Armadillo Sports
Saturday’s 6-pack
Odds to win the Southern Conference tournament…….
6-5— Furman
12-5— NC-Greensboro
4-1— Samford
14-1— Chattanooga
20-1— Wofford, East Tennessee State
25-1— Western Carolina
Tweet of the Day
“Poker is 100% skill and 50% luck.”
Phil Hellmuth
Saturday’s quiz
Butler made it to the Final Four two years in a row under coach Brad Stevens (2010-11);; what conference did the Bulldogs play in back then?
Friday’s quiz
VCU made the national championship game in 2011, as a #11-seed; Shaka Smart was their coach.
Thursday’s quiz
In the old TV show Gilligan’s Island, the rich guy’s name was Thurston Howell.
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Saturday’s Den: Trends for conference tournaments, and other stuff
— Since 2015, there have been seven A-15 tournaments; seven different teams won those seven tournaments. Dayton/Fordham aren’t among those seven schools, so it could be eight teams in eight years after this year’s tournament.
VCU hasn’t won the A-15 tournament since 2015, which is surprising, since their regular season conference record during that time is 99-40.
— Toledo won the first MAC tournament, in 1980; they haven’t won one since. Rockets are 47-9 in conference games the last three years; this should be the year they end their drought and get back to the NCAA Tournament. Four different teams won last five MAC tourneys.
— Last six years, six different teams have won the CAA tournament; three of those six teams were the #1 seed. Charleston is the #1-seed this year; last time they won the CAA conference tournament was 2018.
— In Conference USA, five different teams won the last five conference tournaments; Florida Atlantic is the #1-seed; they haven’t won any conference tournament since 2002, when they won the Atlantic Sun tourney. #2/#3 seeds this year are North Texas/UAB, who won this event the last two years.
— In the Summit League, 10 of the last 11 conference tournaments have been won by either North Dakota State or South Dakota State; the event is held in Sioux Falls, SD every year.
This year, Oral Roberts is clearly the best team, going 18-0 in Summit games, five games better than anyone else. ORU won this event as the #3-seed three years ago. #1-seed won the Summit tournament five of the last eight years.
— Iona Gaels won five of the last six MAAC tournaments, actually five of last seven- they lost in the 2020 tournament, which was never finished because of COVID. Iona jogged to another regular season title this year; they’ll be favored to win in Atlantic City next week.
— #1-seed has won the Pac-12 tournament five of the last seven years, with Arizona winning four of those tournaments. UCLA will be the #1-seed this year; they haven’t won the Pac-12 tourney since 2014, USC hasn’t won it since 2009.
— Big Sky tournament has been won by the #1-seed 10 of the last 11 years; Eastern Washington won as the #2-seed two years ago. EWU is also the #1-seed this year; they lost their last two games, after an 18-game winning streak. #2-seed Montana State is clearly the next best team; they won the conference tournament last year.
— #1-seed has won the last nine Southern Conference tournaments; four different teams won the last four. Wofford in 2014 was the last non-#1-seed (#3-seed) to win the event. Furman/Samford tied for first place in the regular season this year; neither team has won the SoCon tournament in this century.
— In the ACC, four different teams won last four ACC tournaments; Virginia in 2018 was last #1-seed to win it. North Carolina hasn’t won the ACC tourney since 2016; Duke won in 2017, 2019.
— In the Big 14, #1-seed has won only one of last five conference tournaments; four different teams won the last four. Purdue is going to be the #1-seed, despite going 3-4 in their last seven games. Right now, there is a 6-way tie for second place in the Big 14, with one game to go.
— Jay Wright’s Villanova team won five of last seven Big East tournaments; they were the #1-seed in three of those five years, but Wright is working on TV now. Villanova is the #6-seed in the Big East this year, in Kyle Neptune’s first year as coach.
Marquette will be the #1-seed this year; Shaka Smart has won three conference tournaments in 12 years as a head coach, the last one with Texas two years ago.
— In the Big West, five different teams won the last six conference tournaments, with Cal State-Fullerton winning in 2018, 2022. #1-seed won two of last five tournaments. Irvine and Santa Barbara are tied for first with one game left in the regular season, with three other teams just a game behind those two.
— Loyola, Chicago won three of last five MVC Tournaments, but they’ve moved on to the A-15; Bradley won in 2019/2020- they won their 11th game in a row Friday, are the #1 seed in this year’s edition of Arch Madness.
— #1-seed won four of last six Mountain West tournaments; San Diego State won it only once in the last four years, despite going 55-15 in conference games those four seasons. Aztecs figure to be the #1-seed again this season.
UNLV hosts this tournament; they haven’t won the Mountain West tournament since 2008, back when BYU/TCU were also in the Mountain West.
Elsewhere………
— Colorado State 92, New Mexico 84— Lobos were the last unbeaten team in the country; their first loss was January 3rd, but now they’ve lost 8 of their last 11 games and will need to win the Mountain West tournament to make the NCAA’s.
— BYU 82, Portland 71— Portland led by 13 at halftime, got outscored 52-28 in second half. Cougars advance to play LMU Saturday at Orleans Arena.
— Campbell 81, Longwood 68— #7-seed Camels upset #2-seed Longwood in the Big South quarterfinals. During the season, Longwood beat Campbell twice, by 24-25 points.
— Toledo 87, Ball State 81— Rockets win the MAC regular season title; they won the first MAC tournament in 1980, haven’t won one since— they’ll need to win the tournament to make it to the NCAA’s.
— Missouri Valley tournament
Drake 74, Murray State 62
Indiana State 94, Belmont 91
Big fish, small pond, that’s the secret to being a winning mid-major program. So many of these teams have success, then the administrators’ eyes get bigger than their stomach, and they move up to a bigger league, trying to join the big boys. It doesn’t work very often.
Murray State/Belmont were the big fish in the Ohio Valley; now neither one made the semi-final in their new league, a much better league.
Saturday’s 6-pack
Odds to win the Southern Conference tournament…….
6-5— Furman
12-5— NC-Greensboro
4-1— Samford
14-1— Chattanooga
20-1— Wofford, East Tennessee State
25-1— Western Carolina
Tweet of the Day
“Poker is 100% skill and 50% luck.”
Phil Hellmuth
Saturday’s quiz
Butler made it to the Final Four two years in a row under coach Brad Stevens (2010-11);; what conference did the Bulldogs play in back then?
Friday’s quiz
VCU made the national championship game in 2011, as a #11-seed; Shaka Smart was their coach.
Thursday’s quiz
In the old TV show Gilligan’s Island, the rich guy’s name was Thurston Howell.
******************************
Saturday’s Den: Trends for conference tournaments, and other stuff
— Since 2015, there have been seven A-15 tournaments; seven different teams won those seven tournaments. Dayton/Fordham aren’t among those seven schools, so it could be eight teams in eight years after this year’s tournament.
VCU hasn’t won the A-15 tournament since 2015, which is surprising, since their regular season conference record during that time is 99-40.
— Toledo won the first MAC tournament, in 1980; they haven’t won one since. Rockets are 47-9 in conference games the last three years; this should be the year they end their drought and get back to the NCAA Tournament. Four different teams won last five MAC tourneys.
— Last six years, six different teams have won the CAA tournament; three of those six teams were the #1 seed. Charleston is the #1-seed this year; last time they won the CAA conference tournament was 2018.
— In Conference USA, five different teams won the last five conference tournaments; Florida Atlantic is the #1-seed; they haven’t won any conference tournament since 2002, when they won the Atlantic Sun tourney. #2/#3 seeds this year are North Texas/UAB, who won this event the last two years.
— In the Summit League, 10 of the last 11 conference tournaments have been won by either North Dakota State or South Dakota State; the event is held in Sioux Falls, SD every year.
This year, Oral Roberts is clearly the best team, going 18-0 in Summit games, five games better than anyone else. ORU won this event as the #3-seed three years ago. #1-seed won the Summit tournament five of the last eight years.
— Iona Gaels won five of the last six MAAC tournaments, actually five of last seven- they lost in the 2020 tournament, which was never finished because of COVID. Iona jogged to another regular season title this year; they’ll be favored to win in Atlantic City next week.
— #1-seed has won the Pac-12 tournament five of the last seven years, with Arizona winning four of those tournaments. UCLA will be the #1-seed this year; they haven’t won the Pac-12 tourney since 2014, USC hasn’t won it since 2009.
— Big Sky tournament has been won by the #1-seed 10 of the last 11 years; Eastern Washington won as the #2-seed two years ago. EWU is also the #1-seed this year; they lost their last two games, after an 18-game winning streak. #2-seed Montana State is clearly the next best team; they won the conference tournament last year.
— #1-seed has won the last nine Southern Conference tournaments; four different teams won the last four. Wofford in 2014 was the last non-#1-seed (#3-seed) to win the event. Furman/Samford tied for first place in the regular season this year; neither team has won the SoCon tournament in this century.
— In the ACC, four different teams won last four ACC tournaments; Virginia in 2018 was last #1-seed to win it. North Carolina hasn’t won the ACC tourney since 2016; Duke won in 2017, 2019.
— In the Big 14, #1-seed has won only one of last five conference tournaments; four different teams won the last four. Purdue is going to be the #1-seed, despite going 3-4 in their last seven games. Right now, there is a 6-way tie for second place in the Big 14, with one game to go.
— Jay Wright’s Villanova team won five of last seven Big East tournaments; they were the #1-seed in three of those five years, but Wright is working on TV now. Villanova is the #6-seed in the Big East this year, in Kyle Neptune’s first year as coach.
Marquette will be the #1-seed this year; Shaka Smart has won three conference tournaments in 12 years as a head coach, the last one with Texas two years ago.
— In the Big West, five different teams won the last six conference tournaments, with Cal State-Fullerton winning in 2018, 2022. #1-seed won two of last five tournaments. Irvine and Santa Barbara are tied for first with one game left in the regular season, with three other teams just a game behind those two.
— Loyola, Chicago won three of last five MVC Tournaments, but they’ve moved on to the A-15; Bradley won in 2019/2020- they won their 11th game in a row Friday, are the #1 seed in this year’s edition of Arch Madness.
— #1-seed won four of last six Mountain West tournaments; San Diego State won it only once in the last four years, despite going 55-15 in conference games those four seasons. Aztecs figure to be the #1-seed again this season.
UNLV hosts this tournament; they haven’t won the Mountain West tournament since 2008, back when BYU/TCU were also in the Mountain West.
Elsewhere………
— Colorado State 92, New Mexico 84— Lobos were the last unbeaten team in the country; their first loss was January 3rd, but now they’ve lost 8 of their last 11 games and will need to win the Mountain West tournament to make the NCAA’s.
— BYU 82, Portland 71— Portland led by 13 at halftime, got outscored 52-28 in second half. Cougars advance to play LMU Saturday at Orleans Arena.
— Campbell 81, Longwood 68— #7-seed Camels upset #2-seed Longwood in the Big South quarterfinals. During the season, Longwood beat Campbell twice, by 24-25 points.
— Toledo 87, Ball State 81— Rockets win the MAC regular season title; they won the first MAC tournament in 1980, haven’t won one since— they’ll need to win the tournament to make it to the NCAA’s.
— Missouri Valley tournament
Drake 74, Murray State 62
Indiana State 94, Belmont 91
Big fish, small pond, that’s the secret to being a winning mid-major program. So many of these teams have success, then the administrators’ eyes get bigger than their stomach, and they move up to a bigger league, trying to join the big boys. It doesn’t work very often.
Murray State/Belmont were the big fish in the Ohio Valley; now neither one made the semi-final in their new league, a much better league.
NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up
Saturday, March 4
13 of Saturday’s best college basketball games
Alabama @ Texas A&M
— Alabama (26-4, 16-1) ranked #3 by KenPom
— Tempo: #2
— Experience: #264
— Continuity: #289
— Alabama won 17 of its last 19 games.
— Alabama’s last three wins were by 2-3-5 points.
— Crimson Tide is 7-1 SU/5-3 ATS in SEC road games.
— Crimson Tide has #2 eFG% defense in country.
— Alabama has #56 eFG% in country..
— Alabama’s schedule, to this point: #10
— bench minutes: #69
— Alabama’s best win: 71-65 at #1 Houston.
— Texas A&M (22-8, 14-3) ranked #23 by KenPom
— Tempo: #251
— Experience: #90
— Continuity: #91
— Texas A&M won seven of its last eight games.
— Texas A&M is 8-0 SU/7-1 ATS in SEC home games.
— Texas A&M has #58 eFG% defense in country.
— Aggies are forcing turnovers 21% of time (#47)
— Aggies are getting 26% of points on foul line (#2)
— Texas A&M’s schedule, to this point: #68
— bench minutes: #184
— Texas A&M’s best win: 68-63 over #4 Tennessee
— Texas A&M won last four series games.
— Alabama lost its last four visits to College Station.
— SEC home teams are 13-13 ATS, in games with spread of 3 or less.
Iowa State @ Baylor
— Iowa State (17-12, 8-9) ranked #28 by KenPom
— Tempo: #327
— Experience: #6
— Continuity: #186
— Iowa State lost four in row, 10 of its last 14 games.
— Cyclones lost their last seven road games (1-6 ATS)
— Cyclones are turning ball over 19.2% of time (#254)
— Opponents are getting 22.5% of points on foul line (#28)
— Iowa State threw its #3 scorer (Grill) off team this week.
— Iowa State’s schedule, to this point: #6
— bench minutes: #200
— Iowa State’s best win: 68-53 over #7 Kansas
— Baylor (22-8, 11-6) ranked #13 by KenPom
— Tempo: #220
— Experience: #198
— Continuity: #182
— Baylor won six of its last eight games overall.
— Bears won their last seven home games (6-1 ATS).
— Baylor is shooting 36.8% on arc (#46)
— Baylor gets 36.7% of its points on 3-pointers (#35)
— Opponents are shooting 53% inside arc (#307)
— Baylor’s schedule, to this point: #3
— bench minutes: #178
— Baylor’s best wins: 80-75 over #2 UCLA
— Iowa State (+2) beat Baylor 77-62 at home on New Year’s Eve.
— Baylor won six of last seven series games.
— Cyclones lost their last nine visits to Waco (75-68 LY)
— Big X home favorites of 7+ points are 5-10 ATS
Kansas State @ West Virginia
— Kansas State (23-7, 11-6) ranked #18 by KenPom
— Tempo: #51
— Experience: #30
— Continuity: #317
— K-State won of its last four games, giving up 64.3 ppg.
— Wildcats are 3-5 SU/4-2 ATS as a Big X road underdog.
— K-State is forcing turnovers 21% of time (#51)
— Wildcats have #38 eFG% defense in country.
— K-State is 8-2 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— K-State’s schedule, to this point: #18
— bench minutes: #327
— K-State’s best win: 83-82 OT over #7 Kansas
— West Virginia (17-13, 6-11) ranked #19 by KenPom
— Tempo: #115
— Experience: #73
— Continuity: #332
— West Virginia lost four of its last six games.
— West Virginia is 4-4 SU/4-3 ATS as a Big X home favorite.
— WVU is shooting 48.2% inside arc in Big X games (#10 of 10)
— WVU is forcing turnovers 20.8% of time (#57)
— Opponents are getting 22.4% of points on foul line (#332)
— West Virginia’s schedule, to this point: #4
— bench minutes: #149
— West Virginia’s best win: 74-65 over #21 TCU
— K-State (-1) beat West Virginia 82-76 in OT on New Year’s Eve.
— Mountaineers won five of last seven series games.
— Wildcats lost last three visits to West Virginia, by 9-22-3 points.
— Big X home favorites of 5 or less points are 20-13 ATS
Tennessee @ Auburn
— Tennessee (22-8, 11-6) ranked #4 by KenPom
— Tempo: #276
— Experience: #136
— Continuity: #122
— Tennessee won last two games, scoring 85-75 points.
— Tennessee lost its last four road tilts, by 13-1-12-5 points.
— Tennessee is forcing turnovers 23.2% of time (#15)
— Vols have #1 eFG% defense in country.
— Vols lost their PG Zeigler (knee) to injury last game.
— Tennessee’s schedule, to this point: #37
— bench minutes: #59
— Tennessee’s best win: 68-59 over #3 Alabama
— Auburn (19-11, 9-8) ranked #30 by KenPom
— Tempo: #157
— Experience: #84
— Continuity: #58
— Auburn lost eight of its last eleven games.
— Tigers won six of eight SEC home games SU.
— Auburn is #308 team in country on defensive boards..
— Auburn has #244 eFG% in country.
— Tigers are 5-6 in games decided by 7 or less points
— Auburn’s schedule, to this point: #31
— bench minutes: #70
— Auburn’s best win: 72-59 over #16 Tennessee
— Tennessee (-9) beat Auburn 46-43 at home February 4.
— Auburn won six of last eight series games.
— Vols lost last three visits to Auburn, by 9-7-5 points.
— SEC home teams are 13-13 ATS, in games with spread of 3 or less.
Kentucky @ Arkansas
— Kentucky (20-10, 11-6) ranked #22 by KenPom
— Tempo: #274
— Experience: #113
— Continuity: #211
— Kentucky won four of its last five games
— Kentucky is 5-3 SU/2-1 ATS as an SEC road underdog.
— Wildcats are #3 team on offensive boards.
— Wildcats are 6-6 against top 50 teams.
— Kentucky is 5-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Kentucky’s schedule, to this point: #38
— bench minutes: #226
— Kentucky’s best wins: 63-56/66-54 over #4 Tennessee
— Arkansas (19-11, 8-9) ranked #16 by KenPom
— Tempo: #62
— Experience: #256
— Continuity: #333
— Arkansas lost four of its last six games.
— Hogs are 6-2 SU/5-2 ATS as an SEC home favorite.
— Arkansas is shooting 54.2% inside arc (#39), 32.1% on arc (#292)
— Hogs has #19 eFG% defense in country.
— Arkansas is 4-7 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Arkansas’ schedule, to this point: #25
— bench minutes: #294
— Arkansas’ best win: 78-74 in OT over #15 San Diego State
— Arkansas (+4) won 88-73 at Kentucky February 7
— Arkansas won last three meetings, after an 0-7 skid.
— Wildcats won four of last five visits to Arkansas.
— SEC home favorites of 5 or less points are 17-11 ATS
MVC tournament (@ St Louis)
Bradley vs Indiana State
— Bradley (24-8, 17-4) ranked #82 by KenPom
— Tempo: #282
— Experience: #210
— Continuity: #51
— Bradley won last 11 games, covered eight of last nine.
— Bradley trailed with 6:57 left Friday, played two starters 35:00.
— Bradley played 8 guys Friday, only two more than 28:00.
— Braves has #47 eFG%, #15 eFG% defense in country.
— Braves are #20 team on defensive boards.
— Bradley’s schedule, to this point: #201
— bench minutes: #160
— Bradley’s best win: over #81 Drake
— Indiana State (22-11, 15-7) ranked #94 by KenPom
— Tempo: #32
— Experience: #205
— Continuity: #86
— Indiana State won 9 of its last 11 games.
— Sycamores played four starters 34:00+ Friday.
— ISU made 16-28 on arc Friday, still trailed with 1:40 left.
— Indiana State is shooting 59.1% inside arc (#4)
— Indiana State is #9 team in country on defensive boards.
— Indiana State’s schedule, to this point: #282
— bench minutes: #71
— Indiana State’s best win: 75-73 over #81 Drake
— Bradley (+1) beat ISU 78-67 in Terre Haute January 18.
— Indiana State won four of last five series games.
Kansas @ Texas
— Kansas (25-5, 13-4) ranked #7 by KenPom
— Tempo: #75
— Experience: #230
— Continuity: #227
— Kansas won its last seven games (5-2 ATS).
— Kansas is 5-3 SU in its Big X road games.
— Jayhawks are 3-2 ATS as an underdog this year.
— Jayhawks have #29 eFG% defense in country.
— Kansas is forcing turnovers 20.4% of time (#66)
— Kansas’ schedule, to this point: #2
— bench minutes: #360
— Kansas’ best win: 87-71 over #13 Baylor.
— Texas (22-8, 11-6) ranked #10 by KenPom
— Tempo: #66
— Experience: #7
— Continuity: #140
— Texas is 3-4 in its last seven games
— Longhorns are 7-1 SU/4-4 SU as a Big X home favorite.
— Texas is forcing turnovers 22.9% of time (#19).
— Longhorns are shooting 54% inside arc (#41)
— Texas is 8-3 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Texas’ schedule, to this point: #8
— bench minutes: #127
— Texas’ best win: 93-74 over #9 Gonzaga
— Kansas (-4) beat Texas 88-80 at home February 5.
— Kansas is 5-4 in last nine series games.
— Jayhawks lost 75-72 OT/79-76 in last two visits to Austin.
— Big X home favorites of 3 or less points are 12-8 ATS
Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech
— Oklahoma State (16-14, 7-10) ranked #44 by KenPom
— Tempo: #161
— Experience: #77
— Continuity: #168
— Oklahoma State lost its last five games, giving up 83.8 ppg.
— Cowboys are 2-6 SU/4-4 ATS as a Big X road underdog.
— Oklahoma State is turning ball over 20.7% of time (#323)
— Cowboys have #20 eFG% defense in country.
— Oklahoma State is 5-6 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Oklahoma State’s schedule, to this point: #7
— bench minutes: #51
— Oklahoma State’s best win: 67-60 over #19 West Virginia
— Texas Tech (16-14, 5-12) ranked #50 by KenPom
— Tempo: #169
— Experience: #147
— Continuity: #319
— Texas Tech lost its last two games, by a combined five points.
— Red Raiders are 3-5 SU/0-4 ATS as a Big X home favorite.
— Red Raiders are turning ball over 20.3% of time in Big X tilts (#9 of 10)
— Texas Tech is #78 team in country on offensive boards.
— Texas Tech is 5-9 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— You’re reading armadillosports.com
— Texas Tech’s schedule, to this point: #23
— bench minutes: #64
— Texas Tech’s best win: 74-67 over #10 Texas.
— Oklahoma State (-5) beat Texas Tech 71-68 February 8th
— Cowboys won five of last six series games.
— Oklahoma State lost four of its last five visits to Lubbock.
— Big X home favorites of 3 or less points are 12-8 ATS
Duke @ North Carolina
— Duke (22-8, 13-6) ranked #33 by KenPom
— Tempo: #291
— Experience: #291
— Continuity: #338
— Duke won its last five games, giving up 62.6 ppg.
— Duke is 3-6 SU/0-3 ATS as an ACC road underdog.
— Duke has #26 eFG% defense.
— Blue Devils are #6 team on offensive boards.
— Blue Devils are 8-3 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Duke’s schedule, to this point: #73
— bench minutes: #140
— Duke’s best win: 71-64 over #17 Xavier
— North Carolina (19-11, 11-8) ranked #46 by KenPom
— Tempo: #85
— Experience: #24
— Continuity: #15
— North Carolina won its last three games, giving up 62.7 ppg.
— Tar Heels are 7-2 SU/2-3-1 ATS as an ACC home favorite.
— Tar Heels are 2-6 against top 50 teams.
— North Carolina getting 22% of points on foul line (#23)
— North Carolina is #15 team on defensive boards.
— North Carolina’s schedule, to this point: #50
— bench minutes: #358
— North Carolina’s best win: 71-63 over #39 Virginia.
— Duke (-3) beat North Carolina 63-57 at home February 4th.
— Tar Heels won four of last six meetings in this rivalry.
— Duke lost four of last six visits to Chapel Hill.
— ACC home favorites of 4 or less points are 14-8 ATS
OVC championship game (@ Evansville, IN)
Southeast Missouri State vs Tennessee Tech
— SE Missouri State (18-16, 13-8) ranked #258 by KenPom
— Tempo: #6
— Experience: #284
— Continuity: #238
— SE Missouri State won last three days, scoring 84-91-65 points.
— Redhawks played two starters 35:00+ Friday; six guys played 22:00+.
— SE Missouri State has #244 eFG% in country.
— Redhawks are getting 21.2% of their points on foul line (#39)
— Opponents are getting 22.6% of their points on foul line (#338)
— SE Missouri State’s schedule, to this point: #334
— bench minutes: #87
— SE Missouri State’s best win: 64-61 at #135 South Florida
— Tennessee Tech (16-16, 12-7) ranked #283 by KenPom
— Tempo: #203
— Experience: #227
— Continuity: #350
— Tennessee Tech won six of its last eight games.
— Eagles played four starters 36:00+ in last nite’s semi-final win.
— Tech has #254 eFG% defense, is #273 team on defensive boards.
— Last time Tech was in OVC finals was in 2011.
— Last time Tech was in NCAA’s was in 1963.
— Tennessee Tech’s schedule, to this point: #329
— bench minutes: #142
— Tennessee Tech’s best win: 69-62 over #237 East Tennessee State
— Home side won both meetings in series games this year.
— Tennessee Tech is 4-3 in last seven series games.
— This is #5-seed vs #2-seed; winner probably goes to a First Four game.
Boise State @ Utah State
— Boise State (23-7, 13-4) ranked #25 by KenPom
— Tempo: #213
— Experience: #179
— Continuity: #106
— Boise State won 13 of its last 16 games
— Boise State is 5-3 SU/2-2-1 ATS as a MW road underdog.
— Boise State has #24 eFG% defense in country.
— Broncos are #19 team in country on defensive boards.
— Broncos’ last five games were all decided by 6 or less points.
— Boise State’s schedule, to this point: #64
— bench minutes: #349
— Boise State’s best win: 66-60 over #15 San Diego State
— Utah State (23-7, 12-5) ranked #24 by KenPom
— Tempo: #124
— Experience: #29
— Continuity: #157
— Utah State won its last four games, scoring 77.8 ppg.
— Utah State is 7-1 SU/5-3 ATS as a MW home favorite.
— Aggies are shooting 53.9% inside arc (#45), 39.3% on arc (#5)
— Aggies are #28 team on defensive boards.
— Utah State is 4-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Utah State’s schedule, to this point: #61
— bench minutes: #334
— Utah State’s best win: 75-66 over #40 Nevada.
— Boise State (-1) beat Utah State 82-59 at home January 7th.
— Broncos won last five series games.
— Boise State won four of last six visits to Logan.
— Mountain West home favorites of 6 or less points are 15-14 ATS
Arizona @ UCLA
— Arizona (25-5, 14-5) ranked #11 by KenPom
— Tempo: #10
— Experience: #58
— Continuity: #166
— Arizona won 10 of its last 12 games
— Arizona won five of its eight Pac-12 road games.
— First time this season Wildcats are an underdog.
— Wildcats have #4 eFG%, #43 eFG% defense.
— Arizona allowed 81+ points in four of its five losses.
— Arizona’s schedule, to this point: #49
— bench minutes: #287
— Arizona’s best win: 58-52 over #2 UCLA
— UCLA (26-4, 17-2) ranked #2 by KenPom
— Tempo: #236
— Experience: #106
— Continuity: #150
— UCLA won its last nine games (5-3-1 ATS).
— Bruins are 9-0 SU/5-4 ATS as a Pac-12 home favorite.
— Bruins has #27 eFG% defense in country.
— UCLA is forcing turnovers 24.2% of time (#7)
— UCLA is #20 team in country on offensive boards.
— UCLA’s schedule, to this point: #42
— bench minutes: #280
— UCLA’s best win: 87-60 at #20 Maryland
— Arizona (-2) beat UCLA 58-52 at home January 21.
— Arizona won last three meetings, after an 0-6 skid.
— Wildcats lost their last four games in Pauley Pavilion.
— Pac-12 home favorites of 6 or less points are 17-16 ATS
Arizona State @ USC
— Arizona State (20-10, 11-8) ranked #63 by KenPom
— Tempo: #123
— Experience: #65
— Continuity: #236
— Arizona State won four of its last six games
— Arizona State is 6-3 SU/4-2 ATS as a Pac-12 road underdog.
— Sun Devils have #282 eFG% in country.
— Arizona State has #17 eFG% defense.
— Sun Devils are 10-3 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Arizona State’s schedule, to this point: #44
— bench minutes: #139
— Arizona State’s best win: 89-88 at #11 Arizona.
— USC (21-9, 13-6) ranked #35 by KenPom
— Tempo: #139
— Experience: #138
— Continuity: #145
— USC won four of its last five games
— Trojans are 8-1 SU/5-3 ATS as a Pac-12 home favorite.
— USC has #11 eFG% defense in country.
— USC is #321 team on defensive boards.
— Trojans are 6-5 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— USC’s schedule, to this point: #46
— bench minutes: #282
— USC’s best win: 77-64 over #2 UCLA
— USC (+4) won 77-69 in Tempe January 21.
— Trojans won last six series games.
— Sun Devils lost their last six games in Galen Center.
— Pac-12 home favorites of 6 or less points are 17-16 ATS
Armadillo's Write-Up
Saturday, March 4
13 of Saturday’s best college basketball games
Alabama @ Texas A&M
— Alabama (26-4, 16-1) ranked #3 by KenPom
— Tempo: #2
— Experience: #264
— Continuity: #289
— Alabama won 17 of its last 19 games.
— Alabama’s last three wins were by 2-3-5 points.
— Crimson Tide is 7-1 SU/5-3 ATS in SEC road games.
— Crimson Tide has #2 eFG% defense in country.
— Alabama has #56 eFG% in country..
— Alabama’s schedule, to this point: #10
— bench minutes: #69
— Alabama’s best win: 71-65 at #1 Houston.
— Texas A&M (22-8, 14-3) ranked #23 by KenPom
— Tempo: #251
— Experience: #90
— Continuity: #91
— Texas A&M won seven of its last eight games.
— Texas A&M is 8-0 SU/7-1 ATS in SEC home games.
— Texas A&M has #58 eFG% defense in country.
— Aggies are forcing turnovers 21% of time (#47)
— Aggies are getting 26% of points on foul line (#2)
— Texas A&M’s schedule, to this point: #68
— bench minutes: #184
— Texas A&M’s best win: 68-63 over #4 Tennessee
— Texas A&M won last four series games.
— Alabama lost its last four visits to College Station.
— SEC home teams are 13-13 ATS, in games with spread of 3 or less.
Iowa State @ Baylor
— Iowa State (17-12, 8-9) ranked #28 by KenPom
— Tempo: #327
— Experience: #6
— Continuity: #186
— Iowa State lost four in row, 10 of its last 14 games.
— Cyclones lost their last seven road games (1-6 ATS)
— Cyclones are turning ball over 19.2% of time (#254)
— Opponents are getting 22.5% of points on foul line (#28)
— Iowa State threw its #3 scorer (Grill) off team this week.
— Iowa State’s schedule, to this point: #6
— bench minutes: #200
— Iowa State’s best win: 68-53 over #7 Kansas
— Baylor (22-8, 11-6) ranked #13 by KenPom
— Tempo: #220
— Experience: #198
— Continuity: #182
— Baylor won six of its last eight games overall.
— Bears won their last seven home games (6-1 ATS).
— Baylor is shooting 36.8% on arc (#46)
— Baylor gets 36.7% of its points on 3-pointers (#35)
— Opponents are shooting 53% inside arc (#307)
— Baylor’s schedule, to this point: #3
— bench minutes: #178
— Baylor’s best wins: 80-75 over #2 UCLA
— Iowa State (+2) beat Baylor 77-62 at home on New Year’s Eve.
— Baylor won six of last seven series games.
— Cyclones lost their last nine visits to Waco (75-68 LY)
— Big X home favorites of 7+ points are 5-10 ATS
Kansas State @ West Virginia
— Kansas State (23-7, 11-6) ranked #18 by KenPom
— Tempo: #51
— Experience: #30
— Continuity: #317
— K-State won of its last four games, giving up 64.3 ppg.
— Wildcats are 3-5 SU/4-2 ATS as a Big X road underdog.
— K-State is forcing turnovers 21% of time (#51)
— Wildcats have #38 eFG% defense in country.
— K-State is 8-2 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— K-State’s schedule, to this point: #18
— bench minutes: #327
— K-State’s best win: 83-82 OT over #7 Kansas
— West Virginia (17-13, 6-11) ranked #19 by KenPom
— Tempo: #115
— Experience: #73
— Continuity: #332
— West Virginia lost four of its last six games.
— West Virginia is 4-4 SU/4-3 ATS as a Big X home favorite.
— WVU is shooting 48.2% inside arc in Big X games (#10 of 10)
— WVU is forcing turnovers 20.8% of time (#57)
— Opponents are getting 22.4% of points on foul line (#332)
— West Virginia’s schedule, to this point: #4
— bench minutes: #149
— West Virginia’s best win: 74-65 over #21 TCU
— K-State (-1) beat West Virginia 82-76 in OT on New Year’s Eve.
— Mountaineers won five of last seven series games.
— Wildcats lost last three visits to West Virginia, by 9-22-3 points.
— Big X home favorites of 5 or less points are 20-13 ATS
Tennessee @ Auburn
— Tennessee (22-8, 11-6) ranked #4 by KenPom
— Tempo: #276
— Experience: #136
— Continuity: #122
— Tennessee won last two games, scoring 85-75 points.
— Tennessee lost its last four road tilts, by 13-1-12-5 points.
— Tennessee is forcing turnovers 23.2% of time (#15)
— Vols have #1 eFG% defense in country.
— Vols lost their PG Zeigler (knee) to injury last game.
— Tennessee’s schedule, to this point: #37
— bench minutes: #59
— Tennessee’s best win: 68-59 over #3 Alabama
— Auburn (19-11, 9-8) ranked #30 by KenPom
— Tempo: #157
— Experience: #84
— Continuity: #58
— Auburn lost eight of its last eleven games.
— Tigers won six of eight SEC home games SU.
— Auburn is #308 team in country on defensive boards..
— Auburn has #244 eFG% in country.
— Tigers are 5-6 in games decided by 7 or less points
— Auburn’s schedule, to this point: #31
— bench minutes: #70
— Auburn’s best win: 72-59 over #16 Tennessee
— Tennessee (-9) beat Auburn 46-43 at home February 4.
— Auburn won six of last eight series games.
— Vols lost last three visits to Auburn, by 9-7-5 points.
— SEC home teams are 13-13 ATS, in games with spread of 3 or less.
Kentucky @ Arkansas
— Kentucky (20-10, 11-6) ranked #22 by KenPom
— Tempo: #274
— Experience: #113
— Continuity: #211
— Kentucky won four of its last five games
— Kentucky is 5-3 SU/2-1 ATS as an SEC road underdog.
— Wildcats are #3 team on offensive boards.
— Wildcats are 6-6 against top 50 teams.
— Kentucky is 5-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Kentucky’s schedule, to this point: #38
— bench minutes: #226
— Kentucky’s best wins: 63-56/66-54 over #4 Tennessee
— Arkansas (19-11, 8-9) ranked #16 by KenPom
— Tempo: #62
— Experience: #256
— Continuity: #333
— Arkansas lost four of its last six games.
— Hogs are 6-2 SU/5-2 ATS as an SEC home favorite.
— Arkansas is shooting 54.2% inside arc (#39), 32.1% on arc (#292)
— Hogs has #19 eFG% defense in country.
— Arkansas is 4-7 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Arkansas’ schedule, to this point: #25
— bench minutes: #294
— Arkansas’ best win: 78-74 in OT over #15 San Diego State
— Arkansas (+4) won 88-73 at Kentucky February 7
— Arkansas won last three meetings, after an 0-7 skid.
— Wildcats won four of last five visits to Arkansas.
— SEC home favorites of 5 or less points are 17-11 ATS
MVC tournament (@ St Louis)
Bradley vs Indiana State
— Bradley (24-8, 17-4) ranked #82 by KenPom
— Tempo: #282
— Experience: #210
— Continuity: #51
— Bradley won last 11 games, covered eight of last nine.
— Bradley trailed with 6:57 left Friday, played two starters 35:00.
— Bradley played 8 guys Friday, only two more than 28:00.
— Braves has #47 eFG%, #15 eFG% defense in country.
— Braves are #20 team on defensive boards.
— Bradley’s schedule, to this point: #201
— bench minutes: #160
— Bradley’s best win: over #81 Drake
— Indiana State (22-11, 15-7) ranked #94 by KenPom
— Tempo: #32
— Experience: #205
— Continuity: #86
— Indiana State won 9 of its last 11 games.
— Sycamores played four starters 34:00+ Friday.
— ISU made 16-28 on arc Friday, still trailed with 1:40 left.
— Indiana State is shooting 59.1% inside arc (#4)
— Indiana State is #9 team in country on defensive boards.
— Indiana State’s schedule, to this point: #282
— bench minutes: #71
— Indiana State’s best win: 75-73 over #81 Drake
— Bradley (+1) beat ISU 78-67 in Terre Haute January 18.
— Indiana State won four of last five series games.
Kansas @ Texas
— Kansas (25-5, 13-4) ranked #7 by KenPom
— Tempo: #75
— Experience: #230
— Continuity: #227
— Kansas won its last seven games (5-2 ATS).
— Kansas is 5-3 SU in its Big X road games.
— Jayhawks are 3-2 ATS as an underdog this year.
— Jayhawks have #29 eFG% defense in country.
— Kansas is forcing turnovers 20.4% of time (#66)
— Kansas’ schedule, to this point: #2
— bench minutes: #360
— Kansas’ best win: 87-71 over #13 Baylor.
— Texas (22-8, 11-6) ranked #10 by KenPom
— Tempo: #66
— Experience: #7
— Continuity: #140
— Texas is 3-4 in its last seven games
— Longhorns are 7-1 SU/4-4 SU as a Big X home favorite.
— Texas is forcing turnovers 22.9% of time (#19).
— Longhorns are shooting 54% inside arc (#41)
— Texas is 8-3 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Texas’ schedule, to this point: #8
— bench minutes: #127
— Texas’ best win: 93-74 over #9 Gonzaga
— Kansas (-4) beat Texas 88-80 at home February 5.
— Kansas is 5-4 in last nine series games.
— Jayhawks lost 75-72 OT/79-76 in last two visits to Austin.
— Big X home favorites of 3 or less points are 12-8 ATS
Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech
— Oklahoma State (16-14, 7-10) ranked #44 by KenPom
— Tempo: #161
— Experience: #77
— Continuity: #168
— Oklahoma State lost its last five games, giving up 83.8 ppg.
— Cowboys are 2-6 SU/4-4 ATS as a Big X road underdog.
— Oklahoma State is turning ball over 20.7% of time (#323)
— Cowboys have #20 eFG% defense in country.
— Oklahoma State is 5-6 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Oklahoma State’s schedule, to this point: #7
— bench minutes: #51
— Oklahoma State’s best win: 67-60 over #19 West Virginia
— Texas Tech (16-14, 5-12) ranked #50 by KenPom
— Tempo: #169
— Experience: #147
— Continuity: #319
— Texas Tech lost its last two games, by a combined five points.
— Red Raiders are 3-5 SU/0-4 ATS as a Big X home favorite.
— Red Raiders are turning ball over 20.3% of time in Big X tilts (#9 of 10)
— Texas Tech is #78 team in country on offensive boards.
— Texas Tech is 5-9 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— You’re reading armadillosports.com
— Texas Tech’s schedule, to this point: #23
— bench minutes: #64
— Texas Tech’s best win: 74-67 over #10 Texas.
— Oklahoma State (-5) beat Texas Tech 71-68 February 8th
— Cowboys won five of last six series games.
— Oklahoma State lost four of its last five visits to Lubbock.
— Big X home favorites of 3 or less points are 12-8 ATS
Duke @ North Carolina
— Duke (22-8, 13-6) ranked #33 by KenPom
— Tempo: #291
— Experience: #291
— Continuity: #338
— Duke won its last five games, giving up 62.6 ppg.
— Duke is 3-6 SU/0-3 ATS as an ACC road underdog.
— Duke has #26 eFG% defense.
— Blue Devils are #6 team on offensive boards.
— Blue Devils are 8-3 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Duke’s schedule, to this point: #73
— bench minutes: #140
— Duke’s best win: 71-64 over #17 Xavier
— North Carolina (19-11, 11-8) ranked #46 by KenPom
— Tempo: #85
— Experience: #24
— Continuity: #15
— North Carolina won its last three games, giving up 62.7 ppg.
— Tar Heels are 7-2 SU/2-3-1 ATS as an ACC home favorite.
— Tar Heels are 2-6 against top 50 teams.
— North Carolina getting 22% of points on foul line (#23)
— North Carolina is #15 team on defensive boards.
— North Carolina’s schedule, to this point: #50
— bench minutes: #358
— North Carolina’s best win: 71-63 over #39 Virginia.
— Duke (-3) beat North Carolina 63-57 at home February 4th.
— Tar Heels won four of last six meetings in this rivalry.
— Duke lost four of last six visits to Chapel Hill.
— ACC home favorites of 4 or less points are 14-8 ATS
OVC championship game (@ Evansville, IN)
Southeast Missouri State vs Tennessee Tech
— SE Missouri State (18-16, 13-8) ranked #258 by KenPom
— Tempo: #6
— Experience: #284
— Continuity: #238
— SE Missouri State won last three days, scoring 84-91-65 points.
— Redhawks played two starters 35:00+ Friday; six guys played 22:00+.
— SE Missouri State has #244 eFG% in country.
— Redhawks are getting 21.2% of their points on foul line (#39)
— Opponents are getting 22.6% of their points on foul line (#338)
— SE Missouri State’s schedule, to this point: #334
— bench minutes: #87
— SE Missouri State’s best win: 64-61 at #135 South Florida
— Tennessee Tech (16-16, 12-7) ranked #283 by KenPom
— Tempo: #203
— Experience: #227
— Continuity: #350
— Tennessee Tech won six of its last eight games.
— Eagles played four starters 36:00+ in last nite’s semi-final win.
— Tech has #254 eFG% defense, is #273 team on defensive boards.
— Last time Tech was in OVC finals was in 2011.
— Last time Tech was in NCAA’s was in 1963.
— Tennessee Tech’s schedule, to this point: #329
— bench minutes: #142
— Tennessee Tech’s best win: 69-62 over #237 East Tennessee State
— Home side won both meetings in series games this year.
— Tennessee Tech is 4-3 in last seven series games.
— This is #5-seed vs #2-seed; winner probably goes to a First Four game.
Boise State @ Utah State
— Boise State (23-7, 13-4) ranked #25 by KenPom
— Tempo: #213
— Experience: #179
— Continuity: #106
— Boise State won 13 of its last 16 games
— Boise State is 5-3 SU/2-2-1 ATS as a MW road underdog.
— Boise State has #24 eFG% defense in country.
— Broncos are #19 team in country on defensive boards.
— Broncos’ last five games were all decided by 6 or less points.
— Boise State’s schedule, to this point: #64
— bench minutes: #349
— Boise State’s best win: 66-60 over #15 San Diego State
— Utah State (23-7, 12-5) ranked #24 by KenPom
— Tempo: #124
— Experience: #29
— Continuity: #157
— Utah State won its last four games, scoring 77.8 ppg.
— Utah State is 7-1 SU/5-3 ATS as a MW home favorite.
— Aggies are shooting 53.9% inside arc (#45), 39.3% on arc (#5)
— Aggies are #28 team on defensive boards.
— Utah State is 4-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Utah State’s schedule, to this point: #61
— bench minutes: #334
— Utah State’s best win: 75-66 over #40 Nevada.
— Boise State (-1) beat Utah State 82-59 at home January 7th.
— Broncos won last five series games.
— Boise State won four of last six visits to Logan.
— Mountain West home favorites of 6 or less points are 15-14 ATS
Arizona @ UCLA
— Arizona (25-5, 14-5) ranked #11 by KenPom
— Tempo: #10
— Experience: #58
— Continuity: #166
— Arizona won 10 of its last 12 games
— Arizona won five of its eight Pac-12 road games.
— First time this season Wildcats are an underdog.
— Wildcats have #4 eFG%, #43 eFG% defense.
— Arizona allowed 81+ points in four of its five losses.
— Arizona’s schedule, to this point: #49
— bench minutes: #287
— Arizona’s best win: 58-52 over #2 UCLA
— UCLA (26-4, 17-2) ranked #2 by KenPom
— Tempo: #236
— Experience: #106
— Continuity: #150
— UCLA won its last nine games (5-3-1 ATS).
— Bruins are 9-0 SU/5-4 ATS as a Pac-12 home favorite.
— Bruins has #27 eFG% defense in country.
— UCLA is forcing turnovers 24.2% of time (#7)
— UCLA is #20 team in country on offensive boards.
— UCLA’s schedule, to this point: #42
— bench minutes: #280
— UCLA’s best win: 87-60 at #20 Maryland
— Arizona (-2) beat UCLA 58-52 at home January 21.
— Arizona won last three meetings, after an 0-6 skid.
— Wildcats lost their last four games in Pauley Pavilion.
— Pac-12 home favorites of 6 or less points are 17-16 ATS
Arizona State @ USC
— Arizona State (20-10, 11-8) ranked #63 by KenPom
— Tempo: #123
— Experience: #65
— Continuity: #236
— Arizona State won four of its last six games
— Arizona State is 6-3 SU/4-2 ATS as a Pac-12 road underdog.
— Sun Devils have #282 eFG% in country.
— Arizona State has #17 eFG% defense.
— Sun Devils are 10-3 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Arizona State’s schedule, to this point: #44
— bench minutes: #139
— Arizona State’s best win: 89-88 at #11 Arizona.
— USC (21-9, 13-6) ranked #35 by KenPom
— Tempo: #139
— Experience: #138
— Continuity: #145
— USC won four of its last five games
— Trojans are 8-1 SU/5-3 ATS as a Pac-12 home favorite.
— USC has #11 eFG% defense in country.
— USC is #321 team on defensive boards.
— Trojans are 6-5 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— USC’s schedule, to this point: #46
— bench minutes: #282
— USC’s best win: 77-64 over #2 UCLA
— USC (+4) won 77-69 in Tempe January 21.
— Trojans won last six series games.
— Sun Devils lost their last six games in Galen Center.
— Pac-12 home favorites of 6 or less points are 17-16 ATS
SATURDAY, MARCH 4
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELON at CWM | 12:00 PM | CWM +2.0 U 133.5 | +500 +500 |
| ISU at BAY | 12:00 PM | BAY -7.5 U 134.5 | +500 +500 |
| ALA at TAM | 12:00 PM | TAM -1.5 O 154.0 | +500 +500 |
| PENN at PRIN | 12:00 PM | PRIN -2.5 U 148.0 | +500 +500 |
| SCUS at UNCA | 12:00 PM | UNCA -7.0 U 139.0 | +500 +500 |
| HALL at PROV | 12:00 PM | PROV -7.5 O 139.0 | +500 +500 |
| MER at FUR | 12:00 PM | FUR -10.5 O 142.0 | +500 +500 |
| OSU at MSU | 12:00 PM | OSU +6.5 O 138.5 | +500 +500 |
| GMU at RICH | 12:30 PM | RICH -2.5 U 133.0 | +500 +500 |
| USA at USM | 12:30 PM | USM -2.0 U 138.5 | +500 +500 |
| UAB at CHAR | 01:00 PM | UAB -4.5 U 134.5 | +500 +500 |
| UGA at SCAR | 01:00 PM | SCAR +0.0 O 140.0 | +500 +500 |
| BING at UMBC | 01:00 PM | UMBC -7.0 U 143.0 | +500 +500 |
| BRY at UNH | 01:00 PM | BRY -3.5 O 143.0 | +500 +500 |
| MSM at MAN | 02:00 PM | MAN -2.0 U 132.5 | +500 +500 |
| SIE at SPU | 02:00 PM | SIE -4.0 U 126.5 | +500 +500 |
| KSU at WVU | 02:00 PM | KSU +5.0 O 149.0 | +500 +500 |
| HARV at DART | 02:00 PM | HARV -4.5 O 135.5 | +500 +500 |
| CLMB at COR | 02:00 PM | COR -16.0 U 161.0 | +500 +500 |
| L-IL at LAS | 02:00 PM | LAS -3.5 U 140.5 | +500 +500 |
| DUQ at FOR | 02:00 PM | DUQ +1.0 O 145.5 | +500 +500 |
| CAMP at RAD | 02:00 PM | RAD -3.5 U 132.0 | +500 +500 |
| MTU at UTEP | 02:00 PM | MTU +0.0 O 133.5 | +500 +500 |
| SJU at MARQ | 02:00 PM | MARQ -11.5 U 162.0 | +500 +500 |
| LOU at UVA | 02:00 PM | LOU +19.0 U 127.5 | +500 +500 |
| TENN at AUB | 02:00 PM | AUB -2.5 U 130.0 | +500 +500 |
| UK at ARK | 02:00 PM | ARK -4.0 U 141.5 | +500 +500 |
| MONM at DREX | 02:30 PM | MONM +9.5 O 129.5 | +500 +500 |
| SBON at MASS | 02:30 PM | SBON +2.0 O 141.5 | +500 +500 |
| ETSU at WCU | 02:30 PM | ETSU -2.0 U 140.5 | +500 +500 |
| GT at BC | 02:30 PM | GT +4.0 O 137.5 | +500 +500 |
| TROY at JMU | 03:00 PM | JMU -4.5 O 145.5 | +500 +500 |
| TCU at OKLA | 03:00 PM | TCU -2.0 O 143.5 | +500 +500 |
| FIU at RICE | 03:00 PM | FIU +5.5 O 155.0 | +500 +500 |
| WKU at UNT | 03:00 PM | UNT -9.5 U 125.5 | +500 +500 |
| NIAG at CAN | 03:30 PM | CAN -2.5 U 133.5 | +500 +500 |
| MISS at MIZZ | 03:30 PM | MIZZ -9.0 U 148.5 | +500 +500 |
| INST at BRAD | 03:30 PM | BRAD -2.5 O 140.0 | +500 +500 |
| FAMU at COOK | 04:00 PM | COOK -4.0 U 134.0 | +500 +500 |
| KU at TEX | 04:00 PM | KU +3.0 O 149.0 | +500 +500 |
| LBSU at UCD | 04:00 PM | UCD -3.0 U 157.0 | +500 +500 |
| STAN at ORE | 04:00 PM | STAN +7.0 U 140.5 | +500 +500 |
| FSU at VT | 04:00 PM | VT -10.0 U 150.0 | +500 +500 |
| TXSO at PV | 04:00 PM | PV -3.5 U 138.5 | +500 +500 |
| ME at UMASS | 04:00 PM | UMASS -10.0 U 141.0 | +500 +500 |
| SJSU at AFA | 04:00 PM | AFA -2.5 U 129.0 | +500 +500 |
| VCU at GW | 04:30 PM | VCU -7.0 U 146.5 | +500 +500 |
| WAKE at SYR | 05:00 PM | WAKE +1.0 O 156.5 | +500 +500 |
| UNLV at NEV | 05:00 PM | NEV -8.5 U 142.0 | +500 +500 |
| UTAH at COLO | 05:30 PM | COLO -4.5 U 134.5 | +500 +500 |
| STON at NCAT | 06:00 PM | NCAT -2.0 O 142.0 | +500 +500 |
| OKST at TTU | 06:00 PM | TTU -6.0 O 140.5 | +500 +500 |
| SH at MW | 06:00 PM | MW -4.5 U 132.5 | +500 +500 |
| CHAT at SAM | 06:00 PM | SAM -1.5 U 154.0 | +500 +500 |
| PITT at MIA | 06:00 PM | PITT +7.5 O 154.5 | +500 +500 |
| LSU at FLA | 06:00 PM | FLA -8.0 O 142.0 | +500 +500 |
| TXST at MRSH | 06:00 PM | MRSH -8.0 U 146.5 | +500 +500 |
| SIU at DRKE | 06:00 PM | DRKE -5.0 U 126.5 | +500 +500 |
| DUKE at UNC | 06:30 PM | DUKE +3.5 O 143.0 | +500 +500 |
| ALCN at ARPB | 06:30 PM | ALCN -2.5 U 143.0 | +500 +500 |
| ALST at GRAM | 06:30 PM | GRAM -11.5 O 129.5 | +500 +500 |
| AAMU at SOU | 06:30 PM | SOU -6.0 U 139.0 | +500 +500 |
| IONA at RID | 07:00 PM | IONA -7.5 U 143.5 | +500 +500 |
| QUIN at MRST | 07:00 PM | QUIN -3.0 U 141.5 | +500 +500 |
| BUT at XAV | 07:00 PM | XAV -13.0 U 142.5 | +500 +500 |
| FAU at LT | 07:00 PM | FAU -9.5 U 143.5 | +500 +500 |
| JKST at MVSU | 07:00 PM | MVSU +3.5 O 137.5 | +500 +500 |
| UND at ORU | 07:00 PM | ORU -16.5 U 157.0 | +500 +500 |
| NJIT at UVM | 07:00 PM | UVM -18.0 O 138.0 | +500 +500 |
| CHS at FRES | 07:00 PM | FRES -12.5 O 130.0 | +500 +500 |
| YALE at BRWN | 07:30 PM | YALE -5.5 O 138.5 | +500 +500 |
| CONN at VILL | 07:30 PM | VILL +2.5 O 138.5 | +500 +500 |
| IDHO at NAU | 07:30 PM | NAU -3.0 U 141.5 | +500 +500 |
| DAV at URI | 08:00 PM | DAV -3.0 O 138.5 | +500 +500 |
| SFPA at FDU | 08:00 PM | FDU -4.5 O 156.5 | +500 +500 |
| SEMO at TNTC | 08:00 PM | SEMO -2.0 U 145.0 | +500 +500 |
| ND at CLEM | 08:00 PM | CLEM -9.5 U 144.5 | +500 +500 |
| CAL at ORST | 08:00 PM | ORST -7.0 U 123.0 | +500 +500 |
| NE at DEL | 08:30 PM | DEL -5.5 O 136.5 | +500 +500 |
| GASO at ULL | 08:30 PM | ULL -9.0 U 139.5 | +500 +500 |
| MSST at VAN | 08:30 PM | VAN +3.5 U 133.0 | +500 +500 |
| WOF at UNCG | 08:30 PM | UNCG -7.0 U 136.5 | +500 +500 |
| CSB at UCI | 09:00 PM | UCI -16.0 U 134.5 | +500 +500 |
| HAW at UCSB | 09:00 PM | HAW +5.0 O 130.5 | +500 +500 |
| CREI at DEP | 09:00 PM | CREI -12.0 U 147.0 | +500 +500 |
| BSU at USU | 09:00 PM | USU -5.0 U 143.5 | +500 +500 |
| NEOM at SDST | 09:30 PM | SDST -11.5 U 144.5 | +500 +500 |
| BYU at LMU | 10:00 PM | LMU +4.5 O 148.5 | +500 +500 |
| UCRV at CP | 10:00 PM | UCRV -7.5 O 129.0 | +500 +500 |
| ARIZ at UCLA | 10:00 PM | UCLA -5.0 U 148.0 | +500 +500 |
| UNCO at PRST | 10:00 PM | UNCO -3.0 U 161.0 | +500 +500 |
| WYO at SDSU | 10:00 PM | SDSU -15.0 U 135.5 | +500 +500 |
| ASU at USC | 11:00 PM | ASU +6.0 O 143.0 | +500 +500 |
Pending Picks
| Date | League | Game | Score | Status | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2023 | NCAAB | Mercer Furman | - - | 12:00 PM | FUR -10.5 |
Completed Picks
| Date | League | Game | Score | Pick | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2023 | NBA | New Orleans Golden State | 99 108 | Under 230.5 | Win |
| Mar 2, 2023 | NCAAB | Hawaii CSU Northridge | 81 55 | CSN +8.0 | Loss |
| Mar 1, 2023 | NCAAB | Penn St. Northwestern | 68 65 | NW -3.5 | Loss |
Armadillo Sports
Sunday’s 6-pack
Five best batting averages in spring training:
.583— Henry Ramos, Cubs
.500— Jordan Walker, StL
.455— James Outman, LA
.438— Cavan Biggio, Tor
.438— Oscar Colas, CWS
.429— Eloy Jimenez, CWS
Tweet of the Day
“Wait a minute, you gonna make $70M and you can’t play basketball 3 or 4 days a week?’… They fly private. They got the best medical stuff ever created… People working in the steel mill every day, I’m pretty sure they tired too, but they go to work every day.”
Charles Barkley, on load management in the NBA
Sunday’s quiz
In the old animated TV show The Jetsons, what high school did George’s daughter Judy go to?
Saturday’s quiz
Butler made it to the Final Four two years in a row under coach Brad Stevens (2010-11); the Bulldogs played in the Horizon League back then.
Friday’s quiz
VCU made the national championship game in 2011, as a #11-seed; Shaka Smart was their coach.
*******************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college basketball Saturday
WCC
I’m sitting here at 3:15am watching the second overtime of the San Francisco-Saint Mary’s game from the WCC tournament in Las Vegas. It reminds me that ESPN’s old College Basketball Marathon, where they showed games for like 30 straight hours on a Monday/Tuesday, early in the season, was great fun. They should bring it back next year.
San Francisco 93, Santa Clara 87 2OT— Great game, ton of action, but it is 3:25am and I’m posting this and going to sleep. Maybe I’ll watch a movie first, but I’m signing off here.
OVC
— SE Missouri State 89, Tennessee Tech 82, OT— First ticket to March Madness is punched by the Redhawks, who at one point this season, were 5-9. SE Missouri won four games in four days to win their first conference title in 23 years, and they had to play overtime on the 4th day, after blowing an 11-point second half lead.
This game is what March is all about; just getting into the NCAA’s is a huge deal for these guys and they did it in dramatic style.
Old guy rant: In an era where rich NBA guys sometimes don’t play on consecutive days, four Redhawks played 36:00+ in this game, while playing for the fourth day in a row.
Northeast Conference
Merrimack 71, Sacred Heart 60
Fairleigh Dickinson 70, St Francis PA 50
Merrimack is the top seed, but they’re not eligible for the NCAA Tournament; this is only their 4th year in Division I, so Fairleigh Dickinson punches the second ticket to the NCAA’s- they go to the NCAA’s for the first time since 2019, no matter happens in the NEC final.
SEC
— Texas A&M 67, Alabama 61— Aggies were 6-5 on Christmas Day; they’re 17-3 since then, winning eight of their last nine games. A&M was 27-28 on the foul line; they’re the #2-seed in SEC tournament, finishing a game behind Alabama.
— Kentucky 88, Arkansas 79— Wildcats finish 21-10, 12-6 in SEC play, winning five of last six regular season games. Kentucky fans who have been whining about Calipari can put a sock in it; Bracketology has Kentucky as a 7-seed in NCAA’s.
Arkansas has lost three in row, five of last seven games; they’ll be the #10 seed in SEC tourney, making them a bubble team for the NCAAs if they don’t win a game next week.
Big X
— Iowa Sate 73, Baylor 58— Gambling is hard. This score makes no sense; Cyclones had lost four games in a row, but they shot 62.5% inside arc and won fairly easily. Now they can relax; they are in the NCAA’s, will be playing for seeding at the Big X tournament.
— West Virginia 89, Kansas State 81— Mountaineers get off the bubble, winning three of last four games, scoring 80 ppg.
ACC
— Duke 82, North Carolina 77— Tar Heels are 2-10 vs Quad 1 teams; how many wins do they need in the ACC tournament, to get to the NCAA’s? Tar Heels finished 7th in the ACC; no pre-season #1 team has ever missed the NCAA Tournament.
— Miami 78, Pitt 76— Won’t know for sure until we see the brackets next Sunday, but kind of like Miami as a Cinderella Final Four team. Hurricanes won eight of last nine games, and they blew a 25-point lead in the one loss.
Miami is #28 experience team, with #144 continuity not bad; they’re #22 in offense efficiency, and important metric for the NCAA Tournament.
Big East
Marquette 96, St John’s 94— On Christmas Day, Marquette was 9-4; they’re 16-2 since then, and won the Big East regular season title. by two games.
Shaka Smart is a really good coach; he is 44-19 in two years at Marquette, but fact of the matter is, he hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2013, losing his last seven NCAA Tourney games. He got VCU to the Final Four as an 11-seed in 2011, went WL in next two tournaments, but has come up dry since. This could be the year his team makes another run in the NCAA’s.
Sun Belt
— South Alabama 78, Southern Miss 61— #1-seed Southern Miss was a great story this year, after going 24-65 the last three years, but they get upset in first round of Sun Belt tourney. USA outscored the Eagles 52-34 in the second half; they’ve won 10 of their last 12 games.
Mountain West
— San Jose State 63, Air Force 61— Spartans trailed 45-25 early in second half, but rallied to win and move to 19-12; they’ll have a bye in the Mountain West tournament for the first time ever.
— UNLV 69, Nevada 67 OT— Rebels upset their in-state rivals, giving them their first home loss this season. UNLV jumped out to a 13-0 lead, but trailed 54-46 with 2:27 left. Nevada was 23-35 on foul line, Rebels were 8-11. Nevada finishes as the #4-seed in Mountain West, UNLV #7.
Southern Conference
Chattanooga 85, Samford 82— #7-seed Mocs upset #2-seed Samford, making 15-28 shots on the arc. Kid on Samford scored 27 points in 28:00 and he didn’t start. Bulldogs are 42-22 the last two seasons, but went 1-2 in the SoCon tournament.
Atlantic 15
— VCU 74, George Washington 68— Rams with regular season title by three games, but this is going to be the first time in over a decade this league gets only one team in NCAAs, which makes the conference tournament huge, obviously. Last seven years, seven different teams won the A-15 tournament; next week is going to be fun.
Missouri Valley
Bradley 71, Indiana State 70— Braves won their 12th straight game, shooting 62% inside the arc; they advance to play Drake in MVC finals Sunday. Bradley survived 5-24 shooting on the arc.
Conference USA
— UAB 93, Charlotte 91, 2OT— Jordan Walker scored 41 points for the Blazers; he was 8-20 on the arc. Charlotte’s whole team was 8-23 on the arc. UAB has won six in a row, 10 of last 11 games; if they play North Texas in the C-USA semi-finals next week, that’ll be a great game.
— Florida Atlantic 76, Louisiana Tech 72— Owls are having their best season ever, with a 28-3 record heading into the C-USA Tournament; FAU hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2002. Bracketology has FAU as a #9-seed; they could conceivably get in as an at-large team, if they lose in the conference tournament.
Sunday’s 6-pack
Five best batting averages in spring training:
.583— Henry Ramos, Cubs
.500— Jordan Walker, StL
.455— James Outman, LA
.438— Cavan Biggio, Tor
.438— Oscar Colas, CWS
.429— Eloy Jimenez, CWS
Tweet of the Day
“Wait a minute, you gonna make $70M and you can’t play basketball 3 or 4 days a week?’… They fly private. They got the best medical stuff ever created… People working in the steel mill every day, I’m pretty sure they tired too, but they go to work every day.”
Charles Barkley, on load management in the NBA
Sunday’s quiz
In the old animated TV show The Jetsons, what high school did George’s daughter Judy go to?
Saturday’s quiz
Butler made it to the Final Four two years in a row under coach Brad Stevens (2010-11); the Bulldogs played in the Horizon League back then.
Friday’s quiz
VCU made the national championship game in 2011, as a #11-seed; Shaka Smart was their coach.
*******************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college basketball Saturday
WCC
I’m sitting here at 3:15am watching the second overtime of the San Francisco-Saint Mary’s game from the WCC tournament in Las Vegas. It reminds me that ESPN’s old College Basketball Marathon, where they showed games for like 30 straight hours on a Monday/Tuesday, early in the season, was great fun. They should bring it back next year.
San Francisco 93, Santa Clara 87 2OT— Great game, ton of action, but it is 3:25am and I’m posting this and going to sleep. Maybe I’ll watch a movie first, but I’m signing off here.
OVC
— SE Missouri State 89, Tennessee Tech 82, OT— First ticket to March Madness is punched by the Redhawks, who at one point this season, were 5-9. SE Missouri won four games in four days to win their first conference title in 23 years, and they had to play overtime on the 4th day, after blowing an 11-point second half lead.
This game is what March is all about; just getting into the NCAA’s is a huge deal for these guys and they did it in dramatic style.
Old guy rant: In an era where rich NBA guys sometimes don’t play on consecutive days, four Redhawks played 36:00+ in this game, while playing for the fourth day in a row.
Northeast Conference
Merrimack 71, Sacred Heart 60
Fairleigh Dickinson 70, St Francis PA 50
Merrimack is the top seed, but they’re not eligible for the NCAA Tournament; this is only their 4th year in Division I, so Fairleigh Dickinson punches the second ticket to the NCAA’s- they go to the NCAA’s for the first time since 2019, no matter happens in the NEC final.
SEC
— Texas A&M 67, Alabama 61— Aggies were 6-5 on Christmas Day; they’re 17-3 since then, winning eight of their last nine games. A&M was 27-28 on the foul line; they’re the #2-seed in SEC tournament, finishing a game behind Alabama.
— Kentucky 88, Arkansas 79— Wildcats finish 21-10, 12-6 in SEC play, winning five of last six regular season games. Kentucky fans who have been whining about Calipari can put a sock in it; Bracketology has Kentucky as a 7-seed in NCAA’s.
Arkansas has lost three in row, five of last seven games; they’ll be the #10 seed in SEC tourney, making them a bubble team for the NCAAs if they don’t win a game next week.
Big X
— Iowa Sate 73, Baylor 58— Gambling is hard. This score makes no sense; Cyclones had lost four games in a row, but they shot 62.5% inside arc and won fairly easily. Now they can relax; they are in the NCAA’s, will be playing for seeding at the Big X tournament.
— West Virginia 89, Kansas State 81— Mountaineers get off the bubble, winning three of last four games, scoring 80 ppg.
ACC
— Duke 82, North Carolina 77— Tar Heels are 2-10 vs Quad 1 teams; how many wins do they need in the ACC tournament, to get to the NCAA’s? Tar Heels finished 7th in the ACC; no pre-season #1 team has ever missed the NCAA Tournament.
— Miami 78, Pitt 76— Won’t know for sure until we see the brackets next Sunday, but kind of like Miami as a Cinderella Final Four team. Hurricanes won eight of last nine games, and they blew a 25-point lead in the one loss.
Miami is #28 experience team, with #144 continuity not bad; they’re #22 in offense efficiency, and important metric for the NCAA Tournament.
Big East
Marquette 96, St John’s 94— On Christmas Day, Marquette was 9-4; they’re 16-2 since then, and won the Big East regular season title. by two games.
Shaka Smart is a really good coach; he is 44-19 in two years at Marquette, but fact of the matter is, he hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2013, losing his last seven NCAA Tourney games. He got VCU to the Final Four as an 11-seed in 2011, went WL in next two tournaments, but has come up dry since. This could be the year his team makes another run in the NCAA’s.
Sun Belt
— South Alabama 78, Southern Miss 61— #1-seed Southern Miss was a great story this year, after going 24-65 the last three years, but they get upset in first round of Sun Belt tourney. USA outscored the Eagles 52-34 in the second half; they’ve won 10 of their last 12 games.
Mountain West
— San Jose State 63, Air Force 61— Spartans trailed 45-25 early in second half, but rallied to win and move to 19-12; they’ll have a bye in the Mountain West tournament for the first time ever.
— UNLV 69, Nevada 67 OT— Rebels upset their in-state rivals, giving them their first home loss this season. UNLV jumped out to a 13-0 lead, but trailed 54-46 with 2:27 left. Nevada was 23-35 on foul line, Rebels were 8-11. Nevada finishes as the #4-seed in Mountain West, UNLV #7.
Southern Conference
Chattanooga 85, Samford 82— #7-seed Mocs upset #2-seed Samford, making 15-28 shots on the arc. Kid on Samford scored 27 points in 28:00 and he didn’t start. Bulldogs are 42-22 the last two seasons, but went 1-2 in the SoCon tournament.
Atlantic 15
— VCU 74, George Washington 68— Rams with regular season title by three games, but this is going to be the first time in over a decade this league gets only one team in NCAAs, which makes the conference tournament huge, obviously. Last seven years, seven different teams won the A-15 tournament; next week is going to be fun.
Missouri Valley
Bradley 71, Indiana State 70— Braves won their 12th straight game, shooting 62% inside the arc; they advance to play Drake in MVC finals Sunday. Bradley survived 5-24 shooting on the arc.
Conference USA
— UAB 93, Charlotte 91, 2OT— Jordan Walker scored 41 points for the Blazers; he was 8-20 on the arc. Charlotte’s whole team was 8-23 on the arc. UAB has won six in a row, 10 of last 11 games; if they play North Texas in the C-USA semi-finals next week, that’ll be a great game.
— Florida Atlantic 76, Louisiana Tech 72— Owls are having their best season ever, with a 28-3 record heading into the C-USA Tournament; FAU hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2002. Bracketology has FAU as a #9-seed; they could conceivably get in as an at-large team, if they lose in the conference tournament.
NCAAB
Sunday, March 5
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Sunday, March 5
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NCAAB
Armadillo's Write-Up
Sunday, March 5
13 of Sunday’s best college basketball games
Houston @ Memphis
— Houston (28-2, 16-1) ranked #1 by KenPom
— Tempo: #346
— Experience: #255
— Continuity: #202
— Houston won its last 10 games (4-6 ATS).
— Houston is 8-0 SU/5-3 ATS as an AAC road favorite
— Cougars were held to 65-55 points in their two losses.
— Cougars are #4 team in country on offensive boards/
— Houston has #3 eFG% in country..
— Houston’s schedule, to this point: #107
— bench minutes: #255
— Houston’s best win: 53-48 over #7 Saint Mary’s
— Memphis (23-7, 15-4) ranked #35 by KenPom
— Tempo: #16
— Experience: #11
— Continuity: #271
— Memphis won 11 of its last 13 games.
— Memphis won six of its seven AAC home games SU.
— Memphis is 4-2 ATS as an underdog this season.
— Tigers are forcing turnovers 21.1% of time (#44)
— Tigers have #53 eFG%, #47 eFG% defense
— Memphis’ schedule, to this point: #74
— bench minutes: #36
— Memphis’ best win: 83-79 over #24 Texas A&M
— Houston (-15) beat Memphis 72-64 at home February 19.
— Cougars won five of last seven series games.
— Houston lost 60-59/75-61 in last two visits to Memphis.
Maryland @ Penn State
— Maryland (20-10, 11-8) ranked #20 by KenPom
— Tempo: #307
— Experience: #10
— Continuity: #160
— Maryland is 4-3 SU in its last seven games.
— Terps lost eight of their nine Big 14 road games (1-5 ATS as dog)
— Terps have #40 eFG% defense in country.
— Maryland is shooting 53% inside arc (#74), 32.6% on arc (#262)
— Maryland is 4-5 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Maryland’s schedule, to this point: #51
— bench minutes: #304
— Maryland’s best win: 68-54 over #6 Purdue
— Penn State (18-12, 9-10) ranked #49 by KenPom
— Tempo: #324
— Experience: #1
— Continuity: #142
— Penn State won four of its last five games.
— Lions are 5-4 SU/4-3 ATS in Big 14 home games.
— Penn State is shooting 39% on arc (#7)
— Penn State is #35 team in country on defensive boards.
— Lions are 3rd-worst team in country at forcing turnovers.
— Penn State’s schedule, to this point: #37
— bench minutes: #299
— Penn State’s best win: 85-66 over #30 Indiana
— Maryland (-8) beat Penn State 74-68 at home February 11.
— Nittany Lions won four of last six series games.
— Terps lost their last five visits to Happy Valley.
Illinois @ Purdue
— Illinois (20-10, 11-8) ranked #33 by KenPom
— Tempo: #75
— Experience: #295
— Continuity: #343
— Illinois won three of its last four games.
— Illini is 3-6 SU/2-0 ATS as a Big 14 road underdog.
— Illinois is shooting 55.2% inside arc (#18), 30.9% on arc (#332)
— Illini has #22 eFG% defense in country.
— Illinois played three starters 39:00+ in Thursday’s double OT win.
— Illinois’ schedule, to this point: #53
— bench minutes: #160
— Illinois’ best win: 79-70 over #2 UCLA
— Purdue (17-13, 6-11) ranked #19 by KenPom
— Tempo: #115
— Experience: #73
— Continuity: #332
— Purdue games.
— Purdue is 4-4 SU/4-3 ATS as a Big X home favorite.
— Boilers are shooting 48.2% inside arc in Big X games (#10 of 10)
— Boilers are forcing turnovers 20.8% of time (#57)
— Purdue getting 22.4% of points on foul line (#332)
— Purdue’s schedule, to this point: #4
— bench minutes: #149
— Purdue’s best win:
— Purdue won six of last nine series games.
— Illinois lost eight of last nine games in Mackey Arena.
Big South tournament (@ Charlotte, NC)
Campbell vs NC-Asheville
— Campbell (16-17, 11-10) ranked #229 by KenPom
— Tempo: #320
— Experience: #227
— Continuity: #279
— Campbell is 3-0 in this tournament, giving up 67.3 ppg.
— Campbell is playing its fourth game in five days.
— Campbell played all five starters 28:00+ in Saturday’s 72-71 win.
— Camels are shooting 54.8% inside arc (#24)
— Camels are trying for first NCAA bid since 1992.
— Campbell’s schedule, to this point: #286
— bench minutes: #213
— Campbell’s best win: 85-61 over #130 Kennesaw State
— NC-Asheville (26-7, 18-2) ranked #149 by KenPom
— Tempo: #121
— Experience: #12
— Continuity: #124
— NC-Asheville won 17 of its last 18 games.
— Bulldogs are turning ball over 20.1% of time (#304)
— NC-Asheville is shooting 38.8% on arc (#9)
— NC-Asheville has #58 eFG% defense in country.
— Bulldogs were last in NCAA’s in 2016.
— NC-Asheville’s schedule, to this point: #295
— bench minutes: #267
— NC-Asheville’s best win: 98-95 in 2OT’s at Central Florida
— Asheville beat Campbell twice this season, 58-55/78-65
— Camels lost their last four games with Asheville.
MVC tournament (@ St Louis)
Drake vs Bradley
— Drake (26-7, 17-5) ranked #77 by KenPom
— Tempo: #217
— Experience: #27
— Continuity: #18
— Drake won 12 of its last 13 games SU
— Last time Drake won Arch Madness was in 2008.
— Bulldogs have #70 eFG%, #49 eFG% defense in country.
— Bulldogs are #4 team in country on defensive boards.
— Drake is 8-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Drake’s schedule, to this point: #200
— bench minutes: #261
— Drake’s best win: 58-54 over #45 Mississippi State
— Bradley (25-8, 18-4) ranked #81 by KenPom
— Tempo: #283
— Experience: #210
— Continuity: #49
— Bradley won last 12 games, covered eight of last ten.
— Bradley played four starters 27:00+ Saturday.
— Bradley won this tournament in 2019/2020.
— Braves has #48 eFG%, #18 eFG% defense in country.
— Braves are #20 team on defensive boards.
— Bradley’s schedule, to this point: #192
— bench minutes: #157
— Bradley’s best win: 73-61 over #77 Drake
— Home side won both series games this season.
— Bradley won four of last five meetings.
Temple @ Tulane
— Temple (16-14, 10-7) ranked #111 by KenPom
— Tempo: #254
— Experience: #197
— Continuity: #50
— Temple lost five of its last seven games.
— Temple is 5-3 SU/6-0 ATS as an AAC road underdog.
— Temple is turning ball 20% of time (#294).
— Owls are getting 20.9% of points on foul line (#47)
— Owls have #74 eFG% defense in country.
— Temple’s schedule, to this point: #91
— bench minutes: #30
— Temple’s best win: 56-55 at #1 Houston
— Tulane (18-10, 11-6) ranked #99 by KenPom
— Tempo: #3
— Experience: #49
— Continuity: #1
— Tulane lost three of its last four games.
— Green Wave is 6-2 SU/4-2 ATS as an AAC home favorite.
— Green Wave is shooting 78.4% on foul line (#9)
— Tulane is #261 team on defensive boards.
— Tulane is getting 20.7% of its points on foul line (#54)
— Tulane’s schedule, to this point: #122
— bench minutes: #301
— Tulane’s best wins: 96-89/90-89 OT over #34 Memphis.
— Tulane (even) won 87-76 at Temple January 7.
— Green Wave won four of last five series games.
— Owls won three of last four visits to New Orleans.
Southern Conference tournament (@ Asheville, NC)
Western Carolina vs Furman
— Western Carolina (18-14, 11-8) ranked #237 by KenPom
— Tempo: #166
— Experience: #199
— Continuity: #280
— Western Carolina won six of its last eight games
— WCU made 10-22 on arc, had fairly stress-free win yesterday.
— Catamounts are 3-2 ATS as an underdog this year.
— Catamounts have #29 eFG% defense in country.
— Western Carolina is forcing turnovers 20.4% of time (#66)
— Western Carolina’s schedule, to this point: #263
— bench minutes: #344
— Western Carolina’s best win: 79-67 over #88 Furman
— Furman (25-7, 16-3) ranked #88 by KenPom
— Tempo: #124
— Experience: #124
— Continuity: #31
— Furman won 12 of its last 13 games
— Paladins beat Mercer by 15 yesterday; they were down one at half.
— Furman played nine guys 14:00+ Saturday.
— Paladins are shooting 59.1% inside arc (#2)
— Furman is 5-5 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Furman’s schedule, to this point: #275
— bench minutes: #289
— Furman’s best win: 69-57 at #115 NC-Greensboro
— Home team won both series meetings this year.
— Furman has won 10 of last 11 series games.
— Paladins (-14) won last meeting 93-59 February 11.
Chattanooga vs Wofford
— Chattanooga (17-16, 9-11) ranked #194 by KenPom
— Tempo: #136
— Experience: #40
— Continuity: #306
— Chattanooga is 5-3 SU in its last eight games
— Chattanooga won the last two days, scoring 92-85 points.
— Mocs made 15-28 on arc vs Samford, played 4 starters 32:00+
— Opponents are shooting 52.1% inside arc (#270)
— Mocs won this tournament LY, with a different coach
— Chattanooga’s schedule, to this point: #229
— bench minutes: #69
— Chattanooga’s best win: 82-73 at #127 Middle Tennessee
— Wofford (17-15, 9-10) ranked #227 by KenPom
— Tempo: #291
— Experience: #325
— Continuity: #324
— Wofford is 4-3 in last seven games; all three losses were in OT
— Terriers played three starters 32:00+ in yesterday’s win.
— Wofford has #338 eFG% defense in country.
— Wofford is shooting 55.1% inside arc (#19), 32.8% on arc (#246)
— Terriers are 7-7 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Wofford’s schedule, to this point: #233
— bench minutes: #133
— Wofford’s best win: 67-62 at #24 Texas A&M
— Wofford beat Chattanooga twice TY, by 12-5 points.
— Mocs (+2) lost 86-74 at Wofford last Saturday.
— Wofford won seven of last nine series games.
Atlantic Sun tournament
Liberty @ Kennesaw State
— Liberty (26-7, 17-3) ranked #44 by KenPom
— Tempo: #317
— Experience: #90
— Continuity: #5
— Liberty won its last five games.
— Flames’ last loss was 88-81 at Kennesaw February 16.
— Liberty is shooting 36.9% on arc (#38)
— Flames were in NCAA’s in 2019/2021.
— Liberty is #1 team in country on defensive boards.
— Liberty’s schedule, to this point: #232
— bench minutes: #166
— Liberty’s best win: 55-44 over #81 Bradley
— Kennesaw State (25-8, 17-3) ranked #130 by KenPom
— Tempo: #123
— Experience: #57
— Continuity: #2
— Kennesaw won 15 of its last 17 games.
— Owls have never been in the D-I NCAA Tournament.
— Owls are shooting 37% on the arc (#36)
— Kennesaw is #57 team in country on defensive boards.
— Kennesaw is 11-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— You’re reading armadillosports.com
— Kennesaw’s schedule, to this point: #201
— bench minutes: #211
— Kennesaw’s best win: 88-81 over #44 Liberty
— These teams haven’t played since Thursday.
— Kennesaw beat Liberty 86-81 at home February 16.
— Before that, Liberty had won 10 in a row over Kennesaw.
Sun Belt tournament (@ Pensacola, FL)
South Alabama vs James Madison
— South Alabama (18-15, 11-9) ranked #95 by KenPom
— Tempo: #253
— Experience: #200
— Continuity: #347
— South Alabama won 10 of its last 12 games.
— South Alabama upset #1-seed Southern Miss Saturday.
— South Alabama played four starters 33:00+ yesterday
— Jaguars have #26 eFG% defense.
— Jaguars are 4-9 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— South Alabama’s schedule, to this point: #132
— bench minutes: #338
— South Alabama’s best wins: 85-54/78-61 over #96 Southern Miss.
— James Madison (22-10, 13-6) ranked #97 by KenPom
— Tempo: #31
— Experience: #9
— Continuity: #35
— James Madison won nine of its last 11 games.
— Dukes played nine guys 12:00+ in yesterday’s win.
— Dukes force turnovers 21.7% of time (#28)
— James Madison is getting 20.9% of points on foul line (#49)
— James Madison is 8-6 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— James Madison’s schedule, to this point: #194
— bench minutes: #16
— James Madison’s best win: 72-66 at #84 Marshall
— South Alabama (+3) beat James Madison 63-62 at home January 12.
— That was teams’ first meeting as Sun Belt rivals.
Texas State vs Louisiana
— Texas State (16-18, 9-12) ranked #186 by KenPom
— Tempo: #337
— Experience: #256
— Continuity: #80
— Texas State was 3-10 in last 13 games before going 3-0 in this event.
— Bobcats outscored Marshall 15-4 over final 5:28 yesterday.
— Texas State played six guys 24:00+ in yesterday’s win.
— Bobcats are getting 21.2% of their points on foul line (#39)
— Texas State getting 22.6% of their points on foul line (#338)
— Texas State’s schedule, to this point: #133
— bench minutes: #12
— Texas State’s best win: 71-68 over #84 Marshall yesterday
— Louisiana (24-7, 14-5) ranked #93 by KenPom
— Tempo: #118
— Experience: #170
— Continuity: #68
— Louisiana won 14 of its last 17 games.
— Cajuns played nine guys 10:00+ in yesterday’s stress-free win.
— Louisiana has #61 eFG% in country
— Cajuns are #25 team in country on offensive boards.
— Louisiana is 6-3 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Louisiana’s schedule, to this point: #160
— bench minutes: #246
— Louisiana’s best win: 77-67 over #84 Marshall
— Louisiana beat Texas State TY, by 9-19 points.
— Ragin’ Cajuns won five of last seven series games.
— Louisiana upset #1-seed Texas State in last year’s tournament.
Summit League tournament (@ Sioux Falls, SD)
St Thomas vs Western Illinois
— St Thomas (18-13, 9-9) ranked #204 by KenPom
— Tempo: #237
— Experience: #341
— Continuity: #158
— St Thomas split its last ten games SU.
— Opponents are shooting 52.8% inside arc (#301)
— St Thomas is shooting 35.2% on arc (#115)
— Tommies are getting 36.8% of their points on the arc (#33)
— This is Tommies’ first-ever game in a D-I conference tournament.
— St Thomas’s schedule, to this point: #278
— bench minutes: #240
— St Thomas’s best win: 78-76 over #128 Troy
— Western Illinois (16-13, 9-9) ranked #261 by KenPom
— Tempo: #200
— Experience: #296
— Continuity: #307
— Western Illinois lost five of its last seven games.
— Western Illinois is shooting 52% inside arc (#93), 31.5% on arc (#313)
— Opponents are shooting 54.9% inside arc (#342)
— Leathernecks are #85 team on defensive boards.
— Western Illinois is going to finish over .500 for first time since 2013
— Western Illinois’ schedule, to this point: #280
— bench minutes: #352
— Western Illinois’ best win: 81-73 in OT over #160 South Dakota State.
— Home team won both series games this season.
— Teams split couple games last year, too.
South Dakota vs North Dakota State
— South Dakota (12-18, 7-11) ranked #292 by KenPom
— Tempo: #241
— Experience: #169
— Continuity: #92
— South Dakota lost five of its last six games
— South Dakota has #299 eFG% defense in country.
— Coyotes are shooting 45.1% inside arc (#340), 38.5% on arc (#12)
— Coyotes are 8-9 vs teams ranked outside the top 200.
— South Dakota is 2-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— South Dakota’s schedule, to this point: #227
— bench minutes: #293
— South Dakota’s best win: 69-68 over #74 BYU.
— North Dakota State (14-16, 11-7) ranked #208 by KenPom
— Tempo: #145
— Experience: #346
— Continuity: #278
— ND State won five of its last six games
— Bison is shooting 52.8% inside arc (#77).
— Bison is worst team in country at forcing turnovers..
— ND State is #6 team in country on defensive boards.
— ND State is 3-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— ND State’s schedule, to this point: #190
— bench minutes: #51
— ND State’s best win: 67-62 at #155 Portland.
— Home team won both series games this season.
— North Dakota State won eight of last ten meetings.
Armadillo's Write-Up
Sunday, March 5
13 of Sunday’s best college basketball games
Houston @ Memphis
— Houston (28-2, 16-1) ranked #1 by KenPom
— Tempo: #346
— Experience: #255
— Continuity: #202
— Houston won its last 10 games (4-6 ATS).
— Houston is 8-0 SU/5-3 ATS as an AAC road favorite
— Cougars were held to 65-55 points in their two losses.
— Cougars are #4 team in country on offensive boards/
— Houston has #3 eFG% in country..
— Houston’s schedule, to this point: #107
— bench minutes: #255
— Houston’s best win: 53-48 over #7 Saint Mary’s
— Memphis (23-7, 15-4) ranked #35 by KenPom
— Tempo: #16
— Experience: #11
— Continuity: #271
— Memphis won 11 of its last 13 games.
— Memphis won six of its seven AAC home games SU.
— Memphis is 4-2 ATS as an underdog this season.
— Tigers are forcing turnovers 21.1% of time (#44)
— Tigers have #53 eFG%, #47 eFG% defense
— Memphis’ schedule, to this point: #74
— bench minutes: #36
— Memphis’ best win: 83-79 over #24 Texas A&M
— Houston (-15) beat Memphis 72-64 at home February 19.
— Cougars won five of last seven series games.
— Houston lost 60-59/75-61 in last two visits to Memphis.
Maryland @ Penn State
— Maryland (20-10, 11-8) ranked #20 by KenPom
— Tempo: #307
— Experience: #10
— Continuity: #160
— Maryland is 4-3 SU in its last seven games.
— Terps lost eight of their nine Big 14 road games (1-5 ATS as dog)
— Terps have #40 eFG% defense in country.
— Maryland is shooting 53% inside arc (#74), 32.6% on arc (#262)
— Maryland is 4-5 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Maryland’s schedule, to this point: #51
— bench minutes: #304
— Maryland’s best win: 68-54 over #6 Purdue
— Penn State (18-12, 9-10) ranked #49 by KenPom
— Tempo: #324
— Experience: #1
— Continuity: #142
— Penn State won four of its last five games.
— Lions are 5-4 SU/4-3 ATS in Big 14 home games.
— Penn State is shooting 39% on arc (#7)
— Penn State is #35 team in country on defensive boards.
— Lions are 3rd-worst team in country at forcing turnovers.
— Penn State’s schedule, to this point: #37
— bench minutes: #299
— Penn State’s best win: 85-66 over #30 Indiana
— Maryland (-8) beat Penn State 74-68 at home February 11.
— Nittany Lions won four of last six series games.
— Terps lost their last five visits to Happy Valley.
Illinois @ Purdue
— Illinois (20-10, 11-8) ranked #33 by KenPom
— Tempo: #75
— Experience: #295
— Continuity: #343
— Illinois won three of its last four games.
— Illini is 3-6 SU/2-0 ATS as a Big 14 road underdog.
— Illinois is shooting 55.2% inside arc (#18), 30.9% on arc (#332)
— Illini has #22 eFG% defense in country.
— Illinois played three starters 39:00+ in Thursday’s double OT win.
— Illinois’ schedule, to this point: #53
— bench minutes: #160
— Illinois’ best win: 79-70 over #2 UCLA
— Purdue (17-13, 6-11) ranked #19 by KenPom
— Tempo: #115
— Experience: #73
— Continuity: #332
— Purdue games.
— Purdue is 4-4 SU/4-3 ATS as a Big X home favorite.
— Boilers are shooting 48.2% inside arc in Big X games (#10 of 10)
— Boilers are forcing turnovers 20.8% of time (#57)
— Purdue getting 22.4% of points on foul line (#332)
— Purdue’s schedule, to this point: #4
— bench minutes: #149
— Purdue’s best win:
— Purdue won six of last nine series games.
— Illinois lost eight of last nine games in Mackey Arena.
Big South tournament (@ Charlotte, NC)
Campbell vs NC-Asheville
— Campbell (16-17, 11-10) ranked #229 by KenPom
— Tempo: #320
— Experience: #227
— Continuity: #279
— Campbell is 3-0 in this tournament, giving up 67.3 ppg.
— Campbell is playing its fourth game in five days.
— Campbell played all five starters 28:00+ in Saturday’s 72-71 win.
— Camels are shooting 54.8% inside arc (#24)
— Camels are trying for first NCAA bid since 1992.
— Campbell’s schedule, to this point: #286
— bench minutes: #213
— Campbell’s best win: 85-61 over #130 Kennesaw State
— NC-Asheville (26-7, 18-2) ranked #149 by KenPom
— Tempo: #121
— Experience: #12
— Continuity: #124
— NC-Asheville won 17 of its last 18 games.
— Bulldogs are turning ball over 20.1% of time (#304)
— NC-Asheville is shooting 38.8% on arc (#9)
— NC-Asheville has #58 eFG% defense in country.
— Bulldogs were last in NCAA’s in 2016.
— NC-Asheville’s schedule, to this point: #295
— bench minutes: #267
— NC-Asheville’s best win: 98-95 in 2OT’s at Central Florida
— Asheville beat Campbell twice this season, 58-55/78-65
— Camels lost their last four games with Asheville.
MVC tournament (@ St Louis)
Drake vs Bradley
— Drake (26-7, 17-5) ranked #77 by KenPom
— Tempo: #217
— Experience: #27
— Continuity: #18
— Drake won 12 of its last 13 games SU
— Last time Drake won Arch Madness was in 2008.
— Bulldogs have #70 eFG%, #49 eFG% defense in country.
— Bulldogs are #4 team in country on defensive boards.
— Drake is 8-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Drake’s schedule, to this point: #200
— bench minutes: #261
— Drake’s best win: 58-54 over #45 Mississippi State
— Bradley (25-8, 18-4) ranked #81 by KenPom
— Tempo: #283
— Experience: #210
— Continuity: #49
— Bradley won last 12 games, covered eight of last ten.
— Bradley played four starters 27:00+ Saturday.
— Bradley won this tournament in 2019/2020.
— Braves has #48 eFG%, #18 eFG% defense in country.
— Braves are #20 team on defensive boards.
— Bradley’s schedule, to this point: #192
— bench minutes: #157
— Bradley’s best win: 73-61 over #77 Drake
— Home side won both series games this season.
— Bradley won four of last five meetings.
Temple @ Tulane
— Temple (16-14, 10-7) ranked #111 by KenPom
— Tempo: #254
— Experience: #197
— Continuity: #50
— Temple lost five of its last seven games.
— Temple is 5-3 SU/6-0 ATS as an AAC road underdog.
— Temple is turning ball 20% of time (#294).
— Owls are getting 20.9% of points on foul line (#47)
— Owls have #74 eFG% defense in country.
— Temple’s schedule, to this point: #91
— bench minutes: #30
— Temple’s best win: 56-55 at #1 Houston
— Tulane (18-10, 11-6) ranked #99 by KenPom
— Tempo: #3
— Experience: #49
— Continuity: #1
— Tulane lost three of its last four games.
— Green Wave is 6-2 SU/4-2 ATS as an AAC home favorite.
— Green Wave is shooting 78.4% on foul line (#9)
— Tulane is #261 team on defensive boards.
— Tulane is getting 20.7% of its points on foul line (#54)
— Tulane’s schedule, to this point: #122
— bench minutes: #301
— Tulane’s best wins: 96-89/90-89 OT over #34 Memphis.
— Tulane (even) won 87-76 at Temple January 7.
— Green Wave won four of last five series games.
— Owls won three of last four visits to New Orleans.
Southern Conference tournament (@ Asheville, NC)
Western Carolina vs Furman
— Western Carolina (18-14, 11-8) ranked #237 by KenPom
— Tempo: #166
— Experience: #199
— Continuity: #280
— Western Carolina won six of its last eight games
— WCU made 10-22 on arc, had fairly stress-free win yesterday.
— Catamounts are 3-2 ATS as an underdog this year.
— Catamounts have #29 eFG% defense in country.
— Western Carolina is forcing turnovers 20.4% of time (#66)
— Western Carolina’s schedule, to this point: #263
— bench minutes: #344
— Western Carolina’s best win: 79-67 over #88 Furman
— Furman (25-7, 16-3) ranked #88 by KenPom
— Tempo: #124
— Experience: #124
— Continuity: #31
— Furman won 12 of its last 13 games
— Paladins beat Mercer by 15 yesterday; they were down one at half.
— Furman played nine guys 14:00+ Saturday.
— Paladins are shooting 59.1% inside arc (#2)
— Furman is 5-5 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Furman’s schedule, to this point: #275
— bench minutes: #289
— Furman’s best win: 69-57 at #115 NC-Greensboro
— Home team won both series meetings this year.
— Furman has won 10 of last 11 series games.
— Paladins (-14) won last meeting 93-59 February 11.
Chattanooga vs Wofford
— Chattanooga (17-16, 9-11) ranked #194 by KenPom
— Tempo: #136
— Experience: #40
— Continuity: #306
— Chattanooga is 5-3 SU in its last eight games
— Chattanooga won the last two days, scoring 92-85 points.
— Mocs made 15-28 on arc vs Samford, played 4 starters 32:00+
— Opponents are shooting 52.1% inside arc (#270)
— Mocs won this tournament LY, with a different coach
— Chattanooga’s schedule, to this point: #229
— bench minutes: #69
— Chattanooga’s best win: 82-73 at #127 Middle Tennessee
— Wofford (17-15, 9-10) ranked #227 by KenPom
— Tempo: #291
— Experience: #325
— Continuity: #324
— Wofford is 4-3 in last seven games; all three losses were in OT
— Terriers played three starters 32:00+ in yesterday’s win.
— Wofford has #338 eFG% defense in country.
— Wofford is shooting 55.1% inside arc (#19), 32.8% on arc (#246)
— Terriers are 7-7 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Wofford’s schedule, to this point: #233
— bench minutes: #133
— Wofford’s best win: 67-62 at #24 Texas A&M
— Wofford beat Chattanooga twice TY, by 12-5 points.
— Mocs (+2) lost 86-74 at Wofford last Saturday.
— Wofford won seven of last nine series games.
Atlantic Sun tournament
Liberty @ Kennesaw State
— Liberty (26-7, 17-3) ranked #44 by KenPom
— Tempo: #317
— Experience: #90
— Continuity: #5
— Liberty won its last five games.
— Flames’ last loss was 88-81 at Kennesaw February 16.
— Liberty is shooting 36.9% on arc (#38)
— Flames were in NCAA’s in 2019/2021.
— Liberty is #1 team in country on defensive boards.
— Liberty’s schedule, to this point: #232
— bench minutes: #166
— Liberty’s best win: 55-44 over #81 Bradley
— Kennesaw State (25-8, 17-3) ranked #130 by KenPom
— Tempo: #123
— Experience: #57
— Continuity: #2
— Kennesaw won 15 of its last 17 games.
— Owls have never been in the D-I NCAA Tournament.
— Owls are shooting 37% on the arc (#36)
— Kennesaw is #57 team in country on defensive boards.
— Kennesaw is 11-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— You’re reading armadillosports.com
— Kennesaw’s schedule, to this point: #201
— bench minutes: #211
— Kennesaw’s best win: 88-81 over #44 Liberty
— These teams haven’t played since Thursday.
— Kennesaw beat Liberty 86-81 at home February 16.
— Before that, Liberty had won 10 in a row over Kennesaw.
Sun Belt tournament (@ Pensacola, FL)
South Alabama vs James Madison
— South Alabama (18-15, 11-9) ranked #95 by KenPom
— Tempo: #253
— Experience: #200
— Continuity: #347
— South Alabama won 10 of its last 12 games.
— South Alabama upset #1-seed Southern Miss Saturday.
— South Alabama played four starters 33:00+ yesterday
— Jaguars have #26 eFG% defense.
— Jaguars are 4-9 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— South Alabama’s schedule, to this point: #132
— bench minutes: #338
— South Alabama’s best wins: 85-54/78-61 over #96 Southern Miss.
— James Madison (22-10, 13-6) ranked #97 by KenPom
— Tempo: #31
— Experience: #9
— Continuity: #35
— James Madison won nine of its last 11 games.
— Dukes played nine guys 12:00+ in yesterday’s win.
— Dukes force turnovers 21.7% of time (#28)
— James Madison is getting 20.9% of points on foul line (#49)
— James Madison is 8-6 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— James Madison’s schedule, to this point: #194
— bench minutes: #16
— James Madison’s best win: 72-66 at #84 Marshall
— South Alabama (+3) beat James Madison 63-62 at home January 12.
— That was teams’ first meeting as Sun Belt rivals.
Texas State vs Louisiana
— Texas State (16-18, 9-12) ranked #186 by KenPom
— Tempo: #337
— Experience: #256
— Continuity: #80
— Texas State was 3-10 in last 13 games before going 3-0 in this event.
— Bobcats outscored Marshall 15-4 over final 5:28 yesterday.
— Texas State played six guys 24:00+ in yesterday’s win.
— Bobcats are getting 21.2% of their points on foul line (#39)
— Texas State getting 22.6% of their points on foul line (#338)
— Texas State’s schedule, to this point: #133
— bench minutes: #12
— Texas State’s best win: 71-68 over #84 Marshall yesterday
— Louisiana (24-7, 14-5) ranked #93 by KenPom
— Tempo: #118
— Experience: #170
— Continuity: #68
— Louisiana won 14 of its last 17 games.
— Cajuns played nine guys 10:00+ in yesterday’s stress-free win.
— Louisiana has #61 eFG% in country
— Cajuns are #25 team in country on offensive boards.
— Louisiana is 6-3 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Louisiana’s schedule, to this point: #160
— bench minutes: #246
— Louisiana’s best win: 77-67 over #84 Marshall
— Louisiana beat Texas State TY, by 9-19 points.
— Ragin’ Cajuns won five of last seven series games.
— Louisiana upset #1-seed Texas State in last year’s tournament.
Summit League tournament (@ Sioux Falls, SD)
St Thomas vs Western Illinois
— St Thomas (18-13, 9-9) ranked #204 by KenPom
— Tempo: #237
— Experience: #341
— Continuity: #158
— St Thomas split its last ten games SU.
— Opponents are shooting 52.8% inside arc (#301)
— St Thomas is shooting 35.2% on arc (#115)
— Tommies are getting 36.8% of their points on the arc (#33)
— This is Tommies’ first-ever game in a D-I conference tournament.
— St Thomas’s schedule, to this point: #278
— bench minutes: #240
— St Thomas’s best win: 78-76 over #128 Troy
— Western Illinois (16-13, 9-9) ranked #261 by KenPom
— Tempo: #200
— Experience: #296
— Continuity: #307
— Western Illinois lost five of its last seven games.
— Western Illinois is shooting 52% inside arc (#93), 31.5% on arc (#313)
— Opponents are shooting 54.9% inside arc (#342)
— Leathernecks are #85 team on defensive boards.
— Western Illinois is going to finish over .500 for first time since 2013
— Western Illinois’ schedule, to this point: #280
— bench minutes: #352
— Western Illinois’ best win: 81-73 in OT over #160 South Dakota State.
— Home team won both series games this season.
— Teams split couple games last year, too.
South Dakota vs North Dakota State
— South Dakota (12-18, 7-11) ranked #292 by KenPom
— Tempo: #241
— Experience: #169
— Continuity: #92
— South Dakota lost five of its last six games
— South Dakota has #299 eFG% defense in country.
— Coyotes are shooting 45.1% inside arc (#340), 38.5% on arc (#12)
— Coyotes are 8-9 vs teams ranked outside the top 200.
— South Dakota is 2-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— South Dakota’s schedule, to this point: #227
— bench minutes: #293
— South Dakota’s best win: 69-68 over #74 BYU.
— North Dakota State (14-16, 11-7) ranked #208 by KenPom
— Tempo: #145
— Experience: #346
— Continuity: #278
— ND State won five of its last six games
— Bison is shooting 52.8% inside arc (#77).
— Bison is worst team in country at forcing turnovers..
— ND State is #6 team in country on defensive boards.
— ND State is 3-4 in games decided by 7 or less points.
— ND State’s schedule, to this point: #190
— bench minutes: #51
— ND State’s best win: 67-62 at #155 Portland.
— Home team won both series games this season.
— North Dakota State won eight of last ten meetings.
SUNDAY, MARCH 5
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWM at HOF | 12:00 PM | CWM +14.5 O 139.5 | +500 +500 |
| MD at PSU | 12:00 PM | MD +3.5 O 134.0 | +500 +500 |
| HOU at MEM | 12:00 PM | MEM +4.5 O 144.5 | +500 +500 |
| ILL at PUR | 12:30 PM | ILL +7.0 O 139.5 | +500 +500 |
| CAMP at UNCA | 01:00 PM | UNCA -4.5 O 132.5 | +500 +500 |
| DRKE at BRAD | 02:00 PM | DRKE +0.0 O 130.0 | +500 +500 |
| ARMY at COLG | 02:00 PM | ARMY +12.5 O 149.0 | +500 +500 |
| ECU at UCF | 02:00 PM | UCF -11.5 U 136.0 | +500 +500 |
| SMU at CIN | 02:00 PM | SMU +12.0 O 146.0 | +500 +500 |
| NEB at IOWA | 02:00 PM | IOWA -11.5 U 155.5 | +500 +500 |
| USF at WICH | 02:00 PM | WICH -8.0 O 146.0 | +500 +500 |
| TEM at TULN | 02:00 PM | TULN -5.5 U 150.5 | +500 +500 |
| DREX at UNCW | 02:30 PM | UNCW -1.5 U 124.0 | +500 +500 |
| LIB at KENN | 03:00 PM | LIB -6.0 U 138.5 | +500 +500 |
| WCU at FUR | 04:00 PM | WCU +12.0 O 150.0 | +500 +500 |
| AMER at LAF | 04:00 PM | LAF -3.0 U 120.5 | +500 +500 |
| MICH at IND | 04:30 PM | IND -4.5 U 144.5 | +500 +500 |
| STON at COFC | 06:00 PM | COFC -20.0 U 146.0 | +500 +500 |
| MCNS at TAMCOM | 06:00 PM | TAMCOM -1.0 U 137.0 | +500 +500 |
| USA at JMU | 06:00 PM | JMU -1.0 U 141.5 | +500 +500 |
| CHAT at WOF | 06:30 PM | CHAT -4.5 U 150.5 | +500 +500 |
| STT at WIU | 07:00 PM | STT -3.5 O 148.0 | +500 +500 |
| NAU at EWU | 07:30 PM | EWU -7.5 U 152.0 | +500 +500 |
| NW at RUTG | 07:30 PM | RUTG -5.0 U 127.0 | +500 +500 |
| WIS at MINN | 07:30 PM | WIS -5.0 U 127.5 | +500 +500 |
| UNO at HCU | 08:30 PM | UNO -4.0 U 160.0 | +500 +500 |
| TXST at ULL | 08:30 PM | TXST +7.0 O 137.0 | +500 +500 |
| DEL at TOWS | 08:30 PM | DEL +6.0 O 139.0 | +500 +500 |
| SDAK at NDSU | 09:30 PM | NDSU -5.5 U 142.0 | +500 +500 |
| UNCO at MTST | 10:00 PM | MTST -7.5 O 147.0 | +500 +500 |
