SPORTS ADVISORS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(12) Georgetown (13-3, 6-6 ATS) at (9) Pittsburgh (15-2, 8-5-2 ATS)
The Hoyas play a second straight road game against a Top 10 conference opponent when they invade Petersen Events Center looking to end Pittsburgh’s eight-game overall winning streak and 31-game home winning streak.
Georgetown went to Villanova on Sunday and fell 82-77, coming up just short as a 4½-point road underdog. The Hoyas (4-2, 2-4 ATS in Big East play) won their first conference road game by 17 points at DePaul, but they’ve since dropped consecutive roadies at Villanova and Marquette (62-59 as a 1½-point underdog) by a total of eight points. Georgetown has averaged 78 ppg in its last three contests, but the once-stout defense has surrendered season-highs of 82 and 73 points in the last two after holding its first 14 opponents to 70 points or less.
Pittsburgh staged a big rally in the final minute on Saturday against Louisville to force overtime, then held on for an 82-77 Big East win as a 1½-point home favorite. The Panthers (5-0, 4-0-1 ATS in the Big East) trailed the majority of the second half and were losing by five points with 34 seconds left, but Louisville missed four foul shots down the stretch while the Panthers hit two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Pitt has cashed in four straight games and is 6-0-1 ATS in lined action during its winning streak.
The Panthers’ 31-game home winning streak is second-best in the nation behind Kansas’ 52-game run. This year, Pitt is 10-0 at Petersen Events Center, outscoring visitors 14.3 ppg (68.2-53.9) and outshooting them 49 percent to 36 percent.
Pitt has pulled off three straight upsets against Georgetown, winning last year’s lone meeting 70-54 as a 3½-point road ‘dog. The pup has cashed in six of the last eight meetings and the visitor is 10-3 ATS in the last 13 regular-season series clashes (with the Hoyas getting the money in five of their last seven trips to Pittsburgh).
Georgetown has cashed in four of its last five after a non-cover and it is 11-4-1 ATS in its last 16 Wednesday outings. On the other hand, the Hoyas are in pointspread ruts of 10-20-1 overall, 6-20 in Big East games and 4-11 after a SU loss. In addition to going 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven overall and 4-0-1 ATS in Big East Play, the Panthers are on pointspread surges of 4-0-2 at home, 5-0-1 after a SU win, 3-0-1 after a spread-cover and 8-1-2 against winning teams.
The under is 8-3 in the Hoyas’ last 11 on Wednesday, 4-1 in their last five against winning teams and 4-1 in Pitt’s last five against opponents with a winning record. However, the over is 23-11-1 in the Panthers’ last 35 conference contests. Finally, four of the last five head-to-head clashes between these schools have stayed low.
ATS ADVANTAGE: PITT and UNDER
Wake Forest (12-4, 6-7 ATS) at (24) North Carolina (12-6, 6-10 ATS)
Less than a year removed from winning the national championship, the Tar Heels now find themselves clinging to a Top 25 ranking as they take a two-game losing skid into an ACC clash with Wake Forest at the Dean Smith Center.
The Demon Deacons got destroyed at Duke on Sunday, losing 90-70 as a 16-point road underdog. Wake Forest has dropped two of its last three games, with both defeats coming on the road in ACC play (the other being a 67-66 loss at Miami as a 5½-point pup). Prior to this mini-slump, the Deacons had won seven in a row, and three of their last five games have gone to overtime, while a fourth was the one-point loss at Miami. They’re just 2-5 ATS in their last seven contests.
North Carolina has dropped three of its last four games, including the last two in a row to Clemson (83-64 as a five-point road underdog) and Georgia Tech (73-71 as a 6½-point home chalk). In Saturday’s loss to the Yellow Jackets, the Tar Heels rallied from a 42-28 halftime deficit but still couldn’t avoid ending their 19-game home winning streak. UNC’s defense has been a big reason for the team’s struggles this year, as it has given up an average of 82.7 ppg in its six losses.
Wake Forest handed the Tar Heels their second defeat of the season last year, winning 92-89 as a 6½-point home underdog, ending a four-game SU and ATS losing skid in this rivalry (all as an underdog). The Demon Deacons are 5-2 ATS in their last seven trips to Chapel Hill, and the SU winner has covered the spread in each of the last 15 head-to-head meetings.
As part of Wake Forest’s current 2-5 ATS slump, it has failed to cash in four of its last five conference games and is 2-5 ATS in its last seven after a non-cover. North Carolina is 35-16-1 ATS in its last 52 games after a defeat, but otherwise the defending champs are 1-5 ATS in their last six overall, 1-4 ATS in their last five on Wednesday and 7-20 ATS in their last 27 ACC contests.
The over has hit in five of the last six in this rivalry, with the last four at the Dean Dome topping the posted total. The over is also 7-1 in UNC’s last eight games on Wednesday and 4-1 in Wake’s last five overall, but otherwise the under is on stretches of 6-2 for the Deacons on the road, 5-2 for the Tar Heels overall, 4-1 for the Tar Heels at home and 4-0 for the Tar Heels in ACC play.
ATS ADVANTAGE: WAKE FOREST
(25) Baylor (14-2, 7-2 ATS) at (3) Kansas (16-1, 7-6-1 ATS)
The third-ranked Jayhawks shoot for their 53rd consecutive win at Allen Fieldhouse when they host Baylor in a Big 12 battle.
The Bears had a nine-game winning streak snapped eight days ago at Colorado, losing 78-71 as a three-point road chalk in their first conference road game of the season. But they rebounded Saturday, routing Oklahoma State 83-70 as a six-point home favorite. In addition to losing at Colorado, Baylor’s only other setback this season came on a neutral court against Alabama (79-76 as a one-point favorite). The Bears have scored at least 70 points in eight straight games, and prior to the last two contests they had held eight of nine opponents to 64 points or less.
After two lackluster performances on the road (eight-point loss at Tennessee followed by a 12-point win at Nebraska), Kansas returned to its dominating ways Saturday, throttling Texas Tech 89-63 and easily cashing as a 21½-point home favorite following an 0-2-1 ATS dip. The Jayhawks’ 52-game winning streak is the best in the nation, and it includes 11 victories this year by an average of 31.1 ppg (90.3-59.2). Kansas makes 51 percent of its shots at Allen Fieldhouse and holds the opposition to 35 percent (27.6 percent on three-pointers).
The Jayhawks went to Baylor last February and rolled 75-65 as a 1½-point road underdog, but the Bears got revenge in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, scoring a shocking 71-64 upset as an eight-point underdog. That win ended Baylor’s eight-game SU losing skid in this rivalry, and the teams have now alternated spread-covers in the last nine clashes, with the underdog going 7-3 ATS in the last 10 (3-0 ATS in the last three). Also, the visitor has cashed in nine of the past 10 regular-season battles, with Baylor going 6-0 ATS in its last six visits to Lawrence, Kan., all as a double-digit ‘dog.
The Bears are on ATS rolls of 7-1 overall, 4-1 on the road, 5-2 in league play, 7-1 against winning teams and 5-1 after a SU victory. Kansas is 35-16-1 ATS during its 52-game home winning streak, and the Jayhawks are also on pointspread rolls of 36-17-2 overall, 18-6-2 in conference, 19-6-2 on Wednesday and 42-20-2 versus opponents that have a winning record.
Baylor is on “over” surges of 4-0 overall and 4-1 in Big 12 play, but four of its last five on Wednesday have stayed low. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks sport “under” trends of 6-2 overall, 5-0 at home, 22-6 after a SU victory and 8-1 following a non-cover. Finally, last year’s two meetings between these clubs stayed below the posted total.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER
NBA
Memphis (22-18, 23-16-1 ATS) at New Orleans (21-19, 19-21 ATS)
The surging Grizzlies try for their season-best fifth straight victory when they trek to New Orleans Arena for a battle with the Hornets.
Memphis is coming off a perfect 4-0 homestand (3-1 ATS), which was capped by Monday’s 125-118 win over Phoenix as a two-point favorite. Since losing seven of its first eight games, the Grizzlies have won 21 of 32, going 12-3 SU and 11-3-1 ATS in the last 15 games, and they’re also 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21. Memphis is on its second four-game winning streak of the season, but has yet to win five in a row.
On the downside, the Grizzlies are just 7-13 SU on the highway (10-10 ATS), with their last two defeats coming as a visitor. While, they’ve scored as many points at home as on the road (104.2 per game), they’ve given up 108.3 ppg (50.2 percent shooting) in road outings.
New Orleans has alternated SU wins and losses over its last six games and ATS wins and losses over its last eight. Most recently, the Hornets fell 97-90 to San Antonio as a one-point home chalk on Monday, ending a seven-game home winning streak. Despite the recent inconsistency, the Hornets are still 8-3 SU and 7-4 ATS in their last 11 games, and they’ve won 13 of 15 at New Orleans Arena (9-6 ATS).
During its current 8-3 run, New Orleans has held nine of 11 opponents under 100 points, and is limiting visitors to 96.7 ppg.
This is the first meeting this season between these Southwest Division rivals. Last year, New Orleans won three of the four clashes (2-1-1 ATS), with the host and favorite both going 3-0-1 ATS. The Hornets are 8-1 in the last nine battles (4-4-1 ATS), and the Grizzles are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight trips to the Big Easy.
In addition to going 15-5-1 ATS in its last 20 games, Memphis is on a slew of positive pointspread runs, including 8-2 against division rivals, 5-1 on the road, 5-1 as an underdog, 9-3 as a pup of less than five points, 5-1-1 when coming off a day of rest and 20-6 after a SU win. The only negative is the Grizzlies’ 1-4 ATS slump on Wednesday.
New Orleans has cashed in four of five Western Conference contests, four of five on Wednesday, eight of 11 after a SU defeat, four straight after a non-cover and 11 of 13 against winning teams. Conversely, the Hornets are on ATS slides of 3-8 as a favorite, 6-13 as a home chalk and 6-14 when laying less than five points. Also, the underdog is 7-2 in the Hornets’ last nine games.
The high-scoring Grizzlies carry “over” streaks of 10-3 overall, 16-5 on the road, 8-2 as a ‘dog, 7-1 as a road pup and 11-2 when catching less than five points, but the under is 6-2 in their last eight Southwest Division games. New Orleans is on “under” surges of 16-6 overall, 36-16 at home, 18-8 in divisional battles, 10-2 against Western conference teams and 5-1 on Wednesday. Finally, the over is 11-3 in the last 14 meetings in this rivalry, with six of the last seven battles in New Orleans topping the posted price.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
Utah (23-18, 23-16-2 ATS) at San Antonio (25-15, 21-18-1 ATS)
The Spurs kick off a six-game homestand when they entertain the Jazz at the AT&T Center in a matchup of Western Conference rivals playing inconsistent basketball.
Utah has been idle since Sunday, when its four-game winning streak came to a halt with a 119-112 loss in Denver, pushing as a seven-point road underdog. The Jazz are just 12-11 in their last 23 games, including 4-8 on the road, but they do come into this one on a 5-0-2 ATS roll overall and they’re 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight on the highway.
San Antonio snapped a two-game SU and ATS hiccup with Monday’s 97-90 mild upset of the Hornets as a one-point road underdog. The Spurs, who concluded a 2-2 SU and ATS road trip with Monday’s win in New Orleans, are just 5-4 SU and 4-5 ATS in their last nine outings. However, Gregg Popovich’s troops have won nine of 11 at the AT&T Center (6-4-1 ATS).
The Jazz can pull off a rare regular-season four-game sweep of the Spurs with a victory tonight, as Utah has taken the first three meetings by scores of 113-99 (as a one-point home favorite), 90-83 (as a 4½-point road underdog) and 104-101 (as a two-point home chalk). Prior to this year, the Spurs had won and covered four straight meetings, and the home team is 20-6 ATS in the last 26 series clashes.
Additionally, with their seven-point win in Texas on Nov. 19, the Jazz ended a 20-game, 10-year losing skid in San Antonio, during which time the Spurs were 15-5 ATS.
In addition to going 5-0-2 ATS in its last seven overall and 5-2-1 ATS in its last eight as a visitor, Utah is on pointspread pushes of 3-0-1 as an underdog, 3-0-2 against winning teams, 7-1 versus Southwest Division foes and 10-3 after a defeat. On the flip side, Jerry Sloan’s squad is in ATS ruts of 3-9 on Wednesday, 5-15-1 as an underdog of five to 10½ points and 2-13-1 in that pointspread range on the road.
San Antonio has failed to cover in seven of nine against Northwest Division opponents, but it is on ATS runs of 4-1-1 on Wednesday, 29-8-1 as a favorite of five to 10½ points and 36-17-2 when laying that price at home.
The Jazz are on a plethora of “over” streaks, including 4-1 overall, 19-9-1 on the highway, 9-4 against Southwest Division teams, 33-15-1 as an underdog, 27-11-1 as a road pup, 5-0 against winning teams and 11-5-1 on Wednesday. The over is also 5-1 in the Spurs’ last six on Wednesday, 4-0 in their last four against the Northwest Division and 5-0 in their last five against winning teams.
Finally, in this rivalry, the over is on surges of 6-1 overall and 8-1 at the AT&T Center.
ATS ADVANTAGE: OVER
