Wednesday's Best NCAAB Bets
UAB Blazers at Duke Blue Devils
On Wednesday night we’re treated to a textbook battle between offense and defense.
Duke heads into the game averaging 89.3 points per game, which puts them second in the country, while the Blazers are giving up only 58.6 points per contest. Despite the big number here, UAB has proven to be a good bet early this season in most situations, sitting 9-2 against the spread overall while going 9-1-1 ATS in the club’s last 11 road games.
The hot start probably came as a surprise to bettors after the club lost four players from the 25-win team from last year, but the Blazers are getting it done anyway. Coach Mike Davis attributes UAB’s success to changing to an offense that utilizes screens more and is committed to sharing the ball.
"This year, the majority of our offense comes off screens," Davis told reporters. "I called a lot of my coaching friends and asked them what was the toughest screen to defend. They all had different answers. So I just tried to incorporate as many as possible in our offense."
They coming off a huge 79-44 win at home to George Washington, covering easily as 12.5-point favorites and should stay within this number if they can get out to a quick start.
Pick: Blazers
North Alabama at No. 9 Missouri Tigers
Many figured the Missouri Tigers were in for a tough stretch when they went down to their third-string point guard earlier this season. Instead, it may have turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened to the Tigers.
After starting point guard Michael Dixon was suspended and freshman standout Phil Pressey was injured in practice, Pressey’s older brother Matt was given his big shot. He’s made the most of it in the starting role while Dixon is playing great off the bench.
Pressey has started three straight games helping the club to three straight wins and Tigers bettors to three consecutive paydays. Pressey played just 10 minutes in his first game as a starter but has averaged 16.5 points in his last two. Meanwhile, Dixon is coming off a career-high 18 points in Thursday’s blowout win over Old Dominion.
“I think the thing that took place with him probably humbles him a little bit,” coach Mike Anderson told reporters. “He’s a winner and he wants to help this team win, so it was good to see him come out and do a lot of good things defensively as well as offensively.”
Pick: Tigers
NCAA Odds: Memphis Tigers at Tennessee
By: David Schwab
Bragging rights are on the line this Wednesday night when the Memphis Tigers set out to prove they are the best men’s college basketball team in the state when they take on the Tennessee Volunteers. Tip-off from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville is set for 6 p.m. (PT) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
Memphis came into this season with one of the youngest teams in Division I basketball with seven freshmen and three sophomores on the 15-player roster. The results for Josh Pastner’s team have been mixed so far. The Tigers have won 11 of their first 13 games straight-up, but were blown out in their only two games against ranked opponents.
They lost to No. 3 Kansas, 81-68, as an 11-point home underdog on Dec. 7 and to No. 13 Georgetown, 86-69, on Dec. 23 as a four-point home underdog. They have also struggled to cover as a favorite and are only 2-8 against the spread this season.
The last time out they had to hold off Tennessee State, 91-86, as a 16-point home favorite, so you are still not quite sure what you are going to get from Memphis’s youth movement.
Junior guard-forward Wesley Witherspoon has provided some veteran leadership as the one of the only upperclassmen in the starting lineup. He leads the team with 5.2 rebounds per game and is averaging 12.5 points per game. Freshmen guards Will Barton, Antonio Barton (Will’s brother), Joe Jackson and Chris Crawford have accounted for over 50 percent of the Tigers’ scoring led by Will Barton’s 12.8 points per game.
Memphis is averaging 81 points a game and shooting 45.6 percent from the field. It is hitting 70.7 percent of its free-throws and is connecting on 35.4 percent of its shots from three-point range.
Tennessee got off to a quick start this season with seven straight wins including a 78-68 win over No. 7 Villanova in the NIT Season Tip-Off as a six-point underdog and an 83-76 upset over No. 5 Pittsburgh as an eight-point road underdog. Things quickly turned south for the then-No.7 Volunteers with three straight losses to unranked teams.
Their latest setback, a 91-78 loss to the College of Charleston as an 11-point home favorite, has this team at an early crossroads in its season. Tennessee is now 9-4 SU and 5-7 ATS. The Vols have yet to start SEC conference play and need to right the ship in this game to try and get back to their early season form.
Head coach Bruce Pearl, who has certainly had his own set of problems with the SEC, will be counting on junior guard Scotty Hopson and freshman forward Tobias Harris to come up big. Hopson leads the team with 16.4 points per game and Harris is averaging 15 points and 6.6 rebounds. The Vols will look to senior center Brian Williams to have a big game under the boards as he leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.
The Volunteers are averaging 74 points a game, but shooting just 43.4 percent from the field and .685 from the line. They have also struggled from three-point range, hitting just 30.3 percent of their shots.
Memphis is 0-2 ATS on the road this season and just 1-7 ATS in its last eight games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in three of its last five games.
Tennessee is 0-4 ATS in its last four home games and 0-5 ATS in its last five games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in three of its last four.
Head-to-head, the Volunteers have won three out of the last four SU and are 5-1 ATS in the last six. The total has stayed ‘under’ in the last four meetings.
Tennessee should be slightly favored at home but stick with the Tigers to keep the game close enough to cover. The ‘under’ could actually be the most solid play this time around, given the way these two teams have been shooting the ball.
NCAA Betting: BYU faces UNLV in Sin City
By: Michael Robinson
The BYU Cougars begin their final season of Mountain West Conference (MWC) play when the visit the UNLV Rebels on Wednesday night. The Mormon school has had no luck recently in ‘Sin City.’
The Cougars are 14-1 straight-up (4-7 against the spread) and ranked No. 15 by the AP. The basketball team will move to the West Coast Conference next year, with the football team becoming an independent.
BYU has made the NCAA tournament the last four years and won three MWC titles in coach Dave Rose’s five years. Another conference title will be tough with New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV coming off NCAA tourney appearances and having strong teams.
BYU is scoring 83.9 PPG, ranked fourth in the country. Guard Jimmer Fredette is the nation’s third leading scorer (24.1 PPG), while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 88.6 percent from the line.
Jimmer FredetteFellow senior guard Jackson Emery is next in scoring at 11.8 PPG. The guard has come off the bench the past few games as a shin injury has limited his practice time. Emery is still playing big minutes off the pine and has warmed up from three-point land the last three games (10-of-19).
Forwards Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock each put up around 10 PPG and pull down just over five boards. They could be needed more with reserve big man Chris Collinsworth (knee) paying a recent trip to the doctor. His status Wednesday is up in the air.
The Cougars do have something to prove with No. 25 UNLV the first ranked team BYU has faced. The Cougs are also 2-6 ATS in road plus neutral site games this year. That includes the only SU loss, 86-79 to UCLA as 5 ½-point favorites in the John Wooden Classic in California.
The Rebels (12-2 SU, 6-7 ATS) begin their conference season well rested, having played just two games in over two weeks. Their last one was Thursday at home against Central Michigan, a 73-47 win and ‘cover’ as 22 ½-point favorites. UNLV was 0-4 ATS in its prior four home games.
Tre’Von Willis led the team in scoring last game with 15 points. He also had a game-high 16 points in the 63-59 win over Kansas State back on Dec. 21. That was a ‘neutral site’ game in Kansas City and UNLV was just two-point ‘dogs as No. 11 K-State played without guard Jacob Pullen and forward Curtis Kelly.
Willis’ (11.3 PPG) continued emergence is key for the Rebels. He led them with 17.2 PPG last year, but had offseason knee surgery and was suspended for the first two games for disciplinary reasons.
The senior guard is back in the starting lineup and forms a potent trio with point guard Oscar Bellfield (11.6 PPG) and swingman Chase Stanback (12.5 PPG). Guards Derrick Jasper (9.3 PPG) and Anthony Marshall (9.2 PPG) are nice complimentary players.
UNLV is now 2-0 ATS in its last two games after going 0-5 ATS in its previous five. The ‘under’ is 4-0 in the last four, with the offense scoring 67.5 PPG and the defense allowing just 56 PPG. Those numbers are 74.5 PPG and 60.1 PPG respectively this year.
UNLV is 8-0 SU and 7-1 ATS in its last eight home games against BYU. The ‘over’ is 6-1 in the last seven meetings overall and 13-3 in the last 16.
UNLV is not reporting any significant injuries. Tip-off from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas will be 7 p.m. (PT).
College Basketball Knowledge
Purdue won eight of last nine games vs Penn State, winning last four by 14-14-20-4 points; they're 3-1 in last four visits here, winning by 10-22-4 points. Boilers are 3-0 on road, winning by 3 at Virginia Tech, by 18 at Valparaiso, by 23 at Michigan. Lions lost three of their last four games, including home loss to Maine- they're 1-3 as an underdog.
VCU won seven of last eight games vs Drexel, winning last three here by 2-14-19 points. CAA home favorites are 1-5 vs spread, as dogs covered nine of first ten conference games. Rams are just 3-3 in last six games after getting upset at Georgia State Monday night. Drexel is 9-3 but lost to Hofstra Monday; they're 3-1 as an underdog this year.
George Mason won its last four games vs Hofstra by 7-24-4-18 points, winning 86-78ot/67-63 in last two visits here. Patriots won eight of last nine games, winning first two CAA tilts by 28-9 points. Hofstra is also 2-0 in CAA after winning at Drexel Monday as 13-point dogs. CAA home underdogs are 4-0 vs spread.
Marshall won six of last eight games vs Central Florida, winning three in row by 5-6-6 points; they beat UCF in triple OT at home last meeting, but Knights are unbeaten this year, covering four of last five games- they are 3-2 as favorite. Herd is 2-3 in last five visits here, with losses by 17-14-18 points. UCF coach Jones left Marshall to coach the Knights.
San Diego State won nine of last ten games vs TCU, winning last four by average score of 70-60; Aztecs are 4-1 in last five visits here, winning by 19-5-2-17 points- they're 3-0 on road, winning by 16 at Long Beach, 3 at Gonzaga, 20 at Cal. Horned Frogs are 2-3 as an underdog- four of their six losses this season are by nine or more points.
Dayton lost last three games to Saint Louis by 8-3-5 points; they lost in double OT here LY. Five of last ten series games went OT. Flyers beat New Mexico in double OT last game; they're 2-2 on road, winning by 7 in OT at Ole Miss, by 4 at Seton Hall, losing by 34 at Cincinnati, by 3 at ODU. Billikens are without two best players, who are suspended.
Ark-Little Rock (+6) lost 77-64 at St Bonaventure on Nov 14, in game where both teams shot 3-17 from arc, but Trojans made 17-20 from foul line, Bonnies 30-37. Sun Belt teams are 10-17 vs spread when number is 4 or less points, 3-5 at home. A-14 teams are 18-17, 8-4 on road. UALR is 2-5 in last seven games, losing by hoop at Denver last game Sunday.
Wisconsin won its last six games vs Michigan, winning last five here by 11-26-13-3-5 points; Badgers had 7-game win streak snapped at Illinois Sunday- they're 4-3 vs spread as a favorite. 10-3 Wolverines won only true road game, 69-61 at Clemson- they lost twice on neutral floor, by 3 to Syracuse, by 9 to Texas-El Paso.
Marquette won its last four games vs Rutgers by average score of 77-58, covering three of the four games- they won 81-76 last visit here. Eagles are 1-4 as a favorite- six of their 14 games were decided by five or less points. Rutgers is 9-4 but lost its last two games to North Carolina by 23 and by 16 at Villanova- they're 2-2 as an underdog this season.
Houston is 6-3 in last nine games vs Southern Mississippi- they beat the Golden Eagles 74-66 in semis of C-USA tourney last March, but are 1-3 in last four visits here, losing by 22-5-7 points. Cougars are 1-4 on road, 0-3 as road underdogs, losing by 6 at Louisiana Tech, 16 at TCU, 16 at LSU and 3 at Corpus Christi. USM is 2-2 as a favorite.
Tennessee is struggling; this is last game Pearl coaches until Jan 22nd at UConn; Vols are 2-4 in last six games, winning by total of 7 points vs Belmont/UT-Martin. C-USA road underdogs of 7 or less points are 12-6 vs spread; SEC home favorites of less than 9 points are 8-12 vs spread. Memphis is 11-2 vs #208 sked (lost to Kansas by 13/Hoyas by 18).
UNLV won seven of last nine games vs BYU, winning last eight played here, with six of the eight by 8+ points. Rebels covered only one of last five games as a favorite- they allowed 49 ppg in winning last three tilts. BYU is 3-1 on road, losing by 7 to UCLA in Anaheim, which is Cougars' only loss this season. This is their first game as an underdog.
Irvine lost seven of last nine games vs Fullerton, losing three of last four visits here, with losses by 15-10-6 points; Anteaters lost last four games overall, losing last two games as favorite. Fullerton lost four of last five vs D-I teams; they're 6-4 vs spread as an underdog. Road team is 5-2 vs spread in Big West games early in conference play.
Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
Gamblers have a plethora of college basketball options Wednesday night. For starters, Mike Davis’s money-making UAB squad is a double-digit underdog at Duke. Also, Memphis and Tennessee will renew their bitter rivalry at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
Let’s get you ready for both of these games and more.
Alabama-Birmingham at Duke
Most betting shops had Duke (13-0 straight up, 7-5 against the spread) listed as an 18-point favorite early this morning. The total was 140 1/2.
Duke won its ACC opener Sunday by beating Miami 74-63 as a 19-point home favorite. The 137 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 152-point total. Nolan Smith scored a game-high 28 points and also had five rebounds and five assists. Kyle Singler added 14 points and eight boards. Although the Blue Devils failed to cover the big number, they did hook up backers for first-half bets (-10.5) by surging into a 13-point lead right before intermission.
UAB (10-2 SU, 9-2 ATS) has won four in a row since dropping a heartbreaker at Georgia. The Blazers are off a 79-44 win over George Washington as 12 ½-point home favorites. Jamarr Sanders scored a game-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Dexter Fields came off the bench to score 17 points in just 19 minutes of playing time. Fields drained 5-of-9 shots from 3-point land.
Duke freshman guard Kyrie Irving remains ‘out’ with a toe injury and isn’t expected to return anytime soon. Irving was averaging 17.4 points and 5.1 assists per game.
The defending national champs are led by Singler and Smith. Singler averages 17.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while Smith averages 18.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. Smith has knocked down 10-of-14 attempts from 3-point land in the last four games.
UAB has covered the number in all three of its games as an underdog, winning outright in overtime at Arkansas. The Blazers own quality wins over Kent State and VCU, in addition to the Razorbacks.
Sanders is averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game for the Blazers. Senior point guard Aaron Johnson runs the show, dishing out 8.3 assists per game.
Duke’s profile consists of victories over Princeton (RPI: 28), Kansas St., Michigan St., Butler and Miami. The Blue Devils have won 27 straight home games and have taken down 84 consecutive non-conference foes at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The ‘under’ has cashed in seven consecutive games for UAB.
The ‘over’ is 7-5 overall for Duke.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.
Memphis at Tennessee
As of early this morning, most books were listing Tennessee (9-4 SU, 5-7 ATS) as a six-point favorite with a total of 147 ½.
Memphis (11-2 SU, 2-8 ATS) has won back-to-back games over cupcake foes after taking a beating from Georgetown, which trounced the Tigers by an 86-69 count as a four-point road favorite. Josh Pastner’s team has an RPI of 67 with its best win coming over Miami. Both of Memphis’ outright losses have come to the No. 1 and No. 2 teams RPI-wise, Georgetown and Kansas.
Bruce Pearl’s team has lost four of its last six games, failing to cover in five straight lined contests. Since winning at Pitt to improve to 7-0, the Volunteers have lost three times at home. USC, coached by former UT coach Kevin O’Neill, came into Knoxville and emerged as a winner. So did Oakland and Bobby Cremins’ College of Charleston squad.
Andrew Goudelock dropped 31 points on UT in Charleston’s win on New Year’s Eve as an 11-point road underdog. Scotty Hopson had a team-high 24 points in the losing effort.
This is Pearl’s last game on the sidelines before beginning an eight-game suspension levied on him by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. Pearl admitted lying to the NCAA over the summer.
The road team has won three in a row in this series, including the Vols’ 66-59 win at Memphis as 2 ½-point underdogs last year.
The ‘under’ has cashed in four consecutive head-to-head meetings between Memphis and UT.
The ‘over’ is 7-4 overall for Tennessee, but the ‘under’ is 3-1 in its last four outings. Memphis has watched the ‘under’ go 5-4 overall.
ESPN2 will have television coverage at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
Tuesday was a rough night for Arkansas fans. While the Razorbacks blew a scoop-and-score opportunity in a loss to Ohio St. in the Sugar Bowl, the school’s basketball team was busy getting hammered 79-46 at Texas as a 10 ½-point underdog.
As of early this morning, most books were listing Purdue as a seven-point favorite for tonight’s game at Penn St. The Big Ten Network will have the telecast at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. Then at 8:30 on the Big Ten Network, Wisconsin will take on Michigan as an 11-point home favorite.
Ohio St. overcame a six-point halftime deficit to stay unbeaten at Iowa last night. Jared Sullinger led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Buckeyes, who never threatened to cover the number as 12 1/2-point road favorites.
Iowa, which closed with 8/1 money-line odds at the Las Vegas Hilton, wasn’t the only home underdog to cover yet come up just shy of pulling an upset. DePaul and Providence did the same thing, losing 67-65 vs. West Va. and 83-79 vs. Pitt, respectively. The Blue Demons took the cash as 11-point underdogs but didn’t allow backers to cash a plus-500 ticket (risk $100 to win $500) in the narrow loss to the Mountaineers. The Friars cashed tickets as six-point ‘dogs.
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