NCAAB News and Notes Thursday 12/2

NCAA Odds: Jayhawks tangle with UCLA
By: Willie Bee

Sixteen national championships. Thirty Final Four appearances. A combined 3,698 wins. All of that comes together Thursday night in Lawrence, Kansas when the Jayhawks host the UCLA Bruins in the marquee matchup on the college basketball odds board.

Thursday's scrap continues the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series that started this past Saturday in Nebraska where the Cornhuskers got the Big 12 off to a winning start with a 60-58 victory against USC. The 'Huskers closed as five-point favorites, their third spread defeat in four lined games. This is the final season of the interconference challenge, won last year by the Big 12, 9-3.

Kansas enters the game fourth in both sets of rankings, 6-0 straight up and 3-1 versus the spread. The Bruins will actually be the second Pac-10 school KU has faced this year coming off an 87-79 win last Saturday over Arizona to earn top honors at the Las Vegas Invitational. The Jayhawks, just missing the nine-point cover, had six players in double digits led by the Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus.

The Jayhawks are monsters to date on the stats pages, fourth in the nation with a 92-flat scoring average, tops with nearly a 58 percent field goal rate and spreading the ball around like no other with 22 assists per game. And that's just the offense. The defense is allowing just 56.7 PPG, No. 20 on the charts and third-best in the country allowing teams to net just 21.1 percent from three-point land.

Ken Pomeroy translates all of those numbers to Kansas being the No. 1 team in the country. It will take more than a win over UCLA to convince any of the 96 voters in the two polls to agree with Pomeroy who had the Jayhawks .002 ahead of Duke before the Blue Devils met Michigan State on Wednesday night.

Now if this was a UCLA team of old, then maybe. But it's not. The Bruins amble into Lawrence following consecutive losses and 3-2 on the season (2-3 ATS). They got off to a very poor start in an 82-70 loss versus Villanova in the semifinals of the NIT Tip-Off on Thanksgiving Eve. UCLA played better the final 18 minutes or so of that game but still fell well short of the 5½ points the sports book were giving to the underdogs.

Ben Howland's club dropped the tournament consolation match with Virginia Commonwealth two days later, 89-85, as tiny 1½-point chalk. UCLA's biggest downfall in the game was turning the ball over, 21 times to be exact.

The Bruins' only chance in this one will be denying Kansas second shots, and that's only if KU misses the first ones. Unless someone like beefy frosh Joshua Smith has a big game for UCLA, that leaves the glasswork to sophomore forwards Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt.

All-time series numbers between the two elite programs include a 10-5 advantage for UCLA in the previous 15 meetings. All five Kansas wins have come in the last seven clashes, including a 73-61 triumph last December at Pauley Pavilion where the Bruins were huge 16-point home underdogs.

Avenging that loss won't be easy for UCLA. Kansas not only has a huge edge in the talent department, the Jayhawks also own a 63-game winning streak at Allen Fieldhouse.

UCLA will head home after this contest to begin an eight-game stretch at Pauley Pavilion that begins with Montana next Monday (Dec. 5). The Bruins next take to the road on Jan. 9 when they make the very short crosstown trek to play USC.

The Jayhawks will take the rest of the week off following this game and next hit the hardwood on Tuesday, Dec. 7, in New York where they meet Memphis at Madison Square Garden.

College Basketball Knowledge

Tonight is the first night where there are lot of conference games, so we take a look at those games here.........

Wisc-Milwaukee won five of last six games vs Youngstown, winning last three played here, by 7-19-2 points; Panthers are 3-4, losing last couple games, both at home- they're 1-2 as a favorite. Youngstown State is 4-1, losing only road game 91-84 (+12) at Akron. Penguins allowed 67 points or less in all four of their wins.

Cleveland State is 8-0, 2-2-1 as favorite, winning its road games 60-55 at ULL (-5), Akron 64-51 (+2). Green Bay is 3-3, beating North Dakota State by hoop in only home game vs D-I team- they're 2-1 as underdog. Home side won last six Cleveland State-Green Bay games; Vikings lost last four visits here, by 12-9-15-17 points.

Valparaiso-Ill-Chicago split last six games, with all three Valpo wins by 6 or less points; Crusaders beat UIC twice LY, 64-58/63-62. Valpo split four games vs D-I teams, beating No Colorado by 14, Corpus Christi by 6 in Las Vegas over weekend. UIC is 4-3 with new coach (1-1 at home, losing by 10 to C.Michigan, beating Toledo 63-62).

Manhattan lost last four games, with three of four by 15+ points; they are 2-2 as underdogs. Rider won six of last seven games vs Manhattan, but home team is 12-2 in last 14 series games, with Broncs 2-5 in last seven visits here (wins by 1-3 points). Rider had good trip out west, but lost last two games, 58-48 to Hofstra, 73-60 to Siena, both at home.

St Peter's is 9-5 in last 14 games vs Loyola, going 4-3 here; four of last six series games were won by 5 or less points. Peacocks are 2-4, scoring just 50.3 ppg; three of their four losses are by 12+ points, but they did upset Alabama in tourney game. Loyola is 3-2, losing to Drexel/Vermont by 3 points each- they allowed 59 ppg in last three games.

Home side won last seven Appalachian State-Chattanooga games, with ASU losing last three visits here by 12-4-5 points. App State is 3-0 vs spread as dog, losing by 2 at Miss State, 13 at Vandy, upsetting Tulsa by 3, so they've played good teams. Moccasins lost last three games, by 41-12-21 points, giving up average of 91 ppg in the three games.

Western Carolina won last three games vs Samford, by 7-12-17 points; teams split two meetings here, with both games decided by 12 pts. 4-4 Catamounts won last two games, allowing 52 ppg; they're 2-2 vs spread as an underdog, winning by 5 at DePaul, losing by 23 at Clemson, 14 at El Paso. Samford is 4-3 but hasn't been favored to win lined game yet.

Wofford won last seven games vs NC-Greensboro, winning last three played here, by 5-1-18 points; Terriers just lost tough triple OT game at Xavier Saturday- they're 2-5 vs tough schedule, but they did lose by 6 at home to Air Force (1-1 as favorite)- their wins are over George Mason by 3 in OT, by 18 vs SC-Upstate. Greensboro is 1-3 as an underdog.

Charleston won three of last four games vs Davidson, after losing 11 in a row to Wildcats; Davidson won five of last six visits here. 4-3 Cougars only played one home game so far; they're 1-1 as favorite- their losses are vs Maryland-URI-North Carolina, all good teams. Davidson is 3-3, losing road games by 5 at Penn (-3.5), by 13 at URI (+7).

Citadel won three of last four games vs Georgia Southern, Eagles lost last two visits here, 84-75/68-43. Eagles are 0-5 vs D-I teams (1-4 vs spread) losing games by 37-13-24-5-11 points. Citadel has new coach, is 1-4 so far this year, scoring 60 ppg. Home team won seven of last nine series games. Not a lot to choose from here.

Murray State is 6-2 in last eight games vs Eastern Kentucky, going 3-1 in last four visits here, with wins by 17-8-14 points. Last seven series games played here were all decided by 6+ points. Racers struggled with big boys in Anaheim, going 1-2 while scoring 53 ppg- they lost by 16 at Ole Miss in only true road game. This is first time they're favored.

Morehead State is 10-3 in last 13 games vs UT-Martin, winning six of last seven played here (Ws by 2-6-22-5-9-10 points). Eagles have yet to allow more than 64 points in game, and they've played at Florida/Ohio State, but they lost as 7-point favorite at NC-Wilmington. UT-Martin lost last four games, giving up average of 98.3 ppg in last three.

Eastern Illinois won three of last four games vs Tennessee State, taking last two played here, 71-61/66-61. EIU is 1-4/erratic, upsetting Bradley as 12-point dog, losing twice to South Dakota State, by 12/26 points. Tigers are 0-5 vs D-I teams (0-3 vs spread in last three) losing by 10-5-15-28-15 points. TSU is 2-2 against the spread as an underdog.

Austin Peay won 12 of last 14 games vs SE Missouri State, but three of last five series games went OT, including both of LY's games. Governors are 5-2 in last seven visits here, winning by 4-2-7-24-3 points. SEMO is 0-6, losing its home games to Grambling (77-76)/Arkansas State (56-50). Peay lost last four games, but does have wins at SIllinois, Chattanooga.

NCAAB Winning Info!
By Jeff Mattingly

Appalachian State Mountaineers at Chattanooga Moccasins

-Appalachian State opened its current road trip with a pair of losses against SEC teams, including Saturday’s 86-73 setback at Vanderbilt.
-The loss was the fourth in a row for the Mountaineers in Tennessee.
-The squads meet for the 69th time on Thursday as UTC holds a 40-28 lead all-time in the series. The two teams have combined to win at least a share of the last four SoCon North titles
-The home team has won each of the last seven meetings dating back to 2006-07.
-Last season’s 85-80 setback at Chattanooga was ASU’s only loss to a SoCon North foe. The five point loss also matched the largest in league play for the Mountaineers.
-ASU’s Donald Sims averages 24.3 points in six games against the Mocs.
-Early in the season, ASU finds itself at the top of the Southern Conference in scoring offense at 84.2 points per game.
-Appalachian State opens the season with 10 of its first 12 games on the road. The Mountaineers were 8-8 in road games last season.
-Chattanooga is 23-7 against the Mountaineers at home.
-The Mocs are 18-15 in their 33 previous league openers, including a 13-6 when opening at home. UTC is 2-2 when starting conference play against ASU.
-This season, Chattanooga returns three starters and 11 letterwinners.
-Tonight is the first time since the opener at Tennessee that the Mocs have had more than two days between games.
-In seven games, the Mocs hold a narrow 161-144 advantage in bench scoring.

Davidson Wildcats at College of Charleston Cougars

-For the second consecutive campaign, Davidson opens its Southern Conference schedule with two road games in Charleston. The Wildcats play CofC tonight and The Citadel on Saturday.
-The Wildcats are in the midst of playing 10 of their first 13 games away from home.
-College of Charleston has played six of its first seven away from home. Their lone home contest of the season was an 83-67 win over Coastal Carolina.
-Four Cats are averaging double-figures and the team is comprised of 10 underclassmen.
-Davidson was picked to finish third in the SoCon, while tonight’s opponent was picked to finish second.
-SoCon Preseason Player of the Year Andrew Goudelock leads CofC in scoring with 23.7 points per game.
-Davidson leads the all-time series, 48-12, but the Cougars have won three of the last four meetings.
-The Wildcats have won 59 of their last 68 regular-season Southern Conference games, including 34 of their last 38 on the road.
-The Cougars boast a 25-5 all-time home record at their two-year-old, state of the art arena.
-Charleston is 9-3 all-time in league openers, including a 4-2 mark when opening at home.

Saint Peter’s Peacocks at Loyola Maryland Greyhounds

-Conference play commences tonight as the Greyhounds and Peacocks open the MAAC portion of their schedules.
-Both teams are coming off road contests Monday night. Loyola won for the third time in four outings with a 73-67 victory at two-time defending MEAC champion Morgan State, while Saint Peter’s suffered a 69-49 defeat at Seton Hall.
-Loyola had 10 players log between 12 and 29 minutes with nine of them reaching the scoring column last time out.
-Loyola head coach Jimmy Patsos is 5-7 all-time against Saint Peter’s and 4-4 against current Peacocks head coach John Dunne. He is 3-3 in games at Reitz Arena against Saint Peter’s.

UNCG Spartans at Wofford Terriers

-UNCG hits the road for its Southern Conference opener on Thursday, as the Spartans travel to face defending SoCon Tournament Champion, Wofford.
-Thursday marks the 25th meeting between the two schools, with the Terriers holding a 15-9 advantage all-time, including the last seven meetings.
-The Spartans return 28.5 points per game from last season (63.4 as a team).
-UNCG has gotten a good contribution from new players on this year’s roster, with first-year players accounting for 36 of the nearly 70 points per game that the Spartans have averaged.
-In three overtimes on Saturday, Wofford was defeated 94-90 by Xavier at the Cintas Center.
-In the 18 conference games last season, Wofford posted a 15-3 record which was the best mark in school history.
-The five starters for Wofford are all playing thirty minutes or more, as only seven players have seen time in all seven games.

Rider Broncs at Manhattan Jaspers

-The Broncs and Jaspers have met 35 times since the series began in 1929-30, with Rider winning 18. Since Rider joined the MAAC, the Broncs are 17-11 against the Jaspers. The Broncs have won six of the last seven meetings.
-Rider is 1-1 on the road this season, losing by 10 points at UMass before winning by 20 points at Southern Cal. The Broncs finished the 2009-10 regular season 8-8 on the road.
-Rider leads the MAAC in field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio and defensive rebounds.
-The Broncs are currently ranked 15th in the nation among Mid Major programs.
-Manhattan returns home for its first home games in 10 days and first MAAC contest of the 2010-11 season.
-Now six games into the 2010-11 campaign, Manhattan has three players averaging double-figures.
-Manhattan is averaging 69.5 points per game at home this season.
-The Jaspers defense limited Wisconsin to its fewest points (50) of the season.

ULM Warhawks at Kent State Golden Flashes

-Four Warhawks are averaging more than 32 minutes per contest.
-ULM is 2-4 all-time against current members of the Mid-American Conference.
-The Warhawks are in the midst of a season-long five-game road trip.
-Kent State is 6-1 on the season, including a perfect 3-0 at home. The Golden Flashes last played nearly a week ago, defeating Lehigh 80-75 at home on November 26.
-The Golden Flashes will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the M.A.C. Center tonight, the 19th oldest college basketball arena in the nation.
-Kent State has won 12 straight at home, which ties them for the 12th longest active streak in the country.
-Kent has recorded over 40 rebounds in five of the last six games, after reaching that mark only nine times all of last season. The Golden Flashes lead the MAC with 43.6 rebounds per game and a +7.3 advantage.
-Kent State is 0-7 all-time against the current Sun Belt line-up. However, six of the seven losses came before the league was formed in 1976.
-The 8.5 years of total experience by the active KSU roster ranks the team 15th in the nation amongst the most inexperienced teams entering the 2010-11 season.

Arizona State Sun Devils at Baylor Bears

-Arizona State is the only Pac-10 team to post 20 wins in each of the past three seasons.
-The Sun Devils are in the middle of a six-game stretch to start the year that has them playing at home just once, a 69-66 win over UAB on November 20.
-ASU is 18-10 in games decided by six points or less over the past four seasons.
-The Sun Devils are one of just nine teams to finish in the top 25 in scoring defense the past two seasons.
-ASU returns three starters from last year in seniors Ty Abbott, Jamelle McMillan and Rihards Kuksiks
-Baylor is 2-1 in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series and has won the last two contests. The Bears lead the all-time series with ASU, 3-2, and has won the last two meetings.
-The Bears have won their last 28 games when holding opponents under 70 points, including its first five opponents of the 2010-11 season.
-Baylor is 25-18 all-time on the ESPN family of networks, including six straight wins dating back to last season.
-The Bears currently own a 10-game home winning streak, tied for the second-longest streak in Ferrell Center history.
-Baylor is 11-20 all-time versus current members of the Pac-10 Conference.
-Baylor is 38-3 in non-conference home games dating back to the 2006-07 season.