The Bum's 2016 NCAA Basketball News-Trends-Picks !

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB
Dunkel

Tuesday, February 7


Siena @ Iona

Game 761-762
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Siena
55.856
Iona
56.585
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Iona
by 1
147
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Iona
by 6 1/2
153
Dunkel Pick:
Siena
(+6 1/2); Under

San Diego St @ San Jose St

Game 759-760
February 7, 2017 @ 11:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Diego St
64.070
San Jose St
53.677
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Diego St
by 10 1/2
146
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Diego St
by 6 1/2
137
Dunkel Pick:
San Diego St
(-6 1/2); Over

Michigan State @ Michigan

Game 757-758
February 7, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Michigan State
69.098
Michigan
69.188
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Michigan State
Even
145
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Michigan
by 4
145
Dunkel Pick:
Michigan State
(+4); Over

Iowa State @ Texas

Game 755-756
February 7, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Iowa State
65.444
Texas
72.057
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas
by 6 1/2
134
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Iowa State
by 3
140
Dunkel Pick:
Texas
(+3); Under

Texas Tech @ TCU

Game 753-754
February 7, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Texas Tech
70.014
TCU
65.867
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Texas Tech
by 4
147
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
TCU
by 3 1/2
137 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Texas Tech
(+3 1/2); Over

Butler @ Marquette

Game 751-752
February 7, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Butler
65.544
Marquette
72.013
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Marquette
by 6 1/2
146
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Marquette
by 1 1/2
156 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Marquette
(-1 1/2); Under

Utah State @ Colorado State

Game 749-750
February 7, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Utah State
59.271
Colorado State
60.894
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado State
by 1 1/2
144
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado State
by 5 1/2
138 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Utah State
(+5 1/2); Over

Mississippi State @ Auburn

Game 747-748
February 7, 2017 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Mississippi State
61.050
Auburn
68.597
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Auburn
by 7 1/2
150
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Auburn
by 5
158
Dunkel Pick:
Auburn
(-5); Under

Vanderbilt @ Arkansas

Game 745-746
February 7, 2017 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vanderbilt
60.720
Arkansas
72.121
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arkansas
by 11 1/2
141
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Arkansas
by 4
154
Dunkel Pick:
Arkansas
(-4); Under

Illinois State @ Drake

Game 743-744
February 7, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Illinois State
66.512
Drake
50.550
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Illinois State
by 16
132
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Illinois State
by 8
139
Dunkel Pick:
Illinois State
(-8); Under

St Joseph's @ Dayton

Game 741-742
February 7, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St Joseph's
53.543
Dayton
72.937
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dayton
by 19 1/2
139
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dayton
by 14 1/2
135
Dunkel Pick:
Dayton
(-14 1/2); Over

Illinois @ Northwestern

Game 739-740
February 7, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Illinois
65.785
Northwestern
67.670
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Northwestern
by 2
142
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Northwestern
by 6
132
Dunkel Pick:
Illinois
(+6); Over

Syracuse @ Clemson

Game 737-738
February 7, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Syracuse
70.279
Clemson
65.654
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Syracuse
by 4 1/2
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Clemson
by 3 1/2
146 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Syracuse
(+3 1/2); Over

Tulsa @ Memphis

Game 735-736
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tulsa
54.918
Memphis
66.847
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Memphis
by 12
152
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Memphis
by 7
141 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Memphis
(-7); Over

Georgetown @ Villanova

Game 733-734
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Georgetown
70.468
Villanova
76.084
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Villanova
by 5 1/2
139
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Villanova
by 13 1/2
142
Dunkel Pick:
Georgetown
(+13 1/2); Under

Maryland @ Penn State

Game 731-732
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Maryland
64.197
Penn State
68.647
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Penn State
by 4 1/2
129
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Maryland
by 3 1/2
143 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Penn State
(+3 1/2); Under

Wake Forest @ Notre Dame

Game 729-730
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Wake Forest
63.064
Notre Dame
77.583
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Notre Dame
by 14 1/2
142
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Notre Dame
by 6 1/2
162
Dunkel Pick:
Notre Dame
(-6 1/2); Under

Rhode Island @ Massachusetts

Game 727-728
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Rhode Island
65.598
Massachusetts
56.997
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Rhode Island
by 8 1/2
136
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Rhode Island
by 5 1/2
145
Dunkel Pick:
Rhode Island
(-5 1/2); Under

Western Michigan @ Miami-OH

Game 725-726
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Western Michigan
47.643
Miami-OH
55.776
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Miami-OH
by 8
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Western Michigan
by 1 1/2
152 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Miami-OH
(+1 1/2); Over

Ball State @ Akron

Game 723-724
February 7, 2017 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ball State
51.779
Akron
59.362
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Akron
by 7 1/2
167
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Akron
by 9 1/2
160
Dunkel Pick:
Ball State
(+9 1/2); Over

Eastern Michigan @ Toledo

Game 721-722
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Eastern Michigan
53.890
Toledo
54.183
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Eastern Michigan
Even
142
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toledo
by 2 1/2
151 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Eastern Michigan
(+2 1/2); Under

Central Michigan @ Ohio

Game 719-720
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Central Michigan
52.753
Ohio
63.379
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Ohio
by 10 1/2
161
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Ohio
by 8 1/2
172 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Ohio
(-8 1/2); Under

Bowling Green @ Kent State

Game 717-718
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Bowling Green
54.451
Kent State
53.494
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Bowling Green
by 1
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kent State
by 8 1/2
150
Dunkel Pick:
Bowling Green
(+8 1/2); Over

Princeton @ Pennsylvania

Game 715-716
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Princeton
57.752
Pennsylvania
59.869
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pennsylvania
by 2
144
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Princeton
by 6 1/2
132 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Pennsylvania
(+6 1/2); Over

Florida @ Georgia

Game 713-714
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida
73.755
Georgia
72.051
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Florida
by 1 1/2
129
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Florida
by 5 1/2
139
Dunkel Pick:
Georgia
(+5 1/2); Under

Northern Illinois @ Buffalo

Game 711-712
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Northern Illinois
59.867
Buffalo
60.234
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Northern Illinois
Even
151
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Buffalo
by 6
143
Dunkel Pick:
Northern Illinois
(+6); Over

LSU @ Kentucky

Game 709-710
February 7, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LSU
55.479
Kentucky
72.545
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Kentucky
by 17
156
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kentucky
by 25 1/2
175 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
LSU
(+25 1/2); Under

Alabama @ South Carolina

Game 707-708
February 7, 2017 @ 6:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Alabama
60.718
South Carolina
75.275
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
South Carolina
by 14 1/2
146
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Alabama
by 6 1/2
128 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
South Carolina
(-6 1/2); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Profitable day for NCAAB home teams on Monday.

Home Teams: 9-2-1 ATS (81.82%)

Home Faves: 7-2 ATS (77.78%)

Home Dogs: 2-0-1 ATS (100%)

[StarDust Bum]

NCAAB

Tuesday, February 7

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday’s NCAAB Game of the Day: Butler at Marquette
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After winning seven of eight to rise to the top of the Big East, the Bulldogs suffered consecutive home losses to Georgetown and Creighton.

Butler Bulldogs at Marquette Golden Eagles (-1.5, 154.5)

Marquette was able to stop an ill-timed two-game losing streak last time out, and now No. 21 Butler will try to do the same when it visits the Golden Eagles for a Big East affair Tuesday night. After winning seven of eight to rise to the top of the Big East, the Bulldogs suffered consecutive home losses to Georgetown and Creighton, and coach Chris Holtmann seems to be searching for some leadership.

"I just think from our seniors, we need more out of that group," Holtmann told the media after the 76-67 loss to the Bluejays last Tuesday. "I've got do a better of job of giving them opportunities for that." Some of that leadership was evident when Butler stormed back from an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat Marquette 88-80 on Jan. 16. The Golden Eagles snapped a two-game slide with a 92-79 win at DePaul on Saturday, the sixth time in Big East play that they've scored at least 80 points. The nation's second-ranked 3-point shooting unit entering Monday (42.6 percent) made 14 of its 22 attempts - five by reserve guard Andrew Rowsey - against the Blue Demons.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

LINE HISTORY: A couple of books opened Marquette as one-point favorites over their visiting, ranked opponent from Butler, however, early Tuesday that line was bumped up to -1.5. The total hit the board at 154.5 and has yet to move. Check out the complete line history here.

INJURY REPORT:

Bulldogs - No injuries to report.

Golden Eagles - No injuries to report.

POWER RANKINGS: Butler (-13.3) - Marquette (-4.4) + home court (-3) = Butler -6

ABOUT BUTLER (18-5 SU, 13-8 ATS, 9-10-2 O/U): While Holtmann looks for upperclassmen to step up, he continues to receive solid play from freshman guard Kamar Baldwin, who is averaging 12.5 points in Big East play after scoring a team-high 14 versus Creighton. Leading scorers Kelan Martin (16.3) and Andrew Chrabascz (11.2) were a combined 8-for-25 from the floor and 1-for-9 from 3-point distance. Martin also had four of the team's 13 turnovers, their highest total since Jan. 1.

ABOUT MARQUETTE (15-8 SU, 12-11 ATS, 13-10 O/U): Rowsey has scored at least 21 points in three straight games while making 12-of-20 from 3-point range. The surge has pushed his scoring average to 11.0, making the Golden Eagles one of two teams in the country - along with UCLA - with at least six players in double figures. Freshman Markus Howard, who had a personal-best 26 points against Butler last month, and senior Jajuan Johnson lead the way with 12 points a game.

TRENDS:

* Bulldogs are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight up loss.
* Golden Eagles are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
* Over is 4-1 in Bulldogs last 5 games as a road underdog.
* Over is 6-1 in Golden Eagles last 7 games as a home favorite of 0.5-6.5.
* Bulldogs are 6-1-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings.

CONSENSUS: 56 percent of users are siding with the road underdog Butler Bulldogs and at the time of publication for this preview there were no picks on the total.

[StarDust Bum]

TOP 25 BEST BETS:

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MD at PSU 06:00 PM

PSU +4.0

U 142.0

ALA at SCAR 06:30 PM

SCAR -7.5

O 130.0

GTWN at VILL 07:00 PM

GTWN +14.5

U 142.5

FLA at UGA 07:00 PM

UGA +6.0

U 139.0

LSU at UK 07:00 PM

LSU +24.5

U 172.0

BUT at MARQ 09:00 PM

MARQ -1.5

U 152.5

[StarDust Bum]

BEST OF THE REST:

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BALL at AKR 06:00 PM

BALL +9.0

O 156.0

EMU at TOL 07:00 PM

EMU +2.5

U 153.0

NIU at BUFF 07:00 PM

NIU +5.5

O 141.5

URI at MASS 07:00 PM

URI -5.5

U 145.0

CMU at OHIO 07:00 PM

OHIO -8.5

U 170.0

WAKE at ND 07:00 PM

ND -6.5

U 158.5

PRIN at PENN 07:00 PM

PENN +6.0

O 135.0

SIE at IONA 07:00 PM

SIE +5.5

U 153.5

BGSU at KENT 07:00 PM

BGSU +8.0

O 152.0

TLSA at MEM 07:00 PM

MEM -8.0

O 140.5

WMU at M-OH 07:00 PM

M-OH +2.0

O 147.5

SYR at CLEM 08:00 PM

SYR +4.0

O 144.5

ILL at NW 08:00 PM

ILL +5.5

O 133.0

JOES at DAY 08:00 PM

DAY -14.5

O 135.0

ILST at DRKE 08:00 PM

ILST -7.0

U 140.5

VAN at ARK 08:30 PM

ARK -4.0

U 151.5

MSST at AUB 09:00 PM

AUB -5.0

U 156.0

MSU at MICH 09:00 PM

MSU +5.0

O 135.5

USU at CSU 09:00 PM

USU +5.5

O 140.5

TTU at TCU 09:00 PM

TTU +2.5

O 139.0

ISU at TEX 09:00 PM

TEX +3.0

O 143.5

SDSU at SJSU 11:00 PM

SDSU -7.5

O 136.5

[StarDust Bum]

Top 25 Capsules
February 7, 2017

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) Josh Hart scored 25 points and No. 2 Villanova held off a late Georgetown run in a 75-64 victory Tuesday night.

With Hart on a second-half scoreless skid, the Hoyas (13-12, 4-8 Big East) sliced a 17-point deficit to two and had the Wildcats reeling at the Pavilion. L.J. Peak buried a 3 and Rodney Pryor hit a jumper to key a 17-4 run that pulled the Hoyas to 60-58 with 3:49 left.

The Hoyas, swept by Villanova in three games last season, seemed poised to pull off the upset they needed to try and make a run at the NCAA Tournament.

The Hoyas just couldn't stop Hart in the clutch. Hart, a national player of the year candidate, scored 17 points in the first half and missed his first seven shots in the second. But he buried a 3 to make it a seven-point lead and turned a steal into a layup that made it 70-60 and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

The Wildcats (23-2, 10-2) held on and won the 79th game in the series between these decades-long rivals.

Peak led Georgetown with 21 points and Pryor had 20.

---

No. 15 KENTUCKY 92, LSU 85

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Wenyen Gabriel scored a career-high 23 points and Malik Monk also had 23 for Kentucky.

The Wildcats (19-5, 9-2 Southeastern Conference) won for just the second time in five games and had to withstand the Tigers' late rally that got them within 91-85 with 14 seconds remaining. Monk's free throw with 8 seconds left sealed a win that followed Kentucky's 22-point loss at No. 17 Florida on Saturday.

Gabriel provided the initial offensive boost and finished 7 of 11 from the field including three 3-pointers to beat his previous career best of 15. He also grabbed eight rebounds, including three offensive, as Kentucky controlled the boards 40-26.

Monk bounced back from an 11-point outing to make 8 of 15 from the field with four 3s. De'Aaron Fox had 16 points and Isaiah Briscoe 14 for Kentucky.

Antonio Blakeney had a season-high 31 points and Brandon Sampson added 17 for the Tigers (9-14, 1-10), who have lost 10 straight for the first time since 2011.

---

No. 17 FLORIDA 72, GEORGIA 60

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Chris Chiozza scored 15 points and Florida recovered after blowing a 16-point lead.

Kasey Hill had 12 points for Florida (19-5, 9-2 Southeastern Conference), which has won five straight.

Yante Maten led Georgia (13-11, 4-7) with 19 points. The Bulldogs suffered their third straight loss, each to a ranked opponent.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Devin Robinson and Justin Leon helped Florida stretch the advantage to 30-14.

---

ALABAMA 90, No. 19 SOUTH CAROLINA 86, 4OT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Riley Norris scored six of his 11 points in the fourth and final overtime, including the go-ahead free throws with 56 seconds left, and Alabama overcame a career night by South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell.

Thornwell finished with career highs of 44 points and 21 rebounds. He made 25 free throws, surpassing LSU great ''Pistol'' Pete Maravich's mark of 21 in a Southeastern Conference game. But it was not enough for South Carolina (19-5, 9-2).

Alabama (14-9, 7-4) had a 17-point lead in the first half and a 12-point edge with less than 5 minutes to go, watching the Gamecocks rally back to force the extra periods.

Avery Johnson Jr. and Ar'Mond Davis had career highs of 23 points and 19 points for Alabama, which beat a ranked SEC opponent on the road for the first time since winning at No. 4 Mississippi State, 77-73, on Feb. 21, 2004.

---

PENN ST. 70, No. 21 MARYLAND 64

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Lamar Stevens scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half for Penn State.

Tony Carr added 14 points and Mike Watkins had 10 for the Nittany Lions (13-12, 5-7 Big Ten) who snapped a two-game skid and beat their fourth Top 25 opponent since last February.

Justin Jackson and Kevin Huerter scored 12 points each and Melo Trimble added 11 for the Terrapins (20-4, 8-3) who lost their second in a row.

The Nittany Lions played stingy defense early and led for all but 1:48 and by as many as 14 points with 9:59 remaining.

---

No. 22 BUTLER 68, MARQUETTE 65

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Andrew Chrabascz scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half and Avery Woodson scored 17 points in his first start in more than three weeks for Butler.

The Bulldogs (19-5, 8-4 Big East) snapped a two-game losing streak after tweaking their starting lineup, with regulars Tyler Lewis and Kelan Martin coming off the bench. Kethan Savage joined Woodson in the starting lineup.

Chrabascz followed two free throws with a layup with 49 seconds left to give Butler an eight-point lead.

Markus Howard had 19 points for Marquette (15-9, 6-6), including a 3 with 1 second left. But the Golden Eagles couldn't force a turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass for one last shot.

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s six-pack

— Alabama 90, South Carolina 86 4OT— Gamecocks were 3-30 from floor in first half, missing their last 17 shots of the half. Tide was 22-33 on foul line. Sindarius Thornwell was 25-33 on the foul line, BY HIMSELF- he had 44 points and 21 rebounds, but was 9-25 from floor.

— Siena 81, Iona 79- Saints trailed by double digits in second half.

— Penn State 70, Maryland 64— Young Terps lose their second game in a row.

— Michigan 86, Michigan State 57— Game was 55-29 at the half. Wow.

— Central Michigan 97, Ohio U 87— Marcus Keene had 41, his 5th game this season of 40+ points.

— Syracuse 82, Clemson 81— Orangemen hit a 3 from the right corner at the buzzer.

********************

Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings

13) Betting handle on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas was $138.5M; hard to believe that sports betting won’t be legal everywhere in this country before too long.

If you care about such things, Vegas books made over $10M profit on that $138.5M handle.

12) Falcons hired Steve Sarkisian as its new OC, meaning Alabama will soon have its third OC of 2017, probably before Presidents’ Day.

Alabama got to the national title game with freshman Jalen Hurts at QB, but Hurts isn’t a good passer; Crimson Tide signed two freshman QB’s- that could be a contentious situation for the guy who winds up as the offensive coordinator- that guy will be Saban’s 6th OC in his ten years as Alabama’s head coach.

11) LSU football coach Ed Orgeron has himself a problem; after Signing Day, he demoted an assistant coach who was a prime recruiter in the talent-rich New Orleans area and now the HS coaches there are organizing a boycott of the LSU program. No bueno.

The assistant who was demoted has since bolted to Texas Tech.

10) Sam Vecenie covers basketball for The Sporting News; he knows his stuff. Of his top 16 prospects for the NBA Draft, 13 are college freshmen, three are foreign kids. This is part of why handicapping college basketball has gotten a lot harder: the best players are less dependable.

So the 13 best college basketball players this season were in high school LY; how many of them already have one foot in the NBA, and could care less about college? Maybe all, maybe none, but it is probably in middle somewhere. You think Ben Simmons cared about making the NCAA’s last season?

Used to be that high-level teams with lot of juniors/seniors were teams to focus on; now those kids are suspects, not good enough to move up to the next level. The most talented teams are also the least mature.

9) Friend of mine sent me some message boards from Kentucky/Louisville fans Monday; damn, those people are harsh!!! Lot of negativity- their basketball teams are really good.

As another friend of mine likes to say, “We’re with you win or tie, but we’re not crazy about tie.”

8) Kyle Shanahan’s hiring in San Francisco makes the Shanahans the 7th father/son head coaching combo in the NFL; the other 6?

Phillips-Shula-Nolan-Mora-Ryan-Fassel

Shanahan, by the way, will have control of the 53-man roster.

7) NHL’s Boston Bruins fired coach Claude Julien, kind of a gutless day to do it, with the victory parade for the Patriots burying hockey news in Wednesday’s papers.

Julien was 419-246 as Bruins’ coach; he won the Stanley Cup in 2011, lost in Finals two years later. He didn’t suddenly get stupid; the front office has done a cruddy job and Julien is the fall guy for that. He won’t be out of work long, if he doesn’t want to be.

6) Guy named Sports Dude on Twitter (@GSWahooFalcons) grew up in Cleveland, was born in Atlanta, lives in Oakland. Roots for Indians-Warriors-Falcons. Been a rough year for the man.

5) There are rumors that UConn may bolt the AAC to go the Big East for basketball next year, if they can find a landing spot for their football program. What they really need are healthy players; the AAC is a good enough league.

4) Timing is everything in life: Baylor hired a new football coach, because of a sex scandal that was overlooked by the previous coaching staff- the new football coach brought a strength coach in with him from Temple. Baylor football is trying to start over and remake is image.

In the history of bad timing, with people screaming at Baylor over the behavior of its players, it wasn’t good when the strength coach got busted in a prostitution sting over the weekend. The guy got fired immediately, even though his charge was only a Class B misdemeanor. One of the most expensive Class B misdemeanors ever.

3) DeMarcus Cousins got his 15th/16th technical fouls of the season Monday night; he gets an automatic one-game suspension for Wednesday’s game with Boston. Very talented player, but Cousins hurts himself with outbursts of anger directed towards the officials.

2) Kind of funny listening to people whine about the overtime rules in the NFL, when they had no idea what the rules were until Sunday night. Some people just like to complain.

1— Surprising fact: over the last five years, Baltimore Orioles are winningest team in the American League- they’ve outplayed their preseason projections by 14 games a year during that time. Not sure what he makes, but Buck Showalter is underpaid.

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s games

Ole Miss won four of its last five games; they’re 4-0 as SEC road underdogs, with road losses by 7-11 at Florida/So Carolina (3-2SU on SEC road). Tennessee won three of last four games, is 1-1 as a home favorite, beating Miss State/Kentucky in last two home games. Ole Miss won three in row, six of last seven games with Tennessee; they beat Vols 80-69 in first meeting this year, despite going 1-14 on arc, 27-42 on foul line (Vols were 13-24 on line). Rebels won two last three visits to Knoxville. SEC home favorites of 7 or less points are 11-20 vs spread.

Baylor lost its last two games by total of 7 points after a 20-1 start; Bears are 3-2 on Big X road, with losses at West Va/Kansas. Oklahoma State won/covered its last four games; they won as an 11-point dog at West Va Saturday. Cowboys are 1-3 at home in Big X, with only win by 13 over TCU. Baylor outscored OSU 22-11 on foul line in 61-57 home win over the Cowboys Jan 7, Bears’ 3rd straight series win (by 12-4-4 points). Baylor is 3-2 in its last five trips to Stillwater. Big X road favorites of 3 or less points are 5-3 against the spread.

Providence lost three of last four games, is 3-2 as a road underdog (2-4 SU) with road losses by 26-17-1-10 points. Seton Hall lost five of last seven games, is 2-1 as a home favorite (3-1 SU) with home wins by 3-31-13 points, with loss to Butler. Hall lost 65-61 at Providence Jan 14 in teams’ first meeting this year; Pirates won last three series games, by 9-26-4 points, but Friars won three of last our visits here. Seton Hall turns ball over 20.4% of time in Big East, shoots only 60.6% on line. Big East home favorites of 7 or less points are 5-9-1 vs spread.

Cincinnati won its last 14 games; their last loss was Dec 10 to Butler. Bearcats are 3-2 as road favorites, with wins by 6-9-9-17-2 points on AAC road. Central Florida lost four of its last five games, is 5-1 at home in AAC, 1-1 as a home underdog, with only home loss by 5 to SMU. Knights turn ball over 23.5% of time in AAC games. Cincinnati is 6-0 vs UCF in AAC games, winning two meetings here, by 18-23 points. Favorites covered last three series games. Double digit home favorites are 6-11-1 vs spread in AAC games.

Miami won three of its last four games; they’re 3-2 at home in ACC, 1-3 as a home favorite, with home wins by 18-1-15 points, with losses to Notre Dame/Florida St. Dogs are 4-1 vs spread in their home games. Virginia Tech is 1-3 as a road dog, losing away games by 26-15-19-31 points, with a 82-81 win at Clemson. Miami won six of its last seven games with Tech, winning last two played here, by 24-16 points- they also beat Hokies in last two ACC tourneys. ACC home favorites of 8 or less points are 17-10 against the spread.

Oklahoma had only 12 turnovers, shot 56% inside arc in 89-87 upset win at West Virginia on jan 18; WVU was just 7-25 on arc. Sooners won four of last five series games, winning last four here by 13-10-19-2 points. Oklahoma lost its last five games overall (1-4 vs spread); they’re 1-4 at home in Big X, with only win over Texas Tech. West Virginia split its last six games; they’re 3-2 on Big X road, losing at Texas Tech/K-State. Oklahoma is just 16-60 on arc in its last three games. Big X road favorites are 7-6 against the spread.

Iowa won/covered its last three games; they’re 0-4 as a Big 14 road underdog, losing away games by 22-3-35-12 points- they won by 20 at Rutgers, in a pick ‘em game. Minnesota lost five of last six games, is 1-2 as a home favorite, with only home win in four tries by 10 over Ohio State. Gophers are shooting only 43.4% inside arc in league games. Iowa won six of last nine games with Minnesota; Hawkeyes lost five of last seven visits to Twin Cities. Single digit home favorites are 23-20 vs spread in Big 14 games this season.

VCU won its last four games, winning in OT in Olean Saturday after St Bonaventure students stormed court before game was over. Rams are 2-3 as road favorites, winning away games by 9-7-6 points, with losses at Davidson/Fordham, is 3-1 at home in A-14, with only loss by 7 to Richmond. VCU thrashed George Washington 85-55 in first meeting Jan 11; they scored 1.33 pts/possession while GW was 2-16 on arc. Rams won six of last seven series games, winning by 13-4 points in last two meetings here. A-14 road favorites of 5 or less points are 3-5.

Underdogs are 4-1 SU/5-0 ATS in Fresno State’s road games; they’re 2-0 vs spread as an underdog, with only win at Nevada. Wyoming is 2-2 as a home favorite, 3-2 SU at home, losing to Nevada/Boise- their home wins are by 12-1-8 points. Fresno won its last four games with Wyoming, winning first meting this year 85-70, in foulfest where teams took combined 68 foul shots. Bulldogs won their last two visits here, by 5-4 points. Mountain West road teams are 10-7 against the spread in games where spread was 2 or less points.

Cal-Davis won eight of its last ten games overall; they’re 3-0 in Big West home games, winning by 26-4-9 points; Aggies are 1-1 as a home favorite. Davis won three of last four games with Cal State-Fullerton, winning last three played here, by 8-6-5 points. Fullerton won its last two games; they split four Big West road games, are 1-2 as road underdogs, losing away games by 20-11 points, with wins at Cal Poly/UCSB. Titans are turning ball over 22.7% of time in league games. Big West home favorites of 7 or less points are 6-15 vs spread this season.

California won three in row, six of last seven games; they’re 2-2 on Pac-12 road, with underdog covering three of the four games (Cal is 0-1 as a road favorite). Bears lost at UCLA/Oregon, won at USC/OSU. Arizona State covered four of last five games; they’re 2-2 at home, losing to Utah/Wazzu, beating Colorado/Washington. Cal was 11-25 on arc, beat ASU 81-65 at home Jan 1, Bears’ third straight series win. Cal lost three of last four visits to Tempe, but won 68-65 here LY. Pac-12 road favorites of 3 or less points are 1-3 vs spread.

Morehead State won/covered five of its last six games; they’re 3-1 as home favorite, with wins by 10-8-2-26 points, with only loss to Belmont. Murray State lost three of last four games, is 3-2 on OVC road, with losses at Tennessee Tech/Austin Peay by total of seven points. Murray won seven of last eight games with Morehead; teams split pair of meetings in last two OVC tourneys. Racers won last three visits here, by 6-6-5 points. Morehead leads OVC, making 40.4% of its 3’s in league play. OVC home favorites of less than 4 points are 4-8 vs spread this season.

Fort Wayne lost four of its last six games, is 2-2 as a home favorite, winning Summit home tilts by 11-4-30 points, with loss to Western Illinois. South Dakota won three of last four games, is 3-2 as a Summit road underdog, losing away games by 1-10-8 points, with wins at No Dakota St, Denver. IPFW was 3-0 vs South Dakota LY, winning by 20-13-16 points; Coyotes lost four of last five visits here, losing by 5-2-6-20 points. Coyotes are best team in Summit at getting to foul line. Summit League home favorites of 6+ points are 9-5 vs spread.

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Wednesday's Tip Sheet
February 7, 2017


**Baylor at Oklahoma State**

-- Oklahoma State (15-8 straight up, 11-6 against the spread) is one of the nation’s hottest teams, winning five in a row both SU and ATS after losing its first six Big 12 contests. Three of the five wins during this surge have come by double-digit margins, while the last two came on the road at Oklahoma (68-66) and at West Virginia (82-75).

-- I was all over Brad Underwood’s first team in Stillwater on Saturday when it went to Morgantown and won an 82-75 decision over the Mountaineers as a 10.5-point road underdog. The 157 combined points dipped ‘under’ the 165-point total. Jeffrey Carroll scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 makes from downtown. Jawun Evans hit 6-of-7 attempts from both the field and the free-throw line in an 18-point effort. Evans had five assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals. Phil Forte was also in double figures with 13 points thanks to 8-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe. OSU hit 25-of-40 shots from the field (62.5%), 8-of-13 (61.5%) from 3-point range and 24-of-27 from the line (88.9%).

-- Oklahoma State owns an 8-3 SU record and a 3-3 ATS mark at home this season.

-- Evans is the catalyst for Oklahoma St., pacing the team in scoring (18.3 points per game), assists (5.4 APG) and steals (2.0 SPG). Carroll (17.3 PPG) is averaging 7.1 RPG and is shooting 56.2 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from long distance.

-- OSU is No. 21 at KenPom.com and No. 27 in the RPI Rankings. The Cowboys have just one defeat to an opponent outside of the RPI’s Top 42, falling 82-79 at Texas. They have three wins over the RPI Top 50, beating TCU (89-76) and Arkansas (99-71) at home, in addition to the aforementioned win at WVU. OSU also has Top-100 wins at Wichita State (93-76), at Texas Tech (83-64) and vs. Georgetown (97-70) on a neutral floor.

-- Baylor (20-3 SU, 10-8 ATS) has been the nation’s biggest surprise, racing out to a 20-1 start before dropping its last two games. Since losing its first game at West Virginia on Jan. 10 after being tabbed as the nation’s No. 1 team for the first time in school history, the Bears had responded nicely with a five-game winning streak. But that ended last Wednesday in a 73-68 loss at Kansas, though they did take the cash as 6.5-point road underdogs.

-- Baylor lost again Saturday at home when Kansas State captured a 56-54 win as a seven-point road underdog. Bruce Weber’s team led by 15 at halftime and by as many as 18 in the second half before a furious rally by Balor sliced the deficit to one in the final minute. K-State’s D.J. Johnson missed a pair of free throws with his team up by one late, but he pulled down a defensive rebound off a Baylor miss with 10 seconds remaining. After getting fouled, he made 1-of-2 at the stripe to extend the lead to two. The Bears had three shots to tie in the final seconds, but Johnson blocked Johnathan Motley’s attempt with one tick left. Motley had 17 points and 14 rebounds in defeat. The Bears shot a season-low 38.9 percent from the field and had 16 turnovers compared to only 12 assists.

-- Motley has enjoyed a dynamite senior campaign, leading Baylor in scoring (16.2 PPG) and rebounding (9.8 RPG). Manu Lecomte (12.3 PPG) is dishing out a team-best 4.3 APG while draining 42.2 percent of his launches from 3-point land. Jo Lual-Acuil (9.9 PPG) leads the Bears in blocked shots (62) and field-goal percentage (58.2%) while pulling down 7.1 RPG.

-- Baylor has won four of six road assignments both SU and ATS.

-- Baylor is No. 9 at KenPom.com, No. 1 in the RPI and No. 6 in the Associated Press’s Top 25. Scott Drew’s team is 3-1 vs. RPI Top-25 opponents, 9-3 vs. Top-50 foes and 12-3 against the Top 100. The Bears’ best road wins are at Kansas State, at TCU and at Ole Miss. They also have neutral-court scalps of VCU, Michigan State and Louisville, in addition to home triumphs vs. Oregon, Xavier, Iowa State and Oklahoma State.

-- Baylor is ranked seventh in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 61.4 PPG. The Bears are ninth in field-goal percentage defense (38.6%). Credit Lual-Acuil’s rim protection for those numbers.

-- When these teams met in Waco on Jan. 7, Baylor captured a 61-57 win as a 12-point home favorite. The 118 combined points was a thunder ‘under’ with the total closing at 151. Wainright led the Bears with 17 points, while Motley contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. In the losing effort, Forte scored 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Carroll added 14 points and five rebounds, but Evans was limited to 24 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble. Evans went 2-of-12 from the field finished with eight points and five assists.

-- As of early Tuesday night, several offshore books had Oklahoma St. listed as a one-point home favorite.

-- The ‘over’ is 10-7-1 overall for the Cowboys, 5-0-1 in their home outings.

-- The ‘under’ is 11-6-1 overall for the Bears, going 3-3 in their road games. They’ve seen the ‘under’ go 4-1 in their last five contests.

-- Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.

**Stanford at Arizona**

-- As of early Tuesday night, several shops had Arizona (21-3 SU, 12-10-2 ATS) installed as a 13.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The Wildcats have been double-digit home favorites in all 12 of their games at the McKale Center,

-- Arizona is in a first-place tie with Oregon atop the Pac-12 standings after losing Saturday to the Ducks in Eugene. Both schools are 10-1 in league play, two games ahead of both USC and UCLA. Oregon smashed the Wildcats from start to finish in an 85-58 win as a four-point home favorite. Dana Altman’s team led by 20 at intermission thanks to lights-out shooting. The Ducks made 65.2 percent from the field, 64.0 percent from 3-point land and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line. Rawle Alkins scored a team-high 16 points for the Wildcats.

-- Sean Miller’s team is undefeated in 12 home games with a 4-6-2 spread record.

-- Arizona is tied for eighth with Florida is the RPI Rankings. Miller’s bunch is 1-3 against the Top 25, 4-3 versus the Top 50 and 7-3 against the Top 100. The Wildcats’ best wins have come at UCLA, at USC, at California and at Stanford. They also have neutral-court victories over Michigan St. and Texas A&M.

-- Before falling to Oregon, Arizona’s losses had come on a neutral court vs. Butler (69-65) and vs. Gonzaga (69-62).

-- Arizona is led by Lauri Markkanen, a 6’11” freshman from Finland. Markkanen leads the Wildcats in scoring (15.9 PPG), rebounding (7.5 RPG), 3-point shooting (48.7%) and free-throw shooting (85.4%). Since coming off of a suspension, Allonzo Trier has played in the last five games. The sophomore guard is averaging 14.2 PPG and has a 15/4 assists-to-turnovers ratio. Dusan Ristic and Alkins are both averaging 11.8 PPG.

-- Stanford (12-11 SU, 10-12 ATS) is in a three-way tie for seventh place in the Pac-12 with a 4-7 mark in conference action. The Cardinal has limped to a 1-6 SU record and a 3-4 ATS mark in seven road assignments.

-- Stanford halted a three-game losing streak both SU and ATS by capturing an 81-75 win over Utah as a 2.5-point home underdog Saturday in Palo Alto. Junior forward Reid Travis was the catalyst for the Cardinal, producing 26 points, five rebounds and three steals while burying 11-of-15 attempts from the field. Dorian Pickens and Robert Cartwright (5/1 assists-to-turnovers ratio) added 14 points apiece.

-- Stanford has been an underdog 11 times, compiling a 4-7 spread record with two outright wins against Utah and Seton Hall on a neutral floor. However, the Cardinal is 2-1 ATS in three games as a double-digit ‘dog.

-- After missing all but eight games last season due to an injury, Travis has averaged 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting at a 56.7 percent clip from the field. Pickens (12.3 PPG) is the only other Cardinal scoring in double figures.

-- Stanford is No. 68 in the RPI, going winless in six games versus Top-25 foes. The Cardinal is 1-8 against the Top 50 and 2-9 vs. the Top 100.

-- When these long-time league rivals met in Palo Alto on New Year’s Day, Arizona dealt out woodshed treatment in the form of a 91-52 beatdown as a 6.5-point road favorite. Alkins led the way with 19 points and seven boards, while Ristic finished with 16 points. Travis (11 points, eight rebounds) fouled out after playing just 25 minutes.

-- The ‘under’ is 13-9 overall for Stanford, 5-2 in its road contests.

-- The ‘under’ is 12-11-2 for the Wildcats, 6-6 in their home games.

-- The ‘over’ is 5-1 in the last six head-to-head meetings between these schools.

-- Fox Sports 1 will have the telecast at 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

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Trends to Watch - Wednesday
February 7, 2017

Tip Sheets and Betting Guides

Sooner State Showdowns

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State play host to a pair of Top 15 teams on Wednesday night. The Sooners will square off against West Virginia, and they're holding steady as nine-point underdogs. These two sides met in Morgantown on Jan. 18, and it was the Sooner coming away with an 89-87 overtime victory as 16 1/2-point 'dogs, cashing +1100 on the moneyline. That Sooners win came on the heels of an impressive nine-point win against Texas Tech, and it appeared the Sooners might be turning around their season. However, they dropped a tough overtime game at home against Iowa State, and then have proceeded to lose five in a row since.

West Virginia is trying to wash the sour taste out of their mouth after being upended by OK State over the weekend, 82-75, also in Morgantown. In fact, the Mountaineers have looked rather ordinary lately with a 3-3 SU record over their past six games while going 3-7 ATS over their past 10 outings. The good news for West Virginia is that the Sooners are 0-4 ATS in their past four against teams with a winning mark, but Oklahoma is 4-1 ATS in their past five home games against the Mountaineers.

Speaking of those Cowboys, their game aginst Baylor opened as a pick 'em, and OK State is now favored by one as of Tuesday afternoon. The last time these sides met Jan. 7 in Waco, it was the Bears coming away with a narrow four-point victory, while the Cowboys easily covered a 12-point number. The Bears are 14-3-1 ATS in their past 18 games on the road, but just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 games overall. OK State has covered five in a row, and they rise to the occasion against good teams, going 4-0 ATS in their past four against teams with a winning straight-up mark. OK State is also 3-1-2 ATS inthe past six in this series, with the home team 14-5-2 ATS in the past 21 in the series.

Seminole Revival

Florida State appears to have righted the ship after a rough three rough road games from Jan. 14-28. They got untracked with a 75-57 win at Miami-Florida last Wednesday, and followed that win up with a 48-point throttling of Clemson on Super Bowl Sunday, taking out some pent-up frustrations. They will play host to a Jekyll and Hyde team from North Carolina State, with good wins at Duke and at home against Virginia Tech, but non-competitive games at Louisville and North Carolina.

The Wolfpack come in on a three-game losing streak, and they're just 2-7 ATS over their past nine outings. N.C. State is also 1-5 ATS on the road this season, and 1-6 ATS away from home if you count neutral-site courts. For FSU, home is where the heart is - and the money. They're 4-1-1 ATS in their past six in Tallahassee, including impressive wins over Duke, Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. N.C. State, on the other hand, is 1-6 ATS in their past seven road games, 1-4 ATS in their past five against teams with a winning overall mark. However, the Pack are 8-3 ATS in their past 11 trips to Tallahassee, and the road team has covered in 10 of the past 14. The underdog is also 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings with the 'over' cashing in 10 of the past 14.

Big Ten Desperation

Ohio State will play host to Rutgers, and Vegas has the Buckeyes installed as 10-point favorites. The Buckeyes are just 3-4 ATS as double-digit favorites this season, including a stunning straight-up loss to Florida Atlantic back on Dec. 6 in non-confernce play. The Buckeyes have been a little hard to figure lately, losing games that were supposed to be close at Iowa and home to Maryland, but then winning on the road in Michigan as 9 1/2-point underdogs. The Scarlet Knights have dropped 10 of their past 12 overall, and they're just 4-8 ATS during the span. As double-digit 'dogs this season they are 3-3 ATS. The best trend for Rutgers is the 'under', cashing in 10 of their past 13 outings.

Minnesota will host Iowa in the other Big Ten battle, and the Gophers cannot afford any additional losses if it wants to make a case to the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The Gophers are in a precarious position at 16-7, especially with a 4-6 record inside the conference. In fact, the Hawkeyes have been much better in league play at 6-5, so this will be a grind. The Gophers are favored by 7 1/2 points, but they're just 2-4 ATS over their past six games, and 2-3 ATS in their past five at home. The Hawkeyes enter play with three straight-up wins and covers in a row, although they're just 1-4 SU/ATS in their past five games away from Iowa City. The Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their past five trips to the Twin Cities, and the underdog has cashed in four straight in this series.

Angry Cats

Arizona will look to get back on track against Stanford at 11 p.m. ET in the desert. The Wildcats were demolished at Oregon over the weekend by 27 points, obviously their worst loss of the season. Arizona has hit a rough patch for bettors, too, going 1-3 ATS over the past four outings. The last time these teams met on the farm, the Wildcats stomped the Cardinal by a 91-52 score on New Year's Day as the 'over' cashed. It was Arizona's sixth consecutive cover in the series, too. The 'over' is 4-0 in the past four meetings in Arizona, and 5-1 in the past six in this series.

The Cardinal have been a bit unconsistent this season, but one thing is very consistent - losing away from home. They're just 1-6 SU on the road this season, and 2-3 ATS in five road league games. Their past two road losses in conference have been by an average of 14.0 points. And Stanford is just 8-21 ATS in their past 29 games on the road over the past couple of season, and they're 5-12 ATS in their past 17 against teams with a straight-up winning mark.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blue Demons (8-15) at Musketeers (17-6)
Date: February 08, 2017 6:30 PM EDT

CINCINNATI -- Since losing dynamic point guard Edmond Sumner to a season-ending ACL injury, No. 24 Xavier has won two straight games including a signature road victory at Creighton.

Without Sumner, the Musketeers are riding the coattails of junior guard Trevon Bluiett, who's been carrying them for most of the season.

Bluiett earned Big East Conference player of the week honors for the second straight week after averaging 20 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in wins over Seton Hall and Creighton.

Despite playing on a sore ankle, Bluiett scored 16 points including a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the win over the then-No. 22 Bluejays.

"We're smart with him in practice, doing reps where the ankle really isn't at risk," said Xavier head coach Chris Mack. "Where he is Tuesday versus where he was five or six days ago, is a lot better."

Bluiett and Xavier (17-6, 7-3 Big East) face DePaul on Wednesday night at Cintas Center, looking to extend its winning streak to four games heading into Saturday's showdown with league-leading Villanova.

"They're a good team, they have good players," said Mack of the Blue Demons. "It's a big challenge. It's a Big East game. It's the next game on our schedule."

The Musketeers' NCAA Tournament resume is strong with a top-10 RPI and strength of schedule. But, XU's roster is thin with zero margin for error injury-wise.

J.P. Macura was moved into the backup point guard role behind freshman Quentin Goodin who has averaged 11.5 points and six assists since taking for Sumner.

Sharp-shooting big man Kaiser Gates also has been doing a little bit of everything for the Musketeers with a team-high 8.7 rebounds.

With plenty of quality Big East wins for the taking in the final month, Xavier can ill-afford to stumble against the struggling Blue Demons at home.

The Musketeers lead the series against the Blue Demons 9-8, including a 5-1 mark since the two teams became Big East rivals. But, DePaul has proven itself to be a tough out at times this season, losing by just three points at top-ranked Villanova and taking Butler to overtime at home.

"Those were one-possession games they could've won," said Mack.

DePaul has been looking for scoring options outside its top two scorers Eli Cain and Billy Garrett Jr. One possible solution to that issue could be junior transfer forward Tre'Darius McCallum.

McCallum went 4-of-7 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 21 points in a loss to Marquette this past weekend.

"Tre has done as good of a job as anyone can possibly do of coming from a junior college and meshing with a team and finding his place," Blue Demons head coach Dave Leitao said. "Usually it takes a guy almost a full year to get adjusted, so I've got nothing but credit to give to him. His attitude, the way he plays the game."

It's a tall order for any team to face the Musketeers at Cintas Center where they've won 17 of the past 18 games and 26 of 28. Over the past five years, Xavier is 227-32 at Cintas giving it the fifth-best home winning percentage among Division I schools.

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Preview: Bears (20-3) at Cowboys (15-8)
Date: February 08, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

Oklahoma State returns to Stillwater, Okla., on Wednesday on a five-game winning streak and ready to face No. 6 Baylor, which lost its last two contests.

The Bears (20-3, 7-3 Big 12) are on their first losing streak of the season after falling at No. 3 Kansas and at home to Kansas State last week.

"We have an experienced crew," Baylor guard Jake Lindsey said. "We've been through ups and downs. A lot of us have lost big games, so I think we know how to respond."

The main reason why the Cowboys (15-8, 4-6) turned their season around after losing their first six Big 12 games is their rebounding and defense (fourth in the Big 12 with 8.3 steals per game).

"Primarily, we're going to see man-to-man," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "What they've adjusted is from the denial to a more pressure and gap defense. They've been really sound defensively, and they've done a good job of controlling the glass."

Oklahoma State outrebounded West Virginia 30-16 on Saturday after the Cowboys had a 44-31 rebounding advantage against Oklahoma in the previous game. Oklahoma State is third in the Big 12 in offensive rebounding percentage and fourth in defensive rebounding percentage.

They haven't finished in the top half of the league in defensive rebounding since 2012-13. They haven't been that high in offensive rebounding since 2004-05. Oklahoma State is rebounding 42.8 percent of its misses in the last five games.

"I think it's emphasis," Cowboys coach Brad Underwood said. "All we're trying to do is emphasize it every single day. Like I said earlier, rebounding can impact so much.

"We're talking about it and we've got guys willing to do it."

The rebounds are not mostly coming from the post players. Jeffrey Carroll, a 6-6 guard, leads the Cowboys averaging 7.1 rebounds. Forwards Mitchell Solomon (4.9) and Leyton Hammonds (4.8) are the next highest rebounders.

In Oklahoma State's first meeting with Baylor, the Cowboys won the rebounding battle 35-30. They grabbed 19 offensive rebounds. They still lost 61-57 on a poor shooting night that included nine missed free throws.

Oklahoma State faces a stiff test against Baylor, which has the best rebounding margin of any Big 12 team in conference play. The Bears outrebound opponents by 7.6 per game in conference play.

Johnathon Motley, a 6-10 forward, leads Baylor with 9.8 rebounds. Jo Lual-Acuil Jr., a 7-0 post player, averages 7.1 rebounds. Motley, a finalist for the Karl Malone award for best college power forward, also leads the team with 16.2 points.

The Cowboys are led by an experienced backcourt of senior Phil Forte III, junior Jeffrey Carroll and sophomore Jawun Evans. They each average double figures in scoring.

Evans, the Cowboys' point guard, is projected as a first-round NBA draft pick. He leads the team in scoring at 18.3 points and assists at 5.4.

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Preview: Wolfpack (14-10) at Seminoles (20-4)
Date: February 08, 2017 7:00 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Two of the Atlantic Coast Conference's marquee players

will collide Wednesday night at the Donald L. Tucker Center when North Carolina State visits No. 14 Florida State.

In one corner, there is the Seminoles sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon, the catalyst for Florida State's amazing season who leads the team in scoring and highlight-reel plays.

In the other corner, N.C. State counters with freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. He is the fifth-leading scorer in the ACC at 19.1 points per game and has been one of the only bright spots for the Wolfpack (14-10, 3-8 ACC).

Just behind Smith? Bacon at No. 9 with an average of 17.6 points a game for Florida State (20-4, 8-3).

Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said his team is very aware of how dangerous Smith is.

"The guys with his kind of ability come along once a decade," Hamilton told the school's official website. "He has the whole package. The strength, the quickness, the speed, the ability to create his shot, create for others. And (he) is also athletic enough to take it to the basket and finish."

Hamilton could just as easily be talking about Bacon, who has a 33-game double-figure streak going dating back to last season and is a finalist for the Julius Erving Award. He is 42 points shy of becoming one of the fastest players in Florida State history to reach 1,000 career points.

Bacon tied his career high of 29 points his last game out when Florida State routed Clemson 109-61 at home Sunday, running their string of home wins to 15 in a row this season and 18 in a row dating back to last season.

Bacon hit six 3-pointers in the win against the Tigers, and he was pulled from the game with just under five minutes to play and the result in hand.

"I knew it was going to be a special day," said Bacon, who has hit 46 3-pointers already this season, 14 more than he had all of last season. "I was feeling it from deep all game."

Both Bacon and Smith are expected to be NBA Draft lottery picks after the season, with some draft analysts predicting Smith could go as high as top five. However, their teams enter this game headed down different paths: Florida State has won two straight, while the Wolfpack have dropped three in a row.

For Florida State, the game is a chance to stay in the top of the ACC standings, while for N.C. State, it is another opportunity to pull an upset and add to the list of surprising wins the Wolfpack already have against Virginia Tech and Duke.

N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried thinks his team is just a few plays from being a lot better than its record.

"We're a team that is playing hard, we're competing hard. And we've got to figure out how to get over that hump," Gottfried said. "It's not catastrophic. We're right there, and our guys competed really hard. But we've got to be able to make some plays in all those areas that will give us a chance to have a different outcome."

Wednesday will mark the only meeting of the season between the two teams, with Florida State having won their most recent matchup 77-73 on Feb. 1, 2016.

N.C. State leads the all-time series 30-24.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mountainers (18-5) at Sooners (8-14)
Date: February 08, 2017 9:00 PM EDT

NORMAN, Okla. -- The last time Oklahoma and West Virginia played, Jordan Woodard took over the game.

The Sooners' senior point guard had 20 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals in Oklahoma's 89-87 overtime upset of the then-No. 7 Mountaineers in Morgantown on Jan. 18.

Woodard hit a game-tying shot in the closing seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime and then hit a driving layup with 2.2 seconds left in overtime to win it for the Sooners.

"We didn't guard him," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "We were constantly in retreat mode, which that's not our persona."

The teams meet for the second time on Wednesday night when the Mountaineers travel to Norman, Okla.

West Virginia has never beaten the Sooners in Norman, losing all four of the previous meetings there.

The now-No. 13 Mountaineers are typically among the most aggressive defensive teams in the country, using their high-pressure, trap defense to force teams into regularly turning the ball over.

The Mountaineers have forced a Division I-best 22.26 turnovers per game this season, more than 3.5 turnovers per game better than No. 2 Fordham. No other major-conference team is within 5.5 of the Mountaineers' number.

The Sooners' offense is No. 270 nationally in turnovers per game but turned the ball over just 12 times in the teams' first meeting.

Since that first game, though, Woodard has struggled, averaging just 9.4 points per game with 21 points coming in the double-overtime loss to Iowa State a game after Oklahoma beat the Mountaineers.

He's gone 15 of 55--27.3 percent--from the field with just 10 assists with half of those coming in the loss to the Cyclones.

Woodard has struggled before, mainly during his sophomore season, but then he had Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler to help cover his offensive struggles.

This team has needed every bit of Woodard's offense, as is evident by the seven-game losing streak earlier this season when Woodard missed four of those games and the current five-game losing streak where he's struggled.

"We need his productivity," Sooners coach Lon Kruger said. "We need his consistent play out there at the point guard spot. We need him to bounce back and have another good one against West Virginia."

Since the loss to Oklahoma, the Mountaineers have gone just 3-2 as their defense has been less and less effective. That includes Saturday's home loss to Oklahoma State where they forced 19 turnovers but couldn't finish off the Cowboys.

"We're not a really great offensive team, because we can't make a damn shot, so we try to score in transition and we try to score off our defense," Huggins said after that loss. "When we have good ball pressure, that generally happens. But the reality is our deflections have gone down and down and down. We don't sprint out of traps. We don't close traps like we did. We don't run down balls from behind."

With a game at No. 3 Kansas looming Monday, West Virginia needs to turn things around quickly.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Knights (15-8) at Bearcats (21-2)
Date: February 08, 2017 9:00 PM EDT

CINCINNATI -- Central Florida will present unique challenges for No. 11 Cincinnati on Wednesday night at Fifth Third Arena, not the least of which is 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall.

"There's no way to simulate (him) in practice, that's the issue," said Bearcats coach Mick Cronin, who considered having a player stand on a stool to mimic Fall's height.

Fall, from Senegal, averages 12.3 points, which ranks third on the team, and he paces the Knights with 9.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. He shoots 74.7 percent from the floor, which ranks No. 2 nationally.

A less-polished Fall scored two points with eight rebounds and three blocks in 20 minutes off the bench in last year's meeting in Orlando. This year, Fall is averaging 26 minutes per game.

"He's much improved on offense," Cronin said. "If he catches it close to the basket, he's going to dunk it. He throws you off on defense."

The Bearcats (21-2, 10-0 American Athletic Conference) have won 14 straight games and are among just six teams in the nation that are unbeaten in conference play.

Cincinnati has won 22 straight at home, the longest home winning streak during Cronin's 11-year tenure. The Bearcats haven't lost at home since falling to Temple 77-70 on Dec. 29, 2015.

The much-improved Knights will look at end that streak on Wednesday.

UCF (15-8, 6-5 American) snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 72-57 victory over Memphis, a team the Knights had defeated just once in 22 meetings. UCF raced to a 14-0 lead then held off the Tigers' late rally.

"I think it was one of our best performances this year," Knights coach Johnny Dawkins said. "It was sharing the basketball and playing together. It was just a really good team win."

The Knights already have eclipsed last season's win total in Dawkins' first season with the program.

B.J. Taylor leads UCF with 17 points per game, and Matt Williams averages 16.3 for the Knights. The team produces 68.7 points per contest.

"They play at a slow pace, which is comfortable for them," Cronin said. "They need a low-scoring game, I would say."

Cincinnati, meanwhile, can play most styles and win.

The Bearcats have won scoring 93 points and have won scoring just 55. They can beat opponents in the halfcourt with athletic big men Gary Clark and Kyle Washington, or they can outshoot foes in a perimeter game with guards Jacob Evans, a finalist for the Jerry West shooting guard of the year award, point guard Troy Caupain and dynamic freshman Jarron Cumberland, who scores 7.7 points of the bench.

Washington averages 13.7 points and seven rebounds. Clark scores 10.2 points with a team-leading 7.5 rebounds. They both were named to the American Athletic Conference weekly honor roll this week.

Cincinnati likely will be without freshman center Nysier Brooks, who has missed three consecutive games due to a knee injury.

"I wouldn't think he would play (Wednesday)," Cronin said.

The Bearcats lead the all-time series 7-0. UCF has faced only one other ranked opponent this season, losing to then-No. 3 Villanova 67-57 in November.