Tuesday's Best NCAAB Bets
Georgetown Hoyas at Missouri Tigers (2, 145)
This clash between Big East and Big 12 is a complete contrast of styles: The Hoyas’ slowed-down Princeton offense versus the Tigers’ up-tempo “40 minutes of hell”.
Georgetown is 6-0 (4-1 ATS) and coming off victories over North Carolina State and UNC Asheville last week, relying heavily on the long ball. The Hoyas are sixth in the nation in 3-point shooting (44.4 percent) and buried 13 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc against the Bulldogs, including seven triples from guard Austin Freeman.
He tied the programs single-game record for 3-pointers made and finished with 32 points in the 87-72 win.
“I wanted to be aggressive, take good shots and not force anything,” Freeman told reporters. “I hit a couple and felt like I was able to take more shots and make them. When you're open and your teammates find you, you just have to knock the shot down.”
Missouri is 5-0 to start the season, but hasn’t defended well on the perimeter. The Tigers are allowing opponents to hit for better than 34 percent from outside and have allowed their last two opponents to hit for almost 50 percent beyond the arc (12 for 25).
Pick: Georgetown
Ohio State Buckeyes at Florida State Seminoles (4.5, 133)
The Buckeyes are depending on some untested talents to fill in around their seasoned veterans. So far, that confidence in the youngsters is playing off.
Star freshman Jared Sullinger is grabbing most of the headlines in Columbus but other underclassmen are stepping up their game as well. First-year forward Deshaun Thomas added 19 points off the bench in OSU’s 66-45 win over Miami (Ohio) Friday while fellow reserve Aaron Craft chipped in with five points
Thomas’ efforts earned his Big Ten Frosh of the Week honors. He is averaging just under 15 points per game along with 5.4 rebounds a night. He’s scored in double figures in three straight games heading into Tuesday.
"I came into practice and worked really hard and came into this game and played really hard," Thomas told reporters after scoring 17 points versus UNC Wilmington. "I'm just doing me. I score and I put the ball in the basket."
The Noles will have enough trouble stopping Sullinger and the Buckeyes veterans, leaving Thomas primed for another big night off the pine.
Pick: Ohio State
NCAA Betting Preview: Buckeyes at Seminoles
By: Brad Young
A basketball matchup between traditional football powers takes place Tuesday when third-ranked Ohio State visits Florida State. The Buckeyes (5-0 straight up, 2-2 against the spread) will be playing in just their second road game of the year after upending Florida on Nov. 16 as a 2 ½-point road underdog, 93-75.
Florida State (5-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) is hoping to rebound from its first loss of the season after falling to the rival Gators on Sunday as four-point home 'chalk,' 55-51. That is the only common opponent this season between the two teams.
Ohio State continued its winning ways by cruising past Miami of Ohio Friday as decided 26 ½-point home favorite, 66-45. The combined 111 points never seriously threatened the 125 ½-point closing total, helping the 'under' cash the third consecutive contest. The Buckeyes have failed to cover their last two outings.
Both teams grabbed 29 rebounds, but the Buckeyes dished out more assists, 16-7. Ohio State finished the contest by shooting a blistering 52 percent (25-of-48) from the field that included 53 percent (8-of-15) from behind the arc. The defense limited the RedHawks to just 29 percent shooting from the field, 15-of-51.
The Buckeyes were led by fifth-year senior David Lighty, who scored 19 of his 21 points after halftime to go along with his six assists. Freshman forward Deshaun Thomas contributed 15 and five rebounds in the victory, while Jared Sullinger added 12 on 5-of-9 shooting.
Florida State outscored the Gators in the second half, 30-25, but the team was unable to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit, 30-21. The Seminoles trailed their rivals in rebounding, 34-28, but they did deliver more assists, 12-8. The combined 106 points fell well below the 139-point closing total.
Florida State shot 35 percent (19-of-55) from the field, and 41 percent (7-of-17) from 3-point land. Guard Michael Snaer was the only Seminoles player to reach double digits in scoring with 15, while forward/center Xavier Gibson added nine and five rebounds.
Ohio State and Florida State have only met twice on the college basketball court since 2000, with the Buckeyes prevailing each time. Ohio State won back in 2000 as a seven-point home favorite, 90-65, and last year also as a seven-point home selection, 77-64. The combined 141 points went 'over' the 127 ½-point closing total in last year's affair.
Ohio State returns to its home-dominated schedule following this contest with games against IUPU, Western Carolina and Florida Gulf Coast. In fact, the Buckeyes will not play another road game until Big Ten play starts Dec. 31 versus Indiana.
Florida State hosts Hartford after this matchup before beginning Atlantic Coast Conference play Dec. 12 against Clemson. The Seminoles are just 3-14 ATS their last 17 home games. The 'over' is 6-2-1 in Florida State's previous nine non-conference games.
ESPN will provide coverage of Tuesday's matchup beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT, occurring at Leon County Civic Center in Tallahasee, Florida.
NCAA Basketball Odds: UNC at Illinois
By: Willie Bee
The ACC/Big Ten Challenge continues Tuesday night at Assembly Hall in Champaign where the Illinois Fighting Illini host the North Carolina Tar Heels. ESPN will carry the tip starting at 6:30 p.m. PT.
Originally expected to be a matchup of top 25 schools, that won't be case on Tuesday after the Tar Heels fell out of both polls released on Monday. North Carolina was No. 9 on the preseason coaches list and 25th in both rankings last week. But a 4-2 start straight up, and 1-3 against the college basketball odds, has Roy Williams' squad in an early funk after missing the NCAA Tournament with a disappointing 2009-10 campaign.
Illinois (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS) started the season 16th but has since dropped to No. 20 in the AP poll, 21st in ESPN/USA Today. Like the Heels, the Illini went to the NIT after missing out on March Madness due to a 2-6 SU close to the regular season. Both schools saw their NIT runs end in losses to Dayton, with UNC falling 79-68 in the championship.
Bruce Weber brings the Illini into this one on a three-game win streak since their only loss of the season, a 90-84 overtime thriller to Texas on Nov. 18. That contest came at Madison Square Garden in the 2K Sports Classic with Illinois four-point chalk.
The Illini bounced back the very next night for an 80-76 win over Maryland, just failing to cover the 4½-point spread. They have followed up with a 73-47 laugher versus Yale as 24½-point favorites and a 78-63 road win and cover last Saturday at Western Michigan (plus 12½).
The loss to Texas was the worst shooting performance of the season for Illinois who hit less than 39 percent of their field goals in the defeat. The Illini are sinking 49.5 percent on the season, 23rd in the country. Five players are scoring in double digits, led by senior Demetri McCamey's 15.0 average. The 6-foot-3 guard is coming off his lowest output of the young campaign, just eight points on a 2-of-8 night from the field in Saturday's triumph. He did dish a season-high 10 assists, however.
North Carolina saw a string of seven consecutive wins over Big Ten schools stopped by Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. The Gophers hung a 72-67 number on the Heels who were 6½-point favorites in the game played in Puerto Rico. The PR trip continued badly two nights later when UNC was felled by underdog Vanderbilt, 72-65.
The Tar Heels have since got back into the win column, though unimpressively. They withheld a late challenge by NC-Asheville for an 80-69 win at home in an unlined game just before Thanksgiving, then had to rally to beat the College of Charleston on Sunday, 74-69. North Carolina went off as 14-point spread faves in that one.
UNC has the inside game covered with 7-footer Tyler Zeller leading the team in scoring at 15.5 per game along with 7.8 boards. Sophomore John Henson, 6-foot-10, is adding just over 10 points per contest and leading the Heels with an 11.0 rebounding mark.
The trouble has stemmed from 98 turnovers in six games, a 62 percent free throw mark and a defense that is in the bottom half of the country allowing 68.5 points per night.
The two schools last met in the 2005 ACC/Big Ten Challenge with Illinois pulling the 68-64 upset in Chapel Hill. That was UNC's last defeat at the hands of a Big Ten team until the Minnesota game on Nov. 19.
The Big Ten eked out a 6-5 win in last year's interconference battle, the first time it had topped the ACC in the scheduled event that officially started in 1999. One of those wins was Illinois', a 76-64 upset at Clemson as six-point 'dogs. North Carolina earned a dubya with an 89-82 victory at home as two-point chalk over Michigan State, a rematch of the 2009 NCAA Championship.
The ACC holds a 67-41 overall advantage, going 23-28 on Big Ten floors.
North Carolina returns home after this game for another big contest this Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats. Illinois has a tough contest of its own the same day heading to Seattle to meet Gonzaga.
ACC-Big Ten Double Play
By Judd Hall
There is no shortage of college hoops action this Tuesday with 22 games on the board. The majority of eyes, however, will be focused on the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. And this year’s edition of the made-for-TV exhibition adds a little something extra as some of the nation’s best teams reside in these two leagues in OSU and Duke.
The history of this challenge has been rather lopsided with the ACC winning the first 10 years. But the Big Ten finally broke through with a 6-5 advantage in last year’s edition. And there is optimism for them this season with the Buckeyes, Spartans and Golden Gophers in the AP Top 15.
Tuesday’s slate in this showdown has five games, but we’re focusing on the marquee matchups in that group.
Ohio State at Florida State
The Buckeyes have been opened up as 3 ½-point road favorites with a total of 133.
Ohio State (5-0 straight up, 2-2 against the spread) is coming off of a successful 3-0 homestand against some filler squads as they jolted up to No. 2 on the AP Poll. While those wins against UNC-Wilmington, Morehead State and Miami-Ohio are nice, bettors that backed the Buckeyes went just 1-2 ATS. Of course not many people are looking at those wins so much as the Bucks’ 93-75 beatdown of Florida as three-point road favorites on November 16.
So how have the Buckeyes been able to improve this season without Evan Turner on the court? A quality mix of old and new, that’s how. David Lighty came to Columbus with Greg Oden and Michael Conley for the 2006-07 season. Now, he’s become the elder statesman for OSU. That experience has come through with 21 points against the Redhawks. Nobody should be surprised by that as Lighty leads the Buckeyes with 15.6 points per game this season.
Lighty isn’t carrying all of the weight as Jarred Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas are showing why they were so highly recruited by Thad Matta. Sullinger is averaging 15.2 PPG and Thomas is scoring 14.8 PPG in their freshmen campaigns.
Florida State (5-1 SU, 2-1 ATS) looked like they just might pull off a comeback last Sunday against the Gators. But Erik Murphy had a putback with 16 seconds left for Florida as the Seminoles lost 55-51 as four-point home favorites. Michael Snaer was the top performer for FSU in the loss with 15 points and two rebounds and two assists. Despite all of his efforts, they could only close to within a point of UF at 49-48 with 2:26 left in the second half.
That loss could be sending up some red flags for the ‘Noles as it was their first real test of the season. FSU beat its first five opponents by an average margin of victory of 23.2 points. Now they get to take on the only team to hand the Gators a loss so far this year.
The head-to-head battle is in favor of the Buckeyes with their 2-0 SU and ATS mark against the ‘Noles in Columbus, which includes last year’s 77-64 affair. In Tallahassee, Florida State has gone 4-1 SU and ATS in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Ohio State has gone 5-2 SU and ATS in its last seven games on the road or at a neutral site since 2007.
North Carolina at Illinois
There was a time this season that North Carolina (4-2 SU, 1-2 ATS) was ranked eighth in the nation to start the year. Then they made a trip to Puerto Rico, where they got upended by the Golden Gophers and Commodores. While those aren’t bad teams to lose for, they’re losses that Tar Heels fans aren’t expecting so early in the year. Even though they beat UNC-Ashville and the College of Charleston, the Heels find themselves unranked in both major polls.
Tyler Zeller has been the go-to man for Roy Williams on the attack this season, averaging 15.5 PPG and grabbing just under eight boards per game. What has surprised me this season is how Larry Drew II has performed so far. The only returning starter from last year’s club is getting 25 minutes per game this season, but scoring just 3.8 PPG and 2.8 assists per game. It’s no wonder that Kendall Marshall (4.3 APG, 4.5 PPG) could be running the offense full-time.
Illinois (6-1 SU, 4-3 ATS) is playing strong basketball to start its season. The Fighting Illini took Texas to overtime before losing 90-84 on November 18. But they bounced right back with a 80-76 triumph over the Terrapins the following day in New York City for the 2K Sports Classic.
The Illini are coming into a tough little spurt with the Heels this Tuesday and then they head to Seattle on Saturday for a date with Gonzaga.
When you talk about Illinois’ offense, you’re talking about Demetri McCamey. The senior guard has a wide array of options to hurt you on the court. That arsenal has helped him lead the Illini with 15.0 PPG and 7.7 APG. And he’s looking to bounce back from his 8-point, 10-assist performance in their 78-63 win over Western Michigan.
These teams have split their last four head-to-head meetings SU and ATS, with North Carolina winning national championship against the Illini back in 2005.
Illinois is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS this season in Champaign, but 2-2 SU and ATS at home in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The ‘over’ is 3-1 in those challenges as well.
North Carolina has gone 10-3 SU and 7-5 ATS when playing in road or neutral affairs over the last three seasons. The ‘under’ holds a slight 7-5 in those battles.
Illinois has been posted as a 5 ½-point home “chalk” with a total of 147½.
vegasinsider.com
College Basketball Knowledge
Georgia Tech is 4-2, losing by 4 to Syracuse on neutral court Saturday; they beat UTEP by 10, but lost at Kennesaw State by 17. They've been hurt by early defections to NBA. Northwestern is 4-0, beating Creighton by 13 in last game. Big 11 home favorites are 14-7 vs spread, 3-0 if it is a single digit spread. ACC single digit road underdogs are 7-6.
Iowa, Wake Forest are worst teams in their league; Hawkeyes are 3-3 in McCaffrey's first year, losing to South Dakota State/Long Beach State- they beat Alabama, but then Tide lost to awful St Peter's. Wake Forest is also 3-3, losing to Stetson/Winthrop in Bzdelik's first year. Not much to choose from here. Big 11 teams are 13-9 if spread is single digits.
Syracuse beat Cornell last three years, by 15-10-16 points; Big Red lost four starters from LY's 29-5 team that lost here by 15. Cornell is 2-4 so far this year, but Seton Hall (92-68) is only team to beat them by more than 5 points. Syracuse is 6-0, but its last three wins are by 3-3-4 pts. Orange failed to cover their last five games as the favorite.
Miami was 4-12 in ACC LY, but 16-1 outside it; Hurricanes are 4-2 this year, losing at Memphis by 4, at Rutgers by 16, only decent teams they played so far. First road game for 3-1 Ole Miss team that lost to Dayton in OT, while beating Murray State by 16, Penn State by 13. SEC road teams are 9-4 vs spread in games where spread is 6 or less points.
Ohio State is 5-0 this year, with 18-point win at Florida closest game so far, in its only road game this far; Florida State just lost to Gators by 4 at home. Seminoles has three starters back from defensively stingy 22-10 team that went 10-6 in ACC. If only they could shoot. ACC underdogs are 8-7- FSU is first ACC team to be an underdog at home this season.
Florida Atlantic lost last four games vs D-I teams by 14-10-13-15 pts- this is their sixth road game out of eight so far. Owls' top eight players from LY's 14-16 team are back-not sure thats good. Mississippi State is still without two ineligible starters; they're 4-0 this year, but 0-4 against spread as a favorite, with wins by 10-2-6-9 points.
Houston has new coach, three new starters after LY's 19-16 team; they are 4-2 this year, 0-2 on road, losing by 6 at La Tech, 16 at TCU. New coach Dickey has them playing only slightly slower this year (were #20 in pace LY, are #49 (out of 347) this year). LSU had one less day to get ready than Houston; Tigers are 3-0 vs spread as a favorite this season.
Michigan lost to Syracuse by 6, UTEP by 9, scoring 53 ppg on neutral floor against only two decent teams they've played. Big 11 road dogs are 9-2 vs spread this year. As expected, Clemson is playing at slower pace (#163) under Brownell than it did under Purnell (#82); Tigers are 5-1; in their last four games, they've allowed an average of only 57 ppg.
Rebuilding Fresno State is 0-3 vs D-I teams, losing by 27-15-11 points; Bulldogs lost three starters from LY's 15-18 team that fell apart down stretch. Utah lost last two games, by 17 at Utah State, by 8 at home to Oral Roberts (bad loss). MWC home favorites are 10-3 vs spread. WAC double digit road underdogs are 0-6 against spread this season.
UTEP (-10) made 12-24 from arc in 73-56 win over New Mexico State last week, Miners' 11th win in last 15 series games; they're 5-2 in their last seven visits here, with wins by 21-1-9-11-9 points. Aggies haven't played since that game; UTEP went to Atlantic City, split pair, losing to Ga Tech by 10 (-1), then beating Michigan by 9 (+2). New Mexico St. lost its last four games, all on road, all by 14+ points.
Georgetown is 6-0, winning by 3 at Old Dominion, beating NC State by 15, Wofford by 15; Hoyas have four starters back from 23-11 team but star Monroe left for NBA- their stellar Gs will be challenged by Mizzou press. Tigers are 5-0 but haven't played anyone yet- they've got four of top five scorers back from LY's 23-11 team. Big 12 teams are 4-9 vs the spread in games where spread is 6 or less points.
North Carolina is still struggling at 4-2, beating Charleston by 4 in last game, NC-Asheville by only 11 before that; their losses are to Vandy by 7, Minnesota by 5 in Puerto Rico tourney. Illinois is 6-1, losing in OT to Texas, beating Maryland by 4 on NYC trip. Big 11 single digit favorites are 6-7, 3-0 at home. ACC road dogs of 6 or less points are 6-4.
Portland is already 5-2, and they haven't played any real stiffs yet; faves covered all seven of their games (Pilots 5-0 as favorite). St Louis is away from home for first time; they're 2-2 vs D-I teams, with both losses by a point. Billikens' two best returning scorers were booted off team before season started. A-14 road underdogs are 9-6 against the spread.
NCAAB Winning Info!
By Jeff Mattingly
Cornell Big Red at Syracuse Orangemen
-Syracuse has secured 32 consecutive wins in a series that dates back to 1900 and Cornell will be attempting to capture its first win over Syracuse since December 4, 1968.
-The Big Red’s last trip to the Carrier Dome was a 62-45 loss to No. 1 Kentucky in the Sweet 16, ending the career of eight Big Red seniors.
-Cornell is 2-4 on the season and carries a three-game losing streak into the matchup, but the last three losses have come by a total of 10 points against an Atlantic 10 school, the defending Patriot League champions and the preseason America East favorite.
-Syracuse is off to a 6-0 start, including wins over Michigan and Georgia Tech to claim the Legends Classic title last weekend.
-The Orange’s last three wins have come by four points or less.
-Syracuse defense is holding opponents to a 37 percent shooting average overall and just 28 percent from the 3-point area.
-Cornell is 48-118 all-time against current members of the Big East. The Big Red already loss at Seton Hall 92-68 on November 14.
-Cornell is 1-19 all-time at the Carrier Dome and 0-18 versus the Orange in the building.
-The Big Red is 21-8 in their last 29 games away from Newman Arena and 16-7 in their last 23 true road games.
Mississippi Rebels at Miami Hurricanes
-Ole Miss started the season with four straight home games and will not take to the road for the first time in 2010-11.
-The Rebels are coming off a convincing 84-71 win over Penn State, with Ole Miss beginning the season under Andy Kennedy with at least three wins in its first four games.
-Miami is the first ACC opponent for the Rebels since they beat Virginia Tech 81-72 in the quarterfinals of the 2008 NIT.
-The Rebels are 56-14 against non-league foes under Kennedy.
-Ole Miss owns a 17-24 all-time record against current members of the ACC.
-The Rebels have a 25-4 record in the month of November under Kennedy.
-Ole Miss leads all SEC teams with a 76.9 free throw percentage.
-Miami is riding a two-game win streak after beating McNeese State at home (79-59) and winning at Florida Gulf Coast (87-75).
-The Hurricanes are out-rebounding its opponents by nearly 10 boards a game (41.3 to 31.7).
Bradley Braves at Western Carolina Catamounts
-After opening the season with four straight wins, Bradley will be trying to avoid a three-game losing streak when it plays its first true road game of the season.
-Bradley has a chance to equal its winningest November in program history, which was 5-2 in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.
-The Braves brought back 10 returning players, including four starters. The team welcomed back 82 percent of its scoring and 70.8 percent of its rebounding from the 2009-10 squad.
-In Bradley’s four wins to start the season, the Braves made one more free throw (56) than the opposition attempted (55).
-With junior forward Taylor Brown out for the year, Bradley has utilized a four-guard starting lineup in each of the season’s first six games.
-Bradley’s smallish lineup has been outrebounded by 3.4 boards per game, but has caused 18.0 turnovers per game, leading to a +11 turnover margin to date.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Northwestern Wildcats
-Georgia Tech finished a week-long road trip with a trip to Evanston, Illinois to face Northwestern in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
-Tech has won three of its last four games, with the lone loss coming at the hands of No. 9 Syracuse, 80-76.
-Georgia Tech returned two starters and eight letterwinners from a team that won their first-round game in the NCAA tournament.
-Northwestern returns four starters and 12 letterwinners from a team that went 20-14 last year.
-Georgia Tech is 4-6 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and will be meeting the Wildcats for the first time. The Jackets are 1-4 on the road in this event.
-The Yellow Jackets are 16-30 all-time against teams from the Big Ten.
-Seven of Tech’s previous ACC-Big Ten Challenge games have been decided by four points or less, including each of the last four.
-Georgia Tech’s turnovers are down 2.7 per game over last year, as its +6.2 margin is the best in the ACC.
-Tech has out-rebounded its last five opponents, giving them a +3.8 per game advantage on the season.
-Northwestern is aiming to match a program record for victories in the month of November.
-The Wildcats have won three of their last four matchups in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including a 65-53 victory over NC State in Raleigh a year ago.
-Northwestern forward John Shurna leads the Big Ten with averages of 22.8 points and 3.5 3-point makes per game.
-NU went 15-4 at home last season, with three losses coming to nationally ranked opponents: Butler, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
Ohio State Buckeyes at Florida State Seminoles
-Ohio State is 4-0 all-time against Florida State. The teams last played a season ago in Columbus, a 7-64 Buckeye victory.
-The Buckeyes are participating in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the ninth-consecutive year, posting a 3-5 record in the event.
-Four Ohio State players already have tallied a score of 20 points or more in a game after five contests this season. After five games, the Buckeyes have four players, including four starters, averaging in double-figures.
-Florida State has defeated 12 nationally ranked teams at home under head coach Leonard Hamilton.
-This game is part of the 12th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the ACC has won 10 of the first 11 challenge events, with the Big Ten taking its only conference victory by a 6-5 margin in 2009.
-Florida State enters Tuesday’s game against Ohio State with a perfect 5-0 record in challenge games at home in Tallahassee.
-The Seminoles enter Tuesday’s game against Ohio State ranked first in the ACC with a 33.3 field goal percentage defense mark. FSU has held 76 of its last 77 opponents in the last three seasons under 50 percent shooting from the field.
Iowa Hawkeyes at Wake Forest Demon Deacons
-Both Iowa and Wake Forest are looking for their first two-game winning streak of the season. Both teams have alternated wins and losses in their first six contests and are coming off big home victories.
-Iowa is 2-7 all-time in challenge games, while Wake Forest is 8-2. The Demon Deacons are 5-0 in home challenge contest, while the Hawkeyes are 0-5 away from Iowa City.
-Iowa’s roster of 15 players includes six freshmen, two sophomores, five juniors and two seniors.
-Wake Forest has won all three previous meetings against Iowa, with the first two coming at neutral sites and the third in Iowa City. Tuesday will be Iowa’s first-ever visit to Winston-Salem and Joel Coliseum.
-Iowa is 11-22 all-time against current members of the ACC.
-The Hawkeyes six freshman average a combined 25.3 points per game, an average that ranks third best in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (41.0) and Michigan (40.0).
-Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounding (40.7), third in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.284).
-The Hawkeyes reserves have outscored opposing bench players, 203-75.
-Iowa has attempted nearly 10 free throws a game more than last year’s average, a differential that ranks second best in the Big Ten.
-Wake Forest has gone 121-of-156 at the line for a 77.6 percent mark in free throws. That mark ranks second in the ACC and would be a school record.
-The Demon Deacons have posted a 44-8 record at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum since the start of the 2007-08 season.
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders at Tennessee Volunteers
-Middle Tennessee outscored Evansville 26-16 in the final nine minutes of the game to capture a 82-70 home victory.
-The Blue Raiders bench has scored 187 points this season. The bench has scored 25 or more points in all but one game this season.
-MTSU will look much taller on the floor than it did a season ago. Eight players on this year’s squad are 6-4 or taller with five of those being at least 6-8.
-Tennessee is just the second SEC team ever to win the prestigious NIT Season Tip-Off championship. Florida won the event in 1987.
-The Volunteers lead the SEC in 3-point field goal defense (.268) and ranks second in field-goal percentage defense (.354).
-UT leads the all-time series with MTSU, 8-1, winning eight straight versus the Raiders. The Volunteers are 23-3 against current members of the Sun Belt Conference, including an 11-0 mark in the Bruce Pearl era.
-Under Pearl, Tennessee is 25-5 against in-state Division I teams.
-UT’s bench is averaging 17.8 points a game this year, but the opponents’ bench has outscored the Vols’ bench three times in five games.
Indiana State Sycamores at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
-Indiana State is playing away from Hulman Center for the sixth time in its first seven games of the 2010-11 campaign.
-The Sycamores have out-rebounded four of their first six opponents this season.
-Indiana State has lost eight-straight games to the Big East Conference, dating back to a 84-63 home court victory over Cincinnati on December 16, 1983.
-Notre Dame is 42-29 all-time against current members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Fighting Irish’s last encounter with a MVC foe was an 80-75 setback to Creighton during the 2002 season.
-Notre Dame held California and Wisconsin to a combined 36-118 from the field during the final two games of the Old Spice Classic.
-ND opponents are averaging just 24.4 points in the first half this season.
-The Fighting Irish are hitting 74.8 percent of their free throw attempts, while opponents are hitting 66 percent.
-Notre Dame has out-rebounded its opponents in every game this season, owning a 313-223 advantage on the glass.
Houston Cougars at LSU Tigers
-Houston continues its season-long, three-game road swing when they play at LSU tonight. The first meeting between the two teams since a Houston 84-83 win in Baton Rouge in 2005.
-The Cougars have out-rebounded their opponents four times to date this season. Houston managed that feat only seven times in 35 games in 2009-10.
-LSU is 3-1 in Pete Maravich Assembly Center with wins against Northwestern State, Tennessee-Martin and Centenary.
-Houston owns a 9-5 lead in the all-time series, which began on December 22, 1962.
-The Tigers hit 12 three-point field goals at South Alabama Sunday, the most since 2007. LSU had lost 10 straight games on the opponents home court prior to the USA game.
-LSU is 31-4 in the Trent Johnson era when scoring at least 70 points.
-In the last three games, LSU is averaging 14.7 assists and 12 turnovers a game compared to the first three games when LSU had 32 assists and 58 turnovers.