Friday 11/20/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jazz (6-5) at Mavericks (8-4)

Date: November 20, 2015 8:30 PM EDT

Dirk Nowitzki says that a loss to a winless team helped unite the Dallas Mavericks.

Nowitzki and the Mavericks seek a sixth consecutive victory Friday at home against a Utah Jazz team they have defeated eight straight times with the German in the lineup.

Dallas (8-4) fell below .500 with last Tuesday's 120-105 defeat at New Orleans. The Pelicans posted what remains their only victory despite losing star Anthony Davis to a hip injury that night in a result that left the Mavericks frustrated.

Nowitzki's team bounced back the next night with a 118-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in a heated atmosphere in DeAndre Jordan's first game in Dallas since he spurned the Mavericks. Dallas hasn't looked back since.

"I thought that loss actually brought us together," Nowitzki said. "I thought we played extremely hard the next night against the Clippers. I think our defense has been solid."

The Mavericks are limiting foes to 39.9 percent shooting in this win streak after that figure was at 44.2 previously. They capped a 3-0 trip by holding Boston to 41.3 percent in Wednesday's 106-102 victory, rallying from 18 points down. Nowitzki scored 23 points.

"It's a great way to end the road trip and now we've got one game at home and we've got to get ready for that one," coach Rick Carlisle said.

The Mavs have won eight straight over the Jazz (6-5) with Nowitzki, who sat out the last time these teams met in Utah's 109-92 home win April 13. He shot 59.4 percent in those eight games. Dallas also has won nine in a row at home in this series.

It may be easy to defend Utah, averaging 95.3 points to rank ahead of only winless Philadelphia. The Jazz average 95.1 possessions per 48 minutes for the league's second-slowest tempo.

Utah showed that it is capable of an offensive outburst with a 34-point fourth quarter in Wednesday's 93-89 win over Toronto. That matched a season high for any quarter.

"In the fourth quarter, we started attacking the rim and we got open shots and they just went in," said guard Rodney Hood, who scored 16 points.

Derrick Favors recorded his fourth double-double with 18 points and 11 boards for the Jazz, who are seeking their first three-game win streak.

Utah led the NBA with 364.9 passes per game a season ago while averaging 95.1 points. The Jazz are looking for quicker shots in 2015-16, averaging 324.0 passes.

"I think our spacing was good, we got shots," coach Quin Snyder said. "To me, that's the main thing. If you can get to the line or get an open shot, great, but just to make sure you get a good look."

Jazz center Rudy Gobert is averaging 3.2 blocks to rank second in the league. He'll match up with Zaza Pachulia, who leads the Mavs with six double-doubles after he had 14 points and 12 boards against the Celtics.

"He's been one of our key guys," Carlisle said.

Little-used Dallas forward Jeremy Evans may play against Utah for the first time after he spent his previous five seasons with the Jazz.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Suns (6-5) at Nuggets (6-6)

Date: November 20, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

No team has played fewer road games than the Phoenix Suns, though that's about to drastically change.

The Denver Nuggets' upcoming schedule isn't any easier despite not leaving home anytime soon.

Beginning a road-heavy stretch against a team they recently dominated, the Suns try to spoil the start of Denver's four-game homestand Friday night after nearly completing a perfect one of their own.

Phoenix (6-5) has played away from home three times and only once in the past 2 1/2 weeks. Nine of the next 11 games come on the road, however, starting with this three-game trip that also makes stops in New Orleans and San Antonio.

The Suns' last road game was a 21-point loss in Oklahoma City on Nov. 8, but they followed with three consecutive home victories before hosting surging Chicago on Wednesday. Phoenix rallied from 17 down to take the lead on Eric Bledsoe's two free throws with 4:47 left, but the Bulls went on to win 103-97.

Veteran P.J. Tucker wasn't discouraged by the effort against one of the Eastern Conference's top teams and feels good about the Suns' chances on the upcoming trip.

"I think we'll be OK," said Tucker, who had a season-high 20 points. "We felt good at the end, we just didn't make shots. ... I still think we're happy with the way we played. We wanna get better, but we'll just continue to build on it."

Like Tucker, first-year Denver coach Mike Malone sounded positive even after a loss Wednesday against a perennial contender - 109-98 to San Antonio.

"I'm proud of our guys and how hard they played, how hard they completed," Malone said. "Twenty-five assists, only six turnovers. So there are a lot of areas we're making progress in. Definitely a game where we can keep our heads up."

It was a far better performance than the Nuggets (6-6) had Saturday in a 105-81 defeat at Phoenix, where they trailed by as many as 37 points.

Prior to that game, Denver had completed a perfect three-game homestand. This stretch at the Pepsi Center will certainly test Malone's young team with matchups against defending champion Golden State as well as two other West contenders - the Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers.

"I think the progress we've made even in the first 12 games gives me a lot of excitement and hope that these guys are starting to understand how we need to play to become a good team," Malone said. "Not just for today, but in the big picture."

A key for Denver has been Danilo Gallinari's production. He's had at least 25 points in each of the last three wins, but Gallinari had nine on 2-of-11 shooting Wednesday and was 2 of 12 for eight points against the Suns.

Bledsoe led Phoenix with 30 points that night, part of his career-best streak of six games with at least 20. Brandon Knight had only 10 points against the Nuggets but has averaged 26.5 in the last two.

They're nearly on pace to become the fifth set of teammates in NBA history to average 20.0 points and 5.0 assists in a season.

Phoenix is 7-1 in this series since the beginning of 2013-14.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Clippers (6-5) at Trail Blazers (4-9)

Date: November 20, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

It looked like the Los Angeles Clippers were going to end the NBA's longest winning streak, but now they'll have to settle for continuing the Western Conference's longest skid.

A night after blowing a big lead and failing to hand Golden State its first loss since Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Clippers head to Portland on Friday night hoping to recover and extend the Trail Blazers' losing streak to eight.

After shooting 70.8 percent in the first quarter and mounting a 23-point lead early in the second, the Clippers (6-5) fell 124-117 at home to the unbeaten Warriors on Thursday night. Golden State shot 73.3 percent in the fourth quarter and Los Angeles dropped its fifth game in its last seven despite shooting 50.0 percent and hitting 13 of 29 from 3-point range.

The Warriors, however, hit 17 of 30 from outside and 8 of 9 in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers have allowed their last four opponents to shoot 40.6 percent from long range.

"We know we're close, but close isn't good enough," said coach Doc Rivers, adding that he thought the letdown began as early as the second quarter. "We've got to finish the games. But I don't think it started in the fourth quarter."

Chris Paul had missed three of the previous five games with a strained right groin but returned in impressive fashion with 18 of his 35 points in the first quarter, though backcourt mate J.J. Redick remained out for a third straight game with back spasms. Rivers is being more conservative with Redick because it's a back injury, but depth has become a bit of an issue with Los Angeles totaling 29 bench points the last two games.

The Clippers won both meetings in Portland and three of four overall last season, with the latest being a 126-122 road win in April as Paul finished with 41 points and 17 assists. He has six straight double-doubles in the series while averaging 29.3 points on 52.7 percent shooting with 13.0 assists.

After a 4-2 start, the Blazers have lost seven straight for their longest losing streak since ending 2012-13 on a 13-game slide. Wednesday's 108-103 overtime loss to Houston concluded a four-game road trip, and they're now playing five of their next seven at home with hopes of drastic change.

While the Clippers might be particularly down after their latest fourth quarter, the last 12 minutes have been a disaster for the Blazers lately with opponents outscoring them 29.6-23.1 on the losing streak. It all began with Detroit outscoring them 41-11 in the fourth on Nov. 8 and has carried through with the Rockets' 38-23 edge to force the extra period.

Damian Lillard scored 23 points against Houston, but it came on 6-of-19 shooting and the point guard is shooting 37.5 percent while going 3 of 24 from 3-point range in the last four games.

"I think we're fine emotionally," Lillard told the team's official website. "... Challenge San Antonio, three-point game with I think four minutes left and they finish the game on a 10-0 run. And then (Wednesday), just being up and having the advantage ... a lot of stuff happened for the game to go the way it did. A lot of that comes back to us not doing the small things that we need to do down the stretch."

Lillard has been limited to 12.7 points on 30.2 percent shooting in his last three against the Clippers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bulls (8-3) at Warriors (13-0)

Date: November 20, 2015 10:30 PM EDT

The Golden State Warriors appeared on their way to extending their 19-game home winning streak when the Chicago Bulls visited Oracle Arena in January, holding an 11-point lead with less than nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.

But much like the Warriors fended off a double-digit deficit Thursday night to become the fifth team in league history to start 13-0, the Bulls charged back behind their star guard and pulled out a thrilling overtime victory.

Golden State has won 25 consecutive regular-season home games since that loss, and Chicago still isn't sure if it will have Derrick Rose available when it tries to win again in Oakland on Friday night.

The Warriors trailed by 23 in the first half at Staples Center before outscoring the Los Angeles Clippers by 13 in the fourth quarter and completing the largest comeback in the NBA this season with a 124-117 victory.

Stephen Curry had 40 points and 11 rebounds and is averaging 39.3 points over his last four. Klay Thompson added a season-high 25 points and Harrison Barnes finished with 21 for the Warriors, who became the first team to win its first 13 games since Dallas opened 14-0 in 2002-03.

The best start in league history is 15-0, last accomplished by Houston in 1993-94.

"We're a confident team that no matter how bad we're playing, we always feel like we have a shot," Curry said. "The goal now is to not make it harder on ourselves. We'll clean that up."

Golden State has won its first seven home games and hasn't lost at Oracle Arena since Jan. 27, when Rose scored the final two of his 30 points on a jumper with seven seconds remaining in overtime to give the Bulls (8-3) a 113-11 victory.

Rose, though, is dealing with a sprained left ankle that kept him out of Chicago's 103-97 win at Phoenix on Wednesday that began a four-game road trip. Rose is considered a game-time decision to face the Warriors, but the Bulls know they can count on Jimmy Butler to flourish in an increased role if Rose has to sit out again.

Butler, who didn't play at Golden State last season because of an illness, scored a season-high 32 points against the Suns. He had 14 in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer that put the Bulls up seven with just over a minute remaining, and thrived with some pregame encouragement from Rose.

'It helps to have a superstar like him in my corner, coaching me up," Butler said. "Obviously we want him out there on the floor with us.

'My teammates just kept giving me the ball, to tell you the truth, whether I wanted it or not. Telling me to make plays.'

Kirk Hinrich started in place of Rose and scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting while dishing out six assists. Coach Fred Hoiberg was pleased with the effort from Hinrich, who again would start against the Warriors if Rose can't go.

'He does such a great job of getting us into our offense and getting our defense organized,' Hoiberg said.

E'Twaun Moore also should see more minutes with Aaron Brooks out. Brooks strained his hamstring in the third quarter against Phoenix and is considered day to day.

Whoever is in the lineup should take pointers from how the Bulls have defended Curry in recent years. Curry is averaging 17.4 points while shooting 39.2 percent from the field - 26.7 from 3-point range - over his last five against Chicago.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Raptors (7-6) at Lakers (2-9)

Date: November 20, 2015 10:30 PM EDT

As the Toronto Raptors continue to search for their early season form, Kobe Bryant hopes to turn back the clock against an opponent he's historically dominated.

Bryant returns to the court as the Los Angeles Lakers host the reeling Raptors on Friday night in a matchup of struggling teams.

Toronto (7-6) has lost the first three of a challenging five-game western trip and six of eight overall after a franchise-best 5-0 start. Slow beginnings and poor defense have plagued the Raptors during the losing streak, and both were a factor in their latest defeat.

Down by as many as 10 in the first half Wednesday at Utah, Toronto came back to take the lead in the third quarter before surrendering 34 in the fourth of a 93-89 loss. Utah shot 61.1 percent in the final period to overcome a 77-71 deficit with seven minutes left.

"Our defensive focus in the fourth quarter to give up 34 points ... that was the ballgame," coach Dwane Casey said. "We are shooting ourselves in the foot with unsound defensive plays and unsound offensive plays. Until we learn that, it is just going to be the same record."

More bad defense could benefit Bryant, who has had few off nights against Toronto over his brilliant career. His 27.7 points per game average versus the Raptors is his third-highest against any team, and he delivered one of the most memorable individual performances in league history by scoring 81 against them Jan. 22, 2006, at Staples Center.

One of the only six games in which he surpassed 30 points last season came against Toronto, scoring 31 in a 129-122 win Nov. 30, 2014. Bryant is expected to play after being rested Monday at Phoenix.

The Raptors also struggled to guard in losses to Sacramento and Golden State to begin their trek. After holding opponents to 41.5 percent shooting over the first 10 games, they've allowed 51.3 percent during the skid.

Toronto would benefit from better starts as well. It is shooting 35.1 percent and averaging 21.8 points in the first quarter, both league-low marks that have Casey contemplating whether to revise his starting five.

"All we can do is address it," he said. "If we don't get a better start, the only other option is to change that starting lineup. I don't know if we're at that point yet. Believe me, I have every number known to man as far as our woes in the first quarter. We're aware of it. We work to try to correct it. It's still our Achilles heel right now."

Facing the often off-target Lakers could help Toronto solve its other problem. Los Angeles is last in the league in field-goal shooting at 41.5 percent but had one of its better offensive showings Monday with Bryant sitting out.

Los Angeles (2-9) shot a season-best 48.1 percent and had six players score in double figures, but permitted 40 points in the fourth en route to a 120-101 loss.

"They came on in the fourth quarter and decided they were going to take it up a notch," guard Lou Williams said. "I felt we didn't do the same thing."

Williams, the 2015 Sixth Man of the Year for the Atlantic Division champion Raptors, is shooting a career-low 32.7 percent in his first season in Los Angeles.

Jordan Clarkson had 20 points and is averaging 19.3 over his last three games. The second-year guard has become the Lakers' most consistent scorer with Bryant struggling with his shot in a season that the 37-year-old has hinted might be his last.

The Raptors have lost 11 of their last 12 road games in the series but beat the Lakers 94-83 at home March 27 when Bryant was out.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Timberwolves still a perfect bet on the road
Andrew Caley

The Minnesota Timberwolves are different team away from home, in fact, they have been perfect against the spread.

After Wednesday night's 104-101 overtime loss against the Orlando Magic, the Wolves are now 7-0 ATS in seven road games this season and 5-2 straight up.

Minnesota won't be on the road again until Nov. 27 when they travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA Odds: Friday, November 20 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews

Ah, the Philadelphia 76ers. They fell to 0-12 and lost their 22nd straight game overall on Wednesday, getting blown out by a Pacers team missing two of their best guards due to injury. But my favorite number from that embarrassment was that Philadelphia had a whopping 31 turnovers. That's the most in the NBA since Golden State had 31 against the Grizzlies on Nov. 8, 2000. And it wasn't exactly a fluke as the Sixers had 27 turnovers the game before. They lead the NBA by far in turning it over 17.9 times per game. That's 6.9 more than the team that does it the fewest, Charlotte -- which happens to be Friday's opponent.

76ers at Hornets (-11, 193)

This starts a six-game road trip for Philly, meaning that 0-18 record start of the 2009-10 Nets can be tied at the conclusion on Nov. 29 in Memphis. Probably the only chance I give the 76ers of winning is Nov. 23 in Minnesota -- the Wolves are a lot better this year but yet to win at home oddly. Charlotte is off a 116-111 win over Brooklyn on Wednesday to get back to .500. Reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week Nic Batum had 24 points to lead the way. The Hornets did lose once in three tries to the Sixers in 2014-15. If you are wondering, Charlotte doesn't play Saturday, so it shouldn't be overlooking Philly.

Key trends: The road team is 4-1 against the spread in the past five meetings. The "over/under" has gone under in seven of the past 10.

Early lean: Sixers don't win but cover. Go way under.

Nets at Celtics (-8.5, 202.5)

This is the first of a home-and-home with Brooklyn hosting Boston on Sunday. The Nets are off a five-point loss in Charlotte on Wednesday despite a season-low nine turnovers. Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez combined for 50 points in the loss. Boston was upset at home by Dallas on Wednesday, 106-102, to end a three-game winning streak. The Celtics blew an 18-point lead. Isaiah Thomas coughed up the ball late in the game with a chance to tie or take the lead.

Key trends: The Nets are 5-0 ATS in their past five overall. The under is 6-1 in Boston's past seven after a loss.

Early lean: Celtics and under.

Rockets at Grizzlies (-4.5, 201)

Houston won its first game since the Kevin McHale firing, 108-103 in overtime over Portland on Wednesday. It took a lucky Corey Brewer running 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into OT. Then James Harden took over -- he finished with 45 points, including all nine of Houston's in the extra period. Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff started ageless Jason Terry ahead of struggling Ty Lawson, who finished with only two points on 1-for-8 shooting. Houston was without point guard Patrick Beverley (ankle) for a third straight game. He may start when healthy. Memphis has been off since a 122-114 win over the Thunder on Monday, the Grizzlies' third straight victory. New addition Mario Chalmers blew up for 29 points off the bench, 16 in the fourth quarter.

Key trends: Houston is 2-7 ATS in the past nine in Memphis. The over is 4-0 in the past four meetings overall.

Early lean: Grizzlies and over.

Pistons at Timberwolves (+2, 201)

Detroit ended a four-game skid with a 104-99 win over Cleveland on Tuesday. Reggie Jackson rebounded after a season-low nine points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday with 23 points and 12 assists vs. the Cavs. Andre Drummond had another double-double (every game) with 25 points and 18 rebounds. It was Detroit's sixth win, which it didn't achieve last year until after Christmas. Minnesota lost 104-101 in overtime in Orlando on Wednesday in the second of a back-to-back. Rookie Karl-Anthony Towns continued to shine with 21 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. It was his eighth double-double. The Wolves are a very good 5-2 on the road but 0-5 at home. The only other team without a home win is of course Philly.

Key trends: The Pistons are 0-4 ATS in their overall. Minnesota is 3-13 ATS in its past 16 at home. Detroit is 0-6-1 ATS in the past seven meetings. The under is 6-2 in the past eight in Minnesota.

Early lean: Towns vs. Drummond! Nice. Wolves get first home win. Go over.

Spurs at Pelicans (TBA)

This is your ESPN opener and will have live betting at sportsbooks. San Antonio won a sixth straight on Wednesday, 109-98 over Denver. Tony Parker scored a season-high 25, and the Spurs never trailed. Manu Ginobili missed that game with hip tightness, and he will miss this one as well. Be warned that this is the first of a back-to-back, so who knows what Gregg Popovich might do with some other guys. The season is already over for 1-11 New Orleans, which dropped a fifth straight Wednesday in Oklahoma City. The Pelicans played without Anthony Davis, and he's questionable, thus the TBA. Center Omer Asik sat Wednesday with a stomach bug but should play here. Not like it will matter.

Key trends: The Spurs are 1-8 ATS in the past nine in New Orleans. The over is 4-1 in the Pelicans' past five at home.

Early lean: Have to wait on Davis and Pop.

Knicks at Thunder (TBA)

Oklahoma City ended a two-game skid with a seven-point win over the Pelicans on Wednesday behind 43 points, nine rebounds and eight assist from Russell Westbrook. Kevin Durant sat out again and is not expected to play here (why the TBA even though he's doubtful). New York beat Charlotte on Tuesday for its second straight win to get to .500. The Kristaps Porzingis craze continues as the rookie had 29 points and 11 rebounds -- he has been spectacular so far and is already a huge fan-favorite. He's No. 2 in the rookie race behind the Timberwolves' Towns. Knicks coach Derek Fisher's final season as a player was in 2013-14 with Oklahoma City.

Key trends: New York is 7-0-1 ATS in its past eight road games. The under is 6-2 in the past eight meetings in OKC.

Early lean: Thunder will cruise.

Jazz at Mavericks (-2.5, 193)

Utah beat Toronto 93-89 for its second straight win Wednesday. Alec Burks made the go-ahead jumper with 1:12 left. The Jazz scored 35 combined points in the second and third quarters and 34 in the fourth quarter alone. It was only Utah's third home game, and now it's back on the road. I thought Dallas would stink this season, but the Mavs have won five straight and are off a 3-0 road trip through Houston, Philly and Boston. They rallied from 18 down Wednesday vs. the Celtics.

Key trends: The Jazz have covered only one of the past seven meetings. The over is 12-5 in Dallas' past seven at home.

Early lean: Mavericks and over.

Suns at Nuggets (+2.5, 206)

Phoenix had a three-game winning streak snapped in Wednesday's 103-97 home loss to Chicago. The Suns will almost never win when scoring less than 100 points because they don't defend well. Suns forward Markieff Morris was back in starting lineup after missing the previous two games with a left knee sprain. He scored only six points in 28 minutes. The Suns were without key reserve T.J. Warren, out due to flu-like symptoms. Denver concluded a three-game road trip with an 11-point loss in San Antonio on Wednesday. Nuggets rookie Nikola Jokic had 23 points off the bench. Denver lost in Phoenix 105-81 last Saturday. The Suns have won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams.

Key trends: The Suns are 7-1 ATS in the past eight meetings. The over is 4-0 in Denver's past four after a loss.

Early lean: Suns and over.

Clippers at Trail Blazers (TBA)

Los Angeles hosted Golden State on Thursday. No surprise a TBA here as it both J.J. Redick and Chris Paul were doubtful for the Clippers in that one -- and you know they want to beat the Warriors. That's a shame if those two can't play, so I'm sure they won't here. Portland blew Wednesday's game in Houston and dropped its seventh straight. The Blazers led by seven with a minute left. It's their worst losing streak since a 13-game skid in 2012-13. The Blazers have lost four straight games that were within one possession in the final three minutes. Forward Meyers Leonard missed a fifth game in a row with a shoulder injury but was close to playing so you might see him here.

Key trends: The underdog is 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings. The over is 5-2 in the past seven.

Early lean: I think Clippers will be flat after the Warriors game no matter who plays. Portland wins this outright.

Bulls at Warriors (-10, 207)

This is the ESPN nightcap and will have live betting. Golden State was at the L.A. Clippers on Thursday. I don't want to call the Warriors lucky. But they got the Clippers probably without Paul and Redick and now likely get the Bulls not only without Derrick Rose, who missed Wednesday's win in Phoenix with a sprained ankle, but his replacement, Aaron Brooks. The latter is doubtful with a left hamstring injury, leaving the Suns game in the third quarter. So that will mean heavy minutes for Kirk Hinrich chasing around Steph Curry. Chicago did hand Golden State one of its two regular-season home losses last year. Rose had a big game.

Key trends: The Warriors are 7-2 ATS in their past nine in the second of a back-to-back. The over is 5-1 in Chicago's past six vs. teams with a winning record.

Early lean: Like the Warriors unless they are taken to the limit -- or lose -- on Thursday. Go over here regardless.

Raptors at Lakers (+5.5, 202.5)

Toronto has dropped the first three games of its five-game road trip. It was held to 89 points in Wednesday's loss at Utah. But I recommend you type: "DeMar DeRozan dunk Rudy Gobert" into YouTube to see a sweet highlight from that game. The Raptors' Terrance Ross did not play due to a left thumb ligament injury. L.A. has been off since a 120-101 loss in Phoenix on Monday. Kobe Bryant sat that out in the second of a back-to-back but will play here. L.A. is 15-3 at home all-time in this series.

Key trends: The Raptors are 8-1 ATS in their past nine vs. the West. The under is 6-1 in the Lakers' past seven overall.

Early lean: Raptors and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA

Hot teams
-- Hornets won six of their last nine games (1-2HF).
-- Celtics won three of their last four games (2-3HF).
-- Knicks won four of their last six games (4-1AU). Thunder also won four of last six games (4-3HF).
-- Spurs won their last six games (4-1AF).
-- Memphis won its last three games (2-3HF).
-- Dallas won its last five games (2-1HF). Jazz are 6-4 in last ten games (4-0AU).
-- Phoenix won three of its last four games (0-0AF). Nuggets won four of last six games (2-1HU).
-- 13-0 Warriors are 1-4 in last five games as a home favorite. Bulls won their last four games (2-0AU).

Cold teams
-- 0-12 76ers are 3-2 as road underdogs.
-- Nets lost ten of their first 12 games (4-0 last four AU).
-- Detroit lost four of its last five games (0-2AF). Minnesota lost five of its last six (1-2HU).
-- Pelicans lost their last five games (0-2HU).
-- Rockets lost four of last five games (1-1AU).
-- Clippers lost five of their last seven games (1-2AF). Portland lost its last seven games (1-1HU).
-- Lakers lost five of their last six games (1-1HU). Toronto lost last three games (2-2AF).

Series records
-- 76ers lost four of last five games with Charlotte, but are 3-1 vs spread in last four series games.
-- Celtics won three of their last four games with Brooklyn.
-- Pistons lost last ten games with Minnesota (1-8-1 vs spread).
-- Thunder won six of last eight with New York (3-1 vs spread last four).
-- Spurs lost three of last four games with New Orleans.
-- Grizzlies won four of last six games with Houston.
-- Mavericks won eight of last nine games with Utah.
-- Suns won seven of last eight games with Denver.
-- Clippers won three of last four games with Portland.
-- Bulls won four of last six games with Golden State.
-- Lakers won seven of last ten games with Toronto.

Totals
-- Three of last four Philly games stayed under total.
-- Six of last eight Brooklyn games stayed under total.
-- Four of last five Minnesota games went over total.
-- Under is 7-1-1 in last nine New York games.
-- Under is 6-3-1 in last ten San Antonio games.
-- Last three Memphis games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Dallas road games went over.
-- Five of last seven Denver games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Clipper games went over total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Chicago games.
-- Six of last seven Laker games stayed under total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Owls (1-1) at Bulldogs (2-0)

Date: November 20, 2015 1:00 PM EDT

Butler is one of college basketball's hottest shooting teams, though coach Chris Holtmann is warning that it's early.

Temple has already been ripped apart by the nation's top team to continue a frustrating slide against ranked squads away from home.

The Owls, however, got a key player back to open the Puerto Rico Tipoff as they face the No. 22 Bulldogs on Friday for a spot in the championship game.

Butler followed a 144-71 rout of The Citadel in Saturday's opener by crushing Missouri State 93-59 in the first round Thursday. The Bulldogs shot 63.6 percent in the opener before finishing at 60.0 on Thursday.

'It's a really small sample size,' Holtmann said. 'I would caution into reading too much into two games. I think we'll know more at the end of this week.'

Temple endured a rough opener by allowing No. 1 North Carolina to shoot 50.7 percent in a 91-67 loss last Friday in Annapolis, Maryland. The Owls dropped their 11th straight to a Top 25 team on a road or neutral court.

They earned their first victory Thursday, 75-70 over Minnesota. Jaylen Bond scored 19 points and Devin Coleman had 12 of his 15 in the final seven minutes as Temple blew a nine-point lead before erasing a six-point, second-half deficit.

"I think we're learning more about our team and who's going to step up and at what time," coach Fran Dunphy said. "We have some pretty good senior leadership."

The seniors stepped up Thursday, as Coleman provided clutch play, Bond bounced back from a two-point effort against the Tar Heels and Quenton DeCosey scored 12.

The Owls also received a huge boost from Obi Enechionyia, who had 14 points in his season debut after being out with an ankle injury.

"He really didn't practice a whole lot before today," Dunphy said. "He felt good enough to go and so our attitude was as long as he says he's OK, we'll give him the opportunity and he sort of rewarded us with some pretty good play."

Roosevelt Jones was the only Butler player to log more than 25 minutes Thursday, though he and fellow preseason all-Big East pick Kellen Dunham were only needed to combine for 17 points. Andrew Chrabascz and reserve Kelan Martin each scored 18 and Tyler Lewis had 10 of the team's 23 assists.

'Today we got out in transition and just started going," Lewis said. 'And we have great playmakers on this team who can know to make the right play at a fast speed."

Lewis is a transfer from North Carolina State who is in his first season with Butler. His freshman season with the Wolfpack ended with a 76-72 loss to the Owls in the NCAA Tournament.

Butler won 83-71 at home Jan. 26, 2013 in the only previous meeting with Temple in the lone season both were in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dunham scored 17 points off the bench and Jones had nine.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (3-0) at Utes (3-0)

Date: November 20, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Utah has been able to escape some close calls despite not shooting very well, but another off night could prove costly against a Miami team that looks much better than predicted.

Unlike the 16th-ranked Utes, the Hurricanes have been impressive offensively, and look to continue their hot start in Friday night's semifinal of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Utah (3-0) ranked second in the Pac-12 by shooting 48.2 percent last season and advanced to the Sweet 16. Leading scorer Delon Wright is gone, though, and it hasn't been nearly as good from the floor to start this campaign.

The Utes shot 46.9 percent in a nine-point win over Southern Utah to open the season last Friday, then beat San Diego State by five while shooting 40.0 percent. They struggled again Thursday, hitting 38.3 percent from the floor in a 73-63 quarterfinal win over Texas Tech.

Lorenzo Bonam finished with a game-high 20 points while Jordan Loveridge added 18 and Jakob Poeltl scored 15 for Utah, which hit 6 of 24 from 3-point range and is shooting just 30 percent from behind the arc on the year.

The Utes, though, outrebounded the Red Raiders 27-13 after the half and held Texas Tech to 3 of 19 from 3-point range for the game.

'Our intensity just picked up and we got down into it defensively,' said senior guard Brandon Taylor, who scored 11 points. 'We tried to slow down a little bit on offense and really just capitalize and hold onto the basketball as much as we could.'

Utah clearly didn't take any pointers from Miami's performance earlier Thursday. The Hurricanes (3-0) shot 56.7 percent and hit 9 of 17 from 3-point range in a 105-79 victory over Mississippi State, the first time since 2004 they've scored at least 100 points against a Division I opponent.

That performance shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise, though. Miami shot 56.4 percent and drained 12 of 23 3s in Monday's 93-77 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

The Hurricanes, picked to finish fifth in the ACC, got 19 points from Sheldon McClellan, 15 from Ja'Quan Newton and 14 from James Palmer in the first round of this tournament to lead seven players in double figures. Their 59 first-half points set a tournament record.

McClellan is averaging a team-best 17.3 points and shooting 58.6 percent while hitting 6 of 11 from long range. Davon Reed attempted only two shots and finished with eight points, but he's averaging 13.7, up from 8.2 last season.

'We always know offensively we have a lot of weapons,' said point guard Angel Rodriguez, who hit 4 of 6 from the field and scored 11 points. 'We felt that way last year as well."

Coach Jim Larranaga certainly isn't going to complain about his squad's offensive success, but he'd like to see his players continue to step up defensively as well. The Hurricanes have forced at least 13 turnovers in each contest and haven't allowed an opponent to shoot better than 46.0 percent.

'I thought we were able to consistently make good defensive decisions,' Larranaga said. 'That ended up resulting in good offensive play. A lot of times your defense creates your offense. I thought that's what happened (especially) in the first half.'

The winner of this contest will face either No. 22 Butler or Temple in Sunday's championship game.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Broncs (0-2) at Terrapins (2-0)

Date: November 20, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

One takeaway from Maryland's latest win was how close it was to being a first loss. The Terrapins would like to live a little farther away from the edge in their next contest.

The third-ranked Terrapins look to build off a stressful victory when they host visiting Rider Friday night in the Cancun Challenge.

Maryland (2-0) nearly lost at home for the first time in 15 games Tuesday against old rival Georgetown, needing a late 3-pointer from Rasheed Sulaimon for a 75-71 win.

The tight victory came against a Georgetown team that opened the season with an 82-80 double-overtime loss to Radford and served as a reminder that a new-look Maryland roster loaded with talent will take time to settle in.

'I told our guys, man, we needed this,' coach Mark Turgeon said. 'This was great. We figured out how to win the game. It lets them know we're not invincible.'

That's how Maryland looked during an easy 80-56 win over Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 13, but concerns slipped through the cracks against Georgetown.

Such as the fact that three starters didn't record a single minute for the Terrapins in 2014-15. Sulaimon was playing the last of his three seasons with Duke while forward Robert Carter sat out a year after transferring from Georgia Tech. Center Diamond Stone is a highly-touted freshman out of Milwaukee.

Sulaimon's 3-pointer broke a 68-68 tie with 1:18 left, but it was his only make of the second half as he finished with just 10 points in 37 minutes. Carter had 12 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes, while the 6-foot-11 Stone was a non-factor with five points and one rebound in 14.

Maryland allowed the Hoyas to shoot 48.2 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from 3-point range, but most pressing might be its deficit of 36-28 on the boards. Turgeon has noted his desire to play big with Stone, the 6-9 Carter and 6-9 forward Jake Layman, but he went small late without Stone.

What the Terrapins do have is sophomore guard Melo Trimble, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year. Trimble, who combines with Sulaimon in a stellar backcourt, poured in 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half.

"Toughness is what we had down the stretch," he told the team's official website. "We just believed in each other."

The Terrapins have plenty of chances to mesh before Big Ten play, including bracket play in this Challenge next week in Cancun. Maryland plays Illinois State on Tuesday and either Rhode Island or TCU in the Riviera Division championship or third-place game the following day.

The Terrapins wrap up the Challenge with a home game versus Cleveland State on Nov. 28.

Rider (0-2) has lost seven straight against ranked teams since a season-opening win over No. 18 Mississippi State on Nov. 13, 2009.

The Broncs opened this season with a 64-56 loss to Princeton last Friday before Tuesday's 73-60 defeat at La Salle. Xavier Lundy scored a career-high 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting in the latest loss while Shawn Valentine, who scored a personal-best 15 in the opener, was held to four.

All three matchups in this series came in the 1990s with Maryland winning all three.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Buccaneers (2-0) at Wildcats (2-0)

Date: November 20, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Villanova has turned in two victories of at least 24 points, and while Jay Wright's team has been particularly impressive defensively, it's shown moments of vulnerability.

It seems such a moment would have to stretch out for quite a while for the 11th-ranked Wildcats to get in trouble Friday night in a preliminary round game of the NIT Season Tipoff against East Tennessee State, but the Buccaneers haven't experienced any lapses in scoring through their first two games under a new coach.

Villanova (2-0) fell behind by seven midway through the first half in Tuesday's 87-63 home win over Nebraska, but it recovered to build a 38-25 lead by halftime.

"I think that's something we've gotten used to over the years," Wright said. "We respect everybody. Even if we're supposed to beat somebody, I think our guys know that anyone can beat you. That team is definitely good enough to beat us when we're not playing well."

The Wildcats held the Cornhuskers to 37.7 percent shooting and 7 for 23 from 3-point range with 22 turnovers, which came four days after limiting Fairleigh Dickinson to 27.0 percent in a 91-54 win. But for a team that led the Big East in 3-point shooting last season at 38.9 percent, the outside shot hasn't come easily. Villanova is 19 for 66 (28.8) from 3 thus far.

Josh Hart finished with 19 points against Nebraska, and Daniel Ochefu had 17 and 10 rebounds, but any groove they established began on the other end.

"When we took the lead, I thought there was a couple great plays by Mikal Bridges and (Ryan Arcidiacono), getting steals, deflections, and it helped us get out (in transition)," Wright told the school's official website.

"We just weren't making shots. They were playing good defense. They're a good defensive team. We got some easy buckets then the threes started going. Arch and Mikal got us going and that got us some easy buckets."

Villanova has started at least 3-0 every season since 2006-07, and has won its last 20 nonconference home games by an average of 20.1 points since a December 2012 loss to Temple. East Tennessee State, meanwhile, has lost 17 games against the Top 25 over the last 20 seasons by an average of 19.7 points.

The Buccaneers (2-0) opened with a 107-59 win over Division III Averett, but they were about as impressive offensively in Tuesday's 103-90 win over Green Bay, which has gone to the NIT the past two seasons and took Stanford to overtime in its opener.

"What a great win for our program," first-year coach Steve Forbes told the school's official website. "Playing on ESPN is such a showcase for our school and our city, and I think our fans did a great job of showing up. They helped us because the atmosphere was great.

"I think our depth wore them down. I've said it all along that we are a deep team and I think that was a difference today. They have a really nice team, so this is a big win for us."

The Buccaneers are among the nation's leaders in scoring (105.0), and they're the only school with at least 60 free-throw attempts and a percentage of 80.0 or greater (85.0).

Ge'Lawn Guyn, a graduate transfer from Cincinnati who played limited minutes in two wins over the Wildcats in 2011-12 and '12-13, scored a game-high 26 points and is averaging 22.5. Fellow guard T.J. Cromer added 17, and the freshman is averaging 18.0 to start his career.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rams (2-0) at Blue Devils (2-1)

Date: November 20, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Duke is breaking in yet another heralded freshman class, though this one has been humbled much more quickly than last year's.

Mike Krzyzewski will look for his fifth-ranked Blue Devils to bounce back Friday night against VCU at Madison Square Garden in a 2K Classic semifinal.

Duke (2-1) overpowered Siena and Bryant, winning by a combined 56 points, before being held to 40.7 percent shooting in a 74-63 loss to No. 2 Kentucky on Tuesday in Chicago. The Blue Devils, who opened 14-0 last season despite three freshman starters before back-to-back double-digit losses, trailed by as many 16 points in the second half.

"We can be a really good team," Krzyzewski said. "We have a lot of improvement ahead of us. We just have to accept that and go on and do it."

After starring in the national title game against Wisconsin, Grayson Allen scored 54 points on 16-of-31 shooting in Duke's first two games while committing only three turnovers. Kentucky limited him to six points on 2-of-11 shooting - including 0 for 9 in the first half - and he had four giveaways.

"I think they did a great job today of helping off and pressuring our drives and meeting us at the rim," Allen said.

The lone freshman starter, Brandon Ingram, struggled. He was 1 of 6 for four points with four turnovers and one assist in 19 minutes, while fellow newcomers Luke Kennard and Chase Jeter totaled two points. Freshman Derryck Thornton scored seven points in 29 minutes but also had four turnovers.

Outside of a 13-for-26 performance Saturday against Bryant, Duke is 11 of 38 (28.9 percent) from 3-point range.

Krzyzewski can be encouraged by his team's play on the interior, however. Amile Jefferson, his most experienced player, had 16 points and 15 rebounds and was 7-of-8 shooting, while Marshal Plumlee added 12 points, 10 boards and blocked six shots.

"Tonight I think our bigs played great," Allen said. "Moving forward, on the perimeter, we have to kind of match their intensity and match their energy."

Shaka Smart may be gone, but VCU (2-0) is still employing the frenetic style it came to be known for during his tenure. The Rams, who led the nation in turnovers forced for three straight seasons before finishing 12th in 2014-15, have forced 42 through their first two games under coach Will Wade.

They were 13 of 24 from 3-point range in Monday's 92-74 win against Radford, though they shot a worse percentage from the field (47.6) than the Highlanders (48.1).

"We've got to be twice as good as we were on Friday to give ourselves a chance," Wade said. "If we don't prepare we're going to get embarrassed on Friday night."

Melvin Johnson is averaging 18.5 points and is 9 of 18 from beyond the arc.

Duke won the last meeting 67-58 on Nov. 23, 2012, in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal in the Bahamas. The then-sixth seeded Blue Devils were upset by the Rams, 79-77, in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

They're 26-8 at Madison Square Garden under Krzyzewski, winning 18 of the last 21.

The winner will face Wisconsin or Georgetown on Sunday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Raiders (1-2) at Wildcats (3-0)

Date: November 20, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

John Calipari and Kentucky finished two games short of perfection last season.

A mostly made-over team has started well in picking up that quest, and the second-ranked Wildcats will try to avoid a letdown Friday night versus Wright State.

Kentucky (3-0) won its first 38 games last season before falling to Wisconsin in the national semifinals. Calipari then completed his annual reload with a stacked recruiting class to fill the void created by lottery picks Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles and Devin Booker continuing on to the NBA along with second-rounders Andrew Harrison and Dakari Johnson.

Some of the freshmen have been as good as advertised despite Calipari's harping on their shortcomings. Jamal Murray and Skal Labissiere lead the team in scoring at 14.3 and 14.0 points per game, respectively, and Isiah Briscoe has averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. But holdovers Tyler Ulis, Marcus Lee and Alex Poythress played key roles in Tuesday's 74-63 win over No. 5 Duke in the Champions Classic at Chicago.

The trio combined for 37 points, including a game-high 18 from Ulis along with six assists.

"The game's happening slower for him," Calipari said of Ulis, who did not have a turnover while playing the full 40 minutes. "He's a skilled player with a great feel for the game and you see his leadership on the court."

While Lee had 10 rebounds to push his team-best average to 8.7, Poythress grabbed seven boards for a second straight game and Calipari is looking for him to be more dominant on the glass.

"I want Alex to be ... an elite athlete going after every ball, rebounding above the rim," he said. "That's hard. I know it's hard, but again, it's trying to get these guys to understand, the best version of you is when you're the elite athlete that you are."

That tunnel-vision focus Calipari has for his players creates his expectations to contend for a second NCAA Tournament title and fifth Final Four in seven seasons with the Wildcats. While they've held opponents to 38.3 percent shooting - behind last season's 35.4 percent that led Division I - the coach is looking to improve game-to-game as they deal with the pressure that comes with being Kentucky.

"If we lose to Wright State, you people in Kentucky will think I should be fired," Calipari said after beating Duke. "So, you're really happy with me today, 'Cal's the best. He's unbelievable.' You lose to Wright State, 'Let's get him - the game has passed him by. He's too old.' This thing at Kentucky is a different deal.

"If we learn to fight every possession, play the guy before he catches the ball, be alert defensively and stay in a stance and really bounce and play off one another we're going to be really good. If we don't, we'll be an average team."

Even if Kentucky regresses to average, it may still prove too much for Wright State (1-2). The Raiders dropped their final two games in the eight-team NIU Showcase at DeKalb, Illinois, capped with a 65-59 defeat to host Northern Illinois on Sunday.

Sustaining momentum has proven problematic for the Raiders, who blew a 14-point second-half lead in losing to Cal State Northridge and squandered an eight-point halftime advantage against the Huskies. J.T. Yoho had 16 points and Joe Thomasson added 15 and seven rebounds for Wright State, which is shooting 47.1 percent (32 for 68) from 3-point range.

The smaller Raiders, whose last regular-season non-conference win over a ranked opponent was a 63-59 upset of then-No. 6 Michigan State on Dec. 30, 1999, have been outrebounded by 6.3 per game thus far.

Wright State has lost all three meetings with Kentucky, the last coming in 1998.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Musketeers (2-0) at Wolverines (2-0)

Date: November 20, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

Michigan enters its first true test of the season near full strength, a luxury it rarely enjoyed last season.

The 24th-ranked Wolverines host Xavier on Friday night with an opportunity to showcase their newfound depth, not to mention a chance for a profile-building victory to prove last season's health-related struggles are behind.

Michigan finished 16-16 and out of the 2015 postseason as it never recovered from season-ending injuries to Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton. Both are back, as are Zak Irvin and Spike Albrecht from offseason surgeries, giving coach John Beilein plenty of rotation options as the squad enters its most challenging stretch of the nonconference schedule.

LeVert's return from a fractured foot and decision not to enter the NBA Draft has been the biggest boost. The versatile senior guard has recorded 29 points, 12 assists and six steals in leading the Wolverines to easy wins over Northern Michigan and Elon.

Irvin, whose 14.9 points per game ranked second to LeVert last season, underwent back surgery in September and sat out the opener before going scoreless in 15 minutes of Monday's 88-68 victory over Elon.

'I felt like it was my first college game all over again,' he said. 'Once I got that first shot up, I felt pretty good.'

Albrecht also remains on a minutes restriction coming off hip surgery. Walton, limited to 19 games by foot problems, appears all the way back after scoring a career-high 24 points and going 8 of 10 from the field while adding seven assists and six rebounds against Elon.

Walton went 6 of 7 from 3-point range and newcomer Duncan Robinson, a transfer from Division III Williams, was 5 of 5 in contributing 19 points off the bench.

The Wolverines likely won't get as many easy looks against Xavier (2-0), which limited Missouri to 6 of 23 from beyond the arc and forced 18 turnovers in Tuesday's 78-66 win.

The Musketeers also hurt the Tigers on the glass, finishing with a 40-28 rebounding advantage. James Farr tied career highs with 14 boards and 15 points, 12 of which came as Xavier pulled away in the second half.

"I think James played really big around the rim and gave us a post presence," coach Chris Mack said. "His offensive rebounding was big-time. We need to be a team that prides itself on rebounding the ball."

Trevon Bluiett scored 13 of his 18 points after halftime. The sophomore guard is the leading returning scorer for a perennially tough Xavier program that reached the Sweet 16 of last year's NCAA Tournament and brings back six of its top eight players.

"We're not where we need to be yet, nowhere close, but I think we're getting there," Bluiett said. "Each game we see improvement on the defensive end. I just think we've got to keep practicing and eventually it will come to us."

The Musketeers went 6-4 against ranked teams while finishing 23-14 last season. They're 7-1 against the Big Ten since the start of 2007-08, with the lone loss coming to Iowa in overtime Nov. 28, 2013.

Michigan has won all three matchups in the series, though the schools haven't met since the Wolverines won a 1989 NCAA first-round game en route to that year's national title.

Following Friday's contest, the Wolverines head to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis, where they'll face No. 19 Connecticut in Wednesday's opening round.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: 49ers (3-0) at Cavaliers (2-1)

Date: November 20, 2015 9:30 PM EDT

Not many would have expected Virginia to need a bounce-back game this early in the season, and likely no more would consider the Charleston Classic a threat for another defeat.

The sixth-ranked Cavaliers will try to string together wins while avoiding another stunner Friday night when they meet Long Beach State in a semifinal game at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina.

A shocking 73-68 loss at George Washington on Monday left questions about a defense Virginia (2-1) considers its backbone.

The proper way to rebound was routing a young Bradley team 82-57 in the opening round of the Charleston Classic on Thursday, using stiff defense and sharp shooting to regain some confidence.

A victory over the capable offense of Long Beach State would put the Cavaliers into Sunday night's championship game against either George Mason or Oklahoma State.

'I feel like we definitely had to come out and respond," said junior guard London Perrantes, who had 12 points and eight rebounds against Bradley. "It's early. It's only our third game and we're still trying to figure out some things. It was just good to go out there again after Monday and play a game.'

It was a complete one. Virginia built a 31-point lead thanks in part to 56.6 percent shooting. The Cavaliers made nine straight shots at one point in the second half and finished with 19 assists and nine turnovers.

They were led by senior forward Anthony Gill's 16 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Malcolm Brogdon scored 13. Sophomore guard Marial Shayok made his second career start and had a career-high 10 points while matching another with six boards.

Virginia surrendered its most points in regulation against George Washington since an 87-52 loss at Tennessee on Dec. 30, 2013, but held the Braves to 39.1 percent shooting three days later.

The Cavaliers started slow and trailed 22-19 early, but they closed the first half on an 18-3 run while Bradley made just one of its final eight field goals of the half. Virginia topped the Braves in rebounding (35-21) and turnovers (13-9).

Long Beach State (3-0) might pose a tougher test for Virginia defensively as the 49ers have already eclipsed the 80-point plateau twice - beating BYU-Hawaii 91-57 on Nov. 14 and Seton Hall 80-77 in their tournament opener on Thursday.

The 49ers poured in 46 first-half points on 60 percent shooting against the Pirates for a seven-point lead at the break and then held on late to reach the semifinals. Senior guard Nick Faust led the way with 16 points, while South Carolina native Travis Hammonds scored 14 off the bench. Faust is averaging 13.3 points, though he has made just 31.0 percent of his shots.

Long Beach State has lost 13 straight games against ranked opponents and nine in a row versus teams in the top 10. The 49ers' last win against a top-25 foe was a 68-58 victory over No. 14 Xavier on Dec. 22, 2011, and in the same season they beat No. 9 Pittsburgh 86-76 on Nov. 16.

The 49ers play one of the Charleston Classic's two non-bracket games at Oklahoma State on Nov. 27.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAB

Notes for Friday's games..........

Penn State allowed 56 ppg in winning first two games, beating DePaul at home, 68-62; Lions won their last three games with Duquesne by 2-9-10 points. PSU outscored Duquesne 20-12 on line in 64-62 win LY. Dukes beat couple of stiffs to open season; they've got couple of seniors guards, four starters back from LY. A-14 home favorites are 4-6 vs spread.

Northwestern scored 79 ppg in winning first two games over stuffs; they have all five starters back from LY, play North Carolina next, but better not look past decent Columbia squad that lost 81-71 at K-State Monday, going 5-24 on arc. Lions have four starters back from LY's disappointing 13-15 team. Big 14 home favorites are 8-6 vs spread; Ivy League road dogs are 0-5.

Alabama lost by 32 at Dayton Tuesday, shooting 29.8% from floor. Tide starts three seniors; won't be long before young guys play. UL-Lafayette lost by 16 at Miami Monday when 'canes made 12-23 on arc; ULL has four starters back from 22-14, are expected to contend in Sun Balt. SEC home favorites are 5-5 vs spread; Sun Belt road dogs are 3-4.

Auburn lost 91-84 at home to Colorado Tuesday, blowing 15-point first half lead, after winning opener by point over UAB; Tigers have lot of new guys, will take time to develop chemistry. Georgia Southern lost by 10 at Ole Miss Monday; Rebels took 53 FTs, Panthers 27. SEC home favorites are 5-5 vs spread; Sun Belt road dogs are 3-4.

Big East-Big 14 split first six games in challenge this week. Xavier scored 79.5 ppg in winning its first two games by 9-12 over Mia OH/Missouri- they're rebounding 44% of own misses (#11 in US). Michigan beat couple stiffs to open season, forcing turnovers 25.2% of time; Wolverines have all five starters back from LY's 16-16 injury-wracked team- they won 59 games the two years before that.

Temple made 10-22 from arc in 75-70 win over Ole Miss yesterday; only three guys played more than 20:00- they all played 30:00. Temple starts four seniors, one junior. Butler crushed Missouri State by 34 after scoring 144 points in first game, but teams they've beaten aren't good. Big East favorites are 8-7 vs spread; AAC underdogs are 4-2. Butler had an easier game yesterday; this will be an interesting score.

Mississippi State plays terrible defense, allowing 89.7 ppg in first three games; teams shoot 56% inside arc against them- Miami had 59 points at half yesterday, scored 1.36 ppp for game, just awful. Texas Tech lost to Utah by 10; going 3-19 on arc, 10-19 on line- they're starting three sophs are building for future. Big X teams are 4-2 vs spread away from home.

Miami has little bit of home court edge in Puerto Rico with Rodriguez, Uceda on squad; 'canes scored 94.7 ppg in 3-0 start, making 43.7% from arc, 56.6% inside arc. Miami played one guy more than 24:00 yesterday. Utah playd three guys 33+ minutes last night in 73-63 win over Texas Tech- they've beaten San Diego State already, are scoring 78.7 ppg. This is an NCAA tourney-type matchup.

George Mason upset Ole Miss yesterday, after losing to Colgate/Mercer to start season; Patriots are shootng 24% from arc- they used three guys 32+ minutes last night. Oklahoma State is 3-0 with all three wins by 14+ points but they haven't played anyone; they played two guys more than 24:00 yesterday. Big X favorites are 6-3 vs spread; A-14 dogs are 4-2.

Long Beach State beat BYU/Seton Hall by combined four points, holding on 80-77 yesterday after leading by 16 at one point. 49ers played two guys 31+ minutes Thursday- they start three sophs. Virginia didn't play anymore more than 28:00 in easy win over Bradley yesterday; Cavaliers had easier win yesterday than Long Beach did, for sure. Big West dogs are 6-5 vs spread; ACC favorites are 12-8.

Georgetown just lost its emotional local rivalry game 75-71 to Maryland Tuesday after losing to Radford in double OT; Hoyas have shot ball OK but are turning it over 20% of time. Wisconsin beat couple of stiffs by 27-14 after losing to Western Illinois; Badgers don't have any seniors in rotation, this is big step up in competiton. Big 14 favorites are 9-6; Big East underdogs are 1-3.

Duke lost to Kentucky in Chicago Tuesday, heads to NY here for game vs pressing VCU, which has new coach, same approach. Rams are 2-0 vs lesser opponents, beating Radford by 18, but Radford beat Georgetown. VCU forced turnovers 28% of time in first two games. Duke's foes shot 44.2% from arc against them in 2-1 start; Duek played three starters 35+ minutes Tuesday, played only seven guys.

Georgia lost 92-90 at home in OT to Chattanooga in its opener; they had 6-point lead with 5:50 left, made 10-20 from arc after being down 39-31 at half. Dawgs turned ball over 21 times. Murray State won first D-I tilt for its new coach by 11 over Middle Tennessee; they start three juniors, two seniors. OVC underdogs are 6-9 vs spread; SEC home favorites are 4-6. Over last 6+ years, Murray State is 160-41 SU.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Friday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards

**Cincinnati at South Florida**

-- As of Thursday morning, most books had Cincinnati (6-4 straight up, 5-5 against the spread) listed as a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 64 points. The Bulls were +110 or +115 on the money line.

-- Tommy Tuberville’s team has won three of its last four games both SU and ATS, but it failed to cover the number in last week’s 49-38 win over Tulsa as a 22.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The 87 points climbed ‘over’ the 76.5-point total to end of a five-game surge of ‘unders’ for the Bearcats. Gunner Kiel completed 29-of-42 passes for 386 yards and two TDs, while Mike Boone rushed 18 times for 137 yards and three scores. Tion Green had 64 rushing yards and one TD on 12 totes. MeKale McKay had six receptions for 101 yards, while Shaq Washington had eight catches for 91 yards.

-- Cincy has lost outright in three of its four road assignments this year, posting a 2-2 spread record. As a road favorite on Tuberville’s watch, the Bearcats own a 5-4 spread record.

-- Kiel has connected on 66.1 percent of his throws for 2,423 yards with an 18/8 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He missed most of a 56-49 loss at Memphis after getting injured (concussion) in the first half. Kiel also missed a 34-23 home win over Miami and a 38-24 loss at BYU before returning to the lineup.

-- Cincy splits up the carries between three excellent RBs. Boone has rushed for a team-high 633 yards and seven TDs while averaging 8.8 yards per carry. Hosey Williams has run for 630 yards and four scores while averaging 5.8 YPC. Finally, Green has 620 rushing yards and six TDs with a 5.2 YPC average.

-- Washington has made a team-best 67 catches for 795 yards and five TDs. Chris Moore has 31 receptions for 671 yards and six TDs, while Max Morrison has 40 grabs for 490 yards and three TDs. Johnny Holton has 17 catches for 461 yards and three TDs, while McKay has 20 receptions for 418 yards and two TDs.

-- I loved South Florida head coach Willie Taggart when he was at Western Ky., where he led the Hilltoppers to back-to-back winning seasons in his second and third seasons after taking over a program that went 0-12 the year prior to his arrival. Most important for our purposes, Taggart went 24-10 ATS in his last 34 games with the ‘Tops, including a 10-2 spread ledger in his second campaign. I thought he would do wonders for the USF program but after losing to Memphis on Oct. 2, Taggart’s name could be found on any list of coaches on the hot seat. At that point, he had an atrocious 5-21 record. However, the Bulls have turned things around since then, going 5-1 both SU and ATS to not only get their coach off the hot seat but also prove that the future under Taggart is a bright one.

-- USF (6-4 SU, 7-2-1 ATS) is off its biggest win of Taggart’s tenure, a 44-23 beatdown of previously-once-beaten Temple as a 2.5-point home underdog. Sophomore RB Marlon Mack was the catalyst with 230 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 21 carries. Quinton Flowers was outstanding as well, rushing 18 times for 90 yards and one TD. The sophomore quarterback connected on 15-of-22 throws for 230 yards and two TDs without an interception. There was nothing fluky about the win over the Owls, as USF won the yardage battle 556-380. And that’s 556 yards against one of the nation’s top defenses, a unit that had allowed more than 26 points just once before its ill-fated trip to Tampa.

-- Flowers’ emergence as a quality QB has been the key to USF’s reversal of fortunes. Consider this: During Taggart’s first season in 2013, USF played four QBs who had seven TD passes compared to 16 interceptions. In 2014, USF played a trio of signal callers who posted an 11/11 TD-INT ratio. Flowers has a 14/6 TD-INT ratio this year and hasn’t been intercepted in more than a month. He has completed 60.4 percent of his throws for 1,676 yards. Flowers also provides versatility with his legs, rushing for 747 yards and eight TDs.

-- Mack has surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for a second straight season. He has 1,065 rushing yards and six TDs while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Rodney Adams, yet another sophomore, has made a team-high 31 catches for 575 yards and seven TDs. Mack has 15 receptions for 99 yards and one TD, while D’Ernest Johnson has 19 grabs for 249 yards and four TDs.

-- USF remains in the thick of the AAC race, trailing East-leading Temple by only one game. The Bulls, who are 4-2 in league play, own the tiebreaker with the Owls, who have to host Memphis this weekend. Taggart’s team finishes up at winless UCF next Thursday.

-- USF has won four of its five home games, posting a 4-0-1 spread record. The Bulls are 2-0-1 ATS as home underdogs this season. They’re 5-7-1 ATS as home ‘dogs since Taggart took over in 2013.

-- The ‘under’ is 5-4-1 overall for USF, but the ‘over’ is 3-2 in its five home games. The Bulls, who saw a three-game streak for the ‘under’ end last week vs. Temple, have seen their games average combined scores of 51.6 points per game. If this total of 64 holds, it will be the highest USF has seen this season. The previous high was 62 in a 38-14 home win over SMU that saw the ‘under’ cash.

-- Totals have been a wash overall (5-5) and on the road (2-2) for Cincinnati. However, the Bearcats have seen the ‘under’ go 5-1 in their last six games. They have seen their games average a combined score of 66.9 PPG.

-- Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday night, with the CBS Sports College Network providing the telecast.

**Air Force at Boise State**

-- As of early Thursday morning, most spots had Boise St. (7-3 SU, 5-5 ATS) installed as an 11.5-point favorite with a total of 55. The Falcons were +350 on the money line (risk $100 to win $350).

-- Air Force (7-3 SU, 7-3 ATS) has won four in a row both SU and ATS, including last week’s 35-28 win over Utah St. as a two-point home underdog. Senior QB Karson Roberts completed 11-of-17 passes for 271 yards and one TD without an interception. Roberts also ran for 53 yards and one TD on 12 carries. D.J. Johnson rushed 13 times for 79 yards and one TD, while Jacobi Owens produced 58 rushing yards and a pair of scores on 17 carries. Jalen Robinette hauled in seven receptions for 210 yards and one TD.

-- Air Force has dropped three of its four road games, but it has managed a 2-2 spread record. The Falcons are 1-1 ATS as road underdogs this season, 12-15-1 ATS as road puppies during Troy Calhoun’s nine-year tenure.

-- Air Force will be without three defensive starters for a fourth consecutive game. DT David Harris (undisclosed), DB Kalon Baker (hamstring) and LB Patrick Healy.

-- Boise St. is looking pull even with Air Force in the Mtn. West’s West division. The Falcons are 5-1 in league play, leading New Mexico and BSU by one game. They wrap up the regular season by facing the Lobos on the road next Saturday. The Broncos wrap up the regular season next Saturday at San Jose St.

-- Boise St. had won back-to-back games until New Mexico showed up on the smurf turf and captured a stunning 31-24 win as a 31-point road underdog. Bryan Harsin’s squad racked up 638 yards of total offense compared to just 413 for the Lobos, but four turnovers by the Broncos proved to their undoing. Brett Rypien, the true freshman QB who is the nephew of Redskin legend Mark Rypien, threw for 503 yards and two TDs, but he also had three costly interceptions.

-- In the losing effort versus UNM, BSU’s Thomas Sperbeck produced a spectacular performance, hauling in 20 receptions for 281 yards. Jeremy McNichols paced the Broncos in rushing with 128 yards and one TD on 26 totes.

-- Rypien has completed 63.3 percent of his throws for 2,539 yards with a 14/7 TD-INT ratio. Sperbeck has made 69 receptions for 1,210 and seven TDs. McNichols has rushed for a team-best 901 yards and 15 TDs with a 5.0 YPC average. McNichols is also effective catching the ball out of the backfield, catching 37 balls for 302 yards and four TDs.

-- BSU owns a 6-6 spread record in 12 games as a home favorite during Harsin’s tenure. The Broncos are 2-3 ATS in five such spots this season.

-- The ‘over’ is 6-4 overall for Air Force, 3-1 in its road assignments.

-- The ‘under’ is 6-4 overall for Boise St., 5-0 in its home games. The Broncos have seen their games average combined scores of 57.9 PPG.

-- When these team met in Colorado Springs last year, Air Force won a 28-14 decision as a 13-point home underdog. The 42 combined points stayed ‘under’ the 57.5-point total. Owens rushed for 108 yards and one TD for the winners.

-- ESPN2 will have the broadcast Friday night at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets** -- Duke’s David Cutcliffe dismissed three players from the program this week, including WR Terrence Alls, WR Johnell Barnes and LB Chris Holmes. Barnes had started eight of 10 games and was second on the team in catches (34), receiving yards (411) and TD grabs (two). Holmes had appeared in six games this season. He had 30 tackles in 2014.

-- Northwestern owns a 21-15 spread record as a road underdog during Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure. The Wildcats are 10-point underdogs Saturday at Wisconsin.

-- Florida DE Alex McAllister is ‘out’ vs. FAU and there’s concern that his foot injury could keep him out vs. FSU next week and possibly beyond that. McAllister has enjoyed a monster season for the Gators and was the SEC Defensive Player of the Week after the win over Vandy two weeks ago.

-- TCU senior WR Josh Doctson is out for the next two games due to a wrist injury. Despite seeing limited playing time the last two games, Doctson ranks fifth in the country in receptions (79), second in receiving yards (1,327) and is tied for second in TD catches (14). QB Trevone Boykin remains ‘questionable’ for Saturday’s showdown at Oklahoma due to an ankle injury. Also, senior center Joey Hunt is ‘questionable’ with an undisclosed injury. Hunt was a second-team All Big-12 selection in 2014. As of early Thursday, OU-TCU remained off the board.

-- Ole Miss LB Denzel Nkemdiche is ‘doubtful’ vs. LSU after being hospitalized this week for undisclosed reasons. He was reportedly in intensive care at one point, but it isn’t considered to be a “life-threatening” condition. The Rebels were favored by four from Sunday through Wednesday, but the number moved to six Thursday morning.

-- If Baylor QB Jarrett Stidham can’t go Saturday at Oklahoma St. due to a back injury sustained in last week’s home loss to Oklahoma, the Bears will turn to Chris Johnson to start at QB. Johnson has spent most of the season playing WR.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Game of the Day: Cincinnati at South Florida

Cincinnati Bearcats at South Florida Bulls (+2, 64)

After toppling Temple last week to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010, USF sets its sights on a division championship as Cincinnati visits on Friday night. The Bulls trail Temple by a game in the American Athletic Conference's East Division and will complete their home schedule against the Bearcats before a road tilt at UCF next week.

Coach Willie Taggart is thrilled with his team's progress this season but told the school's website their work isn't finished just yet. "When I came here, I said my goal and my vision for this football program is to win multiple championships in a first-class manner. We're not there yet but we're climbing." Cincinnati was fortunate to get past Tulsa last week and coach Tommy Tuberville indicated as much following the 49-38 win. "It was very important to get this one, knowing we had to (play) two on the road in some very tough games (to finish the season)."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network.

LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Bearcats as 3-point road faves but that has moved to -2. The total opened at 63.5 and moved to 64.

INJURY REPORT:

Cincinnati - WR Johnny Holton (Questionable, hamstring), LB Clemente Casseus (Out indefinitely, suspension).

South Florida - DT Deadrin Senat (Questionable, knee), WR Deangleo Antoine (Out indefinitely, suspension), DB Lamar Robbins (Out indefinitely, personal), OL Benjamin Knox (Out indefinitely, suspension), DB Hassan Childs (Out for season, knee), Stanley Clerveaux (Out for season, knee).

WEATHER: Temperatures in the mid-70s with an 18 percent chance of rain. Wind will blow across the field at around 7 mph.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (6-4 SU, 5-5 ATS, 5-5 O/U): Wide receiver Chris Moore, seventh in the AAC with 74.6 receiving yards per game, pulled even with Mardy Gilyard for Cincinnati's school record in touchdown receptions, snagging the 25th of his career in the win over Tulsa. "I wanted to get it really bad," Moore told reporters. "But I'm always going to to do what I have to do for the team to win. I've still got two more weeks to break it." Quarterback Gunner Kiel ranks third in the conference in both yards per game (302.9) and touchdown passes (18), despite missing two games with a neck injury.

ABOUT USF (6-4 SU, 7-2-1 ATS, 4-5-1 O/U): Running back Marlon Mack eclipsed 200 rushing yards in a game for the second time in his career in the victory over Temple and found the end zone three times to earn AAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades. Despite moving into fourth place on USF's all-time list with 2,106 career rushing yards in just his sophomore season, Mack is following his coach's lead in aiming for bigger and better goals to close out the season. "Coach T just keeps telling us to fight," Mack told reporters. "That's what we're doing."

TRENDS:

* Bearcats are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 meetings.
* Bulls are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five home games.
* Under is 5-1 in Bearcats last six games overall.
* Under is 17-5 in Bulls last 22 conference games.

CONSENSUS: Sixty-four percent of Covers users are backing the Bearcats.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAF

Friday's game

Cincinnati won seven of last nine games with South Florida, going 3-1 in last four visits here; underdogs are 7-3 vs spread in last ten series games. Bearcats lost last three road games, by 7-14-3 points; they scored 31.5 ppg in four losses; five of their last six games stayed under total. USF won five of last six games, upsetting Temple LW; Bulls are 5-2 against spread as an underdog. AAC home underdogs are 3-7 vs spread.

Air Force won its last four games, scoring 38.8 ppg, running ball for 365 ypg; Falcons are 1-3 on road, with all three losses by 14+- they're 1-1 as road underdogs. Home side won last three Air Force-Boise tilts; Falcons lost last two visits here, 42-20/37-26. Broncos lost as 30-pont favorite to New Mexico LW; they split last four games- their last six wins are all by 20+ points. Four of last five Air Force games went over.