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**StarDust Bum** · 03-10-2011, 11:18 PM

Chicago Bulls host Hawks in NBA betting rematch

Atlanta was a four-point home favorite in the 83-80 win on March 2.
It was only nine days ago when the Atlanta Hawks took out the Chicago Bulls at home in NBA betting action. The Bulls will look to get even on their home court Friday when these teams lock horns once again in a clash between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Tip-off from the Windy City's United Center comes a little past 5:00 p.m. (PT).

The bad news for the Hawks is that they have really looked terrible since that March 2 win over the Bulls, and they haven't had to play a road game in that run either. Atlanta has been beaten and beaten badly by fellow playoff contenders Oklahoma City, New York and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Josh Smith got back into the lineup after missing two games, including that one against Chicago, and he has played incredibly well, averaging 16.5 PPG, 3.5 APG and 8.5 RPG in the two most recent efforts. Unfortunately, one of his inside counterparts, Marvin Williams, has not played well. He hasn't scored even in double digits since the duel against the Bulls, averaging just 6.7 PPG in that stretch.

The interesting man to watch is Kirk Hinrich who will only be playing in his seventh game since being traded from the Washington Wizards at the NBA trade deadline. Hinrich is shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 56.5 percent from long range since the trade, and is averaging 11.2 PPG.

Meanwhile, the Bulls haven't lost since that defeat in the Peach State, winning four straight games against some very difficult foes. The defense has played fantastic ball all season long, but particularly in this stretch.

Chicago has only allowed 91.4 PPG on the season, and the club ranks No. 1 in that department as well as field goal percentage (42.9%) and three-point field goal percentage (32.6%).

Derrick Rose has put together four straight games with at least 20 points since getting shut down by Hinrich and company. Rose, the potential MVP of the league, is averaging 24.5 PPG and 8.1 APG this season, and he is also chipping in on the glass with 4.3 RPG.

If Rose is getting rebounds, you know that you're in trouble against the Bulls. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah are both capable of double digits in boards per night, while Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and Kurt Thomas are also big-time rebounders as well. There's a reason that this team is averaging a whopping 44.3 boards on the average night, ranking No. 2 in the league.

Of course, Boozer is probably out of this one with an ankle injury, which should make a huge difference for the relatively undersized Hawks.

Even though the Bulls are 27-4 on their home court this year, the edge on the NBA odds really might go to the Hawks. They have covered seven out of eight in this series, and they only have an OT loss here at the United Center last year as well. However, Chicago is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games overall, and it really has played fantastic ball over the course of the last month or so.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-10-2011, 11:19 PM

NBA Betting Preview: Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have covered 20 of their 32 home games.
Only the San Antonio Spurs have a better record than the 46-16 Boston Celtics.

But when it comes to being the point spread champion, only the New York Knicks rate as high as the Philadelphia 76ers, who are 40-23-1 (63 percent) ATS.

The 76ers host the Celtics Friday at 4:05 p.m. PT.

This doesn’t figure to be an easy game for the banged-up Celtics, who have failed to cover in two close victories against the 76ers this season.

Shaquille O’Neal remains out with a sore Achilles. Glen Davis isn’t expected to play due to a strained left patella tendon and Delonte West has missed the past six games with a sprained right ankle.

The Celtics are doing a late-season makeover working in newcomers Troy Murphy, Sasha Pavlovic and backup point guard Carlos Arroyo.

Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green have played in only six games for Boston since arriving via trade from Oklahoma City.

All this newness caught up to Boston in an upset by the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-103, on Wednesday. The Celtics lost as nine-point home favorites despite holding Blake Griffin to 12 points and the Clippers not having Eric Gordon. The combined 211 points flew ‘over’ the 192-point total.

The defeat snapped a five-game Boston winning streak. The Celtics rank No. 2 defensively holding foes to 91.9 points per game, but have upped their scoring lately.

Boston is averaging 103 points in its last six games, which is five points higher than its season scoring average. During their past 12 contests, Boston averaged 91.3 points. The Celtics are shooting 42 percent from 3-point range during this span. They had been making 30.7 percent from beyond the arc in their previous dozen games.

The ‘over’ has cashed in five of Boston’s last six games. In four of these instances the ‘over’ has gone above the total by at least 13 points. The Celtics are missing much of their former tough interior defense with center Kendrick Perkins traded to Oklahoma City and O’Neal and Davis sidelined.

Krstic, Green, Pavlovic and Murphy are more offensive-minded players.

The ‘over’ has cashed in eight of the 76ers’ last 10 games. Philadelphia is averaging 112.7 points in its last four games.

Philadelphia opened 3-13 with new coach Doug Collins. Since then, though, the 76ers have gone 30-18 and are chasing New York for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Only six teams have a better record than Philadelphia since its turnaround started on Nov. 27.

The 76ers have covered 32 of their last 48 games, including suffering a 110-105 home overtime loss to Oklahoma City this past Wednesday as 1 ½-point favorites. The combined 215 points went ‘over’ the 206 ½-point total. The teams put up 202 points during regulation.

Philadelphia has been particularly strong at home covering 62 percent of the time in going 20-12 ATS.

Versatile swingman Andre Iguodala is averaging 14 points, eight assists and nearly eight rebounds per game during his past nine matchups. Elton Brand is having a strong comeback season averaging a team-best 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.

The 76ers also have one of the strongest benches in the league thanks to Thaddeus Young, Louis Williams and rookie Evan Turner.

It took a layup by Kevin Garnett with 1.4 seconds left to allow the Celtics to nip the 76ers, 102-101, on Dec. 9 in the first meeting between the two clubs. Boston was six-point favorites and the combined 203 points went ‘over’ the 189 ½-point total. The 76ers led by 10 points in the third quarter.

The Celtics failed to cover in the rematch on Dec. 22, winning 84-80 as nine-point home favorites. The combined 164 points dipped well ‘under’ the 191 ½-point total. The 76ers led in the fourth quarter.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-10-2011, 11:20 PM

Hurricanes visit Capitals in Friday NHL odds fight

Washington has allowed just eight goals in its six-game win streak.
The Carolina Hurricanes will try and slow down the red-hot Washington Capitals when these two Southeast Division foes face off against one another this Friday night at DC's Verizon Center. Game time is set for 4 p.m. (PT) and it will be broadcast regionally on FOX Sports and the Comcast Network.

Carolina finds itself in a precarious position as the NHL regular season continues to wind down. It is currently tied with Buffalo for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a total of 72 points.

The Hurricanes are 31-26-10 straight-up (40-27 against the spread) with 15 games left to play. The Sabres have a slight edge in the race with a game in hand.

This game becomes even more important after Carolina lost to Chicago 5-2 last Friday night as a 192 road underdog only to follow it up by dropping a tough 3-2 OT decision to Atlanta as a 172 home favorite this past Wednesday. It continues to tread water in the standings with a 4-4-2 SU record in its last 10 games.

The Hurricanes have one of the most versatile players in the league in Eric Staal. He leads the team in goals with 29 and has also added 33 assists for a total of 62 points. The next highest point total on the team belongs to Jeff Skinner with 23 goals and 26 assists. Carolina is ranked eighth in the NHL in scoring with an average of 2.82 goals a game.

Cam Ward continues to be solid in goal allowing 2.69 goals on average with a .919 save percentage. He has also been an absolute workhorse with 59 starts in 67 games, the second-highest total of any goalie this season.

Washington is already in postseason form with eight wins in its last 10 games including six straight victories heading into this one. This past Monday night the Capitals notched a key win against Tampa Bay in a 2-1 OT shootout as a 119 road underdog. The streak reached six with a dominating 5-0 shutout of Edmonton as a 272 home favorite on Wednesday night. This recent run has left Washington just two points behind Philadelphia for the top spot in the East. The Capitals are currently 38-20-10 SU (24-44 ATS) with 86 points.

One of the most impressive aspects of this winning streak is that they have given up a total of eight goals in the last six games, well below their average of 2.38 which is fourth-best in the league. Braden Holtby is expected to get the start in goal against Carolina but it could still be a game time decision. He has only started eight games this season but has a 1.95 GGA and a save percentage of .926.

The news out of Washington is not all good as it continues to have problems finding the back of the net. The team has averaged 2.5 goals over the past six games which is actually less than its 2.65 goals-per-game season average. All-Star left winger Alex Ovechkin leads the team with 27 goals and 45 assists and Nicklas Backstrom is second on the team in scoring with 55 points.

Carolina is 18-6 this season as a favorite but just 13-39 as an underdog. The total has been evenly split over the course of 66 games at 32-32-2, but has stayed ‘under’ in three of its last four.

Washington has been favored in almost 84 percent of its games this season with an overall record of 32-24. It is 5-6 in the 11 games it closed as a money line underdog. The total has stayed ‘under’ in nine of its last 10 games and in 48 of 67 games this season.

Backstrom (fractured thumb) missed the win in Tampa on Monday and is expected to be out of Friday's game as well. The Caps are also dealing with Mike Green out of the lineup due to a concussion. The defenseman is expected to remain out two more weeks.

The Capitals have won all four previous meetings this season with three of the games ending in an identical 3-2 score. Washington was favored all four times and total stayed ‘under’ in every game.

There appears to be no tangible reason to mess with a perfect recipe so stick with the Capitals and the ‘under’ this time around as well.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-10-2011, 11:26 PM

ACC Tourney - 1st Round
March 10, 2011

The ACC Tournament begins Thursday at noon Eastern when Miami and Virginia collide at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. Most betting shops are listing the Hurricanes as 3 1/2-point favorites with a total of 122.

Miami (18-13 straight up, 12-13-1 against the spread) is looking to bounce back from Sunday’s 66-57 loss at Ga. Tech as a 2 ½-point underdog. In the losing effort, Adrian Thomas had a team-high 14 points.

Virginia (16-14 SU, 17-8 ATS) has won four of its last five games both SU and ATS, including a 74-60 win at Maryland as a 12-point underdog to close the regular season last Saturday. Sammy Ledzinski poured in 25 points, draining 6-of-7 attempts from 3-point range.

When these ACC adversaries squared off back on Feb. 5, UM won a 70-68 decision in overtime. However, the ‘Canes failed to cover the spread as 8 ½-point home favorites. Thomas paced the winners with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Reggie Johnson tallied 16 points and eight boards. UVA’s Mustapha Farrakhan finished with a team-high 20 points.

The ‘under’ has cashed in five of UM’s last six games and is 14-12 for the season. UVA has watched the ‘under’ go 14-10 overall, 5-2 in its last seven outings (despite back-to-back ‘overs’).

Following UM-UVA to close the afternoon session, Boston College (19-11 SU, 15-11 ATS) will most likely bring Wake Forest’s season to a merciful end. Most books have tabbed the Eagles as 13-point favorites with a total of 143 1/2.

Steve Donahue’s squad enters this event on a three-game winning streak to bolster its resume. With that said, a horrible loss to the Demon Deacons would probably send the Eagles ‘out’ of the field of 68.

BC knocked off Wake 84-68 this past Sunday, but the Deacs took the cash as 16 ½-point road underdogs. Corey Raji had 21 points for the Eagles and Biko Paris added 19 points and four assists.

Both teams have seen the ‘over’ produce a profit in their games. WF has watched the ‘over’ hit at a 15-11-1 clip, while BC has seen the ‘over’ go 15-11 overall.

BC has been a double-digit ‘chalk’ just twice, failing to cover both times. Wake has a 5-8-2 spread record in 15 games as a double-digit underdog.

The early game to start the night session will feature Maryland (18-13 SU, 10-15 ATS) against North Carolina State. Both of these teams have endured extremely disappointing seasons, one that might send Sidney Lowe packing from his alma mater that he led to the 1983 national championship.

Gary Williams’ team is on the wrong side of the bubble right now and probably has to get to the finals of the ACC Tournament to change that notion. That fate was sealed with a three-game losing streak to conclude the regular season.

Quick Thought: When you desperately need a win, don’t lose outright at home as a 12-point favorite. That’s what the Terps did last Saturday.

N.C. St. (15-15 SU, 10-15-1 ATS) has lost 11 of its last 15 games, going 3-11-1 ATS. The Wolfpack is off a pair of double-digit defeats vs. FSU and at UVA.

As of early this morning, most books were listing Maryland as a 5 ½-point favorite with a total of 146 ½.

The nightcap game is perhaps the most important for the league, as Virginia Tech (19-10 SU, 11-12-2 ATS) looks to impress the selection committee when it takes on Ga. Tech (13-17 SU, 10-14-1 ATS) as a five-point favorite. The total was in the 133-134 range as of early this morning.

After beating previously top-ranked Duke two Saturdays ago, the Hokies promptly re-emerged on the bubble – yet again – by losing by double digits at home to BC and then getting beat at Clemson.

Ga. Tech sent Alexander Memorial Coliseum out on a good note (the arena is going to undergo re-construction and be closed until the 2012-2013 campaign) by dropping Miami last weekend. But that was one of the few bright spots for the year and Paul Hewitt is most likely headed toward a pink slip. If Hewitt does keep his job, it will only be thanks to the class in which he carries himself and – oh yeah – that $7 million buyout.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--I’m still at a complete loss to what happened at MSG yesterday. Seriously, Tim Higgins? You think John Clougherty looked stupid in the 1989 national-title game when he inexplicably whistled Seton Hall’s Gerald Greene for an unfathomable block call on Rumeal Robinson with less than three seconds left at the Kingdome in Seattle? If so, you’re correct! But Clougherty has nothing on Higgins and Jim Burr, who completely robbed Rutgers of a fair finish to its season. In the waning moments, there were four no-calls that went against the Scarlet Knights. The last one was the most egregious, as the St. John’s player walked out of bounds with 1.7 seconds left without any sort of whistle for traveling or stepping out. Unbelievable!

--Memo to Baylor and Nebraska: You’re going to the NIT and there’s really nothing to discuss. In other words, you aren’t even in the bubble conversation anymore.

--As long as Georgia doesn’t lose to Auburn today, I think the Dawgs should be ‘in’ regardless of what happens in a potential showdown against Alabama tomorrow.

--What is all this discussion about if the Big East is going to get 11 teams in the Big Dance? That’s such a done deal.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-10-2011, 11:29 PM

Bracketology Update
March 10, 2011

Thursday's Update

We got in the mood for March Mayhem when spending the afternoon at the WAC Tournament at the Orleans Hotel Arena in Las Vegas, where a small but animated gathering watched a couple of disparate first-round matchups. There was heavy drama in the opener, when San Jose State pulled a 75-74 surprise over Hawaii in a game we still can't believe the Warriors lost. The outcome was decided in the final seconds when Spartan G Adrian Oliver hit an 18-foot jumper to put San Jose up by 1, and then in a wild melee at the buzzer a desperate tip-in attempt by Warrior PF Bill Amis spun and circled the rim like water draining from the bathtub before settling into the net, only for the referees to disallow the goal after about a minute of studying the replay. The drama quotient in the WAC was thus exhausted for the day, as Nevada, with G Malik Story scoring 34 points, had little trouble in a 90-80 win over Fresno State, a game in which the Wolf Pack raced to as much as a 28-point lead in the 2nd half.

When the smoke finally cleared after Wednesday's college hoops tournament action, there were only a few minor moves within the bubble, and any changes in our projected field were limited to a handful of seeding shuffles. No alterations (at least yet) in the composition of our 68-team field from earlier in the week. There were a couple of more bids handed out, and though it wasn't easy for either Long Island (Northeast) or Northern Colorado (Big Sky), both have safely made it into the Big Dance. And in UNC's case, it's a first-ever invitation to the big show. Expect, however, a lot more movement over the next few days as conference tourney action really swings into high gear.

The handful of notable developments on Wednesday included the following...

1) Big XII shakeout...Entering Wednesday's opening round of the Big XII Tourney at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, most eyes were on three teams (Colorado, Nebraska, and Baylor) still clinging to the bubble. In the cases of Nebraska and Baylor, their chances was in a Pluto-like orbit, far on the periphery of Selection Committee solar system entering tourney play, but the hopes of both have been put paid after yesterday's action. Both are officially off the bubble, although it was a bit more painful for the Cornhuskers to surrender their NCAA dreams in a bitter 53-52 loss to Oklahoma State. As for the Bears, their fate was effectively sealed before the game when ballyhooed frosh C Perry Jones was ruled ineligible, and the subsequent one-sided loss to an emboldened Oklahoma was almost anti-climactic. Expect Baylor to join Nebraska in the NIT. Colorado might yet join them, but the Buffs kept their NCAA pulse, if just barely, with a 77-75 survival against Fred Hoiberg's Iowa State.

2) Marquette safe...We think we can say that Buzz Williams' Golden Eagles are going to make the field of 68 after Wednesday night's gut-check Big East Tourney win over West Virginia, rallying for a 67-61 triumph. Most conceded that Marquette needed to solidify its Big Dance profile at Madison Square Garden, and we suspect that romping past Providence (which forced HC Keno Davis to walk the plank on Wednesday) and the win over Bob Huggins' Mountaineers should suffice.

3) Seed shuffles...We don't want to get too pre-occupied with specific seeds, as teams can usually be moved up or down a line depending upon bracket balance with conferences and other factors. But we did make a handful of changes after Wednesday's games, most notable Saint Mary's dropping into one of the 12 vs. 12 play-in games, while aforementioned Marquette ascends to an 11 seed in the West. We have flipped Cincinnati (now a 5) and Arizona (now a 6) in the West. Similarly, in the East we have flipped Connecticut (now a 5 after its second win in as many days at the Big East Tourney, this one over Georgetown) and Temple (now a 6 seed). We already had the Hoyas, now on a 4-game losing streak, downgraded to a No.7 seed in the Southwest, but we still have a hard time seeing JT III's bunch falling any lower. Regardless, their trends and performance pattern is not encouraging since the injury to PG Chris Wright, and Georgetown will be looking at a quick exit from the Dance if it plays like it has the past two weeks.

4) Thursday games to watch...Keep an eye on Colorado's quest to stay in contention for an at-large, which could get a huge boost with a win over Kansas State in the Big XII quarterfinals. SEC play opens in Atlanta, with Georgia (vs. Auburn) and Tennessee (vs. Arkansas) in dangerous positions where both can ill afford defeat and an early tourney exit. In the Big Ten, Michigan State could also fall off the bubble entirely if it loses vs. Iowa at Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse. Both Boston College (vs. Wake Forest) and Virginia Tech (vs. Georgia Tech) are in must-win games for the at-large hopes in the ACC Tourney. A couple of Pac-10 bubbles could burst on Thursday if Southern Cal (vs. hot Cal) and Washington State (looking for a hat-trick over rival Washington) should stumble. Most Mountain West eyes are going to be on a tasty 4-5 matchup at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas between Colorado State and New Mexico, with the winner almost certain to face a depleted BYU, minus suspended frontline star Brandon Davies, in the semifinals. Meanwhile, the wide-open CUSA Tourney moves into its quarterfinal round with contenders such as Southern Miss, Memphis, tourney host UTEP, and regular-season champ UAB joining the action. Is CUSA to be a 1-bid league, or have the likes if UAB and Memphis done enough to keep the Selection Committee interested in their at-large possibilities? And will any potential "Bubble Busters" begin to emerge?

As we said, we'll start finding out a lot more about the field of 68 will be shaping up on Thursday night. Following is our updated look at how we see the Big Dance stacking up as of Wednesday night...

Bracketology Projections
Seed EAST SOUTHEAST SOUTHWEST WEST
1 Pittsburgh Ohio State Kansas North Carolina
2 Duke Notre Dame San Diego State Purdue
3 Florida Texas Syracuse Kentucky
4 Kansas State Louisville Wisconsin BYU
5 Connecticut Xavier West Virginia Cincinnati
6 Temple St. John’s UCLA Arizona
7 UNLV Vanderbilt Georgetown Texas A&M
8 Missouri Florida State Utah State Old Dominion
9 George Mason Washington Richmond Gonzaga
10 Butler UAB Clemson Villanova
11 Illinois Michigan Tennessee Marquette
12 East 12* Virginia Tech Boston College West 12*
13 Princeton* Belmont Oakland* Indiana State
14 Bucknell* Morehead State Wofford Long Beach State
15 St.Peter's Kent State* Long Island No. Colorado
16 Boston U* SE 16* SW 16* UA-Little Rock

*Notes

East
East 12 play-in game: Alabama vs. Saint Mary's
Princeton or Harvard will represent the Ivy
Bucknell or Lafayette will represent the Patriot
Boston U or Stony Brook will represent the America East

Southeast
Kent State begins MAC Tourney play this week
SE 16 play-in game: Bethune Cookman vs. McNeese State
(both Bethune-Cookman & McNeese State begin conference tourney play this week)

Southwest
SW 16 play-in game: UNC-Asheville vs. Texas Southern
(Texas Southern begins SWAC tourney play this week)

West
West 12 play-in game: Michigan State vs. Georgia
Long Beach State begins Big West Tourney on Thursday

Last four in: Alabama, Michigan State, Saint Mary's, Georgia

First four out: Missouri State, Penn State, Colorado, Southern Cal

Next four out: Washington State, Memphis, Cleveland State, Wichita State

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:37 AM

Friday,

March 11Game Score Status Pick Amount

Dayton - 12:00 PM ET Xavier -7 500
Xavier - Under 131 500

Northwestern - 12:00 PM ET Northwestern +12.5 500
Ohio St. - Over 139.5 500

Miami - Florida - 12:00 PM ET North Carolina -10 500
North Carolina - Under 142 500

Georgia - 1:00 PM ET Georgia -1 500
Alabama - Under 123 500

Illinois - 2:25 PM ET Illinois -3 500
Michigan - Under 125.5 500

Boston College - 2:25 PM ET Clemson -3.5 500
Clemson - Under 131.5 500

St. Joseph's - 2:30 PM ET St. Joseph's +10 500
Duquesne - Under 134.5 500

Mississippi - 3:30 PM ET Mississippi +9.5 500
Kentucky - Over 144.5 500

East Carolina - 4:00 PM ET East Carolina +3 500
Memphis - Over 131 500

La Salle - 6:30 PM ET La Salle +9.5 500
Temple - Under 143.5 500

Michigan St - 6:30 PM ET Purdue -7.5 500
Purdue - Under 131.5 500

Tulsa - 6:30 PM ET Tulsa +5.5 500
Texas-El Paso - Under 133 500

-----------------------------------------------------------

Friday,

March 11Game Score Status Pick Amount

Detroit - 1:05 PM ET Detroit +124 500
St. Louis -

Philadelphia - 1:05 PM ET Baltimore +100 500
Baltimore -

Pittsburgh - 1:05 PM ET Pittsburgh +140 500
Tampa Bay -

Florida - 1:10 PM ET NY Mets -115 500
NY Mets -

Arizona - 3:05 PM ET LA Angels -117 500
LA Angels -

Chi. Cubs - 3:05 PM ET Chi. Cubs +104 500
Chi. White Sox -

Cincinnati - 3:05 PM ET Cincinnati +108 500
Texas -

Seattle - 3:05 PM ET Seattle +111 500
Cleveland -

Kansas City - 3:10 PM ET Kansas City +114 500
Colorado -

San Francisco - 9:05 PM ET San Francisco +105 500
San Diego -

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:39 AM

Notre Dame seeks 6th straight win facing Louisville

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (24-8, #3 seed in Big East)

vs. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (26-5, #2 seed in Big East)

Big East Tournament – Semifinals
Tip-off: Friday, 9:30 p.m. EDT – New York, NY
Line: TBD

Interesting how the Big East Tournament brackets shaped out in the quarterfinal round. It sort of reminds us of the delineation that the Big Ten conference is choosing to go with for its divisions -- a Leaders division, and a Legends division. In one bracket, you had the old school conference institutions, teams with multiple tournament championships and endless history on its resume, with Syracuse, Connecticut, St. John’s and Pittsburgh making up the “Legends” side. Then in the other quarterfinal bracket, you have Notre Dame, Marquette, Louisville and Cincinnati. These teams were either not original members, or second-generation members, or in the case of the Bearcats, Cardinals and Golden Eagles, teams that were transported former members of Conference USA. This would be the “Leaders” bracket. Thursday night Notre Dame and Louisville certainly looked like they could be leaders, or at least, Big East champions, as each team roared its way into Friday night’s semifinal round with the types of victories that should put future opponents, in this tournament and the next tournament, on notice.

No. 4 Notre Dame delivered an old-fashioned whooping on Cincinnati, defeating them 89-51. The 38-point difference was the second largest victory margin in the history of Big East Tournament play. In the words of Bearcats coach Mick Cronin "We got taken to the woodshed." Mike Brey’s team put on a basketball clinic, shooting 56.1% from the floor, 47.4 % from beyond the arc, and 76.2% on the FT line in dismantling a Cincinnati team that entered the game with the fourth-stingiest scoring defense in the nation, and the best in the Big East conference (58.6 PPG). Ben Hansbrough continued his scoring assault on conference teams, leading all scorers with 23 points. Carleton Scott added 18 and Tim Abromaitis had 17. Hansbrough is averaging 25.4 PPG over his past five games, all Irish victories. In addition, Notre Dame has won 12 of its past 13 contests. Its #4 national ranking is the highest the school has had since December of 1980. "When you have a performance like that, on this stage, that's something I'm really proud of," Brey said. "Hopefully it'll give us momentum to keep playing well in New York." Next up for the Irish will be Rick Pitino’s Louisville squad, a team that the Irish needed overtime to handle back on February 9 in South Bend, 89-79. Hansbrough scored 25 that evening, and Abromaitis added 23, but it was the play of Scott in overtime that propelled the team, as he scored nine of his 16 points in the extra session. Friday night will mark the fourth time that Notre Dame has reached the Big East semifinal, but they have yet to advance to a Championship Game.

No. 14 Louisville advanced with an 81-56 victory over a Marquette team that was playing its third game in three days, and seemed to show signs of fatigue against the up-tempo style of the Cardinals. Mike Marra scored a career-high 22 points (6-of-10 three-pointers) off the bench, and Preston Knowles added 15 more, as the Cardinals improved to 5-4 all-time in the Big East Tournament. The Cardinals were white hot from beyond the arc, shooting 13-for-31 from three-point territory, outscoring the Golden Eagles 39-9 from long distance. “We played great defense tonight and highly, highly intelligent offense tonight, sharing the ball ... real proud of the guys," Pitino said. The Cardinals are in the conference semifinals for the third time in school history, and are just two wins away from garnering its second Big East Championship in three years. In each of the past three seasons, and five times in their past nine meetings, Louisville and Notre Dame games have gone to overtime. Ironically, the teams playing in the other Big East semifinal, Connecticut and Syracuse, went to six overtimes the last time they met in the tournament back in 2009. That game was the longest in Big East history. What bearing will all this have on the games Friday night? No idea, but if it takes more than 40 minutes to decide who will take the floor in Saturday night’s championship final, don’t be surprised.

Since Louisville joined the Big East, the Cardinals are 4-3 SU, but only 1-6 ATS against Notre Dame. Currently, the Cardinals are riding a six-game ATS win streak, while the Irish have four straight ATS victories. Notre Dame is now 15-6 ATS (71%) after an SU win, while Louisville is 14-7 (67%) following an SU victory. Both schools are an impressive 12-7 ATS (61%) versus Big East foes. All signs point to this being a tightly-contested game, but Notre Dame has the experience and also the Big East Player of the Year, Ben Hansbrough, to propel the Irish to the win and cover.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:40 AM

Purdue tries to beat MSU for 3rd time this season

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (18-13, #7 seed in Ten)

vs. PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (25-6, #2 seed in Big Ten)

Big Ten Tournament – Quarterfinals
Tip-off: Friday, 6:30 p.m. EDT – Indianapolis, IN
Line: TBD

No. 9 Purdue looks for its third win of the season against Michigan State on Friday night when the teams meet in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament.

JaJuan Johnson (20.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG) scored 20 points in each game against the Spartans this season, as the Boilermakers swept two regular-season contests from Michigan State for the first time since 1996-97. Purdue shot 58% as a team (29-of-50) in defeating the Spartans at home, 86-76, on Jan. 22, and won most recently in a blowout in East Lansing on Feb. 27, 67-47. Johnson dominated with 20 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and seven blocks in the February matchup. E'Twaun Moore (18.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 41% three-pointers) scored 26 points in the January game, and added 17 versus the Spartans on the road. The Boilermakers haven't played since a surprising regular-season loss at Iowa, 67-65, on March 5, which snapped their seven-game winning streak. Purdue ranks 66th in the nation in scoring (73.2 PPG), and has won 40 straight games when scoring at least 70 points in a game. The Boilermakers have also held their past six regular-season opponents to 67 points or less.

Draymond Green (12.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 4.0 APG), who had 21 points and 11 rebounds against Purdue in January, scored 21 points and grabbed 14 boards as Michigan State held off Iowa, 66-61, in the first-round on Thursday in Indianapolis. Leading scorer Kalin Lucas (17.0 PPG, 37% three-pointers) had just 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting versus the Hawkeyes, and is hitting only 39% -- including 18% from three-point range -- in eight career meetings against the Boilermakers. The 20-point home loss to Purdue in late February was Michigan State's worst home defeat since a 72-50 setback to Duke on Dec. 3, 2003. The Spartans shot just 33% from the floor (19-of-57) in that home game versus the Boilers, and struggled from the field again with 44% shooting (28-of-63) in the matchup at Purdue. Michigan State has failed to score 70 points in six of its past seven games, and is averaging 69.1 PPG on the season (163rd in the nation).

Michigan State has beaten Purdue in their only two meetings in the conference tournament, winning a quarterfinal matchup, 54-42, in 2003 and a first-round meeting, 70-58, in 2006. Purdue is 12-10 all-time at Conseco Fieldhouse, and is 8-12 all-time at the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilers are 6-4 SU and 8-2 ATS in the past 10 meetings with MSU. This season, the Spartans have been one of the worst bets in the nation at 10-20 ATS (33%) overall and 6-13 ATS (32%) against Big Ten teams. On the other hand, Purdue has been one of the most reliable bets in the country at 17-9 ATS (65%) overall and 11-6 ATS (65%) against Big Ten teams. The Boilermakers are even better as a favorite (14-6 ATS, 70%), while MSU has been even worse following an SU win, at 4-13 ATS (24%). All signs point to Purdue winning and covering on Friday night.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:41 AM

Celtics try to beat 76ers for 4th straight time

BOSTON CELTICS (46-16)

at PHILADELPHIA 76ers (33-31)

Tip-off: Friday, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Boston -2, Total: 191

Boston visits Philadelphia in a battle of Atlantic Division foes on Friday night in the city of brotherly love. This is the third meeting this season between these teams as Boston has won the first two.

Boston is 28-31 ATS this season and has lost their past three games ATS. The Celtics are coming off their worst defeat of the season, suffering a 108-103 setback at home to the lottery-bound Clippers. After making a combined 52.9 percent from the field in their previous three games, the Celtics shot just 44.0% against the Clippers. Despite being second in the NBA in scoring defense at 91.9 PPG, Boston has allowed four of its past five opponents to score over 100 points and are giving up 99.8 PPG over that span. The Celtics are still trying to get acclimated to newcomers Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Troy Murphy and Carlos Arroyo, all acquired within the past two-plus weeks. Plus, Boston is still missing forward Glen Davis (knee) and guard Delonte West (ankle), though it's possible Shaquille O'Neal will return Friday after missing 14 games with a foot problem. Ray Allen has shot 20-of-34 from three-point range (58.8%) in his past six games, averaging 21.5 PPG. He's averaged 22.5 PPG in the season series with Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the past two months, going 16-6 over that span. The 76ers are just one game behind the Knicks for the sixth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They are an NBA best 40-23 overall ATS this season, and their 20-12 ATS record at home ranks second behind the Bulls. Andre Iguodala recorded triple-doubles in consecutive games against Minnesota and Golden State last weekend, and is averaging 16.8 PPG, 10.3 APG and 7.8 RPG over his past four games.

Boston has dominated this series recently, going 12-2 against the 76ers since acquiring the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the 2007-08 season, including victories in all seven visits to Philadelphia. However, Philadelphia is 5-1 in its past six games ATS against the Celtics. I’m taking Philadelphia plus the points at home. The FoxSheets provide two more reasons to side with the 76ers:

PHILADELPHIA is 23-6 ATS (79.3%, +16.4 Units) after having won 2 of their last 3 games this season. The average score was PHILADELPHIA 103.1, OPPONENT 97.5 - (Rating = 4*).

PHILADELPHIA is 20-8 ATS (71.4%, +11.2 Units) versus good shooting teams - making >=46% of their shots this season. The average score was PHILADELPHIA 97.5, OPPONENT 96.1 - (Rating = 2*).

The 76ers have played four straight games Over the total and the Celtics have seen five of their past six games finish Over. This highly-rated FoxSheets trend also likes the Over for Friday night’s meeting.

Play Over - All teams where the total is between 190 and 199.5 points (PHILADELPHIA) - good offensive team - scoring 99+ points/game on the season, after 4 straight games where both teams scored 100 points or more. (31-9 since 1996.) (77.5%, +21.1 units. Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:42 AM

Blazers seek 8th straight road win at Charlotte

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (37-27)

at CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (26-38)

Tip-off: Friday, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Line: TBD

Portland visits Charlotte on Friday to take on the struggling Bobcats, in the midst of a six-game losing skid. This is their second meeting this season, with Portland crushing Charlotte 93-69 last Saturday.

Portland is 31-28 ATS this season and has won four straight both SU and ATS entering Friday. The Blazers are 15-14 ATS on the road, and bring a seven-game road win streak SU (6-0-1 ATS) into Charlotte. The Blazers are coming off two very impressive road wins at Orlando and Miami. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers in scoring in both those games, and is averaging 25.3 PPG on 57.1% FG over his past three games. After scoring just a combined 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting in his previous two games, Gerald Wallace scored 22 against the Heat and connected on 8-of-14 from the field. Wallace will be making his return to Charlotte whom he was selected by in the 2004 expansion draft and was an All-Star this season, before being traded to Portland at the trading deadline. Wallace was angered by the trade, calling it a "stab in the back." He wasn't pleased about how the situation was handled by Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins, saying "I don't even want to comment on that guy. To feel like you're not wanted anymore or you're not good enough for the franchise anymore, it's a slap in the face," Wallace said. "That was a hurtful feeling for me."

The Bobcats are 30-33 ATS this season, and have lost three straight and five of their past six ATS. During the six-game SU losing skid, they are averaging just 81.7 PPG on 41.5% FG and 24.7% 3-pt FG. Despite this rough stretch, the Bobcats are still just one game back of Indiana for the Eastern Conference's final playoff berth. Charlotte has been hit hard by injuries, and played without top scorer Stephen Jackson (hamstring), sixth man Tyrus Thomas (knee surgery), reserve guard Matt Carroll (ankle) and Joel Przybilla (knee) in Wednesday's 101-84 loss to Chicago.

Charlotte is reeling and its trade of Wallace has made it look like it is folding up the tent for the rest of the season. I’m taking Portland to win its eighth straight road game. The FoxSheets also support picking the Blazers:

Play Against - Home teams (CHARLOTTE) - after scoring 90 points or less 3 straight games. (120-72 over the last 5 seasons.) (62.5%, +40.8 units. Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:43 AM

UConn-Syracuse meet in rematch of 6-OT thriller

CONNECTICUT HUSKIES (24-9, #9 seed in Big East)

vs. SYRACUSE ORANGE (26-6, #4 seed in Big East)

Big East Tournament – Semifinals
Tip-off: Friday, 7:00 p.m. EDT – New York, NY
Line: TBD

After a Wednesday afternoon at the Big East Tournament where much of the focus was on the referees, the clock, and postgame written statements from league officials, Thursday afternoon the focus returned to the players. We have Kemba Walker to thank for much of that. Walker’s end-of-the-game heroics versus Pittsburgh, nailing a step-back jumper at the buzzer over Panthers center Gary McGhee, helped Connecticut defeat Pittsburgh 76-74, as the Huskies won their third game in three days. Now the team will get a whopping 31 hours to rest up before returning to action Friday night to play a semifinal game in the Big East Tournament, its first semifinal appearance in seven years. UConn’s opponent will be a familiar one, the Syracuse Orange, 79-73 victors over the St. John’s Red Storm. The last time that Connecticut and Syracuse played in the Big East Tournament, it was the longest game in league history, as the Orange defeated the Huskies 127-117 in six overtimes. After three games in 48 hours, if ever there was a moment in history that Jim Calhoun has zero interest in repeating, it would be that 2009 marathon game. The result, and the length.

Syracuse’s victory over St. John’s Wednesday afternoon came after a cold first half that saw the Orange shoot 37% as the Red Storm built a five-point halftime advantage. The Orange roared back to life thanks to sophomore guard Brandon Triche who scored a season-high 22 points, and freshman center Fab Melo, who scored a season-high 12 points off the bench to go with four rebounds. Melo scored on an inbounds play with two minutes left to give the Orange the lead for good, 70-68. He added another lay-up to push the lead to four with 32 seconds left. Melo only averages 2.2 PPG, but was coming off his first double-digit scoring game of his career in the regular season finale over DePaul. "He has had good practices and he did play well at DePaul,” said Jim Boeheim after the game, adding “I think I played him against Georgetown and he made a couple big plays. ... Having the 10 days of practice we had, I think those practices were huge for him ... He made some really huge plays out there." Top scorer Kris Joseph chipped in with 14 points, while Rick Jackson added 10 points and nine rebounds. The Orange (66% FT this season) were strong from the line late, going 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final 26 seconds to seal the victory. Now they must prepare for a Connecticut team that it defeated in their only previous meeting this season, 66-58 in Hartford. That win snapped what was a four-game losing streak at the time for Syracuse. Triche led his team that night with 16 points, while Rick Jackson added 13 points and 13 rebounds. The big key in that game was the defensive job the Syracuse zone did at containing Walker, limiting him to eight points on 3-of-14 shooting. It was the only game this season that Walker failed to score in double figures. Connecticut shot just 36.2% for the game.

Walker has averaged 26.0 PPG over the first three games of the Big East tournament, while playing an amazing 112 out of a possible 120 minutes of basketball. In the Pittsburgh win, he played all 40 minutes of the game en route to his 24-point, five-rebound, five-assist effort. The defeat marked the third straight year that Pittsburgh has suffered a loss after receiving a double bye in the league tournament. Walker got a lot of help from his teammates. Freshman Jeremy Lamb added 17 points, while Alex Oriakhi chipped in with 13 points and seven boards. Connecticut matched Pitt’s toughness in the paint, outrebounding them 32-25, and 17-9 on the offensive glass. The two biggest offensive rebounds of the game came on an Oriakhi putback of a Walker miss that made the score 74-71 with a minute left, and a Jamal Coombs-McDaniel offensive board, prompting him to immediately call timeout, setting the stage for Walker’s dramatic basket on the game’s final possession. "It was one of those games where Pittsburgh asks you, 'How tough are you? If you're tough enough, you can beat us,' " Calhoun said. "And we were tough enough today."

Walker and Donnell Beverly are the only present Husky players who saw action in that historic ‘09 game against the Orange, a contest that ended at 1:22 in the morning. Walker was a freshman, who started and played a total of 53 minutes, going 4-for-18 and scoring eight points. During the regular season, Walker scored 31 points each against DePaul, Georgetown and Pittsburgh. This week he has scored 26, 28, and 24 respectively against those very same teams. In the aforementioned regular season game against Syracuse though, he scored just eight points. If Jim Boeheim's team can contain Walker defensively, and repeat THAT kind of history, then the Huskies will probably be history in this tournament.

Syracuse is 6-3 SU (5-4 ATS) in the past nine meetings with UConn, including three straight victories. The Orange are also 8-2 SU (7-3 ATS) since the beginning of February this season, while the Huskies are 7-6 SU (6-7 ATS) over the same time period. The Huskies have been on a brilliant run, but they have struggled with matchup zones all season and nobody plays zone defense like the Orange. Syracuse is the pick to win and cover.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:46 AM

Big 12 Semifinals

March 11, 2011

The Big 12 championship is down to four teams heading into Friday's action with three of the top four seeds remaining. Texas and Texas A&M meet for the third time this season in the nightcap, while Kansas looks to beat Colorado after knocking off the Buffaloes twice in conference play.

(1) Kansas vs. (5) Colorado - 7:00 PM EST

The Jayhawks escaped with their lives on Thursday after staving off a feisty Oklahoma State squad, 63-62. KU failed to cash as 14 ½-point favorites, the fourth straight non-cover for Bill Self's team. Meanwhile, Colorado beat Kansas State for a third time after rallying past the Wildcats, 87-75 as 7 ½-point underdogs. The Buffs are strengthening their case for an NCAA Tournament berth by putting together a 19-12 record.

Kansas took care of business twice against Colorado with an 82-78 victory in Boulder on January 25, while dumping the Buffs in Lawrence, 89-63 on February 19. The Jayhawks couldn't manage a cover in the late January triumph as 7 ½-point 'chalk,' while easily grabbing the money as 15-point favorites at Allen Fieldhouse in the 26-point blowout.

Since the start of Febuary, Tad Boyle's Buffaloes are 1-4 ATS off an ATS win, coming off Thursday's cover against K-State. Colorado profited as an underdog against conference opponents by going 6-4 ATS when receiving points inside Big 12 play. The Jayhawks are going for their fifth conference championship appearance in six seasons with a win, but KU is 0-3 ATS the last four games as a double-digit favorite.

(2) Texas vs. (3) Texas A&M - 9:30 PM EST

The battle of the Lone Star State finishes off the night as the Longhorns look to beat the Aggies for a third time. Texas took care of Oklahoma, 74-54 to win their second straight since a two-game losing streak. Texas A&M moved on to Friday's semifinals after an 86-71 dumping of Missouri, while cashing as three-point underdogs.

Rick Barnes' club had their way with Texas A&M with a pair of 20-point blowouts over their rivals. The Longhorns beat down the Aggies, 81-60 on January 19 as 6 ½-point favorites in Austin. UT shot a blistering 58% from the floor, led by 27 points from Jordan Hamilton. Texas finished off the season sweep with a 69-49 rout in College Station on January 31, while jumping out to a 25-point halftime lead.

Following a 7-0 ATS start in conference play, the Longhorns are 5-5 ATS the last 10 games after covering against Oklahoma. The four-game 'under' streak for the Aggies was snapped as Texas A&M hit the 'over' of 136 ½ in the victory over Missouri. Mark Turgeon's squad is rolling from an ATS standpoint with five covers in the previous six games.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:47 AM

Big East Semifinals

March 11, 2011

The daytime session at in the Big East’s quarterfinals gave us some of the best college basketball we’re going to see in the tournaments. Then the night session showed us what a butt kicking is really all about.

What we saw was the favorites go 3-1 SU and ATS. Meanwhile, the ‘over’ went 3-1 for Thursday’s tests. That means the ‘over’ is now an impressive 9-3 through three days of tourney basketball.

We’ve got just four teams left with the dream of cutting the nets down at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

The Friday night action starts off with the red-hot Huskies taking on the Orange. After that will be a contest between the Fighting Irish and Cardinals.

Connecticut vs. Syracuse – 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN

Connecticut (24-9 straight up, 16-11 against the spread) are still a ways from it, but they have the makings to be the first team to win the Big East championship after playing five games in five days. Jim Calhoun’s enters this game after fantastic effort in a 76-74 Pittsburgh as a 5 ½-point underdog. Kemba Walker is in a zone right now with 24 points (including the buzzer beater to win the game), five boards and five assists.

The Huskies have now won three straight games, covering the number on each occasion. The ‘over’ has hit in each of those games as well.

Syracuse (26-6 SU, 14-16 ATS) took care of business against the Johnnies with a 79-73 win as a 2 ½-point favorite to close out the afternoon session. Brandon Triche paced the Orange with 22 points, six boards and five helpers to make it to the Big East semifinals. The win helped keep Jim Boeheim’s club on a 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS run. The ‘over’ has now hit in two straight games for the ‘Cuse.

The Orange took the lone meeting they had against UConn on Feb. 2 with a 66-58 win to easily cover as three-point road favorites.

Of course, this is the first time they’ve seen each other in the postseason since their epic six-overtime performance in 2009. Syracuse wound up taking that game 127-117 to cover as a 5 ½-point “chalk.” Even though the ‘over’ is hitting at a fantastic clip, consider the ‘under’ in this spot. That’s because the ‘under’ has gone 4-1 in the last five head-to-head meetings.

Notre Dame vs. Louisville – 9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN

While the first semifinal had teams that had to survive in order to advance, the second matchup focuses on teams that romped in the quarterfinals to make it to this point.

Notre Dame (26-5 SU, 16-10 ATS) didn’t really look like it had much to gain with a win over the Bearcats. But the Panthers’ loss gave them a clear path at earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Fighting Irish no doubt had that in their minds as they flat out embarrassed Cincinnati in an 89-51 rout as 2 ½-point favorites. Ben Hansbrough led the charge with 23 points and six assists on 8-of-11 shooting. The Irish are riding a 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS run into this contest.

Louisville (24-8 SU, 18-10-1 ATS) was another one of the dreaded double-by teams in the conference tourney that showed the rest is a good thing. The Cardinals crushed Marquette 81-56 in the final game of the night as 3 ½-point favorites. Mike Marra poured in 22 points, thanks to shooting six three-pointers. And the ‘Ville held the Golden Eagles to just 30 percent from the field to eliminate any hope they had of advancing. Rick Pitino’s club has now won five of its last six games, covering the spread on each occasion. The ‘under’ is 5-1 in that stretch.

Notre Dame took the only meeting they had against the Cards this season, a 89-79 win in OT as 4 ½-point home favorites on Feb. 9. No surprise there for bettors as the Irish are just 3-4 SU in seven meetings, but 6-1 ATS to fill our coffers. The ‘over’ has cashed tickets in five straight showdowns.

The Irish are now 17-0 SU and 12-5 ATS when tabbed as favorites this season.

Louisville has only been an underdog six times this season, posting a 1-5 SU and 3-3 ATS record. The ‘over’ is 4-2 in those tests.

**StarDust Bum** · 03-11-2011, 11:48 AM

Big Ten Quarterfinals

March 10, 2011

The second round of the Big Ten tournament gets underway on Friday afternoon with the best team in the land (by ranking, of course) starting a slate of four games.

Many experts have the Buckeyes winning the whole conference tourney with what is considered the path of least resistance. Sportsbook.com hasn’t given gamblers much reason to back them to cut down the nets in Indy by putting them as minus-175 faves.

As far as we’re concerned, the opening day was a bit chalky. The favorites went 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS, with the ‘under’ going 2-1.

Northwestern vs. Ohio State – 12:00 p.m. EST, ESPN

Ohio State (29-2 straight up, 14-12 against the spread) has seemingly just been toying with the regular season to get to this warmup stage.

The Buckeyes are coming into this game with a four-game SU and ATS winning streak after losing at Purdue on Feb. 20. To say that Thad Matta’s team dominated their last four matches is not an exaggeration. OSU has won those games by an average of 22.3 points, which includes the 93-65 emasculation of the Badgers to close out the regular season. Jared Sullinger put in 22 points with eight rebounds in that contest.

Northwestern (18-12 SU, 12-12 ATS) may not have had a great Big Ten campaign, but they’re going to try and make up for it now. The Wildcats outlasted Minnesota 75-65 as one-point favorites on Thursday afternoon’s tourney opener. Michael Thompson was a one-man wrecking crew with 35 points, four rebounds and four assists. It’s Northwestern’s second straight ATS win, with the first one also coming against the Golden Gophers.

The ‘Cats are just 0-3 SU and 1-2 ATS as double-digit pups this season. The lone ATS win came in a 58-57 loss to the Buckeyes as 10-point home ‘dogs on Jan. 29.

Northwestern has seen the ‘under’ go 3-2 in its last five games of the year.

OSU has seen the ‘over’ cash in seven of its final eight games of the regular season.

The Bucks are 16-0 SU, but 6-10 ATS when listed as double-digit favorites. The ‘under’ is 10-6 in those matches.

Either the Fighting Illini or Wolverines await the winner of this game on Saturday at 1:40 p.m. EST on CBS.

Michigan vs. Illinois – 2:30 p.m. EST, ESPN

Better seeding in the NCAA tournament is most likely on the line when the Fighting Illini and Wolverines hit the court on Friday afternoon. The betting shops have installed Illinois as a three-point “chalk” with a total of 126 for this game.

Michigan (19-12 SU, 17-8 ATS) made a strong case for itself after finishing off the regular season with a road win against the Golden Gophers and then come home to sweep the Spartans. Gamblers have enjoyed taking the Wolverines ever since the end of January, going 10-1 ATS in their final 11 Big Ten battles. The ‘over’ is 6-2 in their last eight conference games. That has John Beilein’s crew posted at 15/1 at Sportsbook.com to win this tourney.

Illinois (19-12 SU, 16-13-1 ATS) could have really been one of the favorites for this tourney, but stumbled to a 2-3 SU finish in conference action. However, the Illini came through with a 3-1-1 ATS mark in that timeframe. As bad as Bruce Weber’s team has been going recently, they’re still listed at 12/1 to cut down the nets in Indy.

The Fighting Illini won their lone meeting with Michigan 54-52 on Feb. 16. However, the Wolverines easily cashed as 9 ½-point road pups in that contest.

Prior to that February meeting, Illinois had been on a 3-0 SU and ATS run before that loss. The ‘under’ is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head contests.

The Illini have been single-digit favorites 14 times this season, posting a 9-5 SU and 7-7 ATS record. However, they’re 1-3 ATS in their last four games in that role. The ‘under’ is 8-6 on the whole of that situation.

Michigan has been a great wager as an underdog as of late, evidenced by a 4-2 SU and 6-0 ATS mark.

The winner of this game will take on either Ohio State or Northwestern at 1:40 p.m. EST on Saturday on CBS.

Michigan State vs. Purdue – 6:30 p.m. EST, Big Ten Network

Michigan State (18-13 SU, 10-19-1 ATS) picked up a huge 66-61 come from behind win against the Hawkeyes to keep its NCAA tourney hopes alive. Yet they couldn’t cover the spread as a 7 ½-point favorite in its Big Ten tournament opener. If recent gambling standing was criteria for bubble teams to making the big dance, then the Spartans are hurting right now having dropped to 1-3 ATS in their last four games.

Outside of the head scratching loss to the Hawkeyes in the regular season finale, Purdue (25-6 SU, 18-10 ATS) is still one of the best teams in the nation. The Boilermakers had been on a seven-game win streak before losing to Iowa in the finale, going 6-1 ATS in that time. We’ve also paid attention to the fact that the ‘under’ is on a 3-1 run for them as well.

The season series went to the Boilers as they won and covered the spread in both meetings against Sparty. Purdue’s most recent triumph against Michigan State came as a one-point road favorite in a 67-47 decision on Feb. 27. JaJuan Johnson destroyed the Spartans in that game with 20 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocked shots.

We shouldn’t be shocked by Purdue’s dominance in that game because they’re 6-4 SU and 8-2 ATS in the last 10 head-to-head meetings. The ‘under’ is 7-3 in those battles to boot.

The Boilermakers are 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as faves, with the ‘under’ going 4-3.

Michigan State has only been an underdog seven times this season. When placed in that role, Tom Izzo’s club is 2-5 SU but 4-3 ATS. The ‘under’ is 4-3 in that stretch.

Penn State or Wisconsin will be facing the victor of this contest at 4:00 p.m. EST on Saturday on CBS.

Penn State vs. Wisconsin – 9:00 p.m. EST, Big Ten Network

It may be a faint glimmer, but the dream of a berth in the big dance is still alive for Penn State (17-13 SU, 15-11 ATS). The Nittany Lions had some issues with Indiana on Thursday night, but got the 61-55 win as five-point favorites to move into the quarterfinals. PSU has been a bettor’s best friend recently by going 6-1 ATS in its last seven conference games. The ‘over’ is on a nice 4-1 run for us, too.

Wisconsin (23-7 SU, 15-11 ATS) walks into this contest having serious ax to grind. A 93-65 beatdown at Ohio State on national television will tend to do that if it’s your regular season finale. That loss broke up a nice four-game win streak that saw the Badgers cover the spread in two of them. The real surprise for Wisky is that they’ve seen the ‘over’ go 6-1 in its last seven games. That’s coming from a team with a Top 10 scoring defense.

Before you think this will be a cakewalk for the Badgers, take a step back. These two teams have split the season series with the home team winning. However, the Nittany Lions have covered the number in the last three meetings. The ‘under’ is on a strong 5-2 run in the last seven head-to-head tests.

The winner of this battle will get to take on either Purdue or Michigan State at 4:00 p.m. EST on CBS on Saturday.

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