Saturday's Early Tips
January 23, 2015
**Kentucky at South Carolina**
-- Kentucky (18-0 straight up, 10-8 against the spread) is now 5-0 in SEC play, but it has had three close calls while struggling to a 2-3 ATS mark. The Wildcats got all they wanted from Vanderbilt at Rupp Arena on Tuesday when they won a 65-57 decision as 21.5-point home favorites. With 5:06 remaining, the Commodores pulled to within three points at 54-51. However, UK's Aaron Harrison would prove to be too much down the stretch, as he scored all of his team-high 14 points in the second half. Karl Anthony-Towns recorded a career-high seven blocked shots, while Willie Cauley-Stein finished with six points, 10 rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot.
-- South Carolina (10-7 SU, 7-8 ATS) appeared poised for a breakthrough season in the third year of the Frank Martin Era, especially after beating Iowa St. in its final non-conference game. Martin's bunch had already posted wins over Clemson and Oklahoma St. in blowout fashion. However, the Gamecocks have dropped four of their first five games in SEC play, placing added emphasis on this upset opportunity vs. UK.
-- South Carolina has failed to cover the number in five straight games, including Tuesday's 72-68 loss to Tennessee as a seven-point home favorite. Sindarius Thornwell had 17 points and seven rebounds, but he made only 4-of-14 shots from the field. The home team won the rebounding battle (33-25) but couldn't overcome an abysmal shooting night (22-64 FGs, 34.4%). Tyrone Johnson had six points, six assists and four rebounds, but he connected on just 2-of-13 from the floor.
-- Kentucky has played three true road games, going 2-1 ATS.
-- With John Calipari employing a platoon system, it's rare that any player gets more than 24 minutes of playing time in a game. Therefore, there's not an individual with any eye-popping stats, but the team stats are certainly impressive. UK leads the nation in field-goal percentage defense (32.2%) and is second in scoring defense (50.8 points per game). The 'Cats are fourth in the country in rebounding margin.
-- South Carolina has won seven of its 10 home games, going 4-4 versus the number. The Gamecocks are 2-1 both SU and ATS in three games as underdogs. In their only previous situation as home 'dogs, they blasted Oklahoma 75-49 as 1.5-point puppies.
-- South Carolina has an RPI of 112, going 3-2 vs. the Top 50 and 4-4 against the Top 100.
-- UK has seven wins over RPI Top-50 opponents and 11 against the Top 100. The best wins for the 'Cats include scalps of Louisville, Kansas, Texas and North Carolina.
-- When UK came to Columbia last season, it lost by a 72-67 count as a 10-point road favorite. Aaron Harrison scored a team-best 21 points in the losing effort. Thornwell had 14 points and four assists for the Gamecocks, who got 11 points, seven boards and three blocked shots out of Michael Carrera. -- Sportsbook.ag is currently offering a proposition bet for the odds of UK to become the first team to go unbeaten since Bobby Knight's Indiana team led by Quinn Buckner pulled the trick in 1976. 'No' is -375, while 'yes' is +250 (risk $100 to win $250).
-- The 'under' has cashed in three straight UK games to improve to 14-4 overall.
-- The 'under' is 8-5 overall for the Cocks, 4-3 in their home games. However, we should note that South Carolina has seen the 'over' hit in three consecutive outings.
-- CBS will have the telecast at noon Eastern.
**Kansas at Texas**
-- Since getting thumped 77-52 at Temple on Dec. 22, Kansas (15-3 SU, 11-6 ATS) has gone 6-1 both SU and ATS. Bill Self's team is out to a 4-1 start in Big 12 play, suffering its only defeat at Iowa St. last Saturday.
-- Kansas raced out to a 21-point lead at halftime of Monday's matchup against Oklahoma. However, the Sooners scored the first nine points of the second half and the run reached 24-5 when Buddy Hield knocked down a trey to knot the score at 56-56. OU would go up by four points, but the Jayhawks rallied and pulled out the spread cover by making their free throws in the final minute. KU won 85-78 as a six-point home 'chalk.' Kelly Oubre Jr. led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Cliff Alexander posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards. Perry Ellis finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
-- Texas (14-4 SU, 10-6 ATS) has won nine of its 11 home games, going 4-5 ATS. The Longhorns have lost in Austin to Stanford and Oklahoma.
-- Rick Barnes's team is 3-2 in Big 12 play after winning consecutive contests, including Monday's 66-48 win at TCU as a 2.5-point road 'chalk.' Javan Felix scored a game-high 15 points, while Isaiah Taylor produced 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Myles Turner finished with 11 points, six boards and a pair of blocked shots, while Cameron Ridley had 10 points and three blocks.
-- Turner averages team-highs in scoring (11.8 PPG) and rebounding (6.8 RPG) for the Longhorns.
-- Ellis, the senior power forward, leads KU in scoring (12.8 PPG) and rebounding (6.7 RPG).
-- The 'over' has hit in back-to-back games for KU to improve to 10-6 overall.
-- The 'under' is 8-3 overall for Texas, 3-1 in its home games that have had a total.
-- Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. Eastern on CBS.
**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**
-- Sportsbook.ag has Kentucky installed as the -130 'chalk' to win the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The next-shortest odds belong to Duke (8/1) and Virginia (9/1).
-- DePaul is facing a fast turnaround when it plays at Xavier on Saturday at noon Eastern. The Blue Demons, who appeared on their way to yet another disappointing year after a lackluster start in non-conference play, have shockingly started 5-2 in the Big East. Most impressive for our purposes, Oliver Purnell's team is 7-0 ATS versus Big East competition. It went on the road Thursday night and captured a 64-60 win at Seton Hall as a 9.5-point road underdog. The Musketeers are unbeaten in 10 home games with a 6-3 spread record.
-- It's a tad early to get into bubble talk, but I see five teams facing road traps Saturday in games they really can't afford to lose. Those schools include Georgia (at Mississippi St.) Davidson (at George Mason), Boise St. (at Air Force), BYU (at San Diego) and Arkansas (at Missouri).
-- Davidson star guard Jack Gibbs is 'doubtful' at George Mason. Gibbs, who averages 15.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, has a slight meniscus tear. The Wildcats (12-2 ATS this year!) drilled Dayton at home earlier this week without Gibbs in uniform.
-- Va. Tech power forward Joey van Zegeren has been dismissed from the program by head coach Buzz Williams. He had missed four straight games due to suspension before the school announced the decision Thursday. Van Zegeren was averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
-- The 'under' is a perfect 6-0 in Nebraska home games. The Cornhuskers will take on Michigan St. in Lincoln on Saturday.
-- Florida needs a win more than any team in America when it bids farewell to The Tad Pad in Oxford at 6:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.
