Basketball Stat Check
This Sunday is the 58th annual NBA All-Star Game, so we’ll be going to school for this weekend’s list of the 10 tastiest basketball stats and factoids. But first, here’s a goodie: The Western Conference has won all four All-Star Games played at football stadiums. Next year’s venue is the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington.
Villanova at West Virginia: Mountaineers opponents have hit just 26.6 percent of their 3-point shots this year. That’s second in Division I; only Tulsa of Conference USA has done better (by hundredths of a percentage point) defending the perimeter.
Connecticut at Seton Hall: Heading into Wednesday’s matchup against Syracuse, Huskies center Hasheem Thabeet was eighth in the nation in blocking, swatting away 12.4 percent of opponents’ 2-point attempts. That number will inch upward after Thabeet’s seven blocks on 42 Orange attempts.
Georgetown at Syracuse: The Hoyas have missed the cover in each of their last six games by an average of 12 points. Georgetown went 1-5 SU during that skid; four of those losses were upsets, to the likes of Seton Hall (+8 at home) and Cincinnati (+10.5 in Georgetown).
UCLA at Arizona: UCLA is 36-17-1 ATS in its last 54 away games. 
However, that only includes 4-4 ATS this year. The Bruins have coughed up the cash in their last three road games, losing 86-75 to Washington as a 2-point dog in their last matchup away from Pauley Pavilion.
Kansas at Kansas State: The Jayhawks committed a season-worst 27 turnovers in Monday’s 62-60 loss at Missouri (+5). That was their first Big 12 defeat of the season, dropping Kansas to 19-5 SU overall and 13-5 ATS. This is the team’s Achilles’ heel; the ‘Hawks are No. 240 in Division I with a 21.9-percent turnover rate.
College Basketball Betting odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.
Florida State at Wake Forest: Wake Forest is the second-tallest team in the country according to effective height, a Ken Pomeroy statistic that takes minutes played into account. Yet Wake allowed 16 offensive rebounds in Wednesday’s 82-76 loss at North Carolina State (+4.5). That leaves the Demon Deacons at 2-4 SU and ATS since taking the No. 1 spot in the polls.
Memphis at Southern Miss: Memphis superfrosh guard Tyreke Evans has been named the Conference USA Rookie of the Week seven times this season. He effectively replaces Derrick Rose in the lineup; Evans is No. 19 in Division I with steals on 4.7 percent of opponents’ possessions, a big part of the nation’s No. 2-ranked team defense.
Duke at Boston College: Boston College is the second-youngest team in the ACC, with Virginia the youngest. The Eagles are ranked No. 304 in the nation in average experience at 1.21 years per player; they have one senior, one junior, seven sophomores and three freshmen.
North Carolina at Miami-Florida: The Tar Heels are the first team in over nine years to dump 100 points on Duke, overcoming the Blue Devils 101-87 on Wednesday night with a late 14-0 run. North Carolina was ranked second overall in offensive efficiency heading into that game; Miami is No. 53 on defense.
USC at Arizona State: The Sun Devils are 7-4 ATS this year after scoring fewer than 75 points in their previous game. That’s a strong likelihood in Thursday’s matchup with UCLA, who’s only allowed 75 points once this season – in the aforementioned loss to the Huskies.
