NCAAB
Sunday, Febrauary 8
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College Funds: Sunday's best NCAAB bets
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Purdue Boilermakers at Illinois Fighting Illini (-2.5, 121.5)
Illinois is one of only four teams to score more than 70 points against the Boilermakers, as Mike Tisdale led the way with 18 points in the December meeting.
That solid performance away from home was a fairly rare one for Tisdale, who has averaged 8.2 points in true road games this season - 5.3 in his last four. However, he's averaged 16.3 points in his last four games at Assembly Hall to help push Illinois' home winning streak to nine games - the program's longest since a 12-game run in 2005-06.
The Illini have limited opponents to an average of 52.0 points on 38.6 percent shooting during this home win streak. They boast one of the best scoring defenses in the nation, conceding a conference-low 56.9 points per game, while Purdue ranks second at 58.5.
The Boilermakers won 83-75 in their game at Champaign last season after losing four of the previous five visits while being held to an average of 59.0 points.
They could be without one of their top offensive players on Sunday. Robbie Hummel, averaging 12.9 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds, missed Tuesday's game with a hairline fracture in his back. Though he was cleared to play, he never left the bench and his status for Sunday is uncertain.
The Illini, meanwhile, haven't been sharp on offense lately.
They've averaged 49.3 points in losing two of their last three games, and were held to 32.8 percent shooting in Thursday's 63-50 loss at Wisconsin. Mike Davis had a team-high 14 points and Demetri McCamey added 12, but the remaining three starters combined for 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
"We missed a lot of open shots," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber, whose next win will be the 250th of his career. "It's been like that for a while."
McCamey is averaging 14.0 points in four career games versus Purdue.
Pick: Illinois -2.5
Washington Huskies at Stanford Cardinal (+1, 154)
A difficult road stretch has Washington faltering in its first stint this season as a ranked team. If the 22nd-ranked Huskies want to maintain any hope of staying in the Top 25, they'll have to win in a building where their road woes have persisted for 15 years.
On Sunday, Washington will try to avoid its second straight Bay Area loss and a 16th straight defeat at Maples Pavilion, where Stanford is 11-2 this season.
A 13-1 stretch capped by a four-game winning streak moved Washington into the poll on Jan. 26, but it's been a struggle since then as the Huskies (16-6, 7-3 Pac-10) work their way through four straight road games.
They split two contests last week, losing to Arizona on Jan. 29 before beating then-No. 14 Arizona State two nights later. The Huskies then shot just 36.1 percent in an 86-71 loss at California on Thursday, and those problems carried over to the defensive end, as they allowed 56 second-half points after giving up 69 after halftime in the 106-97 loss to the Wildcats.
"We weren't getting stops, we weren't paying attention to our defensive assignments ... and they capitalized on it," Washington forward Quincy Pondexter said on Thursday.
Pondexter led the Huskies with a season high-tying 21 points, but senior Jon Brockman missed all four of his field goal attempts and managed just four points.
While Brockman had 15 rebounds and ranks in the top 10 nationally, averaging 11.0 rebounds per game, he's been inconsistent on offense lately after leading Washington with 17.8 points per game last season. He also scored four points on 0-of-8 shooting against Southern California on Jan. 22.
Brockman has one more chance to avoid becoming part of the latest Washington class to graduate without a win in Palo Alto. The Huskies have dropped 15 straight at Stanford since a 68-67 win during the 1992-93 season.
Pick: Stanford +1
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Sunday, Febrauary 8
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College Funds: Sunday's best NCAAB bets
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Purdue Boilermakers at Illinois Fighting Illini (-2.5, 121.5)
Illinois is one of only four teams to score more than 70 points against the Boilermakers, as Mike Tisdale led the way with 18 points in the December meeting.
That solid performance away from home was a fairly rare one for Tisdale, who has averaged 8.2 points in true road games this season - 5.3 in his last four. However, he's averaged 16.3 points in his last four games at Assembly Hall to help push Illinois' home winning streak to nine games - the program's longest since a 12-game run in 2005-06.
The Illini have limited opponents to an average of 52.0 points on 38.6 percent shooting during this home win streak. They boast one of the best scoring defenses in the nation, conceding a conference-low 56.9 points per game, while Purdue ranks second at 58.5.
The Boilermakers won 83-75 in their game at Champaign last season after losing four of the previous five visits while being held to an average of 59.0 points.
They could be without one of their top offensive players on Sunday. Robbie Hummel, averaging 12.9 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds, missed Tuesday's game with a hairline fracture in his back. Though he was cleared to play, he never left the bench and his status for Sunday is uncertain.
The Illini, meanwhile, haven't been sharp on offense lately.
They've averaged 49.3 points in losing two of their last three games, and were held to 32.8 percent shooting in Thursday's 63-50 loss at Wisconsin. Mike Davis had a team-high 14 points and Demetri McCamey added 12, but the remaining three starters combined for 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
"We missed a lot of open shots," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber, whose next win will be the 250th of his career. "It's been like that for a while."
McCamey is averaging 14.0 points in four career games versus Purdue.
Pick: Illinois -2.5
Washington Huskies at Stanford Cardinal (+1, 154)
A difficult road stretch has Washington faltering in its first stint this season as a ranked team. If the 22nd-ranked Huskies want to maintain any hope of staying in the Top 25, they'll have to win in a building where their road woes have persisted for 15 years.
On Sunday, Washington will try to avoid its second straight Bay Area loss and a 16th straight defeat at Maples Pavilion, where Stanford is 11-2 this season.
A 13-1 stretch capped by a four-game winning streak moved Washington into the poll on Jan. 26, but it's been a struggle since then as the Huskies (16-6, 7-3 Pac-10) work their way through four straight road games.
They split two contests last week, losing to Arizona on Jan. 29 before beating then-No. 14 Arizona State two nights later. The Huskies then shot just 36.1 percent in an 86-71 loss at California on Thursday, and those problems carried over to the defensive end, as they allowed 56 second-half points after giving up 69 after halftime in the 106-97 loss to the Wildcats.
"We weren't getting stops, we weren't paying attention to our defensive assignments ... and they capitalized on it," Washington forward Quincy Pondexter said on Thursday.
Pondexter led the Huskies with a season high-tying 21 points, but senior Jon Brockman missed all four of his field goal attempts and managed just four points.
While Brockman had 15 rebounds and ranks in the top 10 nationally, averaging 11.0 rebounds per game, he's been inconsistent on offense lately after leading Washington with 17.8 points per game last season. He also scored four points on 0-of-8 shooting against Southern California on Jan. 22.
Brockman has one more chance to avoid becoming part of the latest Washington class to graduate without a win in Palo Alto. The Huskies have dropped 15 straight at Stanford since a 68-67 win during the 1992-93 season.
Pick: Stanford +1
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