College Hoops - 24/7
By Brian Edwards
Gamblers are in for a treat Tuesday as the college hoops action on ESPN will cover 24 consecutive hours. Let’s break down a pair of marquee matchups in the prime-time slots, and then we’ll provide a slew of thoughts in Bonus Nuggets.
**Louisville vs. Arkansas**
--This matchup in St. Louis will feature the pupil (John Pelphrey) and the mentor (Rick Pitino). This duo goes back to 1989 when Pitino took over as the head coach at Kentucky. Pelphrey was a member of The Unforgettables, the four-man class of rising sophomores that Pitino inherited upon his arrival at UK with the program at rock bottom following NCAA sanctions stemming from Eddie’s Sutton’s tenure and a certain package destined to the home of Chris Mills. Pelphrey’s collegiate career, along with that of Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods’s, ended at the old Spectrum in Philadelphia when Christian Laettner completed his perfect night (10-for-10 on FG’s and FT’s and one kick to the gut of Aminu Timberlake) with a buzzer-beater to beat the Wildcats in the Elite Eight of the 1992 NCAA Tournament.
--Seventeen years and change later, both coaches have seen better times. Pitino, now the coach of UK’s arch rival and a magnet for controversy in the Bluegrass State, is trying to put a wild off-the-court sage in the rearview mirror. Pelphrey is also dealing with off-court drama that has brought him under fire. He recently suspended five players indefinitely, three of whom were the focus of a rape investigation that didn’t lead to criminal charges. The suspensions have left Pelphrey with eight eligible players, six of whom are on scholarship. A football player (Brandon Mitchell) and a golfer (Stephen Cox) round out the Razorbacks’ rail-thin roster.
--Arkansas (1-0 straight up, 0-0 against the spread) won its opener over Alcorn State by a 130-68 count in a non-lined affair. Rotnei Clarke was the catalyst with a school-record 51 points that included an SEC-best 13 treys. Clarke broke the school’s record for 3’s that was held for 15 years by the incomparable Al Dillard, who is often noted in his space for his in-the-gym range from back in the early 1990s.
--Louisville (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) came up one game shy of the Final Four in Pitino’s eighth year on the job, falling to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. The Cardinals lost a pair of first-round picks (Terrence Williams and Earl Clark) to the NBA and must also replace defensive stalwart Andre McGee. They return key players like Samardo Samuels, Jerry Smith, Edgar Sosa and Preston Knowles.
--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Louisville as an 11 ½-point favorite. As of early this morning, most books had the Cardinals as 10-point ‘chalk.’
--These schools last met in December of 1997 with the Hogs rolling to an easy 100-83 win in a matchup of legendary coaches, Nolan Richardson and Denny Crum.
--ESPN2 will have the telecast at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
**Gonzaga at Michigan State**
--Michigan State (1-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) opened the season with a 97-58 win over Florida Gulf Coast in a non-lined affair at Breslin Center in East Lansing. Kalin Lucas scored a game-high 21 points to lead six Spartans in double figures. Durrell Summers had 14 of his 17 points in the first half to spark Tom Izzo’s team.
--Gonzaga (1-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) also won its opener that wasn’t on the betting board, cruising to a 92-74 win over Mississippi Valley St. this past Saturday night. Matt Bouldin, the Bulldogs’ lone returning starters, led all scorers with 22 points. The senior swingman knocked down four jumpers from beyond the arc and also had six rebounds and five assists. Freshman Elias Harris had 18 points and seven rebounds in his collegiate debut. Junior Steven Gray finished with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
--LVSC opened Tom Izzo’s squad as a 10 ½-point favorite. As of early this morning, most spots had the Spartans favored by 11.
--Gonzaga has been to 11 consecutive NCAA Tournaments. The Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet 16 last year with wins over Akron and Western Ky. before falling to the eventual national champion, North Carolina.
--These programs haven’t met since Nov. 22 of 2005 when Adam Morrison led Gonzaga to a 109-106 overtime win in Hawaii. The Bulldogs took the cash as 4 ½-point underdogs.
Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--The Anthony Grant Era got off to an inauspicious start in Saturday’s opener against Cornell at Coleman Coliseum. The Big Red went into Tuscaloosa and emerged with a 71-67 win as a seven-point underdog. Cornell is no joke, however, and I recommend bettors keep an eye on this squad in future underdog spots like at home Friday against Seton Hall. The Big Red also has road games looming at Syracuse (11/24) and at Kansas (1/6). Ryan Wittman, the son of former Indiana star Randy Wittman, dropped 23 points on the Crimson Tide, nailing 5-of-8 attempts from 3-point range.
--Arizona freshman guard Kevin Parrom will miss at least the next four weeks with a stress fracture in his foot. Parrom averaged 8.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in pair of exhibition games for the Wildcats.
--Northwestern star forward Kevin Coble sustained a fractured foot at practice last Tuesday and has decided to undergo season-ending surgery. Coble, who has led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding during all three of his seasons in Evanston, will take a medical redshirt and return for the 2010-2011 campaign. That’s a monster ouch for Bill Carmody, who was expected to field his best team since leaving Princeton for Northwestern nine years ago.
--West Virginia All-American candidate Devin Ebanks has temporarily left the team to attend to a personal matter. Be sure to check his status for the Mountaineers’ next contest (vs. The Citadel next Tuesday, 11/24).
Gonzaga (1-0, 0-0 ATS) at (2) Michigan State (1-0, 0-0 ATS)
Perennial college basketball powers Gonzaga and Michigan State hook up for the first time since 2005, with the second-ranked Spartans serving as host at the Breslin Events Center.
The Bulldogs opened the season with Saturday’s 92-74 non-lined home win over Mississippi Valley State. Going back to last January, Gonzaga is on a 20-2 SU roll, with the only losses coming to ranked foes Memphis (68-50 as a four-point home favorite) and eventual national champion North Carolina (98-77 as a 7½-point underdog in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament). During their 20-2 run, the Zags have scored at least 77 points 16 times.
Michigan State also tipped off the season with a non-lined home game, crushing Florida-Gulf Coast 97-58 on Friday. The Spartans, who advanced to the NCAA Championship Game in April where they fell to North Carolina 89-72 as a 7½-point underdog, are 32-7 since the start of last season (21-13-1 ATS in lined action), including 14-3 at home (7-7 ATS).
Gonzaga knocked off the Spartans 109-106 as a 1½-point underdog in the 2005 Maui Classic. In the other two meetings, Michigan State scored wins of 70-68 as a six-point favorite in 1997 and 77-62 as a 9½-point chalk in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
Gonzaga failed to cover the spread in all three of its NCAA Tournament games last spring and enters this season in a 6-9 ATS funk (2-3 ATS in true road games). The Bulldogs are riding additional ATS funks of 1-4 on the road, 0-4 in non-conference play and 4-12 versus opponents with a winning record.
Michigan State is 1-6-2 ATS in its last nine on Tuesday, but otherwise the Spartans are on pointspread surges of 5-1 overall, 5-1 at home, 7-1 in non-conference play, 5-1 versus winning teams and 11-3-1 following a SU win of more than 20 points. Also, the SU winner has cashed in each of the Spartans’ last nine games.
The Bulldogs are riding “over” streaks of 9-2 overall, 8-1 on the road and 4-1 in non-conference play, while the over is also 5-2 in Michigan State’s last seven lined games. However, the under is 7-3 in the Spartans’ last 10 at home and 16-5 in its last 21 on Tuesday.
ATS ADVANTAGE: MICHIGAN STATE
Memphis (1-0, 0-0 ATS) vs. (1) Kansas (1-0 SU and ATS)
(at St. Louis, Mo.)
The Tigers continue life without former coach John Calipari when they travel to the Scotttrade Center in St. Louis for a non-conference, neutral-site clash with Kansas in a rematch of the 2008 national championship game.
Playing its first game under new coach Josh Pastner – a former assistant under Calipari – Memphis routed Jackson State 82-53 in a non-lined season-opener on Friday. The Tigers have won 28 of their last 29 contests, with 23 of the victories being double-digit routs. Their only loss since last December came in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA Tournament, a 102-91 setback to Missouri as a 4½-point favorite.
Since the start of the 2005 season, Memphis is 138-14 SU, but 13 of those losses have come against marquee programs Duke, Texas, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Tennessee (twice), Arizona, Ohio State, Kansas, Xavier, Georgetown, Syracuse and Missouri.
The Jayhawks proved very worthy of their consensus preseason No. 1 ranking when they crushed Hofstra 101-65 on Friday, covering as a 27½-point favorite. Kansas got bounced in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA Tournament, losing to eventual runner-up Michigan State 67-62 as a one-point underdog. Bill Self’s squad started defense of its 2008 title by winning 24 of its first 29 games, but split its last six games both SU and ATS.
Kansas rallied from a nine-point deficit with 2:12 to play in the 2008 national championship game against Memphis to force overtime, then outscored the Tigers 12-5 in the extra session to win 75-68 as a two-point underdog. It was the Jayhawks’ first national title in 20 years and first under Self.
The SU winner is 11-0-1 ATS in the Jayhawks’ last 12 games and 16-5 ATS in Memphis’ last 21 lined outings.
Memphis comes into the season on ATS runs of 15-6 overall, 6-2 in non-conference play and 15-6 after a SU win, but it is 1-4-1 ATS in its last six on Tuesday. The Jayhawks are on ATS tears of 27-9-1 overall, 16-7 in non-league action, 7-1 against Conference USA opponents, 11-4-1 after a SU win and 10-4-1 after a spread-cover, but like the Tigers, Kansas has struggled on Tuesday (1-5 ATS last six).
The Tigers are riding “under” streaks of 11-4 overall and 8-2 against the Big 12, and the under is 14-3 in Kansas’ last 17 after a SU win and 4-0 in its last four after a spread-cover.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
College Hoops Non-Stop Wagering Action
By Doug Upstone
Starting at midnight Eastern, ESPN will have 24 hours of continuous college basketball coverage with enough games to take care of the insomniac and the early and late morning-risers. It is a feast for the basketball bettor, a great way to kick-start another season. Without further ado, here is the complete menu on ESPN, with ESPN2 and ESPNU to also have contests to consider.
10:00E Clemson vs Liberty
Clemson lost a lot of ability from last years squad, however coach Oliver Purnell brought in his best recruiting class to play along with holdovers Trevor Booker and point guard Demontez Stitt. The Tigers are 9-3 ATS against teams with winning home record. Liberty was 23-12 last season, but lost talented freshmen Brolin Floyd and Seth Curry, who decided to transfer to bigger schools. Kyle Ohman and Jesse Sanders are main returning starters.
Noon E Northeastern vs Siena
Siena is the overwhelming choice to make a third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, something that hasnt happened in this conference in 20 years. Four starters and Sixth Man of the Year in the conference gives the Saints a formidable group. During lunch it would be smart idea to check this contest out and catch a glimpse of Matt Janning, a versatile all-around shooter for Northeastern. He'll face a Saints team that is 7-1 ATS in non-conference action.
2:00E UALR vs Tulsa
Arkansas-Little Rock bade farewell to four seniors who helped them to back-to-back Sun Belt divisional titles. This means more than ever they will be dependent on coach Steve Shields stifling defensive principles and they are 8-2 ATS in last 10 road games. With Memphis no longer a sure thing in C-USA, Tulsa is ready to move up and claim the league crown. The return of senior center Jerome Jordan and fellow senior guard Ben Uzoh makes this a real possibility. The Golden Hurricane is 24-9-2 ATS following a SU win of more than 20 points.
4:00E Temple vs Georgetown
Senior guard Ryan Brooks and junior forward Lavoy Allen are Temples only returning starters and they will try to improve upon the Owls recent 1-4 ATS mark against the Big East. Georgetown appears poised to rebound from last years disappointing season, with Chris Wright and Austin Freeman giving them explosive backcourt. Center Greg Monroe showed enough to almost enter NBA Draft after freshman campaign but wisely came back for second season. The Hoyas have a ways to go to gain the trust of basketball bettors with 5-15-1 ATS record in last 21 tilts.
8:00E Gonzaga vs Michigan State
For the first time in years, Gonzaga doesnt look like a Top 15 team with frontcourt wiped out. Versatile guard Matt Bouldin is the one remaining stud, with Steven Gray and Demetri Goodson solid backcourt companions. The Bulldogs are 4-12 ATS against teams with winning record, though seldom as underdog. What does second-ranked Michigan State do for encore after being national runner-up? Find ways to improve with deep and talent-laden roster under coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans are 11-3-1 ATS off a by 20 or more.
10:00E Memphis vs Kansas
How quickly the mighty reload. Less than two years removed from national championship, Kansas is a nearly unanimous preseason No.1. The talent is deep and the addition of guard Xavier Henry, gives coach Bill Self a wing player that can go inside or out, something missing a season ago. Kansas is on 27-9-1 ATS run. Senior G Doneal Mack is the only player back for Memphis with more than 10 starts, as they start a new era with Josh Pastner now as coach. A falloff is expected but how much is to be determined. The Tigers are 6-2 ATS in last eight non-conference clashes.