Saturday 12/19/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bearcats (9-2) at Rams (5-4)

Date: December 19, 2015 4:00 PM EDT

A loss to VCU marked the lowest point in Cincinnati's 2014-15 season and a frightening time in Bearcats coach Mick Cronin's life.

Cronin will be behind the bench when the No. 23 Bearcats visit VCU for Saturday's rematch, a duty he wasn't able to fulfill in last year's meeting due to a serious health issue.

Just hours prior to the Bearcats' matchup with VCU on Dec. 20, 2014, Cronin announced he would be taking a leave of absence after being diagnosed with a small tear in an artery delivering blood to his brain. His stunned team proceeded to lose 68-47, Cincinnati's most lopsided defeat at home since February 1984.

Cronin sat out the remainder of the season but has Cincinnati (9-2) back in the national rankings in his return, in large part due to a defense that's held opponents to 59.1 points per game and 37.1 percent shooting.

"It changed me in a good way, I think," Cronin told Cincinnati's official website of the health scare. "But it will be exciting to actually coach the game against VCU and not just prepare for it."

The Bearcats will be facing a VCU squad with a far different look than a year ago. Coach Shaka Smart departed for Texas and the program graduated two players instrumental to the Rams' run of five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Smart's "Havoc" defense limited Cincinnati to 33.3 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers in last season's meeting.

VCU (5-4) has remained among the national leaders in steals under Smart disciple Will Wade but has yet to regain its past success against high-caliber teams. The Rams are 0-4 versus Power 5 programs, suffering narrow losses to Duke and Wisconsin in November and falling to Florida State and Georgia Tech in its past two contests.

"We just haven't been able to get it done in these games," said Wade following Tuesday's 77-64 setback at Georgia Tech. "We've been close in a lot of them. We were close in this one for a half, we just haven't been able to sustain it over longer periods of time."

The Rams shot 28.9 percent while being outscored 50-37 by the Yellow Jackets in the second half, spoiling a career-high 18 points from sophomore forward Justin Tillman.

VCU went 15 of 31 from 3-point range in last year's rout of the Bearcats, with Melvin Johnson's 18 points leading the way. The senior guard ranks fourth nationally in 3-pointers per game (4.0) and averaged 23.5 points in the Rams' previous four Power 5 tilts, highlighted by a career-high 36 against Florida State on Dec. 6.

The Bearcats bounced back from last Saturday's 65-55 loss at No. 10 Xavier with Tuesday's 75-59 win over Norfolk State. Farad Cobb had 20 points and Gary Clark 19 after going scoreless in 29 minutes against the undefeated Musketeers.

Cobb leads Cincinnati at 11.7 points per game but averaged just 7.2 on 31.4 percent shooting over a six-game stretch before finishing 5 of 8 on 3s against Norfolk State.

The Bearcats are making their first trip to the Siegel Center, where VCU has won 24 of 25 against nonconference foes. The Rams are 4-1 against ranked teams at the venue, with last season's 74-57 loss to No. 7 Virginia the lone blemish.

Cincinnati's only win in four all-time meetings with the Rams occurred at home on Jan. 12, 1974.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Boilermakers (11-0) at Bulldogs (8-1)

Date: December 19, 2015 5:00 PM EDT

Purdue has dominated its way to its best start in six years, and the ninth-ranked Boilermakers have been especially impressive defensively.

They're about to face their toughest test yet against No. 17 Butler.

Purdue's attempt at a 12-0 record will require slowing down the high-scoring Bulldogs and beating them for the first time in five tries Saturday at the Crossroad Classic in Indianapolis.

The Boilermakers (11-0) are outscoring opponents by an average of 25.9 points while winning each game by at least 12. They're unbeaten this far into a season for the first time since going 14-0 in 2009-10.

Purdue's current run has been buoyed by stingy defense, yielding the lowest shooting percentage (33.3) in the country while its 57.5 points allowed ranks eighth.

The Boilermakers were dominant in every facet in last Saturday's 95-64 rout of Youngstown State. They collected 26 assists on 33 field goals, outrebounded the Penguins 44-29 and had a 40-20 scoring edge in the paint.

"Good passes into the post means a great deal for us," said guard Rapheal Davis, who had 13 points. "You've always got four skill guys out there who can make plays. Any way we can get the ball inside, we have guys who can do it. We have guys who can pass, catch and shoot."

In particular, Purdue has a pair of 7-footers at center in Isaac Haas and A.J. Hammons. Haas leads the team with 13.5 points per game and Hammons is second at 12.6 despite being used exclusively as a reserve.

"I don't think we've played a team with two 7-footers on the front line, so I think we're going to have to game plan specific things to prepare for that kind of size," Butler coach Chris Holtmann said. "You can get overwhelmed with their size and they're certainly elite at finishing around the rim and getting the ball inside."

Scoring isn't a problem for the Bulldogs (8-1), who are second in the nation with 91.7 points per game and eighth with a 51.4 shooting percentage.

They only shot 46.8 percent last Saturday but connected for 10 3s for a second straight game in their fifth consecutive win, 94-86 over Tennessee.

Kelan Martin is looking to continue his terrific stretch. The reserve forward is averaging 23.0 points on 64.3 percent from the field - 7 of 12 from beyond the arc - over the last three games after scoring 25 points with 11 rebounds and a career-high five 3-pointers against the Volunteers.

Kellen Dunham averages a team-best 19.1 per game, but he only had 12 points while missing 10 of 13 from the floor last Saturday. The guard scored 25 in a 76-70 win over Purdue on Dec. 14, 2013.

The Boilermakers' P.J. Thompson will be available to play and will reportedly wear a protective mask after suffering a cut under his right eye just three minutes into the win against Youngstown State. The starting guard didn't return and needed 14 stitches to close the cut.

While this is Purdue's first matchup of the season against a ranked opponent, Butler won 78-76 on the road over then-No. 17 Cincinnati on Dec. 2.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (6-2) at Terrapins (9-1)

Date: December 19, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Though Maryland has been far from dominant during its third 9-1 start in four seasons, Melo Trimble has been able to push the Terrapins over the hump of late.

High-scoring forward Henry Caruso is doing the same for a veteran Princeton team.

The sixth-ranked Terps are seeking some consistency along with a fourth straight win Saturday night when they take on the Tigers at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore.

Maryland had to rally late to beat unranked Georgetown, Rider and Illinois State by a combined 22 points last month. It then trailed throughout its only matchup against a ranked opponent Dec. 1, falling 89-81 at then-No. 9 North Carolina.

More recently, the Terps had a 20-point lead sliced to three by Connecticut before winning 76-66 on Dec. 8 in New York. They nursed a six-point halftime edge over Maryland Eastern Shore last Saturday before pulling away for a 77-56 victory.

"They expect more out of themselves," coach Mark Turgeon said.

Trimble averaged 16.8 points on 52.6 percent shooting to help the Terps escape a four-game November stretch that included those three close calls. He did his best with 23 points and 12 assists against the Tar Heels, and totaled 43 points in his last two games to earn Big Ten co-player of the week honors.

The sophomore guard went 14 for 15 from the free-throw line against the Huskies and hit 5 of 6 shots from the field - including all four of his 3-point attempts - against the Hawks.

"He has a feel that you can't teach," Turgeon said. "He knows when he needs to do it and when he doesn't need to do it. That's what makes him who he is."

Turgeon's team turned things around last Saturday by going to a 1-3-1 press in the second half. It might need a more complete defensive effort to extend its winning streak.

Princeton (6-2) ranks second among Ivy League teams with 77.0 points per game and isn't far off the school-record 79.7 average set in 1971-72.

The Tigers, who have brought back all five starters, also lead Ivy schools with 11.3 turnovers per game and are second with a plus-6.9 rebounding margin. The Terps have a plus-5.3 margin but were outrebounded 28-26 by Maryland Eastern Shore.

Maryland will certainly need to keep a close watch on Caruso, whose team-high 18.5 scoring average is the team's highest since Brian Taylor had a 25.0 mark in 1971-72.

Since totaling 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting (35.0 percent) in consecutive defeats, the junior forward has scored a combined 53 and shot 54.5 percent (18 of 33) in wins over Lipscomb and Liberty. He had a career-high 29 and nine rebounds in Thursday's 77-72 home victory.

"We're confident that the coaches will give us a great scouting report and plan of attack so we can go down there, compete hard and be in a great spot to win," Caruso said.

This meeting will take place on the 17th anniversary of Maryland's 81-58 victory over Princeton in Baltimore. In the most recent matchup in December 2001, the Terps claimed their fourth straight win in the series, 61-53 in Washington, D.C.

Princeton has dropped 38 of 44 all-time meetings with teams ranked sixth or higher. Its last win over such an opponent came in January 1977 against No. 2 Notre Dame.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cyclones (9-0) at Panthers (6-3)

Date: December 19, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Iowa State was hoping that Naz Mitrou-Long's absence would be brief, but it will now play without him for the rest of the season.

The No. 5 Cyclones will have a new player available, transfer Deonte Burton, as they try to get through the loss of their starting guard and avoid an upset Saturday night in Des Moines against a Northern Iowa team that's already knocked off a highly ranked opponent.

Iowa State coach Steve Prohm expressed optimism that Mitrou-Long could return from his ailing hips after a 78-64 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday, saying "he can get an extra good day of rest to get ready for Northern Iowa."

However, the school announced Tuesday that Mitrou-Long was taking the rest of the season off to recover fully from hip surgeries in April and May. The senior is expected to seek a medical redshirt so he can return next season after averaging 12.0 points in eight games.

"Naz is a terrific person and an important part of our team both on and off the court. I'm confident his teammates will come together and respond to this in a positive manner," Prohm said.

Mitrou-Long's replacement in the starting lineup, junior Matt Thomas, had 17 points Sunday after scoring a career-high 19 in an 83-82 win over Iowa on Dec. 10. Jameel McKay had a team-best 18 points and eight rebounds against Arkansas-Pine Bluff after posting three consecutive double-doubles.

The Cyclones (9-0) might need similar efforts from both players when they face the Panthers (6-3), who knocked off formerly top-ranked North Carolina 71-67 on Nov. 21.

They'll also have Burton eligible. The swingman averaged 6.8 points in 40 games for Marquette over the last two seasons.

"What he brings to this team is just an aggressive nature," forward Georges Niang said. "His tenacity, his ability to guard other people and rebound ... is really going to help us take the pressure off of me, (point guard) Monte (Morris) and Jameel."

Northern Iowa has dropped two of three to start a monthlong stretch away from home. It lost 76-57 at New Mexico last Saturday while going a season-worst 6 of 25 from 3-point range.

Wes Washpun, who scored a team-best 21 points against North Carolina, had 10. He also scored 10 in an 82-67 loss at Richmond on Dec. 5, but the Panthers' leading scorer with 15.2 points per game had 19 in a 73-65 victory at George Mason three days later.

Washpun scored 18 points while helping take then-No. 17 Iowa State into overtime in the most recent matchup Dec. 7, 2013, in Des Moines. Niang had 22 points before fouling out with 1:42 left in regulation and was one of four players with 17 or more for the Cyclones, who rallied from an 18-point deficit.

This game is part of the fourth straight year for the Big Four Classic, and Iowa will take on Drake in the opener Saturday. The Panthers beat Iowa 56-44 in last season's game.

"I thought last year, the atmosphere and the size of the crowd was terrific," coach Ben Jacobson said. "Not only are we playing a high quality team, but we're going to have the atmosphere to go with it. ... We look forward to both."

Iowa State leads the series against Northern Iowa 36-12 but has lost five of the last seven matchups.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Broncs (2-8) at Friars (10-1)

Date: December 19, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

A break for final exams seemed to come at a good time for a Providence team that's hoping to make the most of its final nonconference test on its home court.

The 14th-ranked Friars are expected to get a boost with three starters back in the lineup as they try to extend their best start in 27 years Saturday night against Rider.

Providence survived a scare last Saturday with preseason All-American Kris Dunn and Ryan Fazekas, the team's fourth leading scorer, sidelined with an illness. Ben Bentil, the Big East's second-leader scorer at 17.5 per game, also was limited with an ankle injury.

Bryant took advantage by opening up a 23-12 lead on the Friars, who had won 48 of their previous 49 nonconference games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Bentil, though, made a difference after checking in for the first time with 5:15 left in the opening half.

The sophomore forward, who played all but 16.9 seconds of the final 20 minutes, had 16 points and eight rebounds to key a hard-fought 74-67 victory.

'Everyone expects you to win and they expect you to win by X amount of points," coach Ed Cooley said. "Given the way we started the game, I was anxious. When I relaxed, I thought the players relaxed. Obviously Ben helped relax everyone, too.'

Freshman Drew Edwards stepped up with 17 points while hitting five 3-pointers off the bench, while Jalen Lindsey added 15 points and Rodney Bullock had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Bullock also had 17 and seven while Dunn and Bentil played limited minutes and Fazekas was out in a 66-51 home win over Boston College on Dec. 9.

Back in action for the first time in a week, Providence is expected to have all three players back in the starting lineup as it tries to win 11 of its first 12 games for the first time since a 13-0 start in 1988-89. Dunn, the reigning Big East Player of the Year, has totaled 38 points, 23 assists and 20 rebounds in the last two home games he's been able to finish.

The Friars, seeking their fifth straight win, shot just 40.9 percent while shorthanded in their last two games after they had a combined 51.3 mark over the previous four.

They've won two of three meetings with Rider, including a 72-59 home win on Nov. 26, 1994, in the most recent matchup at Providence.

The Broncs (2-8) are going after their first consecutive victories of the season after snapping a four-game losing streak with last Saturday's 82-72 win at Charleston Southern.

Jimmie Taylor finished with 19 points, while Teddy Okereafor had 16 and 11 rebounds as Rider shot a season-high 52.8 percent. Okereafor has averaged 15.8 points over his last four games, but has missed 12 of 14 from 3-point range in his past two.

The Broncs have dropped eight straight versus ranked opponents by an average of 20.5 points since an 88-74 win at No. 18 Mississippi State on Nov. 13, 2009. However, they're undefeated this season when head coach Kevin Baggett doesn't wear a tie.

"I'm not a superstitious man," Baggett told the team's official website, "'but I am now 2-0 without a tie so I guarantee you I will not be wearing a tie Saturday night."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bears (8-1) at Aggies (8-2)

Date: December 19, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

Baylor has enjoyed the upper hand in the Battle of the Brazos lately. Extending that success over Texas A&M would give the Bears their longest single-season winning streak in four years.

Sixteenth-ranked Baylor goes for its first road win of the season Saturday night against the No. 24 Aggies.

The Bears (8-1) have won six straight meetings with Texas A&M (8-2), but the average margin of victory is just 6.5 points. Their latest win was their most comfortable over that stretch - 77-63 at home Dec. 9, 2014.

Things were even cozier Wednesday for Baylor, which put together its best scoring effort of the season in a 104-59 victory over Division III Hardin-Simmons at Fort Hood.

The Bears are outscoring opponents by an average of 25.3 points while winning seven straight games in a season for the first time since their 17-0 start to 2011-12. They won 11 straight games bridging two seasons in 2013.

Baylor's current streak, however, doesn't include a true road game. The Bears fell 74-67 at then-No. 25 Oregon in their only road game so far.

Johnathan Motley can change that with another strong performance against the Aggies. The reserve forward had 22 points and 11 rebounds while going 9 for 16 from the floor as a freshman in last year's meeting. He was also a force Wednesday, hitting 11 of 15 shots to finish with 23 points and six boards.

"I'm just going to try to come out and do the same thing I did last year; attack the paint and make sure I get the offensive boards," Motley said. "I think we can come out with a win."

Rico Gathers has totaled 51 points and 27 rebounds while connecting on 22 of 32 field-goal attempts over the past two games.

The Bears have gone 54 consecutive games - 40 wins - without allowing 75 points, the nation's longest active such streak.

The Aggies, though, average 87.8 points and have scored at least 75 each time during their 6-0 start at home. They're scoring 79.4 per game overall and are coming off last Saturday's 78-68 win over Kansas State at College Station.

Texas A&M shot 54 percent from the floor and 7 of 14 from beyond the arc after making 38.1 percent and 23.8, respectively, while dropping two of the previous three games.

"We're still figuring out ourselves. We're not obviously clicking on all cylinders by any means," coach Billy Kennedy said. "Not clicking like we want to be and it's not a surprise. It's still early in the year."

Danuel House leads the Aggies with 15.4 points per game, but the guard had a season-low seven against the Wildcats while missing 9 of 11 from the field.

Alex Caruso picked up the slack, scoring 13 points with nine assists while matching his career high with six steals. The guard's 224 career steals are four back of David Edwards' team record set from 1991-94.

"It's all about playing with energy," Caruso said. "I had a couple of games where I didn't play with good energy so statistically I didn't show up. I think it's more about me focusing and playing hard."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rebels (8-3) at Wildcats (10-1)

Date: December 19, 2015 9:30 PM EDT

Arizona has the nation's longest home winning streak. It also hasn't faced the stiffest competition at the McKale Center this season.

That will change quickly with Pac-12 play right around the corner and Saturday night's matchup with a UNLV team that has beaten two teams ranked in the top 15 - and one that has given Arizona plenty of problems lately.

The No. 13 Wildcats (10-1) extended their home streak to 45 by blowing out Northern Arizona 92-37 on Wednesday. The 55-point victory was Arizona's largest since beating Saint Mary's 101-41 in December 2000, though Sean Miller's team labored early.

Arizona led by 16 after 20 minutes, but Miller lit into his team at halftime and the Wildcats responded by shooting 74.1 percent after the break and limiting the Lumberjacks to 13 second-half points.

'We can't take a half off, a play off, a game off. We're not that good of a team. Very few teams are,' Miller said. 'We have to stand for something and for us, the one thing we can control is our togetherness and effort on defense.

"Tonight is another learning lesson," he added, "Saturday is a brand new challenge."

There have been few home challenges in the early going. The seven opponents Arizona has played at the McKale Center have a combined .382 winning percentage, with 5-4 Missouri the only one from a major conference.

UNLV (8-3) represents a wholesale departure from that, having defeated then-No. 13 Indiana in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25 and then-No. 15 Oregon on Dec. 4. The Runnin' Rebels should also be highly motivated after letting a win over another Power 5 opponent slip through their fingers Wednesday.

UNLV had a 14-point lead on Arizona State early in the second half but made three field goals the rest of the way in a 66-56 loss.

'My biggest concern is making sure we stay together. This is a very, very difficult loss,' coach Dave Rice said. 'We have to respond to this and we have to regroup. We got to go defensive rebound the ball. We just got to find a way.'

The Runnin' Rebels had no such trouble with their rebounding against the Wildcats on Dec. 23, winning 71-67 at home for their third victory in four matchups.

Arizona came into that game 12-0 and No. 3 in the poll. The Runnin' Rebels held a 46-33 edge on the glass against a Wildcats team that ended the season second in the nation in rebounding margin.

Arizona is 10th in rebounding margin at plus-12.2 this season, while UNLV is at plus-0.7 and had 13 fewer boards than the Sun Devils.

Ryan Anderson had 18 points and 12 rebounds Wednesday and leads the Wildcats with 15.8 and 9.6 per game.

Mark Tollefsen recorded season highs of 19 points and eight boards in his fourth straight game off the bench. The senior transfer from San Francisco, who averages 9.2 points, scored 17 against Missouri three days earlier.

"Every time he plays a game he gets that much more comfortable," Miller said. "No question he gives us more scoring, more rebounding, more versatility, and it's just great to see."

UNLV didn't have a player reach double figures against ASU, as Ike Nwamu and Stephen Zimmerman each scored nine and combined to shoot 5 of 21. Leading scorer Patrick McCaw (15.8) was limited to five points for the second time in three games.

"It's all about pace and consistency over 40 minutes," Rice said. "I know I keep saying the same thing, but it's that simple yet it's that hard."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Dec. 19 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews

The college football bowl season begins on Saturday, and that's obviously a great thing. But the matchups aren't exactly all that exciting. However, in NCAA basketball there are several very good matchups in what is the final big nonconference Saturday of the regular season with the holidays coming up and then major conference play beginning. Here are three games that really caught my eye Saturday.

No. 11 North Carolina vs. No. 22 UCLA (+6.5)

It's a 1 p.m. tipoff on CBS from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. You might not recognize the Tar Heels here as they are going to wear all-black uniforms. The school has never done that, but they are awesome and still feature UNC's traditional light-blue and white colors on the piping and side panels.

Kudos to UCLA for scheduling such a challenging nonconference schedule; so basically the Bruins are the opposite of Baylor football. The Bruins have played UNLV (won), Kansas (lost), Kentucky (won) and last Saturday at Gonzaga. That was on my Dec. 12 3-Point Play story , and I recommended UCLA +9. The Bruins won 71-66. The Heels might be the last ranked team that UCLA plays this regular season other than Arizona because the Pac-12 is weak again. The Bruins avoided a trap game Tuesday ahead of this one with an 89-80 win over Louisiana Lafayette, their fifth straight victory. Leading scorer Bryce Alford had a season-high 27 points. Starting center Thomas Welsh was out with a stomach virus. I'm presuming he plays here. Welsh, a sophomore, averages 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds.

North Carolina, an upset loser at the buzzer last week at Texas, bounced back Tuesday with a 96-72 win over Tulane on Wednesday. That was UNC's first game without starting forward Kennedy Meeks. He's out at least two weeks with a bone bruise on his knee. Meeks was averaging 12.3 points (59.5 percent from field) and pulling down 7.4 rebounds. Brice Johnson stepped up big against Tulane with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. Roy Williams started 6-foot-11 senior Joel James in Meeks' spot, and James had four points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes.

Key trends: The Heels are 6-1 ATS in their past seven vs. the Pac-12.UCLA is 2-5 ATS in its past seven vs. teams with a winning record. The Bruins are 0-4 ATS in their past four neutral-site games.

I'm leaning: I don't like West Coast NFL teams playing these 10 a.m. Pacific time starts, so why should I here? Last year, UCLA dropped a 78-56 decision to No. 5 UNC in the Bahamas. I'll take Carolina here -- feel better about it if Welsh doesn't play.

Northern Iowa vs. No. 5 Iowa State (-7)

This is a neutral-site game -- part of the Big 4 Classic -- from Des Moines and tips at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The Cyclones can claim total state supremacy here as they already have beaten blood rival Iowa on a last-second shot Dec. 10, rallying from a 20-point deficit. Unbeaten ISU followed that up with a 73-64 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff last Sunday. The team got some bad news this week, however, as it was announced senior guard Naz Mitrou-Long would miss the rest of the season with hip problems. He had surgery on his left hip April 1 and on his right hip shortly after. Mitrou-Long, whose first game missed was vs. UAPB, averaged 12 points in 31.6 minutes. He will seek a medical redshirt. Matt Thomas had 17 points starting for Mitrou-Long against UAPB. ISU was only about seven players deep when healthy, so this could be a problem later in the season. But the Cyclones will get Marquette transfer Deonte Burton eligible for Saturday's game.

Northern Iowa is an annual NCAA Tournament team and upset North Carolina when it was No. 1 and visited Cedar Falls early this season. However, the Panthers enter having lost two of three, albeit to good teams Richmond and New Mexico -- both on the road. UNI leads the Missouri Valley Conference in 3-pointers made (84) and in its six wins has limited the opposition to 62.7 points per game. It's always a great defensive team. Northern Iowa has won six of the last nine matchups against Iowa State. The most recent was a 91-82 OT loss to the Cyclones in December 2013. UNI has posted two wins all-time over ranked foes on neutral courts -- both of those in the NCAA Tournament.

Key trends: UNI is 9-1 ATS in its past 10 neutral-site games. ISU is 7-1 ATS in its past eight on Saturday. The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings.

I'm leaning: ISU wins but NIU covers.

UNLV at No. 13 Arizona (-11.5)

This tips at 9:30 p.m. ET from Tucson on ESPN2. UNLV already has wins over ranked Indiana and Oregon, both at neutral sites, although the Hoosiers and Ducks are no longer ranked. The Rebels come off a 66-56 home loss to Arizona State on Wednesday. The Runnin' Rebels finished the game missing 14 of their final 15 shots from the field. They led by 12 at halftime but had only 19 points after intermission. Not one player scored in double digits. Leading scorer Patrick McCaw (15.8 ppg) had just five points and was in foul trouble, thus had a season-low five shot attempts. Starting guard Andre Spight had none in 17 minutes. The loss is tougher to take because ASU's best player, Savon Goodman, who played at UNLV as a freshman, was out injured.

Arizona has won five straight since a close loss to Providence. The Wildcats crushed Northern Arizona 92-37 on Wednesday. With a huge size advantage, Arizona had a 50-14 advantage in the paint and 24 more rebounds. It stretched UA's home winning streak to national-best 45 straight games and was the biggest margin of victory under Coach Sean Miller. Arizona allowed the second-fewest points ever under Miller. The Wildcats played their third straight game without backup forward Elliott Pitts, who is out because of an unspecified issue. And starting center Kaleb Tarczewski hasn't played since Nov. 26 due to a foot injury and won't be back until conference play.

Key trends: UNLV is 5-0 ATS in its past five after a loss. Arizona is 5-0 ATS in its past five. UNLV is 5-0-1 ATS in the past six meetings.

I'm leaning: UNLV beat visiting and No. 3 Arizona 71-67 last year, the Wildcats' only regular-season nonconference loss. Cats will win, but I'll take the points.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NCAAB

Notes for Saturday's games..........

Georgia won its last four games with Georgia Tech by 12-9-8-7 points; Dawgs are 0-3 vs top 100 teams, losing by 2-9-2 points, with both two-point losses at home. Tech won last three games, allowing 64.3 ppg; they won by 8 at Tulane in only true road games. ACC road favorites are 3-7 vs spread; SEC underdogs are 14-12 against the spread, 0-0 at home.

Duke beat Utah 63-57 in Sweet 16 LY, outscoring Utes 20-11 on the foul line- Utes had 18 offensive boards, trailed by 15 with 7:34 left- they are 3-2 vs top 100 teams, losing to Miami by 24 on neutral floor, at Wichita by 17- their best win was over #62 Texas Tech. Duke already beat VCU, Georgetown on this floor this year- they also lost on a neutral floor to Kentucky, but that game was in Chicago.

Virginia hasn't played in 11 days since rallying to beat West Virginia by 16 on neutral floor; Cavaliers are 3-1 vs top 100 teams, with only loss by 5 at GW. UVa is shooting 38% on arc, has #26 eFG%. Villanova is 8-1 with best win over #63 Ga Tech; they lost to Oklahoma on Pearl Harbor by 23 for only loss. ACC home favorites are 31-18 vs spread; Big East road underdogs are 5-5.

Wichita State allowed 50 ppg in wins by 6-17 over UNLV/Utah in two games since VanVleet returned; Shockers force turnovers 24.7% of time- they lost at Tulsa, won at Saint Louis in true road games. Seton Hall lost 77-68 at Wichita LY, despite going 8-20 on arc. MVC road favorites are 6-2 vs spread; Big East home underdogs are 1-1. Playing time Wichita's subs got when VanVleet was out make them a better team now.

Michigan State is 11-0 but hasn't played a true road game yet; Spartans don't force lot of turnovers, but their eFG% defense is #3 and they're top 10 rebounding team. Northeastern is thin, veteran team that beat Miami as 17-point road dog- they make 39.4% from arc, but turn ball over 20% of time. CAA underdogs are 19-9, 2-1 at home. All three Northeastern losses are by 6 or less points, to teams outside top 150.

Long trip east for UCLA squad that won last five games after starting out 3-3, beating Kentucky/Gonzaga. Bruins were 1-14 on arc in 78-56 loss to North Carolina LY in Bahamas tourney. Tar Heels lost both true road games but are 3-0 on neutral floors- their eFG% is #41 ACC favorites on neutral floor are 11-10 vs spread; Pac-12 underdogs are 15-11 vs spread.

Notre Dame's bench is #339 in minutes played, but Irish are 6-3, beating Iowa/Illinois of Big 14. ND makes 41.2% on arc, has #21 eFG%- their two losses are by total of three points. Indiana is 8-3 with losses to Duke and Wake Forest of ACC; Hoosiers are making 43.8% on arc (#6)- they have #2 eFG% despite turning ball over 20.7% of time (#283). Big 14 teams are 9-8 vs ACC teams, 5-1 if spread was 4 or less points.

Oklahoma led Creighton 42-24 early in second half before losing 65-63 to Bluejays in Omaha LY. Creighton made 13-30 on arc- they're 0-2 against top 100 teams, losing by 21 to Indiana, 2 to Arizona St. Sooners are 7-0 with 78-55 win over Villanova on neutral floor. Oklahoma makes 48.7% on arc (#2), has #18 eFG%. Big East underdogs are 5-5 against spread.

VCU ain't the same without Shaka Smart; they're turning ball over a lot more themselves while shooting 43.3% inside arc, lot worse than they've been doing. Rams are 0-4 vs teams in top 65, with best win over #93 Old Dominion. Cincinnati split last four games after 7-0 start; they're 1-2 vs top 100 teams, losing to Butler/Xavier, beating George Washington by 5.

Purdue is 11-0 with three top 50 wins (Florida-Pitt-New Mexico); they have #1 eFG% defense their bench has played 5th-most minutes, in part because of so many lopsided wins. Boilers lost last two games vs Butler by 6-2 points. Bulldogs are 8-1 with 85-75 loss to Miami in tourney at Puerto Rico. Bulldogs beat Cincy/Tennessee, have #15 eFG%, making 57.9% of shots inside arc.

Northern Iowa lost two of last three games, all of which were on the road; they lost to Richmond/New Mexico after upsetting North Carolina in top 100 games. UNI won three of last four games with Iowa State; Cyclones' last two series wins were both in OT. ISU lost Long (hip) for year, gets Marquette transfer Burton eligible here. Iowa State is 3-0 in top 100 tilts with best win 83-82 over Iowa, when they came after being down 20.

Texas A&M shot 68% inside arc but lost 77-63 at Baylor LY; Aggies are 3-2 vs top 100 teams, beating Texas/Gonzaga- they force turnovers 23% of time (#12), make 39% of 3's (#48). Baylor is 8-1 vs schedule #323- its best win was by hoop over Vandy- they lost by 7 at Oregon. Bears are rebounding 45.7% of their missed shots (#4). Big X underdogs are 6-6 vs spread; SEC home favorites are 21-11.

UNLV was up 14 at home over Arizona State with 16:28 left last game, lost 65-55, its second loss in last three games; now they visit an Arizona team they upset 71-67 at home LY, outrebounding 'cats 46-33. UNLV lost by 6 at Wichita, won at Riverside in true road games. Arizona won its last five games, including an upset at Gonzaga- their eFG% defense is #22, they're a top 25 rebounding team despite Tarczewki's injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Streaks, Tips, Notes

Villanova at Virginia December 19, 12:00 EST

A pair of ranked schools clash Saturday afternoon when 12th-ranked Villanova Wildcats (8-1, 5-2-1 ATS) pay 8th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (8-1, 4-3 ATS) a visit. Defense the moniker for these two programs with Wildcats allowing 57.6 PPG, Cavaliers 57.1 PPG scoring will be at a premium. Consider 'Under' knowing Wildcats have a 6-2 'Under' stretch going while Cavaliers have played 'Under' in 10-of-13 on home court when allowing =< 60 points.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA Odds: Saturday, December 19 2015 Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews

Tuesday was an important day in the NBA because it was the date that players (also including most rookies) who signed over the summer, either with their same team or a new one, became eligible to be traded. And it's quite possible you see something before Christmas, although I wouldn't look for a blockbuster by then. The Sacramento Kings already have told Caron Butler they will trade him either right before or after Christmas to a team where he can have a larger role. Milwaukee, Butler's hometown team, is a good possibility. Minnesota would like to deal guard Kevin Martin. With Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins, the team is set at guard and doesn't need the veteran Martin. He'd be a good sixth-man type for a contender. Martin has a player option for next season worth close to $7.4 million and probably won't take it. Must be nice. Boston GM Danny Ainge says he'd like to add a go-to scorer. Might Martin fill that role?

Lakers at Thunder (-15, 211)

Los Angeles lost 107-87 at home to Houston on Thursday. Kobe Bryant had 22 points and actually dunked for the first time this season. The last time he dunked was in January 2015 against New Orleans, and it tore the rotator cuff in his shoulder. The crowd went wild like the Lakers won a playoff game on Thursday. That's how bad that team is right now. Rookie D'Angelo Russell struggled for L.A., going 1-for-9 from the field for two points. Oklahoma City lost a potential Finals preview in Cleveland on Thursday, 104-100, to end OKC's six-game winning streak. Kevin Durant is now 4-16 all-time vs. LeBron James, including playoffs. Oklahoma City is 6-7 against the East and 11-2 vs. the West this year. Somehow this is the first meeting this season between these teams. The Thunder won all three last year, all high-scoring and pretty close. The Thunder swept the series from the Lakers for the first time since the franchise arrived in Oklahoma City. The Thunder have won the season series four years in a row.

Key trends: The home team is 8-1 against the spread in the past nine meetings. The "over/under" is 6-0 in the past six meetings in OKC.

Early lean: Thunder and over.

Hornets at Wizards (TBA)

This is your lone national TV game, on NBA TV. Charlotte ended a two-game losing streak with a 109-99 OT home win over Toronto on Thursday. Jeremy Lin got a rare start and blew up with 35 points. He was in there because Nic Batum missed the game due to illness. So obviously monitor Batum's status here; he's the team's best player these days. The Wizards really need to fire Randy Wittman with the team at 10-14. The Wizards barely put up a fight in their past two losses, by 17 at Memphis and 19 at San Antonio. The team now has seven losses of at least 14 points this year. Starting small forward Otto Porter Jr. was hurt in Wednesday's loss in Texas and he's questionable with a calf injury. Remaining out are starting guard Bradley Beal and big man Nene. This team needs a change, injuries or not. It's well below .500 over its past 82 regular-season games. Washington lost in Charlotte 101-87 on Nov. 25. The Hornets closed the game on an absurd 25-2 run, and the Wizards' two points were garbage-time free throws at the end. Batum led the Hornets, who had Al Jefferson then (still out now), with 16 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Beal had 17 points for the Wiz.

Key trends: The Hornets are 7-1 ATS in the past eight meetings. The under is 8-1 in the past nine.

Early lean: Hornets if Batum plays and under.

Bulls at Knicks (+2.5, 196)

Chicago hosted Detroit on Friday. New York was in Philadelphia. I'm assuming there are no back-to-back issues here although with Derrick Rose and Carmelo Anthony I suppose one never knows. They have been playing both ends. Chicago has won three straight in the series and 10 of the past 12 overall. The Bulls swept last season's series (3-0) for the second time since 2004-05. They only played once at Madison Square Garden in 2014-15 and it was the season opener.

Key trends: The Bulls are 3-7 ATS in their past 10 road games vs. teams with a losing home record. The Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their past five Saturday games. The over is 4-0-1 in the past five meetings.

Early lean: Knicks and over.

Clippers at Rockets (+1, 212.5)

Los Angeles was in San Antonio on Friday. Houston won at the Lakers by 20 on Thursday behind 25 points from James Harden. The Rockets never trailed. This is the Clippers' first visit to Houston since losing Game 7 of last year's conference semifinals. Houston won in Los Angeles 109-105 on Nov. 7 behind a season-high 46 points from Harden. Dwight Howard had one of his best games of the year with 20 points and 20 rebounds. Blake Griffin had 35 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who played without Chris Paul. The Rockets have won three regular-season games in a row in this series after losing the previous six.

Key trends: The Clippers are 0-4 ATS in the past four meetings. The over is 7-1 in the past eight.

Early lean: Rockets (my play of day with Clips off that huge one Friday) and over.

Pacers at Grizzlies (pick'em, 198.5)

Indiana hosted Brooklyn on Friday, while Memphis was in Dallas. The Grizzlies won 112-103 in Indiana on Oct. 29. Memphis blew a 15-point first-quarter lead and trailed by nine with less than two minutes to go in the third before rallying. Marc Gasol had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Grizz, while Paul George had 18 for the Pacers. Memphis has won four in a row in the series and a fifth would tie the longest in series history for the Grizzlies.

Key trends: The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings. The under is 5-2 in the past seven.

Early lean: Grizzlies and under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Soccer EPL Best Bets - Week 17
By Chris David

Week 16 Recap

Favorites managed to produce a 4-3 record last week but the three underdogs that cashed all came in emphatic fashion. On Saturday, Bournemouth (+220) defeated Manchester United 2-1 at home. The Cherries first season in the top flight continues to improve after nearing contraction six years ago. The upsets continued Sunday as New Castle United (+625) rallied past Tottenham for a 2-1 road victory. The loss snapped a 14-match unbeaten run for the Spurs. On Monday, the bleeding continued for Chelsea as Leicester City (+189) lived up to its billing as the current leader in Premier League.

Through 16 weeks, favorites are 70-44 with 46 draws. The ‘under’ posted a 5-4-1 mark last weekend and holds an 80-75-5 record this season.

Future Adjustments

The Leicester City story continues to get attention and it should. In early August, the Foxes had odds as high as 2000/1 to win the English Premier League. After earning 35 of a possible 48 points, Leicester (10-5-1) hasn’t become the favorite but its odds have been dropped to 16/1. Manchester City (5/4) and Arsenal (7/4) remain the top two choices and coincidentally the pair squares off this weekend from the Emirates Stadium on Monday.

So Long Jose

The biggest headline of the season took place Saturday as Chelsea and manager Jose Mourinho parted ways with one another. His departure came 2 ½ years after he returned to Stamford Bridge for his second go ‘round with the club and one year after the Blues won the title. During their championship run, Chelsea produced a 26-9-3 record and only allowed 32 goals. Through 16 games this season, Chelsea has nine losses (4-3-9) while being outscored 26-18. Guus Hiddink will serve as the interim coach for the final 22 league games and other competitions too.

Hot & Not

Watford has quietly won three straight and five of its last seven EPL games. The Hornets have posted four clean sheets in the five victories.

Leicester City has an unbeaten streak of nine straight (7-2-0) heading into this weekend. They’ve scored two-plus goals in seven of those games.

West Ham United (0-2-4) is winless in its last six games and only managed to score three goals during this slump.

Swansea City has dropped five of its last six games and barely produced a draw in the other contest. The club hasn’t had a clean sheet in its last 10 league matches.

Stoke City has watched the ‘under’ go 13-3 this season, the best low side mark in the league. The top ‘over’ team is Leicester, who owns a 12-4 (75%) mark in 16 games.

Top 4

This week’s action features a pair of heavy chalks playing early and the “Game of the Week” set for Monday between the top two EPL betting choices.

Manchester United vs. Norwich City (Saturday, NBCSN, 10:00 a.m. ET)

After losing last week to Bournemouth, Louis van Gaal and Manchester United (-240) will look to get back on track this weekend against Norwich City (+745) and the oddsmakers have made them a very healthy favorite.

That could be surprising considering United hasn’t won its last five games in all competitions (0-3-2) and the offense continues to be a major issue. They’ve only managed 21 goals in 16 league games but they could get striker Wayne Rooney back this Saturday.

Fortunately for United, the defense is the best in the EPL and it’s been better at home. The team has surrendered 12 goals and only one of them game at Old Trafford. Norwich has struggled on the road this season, winning one game (1-2-5) and it’s only managed to crack the net five times in eight games.

United has won three straight against Norwich, which includes a pair of 4-0 victories at Old Trafford. The total for this game is sitting at 2 ½ and both teams own identical 8-8 ‘over/under’ records.

Chelsea vs. Sunderland (Saturday, USA, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Due to the aforementioned dismissal of Mourinho, Chelsea (-350) will get extra attention this week and it will be curious to see how they respond. The Blues haven’t looked anything like the team from last season yet the oddsmakers expect them to beat Sunderland (+1000) in this spot.

Sunderland (1-1-6) has been diced up on the road this season, allowing a league-high 21 goals. They have managed to hit the net eight times as visitors, which has helped the ‘over’ go 5-3 in their road contests.

Chelsea has dropped four of eight (3-1-4) at home this season while being outscored 11-10 at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have won four of their last six encounters (4-1-1) against the Black Cats and they’ve scored 13 goals during this span.

Arsenal vs. Manchester City (Monday, NBCSN, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The last game of the week is the best as Arsenal (+135) and Manchester City (+190) square off from the Emirates Stadium. Depending on what Leicester does on Saturday, a result for either team in this game would put them into first place.

Since losing its league opener at home, Arsenal hasn’t dropped points (4-2-0) in its last six at home and they’ve only surrendered three goals during this span. Manchester City boasts the second-best offense (32 goals) in the league but a lot of that damage has come at home and not on the road.

City (3-2-2) has only scored seven goals as a visitor and its current form on the road wouldn’t warrant much consideration. The team is 0-2-2 in its last four away from home and they’ve managed one goal. Fortunately, the club will get Sergio Aguero (heel) back in the lineup but they’re still missing key players in Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Fernando and Samir Nasri. The Gunners could get Alexis Sanchez (hamstring) back on the pitch Saturday, which would be a timely return.

Arsenal has gone 3-2-1 in the last six meetings against Manchester City which includes a 2-2 draw at the Emirates last season. The Gunners have scored 14 goals during this span, which has helped the ‘over’ go 4-2.

Monday’s total is sitting at 2 ½ and shaded heavily to the ‘over’ (-140). Man City has seen at least three or more combined goals scored in 10 of its 16 league games this season.

Fearless Predictions

Similar to Jose Mourinho, last week’s bankroll ($200) felt betrayed as well. The holiday break couldn’t get here soon enough as we try to cut into this deficit ($2,455). For what it’s worth, this week’s card has value and I’m hoping it treats me well.

Straight – Over Chelsea-Sunderland 2 ½ (-130) – 3 Units

Straight – Swansea City (+105) over West Ham United – 2 Units

Straight – Liverpool (-105) over Watford – 2 Units

Straight – Arsenal (+135) over Manchester City – 2 Units

Parlay – Chelsea (-350), Manchester United (-225), West Brom (+150) – 1 Unit

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

80 need-to-know betting notes for 80 college football bowl teams
By JOE FORTENBAUGH

Betting college football bowl games this month but don’t have time to cap during the hectic holiday season? Joe Fortenbaugh plays “Santa’s Little Helper” when it comes to betting bowls, giving you 80 must-know notes for all 80 bowl teams:

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Saturday, December 19

Arizona Wildcats: The Wildcats are 1-4 ATS over their last five bowl games and 1-5 ATS over their last six neutral-site contests.

New Mexico Lobos: The Lobos concluded their 2015 campaign with three wins over the program’s final four outings, but more importantly, this is New Mexico’s first bowl game in eight years. Motivation sides with the Lobos.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl: Saturday, December 19

BYU Cougars: BYU is 1-5 ATS over its last six games against Utah with four consecutive losses by an average of 13.7 points per contest.

Utah Utes: The Utes are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 bowl games, but dropped two of this season’s final three matchups.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl: Saturday, December 19

Ohio Bobcats: The Bobcats are a perfect 6-0 ATS over their last six non-conference games and enter postseason play having won three straight matchups while outscoring the opposition by a margin of 101-52.

Appalachian State Mountaineers: Be advised that this is Mountaineers head coach Scott Satterfield’s first career bowl game.

Autonation Cure Bowl: Saturday, December 19

San Jose State Spartans: San Jose State just became one of the first teams in college football history to qualify for a bowl game despite winning just five contests during the regular season. The Spartans head to the Autonation Cure Bowl with a minus-5 turnover differential as well as having lost three of their final four games.

Georgia State Panthers: The Panthers went 6-0-1 ATS over their final seven games of the season and are currently receiving approximately 74 percent of the action heading this contest.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Saturday, December 19

Arkansas State Red Wolves: One of the hottest teams in the country, Arkansas State has won eight consecutive games by an average of 21.1 points per contest and enters Saturday’s matchup with Louisiana Tech having covered the number in four straight outings.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: The Bulldogs are a perfect 4-0 ATS over their last four matchups against opponents from the Sun Belt Conference and 5-1 ATS over their last six neutral-site games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wildcats (6-6) at Lobos (7-5)

Date: December 19, 2015 2:00 PM EDT

Rich Rodriguez flirting with other jobs isn't anything new. He nearly accepted an offer from Alabama after the 2006 season, then subsequently left West Virginia a year later to take over at Michigan.

As a coach with the reputation of turning around programs, it's no wonder South Carolina recruited Rodriguez earlier this month. But he believes he has unfinished business at Arizona, and he'll be around to coach the Wildcats in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.

Bob Davie is in his fourth year of changing the culture at New Mexico and has it in its first bowl game since 2007 - playing on its home field, no less. His first three were part of a seven-season stretch of losing campaigns since that game eight years ago.

Davie went 11 years between being fired from Notre Dame and his next coaching gig, and he's proud of what he's accomplished with the Lobos in such a short time.

"It's a big deal for us to get in this game," Davie said. "Everyone knows the dynamics of what has gone on here to get this program back. We're getting better, and not everyone in the country can say that."

Rodriguez felt the same way when he brought the Wildcats (6-6) to Albuquerque in 2012. Arizona went 8-5 - a four-win improvement from the previous year - in Rodriguez's first season in Tucson and beat Nevada 49-48 by scoring two touchdowns in the final minute of the New Mexico Bowl.

This season could be considered a disappointment after the Wildcats won 10 games in 2014 with an appearance in the Pac-12 title game and a bid to the Fiesta Bowl, but injuries derailed them following a 3-0 start.

Most notably, linebacker Scooby Wright injured his knee in the opener against Texas-San Antonio, then sprained his foot and has been out since suffering the injury in a loss to then-No. 9 UCLA on Sept. 26.

The Wildcats needed a 37-30 upset of then-No. 10 Utah on Nov. 14 just to become bowl eligible, but quarterback Anu Solomon suffered a concussion in that victory. He missed a 52-37 loss to rival Arizona State on Nov. 21 in the regular-season finale, and his status for the bowl game is uncertain.

The good news is that Wright, a junior who could leave for the NFL after this game, appears ready to play. He admitted to rushing back from the knee injury.

"Scooby's practicing full," Rodriguez said. "He's been working hard in rehab for two months now. He's worked hard up to this point and playing actual football and getting actual reps was good for him. I'm sure he's happy to be in the mix."

The Wildcats have given up at least 30 points nine times and ranked 10th in the Pac-12 in total defense with 463.4 yards allowed per game. The Lobos (7-5) finished ninth in the 12-team Mountain West in offense with an average of 431.9 yards, but Rodriguez believes their option scheme could confuse Arizona.

Three players rushed for at least 650 yards, including quarterback Lamar Jordan. New Mexico's 37 rushing touchdowns rank sixth in the nation, and its 208 pass attempts are the sixth-fewest.

Consistency has been a problem for the Lobos, though. They gained a season-high 512 total yards in a 47-35 win over Air Force in the finale but had 326 in a 28-21 loss to Colorado State the previous week that cost them a berth in the Mountain West title game.

"It's not by choice that we've been so hit-and-miss," said Davie, who coached linebackers at Arizona in 1978 and '79. "We've had a hard time controlling the ball. We've had a hard time putting games away. That's something we continue to work on."

Arizona uses a more balanced approach. Nick Wilson has rushed for team highs of 725 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing three games, and quarterback Jerrard Randall averages 9.0 yards per carry and has scored five TDs while seeing action in 11 games.

Solomon has completed 62.7 percent of his passes with 18 touchdowns, and Cayleb Jones' 51 receptions lead five players with at least 30.

Arizona enters as the favorite despite playing on its opponent's home field. The Lobos went 5-2 at University Stadium, while the Wildcats were 2-4 on the road.

"It's a road game, which is a little bit different for a bowl," Rodriguez said. "(And it's) against a good, very-hungry team."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cougars (9-3) at Utes (9-3)

Date: December 19, 2015 3:30 PM EDT

When former BYU linebacker Kyle Whittingham was offered the coaching position at his alma mater following the 2004 season, Cougars defensive coordinator Bronco Mendenhall started to look for another job.

Whittingham, though, was also given the chance to stay at Utah and move from defensive coordinator to head coach in place of departing Urban Meyer. After mulling his options, Whittingham decided on the Utes, paving the way for Mendenhall to take over at BYU.

Eleven years later, Whittingham and Mendenhall will meet for the 10th time Saturday in the Las Vegas Bowl, but it will be the last in this storied rivalry before Mendenhall becomes coach at Virginia next season.

The way things shook out benefited both schools, as Whittingham has gone 93-46 - including 7-1 in bowls - for No. 20 Utah, while Mendenhall is 99-42 with a 6-4 bowl record at BYU. Mendenhall coached the Cougars to a bowl game each year, making them one of 11 programs to have that long of a streak.

Whittingham has gotten the better of Mendenhall since 2005, winning the past four meetings and six of nine overall with the most recent in September 2013.

"This isn't something that can be scripted, nor is life something that can be scripted," Mendenhall said. "Who I am now is molded and directed through BYU. I am a product of Brigham Young University and am fortunate and lucky to have been challenged and given the opportunities I have been given in a way that is not explainable. I was given the opportunity to be head coach when I had never been one before."

He led BYU to a 9-3 record this season even after losing starting senior quarterback Taysom Hill to a fractured right foot in the opener at Nebraska on Sept. 5.

Tanner Mangum stepped in and did an incredible job starting with that game against the Cornhuskers. He connected with senior Mitch Mathews on a 42-yard Hail Mary as time expired to give BYU a 33-28 win, beginning a season that saw Mangum become the first BYU freshman to pass for over 3,000 yards.

Mangum, who threw 21 touchdown passes and seven interceptions while completing 62.1 percent of his attempts, said he is grateful for the opportunity Mendenhall gave him.

"I was thinking about it and he's been the coach since I was 10 years old, basically since I started watching BYU football," Mangum said. "To think about him gone is kind of a sad feeling because he's meant so much for this program and to this team and to me personally. I'm going to miss him a lot."

His counterpart, senior Travis Wilson, has had to take on a bigger role after Utah (9-3) lost standout running back Devontae Booker to a knee injury in mid-November.

At the time of his injury, Booker ranked third in the Pac-12 with 1,261 rushing yards and second with 11 TDs on the ground. He finished his career third in school history with 2,773 yards, which came in two seasons.

Wilson has been inconsistent, completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,024 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

"We get to go to a bowl game for the second year in a row so it's another opportunity where we get to play one more game," Wilson said. "For me, I just want to end my season on a high note and play the best game I can."

Utah began the season with six straight wins while outscoring opponents 219-117, and the Utes were ranked No. 3 in late October before losing 42-24 at Southern California.

That began a season-ending six-game stretch in which Utah played .500 ball and was outscored 145-144. The Utes tied the Trojans for first place in the Pac-12 South at 6-3 but lost the tiebreaker. Still, it was the program's best finish since joining the conference for the 2011 season.

"The first six weeks the emotions were very good," Whittingham said after avoiding a third straight loss with a 20-14 victory over Colorado on Nov. 28. "Every one was excited and then we had a setback against USC, but came back and won a couple of ballgames.

"The biggest disappointment was not being able to get one of these last two prior to this game, which would have really given us the outright championship and the chance to go to the Pac-12 championship game. ... That was tough to take, but we have no one else to blame but ourselves and we own that."

Utah also played in the Las Vegas Bowl last season, beating Colorado State 45-10. BYU lost its second straight bowl game in 2014, falling 55-48 in double overtime to Memphis in the Miami Beach Bowl.

"One of the first things that I thought after hearing the news from coach Mendenhall immediately was 'I can't wait to play in the bowl game because of how hard we're going to fight for this guy,'" said Mathews, who leads BYU with 52 receptions, 729 yards and 11 TDs. "That is something that will happen. There'll be a new level of fight in us for coach Mendenhall."

These teams have met 95 times, with Utah holding a 57-34-4 advantage, but this will be their first matchup in a bowl game.

"We're just approaching it as next opponent up," Utah senior linebacker Gionni Paul said. "I've never played in the rivalry, but it's big around here and we'll be ready to play. ... We always talk about leaving a legacy of being one of the top teams in Utah history and playing BYU could help us do that."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sam Houston St Bearkats (11-3) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (12-1)

Date: December 19, 2015 4:00 PM EDT

(STATS) - Coach K.C. Keeler and his Sam Houston State team are already acquainted with their hotel for their trip to Jacksonville State. They know all about Burgess-Snow Field, and they're quite familiar with the top-seeded Gamecocks.

The Bearkats will try to use that to their advantage when they seek another upset in Alabama on Saturday and their third trip to the FCS national championship game in five years.

Sam Houston (11-3) is again heading into Jacksonville State as an unseeded team but likely would have been considered one of the top eight squads in these playoffs if not for its 0-2 start.

The Bearkats recovered from a 1-3 start en route to reaching last year's semifinals, where they lost to four-time defending champion North Dakota State. Along the way, they won 37-26 at No. 3 seed Jacksonville State in the second round.

"There should be some confidence because we did beat a very good team at their place last year, but every year is different," Keeler said.

Sam Houston entered last season's matchup ranked 17th with 36.1 points per game and 22nd in total offense. The Bearkats are heading in this time having racked up the most yards in Division I with 7,716 and averaging 43.3 points.

Jacksonville State (12-1) is not far behind in total offense with 520.8 yards per game and is averaging 39.4 points.

"I think it's two pretty evenly matched teams. We're both athletic, fast and physical teams that play similar styles," Gamecocks coach John Grass said. "There are definitely some comparisons there. You would expect nothing less in a semifinal game."

Grass' team, though, has a better defense statistically. The Gamecocks rank in the top 20 with 19.4 points and 297.5 yards allowed per game, while the Bearkats are giving up 25.6 points and 397.5 yards.

"Every FCS team we played this year, I've said that we'll be more talented than them. We've just got to go out and play. This team is just as talented as we are, if not more," Keeler said. "It's going to be a challenge."

Keeler said he is expecting to see an improved Eli Jenkins. The STATS first- team All-American has 19 touchdowns to six interceptions after posting 12 TDs and nine picks in 2014.

He has also been an especially formidable rusher in his last three games, totaling 520 yards on 56 carries and 195 in each of the two playoff victories.

Troymaine Pope had 250 yards in a 58-38 quarterfinal win against Charleston Southern after running for 234 in a 41-35 overtime victory over Chattanooga on Dec. 5.

Pope became the school's single-season rushing leader with 1,576 yards while leading Jacksonville State to its first FCS semifinal appearance and needs 210 to tie the Ohio Valley Conference's all-time mark.

Pope, the Gamecocks' second-leading rusher in 2014, finished well short of that number last year against Sam Houston with 23 yards on eight carries. The teams combined for 501 yards on the ground with Jacksonville State rushing for 260.

The Bearkats had better luck containing the Gamecocks' passing attack, intercepting Jenkins twice and sacking him a career-high four times.

After a back-and-forth first half that left it trailing by two, Sam Houston took command by shutting out the Gamecocks in the final 30 minutes. Jared Johnson threw for his third touchdown, a 49-yard pass to LaDarius Brown, in the third quarter and Jalen Overstreet helped seal the win with a 33-yard scoring run.

Johnson has reportedly been dealing with an ankle injury for much of the playoffs and sat out a 48-21 win against Colgate in last Saturday's quarterfinal. Jeremiah Briscoe threw for a career-best 358 yards and four touchdowns while Corey Avery matched a personal high with 197 rushing yards.

Avery, who played at Kansas last season, has topped the century mark in six of his last seven games. Only an injury in the playoff opener, a 42-39 win against Southern Utah on Nov. 28, likely kept that from being a lengthy streak.

"It's going to be a great football game just like last year's was. I don't expect anything less on Saturday," Grass said. "I know both clubs will be ready to play. They're just a very talented team. They're well-coached."

Briscoe and Johnson might split some snaps if the latter is truly healthy. Keeler used a bit of subterfuge last week, saying he thought both players could see action against Colgate, then revealed in the postgame press conference that Johnson hadn't practiced all week.

Johnson had 18 touchdowns and one interception in the regular season while being named the Southland Conference offensive player of the year. Briscoe has topped 300 yards in back-to-back weeks and had three TDs in a 34-29 win over previously unbeaten league rival McNeese State on Dec. 5.

Jacksonville State was in the Southland with Sam Houston from 1996-2002 and faced the Bearkats for the first time since those league days in last season's game. Sam Houston took a 5-4 lead in the series.

The Gamecocks are seeking to become the first OVC team to reach the national championship game since Eastern Kentucky won its second title in 1982.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ohio Bobcats (8-4) at Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-2)

Date: December 19, 2015 5:30 PM EDT

The signal that Appalachian State was a program on the rise seemed more like a shot heard 'round the world in the greatest upset in the history of college football.

It took seven years for the Mountaineers to move up to the FBS following their stunning victory over Michigan in 2007, and the culmination of that difficult transition has finally come.

After sacrificing two years of postseason football to become eligible, Appalachian State is ready to soak in the experience of its first FBS bowl game when it faces Ohio in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, on Saturday.

"I told our guys in our meeting that this is a reward," said coach Scott Satterfield, a former Mountaineers quarterback who was QBs coach in 2007. "A reward for a great season. We're gonna have fun. We're gonna enjoy it."

The Mountaineers had won two consecutive FCS championships when they marched into the Big House on Sept. 1, 2007, and were hardly the cupcake the fifth-ranked Wolverines and their nearly 110,000 fans in attendance were expecting in a shocking 34-32 victory.

They went on to a third straight FCS crown that year and remained in the Southern Conference until electing to perform on a bigger stage in 2013. However, they had to forego playoff eligibility in their final FCS season that year and also miss out on a bowl bid after their 2014 Sun Belt debut ended with a 7-5 record.

With a return to postseason play foremost in their minds, the Mountaineers had an outstanding season with a 10-2 record and were second to Arkansas State with a 7-1 mark in the Sun Belt. Appalachian State's losses came against top-ranked Clemson on Sept. 12 and the Red Wolves, who went 8-0 in the conference.

"We're only the second team in Sun Belt history to win 10 in the regular season, and this has been our first year where we're a full-fledged FBS member and been bowl-eligible," said Satterfield. "It's hard to win 10 games at the FBS level."

While Satterfield is excited about his first bowl opportunity, it's nothing new to Ohio's Frank Solich, who will be making his 12th as a head coach when he leads his team into Montgomery's historic Cramton Bowl.

The Bobcats opened 5-1 before a three-game skid put their bowl chances in jeopardy, but they won their final three and closed with a 26-21 victory over a Northern Illinois team that has won three of the last five Mid-American Conference titles.

"We started off very, very good and we showed the potential as to what we could be all about," Solich said. "We hit some rough spots in the middle of the season ... but our players worked their way out of it. I'm so proud of how they finished up the season."

Satterfield should also be proud of how his players ended the regular season following a 40-27 loss to Arkansas State on Nov. 5 that wound up determining the conference title.

The Mountaineers also closed with three straight victories and got a season-best rushing performance out of Marcus Cox in a closing 34-27 win at South Alabama on Dec. 5.

Cox, who ran for 192 yards, anchored the rushing attack with 1,261 yards and eight touchdowns. Jalin Moore (635 yards, 5 TDs), Terrence Upshaw (434, 3) and quarterback Taylor Lamb (385, 4) were also in that mix.

The Mountaineers attempted 556 running plays compared to 271 passes, so the Bobcats can expect a challenge on the ground after allowing 157.0 yards per game.

Defensive back Ian Wells was the only Bobcat named to the all-MAC squad with a second-team honor and will look to keep the Mountaineers' air game in check if his teammates manage to stuff the run. Ohio has allowed 216.6 passing yards per game.

Although Appalachian State didn't lean heavily on the pass, Lamb was reliable with 2,263 yards and a conference-best 29 touchdowns with eight interceptions - the Sun Belt's best TD-to-INT ratio at 3.63. He was also eighth in the FBS with a 166.1 rating.

Lamb relied the most on receivers Shaedon Meadors, Malachi Jones and Simms McElfresh, who combined for 1,296 yards and 12 touchdowns. Barrett Burns is primarily a blocking tight end but still tied McElfresh for the team lead with six TD receptions.

Ohio's Darius Vick had 1,807 yards with 10 TDs and six picks and needs to keep an eye on lineman Ronald Blair, who won Sun Belt defensive player of the year for his 67 tackles - 18 for loss - with 7 1/2 sacks and an interception he returned for a TD.

Sebastian Smith (62 catches, 754 yards, 7 TDs) and Jordan Reid (45, 616, 5) did most of the damage when the Bobcats chose to air it out.

Ohio, however, also relied more on the run behind A.J. Ouellette and Daz'Mond Patterson, who combined for 1,139 yards and 14 touchdowns, but Appalachian State was second in the Sun Belt and 28th out of 128 FBS teams with 133.6 rushing yards allowed per game.

"It's gonna be a challenge. Appy State is an outstanding football team," said Solich, who has been at Ohio since 2005 and has a 2-4 bowl record in that time.

This contest marks the first meeting between these programs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: San Jose State Spartans (5-7) at Georgia State Panthers (6-6)

Date: December 19, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Georgia State came a long way this year after totaling only two wins in its three previous seasons.

San Jose State needed to come a long way in the classroom in order to join the Panthers among the bowl-eligible.

These schools will meet for the first time Saturday in the Cure Bowl in Orlando, Fla., after the Spartans used a strong APR to become one of three teams with losing records to earn their way into the postseason.

Georgia State's program is in its sixth season of existence and had lost 33 of 35 games over the previous three before going 6-6 this year. Another dismal campaign seemed ensured when the Panthers lost six of eight to begin 2015.

Instead, coach Trent Miles' squad posted a four-game win streak to end the season and gain the program's first bowl invitation. The Panthers are eager for the opportunity.

"They're not satisfied with just being in a bowl game; they want to go down there and win a bowl game," Miles told the school's official website. "We're not just happy to be there. We've got good leadership on our team to reinforce that, and that leadership is why we're in the position we're in."

With not enough qualified teams for the this season's slate of bowl games, three spots were available for teams with 5-7 records with the best APRs. That group included Nebraska, Minnesota and Missouri, but the Tigers elected not to participate.

San Jose State was next in line to take advantage of the extra chance, and the program had previously suffered from scholarship losses for failing to make the grade.

"It's worth noting that it was the team's academic performance coupled with what they did on the field that made this invitation possible," athletic director Gene Bleymaier said.

Spartans coach Ron Caragher isn't apologizing for getting in with a losing record after his team was snubbed two years ago despite a 6-6 mark.

"The bowls have made a commitment to having a game," Caragher said. "They have made advertising commitments, they've hired a staff and they've put all their ducks in order to have a game, so I think the right thing to do so the bowl doesn't suffer, the right thing to do is to have a game."

Georgia State finished fourth in the Sun Belt behind Nick Arbuckle, who ranks sixth in the FBS with an average of 346.7 yards passing with 26 touchdowns. He spearheaded an offense averaging 32.5 points and 511.2 yards on the win streak.

"The preparation really started to pay off and everyone began to jell together, and we really learned how to win," Arbuckle said.

The Panthers' passing attack resulted in the Sun Belt's three leaders in receiving yards per game: Penny Hart (91.7), Robert Davis (81.6) and Donovan Harden (73.6).

Those targets could have trouble getting untracked against the Spartans, who yield 153.6 passing yards per game for the second-best mark in the FBS.

"I know that they're a really good defense, they've done a really good job of defending the pass so far as well," Arbuckle said. "They haven't really gone against a great passing team yet so it'll be a good challenge for them."

San Jose State averaged 414.5 total yards of offense to rank fourth in the Mountain West Conference. Tyler Ervin rushed for 1,469 yards to rank third in the conference with 13 touchdowns. He also had 44 catches for 337 yards and two scores.

Georgia State allowed an average of 179.8 rushing yards.

San Jose State has captured its last three bowls, beating Bowling Green 29-20 in the 2012 Military Bowl.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-3) at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-4)

Date: December 19, 2015 9:00 PM EDT

Arkansas State has played one of the final bowl games in each of the last four seasons but won't have to wait long this year to get its chance to extend a lengthy win streak.

The Red Wolves seek a ninth consecutive victory Saturday when they face former conference foe Louisiana Tech in one of the first postseason games this year, the New Orleans Bowl.

Arkansas State is probably glad to play anywhere new after appearing in the last four GoDaddy Bowls and splitting those games in Mobile, Alabama. The earliest date for any of those appearances was last season's 63-44 loss to Toledo on Jan. 4, and the Red Wolves played as late as Jan. 8 in 2012.

"It's a little different. It's a real quick turnaround. You do carry some momentum out of the regular season into the bowl game," coach Blake Anderson said. "I like the fact that the momentum is there with you. Our guys still have that fresh on their mind."

Anderson's team ran the table in the Sun Belt Conference, going 8-0 following a slow start against a challenging early slate. Arkansas State (9-3) lost to two ranked teams - Southern California and Missouri - and dropped a rematch with a nine-win Toledo squad while quarterback Fredi Knighten was out with a groin injury.

Knighten returned in the second game of the Red Wolves' win streak, and led an offense that averaged an NCAA-best 48.6 points during that run, including three games of 50-plus to end the regular season. They also produced 492.0 yards and 276.1 on the ground per game in those eight victories.

Knighten passed for 17 of his 19 touchdowns with four interceptions, and Michael Gordon ran for 836 of his 1,072 yards.

"We found our stride. Fredi got back on the field, got healthy and we got better every game down the stretch," Anderson said. "We didn't turn the ball over often (10 times). We ran the ball well."

The Red Wolves forced 27 turnovers in league play and an NCAA-leading 34 overall, including 26 interceptions. Senior cornerback Rocky Hayes had six of those picks.

While Arkansas State has a plus-11 turnover margin, Louisiana Tech (8-4) is at minus-2 after committing seven giveaways in a 58-24 loss to Southern Mississippi on Nov. 28 that decided Conference USA's West Division crown.

"We've talked about our disappointment in the way we turned the ball over in our last game," coach Skip Holtz said. "I think everybody's excited to get back on the field and to play Arkansas State."

Jeff Driskel had three interceptions in that defeat, blemishing a highly productive campaign. The Florida transfer and fifth-year senior has 3,575 yards, 24 TDs and eight interceptions in his only season with the Bulldogs.

With Driskel at quarterback, junior Trent Taylor became the program's first 1,000-yard receiver in three years with 1,133 and had eight touchdowns.

The Bulldogs also boast one of the most prolific TD scorers in NCAA history in running back Kenneth Dixon.

His 83 career touchdowns are currently two behind Navy's Keenan Reynolds for the all-time mark. The Midshipmen are playing in Military Bowl on Dec. 28 against Pittsburgh.

Dixon has 22 TDs this season - 17 on the ground - despite missing two games because of an ankle injury. He matched his own school mark with six rushing scores in a 56-13 win over North Texas on Nov. 7.

His 4,378 yards are 1,026 more than the next closest rusher on Louisiana Tech's all-time list. With 968 yards, he's trying to top 1,000 for the second straight season and third time in his career.

The Bulldogs are 25-12 all-time against Arkansas State and played in both the Southland and Big West conferences with the Red Wolves. The teams, though, are playing each other for the first time since Louisiana Tech's 69-21 victory Nov. 7, 1998.

The Bulldogs are making back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1977-78. They're 3-3-1 in the postseason after a 35-18 victory over Illinois in last year's Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 26 and making their first appearance in the New Orleans Bowl.

It is Arkansas State's second trip to the New Orleans Bowl but its first postseason game in the Big Easy. The Red Wolves lost 31-19 to Southern Mississippi in 2005 in a game played in Lafayette, Louisiana, because of Hurricane Katrina.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Saturday's Bowl Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards

**Arizona vs. New Mexico**

-- The Pac-12 and Mtn. West Conference will collide Saturday in Albuquerque at the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. As of Thursday, most betting shops had Arizona (6-6 straight up, 6-6 against the spread) installed as an 8.5-point favorite with a total of 65. The line was 9.5 at most spots on Tuesday, but the number has been slowly sliding down since then. The Lobos were +325 on the money line (risk $100 to win $325) earlier in the week, but that number was down to +300 by Thursday. For first-half wagers, the Wildcats were favored by 4.5 points with a total of 33 points.

-- New Mexico (7-5 SU, 6-6 ATS) is in the postseason for the first time since 2007 and this will be the bowl debut for Bob Davie in his fourth season at the helm. The Lobos won three of their last four games both SU and ATS, with all three victories coming from the role as double-digit underdogs. They beat Utah State 14-13 as 20.5-point home underdogs before taking over the smurf turf and capturing a 31-24 win at Boise State as 31-point puppies.

-- UNM’s defense gave up 638 total yards of offense to the Broncos, but it forced four turnovers and was able to get stops on three fourth-down attempts by BSU. Jhurell Pressley rushed nine times for 132 yards and one TD for the winners. QB Austin Apodaca completed 8-of-12 throws for 172 yards, while QB Lamar Jordan ran for a 19-yard TD and completed his only pass attempt for 46 yards.

-- After beating BSU, UNM lost a 28-21 decision to Colorado State as a three-point home underdog. However, the Lobos bounced back in the regular-season finale to top Air Force 47-35 as 11-point home ‘dogs. Pressley exploded for 170 rushing yards and three TDs on 17 carries, while Jordan ran 12 times for 68 yards and one TD. Jordan also threw for 135 yards.

-- New Mexico won outright in five of seven home games this year, going 3-4 ATS. However, we should note that UNM went 2-1 both SU and ATS in three games as a home puppy. During Davie’s four-year tenure, the Lobos are 5-9 ATS in 14 games as home ‘dogs.

-- After racing out to a 5-2 start, Rich Rodriguez’s squad lost four of its last five games, including a 52-37 defeat at Arizona State as a six-point underdog in the regular-season finale. After the regular-season finale, Rodriguez’s name was linked to multiple jobs and he definitely interviewed for the South Carolina gig. According to reports and a tweet from Arizona AD Greg Byrne, Rodriguez declined an offer from the Gamecocks.

-- Arizona’s defense has been a disaster, finishing No. 114 in total yards (463.2 YPG) and No. 106 in scoring defense (35.7 PPG). This unit had to play nearly the entire season without junior MLB Scooby Wright, who was a first-team All-American and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. Wright injured his foot in September and played in only two regular-season games. However, he is expected to return and play on Saturday. He finished last season with 14 sacks and 29 tackles for loss.

-- Arizona star RB Nick Wilson won’t be available on Saturday, however. Wilson, who rushed for 1,375 yards and 16 TDs while garnering third-team All Pac-12 honors as a true freshman in 2014, missed three games this year and was given only six carries in each of the last three games he played. Wilson finished 2015 with a team-best 736 rushing yards for eight TDs with a 5.5 yards-per-carry average.

-- Arizona is going bowling for a fourth straight season under Rodriguez, who has led the Wildcats to a 2-1 SU record and a 1-2 ATS mark in three postseason games. In 2012, UA failed to cover in a 49-48 win over Nevada at the New Mexico Bowl. Two years ago, the Wildcats smashed Boston College 42-19 as seven-point favorites at the AdvoCare V100 Bowl. Then last season, they dropped a 38-30 decision to Boise State as three-point ‘chalk’ at the Fiesta Bowl.

-- Arizona’s offense is led by sophomore QB Anu Solomon, who missed the regular-season finale at Arizona State with a head injury. He also missed most of the 56-30 home loss to UCLA after leaving the game early with a concussion. Nevertheless, Solomon completed 63.0 percent of his passes for 2,326 yards with an 18/4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He ran for 186 yards and two scores. For his career, Solomon has a stellar 46/13 TD-INT ratio.

-- Arizona posted a 2-0 spread record in a pair of road ‘chalk’ situations this year. During Rodriguez’s tenure, the Wildcats are 5-2 ATS as road favorites.

-- UNM’s last bowl appearance came in this same event in 2007 when it blasted Nevada 23-0 as a 2.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The Lobos had lost four straight bowl games prior to that, including the 2006 New Mexico Bowl to San Jose State (20-12) as three-point favorites.

-- The ‘over’ cashed at a 9-3 overall clip for Arizona this year, hitting in each of its last two regular-season games. The Wildcats saw their games average combined scores of 72.4 points per game.

-- The ‘under’ went 7-5 overall for UNM, but the ‘over’ hit at a 4-3 clip in its home outings. The Lobos have seen their games average combined scores of 56.3 PPG. They saw the ‘under’ go 4-1 in their last five contests.

-- Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

**Brigham Young vs. Utah**

-- Utah and BYU ((9-3 SU, 8-4 ATS) are set to renew their bitter rivalry Saturday afternoon at the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. These in-state adversaries didn’t play each other this year or in 2014, but they’ll play five years in a row starting in 2016. As of Thursday, most books had Utah installed as a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 52 points.

-- Utah has won four in a row in this series, taking the cash in each of the last three. The Utes are 5-1 against the Cougars both SU and ATS in the last six head-to-head meetings, including a 20-13 win two seasons ago as seven-point underdogs. The ‘over’ has hit in two of the last three encounters.

-- Utah (9-3 SU, 5-7 ATS) won its first six games against a tough schedule, one that featured five bowl-bound teams including Oregon and Michigan. The Utes blasted the Ducks 62-20 in Eugene, but their first setback would come at Southern Cal (42-24). They lost twice more in November, falling 37-30 at Arizona and 17-9 vs. UCLA.

-- Utah looked sloppy in the regular-season finale, a 20-14 ho-hum win over Colorado as a 16.5-point home ‘chalk.’ Joe Williams ran 34 times for 187 yards and one TD.

-- Utah has failed to cover the number in three straight games and five of its last six. The Utes have been single-digit favorites four times, going 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS in those instances.

-- Kyle Whittingham’s team will have to face the Cougars without star senior RB Devontae Booker, who is ‘out’ due to a knee injury that kept him out of the last two regular-season games. Booker rushed for 1,261 yards and 11 touchdown while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He also 37 receptions for 318 yards and threw a 25-yard TD pass on his only aerial attempt. As a junior in 2014, Booker earned first-team All Pac-12 honors after rushing for 1,512 yards and 10 TDs. Without its workhorse back, Utah lost at home to the Bruins and posted the aforementioned win over CU.

-- Williams has filled in well for Booker, posting back-to-back 100-plus yard rushing performances. In the loss to the Bruins, the juco transfer who started his career at UConn, rushed for 121 yards and 26 totes. For the season, Williams is averaging 4.9 YPC.

-- BYU won six of nine games against bowl-bound opponents. The Cougars’ scalps include Nebraska, Boise State, UConn, San Jose State, Cincinnati and Utah State The defeats came at UCLA (24-23), at Michigan (31-0) and at Missouri (20-16).

-- BYU got off to an inauspicious start in August when star RB Jamaal Williams was lost to a season-ending suspension. Then in the first half of the opener at Nebraska, Heisman Trophy candidate Taysom Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury. Nevertheless, Bronco Mendenhall’s squad beat the Cornhuskers thanks to a Hail Mary pass from Tanner Mangum on the game’s final play. Mangum rallied BYU past Boise State at home in Week 2, connecting on a long TD pass on a fourth-and-seven play in the final minute.

-- Mangum has completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 3,062 yards with a 21/7 TD-INT ratio. Mangum’s favorite target is Mitch Mathews, who hauled in 52 receptions for 729 yards and 11 TDs. Devon Blackmon had 43 catches for 572 yards. Algernon Brown emerged as BYU’s top RB, producing 697 yards and 11 TDs with a 5.7 YPC average.

-- BYU cruised to victory in its regular-season finale at Utah State, blasting the Aggies by a 51-28 count as a three-point road favorite. Mangum connected on 16-of-30 throws for 284 yards and four TDs without an interception. Brown rushed for 68 yards and one TD on 16 carries, while Mathews brought down six catches for 158 yards and two TDs.

-- Utah senior QB Travis Wilson has had a mediocre season, throwing only 13 TD passes compared to 10 interceptions. He has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,022 yards.

-- Utah WR Kenneth Marshall was listed as ‘questionable’ earlier this week, but he was upgraded to ‘probable’ after practicing on Thursday. Marshall has 38 receptions for 448 yards and four TDs. Britain Covey has made a team-high 41 catches for 518 yards and four TDs.

-- Totals have been an overall wash for the Utes (6-6), though we’ll note back-to-back ‘unders’ to close the regular season.

-- Totals have been an overall wash (6-6) for the Cougars, but they have seen the ‘over’ cash in back-to-back contests.

-- BYU hasn’t been an underdog since September when it compiled a 3-1 spread record and collected a pair of outright victories from the ‘dog role.

-- Utah is bowling for a second straight season after thumping Colorado State 45-10 as a 2.5-point fave at last year’s Las Vegas Bowl. The Utes has missed the postseason in 2012 and 2013 when they went 5-7 in consecutive seasons. They have a chance to post their first 10-win campaign since entering the Pac-12 in 2011 and it would be their first 10-win season since 2010, which was the third year in a row of double-digit win tallies (2008-2010).

-- ABC will provide the broadcast at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

**Ohio vs. Appalachian State**

-- Appalachian State (10-2 SU, 6-6 ATS) is going bowling for the first time in school history in just its second season competing in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mountaineers suffered their lone defeats at Clemson (41-10) and vs. Arkansas State (40-27). They had only two wins against bowl-bound foes, beating Georgia Southern 31-13 as 6.5-point home favorites and Georgia State 37-3 in Atlanta.

-- As of Thursday, most books had Appalachian State listed as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 55. The Mountaineers will be facing Ohio from out of the MAC at the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. This is the sixth bowl game for the Bobcats in the last seven years. They were left out of the postseason in 2014.

-- Appalachian State has been a single-digit favorite twice, easily cashing tickets in both instances. However, the Mountaineers are currently mired in a 1-4 ATS slump spanning their last five regular-season outings.

-- Appalachian State is led by a defense that ranks No. 13 in the country in scoring, allowing only 18.2 PPG. ASU is 12th in total defense and 18th against the pass.

-- There was no sophomore slump for ASU quarterback Taylor Lamb, who was the Sun Belt’s Freshman Player of the Year in 2014. Lamb completed 60.6 percent of his passes this season for 2,240 yards with a 29/8 TD-INT ratio. He also produced 385 rushing yards and four TDs while averaging 5.1 YPC.

-- ASU junior RB Marcus Cox went over 1,000 rushing yards for a third consecutive season. He ran for 1,266 yards and eight TDs while averaging 5.8 YPC. Cox also had 18 catches for 160 yards and two TDs. Redshirt freshman RB Jalin Moore emerged as an excellent No. 2 RB, rushing for 635 yards and five TDs with a 7.4 YPC average.

-- Ohio (8-4 SU, 8-4 ATS) has won three in a row both SU and ATS, including a 26-21 win at No. Illinois as an 11-point underdog in the regular-season finale. A.J. Ouellette rushed for 140 yards on 30 carries, while J.D. Sprague ran five times for 30 yards and also threw for 92 yards and one TD without an interception.

-- Ouellette has rushed for a team-best 642 yards and five TDs with a 4.7 YPC average. Meanwhile, Daz’mond Patterson has 497 rushing yards, nine TDs and a 4.9 YPC average. Patterson missed the win at NIU to close the regular season due to a leg injury, but he’s expected to play against the Mountaineers.

-- Ohio has been an underdog four times, posting a 3-1 spread record with a pair of outright victories, including a 21-10 win over Marshall as a three-point home underdog.

-- Ohio starting CB Devin Bass is ‘out’ with a thumb injury, while safety Nathan Carpenter is ‘doubtful’ due to a groin issue. Carpenter had 32 tackles and a pair of interceptions.

-- The ‘over’ is 7-5 overall for Ohio with its games averaging combined scores of 52.2 PPG.

-- The ‘under’ is 7-5 overall for ASU, but the ‘over’ has hit in four of its last five games. The Mountaineers have seen their games average combined scores of 55.4 PPG.