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Saturday's Tip Sheet
David Schwab
Saturday’s college basketball slate is packed with some great matchups from 12 noon on the East Coast to late-night contests out West.
Three key betting showdowns between nationally ranked teams start early in the afternoon with Oregon on the road against Michigan. Later that afternoon, Memphis heads to Nashville to square off against Tennessee in that in-state tilt. Closing out the betting action in a late start on the West Coast, Gonzaga faces Arizona in Tucson.
No. 10 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan (CBS, 12:00 p.m. ET)
Opening Odds: Michigan -3.5, Total 137
Betting Matchup
The Pac-12’s Ducks snapped a straight-up two-game skid with last Saturday’s 89-64 victory against Hawaii as heavy 17 ½-point home favorites. The losses were to Gonzaga as four-point underdogs and North Carolina as two-point favorites in a late-November holiday tournament. Oregon is 7-2 both SU and against the spread. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in seven of the nine games. Senior guard Payton Pritchard has led the way with 18.8 points and 6.1 assists a game. He scored 20 points with 11 assists his last time out.
Michigan took the fast track to its lofty ranking with upsets against North Carolina and Gonzaga in that same tournament. However, after beating Iowa in its Big Ten opener, it comes into this contest fresh off Wednesday’s 71-62 road loss to Illinois as a slight 1 ½-point underdog. The Wolverines slip to 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS. The total stayed UNDER 144 ½ points in Thursday’s loss and it has stayed UNDER in three of their last five outings. Michigan is four deep in double-digit scorers as part of its 78.5-point scoring average.
Betting Trends
-- The Ducks have gone 3-5 ATS in their last eight road games with the total staying UNDER in five of their last six games on the road.
-- The Wolverines are 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS over their last 10 games at home. The total has gone OVER in five of their last six home games.
-- These two teams have met three times since 2004, including twice in the NCAA Tournament (2004 & 2017). Michigan won two of the three games both SU and ATS.
No. 13 Memphis at No. 19 Tennessee (ESPN, 3:00 p.m. ET)
Opening Odds: Tennessee -6, Total 142
Betting Matchup
The Tigers have strung together six SU victories as part of an overall record of 8-1. Their 65-57 win against UAB last Saturday ended as a PUSH as part of a 5-3-1 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in three of their last five contests. Freshman center James Wiseman has started the last three games and he has averaged 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in those outings. The Tigers have six different players averaging at least nine points a game as part of a team scoring average of 82.1 points.
Tennessee has been idle since its 72-43 rout of Florida A&M on Dec. 4 as a heavy 30-point home favorite. This extended the Volunteers’ SU home winning streak to 31 games. They are 7-1 SU overall and 4-4 ATS. The lone three-point loss came against Florida State as two-point underdogs. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five contests. Tennessee is averaging 71.3 points per game and it moves to eighth in the nation in points allowed (55.9). Senior guards’ Jordan Bowden (13.9 points) and Lamonte Turner (13.8 points) are the leading scorers.
Betting Trends
-- The Tigers are 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games played on the road with a 4-6 record SU. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last six road games.
-- The Volunteers have failed to cover in five of their last eight home games during the current SU winning streak. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in nine of their last 10 games at home.
-- The series is tied 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings dating back to 2006. Tennessee holds the 7-3 edge ATS and the total has gone OVER in four of the last five meetings in this in-state rivalry.
No. 6 Gonzaga at No. 15 Arizona (ESPN2, 10:00 p.m. ET)
Opening Odds: Arizona -3.5, Total 151
Betting Matchup
The Bulldogs’ lone loss against 10 SU wins came against Michigan in a lopsided 82-64 romp as 4 ½-point favorites. They have been favored all 11 games with a 6-4-1 record ATS. The total has gone OVER the closing line in eight of those outings. This roster runs seven deep with players averaging at least 10 PPG adding up to an 85.9-point scoring average that is ranked fourth in the nation. Gonzaga is shooting an impressive 49.9 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range.
A SU nine-game winning streak to start the season came to an end last Saturday with Arizona’s 63-58 loss to Baylor as a four-point road underdog. The Wildcats quickly bounced back with Wednesday’s 99-49 romp over Nebraska-Omaha to easily cover as 20 ½-point home favorites. This was just their second cover in their last seven games after going 4-0 ATS to start the year. The total has gone OVER in four of Arizona’s last six games. This is another high-scoring team with 85.5 PPG. The Wildcats are allowing 63.2 points a game on defense.
Betting Trend
-- The Bulldogs have a 6-4 record ATS in their last 10 road games while winning all of those games SU. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last eight games on the road.
-- The Wildcats are 8-1 SU in their last nine home games with a 7-2 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of their last 10 games played at home.
-- Gonzaga won last year’s matchup 91-74 as an 11-point home favorite. The total went OVER 155 ½ points. It had stayed UNDER in five of the previous six meetings. Arizona still has the 6-3 SU (5-4 ATS) edge over the past nine games between the two.
David Schwab
Saturday’s college basketball slate is packed with some great matchups from 12 noon on the East Coast to late-night contests out West.
Three key betting showdowns between nationally ranked teams start early in the afternoon with Oregon on the road against Michigan. Later that afternoon, Memphis heads to Nashville to square off against Tennessee in that in-state tilt. Closing out the betting action in a late start on the West Coast, Gonzaga faces Arizona in Tucson.
No. 10 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan (CBS, 12:00 p.m. ET)
Opening Odds: Michigan -3.5, Total 137
Betting Matchup
The Pac-12’s Ducks snapped a straight-up two-game skid with last Saturday’s 89-64 victory against Hawaii as heavy 17 ½-point home favorites. The losses were to Gonzaga as four-point underdogs and North Carolina as two-point favorites in a late-November holiday tournament. Oregon is 7-2 both SU and against the spread. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in seven of the nine games. Senior guard Payton Pritchard has led the way with 18.8 points and 6.1 assists a game. He scored 20 points with 11 assists his last time out.
Michigan took the fast track to its lofty ranking with upsets against North Carolina and Gonzaga in that same tournament. However, after beating Iowa in its Big Ten opener, it comes into this contest fresh off Wednesday’s 71-62 road loss to Illinois as a slight 1 ½-point underdog. The Wolverines slip to 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS. The total stayed UNDER 144 ½ points in Thursday’s loss and it has stayed UNDER in three of their last five outings. Michigan is four deep in double-digit scorers as part of its 78.5-point scoring average.
Betting Trends
-- The Ducks have gone 3-5 ATS in their last eight road games with the total staying UNDER in five of their last six games on the road.
-- The Wolverines are 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS over their last 10 games at home. The total has gone OVER in five of their last six home games.
-- These two teams have met three times since 2004, including twice in the NCAA Tournament (2004 & 2017). Michigan won two of the three games both SU and ATS.
No. 13 Memphis at No. 19 Tennessee (ESPN, 3:00 p.m. ET)
Opening Odds: Tennessee -6, Total 142
Betting Matchup
The Tigers have strung together six SU victories as part of an overall record of 8-1. Their 65-57 win against UAB last Saturday ended as a PUSH as part of a 5-3-1 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in three of their last five contests. Freshman center James Wiseman has started the last three games and he has averaged 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in those outings. The Tigers have six different players averaging at least nine points a game as part of a team scoring average of 82.1 points.
Tennessee has been idle since its 72-43 rout of Florida A&M on Dec. 4 as a heavy 30-point home favorite. This extended the Volunteers’ SU home winning streak to 31 games. They are 7-1 SU overall and 4-4 ATS. The lone three-point loss came against Florida State as two-point underdogs. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last five contests. Tennessee is averaging 71.3 points per game and it moves to eighth in the nation in points allowed (55.9). Senior guards’ Jordan Bowden (13.9 points) and Lamonte Turner (13.8 points) are the leading scorers.
Betting Trends
-- The Tigers are 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games played on the road with a 4-6 record SU. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last six road games.
-- The Volunteers have failed to cover in five of their last eight home games during the current SU winning streak. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in nine of their last 10 games at home.
-- The series is tied 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings dating back to 2006. Tennessee holds the 7-3 edge ATS and the total has gone OVER in four of the last five meetings in this in-state rivalry.
No. 6 Gonzaga at No. 15 Arizona (ESPN2, 10:00 p.m. ET)
Opening Odds: Arizona -3.5, Total 151
Betting Matchup
The Bulldogs’ lone loss against 10 SU wins came against Michigan in a lopsided 82-64 romp as 4 ½-point favorites. They have been favored all 11 games with a 6-4-1 record ATS. The total has gone OVER the closing line in eight of those outings. This roster runs seven deep with players averaging at least 10 PPG adding up to an 85.9-point scoring average that is ranked fourth in the nation. Gonzaga is shooting an impressive 49.9 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range.
A SU nine-game winning streak to start the season came to an end last Saturday with Arizona’s 63-58 loss to Baylor as a four-point road underdog. The Wildcats quickly bounced back with Wednesday’s 99-49 romp over Nebraska-Omaha to easily cover as 20 ½-point home favorites. This was just their second cover in their last seven games after going 4-0 ATS to start the year. The total has gone OVER in four of Arizona’s last six games. This is another high-scoring team with 85.5 PPG. The Wildcats are allowing 63.2 points a game on defense.
Betting Trend
-- The Bulldogs have a 6-4 record ATS in their last 10 road games while winning all of those games SU. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last eight games on the road.
-- The Wildcats are 8-1 SU in their last nine home games with a 7-2 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of their last 10 games played at home.
-- Gonzaga won last year’s matchup 91-74 as an 11-point home favorite. The total went OVER 155 ½ points. It had stayed UNDER in five of the previous six meetings. Arizona still has the 6-3 SU (5-4 ATS) edge over the past nine games between the two.
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