NCAAB News and Notes Wednesday 12/1

Michigan State at Duke: What Bettors Need to Know
By DAVE CAREY

The Michigan State Spartans (5-1, 2-4 ATS) took an early stumble at the Maui Invitational, but rebounded to beat Washington and finish third.

The Spartans lost by three to UConn, a team with a lightning-quick guard and a dearth of athletes. Sounds a lot like the Duke Blue Devils (6-0, 4-1 ATS), who will be throwing a deep bench loaded with McDonalds All-Americans at Tom Izzo’s boys.

Still No. 1

It’s been nearly eight months to the day since Duke cut down the nets as national champions last Spring. But little seems to have changed for the boys from Durham during that span. In fact, the Blue Devils may be better.

Duke has won only one game by fewer than 14 points this year, including beatdowns of Kansas State, Princeton and a scrappy Miami (Ohio) squad. The team also rarely plays true road games this early in the season, but touts a 98-71 stomping of Oregon in Eugene just two days after Thanksgiving.

The key for the Blue Devils has been finding minutes for a lineup that is as deep as it is talented. Seven players average at least 16 minutes per game and another logs more than nine per night. Additionally, no player is averaging more than 31 minutes.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the team blending its talent so efficiently has been the immediate impact of freshman guard Kyrie Irving. The first-year guard is averaging 14.5 points, 5.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting better than 40 percent from deep and 92.3 percent from the charity stripe.

The team’s offense has been unstoppable so far, ranking fifth nationally in points per game (91.3), seventh in 3-point shooting (44.4 percent) and 11th in field goal percentage (50.4 percent).

Another trend to watch is the domination by the Blue Devils in the paint. Brothers Miles and Mason Plumlee are patrolling down low, while all-everything swingman Kyle Singler has enough tricks as a senior to make his impact felt, even on off nights.

Overall, the Blue Devils are averaging 40.7 boards per game and allowing opponents to snag just 34.8 per contest, a dominant margin of nearly plus-6.

And oh yeah, Duke is 10-1 SU all-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

This isn’t Sparta

So what does Michigan State do well? Well, nothing really.

The team known for its absurdly physical defense and dominance on the glass is ranked 25th in 3-point shooting (41.7 percent) and 24th in field goal percentage (49.5 percent). But, other than that, isn’t ranked better than 44th nationally in any offensive category.

Defensively, the team is yielding an un-Tom Izzo-like 68.2 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc and 40 percent for the field. The team couldn’t have been much sloppier in a 73-55 win over Tennessee Tech last week, turning the ball over 17 times and connecting on just 9-of-16 free throws.

Needless to say, Izzo isn’t amused by his team’s lackadaisical play and failure to value rebounds.

"I don't think this team respects that," Izzo told reporters. "Hopefully we're going to be able to watch some film and show them what it's costing us, but that's why this is a good game Wednesday, because if we do learn to respect it, we'll play well. If we don't learn to respect it, we'll get embarrassed."

So far this year, the Spartans have. Michigan State is giving up 36.5 rebounds per game, the most in the Big Ten.

All-time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Michigan State is just 5-5 SU with a 1-3 road record.

Trends

- Blue Devils are 6-2 ATS in their past eight against the Big Ten.
- Spartans are 1-4 ATS in their past five against the ACC.
- Under is 8-3 in Spartans past 11 road games.

Duke, Michigan State lead NCAA betting lineup
By: Michael Robinson

The crown jewel of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge takes place Wednesday night between the Duke Blue Devils and Michigan State Spartans.

Virginia got the ACC off to a great start Monday night with an 87-79 win at No. 15 Minnesota as 13-point ‘dogs. There are five Tuesday games still pending and five more to conclude the Challenge on Wednesday.

The ACC is trying to avenge last year’s 6-5 tournament loss, the first in 11 tries.

Duke (6-0 straight-up, 4-1 against the spread) is a great team for the conference to pin its hopes on. The defending national champ, and preseason No. 1, has lived up to its billing.

The Blue Devils already have a signature win over No. 4 Kansas State, 82-68 as 5 ½-point favorites. That was the final of the CBE Classic and Duke won despite a major geographical disadvantage with the game in Kansas City.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski got his 800th career win and it was followed by a 98-71 victory over Oregon in Portland last Saturday. Duke covered as 19-point ‘chalk,’ with Kyle Singler going off for 30 points in his home state.

Duke is on a 16-game winning streak (10-5 ATS) heading back to last year and has won 24 of 25 overall. The only failure to cover the odds this year was an 82-77 win over Marquette in Kansas City as 12-point favorites.

The team now gets to return home in front of the ‘Cameron Crazies.’ Duke is 22-0 SU (14-5-1 ATS) in its last 22 home games, last losing in February 2009 against North Carolina.

Senior guard Nolan Smith leads the team in scoring at 16.8 PPG. There were questions about how’d he fare playing next to fab-freshman Kyrie Irving. That hasn’t been a problem for either player and Irving’s 14.5 PPG is third on the team after Smith and Singler (16.2 PPG).

Krzyzewski is basically using an eight-man rotation with Andre Dawkins, Miles Plumlee and Seth Curry coming off the bench. Ryan Kelly has replaced the graduated Lance Thomas as the starting power forward, although he averages just 14 minutes per game. Mason Plumlee starts at center with Brian Zoubek gone.

The Spartans (5-1 SU, 2-4 ATS) haven’t done as well as the preseason No. 2. They were upset by Connecticut in the Maui Invitational semifinal, 70-67 as six-point favorites. They only beat host Chaminade by eight points (82-74) the game before despite being 33 ½-point ‘chalk.’

Michigan State has won its last two games over Washington (76-71) in Hawaii and home to Tennessee Tech (73-55). The ‘under’ is 3-0 in the last three games, scoring 72 PPG. The ‘over’ was 3-0 in the first three, scoring 86.7 PPG.

Senior point guard Kalin Lucas (17.5 PPG) is healthy after coming off Achilles surgery. He leads the team in scoring and will be a fabulous matchup with Irving. Guard Durrell Summers (15.2 PPG) and forward Draymond Green (14 PPG) are two more veteran upperclassmen.

The Spartans have dropped to No. 6 in the latest AP Poll, but they’re battle hardened coming off two straight Final Fours. They won’t be intimidated even in this very hostile environment.

Center Derrick Nix did not travel with the team to Maui for ‘personal issues.’ He did return against Tennessee Tech and played five minutes off the bench. Fellow sophomore Garrick Sherman has been starting at center and will be needed to bang against the Duke ‘bigs.’

Duke lost in the Challenge last year at Wisconsin, 73-69, as 4 ½-point favorites. Duke was 10-0 SU in the previous 10 Challenges. Michigan State lost last year at North Carolina 89-82 as 1 ½-point ‘dogs. That was a rematch of the 2009 national title game.

ESPN will have the tip-off from Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6:30 pm (PT).

Michigan St. at Duke
By Brian Edwards

The Big Ten-ACC Challenge will continue tonight when Duke (6-0 straight up, 4-1against the spread) takes on Michigan State at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Most betting shops have installed the Blue Devils as 11 ½-point favorites with a total of 151 ½. Gamblers can take the Spartans to win outright for a plus-600 return (risk $100 to win $600).

Mike Krzyzewski’s team returns to the court for the first time since trouncing Oregon by a 98-71 count Saturday at the Rose Garden in Portland. Duke easily took the cash as a 19-point favorite.

Kyle Singler went back to his home state and poured in a game-high 30 points. He made 9-of-15 shots from the field, draining 5-of-9 attempts from 3-point land. Nolan Smith added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, while freshman sensation Kyrie Irving chipped in with 16 points.

The Plumlee brothers – Mason and Miles – controlled the boards with 22 combined rebounds. Andre Dawkins, a sophomore guard, scored 14 points in 21 minutes of playing time off the bench.

Michigan State (5-1 SU, 2-4 ATS) has won back-to-back games since losing a 70-67 decision to Connecticut in the semifinals of the Maui Classic. The Spartans had no answers for Kemba Walker, who led the Huskies to victory as six-point underdogs.

Tom Izzo’s team responded by beating Washington 76-71 as a one-point underdog. The 147 combined points fell ‘under’ the 155-point total. Kalin Lucas brought the Spartans back from a 44-34 deficit at halftime. He scored a game-high 29 points and won the head-to-head matchup against UW’s Isaiah Thomas, who settled for 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the floor.

MSU is coming off a 73-55 win over Tennessee Tech at Breslin Center, but it failed to cover the number as a 26 ½-point home ‘chalk.’ Durrell Summers took high-scoring honors with 21 points.

These storied programs haven’t faced each other since the 2005 NCAA Tournament when Michigan St. beat Duke 78-68 in a Sweet 16 showdown. The Spartans took the cash four-point underdogs in Austin.

The ‘over’ is 3-2 overall for Duke, 1-1 in its home games. The ‘over’ hit in MSU’s first three games, but the ‘under’ has now prevailed in its last three outings.

ESPN will have the telecast at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

Duke is 3-1 ATS as a double-digit favorite this year.

Northwestern John Shurna isn’t an All-American type talent, but he’s certainly had the look of a All-Big Ten first-teamer in leading the Wildcats to a 5-0 start. The Wildcats destroyed Ga. Tech 91-71 last night as six-point home favorites. Shurna scored a game-high 21 points against the Yellow Jackets, burying 7-of-8 shots from the field and all four of his attempts from beyond the arc. Drew Crawford added 19 points, six rebounds, three steals and three assists for Bill Carmody’s team that might be able to deliver the school its first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Ohio St. looks like a Final Four team to me right now. The Buckeyes have a pair of double-digits wins on the road in the state of Florida. They had already thumped the Gators at the O-Dome before going into Tallahassee last night. Thad Matta’s team captured a 58-44 win over the Seminoles as a five-point favorite.

Florida Atlantic went into Starkville last night and upset Mississippi St. 51-49 as a 10-point road underdog. The Owls hooked up money-line backers with a plus-475 payout (paid $475 on $100 bets).

Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl is doing everything he can to get out of hot water in Knoxville. The win over Villanova on national television this past Friday certainly helped, and his zinger at a speaking engagement Tuesday also aided his cause. In front of the Knoxville Quarterback Club, Pearl said, “I've made mistakes, I clearly did, but what I was hoping for was that some other dumbass would get on the front page and take me off the hook. I miss Lane Kiffin.''

vegasinsider.com.

College Basketball Knowledge

St Joe's is 3-1 as underdog this year, upsetting Fairfield/Rutgers in last two games; Hawks are 5-2 in last seven games vs Drexel, with all seven games decided by 10+ points (St Joe's won 77-67 in OT LY). Dragons are 3-1, covering only game was favorite. CAA home favorites are 3-8.

First true road game for 5-1 Xavier club that won last game vs Wofford, in triple OT, after losing to Old Dominion game before that; Musketeers are 6-2 in last eight games vs Miami, with last three in series all decided by 7 or less points. Red Hawks are 2-4; besides getting crushed by Duke and Ohio State, three of other four games were won by 4 or less points.

6-1 Richmond beat Purdue 65-54 in Chicago Saturday; Spiders lost only true road game, in double OT at Iona- home side won their last five with Old Dominion. Spiders lost last two visits here, 65-62/69-52. Monarchs haven't played in nine days since winning Virgin Islands tourney; they're 4-1- they're allowing only 57.8 ppg so far this season.

Florida is 5-1 after upsetting Florida State 55-51 (+4) Sunday; they won 89-61 over Central Florida two years ago, but now former Florida aide Jones is UCF's coach. Knights are 5-0, beating four stiffs, South Florida; they've got all five starters back from LY's 15-17 team. C-USA dogs are 10-7 against the spread on road. SEC road favorites are 4-5 vs spread.

Boston College is 4-2 after beating Texas A&M/Cal in Orlando (lost to Wisconsin by 10); Eagles have four starters back from 15-16/6-10 team, but also have new coach and are learning his system. Indiana is 6-0 but has played mostly stiffs (Wright St/Evansville toughest foes). First true road game for Hoosier squad with 5 starters back from LY's 10-21 club.

Wisconsin is 3-2, with losses by total of 4 points; they lost in finals of Orlando tourney Sunday night. Badgers have 3 starters back from LY's 24-9/13-5 team. NC State is 4-1, losing 82-67 to Georgetown in finals of tourney in Charleston- best team they've beaten is George Mason. ACC road underdogs of 14 or less points are 2-5 against the spread.

Virginia Tech lost by 12 to UNLV in finals of Anaheim tourney Sunday night; they're 4-2, scoring 57-59 points in losses- this is their first home game in 19 days. First true road game for 5-1 Purdue team that got upset by Richmond in Chicago Saturday- best team they've beaten in Southern Illinois. Big 11 road underdogs are 7-2 against the spread.

Butler won seven of last nine games vs Loyola, winning last four visits here, by 1-23-11-4 points; Bulldogs got upset at home by Evansville in last game Saturday. Ramblers got off to 11-2 start LY, stumbled to 3-14 finish down stretch; they're 7-0 this year, including wins at WMichigan and San Francisco. Butler has national final rematch with Duke up next.

Home side won last three Oklahoma-Arkansas games; OU lost 96-88 in last visit here. Razorbacks are 3-1 after getting upset by UAB Saturday. Sooners had rough 0-3 trip in Maui, losing to D-2 Chaminade; they scored only 61.3 ppg in Hawai'i, and needed OT to beat NC Central in one of their home games before the trip- this is OU's first true road tilt.

Northern Iowa won three of last four games vs Iowa State; teams split last four games played here. First road game for 6-0 Cyclones team- its best win so far was at buzzer vs Creighton. Panthers are 0-2 against D-I teams, losing by 22 at Syracuse, 2 at Milwaukee. MVC home favorites are 3-6 against the spread. Big 12 road underdogs are 3-6 against spread.

First true road game for 5-2 Maryland squad that lost to Pitt/Illinois in two neutral court games, only good teams Terps have played. Maryland has two starters back from LY's 24-9/13-3 team. 5-1 Penn State has yet to beat good team, losing 84-71 to Ole Miss, best team they've played so far this year. Lions have four starters back from LY's 11-20 team.

5-1 Michigan State's only loss was by 3 to UConn in Maui semifinals; State has all five starters back from LY's 38-9/14-4 team. Duke won its first six games, beating Kansas State by 14, Marquette by 5; win against Marquette is their only win by less than 14 points. Duke lost three of its starters from LY, but new players make them more athletic.

San Diego State lost to St Mary's last three years, by 22-3-5 points, but none of those games where here (two on neutral courts). St Mary's is 5-1 after losing in OT to BYU in finals of tourney at San Padre Island; Gaels have three starters back from LY's 28-6 team. This is 6-0 Aztecs' first home game vs D-I opponent; they won by 3 at Gonzaga, 16 at Long Beach State, 21 at Miami OH.

NCAAB Winning Info
By Jeff Mattingly

Saint Joseph’s Hawks at Drexel Dragons
-Saint Joseph’s has won three in a row after starting the year 0-2. The Hawks captured the Philly Hoop Group Classic title with win over Rutgers last Friday.
-SJU’s current three-game winning streak is the longest since the middle of January last season. The last time the Hawks won four in a row was the 2008-09 campaign.
-The Hawks are fielding their youngest team ever under head coach Phil Martelli, with two seniors, one junior, four sophomores and five freshmen.
-Saint Joseph’s has won three of the last five games against Drexel and prior to that, SJU had won 14 in a row.
-Saint Joseph’s has not played on Drexel’s campus since December 14, 1992, but has won 10 in a row here.
-The Hawks struggled on the road last season, winning only one game outside of the Philadelphia area.
-Martelli has used at least 10 of the 11 scholarship players in each game, with four players averaging over 20 minutes per game.
-Drexel returned four starters plus the CAA Rookie of the Year.
-Last year, the Hawks scored the final 10 points of the game and defeated Drexel, 77-67, in overtime in the first game at Hagan Arena.
-Since Bruiser Flint arrived at Drexel, the Dragons are 80-34 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Despite not playing more than 14 games at home in a season, Flint’s teams have won 10 games four different times.
-Flint holds a 10-9 record against the Hawks.

Florida International Panthers at Louisville Cardinals
-Florida International enters the week averaging 74.7 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting from the floor. FIU leads the conference in shooting percentage.
-The Panthers defense is forcing 17.8 turnovers per game and registering 10.0 steals per contest. The team’s steals per game also leads the conference.
-Louisville comes into Wednesday’s game with a 4-0 record and a margin of victory of +21 points.
-The Cardinals are averaging 84.0 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the floor and 32.0 percent from beyond the arc.
-Louisville averages 12.3 steals per game, which leads the Big East and is over five more than it averaged last season.
-The Cardinals opponents are shooting just 32 percent in the first half of the first four games.
-With six threes against Marshall, Louisville has now made at least five threes in 24 consecutive games, tied for the sixth-longest streak in the nation.
-Louisville has a collective 76-44 series record against current members of the Sun Belt Conference.
-The Cardinals are 100-7 over the last 10 seasons under head coach Rick Pitino when scoring 80 or more points.

Western Michigan Broncos at Towson Tigers
-Western Michigan will face Towson for the first time in program history.
-The Broncos boast a .500 record in the month of December under head coach Steve Hawkins, going a perfect 6-0 during the month in his first season at the helm.
-Alex Wolf is the lone senior on the 2010-11 Broncos squad, but he is surrounded by six juniors with four of them playing 20 or more games a season ago.
-The Tigers have four players averaging in double figures through four games this season.
-Towson was picked to finish 10th in a 12-team league of the Colonial Athletic Conference.
-Western Michigan’s Steve Hawkins has a 2-2 record against teams from the CAA.
-The Broncos have opened the season by scoring in the 60’s in each of the first four games of a season for the first time since the 1958-59 campaign.
-Towson is 4-7 all-time against MAC teams.
-The Tigers aren’t back in the Towson Center against until December 22 when they host Princeton.

Florida Gators vs UCF Knights
-The Gators will face the Knights in the first collegiate event at the new Amway Center in downtown Orlando.
-This game is a matchup of former colleagues, as UCF head coach Donnie Jones was an assistant at Florida from 1996-2007.
-Florida coach Bill Donovan is 5-1 against former assistants and has captured an 8-1 record against Conference USA opponents.
-Florida is 9-0 all-time against UCF, but this will be the first time the two teams meet in Orlando.
-The Gators have out-rebounded their opposition by +8.2 rebounds per game.
-UF has gotten to the line 56 times in the last two games and has made more free throws (89) than their opponents have attempted (73).
-In their five wins this year, the Gators are allowing their opponents just 57.0 points per game, while Ohio State scored 93 points against them.
-UCF is averaging 85.8 points per game and boast a +32.8 scoring margin, as they have defeated four of their five foes by over 25 points.
-The Knights rank second in the country in field-goal percentage (55.4), ninth in assists and 11th in points per game.
-UCF is 1-28 against SEC opponents with its lone win coming last season against Auburn (84-74) at the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach.

Akron Zips at Detroit Titans
-Detroit will host Akron Wednesday in the fourth of five straight home games.
-Akron is 2-2 on the young campaign with a 0-1 record on the road thus far. The Zips have played a pair of Horizon League schools, beating Youngstown State (91-84) in overtime and falling to Cleveland State (64-51).
-The Titans registered a season-high 13 blocks in the win over Niagara on Sunday.
-All five Detroit starters are averaging double digits in points this season. The Titans have used the same starting lineup for all seven games so far this season.
-The Zips enter the month of December and will play seven of their nine games on the road. Akron’s seven road contests in one month is tied for the most in the Division I era. The team will log 7.631 miles on the road this month.
-The Zips lead the Mid-American Conference in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.
-Akron is 119-85 against the current 10-team field in the Horizon League.
-Akron has had the same starting five in all four contests this season, after having four different lineups in the first four games last year.

Wright State Raiders at Cincinnati Bearcats
-The Raiders dropped two over the weekend, including a 56-50 defeat to Southern Illinois at the Chicago Invitational Challenge. Wright State shot 22 percent from the field and connected on 25 of 32 free throws.
-Wright State holds an 0-6 record against Cincinnati, with all games played in Cincinnati.
-The Bearcats are one of five teams from the major conferences to win more games than the previous year in each of the last four seasons (Baylor, California, Duke, Purdue).
-Cincinnati returns three starters and 11 letterwinners from last year’s squad, including 45.8 percent of its scoring and 60.7 percent of its rebounding.
-Wright State owns a 0-3 record away from the Nutter Center this season.
-The Bearcats held Dayton to 34 points on 20 percent shooting and cruised to a 68-34 win at US Bank Arena. It was the Bearcats 16th straight win in U.S. Bank Arena.
-UC has won 19 of its last 21 non-conference games at home with the losses coming versus Xavier and Memphis the last three seasons.

Elon Phoenix at Furman Paladin
-Elon is 3-4 in Southern Conference openers. The last time it won the first game of conference play on the road was a 64-61 victory at Wofford in 2005-06.
-This game will only be the fourth contest for Elon in Timmons Arena. The Phoenix have only lost once at Furman in their first-ever meeting with the Paladins, a 71-51 loss in 2004.
-Elon is averaging 15.6 assists per game - second in the Southern Conference.
-The Phoenix rank first in the SoCon with 10.0 three-pointers per game.
-Elon played its third high major opponent of the season last time out, leading Maryland 34-31 at the break before losing 76-57.
-Furman is coming off a 70-49 loss at Penn State. Furman’s other three games have all been decided by four points or less.
-The Paladins are a veteran team with 12 juniors and seniors on the roster.
-The Phoenix have won five of the last six matchups, with each team winning on the other’s home court last year.
-Elon is 56-81 against teams in the Southern Conference since the 2003-04 campaign.
-Elon ranks second in the SoCon with 76.2 points per game, while Furman ranks second in the league in scoring defense.
-Furman is 3-7 in its last 10 league inaugurals, including an 85-82 win at Appalachian State in last year’s opener.
-The Paladins are 59-46 versus Southern Conference competition in Timmons Arena.

VCU Rams at South Florida Bulls
-This will be just the second time in 37 meetings that the game will be a non-conference contest, the other game in 1997.
-VCU will be facing its fourth straight BCS opponent after beating Wake Forest, falling to Tennessee and taking down UCLA.
-Rebounding will play a key part in tonight’s game, with the Bulls out-rebounding opponents by nearly six per night, while the Rams have been out-rebounded by five per night.
-VCU head coach Shaka Smart has quite a non-conference resume even after just 41 games, posting an 18-2 mark versus non-CAA opponents.
-The Rams have relied heavily on their four seniors this year with them accounting for 63 percent of the offensive production.
-VCU currently ranks first in the CAA in turnovers forced at 18.2 per game. On the opposite side, the Rams are second with just 12.8 turnovers per game.
-South Florida is 11-25 overall against VCU, with the Bulls splitting the last two meetings, falling 75-70 on Jan. 27, 1997, but winning the last league matchup in 1995.
-The Bulls battled No. 23 BYU to double overtime in the South Padre Invitational, but lost 77-75 on a buzzer beater.
-South Florida is holding opponents to 33.6 percent from the arc and allowing only seven made threes a night.
-The Bulls were without their starting point guard Anthony Crater in three-straight games, but will be available tonight.
-Eight Bulls have scored in double-digits this season, which is two more than the six players who scored at least 10 points in a game for the entire 2009-10 season.

Charlotte 49ers at East Carolina Pirates
-Charlotte has played four of its last five games on the road, including a 74-63 victory over East Carolina at the Charleston Classic, one of the 49ers two double-digit wins.
-The 49ers have won 10 of the last 11 meetings. Charlotte is 7-1 against ECU when they competed in Conference USA together.
-East Carolina is 5-2 following an 81-53 win over UNC Greensboro, while Charlotte improved to 3-4 with a victory against Radford on Saturday.
-The Pirates are seeking their first 5-0 home start since winning their first seven games at Minges Coliseum during the 2003-04 season.
-The Niners are on the negative side of both scoring margin and turnover margin, but on the positive side of rebounding margin.
-Since the Pirates last played Charlotte, ECU is shooting 44.8 percent from beyond the arc in their last three games.

Northeastern Huskies at Providence Friars
-The Huskies will be looking to rebound from back-to-back losses with a trip to Rhode Island to face Providence. Northeastern and Providence are meeting for the third season in a row and the 13th time overall.
-Providence leads the all-time series 9-3 and are 4-1 all-time in the series at the Dunkin‘ Donuts Center.
-Providence is among the top-shot blocking teams in the nation, averaging 6.7 blocks per game.
-Northeastern is coming off a 56-54 loss to Utah State in Logan, a game in which they held the Aggies to 3-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc.
-Overall, the Huskies are 10-63 all-time against teams currently in the Big East. The team has posted a 2-4 mark in such games the last four seasons.
-The Huskies have had the ball stolen away on only 7.5 percent of their offensive possessions, which is the best mark in the CAA.
-Providence holds an 18-2 series record against teams from the CAA, with the only two defeats coming against tonight’s opponent.
-The 2010-11 Providence basketball team is amongst the youngest in the country, with 11 newcomers.

Fordham Rams at Harvard Crimson
-Fordham leads the all-time series, 7-2, taking the past two meetings. The RAms are 128-77 all-time against schools from the Ivy League.
-For the second time this year, the 2010-11 Fordham Rams will attempt to win back-to-back games, something they haven’t done since 2008.
-The Rams are averaging 41.6 rebounds per game over the first five contests, after grabbing 37.4 boards as a team last year.
-Fordham’s +12.0 rebounding edge is the best in the A-10.
-Harvard boasts a 2-0 record at home and has won its last four games overall. The Crimson are coming off a 82-66 victory over Colorado.
-Harvard owns a 16-36 record against teams that are current members of the Atlantic 10 conference.
-The Crimson have scored 56 points on second-chance opportunities this season, including 19 in the win over Colorado.
-Harvard has out-rebounded four of its last five opponents this season, owning a 173-147 advantage.

Richmond Spiders at Old Dominion Monarchs
-Richmond is coming off a convincing 65-54 win over No. 8 Purdue to win the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
-All of Richmond’s wins this season are by double-figures and the Spiders are 22nd in the nation in scoring margin at +19.3 points per game.
-The Spiders rank ninth in the nation in field goal percentage at 52.0 percent, including 42.6 from three-point land, which ranks 20th.
-Richmond is holding teams to 56.1 points per game, which ranks 16th in the nation and are holding teams to 36.6 percent shooting.
-The Spiders have dominated the boards in the last four games, out-rebounding their opponents by 10.3 per game.
-The Spiders returned 14 of 16 players off the 2010 NCAA tournament team.
-Old Dominion has won four-straight since a season opening loss to nationally-ranked Georgetown.
-The Monarchs are out-rebounding opponents by 10 per game.
-Richmond defeated ODU, 67-60 in Richmond last year. Since 2005-06, UR has won three of the five meetings.
-Last year, the Monarchs were 2-2 versus the A-10, defeating Duquesne and Charlotte.
-The Monarchs held Clemson and Georgetown to 19 first half points

NC State Wolfpack at Wisconsin Badgers
-NC State begins a two-game road trip with a trip to Madison and will play its first true road game of the season. The Wolfpack posted a 2-1 mark away from Raleigh at the Charleston Classic.
-This will be only the second meeting between the two schools, with Wisconsin winning the previous matchup, 65-56, in 2005 when the teams faced off in the Sweet 16.
-NC State is 36-19 all-time against teams from the Big Ten, including 1-2 under Lowe.
-NC State has posted a 5-5 record in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge since 1999-2000, winning four of its five home games.
-The Wolfpack have allowed just 62.5 points per game in the Challenge.
-NC State’s three freshmen have combined to score 42.9 percent of the team’s total points, as the three rookies are all averaging double figures.
-The Wolfpack currently rank third in the ACC in turnover margin (+4.0). The Pack’s average of 11.8 turnovers a game is second in the ACC.
-Through the first five games, NC State has hit just 30.5 percent from three-point range, ranking 10th in the ACC.
-Wisconsin’s defense is allowing opponents an average of just 54.0 points per game. The Badgers ranked among the nation’s top 10 in scoring defense in six of the last eight seasons.
-The Badgers have won their last five games versus teams in the ACC, including Duke and Virginia Tech in the last two Challenges.
-Wisconsin is 69-5 at the Kohl Center in regular-season non-conference games.
-In the first half of games this season, UW is shooting 36.9 percent and just 18.2 percent from 3-point range. In the second half, the Badgers are connecting on 51.8 percent from the field and 48.2 percent from 3.
-Last season, UW was the only Big Ten team that did not lose consecutive games. In fact, Wisconsin has won its last 15 games when coming off a loss.
-Wisconsin is shooting a Big Ten-best 81.3 percent from the free throw line.