NCAAB News and Notes Tuesday 12/16

NCAAB Today

Notes on today's games.

Vanderbilt is 6-3, 2-3 vs spread as favorite; they're 6-0 if they score 64+ points. South Florida is 3-4, losing last three games by 1-8-15 points; they lost at home to Niagara Sunday, are 2-0 vs spread as an underdog. Bulls allowed 78-71-70 points in last three games. SEC home favorites are 14-10 vs spread; Big East underdogs are 7-4 on the road.

Denver (+4) lost 70-68 in OT at Florida Atlantic LY; Pioneers are 2-6 so far this season, winning by 2-4 points over Tex-Arlington/S. Dakota St. Denver is favored in lined game for first time. FAU is 3-5, 0-4 on road, with losses by 13-16-5-16 points. Owls are 3-0 as road dogs; underdog is 4-0 vs spread in their lined games this year.

Tennessee got waxed at Temple Saturday; Prince didn't play (ankle) and is doubtful here. Marquette is 8-1, rallying from behind to beat Badgers 61-58 (-5), losing 89-75 on neutral floor to Dayton. SEC home favorites are 14-10 vs spread; Big East underdogs are 7-4 on the road. Tennessee is 6-2 but lost two of its last three games, also losing to Gonzaga.

Florida State is 9-1, with last three win all by five or less points- they're 1-1 as favorite. Tennessee Tech is 4-2 but lost its first conference game by 16 at home to Jacksonville State- their other loss was by 13 at home to East Tennessee State. ACC home favorites are 14-13 vs spread; OVC road dogs are 16-11 vs spread.

Northern Colorado lost last three games by 11-7-19 points; they're 2-5, 0-1 vs spread when a favorite. Portland is 5-3, with wins over Nevada and Washington- they're 3-0 vs spread on road, winning at Cal-Davis, losing at Portland State, BYU. Big Sky home favorites are 4-4 vs spread. WCC road dogs are 15-5.

South Florida (3-4, 4-2 ATS) vs. Vanderbilt (6-3, 3-4 ATS) (at Nashville)

Vanderbilt ventures a short distance from its campus arena in Nashville when it battles South Florida, which brings a three-game losing streak into the Sommet Center.

The Commodores snapped a two-game slide with Wednesday’s 78-55 rout of Alabama A&M in a non-lined home game. Vanderbilt has scored at least 70 points in five of its six victories while averaging just 56.3 ppg in its three defeats. Defensively, the Commodores have held all but one foe to less than 70 points.

The Bulls followed up a tough 78-77 overtime loss at UAB with consecutive upset losses to Central Florida (73-61 as a 1½-point road favorite Dec. 6) and Niagra (70-55 as a five-point home chalk Sunday). After giving up an average only 51.6 ppg in its first four contests, South Florida has yielded 70-plus points in each of its last three outings.

South Florida is winless in three road games this year, but 2-1 ATS. Meanwhile, the Commodores are just 4-2 as a designated home team, going 1-3 ATS in lined home contests.

The Bulls are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 non-conference games, but they’re on ATS slides of 2-5 on Tuesdays, 6-18-1 after a SU loss and 4-13-1 after a non-cover. Vanderbilt is on pointspread streaks of 5-1 on Tuesdays, 4-0 at home against teams with a losing road record and 5-1 when coming off a victory of 20 points or more.

For South Florida, the under is on streaks of 7-3 on the road, 7-1 on Tuesdays, 8-3 after a SU defeat and 5-1 after an ATS setback. Vanderbilt is on under stretches of 4-0-1 overall (all in non-conference play) and 5-1-1 at home, but the over is 5-1 in the Commodores’ last six games against the Big East and 9-4 in their last 13 on Tuesday.

ATS ADVANTAGE: VANDERBILT

(24) Marquette (8-1, 2-3 ATS) vs. (16) Tennessee (6-2, 3-3-1 ATS) (at Nashville)

Tennessee looks to bounce back from Saturday’s upset loss at Temple when it travels across the state for a non-conference neutral-site battle with Marquette in a meeting of Top 25 teams.

The Volunteers went to Temple as an eight-point favorite but were never in the contest, falling behind by nine points at halftime and eventually succumbing 88-72. Bruce Pearl’s squad struggled on both ends of the court, shooting just 36.5 percent on offense (6-for-26 on 3-pointers) and allowing the Owls to make 55.4 percent of their shots (8-for-20 on 3-pointers), while also getting outrebounded, 35-30.

Since a 5-0 start, Tennessee has lost two of its last three, including an 83-74 neutral-site loss to No. 9 Gonzaga on Nov. 30. Prior to that defeat, the Vols beat then-No. 21 Georgetown 90-78 in their only other game against a Top 25 opponent.

Marquette has rebounded from its only loss of the season – an 89-75 neutral-site defeat to Dayton – with three straight wins, including Saturday’s 69-50 rout of Indiana/Purdue-Fort Wayne. There was no line in Saturday’s contest, but the Golden Eagles have failed to cover in three straight games (all as a favorite). Tonight marks their first game of the season against a Top 25 opponent.

These schools last met in November 2001, with Marquette rolling to an 85-74 victory as a 2½-point road underdog.

Both teams have been sensational offensively this year, with the Golden Eagles averaging 81 points per game (44.8 percent shooting) and Tennessee putting up 85.2 ppg (47.1 percent). Defensively, Marquette (67.8 ppg, 42 percent) rates a slight edge over the Vols (73.4 ppg, 43.8 percent).

Marquette is on ATS upticks of 8-2 away from home, 4-1 against the SEC and 7-3 on Tuesdays, while Tennessee is 1-4 ATS in its last five versus the Big East and 4-10 ATS in its last 14 following a SU defeat.

The over is 41-19-2 in the Eagles’ last 62 on the highway and 4-0 in their last four versus the SEC. Conversely, Tennessee is on under runs of 9-4 in non-conference play, 6-1 against the Big East and 5-2 on Tuesdays.

ATS ADVANTAGE: MARQUETTE

Gametimepicks.com

Music City Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards

Although gamblers have just five board games to bet on tonight, there’s a televised doubleheader in Nashville as the SEC/Big East Invitational tips off. As I’ve stated several times in recent weeks, the SEC is way down this year so the league could use a reputation boost with Tennessee and Vanderbilt both playing in their home state.

Let’s take a look at both of tonight’s matchups that’ll be played at the Sommet Center in Music City.

**South Florida at Vanderbilt**

--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Vanderbilt (6-3 straight up, 3-4 against the spread) as a nine-point favorite. As of early this morning, most books had the Commodores at eight.

--Vandy snapped a two-game losing streak by beating Alabama A&M 78-55 last Wednesday in a non-lined affair. Jeffery Taylor made 8-of-9 shots on his way to an 18-point effort, while A.J. Ogilvy added 17 points and eight rebounds.

--South Florida (3-4 SU, 4-2 ATS) has lost three in a row, including Sunday’s 70-55 home loss to Niagara as a five-point home favorite. Jesus Verdejo had a team-high 20 points, while Mike Mercer was also in double figures with 12 points.

--Mercer and Augustus Gilchrist were making their debuts for the Bulls in the loss to the Purple Eagles. Both had to sit out until the end of the first semester. Gilchrist, a transfer from Maryland who gives USF size (6’10”) in the paint, had eight points and six rebounds in defeat. Mercer, a transfer from Georgia who is extremely athletic, was the Dawgs’ leading scorer in 2006-2007 before tearing his ACL.

--Ogilvy, the sophomore center from Australia who was an All-SEC selection last season, is averaging a team-high 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Taylor, a freshman forward, garnered SEC Player of the Week honors after scoring a career-high 18 points against Alabama A&M.

--Vandy has wins over a couple of quality mid-major programs in VCU (71-66) and Drake (72-57). The Commodores’ losses have come at home to Illinois and Illinois-Chicago and at Ga. Tech.

--Vandy is 3-3 ATS in six games as a favorite. Meanwhile, South Florida has taken the cash in both of its previous underdog spots.

--The ‘over’ is 3-0 in USF’s road games.

--The ‘under’ is 5-1-1 overall for Vandy, 4-0-1 in its last five games with a total.

--USF hasn’t been invited to the NCAA Tournament since 1992. Ouch!

--ESPN2 will have the telecast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

**Marquette vs. Tennessee**

--LVSC opened Tennessee (6-2 SU, 3-3-1 ATS) as an 8½-point favorite, but most spots had UT at seven early this morning.

--Marquette (8-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) has won three consecutive games, but it has also failed to cover the number in its last three lined outings. The Golden Eagles are off a 69-50 win over IUPU-Ft. Wayne in a non-lined contest. Lazar Hayward had 19 points and 18 rebounds for the winners.

--Bruce Pearl’s team is hoping to bounce back from an embarrassing 88-72 loss at Temple as a 7 ½-point favorite. The Volunteers offered little resistance against the Owls, who cruised to victory thanks to a 35-point effort from Dionte Christmas. UT’s Tyler Smith had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists in defeat.

--Tennessee is the only SEC team ranked in this week’s AP Top 25, but the Vols have dropped all the way from eighth to 16th this week. They clearly aren’t where they need to be, especially in terms of effort at the defensive end of the floor. "We're trying to find a defensive identity as a basketball team and I think it's pretty easy to see right now that we haven't found it,” Pearl told VolQuest.com. “Can we find it? I don't know yet. I think we can, I know there's room for growth, but we're certainly not there right now, or anywhere close.”

--Smith is a versatile forward who is one of just two starters back from last season’s squad that made a second straight Sweet 16 appearance. Smith is averaging 17.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

--UT junior forward J.P. Prince missed the Temple game after spraining his ankle in Friday’s walk-through. He is “doubtful” tonight and bettors shouldn’t expect to see him in the lineup. Prince is a long defender who reminds me of Tayshaun Prince (minus the smooth perimeter jumper). He is averaging 11.3 PPG this season.

--Marquette’s only loss came to Dayton, while its best win is a 61-58 home triumph over Wisconsin. The Golden Eagles have one of the best backcourts in America with a trio of seniors in Dominic James, Wes Matthews and Jerel McNeal. Matthews is averaging a team-high 19.6 PPG. McNeal is scoring 18.2 points and 3.9 assists per game, while James is averaging 11.3 points and 5.3 assists per game. Hayward is averaging a double-double, scoring 16.1 PPG and pulling down 10.6 RPG.

--Tennessee owns quality wins over Georgetown and Siena, in addition to a nothing-to-be-ashamed-of loss to Gonzaga.

The ‘under’ is 4-3 overall for the Vols, 3-2 overall for the Golden Eagles.

--UT has won a school-record 35 straight home games at Thompson-Boling Arena, but gamblers should remember that this game won’t be played in Knoxville.

--Tip-off on ESPN will come 30 minutes after the conclusion of Vandy-USF.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--Cleveland State should play at the Carrier Dome more often, right? The Vikings returned to the scene of their epic upset over Indiana in 1986 for the first time on Monday night. Although they didn’t duplicate the accomplishments of Kevin Mackey’s squad, which upset third-seeded IU and advanced to the Sweet 16 as a 14th seed, they came as close as possible. Gary Waters’ squad blew a five-point lead in the waning moments, but it still pulled a shocker against previously-unbeaten Syracuse. Cedric Jackson banked home a 60-footer as time expired to give Cleveland St. a 72-69 win as a 10 ½-point underdog. Jackson’s game-winning heave also allowed ‘over’ backers to cash on the 139-point total.

--LVSC opened Florida St. as a 21-point home favorite for tonight’s game vs. Tennessee Tech. The Seminoles were 17-point ‘chalk’ early this morning. They are 5-1-1 ATS after settling for a push in a five-point win Saturday at Ga. St.

--Alabama saw its four-game winning streak snapped Saturday in an 86-78 loss to Texas A&M in overtime. The Crimson Tide failed to hook up its backers as a three-point home favorite.

vegasinsider.com