NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Wisconsin at Michigan
Michigan finds itself building a winner quicker than many thought possible under coach John Beilein, who like Rich Rodriguez came to Ann Arbor from West Virginia and sought to remake the program. Wisconsin will try to upset the applecart with the fundamental style of play it exhibits under Bo Ryan.
Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* WISC has won five of its last seven games SU
* WISC has covered four of its last six games
* WISC has played three of its last five games OVER the total
* WISC has won seven of its last nine road games SU
* MICH has won its last five games SU
* MICH is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games
* MICH has played four of its last six games OVER the total
Michigan is a team that had a difficult time getting adjusted to the new system installed by first-year coach John Beilein last year, and that resulted in some embarrassing moments as the players went through growing pains. Things have come together this year, though, as the Wolverines have already scored upsets over the likes of UCLA and Duke as we head into the Big Ten schedule. Manny Harris, who showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman last season but was very erratic, has come up big for Beilein, averaging close to 20 points a game and pulling down almost eight rebounds, which is a huge bonus when it comes from one of your guards. Junior forward DeShawn Sims has been the inside presence, with over nine boards per game, but Michigan has not been big on sending a lot of people to the boards. Michigan has a chance to make it a "Big Three" as they ease Laval Lucas-Perry, a transfer from Arizona, into the lineup.
Wisconsin lost a lot of ability and experience from last season to this one with Brian Butch, who was their best big man and Michael Flowers, who had been one of the Big Ten's best defensive players over the previous couple of seasons. There is balance in this lineup, however. Marcus Landry, who has been a four-year player in Madison, provides some front court scoring (12.1 ppg), and Trevon Hughes (12.6 ppg) and Jason Bohannon (11.1 ppg) are also averaging in double digits. Jon Leuer, who comes exclusively off the bench, has given coach Bo Ryan the ability to have a dependable sixth man (9.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg).
There are a couple of problems with the Badgers. One of them is that, although there are people who can penetrate, there is not a real take-charge point guard. Indeed, this team has averaged only 11.3 assists per game, matching the number of turnovers. Wisconsin will also have to improve itself defensively, as Ryan's team has been more generous than any Big Ten team in non-conference play with the exception of rebuilding Indiana. An interesting factor here, though, is that a coach like Ryan may just be able to slow down the pace enough to take the Wolverines, who are still very young, out of their game. Michigan wants this game to be very up-tempo, but Wisconsin hold opponents to just under 60 points a game. In last season's Big Ten tournament, the Badgers hung a 51-34 defeat on Beilein and his team.
This is a situation where we feel confident in taking the points in BetUS NCAA college basketball online betting action, with the possibility of a road upset in this Big Ten lid-lifter.
JAY'S PREDICITION: WISCONSIN BY 3
(c) 1994-2008 BetUS.
No. 6 Duke cruises past No. 7 Xavier 82-64
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Jon Scheyer matched his season high with 23 points and No. 6 Duke took a 31-point halftime lead on the way to an 82-64 victory over No. 7 Xavier on Saturday at the Meadowlands.
Gerald Henderson added 19 points for the Blue Devils (10-1).
Derrick Brown had 18 points and B.J. Raymond added 10 for Xavier (9-1).
It never looked like a matchup of top 10 teams as the Blue Devils were ahead 22-3 before Xavier managed its first field goal, a layup by C.J. Anderson 5:54 into the game.
Everything Duke tried worked, whether it was 3-point shooting or drop passes close to the basket that turned a short jumper into a layup.
Meanwhile, Xavier couldn't get anything right as passes flew out of bounds and shots missed by a mile.
Duke shot 61.8 percent from the field in the first half (21-of-34), including 8-of-15 from 3-point range. The Musketeers were 9-for-27 from the field, missing all four 3-point attempts, in the first 20 minutes - and they had 10 turnovers.
Scheyer had four 3-pointers in the first half, and his no-look bounce pass to David McClure for a dunk just seconds before the buzzer gave the Blue Devils a 55-24 lead.
Xavier scored the first seven points of the second half, but Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called a timeout 2:26 in and the Blue Devils scored on a jumper in the lane by Henderson and got a 3 by Scheyer to put the lead back to 60-31 with 16:51 to go.
The win improved Duke's record at the Meadowlands to 18-1, the lone loss a 77-75 defeat to Arizona on Feb. 26, 1989. The Blue Devils' last trip here was another impressive win over a ranked team as top-ranked Duke beat No. 2 Texas 97-66 on Dec. 10, 2005.
Duke beat Purdue in its only meeting with a top 10 team this season and the Blue Devils have won 26 of their 37 games when both teams are ranked in the top 10.
Xavier was trying to match the best start in school history, as the 1996-97 team opened 10-0. The No. 7 ranking matches the highest in the program's history.
The Musketeers' only game against a ranked team this season was a 63-58 victory over Memphis in the championship game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
This was the second-worst loss in Sean Miller's five seasons at Xavier. The Musketeers lost 77-55 to Arizona State on Dec. 15, 2007.
Duke has won all four games it has played against Xavier. The last one was a 66-63 victory in the 2004 regional finals of the NCAA tournament.
(c) The Lexington Herald Leader.
Wichita State Shockers at TCU Horned Frogs
The Wichita State Shockers (3-4 SU, 4-0 ATS) of the Missouri Valley Conference, who are coming off back-to-back tough losses to capable teams, will try to even their record on Monday night when they take on the TCU Horned Frogs (6-3 SU, 4-2 ATS) in NCAA college basketball online betting action that is scheduled to tip off at 9 PM ET at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth, TX.
BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: TCU -2.5, Total 119
Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* WSU has lost 18 of its last 24 games SU
* WSU has covered five of its last six road games
* WSU has lost 13 of its last 14 road games SU
* WSU has played seven of its last nine road games OVER the total
* TCU has won its last five games SU
* TCU has won 19 of its last 24 home games SU
These are two teams who would rather slow things down and play deliberately than race it up and down the court. TCU has won five games in a row, the first time since the the 2001-02 season that they have done that. So Jim Christian, who took over the coaching reins this year, is off to a good start.
The shooting has improved recently. In their first six games, TCU hit just 41% of its shots, before managing to convert 54% against St. Gregory's, 46% against Colorado and 50% against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. But they had to go on a 25-4 run in the second half, sinking five three-pointers in that stretch, which they don't normally do, to overcome a 12-point deficit. This is far from a complete package. Remember that they were dead last in the Mountain West in shooting percentage last season.
Wichita State is under the .500 mark, but is much more battle-tested, with their losses coming against the likes of Georgetown, Michigan State and Texas Tech, by a total of 19 points, in addition to a very painful defeat suffered at the hands of Missouri-Kansas City. But there is also a significant win, a two-point victory over Siena, who is considered a possible mid-major spoiler prospect for the NCAA's. Gregg Marshall is in his second season, having last turned Winthrop into a small-major power.
The Shockers need to find a better way to break from the starting gate. If they had, things may have turned out differently against Pat Knight's Texas Tech team, which won with a three-pointer at the buzzer. Wichita State has averaged 26.5 points on 36.5% shooting in the first halves of its games. Only one starter - Clevin Hannah - averages in double digits (13 ppg). Forward J.T. Durley (36% shooting) has disappointed.
But despite allowing Siena and Texas tech to shoot better than 50%, and hitting only 28% against Georgetown, these guys have figured out a way to hang around enough for the cover, and in the case of Siena, the win. And we give Ramon Clemente a reasonable chance to control the boards against a TCU club that does not dominate things against anybody on the inside.
TCU doesn't get huge home support at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. And if Wichita doesn't lag behind to badly early, there is a definite shot at the straight-up win, since they shoot ten percentage points better in the second half. Take the points with Wichita State, the 2.5-point favorite in the BetUS NCAA college basketball sports betting action.
JAY'S PLAY: WICHITA STATE +2.5 ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
(c) 1994-2008 BetUS.
Bradley 83, Tulsa 74
PEORIA, Ill. -- Jeremy Crouch scored 20 points to help Bradley force a deciding third game in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational championship series with a 83-74 victory over Tulsa on Wednesday night.
Crouch hit five 3-pointers and finished 7-for-13 from the field. Andrew Warren added 17 points, including four 3-pointers. Theron Wilson had 13 points, and Daniel Ruffen had 12 for Bradley (21-16).
Tulsa (24-14) won Game 1 73-68 on Monday night. Game 3 of the best-of-three series will be Friday night at Tulsa.
The Braves' defense forced several miscues from the Golden Hurricane on Wednesday. Bradley scored 16 points off Tulsa's 12 turnovers. Bradley turned the ball over seven times for three points.
The Braves led by as many as 18 points with 12:33 remaining before Tulsa tightened the game in the final three minutes.
The Braves dominated the first half and led the Golden Hurricane 48-34 at halftime.
Crouch, a senior guard known mainly as a 3-point specialist, had the night's best play. With seconds left in the first half, Crouch missed a free throw, grabbed his own rebound directly under the basket and flipped a no-look, behind-the-back pass to teammate David Collins for an easy lay-up.
Junior forward Ray Reese led the Golden Hurricane with 19 points, going 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Brett McDade added 12 points, and Jerome Jordan had 11 points and eight rebounds.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Wednesday's CBI Boxes
At Charlottesville, Va.
BRADLEY 96, VIRGINIA 85
BRADLEY (20-15)
Wilson 5-11 7-10 17, Salley 5-6 1-1 11, Crouch 9-18 4-4 27, Ruffin 4-14 0-0 11, Warren 3-8 4-5 11, Collins 3-4 0-0 6, Maniscalco 3-6 1-3 9, Austin 0-0 0-0 0, Singh 0-0 4-4 4. Totals 32-67 21-27 96.
VIRGINIA (17-16)
Tucker 0-5 0-1 0, Diane 4-10 2-3 10, Pettinella 3-5 0-3 6, Jones 9-14 2-3 26, Singletary 7-18 1-2 17, Baker 1-4 0-0 2, Mikalauskas 2-5 1-2 5, Joseph 6-7 0-0 15, Scott 2-6 0-0 4, Tat 0-0 0-0 0, Meyinsse 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-74 6-14 85.
Halftime-Tied 42-42. 3-Point Goals-Bradley 11-31 (Crouch 5-12, Ruffin 3-9, Maniscalco 2-3, Warren 1-4, Wilson 0-3), Virginia 11-27 (Jones 6-8, Joseph 3-4, Singletary 2-6, Baker 0-2, Tucker 0-3, Diane 0-4). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Bradley 43 (Salley 10), Virginia 38 (Diane 8). Assists-Bradley 17 (Ruffin 8), Virginia 16 (Singletary 8). Total Fouls-Bradley 14, Virginia 20. A-5,852.
---
At Tulsa, Okla.
TULSA 73, HOUSTON 69
HOUSTON (24-10)
Dowell 1-2 0-0 3, Toney 3-5 0-0 6, Lewis 5-16 1-4 11, McKiver 9-27 6-6 30, Williams 2-9 2-2 6, Nixon 0-0 0-0 0, Malone 1-2 0-0 3, McGloster 1-2 0-0 3, Cousin 3-4 1-1 7. Totals 25-67 10-13 69.
TULSA (23-13)
Walls 3-10 1-4 7, Reese 2-10 2-2 6, Jordan 5-11 8-10 18, Uzoh 7-14 6-11 22, McDade 3-7 0-0 9, Andrews 0-0 0-0 0, Earls 4-6 0-0 11, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 17-27 73.
Halftime-Tulsa 41-36. 3-Point Goals-Houston 9-28 (McKiver 6-18, Dowell 1-1, Malone 1-1, McGloster 1-1, Toney 0-1, Williams 0-2, Lewis 0-4), Tulsa 8-22 (Earls 3-5, McDade 3-7, Uzoh 2-4, Reese 0-6). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Houston 32 (Cousin, Toney 6), Tulsa 52 (Jordan 15). Assists-Houston 12 (McKiver 5), Tulsa 12 (Walls 4). Total Fouls-Houston 17, Tulsa 13. A-5,339.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
NCAA tourney could be last chance to see this year's fab freshmen
INDIANAPOLIS -- Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo have no intention of playing for one-and-done teams in the NCAA tournament.
Their college futures may be another matter.
Many of the nation's top freshmen, including Beasley of Kansas State and Mayo of Southern Cal, are expected to make this year's tourney their final college basketball showcase before heading to the NBA.
Beasley and Mayo are hardly alone. Among those expected to join them in June's draft are Eric Gordon of Indiana, Derrick Rose of Memphis, and possibly Kevin Love of UCLA and Jerryd Bayless of Arizona.
None are hinting about their future plans, but fans at Indiana and Memphis recently began chanting "one more year," trying to get Gordon and Rose to stick around.
"I've got plenty more to come," Rose insisted after Saturday's Conference USA title game.
When asked if that meant he would return, Rose said: "I don't know about that. I'll have to wait and see. I'm just loving it right now. I just don't want this to end."
How good are these fabulous freshmen?
Consider the numbers:
-- Beasley, Gordon, Mayo and Bayless were among the nation's top 37 scorers.
-- Beasley and Love finished among the nation's top 11 rebounders.
-- Beasley, Gordon, Love and Rose were freshman of the year in their respective conferences, while Mayo was a first-team all-Pac 10 choice and Bayless made the second team.
-- Each has a team poised to make a tournament run in what could be their farewell tour.
Some think the selection committee likes to put its best talent on college basketball's biggest stage.
Committee chairman Tom O'Connor was asked about that Sunday night after the pairings were announced. The question was whether Beasley, who averages 26.5 points and 12.4 rebounds, helped the Wildcats get one of the 34 at-large bids.
"We really look at the team as a whole," O'Connor said. "We can't put anybody into the tournament because of one player. We put teams in the tournament, we don't put players in the tournament. He is a very good player, though."
Using the NCAA tournament as an exit lane is hardly a new phenomenon.
Seniors often talk about making a last-ditch push to reach the Final Four and deep tournament runs often force underclassmen to cash in on the NBA's big bucks.
Just last year, Ohio State lost three freshmen to the NBA after losing in the title game, and Florida lost four juniors after winning its second straight national championship.
Sometimes, even coaches are caught by surprise. In 2001, Arizona lost to Duke in the national championship game, then had four starters declare early for the draft, including some coach Lute Olson didn't believe were NBA prospects when he recruited them.
The landscape, however, has changed dramatically. When the NBA adopted a rule requiring high school players to wait a year after graduation before entering the draft, the one-year wonders became more commonplace in college basketball.
The results have been mixed.
Ohio State used the tag-team tandem of Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. to reach the 2007 title game, but was left out this year. Florida also missed this year's tournament after last year's exodus, marking the first time since 1980 that both NCAA finalists from the previous year missed the tournament.
With so much talent in this year's freshman class, it could happen again.
Beasley's record-setting season helped Kansas State draw one of the last at-large bids. Gordon won the Big Ten scoring title as the Hoosiers won their most regular-season games since 1992-93, and UCLA and Memphis each earned No. 1 seeds in large part because of Love, who averaged 17.1 points and 10.6 rebounds, and Rose, who averaged 13.9 points and had 153 assists.
Mayo averaged 20.8 points for Southern Cal, which now faces Beasley and the Wildcats in one of Thursday night's feature attractions -- a game that may end one of their college careers.
"I'm always looking forward to showing up in the big games," Beasley said. "If you're going to bring it, this is the perfect time, just to show everybody that you are the best. I think this is a good time to shine."
Next year, all six teams could have a different look -- if the freshmen leave.
O'Connor doesn't think that's a bad thing.
"It doesn't matter what year the kids in the tournament are," O'Connor said. "It's always interesting to watch them excel."
Even if they're only around for one tournament.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Young scores 21, sending Pittsburgh past No. 13 Louisville into semifinals
NEW YORK -- Rick Pitino didn't glean any useful knowledge sitting behind Pittsburgh's bench for the opening round of the Big East tournament. It's simply where organizers decided to put him.
Too bad, because it's quickly becoming evident the Louisville coach could use some help dealing with the Panthers come March.
Sam Young had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and hit a pair of free throws with less than a minute left in overtime to help Pittsburgh beat the No. 13 Cardinals 76-69 Thursday night and advance to the tournament semifinals.
Pittsburgh, which has knocked Louisville out of three straight conference tournaments, advanced to play either third-seeded Notre Dame or No. 6 seed Marquette on Friday night.
"Give them credit for their defense," said Pitino, who fell to 3-8 in his career against Pittsburgh and is just 1-3 in the tournament since joining the Big East.
"Our guys did a good job of fighting back to get into overtime. Sometimes it's just about making shots. It's a simple explanation," he said. "But you've got to give Pitt credit. Their defense had a lot to do with it."
Seventh-seeded Pittsburgh (24-9) outscored Louisville 12-2 to start the overtime, and its 74-64 lead with 30.9 seconds left was its biggest of the game.
"We went cold at the wrong time," Pitino said.
DeJuan Blair added 16 points and eight rebounds for Pittsburgh, which has been to the last two tournament finals and six of the past seven. The Panthers are now 4-0 at Madison Square Garden this season, and 21-8 dating to the 2001-02 season.
"It was a great win for us," coach Jaime Dixon said. "We battled through some things. We had foul trouble early, got performances from everybody. ... And like I said, our defense has been getting better and better."
Earl Clark scored 19 for Louisville (24-8), which struggled when Pittsburgh clogged up the middle and forced the Cardinals to take perimeter shots. Derrick Caracter, Juan Palacios and David Padgett had 11 points each, but they got virtually no help from their guard play.
"They were aggressive in their defensive game plan," Padgett said. "We've got to give them credit. They played very well on defense. They were very aggressive in what they did."
Young's basket with 1:50 left in regulation gave Pittsburgh a 62-60 lead, and Clark's putback with less than a minute to go knotted the game.
After a timeout, the Panthers held for the last shot -- but may have held too long. Levance Fields made a move to the basket with just over 5 seconds left and got caught in the corner, where he heaved up a contested shot at the buzzer that clanked harmlessly off the rim.
Fields made up for the gaffe with six of his 13 points in overtime. Backcourt mate Ronald Ramon added four of his 13 in the extra session, including a runner in the lane off a loose ball that made it 70-64 with 1:08 left.
"I was just trying to make a play," Ramon said. "DeJuan made a great pass, guys were in the paint trying to dig the ball. So the ball got loose and they were all trying to go for the ball. Once I got it, wide open lay-up."
That the game came down to the final minutes should come as no surprise for these two teams. Pittsburgh beat Louisville by five in the first round of the 2006 tournament, and by six in last year's semifinal, when the Cardinals were also a No. 2 seed.
Their only meeting earlier this season was a back-and-forth affair that ended after Padgett and Andre McGee each made a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to seal a 75-73 victory at Pittsburgh.
The two teams swapped the lead 10 times and were tied eight times in the first half of this one, before a late burst gave Louisville a 33-30 lead at the break.
The Panthers used a 9-0 run midway through the second half to build a 51-43 advantage, but Blair picked up his fourth foul a couple minutes later and Louisville closed in. Terrence Williams' basket with 4:44 to go gave the Cardinals a 56-55 lead, and the teams matched baskets through the end of regulation.
"We battled through against a very good team," Dixon said. "I'm so proud of these guys, every one of them. They just battled. That's really the best way to sum it up."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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