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Big Ten tournament semifinals: NCAAB Betting Cheat Sheet

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Purdue Boilermakers (+9.5, 128.5)

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan told reporters following his team’s last victory that he is less concerned about his team’s NCAA Tournament seeding and more focused on “taking care of business”. The fifth-ranked and top-seeded Badgers may be able to do a bit of both Saturday by defeating Purdue in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago. Wisconsin downed Michigan 71-60 in Friday’s quarterfinals for its 14th win in its last 15 games, collecting its 24th double-digit victory of the season.

“I’ve always figured that if you just take care of business, people in the know will know what to do with your team. That’s all we can do. … All we know is we’re going to be playing in the NCAA Tournament and the rest is wait and see,” Ryan said following Friday’s triumph. One of Wisconsin’s single-digit wins came in a 62-55 home victory over the Boilermakers on Jan. 7, allowing Ryan to boast a winning record (11-10) against every other conference foe that has resided in the Big Ten for more than a year. No. 4 seed Purdue advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2010 with Friday’s 64-59 triumph over Penn State.

TRENDS:

*Boilermakers are 11-5 ATS in the last 16 meetings.
*Badgers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 vs. Big Ten.
*Over is 4-1 in Boilermakers last 5 neutral site games.
*Under is 7-2 in Badgers last 9 games following a S.U. win.

Michigan State Spartans vs. Maryland Terrapins vs. (+2.5, 130)

Branden Dawson (11.6 points, 9.3 rebounds) regained the form that allowed him to garner Most Outstanding Player honors during last season’s conference title run, posting 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in Friday’s victory. The second-team all-conference performer, who missed most of the last two games with a facial injury, had slumped in recent games and was even benched by Izzo in a March 1 loss to Wisconsin.

Maryland’s maiden voyage in its new conference has been nothing short of a success, setting a school-record with 26 regular-season wins – two coming against Michigan State. The eighth-ranked and second-seeded Terrapins could write another chapter in their fairytale season Saturday in Chicago as they attempt to beat the defending Big Ten tournament champions in semifinal action. Maryland won 14 of its first 15 games this season, including a double-overtime win at Michigan State on Dec. 30.

TRENDS:

* Underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Spartans are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games overall.
* Terrapins are 5-0 ATS in their last five vs. Big Ten.
* Over is 5-0 in Spartans last five overall.

 

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AAC tournament semifinals: NCAAB Betting Cheat Sheet

Temple Owls vs. Southern Methodist Mustangs (-3.5, 127)

Temple pushed itself closer to an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament by knocking off Memphis in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament but would prefer to take it out of the hands of the selection committee entirely. The fourth-seeded Owls will try to get one step closer to an automatic bid when they face No. 1 seed SMU in the semifinals on Saturday in Hartford, Conn. The Mustangs got by East Carolina in a tough quarterfinal on Friday.

SMU was the team that watched as its bubble burst on selection Sunday last season but likely ensured itself of a spot in the field of 68 with its performance in the regular season this year. Temple thrust itself onto the good side of the bubble with wins in 11 of its last 13 games and has won four in a row heading into the AAC tournament semifinals. Two of the Owls’ five AAC losses this season came against the Mustangs, who limited Temple to an average of 56.5 points in the two meetings.

TRENDS:

*Owls are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games following a S.U. win.
*Mustangs are 5-21 ATS in their last 26 neutral site games.
*Over is 6-2 in Owls last 8 vs. American Athletic Conference.
*Over is 8-1 in Mustangs last 9 overall.

Tulsa Golden Hurricanes vs. UConn Huskies (-2, 122.5)

Despite being on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament berth, the second-seeded Golden Hurricane put forth an uninspired effort in defeating Houston 59-51 in Friday’s quarterfinals at the XL Center in Hartford. “We got off to a good start in the first 10 minutes, then I thought we took our foot off the pedal a little bit and turned the ball over,” coach Frank Haith told the media.

Much as Shabazz Napier did last season, senior Ryan Boatright came through in a big way as the Huskies survived a back-and-forth quarterfinal game against Cincinnati and kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive in the process. Boatright hit a 3-pointer in the final second and scored 18 points for UConn, which needs the automatic bid to avoid missing the tournament a year after capturing the national title. UConn improved to 8-1 this season at the XL Center.

TRENDS:

* Under is 8-2 in Golden Hurricane last 10 neutral site games.
* Huskies are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games following a ATS win.
* Golden Hurricane are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following a S.U. win.
* Over is 5-1 in Huskies last six Saturday games.

 

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ACC tournament Final: NCAAB Betting Cheat Sheet

UNC Tar Heels vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+3.5, 151)

Brice Johnson has been outstanding over the last four games – averaging 17.3 points while making 28-of-51 from the field – and Marcus Paige has contributed 16.8 points and six assists in the same span. Jackson has scored in double figures in eight consecutive games and went 8-of-10 from the field against Virginia, including a season-best four 3-pointers. The Tar Heels will look to use their depth inside to wear down the Irish with the 6-9 Johnson, 6-10 Jerome James, 6-8 Isaiah Hicks and 6-9 Kennedy Meeks.

The Irish attacked Duke by taking it to the basket and concentrated on limiting the Blue Devils from long range, allowing only 3-of-17 from behind the 3-point arc. Bonzie Colson, 6-5 freshman, has become a big factor off the bench of late while scoring at least 16 points four times in the last six games after reaching double figures once in his previous 21 outings.

TRENDS:

* Under is 4-1 in Fighting Irish last five overall.
* Tar Heels are 6-0 ATS in their last six neutral site games.
* Fighting Irish are 4-0 ATS in their last four vs. Atlantic Coast.
* Over is 8-2 in Fighting Irish last 10 Saturday games.



*** Pac-12 tournament finals: NCAAB Betting Cheat Sheet

Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona Wildcats (OFF, OFF)

The Ducks have leaned on Joseph Young for the first two games of the tournament, but need strong games from forwards Elgin Cook and Jordan Bell in order to snap Arizona’s 10-game winning streak. “Arizona presents problems because of their size just like Utah did,” Pac-12 Coach of the Year Dana Altman told reporters. “We’re not a big team and it’s given us problems.”

Sean Miller said junior Brandon Ashley played the best game of his career Thursday, when the 6-9 forward had a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting along with seven rebounds. Forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had a quiet night offensively with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting but grabbed 12 rebounds and continued to show why he’s one of the league’s top defensive players. Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Stanley Johnson opened tournament play by averaging 17 points and eight rebounds in wins over California and UCLA and could be a key player if the Ducks focus on slowing down Young.

TRENDS:

* Ducks are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Ducks are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games overall.
* Under is 5-1 in Wildcats last six neutral site games.

 

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Big 12 tournament finals: NCAAB Betting Cheat Sheet

Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kansas Jayhawks (-2.5, 151)

The Cyclones have a tendency to dig themselves a hole before making a comeback or late charge. “I’m not saying being down double digits for those last couple of games is a good thing,” forward Georges Niang said at the postgame press conference. “Obviously, we need to get things in check but there is no quit in this team and that’s the biggest thing we need.” Another concern for Iowa State is rebounding after Oklahoma posted a 43-27 edge on the boards and Texas held a 37-30 advantage in the quarterfinals.

Guard Wayne Selden Jr. had perhaps his best all-around game of the season as he scored 20 points and grabbed a career-best eight rebounds in the victory over Baylor. “I thought Wayne did a much better job. He settles too much in my opinion,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said at the postgame press conference. “He did a much better job of getting to the free-throw line – didn’t make his free throws great – but he was much more aggressive and he seemed to me like he had much more balance.”

TRENDS:

* Over is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Favorite is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Cyclones are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games overall.
* Under is 4-0 in Jayhawks last four neutral site games.



*** Big East tournament Finals: NCAAB Betting Cheat Sheet

Xavier Musketeers vs Villanova Wildcats (-7.5, 141.5)

The Musketeers must find a way to solve the long-range shooting prowess of Villanova, which tied a Big East tournament record by hitting 17 3-pointers in Thursday’s win and connected on 28-of-63 attempts from behind the arc in the matchups with Xavier. Senior center Matt Stainbrook is averaging 19.7 points and 9.3 rebounds over his last three games, while Jalen Reynolds has scored 29 points on 13-of-16 shooting in the two losses to Villanova.

Josh Hart has picked the perfect stage to show why he was named the Big East Sixth Man of the Year, pouring in a team-high 20 points in a rout of Marquette before pacing the Wildcats with 18 points against Providence. Hart had been in a scoring slump down the stretch, failing to reach double digits in five of six games before averaging 17 points and connecting on 11-of-18 3-point attempts over the past three contests.

TRENDS:

* Favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings.
* Musketeers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 Saturday games.
* Under is 7-2 in Musketeers last nine overall.
* Under is 5-1 in Wildcats last six neutral site games.

 

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SEC tournament semifinals: NCAAB Betting Cheat Sheet

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Auburn Tigers (-23.5, 137)
Auburn doesn’t seem to be too worried about Saturday’s SEC tournament semifinal matchup against top-ranked and undefeated Kentucky. Fresh off three upset wins in three days in Nashville, Tenn., the 13th-seeded Tigers are too busy enjoying their extended Music City stay. “Lately, that’s all we have been doing is just staying together and playing defense and just having fun,” Auburn senior guard Malcolm Canada said in news conference Friday following a 73-70 overtime victory over No. 4 seed LSU. “When you have fun and you play the game of basketball, good things happen, no matter what.”

The Wildcats, meanwhile, continue to be all about the business of perfection, dominating the second half Friday to dispatch Florida 64-49. The Gators were still hanging around at 50-45 with 7:40 remaining, but Kentucky slammed the door with a 14-4 contest-closing run. “They have a will to win,” coach John Calipari said of his players in the post-game news conference. “They do have a will to win, and we have enough play-maker kind of players. … We got a lot of guys that aren’t afraid to make the play.”

TRENDS:

*Tigers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
*Wildcats are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
*Under is 6-1 in Tigers last 7 overall.
*Wildcats are 10-1-1 ATS in their last 12 neutral site games.

Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Georgia Bulldogs (-1.5, 147)

Bobby Portis had just scored a game-high 26 points Friday in an 80-72 victory over Tennessee to help Arkansas snap its seven-game SEC tournament losing streak when he was asked if the Razorbacks were sneaking a peek at a possible championship matchup with top-ranked and undefeated Kentucky. The SEC Player of the Year, though, quickly dismissed that notion. “Just one game at a time,” said Portis, whose 20th-ranked and second-seeded squad takes on No. 3 seed Georgia in Saturday’s second semifinal in Nashville, Tenn. “We still haven’t won our game Saturday to even play Kentucky, and like Kentucky hasn’t even won their game against Auburn yet. So in due time everything will play out, but we have to just come in tomorrow ready to play.”

Following Arkansas’ win, the Bulldogs pulled away late to oust 11th-seeded South Carolina 74-62 and book their second straight SEC semifinal appearance. Georgia couldn’t hold on to a 13-point first-half lead and fell to visiting Arkansas 79-75 on Jan. 6 in the conference opener for both teams. “We have been through so much since we played Arkansas, I can’t barely remember it,” Bulldogs coach Mark Fox said in his post-game news conference Friday. “… But they have a great basketball team. They have a nationally ranked team, they have the best player in the conference leading them and it will be a big challenge.”

TRENDS:

*Razorbacks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
*Over is 5-0 in Razorbacks last 5 overall.
*Over is 5-2 in Bulldogs last 7 overall.
*Bulldogs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.