Cincinnati at SMU
February 5, 2015
SMU has had to overcome adversity galore this season. First, the nation's No. 1 recruit Emmanuel Mudiay never arrived on campus. There was reportedly an academic situation in play but whatever the case, Mudiay decided to go overseas this year before becoming a lottery pick (currently listed at No. 2 at NBADraft.net) at this summer's NBA Draft.
SMU had to play its first 10 games without stud post player Markus Kennedy, who was dealing with academic issues. Then on Jan. 16, starting guard Keith Frazier was declared ineligible by the NCAA for the rest of the season due to (you guessed it) an academic issue. Frazier, a sophomore who was averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school in Dallas.
Nevertheless, Larry Brown's team has won eight in a row and hasn't tasted defeat since a 56-50 loss at Cincinnati on Jan. 3. During this surge, the Mustangs have cashed tickets at a 5-1-2 ATS clip.
SMU (18-4 straight up, 9-7-3 against the spread) will get a chance to avenge that most recent defeat Thursday night when the Bearcats come to Moody Coliseum in Abilene. The Westgate SuperBook opened the Mustangs as six-point favorites.
Cincinnati (15-6 SU, 9-8 ATS) saw its four-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 50-46 loss at East Carolina as a 10.5-point road favorite. Octavius Ellis had 14 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots in defeat.
The Bearcats have had their own adversity to deal with this season. Head coach Mick Cronin was suffering from headaches before doctors discovered an unruptured aneurysm in mid-December. The non-life-threatening condition has forced Cronin to stay off the sidelines for games, although he has been present at most practices and game-day shoot-arounds at home. He maintains hope that he'll be cleared by doctors to return to the sidelines before the season is over.
SMU won a 75-56 decision over UCF as a 19-point home favorite this past Saturday. Ryan Manuel was the catalyst against the Knights, burying 9-of-10 shots and scoring a team-high 20 points. He also pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists.
Markus Kennedy produced 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Yanick Moreira added 12 points, six boards, two seals and one blocked shot, while Nic Moore finished with eight points, 10 assists and four steals.
Moore leads SMU in scoring (14.5 PPG), assists (5.4 APG) and steals (1.4 SPG). Moreira is averaging 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while Kennedy is averaging 11.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG.
SMU has won 13 of its 14 home games outright, compiling a 6-3-2 spread record. When listed as single-digit home 'chalk,' the Mustangs have posted a 2-1-1 spread ledger. The lone outright defeat came against Arkansas, which went into Moody and won by a 78-72 count as a four-point road underdog on Nov. 25.
Cincy has been an underdog five times, going 3-2 ATS with a pair of outright victories. The other win as a 'dog came at N.C. St. (76-60).
When these teams met in the Queen City on Jan. 3, Cincy prevailed by six as a one-point home underdog. The 106 combined points stayed 'under' the 117.5-point total.
Ellis led the way for the winners with 12 points, six boards and three steals. In the losing effort, Manuel had a team-best 14 points. Moore struggled badly, making only 3-of-11 shots and committing more turnovers (six) than assists (four).
In the two previous seasons, Cincinnati was the best 'under' team in the country -- by far! With Justin Jackson defending the rim and Sean Kilpatrick serving as Cronin's lone consistent scorer, grinder games were basically a given for the Bearcats. The 'under' has gone 7-6 overall this year for Cincy, 4-2 in its road assignments.
The 'under' is 9-7-1 overall for SMU, but the 'over' is 5-3-1 in its home games. Regardless of the venue, the 'under' has cashed in back-to-back games for the Mustangs and three of their last four.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**
-- In a surprising development Wednesday, Syracuse announced a self-imposed postseason ban for self-reported violations in 2007. The issues stem from academics involving former players Fab Melo and James Southerland. The ban will include the ACC Tournament, NCAA Tournament and NIT for this season. According to multiple reports, Jim Boeheim's job is safe.
-- VCU suffered a crushing blow this past weekend when senior guard Briante Weber was lost for the season to a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus. Weber, a senior, was on pace to break the all-time NCAA record for career steals (358), but he will come up 12 shy of that mark. Weber was averaging team-highs in assists (4.2 APG) and steals (3.9 SPG). He was scoring at an 8.1 PPG clip and shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point range.
-- Just an hour before Wednesday's 64-47 loss at Texas Tech, Kansas St. announced the indefinite suspensions of sophomore Marcus Foster and freshman Malek Harris. Foster, the Wildcats' leading scorer as a freshman last year, is averaging a team-best 14.0 PPG. Harris is averaging 2.2 PPG.
-- Michigan's Derrick Walton will miss third consecutive game tonight vs. Iowa. The Wolverines were already down their best player in Caris LeVert, and now Walton is out for the foreseeable future. The sophomore guard is averaging 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Walton is dealing with a foot injury that Michigan has decided to rest rather than have surgery (for now). As a testament to John Beilein's outstanding coaching, this team has continued to play hard and cash tickets. The Wolverines have covered the number in four straight games with a pair of outright victories. Both defeats (vs. Wisconsin and at Michigan St.) came in overtime.
-- Penn St. improved to 7-0 ATS as an underdog when it lost 64-58 last night at Maryland. PSU took the cash as an 8.5-point underdog in College Park.
-- Kent St. sophomore Jimmy Hall is out indefinitely with mono. Hall is the Flashes' leading scorer (15.1) and rebounder (7.5 RPG).
-- Ohio State's Marc Loving didn't make the trip to West Lafayette for last night's 60-58 to Purdue. Loving (11.7 PPG) has "temporarily lost his privilege to wear the Scarlet and Gray," the school said in a statement released one hour before tip.
-- Creighton handed Xavier its first home loss of the season last night in overtime. The Bluejays won outright as 13.5-point underdogs, hooking up money-line supporters with a monster +800 payout (risk $100 to win $800).
-- In another Big East upset, Providence won at Georgetown as a 6.5-point puppy. The Friars got the victory as a +225 'dog on the money line.
February 5, 2015
SMU has had to overcome adversity galore this season. First, the nation's No. 1 recruit Emmanuel Mudiay never arrived on campus. There was reportedly an academic situation in play but whatever the case, Mudiay decided to go overseas this year before becoming a lottery pick (currently listed at No. 2 at NBADraft.net) at this summer's NBA Draft.
SMU had to play its first 10 games without stud post player Markus Kennedy, who was dealing with academic issues. Then on Jan. 16, starting guard Keith Frazier was declared ineligible by the NCAA for the rest of the season due to (you guessed it) an academic issue. Frazier, a sophomore who was averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school in Dallas.
Nevertheless, Larry Brown's team has won eight in a row and hasn't tasted defeat since a 56-50 loss at Cincinnati on Jan. 3. During this surge, the Mustangs have cashed tickets at a 5-1-2 ATS clip.
SMU (18-4 straight up, 9-7-3 against the spread) will get a chance to avenge that most recent defeat Thursday night when the Bearcats come to Moody Coliseum in Abilene. The Westgate SuperBook opened the Mustangs as six-point favorites.
Cincinnati (15-6 SU, 9-8 ATS) saw its four-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 50-46 loss at East Carolina as a 10.5-point road favorite. Octavius Ellis had 14 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots in defeat.
The Bearcats have had their own adversity to deal with this season. Head coach Mick Cronin was suffering from headaches before doctors discovered an unruptured aneurysm in mid-December. The non-life-threatening condition has forced Cronin to stay off the sidelines for games, although he has been present at most practices and game-day shoot-arounds at home. He maintains hope that he'll be cleared by doctors to return to the sidelines before the season is over.
SMU won a 75-56 decision over UCF as a 19-point home favorite this past Saturday. Ryan Manuel was the catalyst against the Knights, burying 9-of-10 shots and scoring a team-high 20 points. He also pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists.
Markus Kennedy produced 13 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Yanick Moreira added 12 points, six boards, two seals and one blocked shot, while Nic Moore finished with eight points, 10 assists and four steals.
Moore leads SMU in scoring (14.5 PPG), assists (5.4 APG) and steals (1.4 SPG). Moreira is averaging 11.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while Kennedy is averaging 11.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG.
SMU has won 13 of its 14 home games outright, compiling a 6-3-2 spread record. When listed as single-digit home 'chalk,' the Mustangs have posted a 2-1-1 spread ledger. The lone outright defeat came against Arkansas, which went into Moody and won by a 78-72 count as a four-point road underdog on Nov. 25.
Cincy has been an underdog five times, going 3-2 ATS with a pair of outright victories. The other win as a 'dog came at N.C. St. (76-60).
When these teams met in the Queen City on Jan. 3, Cincy prevailed by six as a one-point home underdog. The 106 combined points stayed 'under' the 117.5-point total.
Ellis led the way for the winners with 12 points, six boards and three steals. In the losing effort, Manuel had a team-best 14 points. Moore struggled badly, making only 3-of-11 shots and committing more turnovers (six) than assists (four).
In the two previous seasons, Cincinnati was the best 'under' team in the country -- by far! With Justin Jackson defending the rim and Sean Kilpatrick serving as Cronin's lone consistent scorer, grinder games were basically a given for the Bearcats. The 'under' has gone 7-6 overall this year for Cincy, 4-2 in its road assignments.
The 'under' is 9-7-1 overall for SMU, but the 'over' is 5-3-1 in its home games. Regardless of the venue, the 'under' has cashed in back-to-back games for the Mustangs and three of their last four.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**
-- In a surprising development Wednesday, Syracuse announced a self-imposed postseason ban for self-reported violations in 2007. The issues stem from academics involving former players Fab Melo and James Southerland. The ban will include the ACC Tournament, NCAA Tournament and NIT for this season. According to multiple reports, Jim Boeheim's job is safe.
-- VCU suffered a crushing blow this past weekend when senior guard Briante Weber was lost for the season to a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus. Weber, a senior, was on pace to break the all-time NCAA record for career steals (358), but he will come up 12 shy of that mark. Weber was averaging team-highs in assists (4.2 APG) and steals (3.9 SPG). He was scoring at an 8.1 PPG clip and shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point range.
-- Just an hour before Wednesday's 64-47 loss at Texas Tech, Kansas St. announced the indefinite suspensions of sophomore Marcus Foster and freshman Malek Harris. Foster, the Wildcats' leading scorer as a freshman last year, is averaging a team-best 14.0 PPG. Harris is averaging 2.2 PPG.
-- Michigan's Derrick Walton will miss third consecutive game tonight vs. Iowa. The Wolverines were already down their best player in Caris LeVert, and now Walton is out for the foreseeable future. The sophomore guard is averaging 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Walton is dealing with a foot injury that Michigan has decided to rest rather than have surgery (for now). As a testament to John Beilein's outstanding coaching, this team has continued to play hard and cash tickets. The Wolverines have covered the number in four straight games with a pair of outright victories. Both defeats (vs. Wisconsin and at Michigan St.) came in overtime.
-- Penn St. improved to 7-0 ATS as an underdog when it lost 64-58 last night at Maryland. PSU took the cash as an 8.5-point underdog in College Park.
-- Kent St. sophomore Jimmy Hall is out indefinitely with mono. Hall is the Flashes' leading scorer (15.1) and rebounder (7.5 RPG).
-- Ohio State's Marc Loving didn't make the trip to West Lafayette for last night's 60-58 to Purdue. Loving (11.7 PPG) has "temporarily lost his privilege to wear the Scarlet and Gray," the school said in a statement released one hour before tip.
-- Creighton handed Xavier its first home loss of the season last night in overtime. The Bluejays won outright as 13.5-point underdogs, hooking up money-line supporters with a monster +800 payout (risk $100 to win $800).
-- In another Big East upset, Providence won at Georgetown as a 6.5-point puppy. The Friars got the victory as a +225 'dog on the money line.