Thursday's NBA and NCAAB Trends and Indexes - 3/12

[Udog]

NCAAB

Thursday, March 12

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Big 12 tournament quarterfinals: NCAAB betting cheat sheet sheet
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West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Baylor Bears (-3)

West Virginia leading scorer Juwan Staten could be missing his fourth straight game on Thursday when the fifth-seeded Mountaineers face fourth-seeded Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. The standout guard is dealing with knee and groin injuries and No. 18 West Virginia badly needs his services to make a run at the tournament title. No. 16 Baylor won both regular-season meetings with the Mountaineers by an average of 15 points and has won five of its last six contests.

The Bears are one of two teams nationally to lead by at least six points in every game this season with the other being top-ranked Kentucky and that stat is one of many reasons why Baylor coach Scott Drew feels his team – or another Big 12 squad – can make a deep run in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. “Top to bottom, RPI-wise, we’re the best conference in the country,” Drew told reporters, “and with that, I think we have several teams that could make Final Four runs.” The Mountaineers have won four of their last six games with one of the two losses coming against Baylor.

TRENDS:

*Bears are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
*Under is 4-0 in Bears last 4 neutral site games.
*Over is 4-1 in Mountaineers last 5 vs. Big 12.
*Mountaineers are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings.



Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Oklahoma Sooners (-4)

Oklahoma is aiming to defeat its biggest rival for the third straight time this season when it faces sixth-seeded Oklahoma State in Thursday’s quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City. The No. 14 Sooners – who are seeded third – won the two meetings by an average of 12.5 points and are solidly assured of an NCAA Tournament bid no matter what happens in the tournament. That is not the case for the Cowboys, who have lost five of their last six games.

Oklahoma State’s only victory down the stretch came against lowly TCU after the Cowboys were in good shape prior to their sharp decline. The Sooners have won four of their last five games and enter with momentum after beating Kansas on a buzzer-beating basket last Saturday. “I’m just really looking forward to going to Kansas City and competing as hard as we can for a Big 12 championship,” Big 12 Player of the Year Buddy Hield told reporters. “It’s going to be tough because every team is good in the league. We just have to grind.”

TRENDS:

*Sooners are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
*Over is 4-0 in Cowboys last 4 vs. Big 12.
*Under is 4-0 in Sooners last 4 neutral site games.
*Cowboys are 0-7 ATS in the last 7 meetings.



Kansas Jayhawks vs. TCU Horned Frogs (OFF)

Top-seeded Kansas is hopeful of having leading scorer Perry Ellis on the floor when it opens Big 12 tournament play by facing ninth-seeded TCU in Thursday’s quarterfinals in Kansas City. Ellis missed the No. 10 Jayhawks’ regular-season finale because of a sprained right knee and coach Bill Self told reporters that Ellis will be a game-time decision. “He’ll wear a brace the rest of the season regardless for precautionary measures,” Self said.

The Horned Frogs posted their first Big 12 tournament win in three seasons in the league by producing a 67-65 victory over Kansas State on Wednesday. Now TCU gets a chance to record a huge upset with Kansas City serving as another home port for the Jayhawks. “We match up well with Kansas and we feel like they play the same style of basketball we do,” Horned Frogs guard Trey Zeigler said in the postgame press conference. “They’re a tough, physical, defensive team and we’re looking forward to that matchup.”

TRENDS:

* TCU is 4-1 ATS in their last five games following an ATS win.
* Kansas is 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the Big 12.
* Over is 7-1 in TCU's last eight games overall.
* Over is 4-1 Kansas' last five games overall.



Iowa State Cyclones vs. Texas Longhorns (+6, OFF)

Second-seeded Iowa State looks to win the Big 12 tournament for the second straight season and opens play against Texas in Thursday’s quarterfinals at Kansas City. The No. 15 Cyclones were the No. 4 seed when they won last season’s crown but won’t be sneaking up on anybody this time around. The seventh-seeded Longhorns cruised past Texas Tech on Wednesday but badly need a victory over Iowa State to spruce up their NCAA Tournament resume.

Texas coach Rick Barnes has a 20-victory squad but remains nervous about how many more wins his team needs to make the NCAA Tournament. “They don’t wait until two weeks out, three weeks out, they work it all year,” Barnes said of the committee in the postgame press conference. “They’re going to know why we struggled in the middle of the year, they’re going to know we dealt with injuries and different things, they’re going to know it all because they do want to put together the best tournament they can and I have confidence in that.” The Longhorns led comfortably for the final 17 minutes against Texas Tech after leading by just four at halftime in the 65-53 victory.

TRENDS:

* Over is 16-4 in the last 20 meetings.
* Iowa State is 5-1 ATS in their last five games versus a team with a winning SU record.
* Texas is 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a SU win.
* Over is 5-0 in Iowa State's last five games versus a team with a winning SU record.


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[Udog]

NCAAB

Thursday, March 12

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Big East tournament quarterfinals: NCAAB betting cheat sheet sheet sheet
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Providence Friars vs. St. John's Red Storm (-2)

Providence finished fourth in the Big East this season, but it appears that the Friars have earned a tough draw in the conference tournament. The Friars open play at Madison Square Garden against St. John's on Thursday and, if they win, they'll advance to face either Marquette, Seton Hall or, most likely, Villanova. As its luck would have it, Providence has lost to two teams multiple times this season - St. John's and Villanova.

The fifth-seeded Red Storm had won seven of eight before absorbing a thunderous 105-68 defeat at the hands of Villanova in their regular-season finale. St. John's rested two key contributors - forward Chris Obekpa (ankle) and guard Jamal Branch (groin) - against the Wildcats but still suffered their worst loss since 2002. The Friars had a chance to wrap up their regular season with five wins in six games but came up just short against Butler, 68-64, their last time out.

TRENDS:

*Friars are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games.
*Over is 5-0 in Red Storm last 5 vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
*Over is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.
*Underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.



Xavier Musketeers vs. Butler Bulldogs (-1.5)

Xavier appears to be in good shape as Selection Sunday nears, but a win over No. 22 Butler in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Thursday would certainly clinch a berth in the field of 68. The sixth-seeded Musketeers have been up and down over the last month - and for much of the season, for that matter - but they posted a resounding 73-56 win over the Bulldogs last month. "We definitely played up to our potential," Xavier guard Myles Davis told reporters that night. "I think there's still more to come."

The Musketeers followed that win by losing two straight games, although they bounced back to defeat Creighton, 74-73, to finish the regular season 9-9 in conference play. Third-seeded Butler, meanwhile, closed its regular season with a 68-64 triumph at Providence as the team has allowed 57.3 points per game since the loss to Xavier. "Sometimes you say it just to say it, but this is a really good team," coach Chris Holtmann said after his squad wrapped up the Big East season with a 12-6 mark.

TRENDS:

*Bulldogs are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. win.
*Under is 4-0 in Musketeers last 4 games following a S.U. win.
*Under is 6-0-1 in Bulldogs last 7 overall.
*Musketeers are 7-1-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings.



Seton Hall/Marquette vs. Villanova Wildcats (OFF)

Third-ranked Villanova is the top seed in the Big East tournament and has its sights set on a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, a loss Thursday against ninth-seeded Marquette could potentially push the Wildcats down to a No. 2 seed in the field of 68, which would be a big disappointment for a team that has not lost since Jan. 19. The Wildcats carry a 12-game winning streak into their quarterfinal matchup with the Golden Eagles and are coming off perhaps their most dominant performance of the season.

Villanova wrapped up the regular season with a 105-68 rout of St. John's on Saturday as Daniel Ochefu recorded 21 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. "I think we're playing as well as anybody in the country," coach Jay Wright told reporters after his team racked 22 assists against three turnovers. "I think we can beat anybody in the country." The Wildcats handled Marquette twice by double digits this season, although the Golden Eagles scored 76 in the last meeting - the most Villanova has allowed during its winning streak.

TRENDS:

* Favorite is 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Over is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings.
* Marquette is 0-5 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Over is 5-0 in Villanova's last five games overall.



Creighton vs. Georgetown Hoyas (OFF)

Georgetown handled Creighton easily on two occasions during the regular season and seeks a third victory against the Bluejays when the teams square off in Madison Square Garden on Thursday in the Big East tournament quarterfinals. The No. 23 Hoyas led comfortably throughout most of the second half on Jan. 3 en route to a 76-61 triumph against Creighton. The rematch on Jan. 31 proved to be a mismatch as Georgetown won 67-40 while holding the Bluejays without a field goal for more than 17 minutes spanning the two halves.

"Simply put, that's embarrassing," Creighton coach Greg McDermott told reporters after the second loss to Georgetown. "It was a battle of toughness, and we certainly weren't up to the challenge." The 10th-seeded Bluejays will get another crack at the second-seeded Hoyas after disposing of No. 7 seed DePaul by 15 points on Wednesday. James Milliken scored 22 points to lead Creighton, although he must play better than he did in the first two matchups with Georgetown if the Bluejays have any chance of advancing.

TRENDS:

* Creighton is 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games overall.
* Georgetown is 1-5 ATS in their last six games following a SU win.
* Under is 10-2 in Creighton's last 12 games following a SU win.
* Over is 15-7-1 in Georgetown's last 23 games following a SU win.


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[Udog]

NBA

Thursday, March 12


Nets' Karasev out for season

Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Sergey Karasev was diagnosed with a dislocated patella and a torn MCL in his right knee and will undergo season-ending surgery Friday.

Karasev also has multiple loose bodies in the knee joint from the injury suffered in the fourth quarter Wednesday night, Nets general manager Billy King announced.

Karasev started 16 games earlier this season, but had seen his minutes in the rotation diminish. The 19th overall pick in 2013, Karasev was acquired in an offseason trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and has averaged 4.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 33 games.


Grizzlies sitting almost entire starting lineup

The Memphis Grizzlies were excited to play their only nationally televised game all season according to coach Dave Joerger. The coach then promptly took a page from Gregg Popovich's book and is sitting four of his players Thursday.

Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol will all get a rest Thursday with Mike Conely nursing a right ankle injury.

Memphis was +1.5 at most books before the announcement, but the spread has started to climb and is currently +2.5.

It will be the Grizzlies seventh game in ten days when they travel to Washington Thursday.


Pacers continue to be red-hot under play

The Indiana Pacers have gone under in seven of their past eight contests, thanks to some stellar defense. Through those eight games, the Pacers have allowed an average of 87.6 points and have not allowed a team to hit 90 points in seven games.

Currently, the Pacers host Milwaukee Thursday with a total of 187.5.