Thursday's Best NCAAB Bet
Arizona Wildcats at Stanford Cardinal (+4)
Wildcats coach Sean Miller is already worried about facing the Cardinal defense again.
“They’re very good on defense,” Miller, whose team repeatedly worked on attacking various Cardinal looks this week at practice, said. “They’re a hard team to score against. In some of their tough losses it isn’t a function of their defense. They have huge bodies they can throw at you on the front line on defense. We have to execute against Stanford.”
But the Wildcats already executed against the vaunted Cardinal defense. Despite Stanford leading the Pac-10 in points allowed per game – 60.6 – the Wildcats managed to post a 67-57 win against the Cardinal early last month. In the win, Arizona buried 49 percent of its shots, made 10-of-17 three-pointers and dominated the glass to a tune of 40-23. In fact, if the Wildcats hadn’t had so many turnovers (15) or missed so many free throws (10), the margin of victory may have been greater.
And the Wildcat’s aren’t intimidated about getting involved in a defensive fight. Arizona is 3-2 SU in games where it has scored fewer than 70 points. The Wildcats are also finding more scoring depth. Future NBA lottery pick Derrick Williams is playing up to his lofty standards, but now point guard MoMo Jones is starting to turn it on. The sophomore scored 17 points in each win over UCLA and USC last week.
Meantime, the Cardinal is a mere 1-4 SU and ATS in its past five outings, three of which came at home.
Pick: Arizona
Michigan battles NCAA odds and No. 1 Ohio State
By: David Schwab
It will be a tall task this Thursday when the Michigan Wolverines try and extend their winning streak to three in the Big Ten against the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes. Tip-off from the Value City Arena in Columbus is set for 4 p.m. (PT) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Michigan snapped a six-game losing streak with a 61-57 victory over in-state rival Michigan State last Thursday night as an 11-point road underdog and then followed it up with an 87-73 win over Iowa as a 7½-point home favorite on Saturday. The wins moved the Wolverines to 13-9 straight-up and 10-7 against the spread for the year. They are 3-6 SU in conference play.
Sophomore guard Darius Morris is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 15.4 points a game while also leading in assists with 7.2. Freshman guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is the only other player scoring in double-figures with an average of 11.8 points a game, but junior guard-forward Zack Novak, the team’s leading rebounder with six per game, is averaging 9.9 points a game.
The Wolverines are averaging just 67 points and 33 rebounds a game which are both ranked near the bottom of the nation’s Division I schools. They are shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three-point range while converting on just over 70 percent of their attempts from the foul-line.
Ohio State firmly established itself as the best team in the country at this point of the season with an 87-64 romp over No.10 Purdue on Jan.25 as a 7 ½-point home favorite. The Buckeyes followed this up with a closer than expected 58-57 victory over Northwestern as a 10 ½-point road favorite this past Saturday. They are now a perfect 22-0 SU but just 10-9 ATS.
Ohio State is 9-0 SU in the Big Ten and has a two-game lead in the conference standings over the Boilermakers.
Much has been made this season about the stellar play of freshman forward Jared Sullinger, and all the accolades are justified. He leads the team in scoring with an average of 18 points a game and is shooting 57.7 percent from the floor. He is also the Buckeyes' top rebounder with an average of 9.9 boards a game.
Sullinger has a great supporting cast in junior guard William Buford, who is averaging 13.5 points and shooting 43.4 percent from three-point range and senior guard-forward David Lighty, who is averaging 12.4 points and 3.5 assists a game. Ohio State is averaging 78 points a game but is actually ranked 175th in the nation in rebounds with an average of 35 a game.
Michigan is 1-3 ATS in its last four road games and is 2-3 ATS in its last five games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of its last six games.
Ohio State is 3-2 ATS in its last five games at home and is 3-1 ATS in its last four games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of its last six games.
Head-to-head, the Buckeyes have won five of the last six games SU, but the Wolverines are 4-2 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of the last four meetings. Earlier this season Ohio State beat Michigan 68-64 as an 11-point road favorite and the total went ‘over’ the 126½-point line.
This time around the Buckeyes should open as a high double-digit favorite. The average margin of victory in the last four games between these two teams has been less than six points so stick with Michigan to once again make things interesting for the Buckeyes.
NCAA Betting Preview: Notre Dame at DePaul
By: Joe Freda
The No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have won three straight games, with a 3-0 spread record. Mike Brey’s crew looks to extend its streak in Thursday’s road outing against the DePaul Blue Demons, who are 0-5 ATS in their last five contests.
Notre Dame has been idle since its 56-51 win as a 10½-point road dog in a Jan. 24 duel against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Fighting Irish rallied back from a five-point deficit at the battle’s break, outscoring Pittsburgh in the second half, 33-23.
Fighting Irish guard Ben Hansbrough notched team-highs of 19 points and seven assists. The senior hit 8-of-14 field buckets, while adding one of his squad’s two steals.
Hansbrough’s mate Carleton Scott logged 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The senior forward did most of his damage beyond the arc, connecting on 5-of-6 three-point shots.
The tight affair’s combined 107 points plunged below the ‘total’ of 136, bringing the ‘under’ to 6-2-1 in Notre Dame’s last nine games. Both squads united to sink 18-of-29 free throws, while the Fighting Irish held the Panthers to 40 percent field shooting.
Notre Dame improved to 4-4 against the spread in its first eight games away from home, with the ‘under’ moving to 7-1. Scott and Co. have allowed 65.2 PPG in that span.
DePaul’s latest defeat came in Thursday’s 71-60 loss as a 10-point road dog against the South Florida Bulls. The Blue Demons were outrebounded, 31-22, while both squads combined for 27 turnovers.
Blue Demons forward Cleveland Melvin logged a team-high 17 points. The freshman added three steals and all four of his squad’s blocks.
DePaul’s Krys Faber grabbed a team-high six rebounds, while finishing with a season-high 16 points. The junior center connected on 7-of-8 field buckets.
The contest’s combined 131 points ducked below the ‘total’ of 134, making the ‘under’ 6-3 in the Blue Demons’ last nine games. Both squads united for 48.5 percent field shooting, with DePaul allowing South Florida to drain 6-of-12 from three-point range.
DePaul is 5-6 ATS in its first 11 home ‘board’ dates, with the ‘under’ going 7-4. Faber and Co. have put up a meager 63 PPG in the last five duels of that stretch.
Notre Dame is 4-2 ATS in its last six meetings against the Blue Demons, with the ‘over’ also cashing at 4-2.
The rivals have not met since DePaul’s 87-77 defeat as a 16-point road dog, one year ago. Faber was held to four points for the Blue Demons, struggling in a 1-for-5 day from the field. Hansbrough notched 15 points for Notre Dame, who edged out DePaul in rebounds, 41-32.
Thursday’s tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT), with ESPN providing the national television coverage following the broadcast of the Michigan, Ohio State matchup.
Notre Dame will have two days off before Sunday afternoon’s home game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. DePaul will be idle for one day, visiting the No. 13 Louisville Cardinals as part of Saturday night’s college hoops slate.
Thursday's Hoops Action
By Judd Hall
Hopefully you fine folks that make up the gambling public aren’t exhausted from all of Wednesday’s action in college hoops. Thursday is offering up plenty of games to wager on, with 11 of them being broadcast in some sort of medium. Here are a pair of tilts to keep you busy.
Michigan at Ohio State
I remember when the basketball rivalry between these two football powers was actually a good one. Now it’s begun as one-sided as the gridiron contests. Still, the Buckeyes and Wolverines will take on one another at Value City Arena.
Michigan (13-9 straight up, 10-7 against the spread) looked like a team ready to take a downward spiral into the Big Ten basement and stay there after a six-game losing skid. But a win over the hated Spartans in East Lansing has seemingly given the team newfound life.
The Wolverines’ parlayed that win over Michigan State into a strong 87-73 victory over Iowa, easily covering as 7 ½-point home favorites. They shot 59 percent from the field and held the Hawkeyes to just 5-for-13 shooting from three-point land in the win. Darius Morris picked up a triple-double versus Iowa, scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. has picked up the pace of the college game nicely with 19 points for Michigan.
Ohio State (22-0 SU, 10-9 ATS) comes into the game holding onto the dream of a perfect season. Its play on the court, however, is far from perfect. Now I’m not talking about the 87-64 win the Buckeyes had at home over Purdue, but tend to take games off after blowout wins like that. A good example was how they needed to rally at Illinois for a 73-68 victory.
The Buckeyes’ pulled off their usual slump in a 58-57 nail biter at Northwestern, failing to cover as 10-point favorites. OSU held a 12-point lead halfway through the second half, but the Wildcats fought back to tie the game at 57-57 with a 1:14 left in the game. Jared Sullinger drained a free throw with three seconds left to keep the Bucks perfect on the season. The super freshman poured in 21 points with eight boards in the victory.
Most sportsbooks are expecting Ohio State to bounce right back into spread-covering mode on Thursday by making them a 16-point home “chalk” with a total of 130 ½.
It’s very hard to speak ill of the oddsmakers in this spot. The Buckeyes have gone 5-1 SU over the last six meetings with Michigan. However, the Wolverines have been the cash cow in the series with a 4-0 ATS run. That includes OSU’s 68-64 win in Ann Arbor where UM covered as an 11-point home pup back on Jan. 12.
While the Wolverines are covering against OSU, they aren’t a good road team right now. They’ve gone 1-3 SU and ATS in four road tests in Big Ten play. Ohio State, of course, has gone 4-0 SU in conference play, but are just 2-2 ATS.
The ‘over’ is 5-1 in Michigan’s last six games. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have seen the ‘over’ go 4-2 in their past six matches.
Arizona at Stanford
The lead in the Pac-10 is on the line, while another is fighting to get back into respectability in Palo Alto on Thursday night.
Arizona (18-4 SU, 12-8 ATS) is in a dead heat with the Huskies atop the conference. But the Wildcats are embarking on a three-game road trip with loads of momentum…about three-games worth of momentum.
The Wildcats have won three straight games and six of their last seven test. Their latest triumph coming in a 82-73 decision over USC as 6½-point home faves on Jan. 29. ‘Zona had 10 different players tally some points in the game with Derrick Williams pacing the team with 20 points. Lamont Jones went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field as he racked up 17 points.
Stanford (11-9 SU, 8-10 ATS) hasn’t had the best year on the hardwood, but maybe things are turning around. The Cardinal just snapped a four-game slide with a 70-56 win over Oregon State as eight-point home favorites. Anthony Brown was a man possessed, scoring 21 points, eight boards and three assists. Josh Owens was no slouch against the Beavers after scoring 14 points and eight rebounds of his own.
Most betting shops have installed the Wildcats as 3½-point road favorites.
Arizona shouldn’t have too many problems in this contest since they’ve won four straight meetings with the Cardinal, covering in three of those tests. The ‘under’ is 3-1 in that stretch as well.
Stanford does have one thing in its favor and they’ve gone 4-2 SU and ATS in its last six home dates. The ‘Cats have gone 1-2 SU and ATS in their past three Pac-10 road games.
vegasinsider.com
College Basketball Knowledge
Miami lost last four games, all by 4 or less points; they're 1-6 in ACC, with only win by point over BC- they're 0-2 as home favorite. Miami is 5-1 in last six series games, taking last three here by 8-10-2 points. ACC home favorites of 8 or less points are 9-5-1 vs spread. Georgia Tech lost its three ACC road games, by 11-25-8 points (0-2 as road dog).
Cleveland State is 6-2 vs Valparaiso in Horizon play, winning all three games here by 6-24-9 points; Vikings (+2) lost 64-58 at Valpo Jan 9, as they shot 38% from floor, 3-16 from arc. CSU won five games in a row since then- they're 4-0 as Horizon home favorite, winning home games by 18-24-12-19. Horizon home favorites of less than 9 points are 15-9. Valparaiso won six of its last seven games, is 2-1 as road dog.
Home side won all five Florida Atlantic-North Texas games; Owls lost last four visits here by 17-9-6-17 points, but they're 8-1 in Sun Belt this season, 4-0 on road, 2-0 as road dog. UNT is 3-1 as home fave, winning home games by 12-17-10-19 points. Sun Belt home favorites of 4 or less points are 5-6. Home team is 7-2 vs spread in UNT's league games.
Home side won last seven Tennessee-Auburn games; Vols lost last three visits here, by 3-1-3 points. Vols won last four SEC games, winning last two by 22-17 points- they're 2-2 as SEC favorite. Auburn is 4-2 as SEC underdog, 1-1 at home- they're 0-3 at home in SEC, losing by 7-5-10 points. SEC home dogs of more than 4 points are 7-1-1 vs spread.
Washington (-19) pounded Oregon State 103-72 Jan 8, its 8th straight series win; Huskies won last three visits here, by 38-26-12 points. OSU lost three in row, six of last seven games; dogs are 4-1 vs spread in their Pac-10 home games. Pac-10 home underdogs of 5+ points are 4-2-1 vs spread. U-Dub is 3-2 on Pac-10 road with wins by 6-11-21 points.
Washington State (-12.5) beat Oregon 77-63 Jan 8; Ducks shot 10-32 on arc. Coogs won two of last three visits here; they're 1-3 on Pac-10 road, with only win by 3 at Stanford. Home side is 7-2 vs spread in Wazzu's Pac-10 games. Pac-10 home underdogs of 5 or less points are 6-4-1 vs spread. Oregon is 1-3 at home in Pac-10, losing by 19-5-8 points.
Stanford (+11) lost 67-57 at Arizona Jan 9, 4th straight series loss for Cardinal, which lost four of last five games overall, with last three losses by 23-11-8 points. Stanford is 3-2 at home, with losses by 3-8 points. Arizona won last three games but is 2-5 as Pac-10 favorite, 1-1 away from home. Pac-10 home dogs of 5 or less points are 6-4-1 vs spread.
Gonzaga is 14-0 vs Portland last 7 years, winning last seven visits here by 15-16-14-12-22-15-3 points, but Zags lost three of last four games, are 0-2 on WCC road, losing at Santa Clara/USF. Portland is 4-0 at home in WCC, upsetting St Mary's last game. Home team is 7-0 SU in Pilots' WCC games. WCC home underdogs are 3-5 against the spread.
Arizona State lost last seven conference games, but covered three of last four as a road dog. Cal (+2.5) won 65-61 in Tempe Jan 8, holding ASU to 6-21 from arc; Bears had 15 offensive boards in third straight series win. ASU lost last two visits here by 10-16 points. Pac-10 home faves of more than 6 points are 10-8-1 against the spread this season.
Pacific is 4-4 in Big West, with no losses by more than 4 points; Tigers lost three of last four visits to Thunderdome, losing by 15-1-10 points. UCSB is 2-5 as Big West favorite; their last three games were decided by total of 7 points. Big West home favorites of 8 or less points are 6-11 vs spread. Pacific won first meeting 57-54 at home Jan 8 (-2).
Wofford won six of last seven games, with only loss in OT; they're 5-0 on SoCon road, allowing just 65.8 ppg. Charleston (+3) made 7-16 from arc in 77-73 win Jan 8th at Wofford; Cougars are 7-2 in SoCon, 5-0 at home (3-2 as home fave) winning at home by 9-8-21-29-9 points. SoCon home favorites of 8 or less points are 5-9 against the spread.
Murray State won last seven games vs Tennessee State, as Tigers (+13) lost 64-53 at Murray Jan 6, but TSU won all five of its conference home games- they're 5-1 vs spread as OVC underdog, 2-0 as home dog. Racers are 4-1 on OVC road, winning by 2-12-9-13 points- they're 2-6-1 as an OVC fave. OVC home underdogs of 6 or less points are 3-7 vs spread.
Montana (-10) beat Weber State 75-56 Dec 31, third series win in row; Griz won here in Big Sky finals last March, after being down 20 at half. Montana won last six games (5-1 vs spread), winning last three on road by 16-10-21 points. Big Sky home underdogs of 4 or less points are 6-2 vs spread. Weber State won all three of its Big Sky home games.