The Bum's College Hoops For January Rated Games -Trends - News !!

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet
January 27, 2016


**Texas A&M at Arkansas**

-- Texas A&M hits the road to challenge Arkansas tonight at Bud Walton Arena. As of early this morning, most books had the Aggies installed as 3.5-point favorites.

-- Billy Kennedy’s squad leads the SEC by two games with a 7-0 record in league play. Texas A&M has won 10 consecutive games and hasn’t tasted defeat since a 67-54 loss at Arizona State as a three-point favorite.

-- Texas A&M (17-2 straight up, 7-5-2 against the spread) is 5-3-2 ATS during its 10-game surge. The Aggies are off of Saturday’s 66-53 non-covering win over Missouri as a 19-point home ‘chalk.’ Jalen Jones led the way with 20 points and five rebounds, while Danuel House tallied 17 points, five boards and seven assists without a turnover.

-- Texas A&M is No. 8 in the RPI Rankings with a 3-0 record against Top-25 opponents. The Aggies are 4-0 versus the Top 50 and 8-2 against the Top 100. They have quality wins over Baylor, Florida, Kansas State and Texas. The win over the Longhorns was on a neutral court, as was a win over Gonzaga and a loss to Syracuse. A&M's best road wins are at Tennessee and at Georgia (by 34 points!).

-- Jones is averaging a team-high 17.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per contest. House is scoring at a 15.2 PPG clip while dishing out 51 assists compared to only 28 turnovers. He also averages 5.1 RPG.

-- Texas A&M freshman center Tyler Davis has had an immediate impact on the program. Davis, a Plano product, is averaging 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He also has a team-best 20 blocked shots.

-- Another major contributor in his first season with the Aggies has been senior guard Anthony Collins, who started for three years at South Florida before arriving via the transfer route. Collins has made every one of his 26 free-throw attempts and has knocked down 16-of-31 trifectas (51.6%). He has a 90/28 assists-to-turnovers ratio.

-- Arkansas (9-10 SU, 8-7 ATS) is No. 103 in the RPI, going winless in four games against the Top 50. The Razorbacks are 2-9 versus the Top 100. They have quality wins at home over Vanderbilt and Evansville.

-- Mike Anderson’s team has won eight of its 10 home games while posting a 4-2 spread record. UA has dropped three in a row, including Saturday’s 69-66 overtime loss at Georgia as a two-point underdog. The 149 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 145-point total in the extra session. In the losing effort, Dusty Hannahs scored 24 points before fouling out in OT. Anton Bears scored 18 points, while Moses Kingsley finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.

-- Hannahs is a junior playing his first season with the Hogs after transferring from Texas Tech. The Little Rock product is averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game. Hannahs is draining 3’s at a 47.1 percent clip and has buried 85.5 percent of his attempts at the charity stripe.

-- Arkansas senior guard Anthlon Bell has similar numbers to that of Hannahs. Bell also scores at a 16.6 PPG clip and is converting 46.4 percent of his launches from downtown. He is making 80.5 percent of his free throws. Kingsley is averaging 16.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. The junior center has a team-best 51 blocked shots.

-- Arkansas owns a 1-1 record both SU and ATS in a pair of games as a home underdog this season.

-- When these teams met in College Station, Texas A&M raced out to a 47-26 halftime advantage and cruised to a 92-69 victory as an 11-point home ‘chalk.’ Jones scored 28 points and pulled down seven rebounds for the winners. Collins handed out eight assists and committed just one turnover.

-- The ‘under’ has cashed in four straight for Texas A&M to improve to 8-6 overall. The ‘under’ is 3-1 in its four road outings.

-- The ‘over’ is 8-7 overall for the Hogs, 3-3 in their home contests.

**Baylor at Oklahoma State**

-- Baylor (15-4 SU, 5-8 ATS) is in a three-way tie atop the Big 12 standings, sharing first place with Oklahoma and West Virginia with identical 5-2 records in league play. As of early this morning, most betting shops had the Bears listed as 2.5-point road favorites.

-- Scott Drew’s team saw its five-game winning streak snapped in Saturday’s 82-72 home loss to Oklahoma as a one-point favorite. Johnathan Motley had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort. Taurean Prince also had 15 points.

-- Baylor is No. 25 in the RPI Rankings, going 1-4 against the Top 25. The Bears are 4-4 versus the Top 100, however, and have not lost to a team outside of the RPI’s top eight. They have quality home triumphs over Kansas St. and Vanderbilt.

-- Prince leads Baylor’s balanced scoring attack by averaging 15.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He has 31 steals and 14 blocked shots. Lester Medford makes the offense go, dishing out a team-best 139 assists compared to only 41 turnovers. He is averaging 8.8 PPG and has a team-high 41 steals. Al Freeman (12.5 PPG) is burying 41.2 percent of his shots from 3-point land. Finally, Rico Gathers is averaging a double-double with averages of 12.3 points and 10.7 RPG.

-- Oklahoma State (10-9 SU, 10-7 ATS) is just one game out of the Big 12 cellar with a 2-5 record in conference action. The Cowboys scored a 69-48 home win over TCU in their league opener, but they lost four in a row after the victory over the Horned Frogs. They snapped the four-game slide by trouncing Kansas 86-67 as nine-point home underdogs last Tuesday.

-- Travis Ford is on the hot seat in Stillwater, so the win over KU was badly needed. Jawun Evans was the catalyst against the Jayhawks, erupting for 22 points, eight assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals. OSU shot lights out from 3-point land, draining 11-of-21 from beyond the arc. Nine players scored five points or more and the Cowboys won the rebounding battle by a 35-30 margin.

-- Unfortunately for Ford, OSU saw its three-game run of spread covers end in an 89-73 loss Saturday at Kansas St. The Wildcats took the cash as 5.5-point home ‘chalk.’ Evans was limited to 16 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble. He finished with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.

-- Evans lead OSU in scoring (12.8 PPG) and assists (4.9 APG). The true freshman PG out of Dallas is also averaging 4.4 RPG and has 23 steals. Evans is making 48.5 percent of his attempts from downtown and burying 81.9 percent of his free throws.

-- OSU has desperately missed senior guard Phil Forte, who averaged 15.0 PPG last year. Forte scored 24 points in the season opener but in the third game of the season, he was sidelined with an elbow injury. He hasn’t played since and his season appears to be in jeopardy.

-- Baylor is 2-3 both SU and ATS on the road. The Bears have wins at Iowa St. (94-89) and at Texas Tech (63-60), but they lost at Oregon (74-67), at Texas A&M (80-61) and at Kansas (102-74).

-- OSU has won seven of its 10 home games outright, compiling a 5-3 spread record. The Cowboys are 2-0 ATS as home underdogs.

-- The ‘over’ is 9-8 overall for OSU, but it has seen the ‘under’ go 5-3 overall.

-- The ‘over’ is 8-5 overall for Baylor, 3-2 in its five road assignments. The Bears have seen the ‘over’ hit in back-to-back contests and seven of their last 10.

-- Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- Boise State has won 12 of its last 13 games and has produced a 5-1 spread record its last six times out. Nevertheless, Leon Rice’s team is a four-point underdog tonight at UNLV. BSU is 2-1 ATS as a ‘dog this year, but it has been favored in every game since losing at Arizona back on Nov. 29. The Runnin’ Rebels had won three in a row both SU and ATS since Dave Rice was fired, but that surge was snapped Saturday in Reno when Nevada won a 65-63 decision.

-- LSU has failed to cover the number in six straight games after beating Georgia by four as an eight-point home ‘chalk’ last night. The Bulldogs trailed by 11 with less than a minute remaining, but J.J. Frazier exploded with a scoring binge that allowed UGA to get within one with more than 20 ticks left.

-- Purdue is a 14-point favorite tonight at Minnesota. The Gophers, who are 2-2 ATS in four games as home underdogs, have lost nine games in a row and 12 of their last 13. The ‘over’ is 12-5 in UM’s last 17 contests. The Big Ten Network will have the broadcast at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

-- Ole Miss star guard Stefan Moody is ‘questionable’ for tonight’s home games vs. Auburn. Moody missed Saturday’s loss at Mississippi State due to a hamstring injury. Martavious Newby is also ‘questionable’ and starting forward Sebastian Saiz is ‘out’ with an eye injury.

-- Virginia Tech owns a 4-0 spread record in four ACC games as a home underdog. The Hokies are hosting Louisville tonight as eight-point puppies.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Georgetown 74, Creighton 73-- Bluejays led 70-59 with 2:34 left to play.

-- Wisconsin 82, Indiana 79 OT-- Badgers are 15-1 in last 16 games vs Indiana.

-- LSU 89, Georgia 85-- Tigers were 37-55 on foul line. Georgia was 15-24.

-- San Diego State 57, Nevada 54-- Wolf Pack led most of way, couldn't finish.

-- Virginia 72, Wake Forest 71-- Cavaliers were down 71-64 with 0:16 left.

-- Thunder 128, Knicks 122 OT-- Knicks are more fun to watch without Anthony; they're not quite as good, but they play harder.

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week Musings........

13) Blake Griffin has been out since Christmas with a quadriceps injury, now he is out another 4-6 weeks after breaking his hand when he punched a member of the team's equipment staff outside a Toronto restaurant. Not good.

Some advice for the equipment guy.........
-- Blake Griffin is a very large man. probably a bad idea to get him so mad that he wants to break his hand on your face.
-- No matter who is at fault here, Griffin is one of the team's stars; the other guy is a member of the equipment staff. Guess who is going to lose his job over this.

12) Why some teams win and some teams do not: You see Jonathan Simmons with the Spurs, you see how explosive he is going to the basket and you figure he will be their next guy to emerge as a star, after toiling in obscurity. Then you realize he was on the Nets' summer league team in Orlando last summer and you wonder why they let him go to the Spurs' summer league team a couple weeks later in Las Vegas.

The Nets should've signed him up when they has the chance, but they hesitated and then he was gone to the Alamo, playing for a better team that is smarter than the Nets.

11) Scapegoats: Green Bay fired their RB and TE coaches, Patriots fired their OL coach because, you know, someone has to get the blame for the team losing.

10) There is a new show on Showtime called Billions, about Wall Street and all the deals/cheating that goes on and the authorities who try and catch them. The main guy in the show usually wears t-shirts even though he is, as the title suggests, worth a lot of money. One of the storylines last week involved the t-shirt guy paying a college $100M to put his family's name on one of the buildings, which already had someone's name on it. The guy at the college didn't understand why it had to be THAT building

Turns out the t-shirt guy comes from modest means; he was a caddy at a country club as a kid-- a looper, as my friend Joe would say. Back in the day, t-shirt guy had been a caddy for the rich family whose name was on that college building and when the old man had a bad day golfing, he blamed it on his caddy and had t-shirt guy fired from the country club as a caddy. T-shirt guy never forgot that.

Thirty years later, the rich family had fallen on hard times; the old man was deceased, the rest of the family needed money fast or they were going to go broke and t-shirt guy found this out, so he paid the college off, then tossed the family $25M so they could see their name physically removed from the building and replaced by his. Vindictive.

Anyway, the show is on Sunday nights and it isn't bad.

9) Kansas basketball coach Bill Self was once college roommates with singer Garth Brooks, who was a javelin thrower at Oklahoma State- Self played basketball.

8) SNY in New York City televises Mets games all summer; they promote their channel as "just New York sports", which is fine, but the Loud Mouths program had a thing on the other night where they showed the pictures of four NBA head coaches, and the two hosts admitted they had no idea who three of them were. They both knew who Quin Snyder was, because he coached Missouri and played at Duke.

If you're running this station, do you want your hosts telling viewers how little they know about the NBA? Especially since Nuggets coach Michael Malone spent four years as an assistant coach with the Knicks? Guys get paid decent money to give their opinions on stuff and it turns out they're ignorant about one of the most popular sports. Not their finest moment.

7) Remember the movie Scent of a Woman, when Al Pacino plays a blind guy who had been injured in the Marines? Chris O'Donnell plays a prep school kid who serves as Pacino's aide for a while. In one scene, Pacino does the tango in a Manhattan restaurant with this beautiful young lady, who looked vaguely familiar to me.

So I look her up on the Interweb; her name is Gabrielle Anwar; she was the co-star in USA Network's Burn Notice that ran the last few years, about former spies who do special ops-type stuff in Miami to assist people who need their help. 20 years later and she is still quite beautiful.

6) This Saturday, the Big X and most of the SEC take time out from conference play for a series of televised games that should raise the RPI's of everyone involved. The Big X-SEC challnge should be fun. Some of the better games:

Ole Miss-Kansas State.....LSU-Oklahoma....Iowa State-Texas A&M.....and the best game of the day, Kentucky at Kansas.

5) Wayne Gretzky wore #99 thru his whole NHL career; the number has been retired by the league. But in his first game with the Edmonton Oilers, back in the old WHA, Gretzky wore #24. After that game, he requested #99 and that was the end of #24.

4) There have been 221 coaching changes in the NBA since Gregg Popovich has been coach of the San Antonio Spurs. 29 other teams- thats 7.6 changes per team.

3) George Karl has the Sacramento Kings contending for a playoff spot- don't read articles anymore about his impending dismissal. DeMarcus Cousins is playing really well and they have some solid players around him. Fun team to watch. Cousins has to be on the All-Star team or the thing is a joke.

2) Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was quoted recently as saying that spread offenses in college have hurt the development of offensive linemen for the NFL, because in a spread offense, linemen don't do lot of the things that NFL lineman have to do in an NFL-style offense, so when they move up to the pros, there is some remedial training that has to be done, which sets their development back some. Makes sense.

1) Dan Gable is the John Wooden of college wrestling; he won 15 national titles as the coach at Iowa, after he won a gold medal at the '72 Olympics himself. His career record as a college wrestler was 181-1. Pretty tough guy.

I mention this because 35 or so years ago, our paths crossed. The wrestling team at UAlbany had a triangular match with Springfield College and Iowa, a very big deal for them. Iowa was in midst of winning ten national titles in a row. There was only one problem- they needed someone to run the clock on the main scoreboard, since they didn't always have matches in the big gym.

I was the basketball manager at Albany, I was good at running the panel for the scoreboard over the basketball floor, so I was elected timekeeper for the day. About three minutes before the first match, with the legendary Gable standing about 20 feet from me, I realized that I had no idea how this all worked-- I had never seen an actual amateur wrestling match, only pro wrestling on TV. No clocks in the WWE.

When did I start the clock? Stop it? How would I know what points to put up? What if Gable passed one of his wrestlers a foreign object? Oh wait, that doesn't happen here, but panic set in. Actually, it was more like terror.

Luckily for me, the referee on the main court was the father of a friend of mine from high school-- I called him over and explained my anxiety. He was cool and explained that he would signal points to me and that the clock ran pretty much like basketball-- on the referee's signal. After that, it was fairly uneventful-- Gable didn't put me in a sleeper hold or anything, and that was my brush with one of the most successful coaches in the history of college sports.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, January 27

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FORDHAM (11 - 7) at RHODE ISLAND (11 - 8) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FORDHAM is 202-247 ATS (-69.7 Units) in all games since 1997.
FORDHAM is 202-247 ATS (-69.7 Units) in all lined games since 1997.
FORDHAM is 155-197 ATS (-61.7 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
FORDHAM is 90-121 ATS (-43.1 Units) in road games since 1997.
FORDHAM is 90-121 ATS (-43.1 Units) in road lined games since 1997.
FORDHAM is 32-53 ATS (-26.3 Units) in road games on Wednesday games since 1997.
RHODE ISLAND is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) when the total is 130 to 139.5 over the last 2 seasons.
RHODE ISLAND is 91-129 ATS (-50.9 Units) in all home games since 1997.
RHODE ISLAND is 91-129 ATS (-50.9 Units) in home lined games since 1997.
RHODE ISLAND is 53-91 ATS (-47.1 Units) in home games against conference opponents since 1997.
RHODE ISLAND is 23-43 ATS (-24.3 Units) in home games in January games since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
FORDHAM is 3-1 against the spread versus RHODE ISLAND over the last 3 seasons
RHODE ISLAND is 3-1 straight up against FORDHAM over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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TEMPLE (11 - 7) at E CAROLINA (9 - 11) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TEMPLE is 190-144 ATS (+31.6 Units) against conference opponents since 1997.
E CAROLINA is 47-70 ATS (-30.0 Units) when the total is 130 to 139.5 since 1997.
E CAROLINA is 129-179 ATS (-67.9 Units) against conference opponents since 1997.
E CAROLINA is 4-15 ATS (-12.5 Units) in January games over the last 3 seasons.
E CAROLINA is 121-169 ATS (-64.9 Units) after a conference game since 1997.
E CAROLINA is 53-76 ATS (-30.6 Units) revenging a road loss vs opponent since 1997.
E CAROLINA is 64-90 ATS (-35.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
TEMPLE is 2-0 against the spread versus E CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
TEMPLE is 3-0 straight up against E CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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MASSACHUSETTS (8 - 10) at ST JOSEPHS (16 - 3) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MASSACHUSETTS is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) as an underdog this season.
MASSACHUSETTS is 14-27 ATS (-15.7 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
MASSACHUSETTS is 14-26 ATS (-14.6 Units) after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
MASSACHUSETTS is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) after failing to cover the spread in 3 or more consecutive games over the last 3 seasons.
MASSACHUSETTS is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST JOSEPHS is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in all games this season.
ST JOSEPHS is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in all lined games this season.
ST JOSEPHS is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) as a home favorite of 12.5 to 15 points since 1997.
ST JOSEPHS is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) on Wednesday games over the last 2 seasons.
ST JOSEPHS is 90-63 ATS (+20.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
ST JOSEPHS is 4-0 against the spread versus MASSACHUSETTS over the last 3 seasons
ST JOSEPHS is 3-1 straight up against MASSACHUSETTS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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ST JOHNS (7 - 13) at SETON HALL (13 - 6) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST JOHNS is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) when the total is 140 to 149.5 over the last 2 seasons.
SETON HALL is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record after 15 or more games over the last 3 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
SETON HALL is 3-1 against the spread versus ST JOHNS over the last 3 seasons
ST JOHNS is 3-1 straight up against SETON HALL over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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TEXAS A&M (17 - 2) at ARKANSAS (9 - 10) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ARKANSAS is 54-34 ATS (+16.6 Units) in home games off a loss against a conference rival since 1997.
ARKANSAS is 31-14 ATS (+15.6 Units) in home games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game after 15+ games since 1997.
ARKANSAS is 86-116 ATS (-41.6 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
ARKANSAS is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) revenging a road loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
TEXAS A&M is 3-0 against the spread versus ARKANSAS over the last 3 seasons
TEXAS A&M is 2-1 straight up against ARKANSAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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RUTGERS (6 - 14) at MICHIGAN (15 - 5) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
RUTGERS is 8-18 ATS (-11.8 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
RUTGERS is 7-18 ATS (-12.8 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
RUTGERS is 6-16 ATS (-11.6 Units) off a loss against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.
RUTGERS is 3-14 ATS (-12.4 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.
MICHIGAN is 88-63 ATS (+18.7 Units) in January games since 1997.
MICHIGAN is 37-21 ATS (+13.9 Units) in home games off a win against a conference rival since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
MICHIGAN is 2-0 against the spread versus RUTGERS over the last 3 seasons
MICHIGAN is 2-0 straight up against RUTGERS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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PITTSBURGH (16 - 3) at CLEMSON (12 - 7) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 16-29 ATS (-15.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 16-29 ATS (-15.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 3-14 ATS (-12.4 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game over the last 2 seasons.
CLEMSON is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) against conference opponents this season.
CLEMSON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in January games this season.
CLEMSON is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) after a conference game this season.


Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 2-1 against the spread versus CLEMSON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 2-1 straight up against CLEMSON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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DEPAUL (7 - 12) at BUTLER (13 - 6) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DEPAUL is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
DEPAUL is 3-2 against the spread versus BUTLER over the last 3 seasons
BUTLER is 4-1 straight up against DEPAUL over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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SAINT LOUIS (8 - 11) at DAYTON (16 - 3) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAINT LOUIS is 4-11 ATS (-8.1 Units) in all games this season.
SAINT LOUIS is 4-11 ATS (-8.1 Units) in all lined games this season.
SAINT LOUIS is 1-7 ATS (-6.7 Units) when the total is 130 to 139.5 this season.
SAINT LOUIS is 8-21 ATS (-15.1 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
SAINT LOUIS is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAINT LOUIS is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in road lined games over the last 2 seasons.
SAINT LOUIS is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in road games against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
SAINT LOUIS is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in road games after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
SAINT LOUIS is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DAYTON is 44-26 ATS (+15.4 Units) in home games off a win against a conference rival since 1997.
DAYTON is 49-31 ATS (+14.9 Units) in home games after allowing 60 points or less since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
DAYTON is 2-2 against the spread versus SAINT LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
DAYTON is 3-1 straight up against SAINT LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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MISSOURI ST (8 - 12) at INDIANA ST (11 - 9) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA ST is 13-6 ATS (+6.4 Units) in all games this season.
INDIANA ST is 13-6 ATS (+6.4 Units) in all lined games this season.
INDIANA ST is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in all home games this season.
INDIANA ST is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in home lined games this season.
INDIANA ST is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in home games in January games over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
INDIANA ST is 2-2 against the spread versus MISSOURI ST over the last 3 seasons
INDIANA ST is 2-2 straight up against MISSOURI ST over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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AUBURN (9 - 9) at OLE MISS (12 - 7) - 1/27/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
AUBURN is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road games this season.
AUBURN is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road lined games this season.
OLE MISS is 24-9 ATS (+14.1 Units) in home games on Wednesday games since 1997.
OLE MISS is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
OLE MISS is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in all home games over the last 2 seasons.
OLE MISS is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in home lined games over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
OLE MISS is 1-1 against the spread versus AUBURN over the last 3 seasons
OLE MISS is 2-0 straight up against AUBURN over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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S FLORIDA (4 - 17) at TULANE (8 - 13) - 1/27/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TULANE is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in home games against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
TULANE is 56-84 ATS (-36.4 Units) in January games since 1997.
TULANE is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
TULANE is 81-113 ATS (-43.3 Units) off a loss against a conference rival since 1997.
TULANE is 14-28 ATS (-16.8 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
TULANE is 2-1 against the spread versus S FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
TULANE is 3-0 straight up against S FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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LOUISVILLE (16 - 3) at VIRGINIA TECH (12 - 8) - 1/27/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VIRGINIA TECH is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
VIRGINIA TECH is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
LOUISVILLE is 112-84 ATS (+19.6 Units) in road games since 1997.
LOUISVILLE is 112-84 ATS (+19.6 Units) in road lined games since 1997.
LOUISVILLE is 111-80 ATS (+23.0 Units) in road games against conference opponents since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
VIRGINIA TECH is 1-0 against the spread versus LOUISVILLE over the last 3 seasons
LOUISVILLE is 1-0 straight up against VIRGINIA TECH over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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GEORGIA TECH (11 - 8) at NC STATE (11 - 9) - 1/27/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NC STATE is 30-16 ATS (+12.4 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
NC STATE is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) on Wednesday games over the last 3 seasons.
NC STATE is 29-15 ATS (+12.5 Units) after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
GEORGIA TECH is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) on Wednesday games over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
GEORGIA TECH is 1-0 against the spread versus NC STATE over the last 3 seasons
NC STATE is 2-0 straight up against GEORGIA TECH over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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TULSA (13 - 6) at HOUSTON (13 - 6) - 1/27/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TULSA is 47-32 ATS (+11.8 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
TULSA is 47-32 ATS (+11.8 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
TULSA is 32-18 ATS (+12.2 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
TULSA is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) in road games over the last 3 seasons.
TULSA is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) in road lined games over the last 3 seasons.
TULSA is 32-14 ATS (+16.6 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
TULSA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
TULSA is 31-14 ATS (+15.6 Units) after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
TULSA is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.
TULSA is 103-74 ATS (+21.6 Units) after allowing 60 points or less since 1997.
TULSA is 118-87 ATS (+22.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games since 1997.
TULSA is 44-27 ATS (+14.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
TULSA is 2-1 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
TULSA is 3-0 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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SAN JOSE ST (6 - 14) at COLORADO ST (11 - 8) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE ST is 42-65 ATS (-29.5 Units) after allowing 80 points or more since 1997.
COLORADO ST is 28-43 ATS (-19.3 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO ST is 28-43 ATS (-19.3 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO ST is 12-23 ATS (-13.3 Units) in all home games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO ST is 12-23 ATS (-13.3 Units) in home lined games over the last 3 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE ST is 4-1 against the spread versus COLORADO ST over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO ST is 5-0 straight up against SAN JOSE ST over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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MISSOURI (8 - 11) at KENTUCKY (15 - 4) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MISSOURI is 15-27 ATS (-14.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
MISSOURI is 76-106 ATS (-40.6 Units) in road games since 1997.
MISSOURI is 76-106 ATS (-40.6 Units) in road lined games since 1997.
MISSOURI is 16-28 ATS (-14.8 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
MISSOURI is 25-44 ATS (-23.4 Units) in road games in January games since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
KENTUCKY is 2-1 against the spread versus MISSOURI over the last 3 seasons
KENTUCKY is 3-0 straight up against MISSOURI over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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BAYLOR (14 - 4) at OKLAHOMA ST (10 - 9) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OKLAHOMA ST is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) in a home game where the total is 140 to 144.5 since 1997.
OKLAHOMA ST is 73-100 ATS (-37.0 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
OKLAHOMA ST is 110-144 ATS (-48.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
BAYLOR is 3-2 against the spread versus OKLAHOMA ST over the last 3 seasons
BAYLOR is 3-2 straight up against OKLAHOMA ST over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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PURDUE (17 - 4) at MINNESOTA (6 - 14) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PURDUE is 32-15 ATS (+15.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PURDUE is 32-15 ATS (+15.5 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
PURDUE is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
PURDUE is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PURDUE is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) on Wednesday games over the last 2 seasons.
PURDUE is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in all lined games this season.
MINNESOTA is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
PURDUE is 4-0 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 2-2 straight up against PURDUE over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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LOYOLA-IL (9 - 11) at WICHITA ST (14 - 5) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOYOLA-IL is 6-13 ATS (-8.3 Units) in all games this season.
LOYOLA-IL is 6-13 ATS (-8.3 Units) in all lined games this season.
WICHITA ST is 52-29 ATS (+20.1 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
WICHITA ST is 52-29 ATS (+20.1 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
WICHITA ST is 49-28 ATS (+18.2 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
WICHITA ST is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) against conference opponents this season.
WICHITA ST is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) in January games over the last 3 seasons.
WICHITA ST is 34-13 ATS (+19.7 Units) after a conference game over the last 3 seasons.
WICHITA ST is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.
WICHITA ST is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) after allowing 60 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
WICHITA ST is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) after scoring 80 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
WICHITA ST is 19-9 ATS (+9.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
LOYOLA-IL is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LOYOLA-IL is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in road games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
WICHITA ST is 2-2 against the spread versus LOYOLA-IL over the last 3 seasons
WICHITA ST is 4-0 straight up against LOYOLA-IL over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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STANFORD (11 - 7) at COLORADO (15 - 5) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
STANFORD is 91-65 ATS (+19.5 Units) in January games since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 3-0 against the spread versus STANFORD over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 3-0 straight up against STANFORD over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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N IOWA (10 - 11) at BRADLEY (3 - 18) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
N IOWA is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) when the total is 119.5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
N IOWA is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
N IOWA is 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
N IOWA is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game over the last 2 seasons.
BRADLEY is 16-31 ATS (-18.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BRADLEY is 16-31 ATS (-18.1 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
BRADLEY is 13-23 ATS (-12.3 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
BRADLEY is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BRADLEY is 9-18 ATS (-10.8 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
BRADLEY is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) after scoring 60 points or less this season.
BRADLEY is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
N IOWA is 5-1 against the spread versus BRADLEY over the last 3 seasons
N IOWA is 5-1 straight up against BRADLEY over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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AIR FORCE (10 - 10) at NEW MEXICO (11 - 8) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
AIR FORCE is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
AIR FORCE is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
AIR FORCE is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
AIR FORCE is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
AIR FORCE is 3-14 ATS (-12.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW MEXICO is 170-131 ATS (+25.9 Units) against conference opponents since 1997.
NEW MEXICO is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games on Wednesday games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW MEXICO is 165-129 ATS (+23.1 Units) after a conference game since 1997.
NEW MEXICO is 82-55 ATS (+21.5 Units) after scoring 80 points or more since 1997.
AIR FORCE is 44-27 ATS (+14.3 Units) as a road underdog of 12.5 or more points since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
NEW MEXICO is 2-2 against the spread versus AIR FORCE over the last 3 seasons
NEW MEXICO is 2-2 straight up against AIR FORCE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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UC-IRVINE (16 - 5) at CS-NORTHRIDGE (7 - 13) - 1/27/2016, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UC-IRVINE is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
UC-IRVINE is 17-6 ATS (+10.4 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
UC-IRVINE is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.
CS-NORTHRIDGE is 16-28 ATS (-14.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CS-NORTHRIDGE is 16-28 ATS (-14.8 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
CS-NORTHRIDGE is 11-28 ATS (-19.8 Units) on Wednesday games since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
CS-NORTHRIDGE is 3-1 against the spread versus UC-IRVINE over the last 3 seasons
UC-IRVINE is 3-1 straight up against CS-NORTHRIDGE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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CS-FULLERTON (8 - 10) at CAL DAVIS (7 - 11) - 1/27/2016, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CS-FULLERTON is 15-26 ATS (-13.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CS-FULLERTON is 15-26 ATS (-13.6 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
CS-FULLERTON is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CAL DAVIS is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in a home game where the total is 135 to 139.5 since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
CAL DAVIS is 2-2 against the spread versus CS-FULLERTON over the last 3 seasons
CAL DAVIS is 3-1 straight up against CS-FULLERTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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CALIFORNIA (14 - 6) at UTAH (15 - 5) - 1/27/2016, 11:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CALIFORNIA is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) on Wednesday games over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 46-30 ATS (+13.0 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 46-30 ATS (+13.0 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 34-21 ATS (+10.9 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 133-99 ATS (+24.1 Units) in all home games since 1997.
UTAH is 133-99 ATS (+24.1 Units) in home lined games since 1997.
UTAH is 30-15 ATS (+13.5 Units) in a home game where the total is 135 to 139.5 since 1997.
UTAH is 70-42 ATS (+23.8 Units) revenging a road loss vs opponent since 1997.
UTAH is 29-15 ATS (+12.5 Units) in home games after scoring 80 points or more since 1997.
UTAH is 95-67 ATS (+21.3 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.


Head-to-Head Series History
CALIFORNIA is 2-1 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 2-1 straight up against CALIFORNIA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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BOISE ST (15 - 5) at UNLV (12 - 8) - 1/27/2016, 11:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UNLV is 45-25 ATS (+17.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game since 1997.
BOISE ST is 30-19 ATS (+9.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 30-19 ATS (+9.1 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) in road lined games over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 20-7 ATS (+12.3 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 21-6 ATS (+14.4 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) off a win against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.
BOISE ST is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games after scoring 80 points or more this season.
BOISE ST is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
UNLV is 2-2 against the spread versus BOISE ST over the last 3 seasons
BOISE ST is 3-1 straight up against UNLV over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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AUSTIN PEAY (9 - 13) at MOREHEAD ST (10 - 9) - 1/27/2016, 7:45 PM
Top Trends for this game.
AUSTIN PEAY is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
MOREHEAD ST is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) off a loss against a conference rival over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
MOREHEAD ST is 1-1 against the spread versus AUSTIN PEAY over the last 3 seasons
MOREHEAD ST is 2-0 straight up against AUSTIN PEAY over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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MURRAY ST (10 - 10) at E KENTUCKY (12 - 10) - 1/27/2016, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
E KENTUCKY is 67-93 ATS (-35.3 Units) in all home games since 1997.
E KENTUCKY is 67-93 ATS (-35.3 Units) in home lined games since 1997.
E KENTUCKY is 6-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) in home games against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
E KENTUCKY is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) after failing to cover the spread in 3 or more consecutive games over the last 2 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
E KENTUCKY is 2-1 against the spread versus MURRAY ST over the last 3 seasons
MURRAY ST is 2-1 straight up against E KENTUCKY over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons




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STETSON (7 - 13) at MARQUETTE (13 - 7) - 1/27/2016, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MARQUETTE is 2-8 ATS (-6.8 Units) as a favorite this season.
MARQUETTE is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in all home games this season.
MARQUETTE is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in home lined games this season.
MARQUETTE is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in home games in January games over the last 3 seasons.
MARQUETTE is 9-18 ATS (-10.8 Units) after a conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MARQUETTE is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, January 27

Temple won its three AAC games with East Carolina by 13-14-18, with Owls (-9) winning 78-60 at home Jan 9- they were down 11 late in first half. East Carolina won as a 16-point underdog at Memphis Sunday, its first AAC win in seven tries. Pirates are 0-3 at home in AAC, losing by 3-24-15 points. Temple gave SMU its first loss Sunday; they're 2-1 on AAC road (wins by 7-2). AAC home underdogs are 6-7 vs spread.

Home side won all five A&M-Arkansas SEC games; Aggies lost by 11-6 in two visits here. Texas A&M won its last 10 games, only three were on road (wins by 1-4-34)- they waxed Hogs 92-69 at home Jan 2, going 11-26 on arc. SEC home dogs of less than 9 points are 4-9 vs spread. Arkansas lost last three games by 2-14-3; they're 2-8 vs top 100 teams, beating Evansville/Vandy- four of their last ten games went to overtime.

UMass lost its last five games, allowing 86.6 ppg; its only win in A-14 was by 7 at LaSalle. Minutemen lost last three games with St Joe's by 5-6-11 points, in series where home side won nine of last ten games. SJU is 12-1 in last 13 games, winning last five games; last four by 14+ points. Hawks won last two at home by 5-25. A-14 double digit home favorites are 8-5 vs spread. UMass lost last two road games by 30-12 points.

Clemson won five of last six games, with four wins at home, all against top 50 teams; they're 1-2 vs Pitt in ACC play, with road team winning last two meetings. Tigers are favored in ACC for first time this season. Pitt split last four games after starting season 13-1; they're 3-1 on road in ACC, winning by 11-5-23 points, with only loss to NC State. ACC home favorites of less than 5 points are 4-3 vs spread.

Virginia Tech lost its last two games by total of 7 points after 4-1 start in ACC, with all four wins by 5 or less points. Hokies lost 78-63 LY at Louisville, in teams' first ACC meeting- they're old Metro Conference rivals. Cardinals won last three games by 18-19-4 points; they're 2-2 on ACC road, winning by 5 at NC State, 4 at Georgia Tech. ACC home underdogs are 13-7 against the spread.

NC State won its last five games with Georgia Tech, beating Jackets in OT in last two meetings; Tech lost by 13-2 points in last two visits to Raleigh. Wolfpack are 1-6 in ACC with only win big upset at Pitt; they are 0-3 at home in ACC, losing by 5-7-10 points. ACC home favorites of less than 5 points are 4-3 vs spread. Tech is 0-3 on ACC road, losing by 8-5-8 points; they're 1-5 in ACC, after a 10-3 start to season.

Tulsa won its last five games after an 8-6 start, winning last two on road by 14-15 points; Hurricanes beat Houston three times LY, by 18-13-8 points, in first year as AAC rivals. Cougars lost last four games after a 13-2 start to season, scoring 61.3 ppg; they lost last two home games, go UConn/USF. AAC home teams are 3-6 vs spread if spread was 5 or less points. Houston is 2-5 vs top 100 teams; they've played schedule #311.

Baylor had 5-game win streak snapped by Oklahoma Saturday; they've won last two road games, by 5-3 points. Bears were 21-24 on foul line in 79-62 win over Oklahoma State Jan 5- series has been swept in three of last four years- Baylor is 2-10 in last 12 visits here. Cowboys lost five of last six games but are 2-1 at home in Big X, including a 19-point win over Kansas. Big X home underdogs are 5-8 vs spread.

Purdue won five of last seven games with Minnesota, but lost by 3-4 in last two visits here. Boilers are 4-3 in last seven games, with two losses to Iowa; they're 2-2 on Big 14 road, winning by 6 at Wisconsin, 50 at Rutgers. Minnesota lost its last nine games; five of the nine were home games, four by 9 or less points. Big 14 double digit home underdogs are 5-1 vs spread. Teams are shooting 55% inside arc against Minnesota.

Colorado won last five games with Stanford, winning by 21-6 last two years here. Buffaloes won first meeting 56-55 on Farm Jan 3; they're 2-1 at home in Pac-12, sweeping Oregon schools by 17-4 points, losing by basket to Utah. Stanford is 4-3 in Pac-12 but played five home games; they split two road games, losing by 13 at Oregon, winning at Oregon State. Pac-12 home favorites of 6+ points are 7-3 vs spread.

Home side won five of last six Irvine-Northridge games; Anteaters lost seven of last nine visits here, but won 80-49 here LY- UCI is 6-2 in last eight games overall vs Northridge. Matadors are 2-4 in league, losing by 15 to Long Beach, 3 to Riverside in three home games. UCI won its last six games; they're 2-0 on Big West road, winning by 4-9 at Long Beach, UCSB. Big West home underdogs are 2-3 vs spread.

Utah won three of last four games with Cal, losing 715-58 at Cal Jan 3; Utes are 4-1 in last five games since getting swept in Bay Area; they've split first two Pac-12 home games, vs Oregon schools. Pac-12 home favorites of 6 or less points are 6-8 vs spread. Cal Bears are 0-3 n Pac-12 road, losing by 3-6-6 points and that was before they lost PG Wallace, though they did sweep Arizona schools LW at home without him. .

Home side won six of last seven Boise State-UNLV games; Broncos' win here LY was their first in five games vs Rebels in Las Vegas. Rebels are 3-1 since changing coaches, getting upset in Reno Saturday; all three of their MW wins are by 12+ points- their losses are by 3 or less points. Mountain West home favorites of less than 6 points are 0-6 vs spread. Boise is 6-1 in league, losing only to San Diego State by 3 at home

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Wednesday, January 27

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
MISSOURI STATE vs. INDIANA STATE
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Missouri State's last 6 games when playing on the road against Indiana State
Missouri State is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Indiana State
Indiana State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Missouri State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana State's last 6 games when playing at home against Missouri State

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
AUBURN vs. MISSISSIPPI
Auburn is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Mississippi
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Auburn's last 6 games when playing on the road against Mississippi
Mississippi is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Mississippi's last 5 games

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. CLEMSON
Pittsburgh is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-9-2 ATS in its last 15 games on the road
Clemson is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Clemson's last 7 games

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
DEPAUL vs. BUTLER
DePaul is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Butler is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Butler's last 5 games at home

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
MASSACHUSETTS vs. SAINT JOSEPH'S
Massachusetts is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Massachusetts is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Saint Joseph's
Saint Joseph's is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Massachusetts
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Saint Joseph's last 9 games when playing at home against Massachusetts

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
FORDHAM vs. RHODE ISLAND
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Fordham's last 7 games on the road
Fordham is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Rhode Island is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Fordham
Rhode Island is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Fordham

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
SAINT LOUIS vs. DAYTON
Saint Louis is 2-13 ATS in its last 15 games on the road
Saint Louis is 2-16 SU in its last 18 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dayton's last 6 games when playing Saint Louis
Dayton is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Saint Louis

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
TEMPLE vs. EAST CAROLINA
Temple is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
East Carolina is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of East Carolina's last 5 games

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
RUTGERS vs. MICHIGAN
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Rutgers's last 8 games on the road
Rutgers is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Michigan's last 9 games
Michigan is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
ST. JOHN'S vs. SETON HALL
St. John's is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. John's last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seton Hall's last 7 games when playing St. John's
Seton Hall is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. John's

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:00 PM
TEXAS A&M vs. ARKANSAS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas A&M's last 5 games on the road
Texas A&M is 10-3-1 ATS in its last 14 games on the road
Arkansas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Texas A&M
Arkansas is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Texas A&M

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 7:45 PM
AUSTIN PEAY vs. MOREHEAD STATE
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Austin Peay's last 7 games when playing on the road against Morehead State
Austin Peay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Morehead State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Morehead State's last 5 games at home
Morehead State is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home

See more trends!
JANUARY 27, 8:00 PM
LOUISVILLE vs. VIRGINIA TECH
Louisville is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Louisville's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Virginia Tech's last 6 games
Virginia Tech is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home

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JANUARY 27, 8:00 PM
SOUTH FLORIDA vs. TULANE
South Florida is 1-20 SU in its last 21 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of South Florida's last 5 games on the road
Tulane is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against South Florida
Tulane is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games at home

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JANUARY 27, 8:00 PM
MURRAY STATE vs. EASTERN KENTUCKY
Murray State is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Murray State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Eastern Kentucky is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Murray State
Eastern Kentucky is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home

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JANUARY 27, 8:00 PM
TULSA vs. HOUSTON
Tulsa is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tulsa's last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tulsa
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tulsa

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JANUARY 27, 8:00 PM
GEORGIA TECH vs. NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Georgia Tech is 4-8-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing on the road against North Carolina St
Georgia Tech is 2-16 SU in its last 18 games when playing on the road against North Carolina St
The total has gone OVER in 9 of North Carolina State's last 12 games when playing Georgia Tech
North Carolina State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Georgia Tech

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
AIR FORCE vs. NEW MEXICO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Air Force's last 6 games when playing on the road against New Mexico
Air Force is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New Mexico
New Mexico is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
New Mexico is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
PURDUE vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Purdue's last 6 games on the road
Purdue is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Purdue
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Minnesota's last 20 games when playing Purdue

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
SAN JOSE STATE vs. COLORADO STATE
San Jose State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
San Jose State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Colorado State
Colorado State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Jose State
Colorado State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Jose State

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
LOYOLA OF CHICAGO vs. WICHITA STATE
Loyola of Chicago is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Wichita State's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Wichita State's last 5 games

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
STANFORD vs. COLORADO
Stanford is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Stanford is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing Stanford
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Stanford

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
NORTHERN IOWA vs. BRADLEY
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Northern Iowa's last 5 games when playing on the road against Bradley
Northern Iowa is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games when playing on the road against Bradley
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Bradley's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Bradley's last 6 games

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
STETSON vs. MARQUETTE
No trends available
Marquette is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Marquette's last 6 games at home

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
MISSOURI vs. KENTUCKY
Missouri is 8-15-2 ATS in its last 25 games on the road
Missouri is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Kentucky is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kentucky's last 9 games at home

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JANUARY 27, 9:00 PM
BAYLOR vs. OKLAHOMA STATE
Baylor is 3-19 SU in its last 22 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma State
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baylor's last 6 games when playing on the road against Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oklahoma State's last 6 games

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JANUARY 27, 10:00 PM
CS FULLERTON vs. UC DAVIS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of CS Fullerton's last 5 games when playing on the road against UC Davis
CS Fullerton is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against UC Davis
UC Davis is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home
UC Davis is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games

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JANUARY 27, 10:00 PM
UC IRVINE vs. CS NORTHRIDGE
UC Irvine is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against CS Northridge
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of UC Irvine's last 11 games when playing on the road against CS Northridge
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of CS Northridge's last 5 games when playing UC Irvine
CS Northridge is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing UC Irvine

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JANUARY 27, 11:00 PM
BOISE STATE vs. UNLV
Boise State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against UNLV
Boise State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
UNLV is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of UNLV's last 18 games

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JANUARY 27, 11:00 PM
CALIFORNIA vs. UTAH
California is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
California is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Utah is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Utah's last 7 games

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, January 27

Texas AM at Arkansas, 7:00 ET
Texas AM: 31-52 ATS after playing 2 consecutive home games
Arkansas: 15-4 ATS off a close road loss by 3 points or less

Louisville at Virginia Tech, 8:00 ET
Louisville: 3-14 ATS after one or more consecutive overs
Virginia Tech: 18-9 ATS against conference opponents

Missouri at Kentucky, 9:00 ET
Missouri: 3-11 ATS off a road loss
Kentucky: 10-2 UNDER after scoring 75 points or more 2 straight games

Baylor at Oklahoma State, 9:00 ET
Baylor: 15-4 OVER in road games after playing a game as a home favorite
Oklahoma St: 7-0 ATS in home games after playing a game as an underdog

Purdue at Minnesota, 9:00 ET
Purdue: 19-9 ATS after a conference game
Minnesota: 3-11 ATS off a home loss

Loyola Chicago at Wichita State, 9:00 ET
Loyola: 5-13 ATS after a game with 5 or less offensive rebounds
Wichita St: 17-7 ATS off a win against a conference rival

[StarDust Bum]

MY BEST BETS FOR WEDNESDAY

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


FOR at URI 07:00 PM

URI -10.0


TAM at ARK 07:00 PM

ARK +3.0


PITT at CLEM 07:00 PM

CLEM -1.5


USF at TULN 08:00 PM

USF +7.0


LOU at VT 08:00 PM

VT +9.5


GT at NCST 08:00 PM

NCST -4.5


TLSA at HOU 08:00 PM

TLSA - 1.0


SJSU at CSU 09:00 PM

CSU -12.0


BAY at OKST 09:00 PM

BAY -4.0


CSF at UCD 10:00 PM

UCD -2.0


CAL at UTAH 11:00 PM

UTAH -7.0


BSU at UNLV 11:00 PM

UNLV -3.5

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Fighting Irish (14-5) at Orange (13-8)
Date: January 28, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

After Notre Dame's collective heart dropped when its leading scorer went down, the Fighting Irish now believe they're prepared to move forward.

Coach Mike Brey has ruled Demetrius Jackson out Thursday night when No. 25 Notre Dame looks to match its longest conference winning streak since joining the ACC and end its recent struggles at Syracuse.

Jackson also could be sidelined for this weekend's home game against Wake Forest after he suffered a right hamstring injury in the opening minutes of Saturday's 76-49 victory over visiting Boston College.

Brey said an MRI earlier this week showed no further damage, but it's a short-term setback for a Notre Dame team seeking its fifth straight ACC victory. That would match the program's longest run from Jan. 14-28, 2015.

The junior guard had averaged 20.2 points while hitting 15 of 36 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range to go along with 6.2 assists over his previous six games.

'We have to be really, really careful with this," Brey said.

Steve Vasturia will take over the ball-handling duties after he stepped up with team highs of 16 points and four assists against the Eagles. Rex Pflueger is getting his first career start after contributing 11 points by hitting all three of his field-goal attempts and going 4 for 4 from the free-throw line.

"I think we've got some veteran guys and some maturity there," Brey said. "(Steve's) so poised that he will handle the ball. We play that way in practice when we settle Demetrius, so it's not completely foreign."

Vasturia, who has averaged 17.3 points and 4.3 assists in his last three, figures to be tested as Notre Dame (14-5, 5-2) looks to move within 1 1/2 games of unbeaten ACC leader North Carolina.

The Irish lead the league with a 49.9 field-goal percentage and 9.2 turnovers per game, but they've shot 38.1 percent and averaged 13.0 turnovers while losing their last four at the Carrier Dome.

Bonzie Colson had 16 points Feb. 24 when Notre Dame shot 34.7 percent and committed 14 turnovers in a 65-60 home loss in the most recent meeting. The sophomore is playing well heading into this contest, averaging 20.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in his last three.

Syracuse (13-8, 3-5) limited foes to 52.3 points per game and 34.2 percent shooting over three straight wins before taking a step back in Sunday's 73-65 loss at then-No. 13 Virginia. The Orange allowed a season-high 56.8 field-goal percentage and 8-of-18 shooting from 3-point range.

Michael Gbinije, a fifth-year graduate student, ranks among the national leaders with 53 steals while also averaging a team-high 17.4 points. The point guard scored 24 and hit 5 of 9 from 3-point range Sunday.

'Man, he's been our guy this year," said freshman Malachi Richardson, who added season highs of 23 points and six 3-pointers. "He's like our LeBron (James). He's making everything happen for us.'

Gbinije is likely to be guarded by Pflueger, who held Boston College leading scorer Eli Carter to 1-of-6 shooting in the second half. That helped the Irish allow a season-low 28.6 field-goal percentage overall.

Syracuse has split six games against ranked foes this season, including an 84-73 loss to the then-No. 6 Tar Heels in the only one at home Jan. 9.

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Preview: Hawkeyes (16-3) at Terrapins (17-3)
Date: January 28, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

A school widely selected as a Big Ten preseason favorite has run into plenty of trouble lately, and one considered a mid-pack challenger is winning the league and off to its best conference start in 46 years.

There'll be more foreign territory Thursday night as No. 3 Iowa visits College Park for the first time, needing to take down eighth-ranked Maryland for a 10th straight win to add to an already impressive resume.

"We know what we have to do, and when you're in a hostile environment, all you can do is stay poised," guard Anthony Clemmons told the school's official website.

Iowa (16-3, 7-0) has won six league games by double figures, including Sunday's 83-71 victory against then-No. 22 Purdue in which the Hawkeyes went on a 23-6 run to start the second half after trailing by two.

It was their nation-leading fifth win against the Top 25, and it amounts to their first nine-game winning streak since 2004-05. They last bettered that on an 11-game run in 1998-99, and Iowa last started 7-0 in the Big Ten in 1969-70 when it finished 14-0 for the regular-season title. Voters have taken notice and moved it into the top three for the first time since reaching third in December 1987.

"(Iowa has) been dominating the league so far," Maryland guard Melo Trimble said. "We know going into this game they're more talked about more than us - they're even ranked higher than us. So it's a great opportunity."

It's also a great opportunity to see two of the conference's best talents. Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff scored 22 against the Hawkeyes and is averaging 21.7 points while shooting 53.3 percent from 3-point range in his last six. Trimble, Maryland's leader with 14.5 points per game, has been more erratic with his scoring but had 24 in Saturday's 74-65 loss at then-No. 11 Michigan State. His scoring isn't the only thing that concerns Iowa.

"(Trimble) is just as dangerous when he's looking for shots for himself as he is when he's loading other people up," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "Those are the toughest guys to guard."

Maryland (17-3, 6-2) is 9-0 following a loss over the past two seasons. To keep that streak intact, the Terrapins almost certainly will have to rebound better than they have in their past two games.

In an overtime win against Northwestern on Jan. 19, Maryland gave up 16 offensive rebounds and finished with 18 fewer shots. Michigan State grabbed 17 offensive boards and outrebounded the Terrapins 46-36.

"It's a combination of everything," said coach Mark Turgeon, whose team is 11-0 at home with wins by an average of 18.7 points. "We haven't boxed out well, we've been outhustled for some. The Michigan State game, there were three or four that just bounced in their direction. But that's an excuse. We've got to do better on the boards."

Against the Spartans, Trimble and fellow guard Rasheed Sulaimon each grabbed seven rebounds, but frontcourt starters Jake Layman, Robert Carter Jr. and Damonte Dodd totaled seven.

That probably won't cut it against Iowa, though it also might not be as much of an issue considering the Hawkeyes' minus-1.3 margin ranks ninth in league play, four spots behind Maryland (3.3).

"It's a very fixable thing," Layman said. "It's not like the whole team is shooting terribly. It's just about boxing out for us right now and rebounding on the defensive end."

Maryland is 29-1 at home since the start of last season, including 13-0 in the Big Ten. The Terrapins are in third place in the conference also behind Indiana, and a loss in this one would seriously damage their bid to earn the top seed in the Big Ten tournament.

"I'll never say this early in the year it's a must-win," Turgeon insisted. "We'll be fired up to play. We'll be prepared to play. It's a great opportunity for us, playing a team that's playing as well as any anybody in the country. Just killing teams. A lot of games aren't really close."

It was Maryland who ran away with one last season - 71-55 at Iowa on Feb. 8 behind Trimble's 20.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Ducks (16-4) at Wildcats (16-4)
Date: January 28, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

For all of Arizona's struggles on the road, it certainly knows how to return home and take it out on seemingly anyone.

Oregon knows all about that having been trounced three times last season in home, away and neutral venues by the Wildcats, and any sort of retribution Thursday night in Tucson requires overcoming the nation's longest home winning streak.

Arizona won last season's meetings by an average of 26.6 points, the most lopsided a 90-56 final in Tucson exactly a year ago. Across the three games, the Wildcats shot 54.1 percent while limiting the Ducks to 38.5 with a plus-14.7 rebounding margin.

"Ever since we got beat here, there and in the Pac-12 (tournament), I can't wait," Oregon's Dillon Brooks said. "It's going to be a great game."

The 18th-ranked Wildcats (16-4, 4-3) have won 49 straight at home by an average of 22.5 points, but that's actually only included two ranked opponents - last season against then-No. 9 Gonzaga and then-No. 8 Utah.

This season's pummelings include a 22-point victory over Washington on Jan. 14 followed two days later by a 23-point win over Washington State. The freshest result, though, is Saturday's 74-73 loss at California - Arizona's third in four road games.

"Winning on the road, winning in a game like tonight, winning with the crowd they had, we would have had to play a terrific game," said Sean Miller, whose team plays seven of its last 11 at home. "We played a good game but we needed to play better."

Across conference play, home teams were 28-14 entering Wednesday with the league's 10 best going 26-8.

Oregon held serve with Saturday's 86-72 home victory over UCLA following an 89-81 home win over then-No. 21 USC two nights before. The No. 23 Ducks (16-4, 5-2), however, are 1-2 in Pac-12 road games and 10-11 since the start of 2013-14.

"It's tough on the road," said coach Dana Altman, who was previously the boss at Creighton and Kansas State. "And the thing that makes our league tougher on the road after being in the old Big 8 and Missouri Valley for all those years, when you always have to play two on the road, it's different.

"It's tough on the road. But that's college basketball."

The Ducks might have a shot if they continue their hot shooting. They've averaged 84.8 points and shot 50.6 percent, including 44.3 from 3-point range, over a 3-1 span. Brooks has scored 20.3 on 53.8 percent and is 7 of 16 from long range in that time.

They've also gotten more from fellow forward Chris Boucher, who's averaged 17.0 points and shot 68.4 percent in his last two. Oregon again expects to face size concerns, and the 6-foot-10 Boucher is its only starter over 6-7, while the Wildcats have most recently started three players between 6-9 and 7 feet.

"I think it's just my mindset of not giving up," said Boucher. "I know they're bigger than me. I can't really do anything about it. The best thing I can do is just work harder and run the floor, stuff that they can't do that I can do."

That wasn't enough last season to get Oregon anywhere near a manageable rebounding effort, and there's no reason to think it should change now. Arizona has outrebounded its two home conference opponents by an average of 14.5, and Oregon has conceded a 4.4 edge in three road contests.

Ryan Anderson is Arizona's main man on the glass with 10.0 per game, ranked second in the Pac-12, and he wasn't even around for last season's matchups. He also leads the Wildcats with 14.9 points per game and is averaging 17.0 while shooting 73.5 percent in his previous four.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Spartans (17-4) at Wildcats (15-6)
Date: January 28, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Having snapped its longest skid in three seasons, Michigan State is determined to continue heading in the right direction.

Following a much-needed victory over a top-10 opponent, the visiting No. 12 Spartans can send Northwestern to a fourth consecutive defeat Thursday night in its third of four straight games against ranked Big Ten foes.

Coming in a loser of three straight, including two at home, Michigan State (17-4, 4-4) overcame a season-low 36.1 percent shooting to beat then-No. 7 Maryland 74-65 on Saturday in East Lansing.

"We felt like we were on the bottom of the world," said star Denzel Valentine, who had 19 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. "But I think we're back."

Perhaps that'll be the case after Michigan State held the Terrapins to their second-worst shooting performance (38.6 percent) of the season, including 8 of 27 from 3-point range. The Spartans also owned a 17-9 advantage on the offensive boards.

"It feels great just to get over that hump," forward Kenny Gions said. "Every team has to go through it during the course of the season, but we got ours out of the way.

"Hopefully we can build off of this and keep going."

Though the Spartans have shot 41.8 percent in the last four games, three were at home. They've made 48.9 percent of their field-goal attempts while going 2-1 on the road this month and are 18 of 38 from beyond the arc in the last two.

Bryn Forbes, second on the team with 13.6 points per game, totaled 17 on 5-of-22 shooting during the losing streak, but he broke out for 25 while going 8 of 15 from the floor and hitting half of his eight 3-point attempts Saturday.

"We were going to Bryn right away and I felt like we had to do that," coach Tom Izzo said. "We had to get him going. The last few games he's really struggled, and yet every shot he's took was good ... I'm happy for him, too. There's no one that works harder at it."

Valentine has averaged 22.0 points in his last three games for the Spartans, who would appear to be in good position to keep the wins coming this week against struggling Northwestern (15-6, 3-5) and with lowly Rutgers on deck.

Michigan State has won five straight over the Wildcats and shot 46.1 percent from 3-point range over the last four meetings. It made a season-high 13 of 25 from long distance in last season's 68-44 win at Northwestern.

The Wildcats won 13 of their first 14 but have dropped five of seven and are 0-4 against ranked opponents. After falling at Maryland in overtime Jan. 19, Northwestern allowed then-No. 25 Indiana to shoot 52.6 percent in Saturday's 89-57 road defeat.

Next up is a visit to third-ranked Iowa on Sunday.

"That's the Big Ten for you," said coach Chris Collins, whose team has shot 38.1 percent and is 15 of 83 (18.1) from long range while going 1-4 at home in league play.

"There are going to be ebbs and flows and there might be a loose three in a row or maybe a winning stretch with four or five. It's a long journey of a season and this is definitely a tough stretch."

Bryant McIntosh, who leads the team with 15.1 points per game, has averaged 9.3 on 13-of-45 shooting and missed 10 of 11 3-point attempts in the last three contests. He was 2 of 12 for a season-low four points against the Hoosiers.

Tre Demps, averaging 14.1 points, totaled 43 against the Spartans last season.

[StarDust Bum]

Terps needs to rebound better vs. Iowa
January 27, 2016

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Maryland will be in rebound mode against Iowa on Thursday night - in more ways than one.

Coming off a 74-65 loss Saturday at Michigan State, the No. 8 Terrapins will seek to bounce back at home against third-ranked Iowa in a pivotal Big Ten matchup.

Maryland (17-3, 6-2) is 9-0 following a loss over the past two seasons. To keep that streak intact, the Terrapins almost certainly will have to rebound better than they have in their past two games.

In an overtime win against Northwestern on Jan. 19, Maryland gave up 16 offensive rebounds and finished with 18 fewer shots. Michigan State grabbed 17 misfires off the offensive glass and outrebounded the Terrapins 46-36 overall.

''It's a combination of everything,'' Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said Wednesday. ''We haven't boxed out well, we've been outhustled for some. The Michigan State game, there were three or four that just bounced in their direction. But that's an excuse. We've got to do better on the boards.''

Against the Spartans, guards Melo Trimble and Rasheed Sulaimon each grabbed seven rebounds, but frontcourt starters Jake Layman, Robert Carter Jr. and Damonte Dodd combined for seven boards.

That probably won't cut it against Iowa (16-3, 7-0).

''We've been trying to work on it,'' Layman said. ''It's a very fixable thing. It's not like the whole team is shooting terribly. It's just about boxing out for us right now and rebounding on the defensive end.''

Sometimes, it's more about grit than technique.

''What it comes down to is just being tougher than the other guy,'' Layman said. ''Against Michigan State, we definitely weren't the tougher one.''

Turgeon knows the Terrapins need to crash the boards to have a chance of ending Iowa's nine-game winning streak.

''Rebounding has definitely been an issue the last two games. It's something we continue to address, continue to work on,'' he said. ''Our guards are rebounding a little bit better. Hopefully our big guys can do a little bit better job of creating space and getting rebounds this game.''

Maryland is 29-1 at home since the start of last season, including 13-0 in the Big Ten. The Terrapins are currently in the third place in the conference behind Iowa and Indiana (7-1).

A loss in this one would seriously damage Maryland's bid to earn the top seed in the Big Ten tournament.

''I'll never say this early in the year it's a must-win,'' Turgeon insisted. ''We'll be fired up to play. We'll be prepared to play. It's a great opportunity for us, playing a team that's playing as well as any anybody in the country. Just killing teams. A lot of games aren't really close.''

Iowa has won six of its seven league games by double figures, including an 83-71 victory against Purdue on Sunday in which the Hawkeyes rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit.

''This is a game for us to bounce back and hopefully to get a win against a great team like Iowa, which has been dominating the league so far,'' Trimble said. ''We know going into this game they're more talked about more than us - they're even ranked higher than us. So it's a great opportunity.''

[StarDust Bum]

Guard Gbinije excelling for Orange
January 27, 2016

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) With one simple remark after losing to North Carolina, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim paid the ultimate compliment to Michael Gbinije when asked whether Gbinije was tired at the end of the game.

''He's not coming out'' of games during crunch time, Boeheim said.

As his final college season enters its stretch run, the fifth-year graduate student is in a good place at last. He has gone from bench warmer at Duke to go-to guy for the Orange (13-8, 3-5 ACC). At the midpoint of the conference season, Gbinije was averaging 17.4 points and logging an average of nearly 38 minutes a game, both tops on the team.

''The game became a lot easier,'' said Gbinije, who has scored in double figures in 22 straight games, tops in the ACC. ''My IQ has gotten a lot better. I'm playing more confident, having more fun.''

Five years ago, Gbinije was a high school star for Virginia powerhouse Benedictine and opted to play for coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. But after too much watching - he saw action in only eight conference games and scored just 33 points his entire freshman season - Gbinije decided to transfer and chose Syracuse.

After sitting the 2012-13 season because of NCAA transfer rules but practicing with a Syracuse team that won 30 games and reached the Final Four, the lanky 6-foot-7 Gbinije began a steady climb to the top.

In 2013-14, he never started but played in every game, taking turns at guard and forward, and averaged 3.4 points with 41 assists and 17 turnovers. Last season, he began to display the talent that made him a top recruit in high school. Inserted into the starting lineup for the first time, he boosted his production to 12.7 points per game, hitting 49 of 125 from behind the arc to go with 107 assists and 64 turnovers, and emerged as a leader.

This year as the starting point guard, Gbinije has become the focal point of the Orange attack. And even with his impressive offensive numbers - Gbinije was a force in the first 10 games of the season, hitting 64 of 115 (55.6 percent) of his shots, 34 of 67 (50.7) from behind the arc - his defense has not suffered. His 53 steals lead the team by a wide margin.

''Mike has improved as much or more as any player that I've ever coached,'' said Boeheim, who has accepted only a handful of transfers in 40 seasons.

''He came in as a small forward that didn't handle the ball that well, didn't shoot the ball that well, to be honest. There's a reason he didn't play (at Duke),'' he said. ''Last year he really started to show what he could do,''

''I think he still didn't get to where he is now because I don't think he really believed `I'm one of the best players in this league,''' Boeheim said.

Coach K can vouch that he is now.

In a home loss last year to Duke, which went on to win the national championship, Gbinije was 5 of 8 on 3-pointers in a 10-for-14 shooting display for a career-high 27 points. And in an important road victory last week over the Blue Devils, he had 14 points and a career-high nine assists, playing an integral role in helping Orange forward Tyler Roberson have a breakout game with 14 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.

After that impressive start to the season, Gbinije slumped once ACC play began as defenses focused on his every move for a team that has relied heavily on its perimeter game. When those outside shots stopped falling, he resorted to the easiest solution - five dunks on smooth drives through the lane in a win at Wake Forest.

As Syracuse prepared for a big game on Thursday night at home game against No. 25 Notre Dame (14-5, 5-2), Gbinije, a creative and unselfish passer, was back in form. Over the previous four games he was 24 of 43 (55.8) shooting, 7 for 14 from long range the past two. He's also found some consistency at the free throw line, converting 15 of 19 over the past five games after struggling all season.

''It's a great story, a transfer that has gone and reinvented himself,'' Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. ''He is such a veteran, poised guard. He's just so comfortable in the Syracuse system right now. He's extremely confident. It's a great challenge for us the way he's playing.''

Added Orange freshman Malachi Richardson: ''Man, he's been our guy this year. He's like our LeBron. He's making everything happen for us.''

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday's Top Action
January 28, 2016


NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (14-5) at SYRACUSE ORANGE (13-8)

Carrier Dome – Syracuse, NY
Tip-off: Thursday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Syracuse -2.5, 141

Former Big East rivals Syracuse and Notre Dame tangle once again, as the No. 25 Fighting Irish look to win in the Carrier Dome against the Orange for the first time since 2007.

Coach Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish will be looking for some payback on the Orange’s home floor after being upset at home last season 65-60 (Notre Dame -8.5) as the No. 9 team in the nation to unranked Syracuse. Again, Notre Dame enters this game in the national rankings, but if they’re to return the favor against the Orange, the Fighting Irish will have to do it without leading scorer, G Demetrius Jackson. Jackson, who averaged 17.6 PPG and 5.3 APG until Saturday’s win over Boston College, injured his hamstring moments into that contest and didn’t record any points, rebounds, or assists.

The Irish do come in as winners of four straight (2-1-1 ATS) and are 3-1 SU (3-1 ATS) on the road this season, including a win at Duke on Feb 16th. Syracuse is 3-2 SU (4-1 ATS) since getting their hall of fame head coach, Jim Boeheim, back on the bench after his NCAA sanctions.

After dropping his first game back, at home to North Carolina, the Orange reeled off three straight wins which included a road win at Duke as well. Syracuse couldn’t pull off the road sweep of two nationally ranked teams, as they most recently fell at Virginia on Sunday, 73-65 (Syracuse +9.5). Syracuse has opened this season with only one conference home win (1-2 SU) over last place Boston College.

Historically, Syracuse is 14-6 SU (10-9-1 ATS) since 2001 against Notre Dame, with the two teams playing consistently as former Big East and current ACC rivals. Notre Dame is 3-13 SU (8-7-1 ATS) in the Carrier Dome dating back to 1996, and has never been a road favorite against Syracuse in that span. The total in this rivalry has been UNDER for six games straight now, dating back to 2010.

Thankfully Notre Dame was playing cellar-dweller, Boston College, when Jackson pulled up lame with his hamstring issues. The Fighting Irish easily dispatched of the Eagles, 76-49 (Notre Dame -19.5) on the strength of stifling defense (BC shot 28.6% FG) and impeccable free throw shooting (25-27 FT).

While it will be interesting to see how the normally efficient (1.17 Points per possession, 10th NCAA) Fighting Irish attack the vaunted Syracuse 2-3 Zone without their point guard, coach Brey’s teams have historically always been very careful with the ball and shot selection, regardless of personnel, and this year’s team is no different (9.2 TO/G, 2nd NCAA; 49.9% FG, 9th NCAA).

In Jackson’s absence, Brey turned to G Steve Vasturia (12.8 PPG, 3.3 APG, 50% FG) to run the point, and while not a pure point guard, Vasturia produced 16 points and four assists in Saturday’s win. More of an offensive load will also fall on double-double machine, F Zach Auguste (13.9 PPG, 10.1 RPG). During Notre Dame’s current four-game winning streak, Auguste is averaging 16.8 PPG and 10.8 RPG. Maybe most importantly, Auguste has stayed on the court for 30+ minutes in all four wins.

F Bonzie Colson (12.6 PPG, 7 RPG) is the x-factor of this Notre Dame team, and could be just the mismatch that Syracuse loathes in the middle of their zone. Colson has the strength of a power forward, the quickness of a guard, and doesn’t shy away from contact. Catching the ball in the middle of the zone and given a step for a head full of steam to the basket could be bad news for the Orange trying to contain Colson on Thursday, as he won’t shy away from big games (31 points at Duke).

F V.J. Beachem (11 PPG, 42% 3PT) would normally be a big key against a team like Syracuse, but coach Brey’s sharpshooter has really struggled lately (6 PPG, 2-12 3PT over his last four games).

Syracuse catches a slight break, avoiding Jackson in this game, but given how poorly they’ve defended the interior against the likes of teams with only one paint presence -- Duke’s Marshall Plumlee and Virginia’s Anthony Gill (35 points, 25 rebounds, 14-22 FG combined) -- taking on Auguste and Colson together could yield frightening results on the glass.

The lone inside force for Syracuse is F Tyler Roberson (10 PPG, 9 RPG), he of 14 points and 20 rebounds in the win over Duke two Mondays ago. Boeheim can’t ask that of Roberson every game and, predictably, Roberson was human in the loss to Virginia on Sunday (6 points, 7 rebounds, 4 fouls). Syracuse will have to continue their consistency beyond the arc (40% 3PT or better in last three games) if they’re to defeat the Fighting Irish, who are very suspect defending the arc (39.1% 3PT allowed, 330th NCAA).

It was G Trevor Cooney (13.7 PPG, 2.8 3PM) who sank Notre Dame in South Bend last season, as Cooney hit two back-breaking threes to put Syracuse ahead to stay down the stretch. Cooney was 10-20 from three on the road in wins over Wake Forest and Duke just 10 days ago before cooling for a 2-8 performance at Virginia. In addition to Cooney, G Michael Gbinije (17.4 PPG, 4.5 APG) and G Malachi Richardson (13.4 PPG) both average more than two threes per game, as while Syracuse only averages 70.4 PPG (211th NCAA), they get 37.9% of their points from threes (17th NCAA).

In the Orange’s last three games, they’ve gotten a staggering 48.1% of their total points from shots beyond the arc. While it was in a loss, the freshman Richardson really looks to be coming into his own, as he led Syracuse with 23 points (6-10 3PT) on Sunday at Virginia against their vaunted “pack line” defense that usually stifles perimeter threats.

OREGON DUCKS (16-4) at ARIZONA WILDCATS (16-4)

McKale Center – Tuscon, Arizona
Tip-off: Thursday, 9:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Arizona -7.5, 152

Top 25 Pac-12 rivals meet as No. 23 Oregon visits Tucson hoping to avenge three lopsided defeats against Arizona last season.

The No. 18 Wildcats will have had four days to ****** their 74-73 (Arizona -2.5) loss to undermanned California last Saturday. Thankfully, the Wildcats return home to the McKale Center where they’re 11-0 SU (7-4 ATS).

Saturday’s defeat was Arizona’s first loss without injured freshman G Allonzo Trier (14.8 PPG) who was really coming into his own before breaking his hand in the Wildcats’ epic 103-101 loss against USC on Jan. 9th. Trier is doubtful for the game Thursday night. Without Trier, Arizona held serve to defeat Washington and Washington State, scoring 90+ points in each game, while also going to Palo Alto and beating Stanford on the road, 71-57. Arizona went 3-0 ATS in that span before the loss at Cal on Saturday.

Oregon is 1-2 SU (1-2 ATS) on the road in Pac-12 play, their lone victory coming against Utah on January 14th. The Ducks lost at Colorado, 91-87 (PK) on January 17th before reeling off two home victories last week against USC (89-81, Oregon -5) and UCLA (86-72, Oregon -6.5) respectively.

Oregon comes into this matchup with Arizona having been pasted three times last season by the Wildcats by an average defeat of 26.6 points. Oregon is 4-16 SU (10-10 ATS) when facing off against Arizona away from Eugene. The total when Oregon plays Arizona has gone UNDER in six of the last seven meetings.

Coach Dana Altman’s Ducks come into this contest averaging 76.8 PPG against Division 1 opponents (83rd NCAA), on the strength of turning their defense into offense (6.1 BPG, 7th NCAA; 7.6 SPG, 41st NCAA vs D1 opponents). Oregon excels getting into the paint, shooting 52.1% inside the arc (57th NCAA vs D1 opponents), as unsurprisingly that plays into the strength of their three best players, F Dillon Brooks (16.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG), F Chris Boucher (12.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.3 BPG), and F Elgin Cook (13.5 PPG).

The Ducks will need improved play from freshman G Tyler Dorsey (13.4 PPG, 45% 3PT) if they’re to reverse their downward recent trend against the Wildcats, as he’s their key perimeter threat but only has 14 points over his last two games. Brooks has emerged as the leader of Altman’s offense as of late, upping his scoring to 18.7 PPG (57% FG) over his last three games. Steady sophomore G Casey Benson (6.1 PPG, 3.3 APG) doesn’t fill the box score, but he plays 27.9 minutes per game and is 9-16 3PT over his last five games.

Senior F Dwayne Benjamin (8.7 PPG) is always liable to have a big game, but his inconsistency makes those games impossible to predict. After going for 26 points (6-11 3PT) as Oregon split with Colorado and USC, Benjamin slipped back into anonymity in the win over UCLA (4 points in 14 minutes).

Coach Sean Miller has done a masterful job mixing personnel this season to deal with injuries, first to C Kaleb Tarczewski (10.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG) and now to Trier. Arizona isn’t the top 10 powerhouse they were last year, oozing with NBA talent, but Miller’s work with this squad shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Speaking of the big man, since Tarczewski has returned, he’s played the best basketball of his career. His last five games speak for themselves, with averages of 13 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Tarczewski has six straight games with double-figure scoring.

F Ryan Anderson (14.9 PPG, 10 RPG) is the steady leader of the Wildcats, as the Boston College transfer is seemingly a lock to stuff the box score for numbers always consistently close to his season average. Anderson and Tarczewski combine to lead an offense that shoots 49.3% FG versus D1 opponents (9th NCAA). That said, without Trier in the lineup, Anderson hasn’t looked for his shot more often, as he hasn’t attempted more than 10 FG in a game in 2016, a trend that may continue against Oregon’s stingy defense in the paint.

Picking up the slack in Trier’s scoring absence has been G Kadeem Allen (9.0 PPG, 3.7 APG) who’s averaged 11.3 PPG over his last eight games. G Gabe York (13.9 PPG, 44% 3PT) has been as steady in the backcourt as Anderson has been up front for Miller’s Wildcats, but while the points have been there, York’s efficiency has been waning with more shots to go around (38% FG over his last four games).

G Parker Jackson-Cartwright (4.8 PPG, 3.9 APG) has soaked up many of Trier’s extra minutes and has averaged 6.8 APG over his last four games, providing Miller with a pure point guard option when he’s on the floor.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday's Tip Sheet
January 28, 2016


**Iowa at Maryland**

-- Iowa (16-3 straight up, 10-6 against the spread) will hit the road tonight to put its unbeaten Big Ten record on the line against Maryland. As early this morning, most betting shops had the Terrapins listed as four-point favorites.

-- Fran McCaffrey’s squad looks the part of a legit Final Four contender and at this point, it would be somewhat shocking if Iowa doesn’t end its Sweet 16 drought that extends back to 1999. After that season, Iowa forced Dr. Tom Davis, its all-time winningest coach, into retirement by not renewing his contract.

-- Iowa has won nine in a row and hasn’t tasted defeat since blowing a 20-point lead in an 83-82 loss at Iowa State. The Hawkeyes captured an 83-71 win over Purdue on Sunday in Iowa City. They easily covered the number as 2.5-point home favorites. Jared Uthoff led the way with 22 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Adam Woodbury produced 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Anthony Clemmons contributed 10 points, six assists, two steals and only one turnover.

-- Iowa is No. 8 in the RPI Rankings, going 2-2 versus the Top 25 and 7-3 against the Top 50. The Hawkeyes have beaten Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue by double-digit margins at home. They’ve also won by 17 against the Spartans at Breslin Center, blasted Wichita St. by 23 on a neutral court and also knocked off Purdue in West Lafayette.

-- Iowa’s three losses have come by just 12 combined points in Ames and in a pair of neutral-court games against Dayton and Notre Dame.

-- Maryland (17-3 SU, 9-11 ATS) is undefeated in 11 home games with a 4-7 spread record. The Terrapins return to College Park after losing Saturday at Michigan St. by a 74-65 count as 3.5-point underdogs. In the losing effort, the Terps were destroyed on the boards by a 44-32 margin. Melo Trimble finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Robert Carter had 13 points and five boards before fouling out.

-- Maryland is No. 10 in the RPI despite being winless against RPI Top-50 opponents. The Terps’ two other defeats came in Chapel Hill and Ann Arbor. They have scalped Top-100 foes like Georgetown, UConn, Princeton, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

-- Trimble is the catalyst for Mark Turgeon’s team. The sophomore point guard is averaging team-highs in scoring (14.4 points per game), assists (5.6 APG) and steals (1.3 SPG). Carter is averaging 13.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. The transfer from Ga. Tech has a team-best 31 blocked shots. Diamond Stone, the five-star recruit and true freshman center, has a 13.2 PPG average and is also pulling down 5.5 boards per contest.

-- Maryland has shooters galore, evidenced by its field-goal percentage (50.3%) that ranks fifth in the country. The Terps are seventh in the nation in free-throw shooting (76.3%).

-- The ‘under’ is 10-9 overall for the Terps, 6-5 in their home games.

-- The ‘over’ is 10-6 overall for Iowa, 3-2 in its five road assignments.

-- In the only previous meeting between these schools, Maryland went to Iowa City last year and took woodshed treatment in the form of a 71-55 defeat. Trimble scored 20 points in the loss.

-- ESPN will provide the broadcast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

**Oregon at Arizona**

-- As of early this morning, most books had Arizona (16-4 SU, 11-9 ATS) listed as a 7.5-point favorite. The Wildcats are one-game back of the league’s co-leaders, Oregon and Washington, both of whom are 5-2 in conference play.

-- Oregon (16-4 SU, 10-7 ATS) posted back-to-back home wins over USC and UCLA this past Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Ducks dropped Southern Cal by an 89-81 count as 4.5-point favorites before beating UCLA 86-72 as 6.5-point ‘chalk.’

-- Dillon Brooks scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Bruins. Chris Boucher finished with 18 points, 10 boards and four blocked shots, while Elgin Cook added 17 points, five rebounds, one steal and six assists compared to only one turnover.

-- Brooks is scoring at a team-best 16.2 PPG clip and is also bringing down 6.5 RPG. Boucher is averaging 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per game. The 6’10” junior is converting a team-high 54.8 percent of his attempts from the field.

-- Oregon is No. 4 in the RPI Rankings with eight wins over the Top 50 and nine against the Top 54. The Ducks own quality home wins over Baylor, Valpo, UC Irvine, California, Stanford, USC, and UCLA. They also won by 18 at Utah and beat Alabama on a neutral court. Oregon’s losses have come at Oregon State, at Colorado, at Boise State and vs. UNLV on a neutral floor.

-- Arizona is undefeated in 11 home games with a 7-4 spread record. The Wildcats return home this week after splitting a pair of road games at Stanford and at Cal last week.

-- Cal snapped Arizona’s three-game winning streak in Saturday’s 74-73 win as a two-point home underdog. Gabe York scored a team-best 15 points for UA, but he made only 6-of-17 shots and committed three turnovers compared to just one assist. Ryan Anderson tallied 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

-- Sean Miller’s team is No. 29 in the RPI Rankings and in need of some quality wins to bolster its profile. Arizona has faced five Top-50 foes and won only once. The Wildcats’ best win is at Stanford (RPI: 46). They have Top-100 triumphs over Boise St. (twice), Washington, Arizona State and Gonzaga. The wins over ASU and Gonzaga came in true road games.

-- UA’s four losses have been by 10 combined points at UCLA, at USC, at Cal and vs. Providence on a neutral court.

-- Arizona is led by Anderson, the transfer from Boston College who is averaging 14.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Anderson is draining 56.6 percent of his shots from the field and 40.0 percent from long distance.

--Arizona is still without its second-leading scorer in Allonzo Trier, who was scoring at a 14.8 PPG clip before breaking his hand nearly three weeks ago. Trier, a true freshman guard, is expected to miss a few more weeks.

--Arizona has been a single-digit favorite seven times this year, compiling a 3-4 record both SU and ATS. This is the Wildcats’ first single-digit home ‘chalk’ spot, though.

--Oregon has been an underdog four times, going 3-1 ATS with a pair of outright victories.

--Arizona dominated Oregon in three head-to-head meetings last year, winning by scores of 80-52, 90-56 and 80-62.

--The ‘under’ has cashed in back-to-back games between these schools and six of the last seven.

--The ‘under’ is 10-7 overall for the Ducks, 3-1 in their road outings.

--The ‘over’ is 14-6 overall for the Wildcats, 9-2 in their home games. The ‘over’ has hit in eight of their last nine outings.

--Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

-- Clemson covered the spread for the eighth straight time last night in a 73-60 win over Pittsburgh as a 1.5-point home favorite. The Tigers have won outright in six of their last seven games.

-- After missing Saturday’s loss at Mississippi St. due to a hamstring injury, Ole Miss star guard Stefan Moody returned to the court last night to lead his team past Auburn, 80-63. The Rebels, who took the cash as 6.5-point home favorites, trailed the Tigers 30-29 at intermission. However, it was all Andy Kennedy’s club in the final 20 minutes. Moody hit 6-of-12 from 3-point range and dished out five assists compared to merely one turnover. Marcanvis Hymon added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

-- Boise State raced out to a 40-32 halftime advantage at UNLV last night, but the Rebels outscored the Broncos by 18 in the second half to capture an 87-77 win as 3.5-point home favorites. The 164 combined points jumped ‘over’ the 150-point total. BSU lost for just the second time in 14 games. Meanwhile, the Runnin’ Rebels won for the fourth time in five games under interim coach Todd Simon. Patrick McCaw scored a game-high 25 points despite fouling out early and logging just 29 minutes of playing time. McCaw buried 5-of-6 attempts from downtown.

-- Monmouth returns to the court tonight to play at Quinnipiac. The Hawks, who are No. 40 in the RPI Rankings, can’t afford another bad loss in order to garner an at-large NCAA Tournament invite. They beat the Bobcats 88-74 at home a few weeks ago. The Hawks are favored by 11.5 tonight.

-- Washington is a six-point underdog tonight at UCLA. The Huskies have won outright in five of nine games as underdogs this year. They have seen the ‘over’ go 10-1 in their last 11 games.

-- Utah covered in a 73-64 win over California as a seven-point home favorite last night.

-- Arkansas pulled an upset last night at Bud Walton Arena where it clipped Texas A&M 74-71 as a three-point home underdog.

-- Virginia Tech lost a 91-83 decision to Louisville as a 10-point home underdog. The Hokies covered the spread for the fifth time in a row and the seventh time in eight games.