Calendar of College Basketball Events for February 2012 brought to you by ncaabasketballbettinglines.com
February 2012 College Basketball Events
Latest College Basketball News
Elite 8 Matchup Preview: Butler Bulldogs vs. Kansas State Wildcats
2010-03-30
(7) BYU Cougars vs. (2) Kansas State Wildcats (-4.5)
2010-03-20
CBB: Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Betting Preview
2010-03-05
The Missouri Valley Conference tips off its tournament on Thursday and it will be the first of the more prominent mid-major conferences to enjoy the national audience for its championship encounter, scheduled for Sunday. Three teams seem head and shoulders above the rest for the 20th edition of “Arch Madness” in St. Louis and they are Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Illinois State. Get the key betting info you need for today’s games as well as the rest of the conference tourney action on the GAME MATCHUPS pages of Sportsbook.com. Now, here’s a closer look at the MVC action.
The Favorites
Northern Iowa (25-4) is the regular season champion and has been one of the better wagers in college basketball all season at 18-10 ATS. The Panthers have been hanging around the bottom portions of the Top 25 since January and are destined to be in the Big Dance, leaving those to wonder about mindset and the possibility of an upset. Northern Iowa is the defending tourney champ and seeks its third title since 2004.
Historically, second-seeded Wichita State (23-8, 11-13 ATS) has not played well in this event, carrying a 21-28 record. The Shockers are at least statistically as good if not better than Northern Iowa. Wichita State is tops in The Valley in scoring margin (+8.7), rebounding margin (+4.8), assists (14.6) and steals (7.2). A concern about the Shockers is the 1-6 ATS record since Feb. 3 and 6-8 SU & 5-8 ATS record away from Wichita.
Illinois State (21-9, 12-14-1 ATS) has the third best record all-time at 34-24 in the tournament, having been to the championship game three straight times. The Redbirds have won six of their last seven games, losing only at Northern Iowa in last outing. In order to return to the championship, Illinois State will have to continue to play superior defense and receive big contributions from center Dinma Odiakosa and guard Osiris Eldridge.
The Long Shots
Fourth seeded Creighton (16-14, 12-15 ATS) has won this event a record 10 times, but doesn’t look they have what it takes this season, particularly with 3-12 SU road record. The Blue Jays will take on Bradley (15-14, 13-15 ATS) in quarterfinal matchup that is already determined and the Braves are in double revenge and are 9-5 SU and ATS with three or more days rest.
Drake, Southern Illinois, Missouri State (19-11, 14-15-1 ATS) and Evansville will play the first day in St. Louis. Of this group, the Bears have the best shot of making the semifinals or beyond. Missouri State has made the finals four times since 2001, finishing second each time. They are the top scoring team in the league at 71.9 points per game and convert on 36.9 percent of three-point shots.
The Numbers
The Missouri Valley Conference has seen some significant trends develop by round. In the Opening Round games, UNDERDOGS are 11-11 SU and profitable 14-8 ATS (63.6%) since 1998. In the Quarterfinals, FAVORITES turn the tables, 14-6 ATS (70%) over the last five seasons.
Large FAVORITES or those laying seven-points or more have been very successful in the MVC tourney of late, 16-0 SU & 10-6 ATS (62.5%) since 2002.
Since the MVC Tournament games started having totals on every contest (’05), the UNDER the total has dominated at a 30-15 (66.7%) rate.
The Outcome
In the top half of the bracket, Northern Iowa faces Bradley in the semi-finals, who pull the minor upset of Creighton. The Braves have split two games with the Panthers, covering each time and are nipped in the rubber game. Missouri State shocks Wichita State in the quarters and falls to Illinois State who limits their offense, setting up a 1 vs. 3 finale.
The championship game is on CBS Sunday afternoon and will not a thrill a minute spectacular, with the projected total in the low 120’s. Illinois State will provide strong competition and play even or close most of the way, until Northern Iowa’s veteran experience takes over in the last five minutes and closes the deal, giving them two straight Arch Madness crowns.
CBB: ESPN Bracket Buster - Old Dominion at Northern Iowa (9:00 PM ET, ESPN2)
2010-02-19
Several of the squads on Bracket Buster weekend will be in the NCAA tournament or at least be playing post-season basketball somewhere and to have a working knowledge of them and their style of play and talent is invaluable. On Friday, fans will get a chance to see Old Dominion and Northern Iowa. Playing at home, oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have established the Panthers as 3-1/2-point favorites. Read on for a look at this game plus some key Bracket Buster Historical Trends.
Among the nuggets uncovered for Bracket Buster contests are road teams win only 38 percent, yet cover 56.4 percent of the time (149-115-9 ATS). Be sure to sift thru the complete board of games since teams catching 10 or more points are on a 23-11 ATS surge.
Bracket Buster starts on Friday, with a delectable Colonial vs. Missouri Valley matchup. Old Dominion (21-7, 9-14-1 ATS) is 8-4 and 2-6 ATS in non-conference action and is one of the better defensive teams in the land, allowing 55.8 points a game. Kent Bazemore has taken over running the Monarchs at guard and his concern for ball security and defensive mindset has ODU living up to preseason expectations in the CAA. This should be a low scoring half court contest and the Monarchs are 0-6 ATS in road games when they score 60 or less points in a game this season.
Center Jordan Eglseder is the most likely candidate to be the Missouri Valley Player of the Year; however he’s been suspended for three games and will not play in this contest. As witnessed in a recent contest against Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa (23-3, 17-8 ATS) has to have Adam Koch at crunch time. The senior has size at 6’9, making him difficult to defend within 10 feet of the rim as power forward against comparable teams and Koch has a quality array of ways to score either near the bucket or outside. The Panthers have complete control of their conference; nonetheless a win against a similar club, with similar circumstances would be a boost to confidence before the Big Dance.
UNI is 10-3 ATS versus teams outscoring opponents by four or points a game this season. The StatFox Power Line shows Northern Iowa by 4, of course that doesn’t factor in the Eglseder injury.
CBB: Xavier at Dayton (12:00 PM ET, ESPN2)
2010-02-09
For as much as most experts thought potentially otherwise, it is once again Xavier atop the Atlantic 10 Conference as we cruise into the first full weekend of February college hoops. In fact, back in December, it looked as if the Musketeers’ Saturday opponent, Dayton, had what it took to unseat them. The Flyers can gain some ground on the A-10 lead but it won’t be easy. Get all the info you need to make an educated wager on this game on the Sportsbook.com GAME MATCHUP page.
The Musketeers (16-6, 14-7 ATS) were not supposed to be as formidable in 2010 after three A-10 titles, 25 or more wins and two visits to Sweet Sixteen. New coach Chris Mack had to gain the trust of old and new players, however he couldn’t have counted on what guard Jamal Crawford would mean to Xavier, who sits atop the conference leaderboard at 8-1. The transfer not only became a YouTube sensation dunking on LeBron James this past summer, but he is the team’s leading scorer, on a club that brought back just enough veteran talent to keep them in A-10 contention. Xavier is 12-2 ATS playing teams with 60-80 percent win percentage since last year.
The team believed capable of unseating Xavier in 2010 was Dayton; however the Flyers have not been clutch at “clutch time”, losing three conference contests by six total points. Dayton (15-6, 10-8 ATS) has been outscored by over 40 points this season in the final five minutes of regulation play, shooting around 35 percent (43% normally). Dayton’s strength also turns out to be one its weaknesses. The Flyers have six players averaging six or more points, but lack a go to scorer at crunch time. However, they are 6-2 ATS against teams with winning records.
Dayton is playing into revenge and is 5-1 SU and ATS as a home favorite against Xavier, although it is not certain that will be the line scenario at Sportsbook.com when the ball tips off at noon ET.
2010-03-30
The No. 5 seed Butler Bulldogs (31 – 4) will be facing the No. 2 Kansas State Wildcats (29 – 7) Saturday March 27, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah. www.sportsbook.com has the Kansas State Wildcats as the favorites by 4 points and the over / under at 134.5 points.
The Butler Bulldogs have been overlooked since this 2010 NCAA tournament started just over a week ago, but here they are; in the Elite 8 after having tossing No. 1 seed Syracuse Orange aside on Thursday night. The Butler Bulldogs have now won 23 consecutive games, very impressive, and are moving on to the Elite 8 for the first time in the school’s history. The Butler Bulldogs held the Orangemen, which also led the nation in field goal percentage this season with .517, to only 43.8 percent shooting and limited the Orange to just 59 points in the game. The Butler Bulldogs got huge shots from Willie Veasly, the team's defensive stopper, and Gordon Hayward, who also drained all four of his free throw shots in the final seconds of the game. The Butler Bulldogs have now won 31 games by blowout wins and clutch performances down the stretch in close games to show they belong.
If you did not watch the Kansas State versus Xavier game Thursday night, you missed perhaps the most exciting game of the 2010 NCAA Tournament so far. Huge shot after shot from both teams in a up and down, two overtime classic that the Kansas State Wildcats ultimately pulled out after a Jacob Pullen three pointer with 31 seconds left in the second overtime gave the Wildcats the lead for good. Pullen and backcourt teammate Denis Clemente, who pretty much carried the team through the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, came up with another big, almost magical performance, combining to make 53 points, grab 9 rebounds, give out 8 assists and had just two turnovers in 88 minutes of play. But more importantly for Coach Frank Martin's team, however, was the play of forwards Curtis Kelly, who got 21 points, 8 boards, 4 assists and 5 blocks, giving the Kansas State Wildcats a foremost inside presence on both sides of the floor. With Clemente and Pullen creating for other teammates and draining their shots on the outside and Kelly dominating the paint, Kansas State looked like a Final Four caliber team.
The backcourt duo of Pullen and Clemente give Kansas State Wildcats a decent opportunity every night. With the two of them playing, and shooting the ball so well, Frank Martin's team is going to be tough to beat. With the spread being only 4 points, www.sportsbook.com, this will not be hard to cover. However the over / under which is at 134.5 is a little harder to predict, I’d keep away from that bet.
(7) BYU Cougars vs. (2) Kansas State Wildcats (-4.5)
2010-03-20
As expected, bookmakers are receiving heavy betting action on the favorite, 2-seed Kansas State Wildcats over the underdog, 7-seed BYU Cougars.
This corresponds with www.sportsbook.com’s betting trends, currently reporting a 68%:32% ratio in favor of Kansas State at (-4.5). Twenty-four hours ago, the betting trends reported a 92%:8% ratio in favor of Kansas State at (-4.0). We can see that bookmakers have adjusted the line a half point to reach a closer balance in bets, but still rather unbalanced.
We know the bookmakers have a process (line movement) to balance the bets in order to eliminate betting risk from the books. We believe the bookmakers’ non-balancing of bets are predominantly intentional, and an indicator of risk tolerance, and positioning. In simple terms, this tells us, the bookmakers like the Cougars’ chance of covering the spread and are comfortable exposing themselves to that risk.
With another twenty-four hours left until tip off, and the current unbalanced 68%:32% ratio, we like the underdog BYU Cougars (+4.5) pick at www.sportsbook.com.
BYU’s first round game resulted in a double overtime victory over the Florida Gators (99-92). It was their first NCAA March Madness tournament win since 1993. Cougars star shooter Jimmer Fredette hit two 3-pointers in double overtime, and finished the game with 37 points.
Fredette must have a big game in order for BYU to keep up with Kansas State. He proved he can carry the team, scoring over 30 points in eight games, including 45 points and 30 points performances in the Mountain West Tournament. Fredette and the Cougars are extremely impressive statistically, ranking third in the nation in 3-point shooting, and first in free throw shooting at 78.6%. This year, the Cougars set a Mountain West tournament record for free throws, shooting 88.9% (48 of 54).
In addition to his scoring responsibilities, Fredette and company will be challenged by Kansas State’s two speedy guards, Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente. The two Kansas State guards average a combined 35 points per game, and run transition ball as good as any team tandem in the nation. In their first round game against North Texas, Pullen and Clemente combined for 32 points, but even more impressive, committed only two turnovers in the (82-62) victory.
Kansas State coach Frank Martin will definitely review the BYU vs. Florida film and recognize the trouble BYU had keeping step with Florida’s quick guard Kenny Boynton late in the game. Expect Coach Martin to be aggressive with Pullen and Clemente, designing a game plan to capitalize on their speed and BYU’s lack of speed.
We believe the X-factor in this game will be free throws. BYU leads the nation in free throw shooting at 78.6%, and should be effective at the line. On the other hand, Kansas State shoots less than 67% from the line, a huge disadvantage when the end of the game comes down to fouls and free throws, especially against a spread. This ‘Free Throws’ X-factor gives BYU an edge in terms of covering the spread.
We are not counting on an outright victory, just a covering of the spread by BYU. We like aligning our picks with the bookmakers and we like the underdog.
On www.sportsbook.com, the pick is BYU (+4.5).
CBB: Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Betting Preview
2010-03-05
The Missouri Valley Conference tips off its tournament on Thursday and it will be the first of the more prominent mid-major conferences to enjoy the national audience for its championship encounter, scheduled for Sunday. Three teams seem head and shoulders above the rest for the 20th edition of “Arch Madness” in St. Louis and they are Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Illinois State. Get the key betting info you need for today’s games as well as the rest of the conference tourney action on the GAME MATCHUPS pages of Sportsbook.com. Now, here’s a closer look at the MVC action.
The Favorites
Northern Iowa (25-4) is the regular season champion and has been one of the better wagers in college basketball all season at 18-10 ATS. The Panthers have been hanging around the bottom portions of the Top 25 since January and are destined to be in the Big Dance, leaving those to wonder about mindset and the possibility of an upset. Northern Iowa is the defending tourney champ and seeks its third title since 2004.
Historically, second-seeded Wichita State (23-8, 11-13 ATS) has not played well in this event, carrying a 21-28 record. The Shockers are at least statistically as good if not better than Northern Iowa. Wichita State is tops in The Valley in scoring margin (+8.7), rebounding margin (+4.8), assists (14.6) and steals (7.2). A concern about the Shockers is the 1-6 ATS record since Feb. 3 and 6-8 SU & 5-8 ATS record away from Wichita.
Illinois State (21-9, 12-14-1 ATS) has the third best record all-time at 34-24 in the tournament, having been to the championship game three straight times. The Redbirds have won six of their last seven games, losing only at Northern Iowa in last outing. In order to return to the championship, Illinois State will have to continue to play superior defense and receive big contributions from center Dinma Odiakosa and guard Osiris Eldridge.
The Long Shots
Fourth seeded Creighton (16-14, 12-15 ATS) has won this event a record 10 times, but doesn’t look they have what it takes this season, particularly with 3-12 SU road record. The Blue Jays will take on Bradley (15-14, 13-15 ATS) in quarterfinal matchup that is already determined and the Braves are in double revenge and are 9-5 SU and ATS with three or more days rest.
Drake, Southern Illinois, Missouri State (19-11, 14-15-1 ATS) and Evansville will play the first day in St. Louis. Of this group, the Bears have the best shot of making the semifinals or beyond. Missouri State has made the finals four times since 2001, finishing second each time. They are the top scoring team in the league at 71.9 points per game and convert on 36.9 percent of three-point shots.
The Numbers
The Missouri Valley Conference has seen some significant trends develop by round. In the Opening Round games, UNDERDOGS are 11-11 SU and profitable 14-8 ATS (63.6%) since 1998. In the Quarterfinals, FAVORITES turn the tables, 14-6 ATS (70%) over the last five seasons.
Large FAVORITES or those laying seven-points or more have been very successful in the MVC tourney of late, 16-0 SU & 10-6 ATS (62.5%) since 2002.
Since the MVC Tournament games started having totals on every contest (’05), the UNDER the total has dominated at a 30-15 (66.7%) rate.
The Outcome
In the top half of the bracket, Northern Iowa faces Bradley in the semi-finals, who pull the minor upset of Creighton. The Braves have split two games with the Panthers, covering each time and are nipped in the rubber game. Missouri State shocks Wichita State in the quarters and falls to Illinois State who limits their offense, setting up a 1 vs. 3 finale.
The championship game is on CBS Sunday afternoon and will not a thrill a minute spectacular, with the projected total in the low 120’s. Illinois State will provide strong competition and play even or close most of the way, until Northern Iowa’s veteran experience takes over in the last five minutes and closes the deal, giving them two straight Arch Madness crowns.
CBB: ESPN Bracket Buster - Old Dominion at Northern Iowa (9:00 PM ET, ESPN2)
2010-02-19
Several of the squads on Bracket Buster weekend will be in the NCAA tournament or at least be playing post-season basketball somewhere and to have a working knowledge of them and their style of play and talent is invaluable. On Friday, fans will get a chance to see Old Dominion and Northern Iowa. Playing at home, oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com have established the Panthers as 3-1/2-point favorites. Read on for a look at this game plus some key Bracket Buster Historical Trends.
Among the nuggets uncovered for Bracket Buster contests are road teams win only 38 percent, yet cover 56.4 percent of the time (149-115-9 ATS). Be sure to sift thru the complete board of games since teams catching 10 or more points are on a 23-11 ATS surge.
Bracket Buster starts on Friday, with a delectable Colonial vs. Missouri Valley matchup. Old Dominion (21-7, 9-14-1 ATS) is 8-4 and 2-6 ATS in non-conference action and is one of the better defensive teams in the land, allowing 55.8 points a game. Kent Bazemore has taken over running the Monarchs at guard and his concern for ball security and defensive mindset has ODU living up to preseason expectations in the CAA. This should be a low scoring half court contest and the Monarchs are 0-6 ATS in road games when they score 60 or less points in a game this season.
Center Jordan Eglseder is the most likely candidate to be the Missouri Valley Player of the Year; however he’s been suspended for three games and will not play in this contest. As witnessed in a recent contest against Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa (23-3, 17-8 ATS) has to have Adam Koch at crunch time. The senior has size at 6’9, making him difficult to defend within 10 feet of the rim as power forward against comparable teams and Koch has a quality array of ways to score either near the bucket or outside. The Panthers have complete control of their conference; nonetheless a win against a similar club, with similar circumstances would be a boost to confidence before the Big Dance.
UNI is 10-3 ATS versus teams outscoring opponents by four or points a game this season. The StatFox Power Line shows Northern Iowa by 4, of course that doesn’t factor in the Eglseder injury.
CBB: Xavier at Dayton (12:00 PM ET, ESPN2)
2010-02-09
For as much as most experts thought potentially otherwise, it is once again Xavier atop the Atlantic 10 Conference as we cruise into the first full weekend of February college hoops. In fact, back in December, it looked as if the Musketeers’ Saturday opponent, Dayton, had what it took to unseat them. The Flyers can gain some ground on the A-10 lead but it won’t be easy. Get all the info you need to make an educated wager on this game on the Sportsbook.com GAME MATCHUP page.
The Musketeers (16-6, 14-7 ATS) were not supposed to be as formidable in 2010 after three A-10 titles, 25 or more wins and two visits to Sweet Sixteen. New coach Chris Mack had to gain the trust of old and new players, however he couldn’t have counted on what guard Jamal Crawford would mean to Xavier, who sits atop the conference leaderboard at 8-1. The transfer not only became a YouTube sensation dunking on LeBron James this past summer, but he is the team’s leading scorer, on a club that brought back just enough veteran talent to keep them in A-10 contention. Xavier is 12-2 ATS playing teams with 60-80 percent win percentage since last year.
The team believed capable of unseating Xavier in 2010 was Dayton; however the Flyers have not been clutch at “clutch time”, losing three conference contests by six total points. Dayton (15-6, 10-8 ATS) has been outscored by over 40 points this season in the final five minutes of regulation play, shooting around 35 percent (43% normally). Dayton’s strength also turns out to be one its weaknesses. The Flyers have six players averaging six or more points, but lack a go to scorer at crunch time. However, they are 6-2 ATS against teams with winning records.
Dayton is playing into revenge and is 5-1 SU and ATS as a home favorite against Xavier, although it is not certain that will be the line scenario at Sportsbook.com when the ball tips off at noon ET.