Big Ten play begins Monday as the Indiana Hoosiers host the Penn State Nittany Lions on NCAA basketball betting odds.
Penn State (7-4, 2-5 ATS) has lost back-to-back games after falling 74-64 to Maine last Tuesday. There was no line on the game, but the Nittany Lions have lost their last three outings that did feature lines on the action.
Scoring has been a major issue so far this season. Guard Talor Battle certainly is pulling his weight; he’s averaging over 20 points per game this season. His teammates, however, have been major disappointments, particularly against tough competition—which the Big Ten is full of.
Forwards Jeff Brooks (12.3 points per game) and David Jackson (10.2 points per game). are the only other players averaging more than six points per game. While a better effort is needed from the bench, most expect a more consistent effort from Brooks and Jackson as well. As a team, the Lions are managing just 65 points per outing.
Indiana (9-4, 2-4 ATS) has lost its past two outings, including a 78-69 loss to Colorado last Thursday. The Hoosiers have failed to cover their last four games that had odds on the action.
The Hoosiers field a more potent offense than PSU, racking up 77 points per game. They have just two scorers in double figures, but six different players averaging at least seven points per game (including four over nine points per game). Forward Christian Watford is the go-to guy; he’s averaging 18.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Indiana and Penn State have split their last 10 games against each other at five wins apiece. The Nittany Lions have a slight edge against the spread, though, going 6-4 ATS. Indiana has covered two of the past three, and five straight meetings have gone under the total.
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Two of the top teams in the country will throw down Wednesday when the No. 9 Georgetown Hoyas take on the No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Hoyas have been excellent on NCAA basketball betting odds this year.
Georgetown (11-1, 8-2 ATS) has won three consecutive games, covering all three of them. The Hoyas rolled through Memphis last Thursday, beating the Tigers 86-69 in Memphis and covering as 4.5-point favorites.
As usual, the Hoyas got a fantastic performance from Austin Freeman. The guard poured in 24 points against Memphis. Freeman hit nine of his 12 field goals, which helped the team shoot a blistering 57 percent against the Tigers.
Chris Wright chipped in with 19 points, while Julian Vaughn notched 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in just 23 minutes of action.
Notre Dame (11-1, 4-3 ATS) is also riding a three-winning streak, but the Irish haven’t been great against the spread since winning three consecutive games in late November. Since then, the team is just 1-3 ATS. There were no odds on last Wednesday’s 93-53 win over UMBC.
Experience is Notre Dame’s biggest weapon. The Fighting Irish are starting an all-senior lineup; that means very few mistakes, and the team ranks sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Just about everybody got into the mix against UMBC. Four different players scored in double figures, plus another four players with at least seven points. Tim Abromaitis led the way 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Georgetown has won six of its last 10 games against Notre Dame, though the rivals have split their last five games against the spread. The Irish have covered back-to-back games and won last year’s matchup 78-64.
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After top-ranked Duke’s loss at Florida State on Wednesday night – the Devils were 8-point favorites on Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds – we are down to four unbeaten teams remaining in Division I basketball: Ohio State, Kansas, Syracuse and San Diego State. Which one will be the last standing?
All four teams play on Saturday and it would appear that San Diego State, the most surprising of the quartet of unbeatens, has the best chance of falling that day. The Aztecs, coached by Steve Fisher, who won a national title at Michigan, play at New Mexico on Saturday. The Pit is one of the toughest places in the nation to play and the Lobos are a likely NCAA Tournament team. SDSU’s next big test would come Jan. 26 at No. 10 BYU.
Ohio State, which should ascend to No. 1 in the nation next week, should make it to next weekend still unscathed as the Buckeyes have a home game with Penn State on Saturday and then one against Iowa next Wednesday. The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes are two of the lesser teams in the Big Ten. But then OSU is at No. 16 Illinois on Jan. 22 and home to No. 8 Purdue on Jan. 25. Seems doubtful the Buckeyes make it through both games without a loss.
Kansas should beat Nebraska on Saturday but then has two very tough games: at formerly ranked Baylor and home against No. 14 Texas next Saturday. Expect a Jayhawks loss in one of those.
Finally, Syracuse plays in the nation’s toughest conference: the Big East. The Orange should win at home against Cincinnati on Saturday but then are at No. 5 Pittsburgh on Monday and home to No. 7 Villanova next Saturday. No way SU gets through that unscathed.
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A day of five Top-25 matchups is capped off on Saturday night when No. 18 Michigan State visits No. 12 Purdue, with the Boilermakers solid favorites on Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
MSU (12-6, 4-2 Big Ten) probably needs this game more as a loss could put the Spartans too far back of Ohio State in the Big Ten race; OSU is 6-0 in the conference but does face a tough test at Illinois earlier Saturday. "If we don’t win this game," star point guard Kalin Lucas said, “we’re definitely going to be out of the race."
Plus Sparty hasn’t been very good on the road, winning just once in four tries and that victory was a squeaker at Northwestern. In the previous two seasons MSU had a combined 15 road wins. Michigan State was shooting blanks in Tuesday’s 71-62 loss at Illinois. MSU took 64 shots, almost 20 more than the Illini, but still only managed 62 points on 37.5 percent shooting. Plus the Spartans went scoreless in the final four minutes. Michigan State lost for the first time this season when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent but Illinois was the first team to shoot over 50 percent from the field against MSU.
Purdue (16-3, 5-1) ended a two-game losing streak last time out with a 63-62 home win over Penn State on Wednesday thanks to a JaJuan Johnson jumper with 3 seconds left. The Boilermakers lead the Big Ten in conference games in scoring offense (75.0 ppg), rebound margin (+7.2), assists (18.0 apg) and scoring margin (+12.0). Johnson leads the conference in scoring overall (20.5 ppg) and ranks second in league contests (21.0 ppg). He is averaging 26.7 points in the past three games.
These two teams split two meetings last year, with each winning on the other team’s floor. Purdue is currently on an 11-game home winning streak.
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The Ohio State Buckeyes have to be called the best team in the country right now as OSU enters play Saturday as the nation’s lone unbeaten team. But the second-best team might now be Texas, which has been very impressive since starting Big 12 play. But the Horns have had trouble with Missouri in recent years, although UT is a solid betting favorite for this Saturday evening game on Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
No. 8 Texas (17-3, 5-0 Big 12) has won 11 of 12 games, with the only loss coming on a last-second shot in overtime by Connecticut’s Kemba Walker. And in conference play the Horns have dominated, beating their first five opponents by an average of 19.6 points per game. Last Saturday UT ended Kansas’ 69-game home winning streak with an 11-point win and on Wednesday night the Horns won at a good Oklahoma State team 61-46. The Longhorns held the Cowboys to their lowest scoring output of the season on 32 percent shooting. Jordan Hamilton had 12 points and a career-high 11 boards for Texas for his fifth double-double of the season. He leads the team in scoring (19.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.4).
No. 13 Missouri (17-3, 3-2) has won two straight, beating Kansas State and Iowa State handily in Columbia. The Tigers’ 33-point rout of the Cyclones last Saturday was the school’s biggest margin of victory in that series since 1920. Missouri’s star is Marcus Denmon, who is sixth in the Big 12 in scoring (17.3) and Top; five in steals, three-pointers made and three-point percentage. Over his last 15 games Denmon is averaging 18.6 points on 52 percent shooting from the floor and 49 percent shooting from three-point range.
This will be Mizzou’s sixth game against a Top 25 team this season, with the Tigers going 3-2 in the previous five. Missouri has beaten Texas three games in a row, including 82-77 last season. But the Tigers haven’t won a road game against a Top 10 team since 1994.
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A pair of bitter ACC rivals will hook up on NCAA basketball betting odds this Tuesday when the Boston College Eagles host the North Carolina Tar Heels.
North Carolina (15-5, 8-9 ATS) is ranked 23rd in the country, and it's gaining momentum fast. The Tar Heels have won eight of their past nine games, including three straight. Saturday’s 84-64 romp over North Carolina State was their third straight victory against the spread.
The Tar Heels look like they’ll only get stronger. Forward Harrison Barnes is second on the team with 12.5 points per game and third with 5.2 rebounds per game, and he exploded against the Wolf Pack over the weekend. Barnes scored a career-high 25 points after hitting 10 of 16 shots. He’s been criticized for being terribly inconsistent but, if he can straighten that out, the sky’s the limit.
UNC is also playing some pretty respectable defense lately. They held N.C. State to just 36 percent shooting from the field and absolutely manhandled the Wolf Pack on the glass. North Carolina won the rebounding battle 53-39, including 17-9 on the offensive glass.
Boston College (14-7, 8-7 ATS) is sliding. The Eagles have dropped three of their last four games, going just 2-2 against the spread. The past two losses have come on the road, including last week’s 84-68 blowout against Duke.
The Eagles have now lost two straight games by 16 points, and a lack of physicality is probably the biggest problem. Through the first seven conference games, B.C. is getting outrebounded by 2.4 boards per game — second-worst in the ACC. The Eagles also have just 17 blocked shots in seven ACC matchups, the worst number in the conference.
Boston College and North Carolina have split their last eight meetings, but the Eagles hold a 6-2 edge against the spread. Boston College has won back-to-back games against the Tar Heels and is riding a three-game winning streak against the spread.
Is there a favorite to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award this season in college basketball? That really depends on whom you ask. But pretty much everyone can agree that four players have separated themselves from the pack: BYU guard Jimmer Fredette, Ohio State center Jared Sullinger, Connecticut guard Kemba Walker and Duke guard Nolan Smith. And only at Bodog’s college basketball odds can you bet on which of those four players will win the Naismith award.
Fredette probably has the most Internet and TV highlights buzz being as he leads the nation in scoring by a ton at 27.5 points per game entering Saturday. Fredette, a senior, also has three games of at least 40 points this season, and those came in a four-game span. No one else can say that. His range is unlike anyone’s in college basketball – Fredette is a lot like former Duke star J.J. Redick. And coincidence or not, the last senior and guard to win the national player of the year was Redick in 2006. Fredette is currently the -125 favorite.
Speaking of Duke senior guards, Smith has emerged as the ACC’s best player and has really picked up his game since star freshman Kyrie Irving went down. Smith currently leads Duke and the ACC in scoring (21.5) and assists (5.5) entering Saturday. No player in ACC history has led the conference in both categories in one season – and there have been some fairly decent players in the ACC. Smith is at +400 to win this award on Bodog.
The second-favorite at Bodog is the freshman Sullinger, who leads Ohio State in scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.3). Those numbers are good for fourth and second in the Big Ten, respectively. Sullinger is the main reason that OSU enters Saturday atop the polls and as the only unbeaten left in the country, although that will be severely tested at Wisconsin on Saturday.
Finally there’s Walker, a junior who led the nation in scoring for a while but has fallen off a bit and is second in the Big East at 22.9 points per game. Walker is the main reason UConn went from unranked in the preseason to a current No. 9 ranking, although the Huskies have lost three of four entering Sunday’s game against Providence. Walker is the long shot on this bet at +1000.
One of the big games so far in the watered-down Pac-10 takes place tonight in Tucson when No. 13 Arizona, the apparent class of the conference, hosts Washington State. Arizona is an 8.5-point favorite on Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
The Wildcats (21-4, 10-2) will return to the NCAA Tournament after their record streak of consecutive appearances ended last year. They have a one-game lead over UCLA in the Pac-10. Arizona also has the best player in the Pac-10 and one of the tops in the nation in Derrick Williams, who leads the team in scoring (19.2 ppg) and rebounds (8.0 rpg). Williams is second in the Pac-10 in scoring and has 25 double-doubles this season. Arizona has won six games in a row, a streak that started Jan. 22 at Washington State, a 65-63 Wildcats win behind Williams’ 17 points and 19 rebounds, which is a career-high and the most in the Pac-10 this year. Arizona used a +10 rebound margin to score 17 second-chance points in that game.
Washington State (17-8, 7-6) is probably on the NCAA Tournament bubble right now. The Cougars have alternated losses and wins in the past six games and enter off a 75-71 home win over California. Three WSU players average in double-figures, led by Klay Thompson's 20.6 points per game, which leads the conference. Wazzu is the Pac-10’s top field goal percentage team at 38.7 percent, while Arizona is the conference’s top shooting club at 48.1 percent. The Cougars should have starting center DeAngelo Castro for tonight’s game. He sprained an ankle in the win over Cal. He will be the main guy to guard Williams.
Tonight's game is the 69th meeting of the two schools with Arizona holding a 52-16 series advantage. Arizona has won 45 of the last 51 meetings in the series.
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ESPN created the BracketBusters to allow mid-major teams to play against top mid-majors from other conferences so each team could raise its RPI to boost their chances of getting an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. But getting into the Big Dance isn’t a worry for No. 24 Utah State and No. 23 Saint Mary’s as they face off in the most intriguing matchup in college basketball on Saturday.
The Aggies (24-3, 12-1 WAC) has already clinched at worst a tie for the WAC regular-season title. They have won 19 of their past 20 games, with the only slipup coming Feb. 9 at Idaho. And their other two losses were to excellent teams: BYU and Georgetown. On Wednesday, Utah State crushed NAIA school Montana-Western but the news there was that two backboards were smashed at halftime. One on a dunk on warm-ups by a Utah State player, and then the second when workers were trying to replace the smashed one. The game was delayed nearly an hour. Utah State is 4-1 all-time in BracketBuster games and beat Wichita State in one last year. USU Utah State is 11-58 all-time against ranked opponents, which includes a 5-15 record under head coach Stew Morrill. The Aggies are led by senior forward Tai Wesley (he broke the backboard), who is averaging 14.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, while shooting 59.7 percent from the field.
The Gaels (22-5, 10-2 WCC) figure to be plenty focused as they were shocked by San Diego 74-66 on Wednesday night. San Diego entered that game 5-21 and with just three wins over Division I teams. The star of Saint Mary’s is guard Mickey McConnell, who leads the Gaels and ranks second in the WCC in scoring with an average of 16.9 points per game. He is among the national leaders in assists, assist/turnover ratio, three-point percentage and free throw percentage.
Saint Mary's and Utah State have met seven times previously and in each of the last two seasons. The Gaels have won those past two. Last season they ended the Aggies' 37-game home winning streak, 65-game regular season non-conference home winning streak and 41-straight home non-conference winning streak with a 68-63 win in Logan.
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Let’s go ahead and call Sunday’s nationally televised Ohio State-Purdue game the de facto Big Ten championship game for the regular season title. Bet on this matchup with Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
The No. 3 Buckeyes (25-1, 12-1), who could return to No. 1 in the next polls, hold a two-game lead over No. 11 Purdue (21-5, 10-3) with both teams having four conference games left after this one. OSU would seem to have the advantage because three of its four are at home, while three of Purdue’s final four are on the road. These two met back on Jan. 25 in Columbus and the Buckeyes had one of their most impressive games of the season, winning 87-64. The Buckeyes shot 55.2 percent from the field and had six players score in double figures. That evened the all-time series at 82-82.
The Boilermakers enter off possibly their most impressive outing of the season, a 70-62 home win over the same Wisconsin team that handed OSU its lone loss of the season last week. JuJuan Johnson led Purdue with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks as he continued his case for Big Ten Player of the Year. Whoever plays better today between Johnson and OSU star freshman Jared Sullinger probably wins the award (assuming said player’s team also wins). Johnson averages 20.7 points on the season and 21.2 in Big Ten play to lead the conference in both, and is averaging 22.8 points per game over Purdue's last 10 outings. Purdue has won 15 straight games at home and is 3-3 this season vs. ranked teams. With the Badgers ranked No. 10, today’s game will be the first time Purdue has hosted back-to-back top-10 teams since 1989.
Key trends: OSU is 1-4 ATS in its past five games. Purdue is 4-1 ATS in its past five.
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The Florida Gators look like the class of the Southeastern Conference and UF can take a step closer to clinching the SEC East by beating a down LSU team in Baton Rouge on Sunday afternoon. Bet on this game with Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
No. 15 Florida (20-5, 9-2) has a comfortable lead in the division but does have a tough finishing stretch in facing probably the four other best teams in the conference: Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama and Vanderbilt. And the Gators might not have probably their team MVP today as senior forward Chandler Parsons won’t start and is only 50-50 to play after suffering a deep thigh bruise in Florida’s last game, a 61-60 win over Tennessee last Saturday. Parson leads the SEC in rebounding (8.9 per game) in conference play and had double-doubles in four of the Gators’ five games before getting hurt vs. Tennessee. One freshman Scottie Wilbekin or Casey Prather is likely to start in Parsons’ place.
Barring a miracle run in the SEC Tournament, LSU (10-16, 2-9) won’t be playing in any NCAA postseason tournaments. The Tigers started conference play looking like a sleeper in the West but have since dropped nine games in a row, with most of them not being close. LSU’s freshmen backcourt of Ralston Turner (12.4 points per game) and Andre Stringer (11.8) lead team in scoring. The Tigers have won six of the past nine in this series and Florida hasn’t won at the Maravich Center since the 2002-2003 season, suffering three consecutive losses. This is the only regular-season meeting between these teams.
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The early NCAA madness continued Saturday with No. 2 Ohio State falling to No. 11 Purdue. 76-63.
The Boilermakers were certainly no slouch, NCAA oddsmakers had them listed as just 1.5-point underdogs at home. However, just a week ago the Buckeyes were pushing for an undefeated season, now they've lost two of their last three games.
The upset was led by E’Twaun Moore, who dropped 38 points on Ohio State by aggressive play and making seven of 10 3-pointers. Moore made more threes than his teammates and the Buckeyes combined.
“I saw we were in trouble of few times so i said hey it’s a good time to be aggressive,” Moore said. “I knew it was a big game, knew I had to play good and help my team win.
“That’s what I tried to do.
It was apparent it was going to be another tough afternoon for the Bucks from the jump as Purdue kept up all afternoon and led 37-33 at halftime. Ohio's Jared Sullinger did his best to keep his team in the game, scoring 25 points with six rebounds.
With No. 1 Kansas, No. 3 Texas, and No. 4 Pittsburgh all suffering upsets this week Duke likely has a chance to recapture the No. 1 ranking if they can beat Georgia Tech tonight at 7:45 p.m. ET. NCAA Basketball odds has Duke listed as 20-point favorites at home.
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Arizona, one of the hottest teams in the nation, can take a huge step toward winning the Pac-10 regular-season title on Thursday night by winning at Southern Cal, but the Wildcats are 1.5-point underdogs on Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
Entering tonight’s action, No. 10 Arizona (23-4, 12-2 Pac-10) has won eight straight conference games in a row, its longest win streak in the Pac-10 in eight seasons. The Wildcats lead second-place UCLA by two games for the conference lead with three games remaining for both after tonight. The Bruins should rout Arizona State tonight, so it could set up a huge game on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion between Arizona and UCLA.
The Wildcats might have the best player in the nation and quite possibly the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft in Derrick Williams, who originally committed to USC in 2009 but was granted a release from his scholarship after Tim Floyd abruptly resigned as USC's coach. Williams averages 19.7 points and 8.1 rebounds and gets to the foul line an average of 9.2 times per game, the most in the country. And that caused USC coach Kevin O’Neill to say this:
"(Williams is) the most protected dude I've seen since Michael Jordan. If the guy walks across the court, it's a foul.”
USC (15-12, 7-7) has won three of four and is trying for its first three-game winning streak of the season. The Trojans have held the opposition to 63.0 points per game, the fewest allowed per game among conference teams. USC also ranks second in the league in field goal defense at 41.1 percent. Nikola Vucevic is the star, leading the team in scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (10.2).
Arizona beat Southern Cal 82-73 in Tucson back on Jan. 29. Williams had 20 points to lead the Wildcats while Vucevic had 18 to lead USC. The Trojans, however, are in their last five home games with Arizona.
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The regular-season title and top seed in the conference tournament is likely on the line Saturday when No. 10 Arizona visits unranked UCLA, with the Bruins slight favorites on Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
Arizona (23-5, 12-3) enters on a downer as the Wildcats were beaten by the other Los Angeles team, Southern Cal, 65-57 on Thursday night. That ended Arizona’s eight-game conference winning streak. Derrick Williams, the expected Pac-10 Player of the Year, was held to a season-low eight points. He averages 19.7 per game. The last time Williams failed to score 10 or more points came Feb. 4, 2010. He did have 11 rebounds despite playing with a wrap protecting his bandaged right pinky finger. UA shot just 35.8 percent from the field, its second-worst mark of the year, and scored its fewest points of the season. A win today clinches at least a share of the Pac-10 title, while a UCLA victory knots the standings with two games remaining.
UCLA (20-8, 11-4) has won seven of eight and enters off a 71-53 win over last-place Arizona State. Malcolm Lee, the team’s leading scorer, had 16 points to lead five Bruins in double figures. The Bruins shot 52 percent from the floor. The Bruins played at Arizona on Jan. 27 and lost 85-74. Arizona opened the second half on a 24-11 run in the first seven minutes and never looked back. The Arizona backcourt of Lamont Jones, Kyle Fogg and Jordin Mayes combined for 39 points, while Williams had 22 points. Arizona shot 52 percent from the field and forced 19 UCLA turnovers. Arizona has won just 13 of 32 games all-time in Westwood but ended a four-game skid there last year. The Bruins are seeking a seventh consecutive conference win at Pauley Pavilion for the first time since 2006-07.
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Just a few weeks ago, St. John’s was on the NCAA Tournament bubble. But now the Red Storm are probably the hottest team in the Big East and a club that no one wants to see in either the Big East Tournament or the Big Dance. The Johnnies look for yet another win over a ranked club at Villanova on Saturday afternoon. Bet on this game with Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
After a loss at UCLA on Feb. 9, St. John’s was just 13-9 overall (5-5 in Big East). Since then, the No. 25 Red Storm (18-9, 10-5 Big East) have won five conference games in a row, including upsets of Connecticut and Pittsburgh. Those are two of SJU’s five wins over Top-15 teams this year – but all five have come at Madison Square Garden. This team has been blown out in four road games vs. ranked foes but has won at good teams Cincinnati and Marquette during the winning streak. Point guard Dwight Hardy is making a late play for conference player of the year. He is averaging 25.2 points in the past six games.
No. 14 Villanova (21-7, 9-6) is still hoping to climb into the top four of the Big East – which St. John’s currently holds – and get a double bye for the conference tournament. The Wildcats enter off a 69-64 home loss to Syracuse on Monday, their third loss in five games. Corey Stokes returned from missing three games because of a turf toe injury to lead the Wildcats with 24 points, including matching his season high with five 3-pointers. But fellow star guard Corey Fisher had just eight points – after a career-high 34 in his previous game — and was 0-for-8 from long range. Villanova’s magic number is 70 – it is 17-1 this season when scoring at least that many.
This is the first and only regular-season meeting between these schools. Villanova has won six straight in the series.
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Virginia Tech fans rushed the court in celebration as the unranked school got a 64-60 win over No. 1 Duke as 4-point underdogs.
But was such elation really required? The AP No. 1 has lasted no more than a week after Ohio State lost its first game of the season versus Wisconsin, upsets have been going down ever since.
The win is significant for the Hokies’ chances in the tournament however, they’ve been on the bubble this season and beating the No. 1 team in the nation will definitely get them a spot barring a meltdown down the stretch.
Virginia Tech used a 15-4 run with 4:30 minutes remaining to grab the upset.
"A lot of teams, down six to Duke, would have just folded up and let Duke put the game away, but we didn't," said senior guard Malcolm Delaney. "We buckled up and got stops."
Kyle Sigler of Duke led both teams with 22 points but was just 6-19 from the field and 1-7 from 3-point land. Virginia Tech led a balanced attack. All Hokie starters had double digits in scoring and were led by forward Jeff Allen with 18 points.
The Blue Devils had chances in the closing minute to tie the game when Virginia Tech struggled at the free throw line, but couldn't capitalize. Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewki didn’t blame the loss on bad play, simply the inability to put the ball in the basket in the final minutes.
"I don't fault my guys," Krzyzewski said. They're playing well. They just couldn't put the ball in the basket during that sequence."
Duke plays Clemson then are at North Carolina to finish off their regular season.
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As February comes to a close in NCAA Basketball betting, it’s conference tournament time. This is your Horizon League Tournament Preview.
Cleveland State enters the tourney with the top record at 24-6. While it’s just 100th in the nation with 71.7 points per game, it has a go-to scorer in Norris Cole that will make the Vikings dangerous. Cleveland State did, however, lose four of seven entering the postseason.
The true favorite in most NCAA basketball betting players’ eyes is probably Butler. This is the most battle-ready team, the team with the experience needed to return to the NCAA Tournament. At 21-9, Butler’s record is less impressive than Cleveland State’s, but the Bulldogs have hammered out seven straight wins.
Butler may have the best one-two punch in the Horizon League Tournament. Matt Howard leads the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game and rebounding with 7.8 per game. His partner in crime is guard Shelvin Mack, who averages 15.3 points per contest.
Another major Horizon League Tournament contender is UW-Milwaukee. It swept its season series with Butler and has a solid momentum edge as the host of the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
For bettors seeking a sleeper, Detroit may be the team to watch. The Titans have won two of three and have a solid leader in guard Ray McCallum. If you’d rather not pick a tournament winner and instead want to focus on smart picks game by game, UW-Milwaukee has the best against-the-spread record of the contenders at 17-13. Detroit’s over/under split of 20-9 is also noteworthy.
March Madness is right around the corner! Get all your odds at Bodog Sportsbook
There is just one week remaining in the Southeastern Conference’s regular season, and this much we know: Alabama is the champion of the West Division and Florida is (at worst) the East’s co-champ. The Gators can clinch the outright title tonight. Bet on this game with Bodog’s NBA odds.
No. 14 Florida (22-6, 11-3 SEC) had a six-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, falling 76-68 at Kentucky. Kenny Boynton led the Gators with 21 points and went 5 for 9 from 3-point range. The rest of the team went 3 for 10. UF allowed Kentucky to shoot better than 51 percent from the field. Alabama (19-9 overall) is also 11-3 in the conference. So basically the team that 2-0 this week claims the SEC title outright (and top overall seed in the conference tournament) Alabama and Florida would be co-champions if they both went 1-1. The Gators finish the regular season Saturday at ranked Vanderbilt, while Alabama has a home game vs. Georgia to end the year.
The Crimson Tide had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 68-63 loss at Ole Miss on Saturday. Even though the Tide have clinched the SEC West, they aren’t assured of an at-large NCAA bid because their non-conference schedule was so weak. The Tide, who have their best SEC record since 2001-02, lead the SEC in scoring defense (59.9) and have yet to be outscored in the paint. JaMychal Green leads Alabama with 16.1 points per game and is one of the best post players in the SEC.
This is the only scheduled meeting between the two teams this season.
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The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament preview is here, so you know March Madness is just around the corner in NCAA basketball betting.
The top favorite to win the Missouri Valley tourney is probably Missouri State. After all, they're tied with Wichita State for the MVC’s best record at 23-7 and have the top conference record at 15-3. The Bears also have arguably the conference’s best player in Kyle Weems. He averages 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game and could take them to glory.
Right on the Bears’ heels are Wichita State. The Shockers play solid defence, ranking 35th in the country. They don’t have a go-to guy – J.T. Turley leads the team with just 11.3 points per contest – but they have seven players averaging six or more points per game.
Northern Iowa may get some bets but it’s time to leap off the Panthers' bandwagon. Northern Iowa has lost six of seven, quickly erasing any memory of its 9-2 run back in January. Could bettors’ favorite choice be Indiana State? It has the MWC’s best ATS record at 19-10. A very deep sleeper pick could be Southern Illinois. The Salukis were bad this year but they have a possible gamebreaker in Carlton Fay.
The action kicks off on Thursday. No. 8 seed Southern Illinois will face No. 9 seed Illinois State for the right to play Missouri State on Friday. No. 7 Drake plays No. 10 Bradley, with the winner facing No. 2 Wichita State on Friday.
The other two Friday matchups are already set: No. 3 Indiana State vs. No. 6 Evansville and No. 4 UNI vs. No. 5 Creighton.
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Thanks to a late fade by Texas, the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks can clinch no worse than a share of the Big 12 regular-season title tonight by beating No. 22 Texas A&M, and the Jayhawks are solid favorites on Bodog’s NCAA basketball odds.
Winning the Big 12 is nothing new for KU (27-2, 12-2) as it has won six consecutive Big 12 titles. A win tonight would put Texas a full game back with one left for both teams: KU at Missouri and Texas at Baylor, both on Saturday. UT would hold the tiebreaker because it beat Kansas in the teams’ only meeting this season.
Kansas will get a boost tonight in the return of former starting guard Tyshawn Taylor. The junior was suspended last Monday by Coach Bill Self for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Sophomore guard Elijah Johnson has started in place of Taylor for the past two games, and Self said Monday that, if the NCAA Tournament started today, Johnson would be KU’s starting point guard. But because tonight is Senior Night in Lawrence, neither of those two will start. That role will go to senior Mario Little in his final regular-season home game.
Tonight could well be the final home game for KU’s star Morris twins as well. They are juniors but both likely to be first-round NBA picks this summer if they declare. Marcus Morris has averaged 19.0 points in Big 12 play and leads Kansas in all games with a 17.3 scoring average. He is second on the team behind brother Markieff in rebounding at 6.9 per game. Marcus and Markieff are No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big 12 in field goal percentage. Marcus Morris likely will win Big 12 Player of the Year honors. Since 1983-84, Kansas has won 27-straight home finales.
Texas A&M (22-6, 9-5) is looking to finish third in the Big 12 and holds a half-game over surging Kansas State for that spot. The Aggies had a five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday with a 58-51 loss at Baylor. Khris Middleton leads the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game.
KU leads the overall series 16-1 and has won the last five meetings.
Can A&M pull the upset? Bet on this game at Bodog Sportsbook
Penn State (7-4, 2-5 ATS) has lost back-to-back games after falling 74-64 to Maine last Tuesday. There was no line on the game, but the Nittany Lions have lost their last three outings that did feature lines on the action.
Scoring has been a major issue so far this season. Guard Talor Battle certainly is pulling his weight; he’s averaging over 20 points per game this season. His teammates, however, have been major disappointments, particularly against tough competition—which the Big Ten is full of.
Forwards Jeff Brooks (12.3 points per game) and David Jackson (10.2 points per game). are the only other players averaging more than six points per game. While a better effort is needed from the bench, most expect a more consistent effort from Brooks and Jackson as well. As a team, the Lions are managing just 65 points per outing.
Indiana (9-4, 2-4 ATS) has lost its past two outings, including a 78-69 loss to Colorado last Thursday. The Hoosiers have failed to cover their last four games that had odds on the action.
The Hoosiers field a more potent offense than PSU, racking up 77 points per game. They have just two scorers in double figures, but six different players averaging at least seven points per game (including four over nine points per game). Forward Christian Watford is the go-to guy; he’s averaging 18.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Indiana and Penn State have split their last 10 games against each other at five wins apiece. The Nittany Lions have a slight edge against the spread, though, going 6-4 ATS. Indiana has covered two of the past three, and five straight meetings have gone under the total.
If it’s on the hardwood, Bodog Sportsbook has it covered