes to the road, allowing just 56.5 points a game and limiting the home team to just 30.4 percent shooting.
Tennessee has won three straight (2-0 ATS) and seven of eight (3-3 ATS) overall, having blown out Charlotte on Wednesday, 88-71 as a 13 ½-point favorite. The Vols, who had all five starters reach double-digits in scoring on Wednesday, are scoring 90.7 points per game in front of the home faithful and shooting 51.7 percent from the floor.
These two teams squared off a year ago with Kansas edging the Vols 92-85 as a three-point home favorite. The Jayhawks held Tennessee to 26-of-66 shooting while they topped 50-percent shooting at 34-of-66.
Kansas is on a plethora of ATS runs, including 35-16-1 overall, 8-3 on the road, 7-0 after a non-cover, and 8-2 on the road against a team with a winning home record. The Vols are just 1-4 ATS in their last five Sunday games and 1-5 ATS in their last six against Big 12 opponents.
For the Jayhawks, the “under” is on streaks of 4-1 overall, 5-2 on Sundays, 4-1 in non-conference action and 20-6 after a straight-up win. Tennessee is also on several “under” runs, including 6-2 overall, 23-9 after a spread-cover, 4-0 on Sundays and 12-4 following a straight-up win.
ATS ADVANTAGE: KANSAS
Virginia Tech (12-1, 4-4 ATS) at (9) North Carolina (11-4, 5-8 ATS)
The Hokies bring a nine-game winning streak into their ACC opener against North Carolina at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Virginia Tech’s winning streak (4-1 ATS) becomes less impressive whey you see four of its last six have been against cupcakes in unlined contests. However, the Hokies beat Seton Hall on a neutral court on Jan. 2, winning 103-94 in OT as four-point underdogs. With their easy schedule, it’s no wonder the Hokies are averaging 79.6 points a game and shooting 50 percent from the floor in their last five contests.
North Carolina had a three-game winning streak (1-2 ATS) snapped on Monday with an 82-79 upset loss at Charlotte as 13 ½-point favorites. The Tar Heels have failed to cash in each of their last three, but the 13 ½-point line was the smallest of the three. They can light up the scoreboard in front of the home fans, averaging 89.6 points a game and shooting 52.8 percent on the home court.
The Tar Heels have won four straight (1-3 ATS) and seven of the last nine (3-6 ATS) against the Hokies, including a close 79-76 home win last season, coming up short as 11 ½-point favorites. Virginia Tech, an underdog in each meeting, has gotten the cash in five of the last six series clashes.
The Hokies are on ATS streaks of 15-7 after a spread-cover and 4-0 overall. North Carolina is just 1-7 ATS in its last eight Sunday games and 5-16 ATS in its last 21 ACC games, but the Tar Heels are on ATS runs of 34-16-1 after a straight-up loss and 20-7 at home against teams with winning road records.
For Virginia Tech, the “over” is on runs of 36-16-1 overall, 4-1 on the road, 24-8-1 after a straight-up win and 3-0 after a spread-cover. North Carolina has stayed below the total in four of five Sunday tipoffs, but topped the total in 10 of 14 conference games and 35 of 52 after a straight-up loss.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
NCAAB News and Notes
Sunday, January 10
Information on the best of Sunday's college hoop games........
Favorite is 3-0 vs spread in Indiana State's MVC games; Sycamores won only home game, 70-64 over Creighton (even). Evansville is 0-4 in Valley (0-4 vs spread) losing only road game 65-46 at Northern Iowa (+16); their other losses are by 14-8-19 points. MVC home favorites are 10-8 against the spread in conference play.
Syracuse beat Memphis by 17 after losing first game of year to Pitt last Saturday; Orangemen are 6-3 vs spread as a home fave. South Florida is 0-2 in Big East, losing by 21 at Louisville (down one at half), by 1 to Notre Dame. Syracuse is 4-1 in series, winning by 6-17-12-5 points. Big East home favorites are 10-8 vs spread in conference play.
LaSalle is 3-2 in last five visits to UMass; Explorers swept series LY, winning 62-54 here, 97-88 at home, but LaSalle lost its last four games overall, scoring 65 ppg. Three of last four UMass games were decided by either one or two points; Minutemen are 4-1 at home, losing by 13 to Cornell, barely beating woeful Fordham by hoop in last game.
Michigan won five of last six games vs Northwestern; Wildcats lost four of its last five visits to Crisler Arena, with losses by 24-10-17-9 points. Northwestern lost first two Big 11 games by 6-21 points, allowing 90 ppg; they're 1-1 on road, winning by 12 at NC State, losing by 6 in OT at Illinois. Michigan won its last two games, both by nine points.
Western Kentucky won its last four games, upetting Mississippi State, winning in OT at South Alabama already this week; Hilltoppers lost by four points here LY, 78-74. Denver is 4-1 in Sun Belt, winning all four home games by 6-22-9-9 points; Sun Belt home teams are 18-13 against the spread this season.
Washington State won last six games vs Arizona State, winning its last three visits to Tempe by 1-1-10 points, the only road wins in last ten series games. Home team is 3-0 vs spread in ASU's Pac-10 games, with Sun Devils winning home opener by 17 Friday. Coogs won six of last seven games, losing only in double OT at home to Oregon.
Valparaiso is 1-3 in Horizon, losing by 17-6-10 points; they were up 10 at half in Detroit Friday, got outscored 53-33 in second half. Crusaders are 4-5 vs spread as an underdog this year- they lost to Wright St three times LY, by 16-10-12 points. Raiders are 3-2 in Horizon after losing to Butler Friday. Horizon League home favorites are 8-11 vs spread.
Tennessee is missing four suspended players; they beat Charlotte by 17 in first games without those kids, but top-ranked Kansas will be tougher. Jayhawks are 2-0 on road, winning by 12 at UCLA, 32 at Temple. Big 12 road favorites are 15-10. SEC underdogs are 15-18 vs spread in non-conference games, 4-3 at home.
Cal-Davis lost last four road games by 16-11-12-21 points; home side is 3-0 vs spread in their Big West games. Underdogs are 10-1 vs spread in Big West games this year, 6-0 on the road. Cal Poly lost four of last five games, losing only Big West home game by 10 to Pacific. Cal Poly won five of last six series games against Davis.
Home side won last five Washington-Arizona games; Huskies lost three in row at Tucson by 30-20-9 points (lost 106-97 here LY). Washington is 0-2 on road this year, losing by 7 in OT at TexasTech, at Arizona St by 17 Friday- they're 3-8 vs spread as a favorite. Underdog covered first three Arizona league games; Wildcats lost three of last four games.