Cappers Sports Picks - The Experts

Ohio State will take a brief interlude from Big Ten play and look to extend its six-game winning streak against visiting Miami (OH) on Wednesday night in Columbus.

The Buckeyes (7-1) defeated Minnesota 84-74 on Sunday in their conference opener. After playing the RedHawks (4-3), they will return to league action Saturday at Penn State before playing their final three nonconference games to finish December.

The Buckeyes took care of Minnesota on the strength of 26 points from Bruce Thornton, 25 from Jamison Battle and Roddy Gayle Jr.'s 16. The trio combined to shoot 20-of-32 (62.5 percent) from the floor.

Despite those lofty numbers, Battle insists the Buckeyes have a balanced attack.

Ohio State has yet to play a Big Ten game this season, but forward Jamison Battle, in his first season with the Buckeyes, already knows the feeling of winning a conference matchup in Columbus.

That's because Battle spent the past two seasons playing for Minnesota, which plays at Ohio State (6-1) in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Sunday. The Golden Gophers won 70-67 last season in their most recent visit when Battle scored 11 points.

The fifth-year transfer downplayed the significance of playing his former team for the first time.

He said it's more important to build on the Buckeyes' fifth straight win, 88-61 over Central Michigan on Wednesday.

Myles Rice prefers to look ahead.

Considering what he's been through, that is understandable.

The Washington State guard, whose team will play host to Portland State on Saturday afternoon in Pullman, Wash., missed last season while receiving chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Rice is coming off a career-high 28 points in an 82-72 victory against visiting Eastern Washington on Monday in which he made his first six 3-point attempts.

Washington State coach Kyle Smith said he thinks Rice's battle last season changed his perspective.

The first edition of the ACC-SEC Challenge presents challenges of its own for Mississippi State coach Chris Jans and Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire.

Jans and the Bulldogs (6-0), ranked No. 21 in the country, travel to Atlanta for their first true road game of the season on Tuesday.

In his second season at the helm of the Mississippi State program, Jans has his team off to another hot start. In 2022, the Bulldogs won their first 11 games of the season and rose to as high as No. 15 in the polls. The team lost eight of its next nine games, quickly dropping from the rankings.

This year's team has a different mindset about seeing that little number next to its name.

Henry Coleman III is putting on a dominating display to start the season for No. 12 Texas A&M.

Coleman will look to post his fourth consecutive double-double when the Aggies face Penn State on Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the eight-team ESPN Events Invitational at Kissimmee, Fla.

Texas A&M and the Nittany Lions are both off to 4-0 starts as they participate in the three-game event held over four days just south of Orlando.

As for Coleman, he is the first Texas A&M player to record three straight double-doubles since Tyler Davis did it twice during the 2017-18 season.

He also might be the person least interested in the streak.

Ole Miss won four straight home games to start the season.

The Rebels will get their first test away from home when they visit Temple (3-1) on Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia.

The Rebels defeated Alabama State by 10 points on Nov. 6 and Eastern Washington by 11 four days later after pulling away in the final minutes. But in the last two games, they beat Detroit Mercy 70-69 on Nov. 14 and Sam Houston 70-67 three days later.

Ole Miss seized a two-point lead against Sam Houston on Jaylen Murray's 3-pointer with 1:05 left. They added a free throw to account for the final score.

The Owls already have played two games on opponents' home courts, although one was against cross-town rival Drexel. They followed those two games with a home loss to Columbia 78-73 on Saturday.

A pair of power-conference teams projected to finish near the bottom of their respective leagues bring perfect records to Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday afternoon as Nebraska faces Oregon State.

Nebraska (4-0) is off to its best start in five years after winning four home games by an average of 23.5 points. The most recent win, 84-63 over Stony Brook on Wednesday, saw the Cornhuskers move closer to full strength with the return of forward Juwan Gary from suspension.

Keshad Johnson, a fifth-year senior transfer, has provided an early energy boost to No. 3 Arizona, which takes on Belmont on Friday night in Tucson, Ariz.

Johnson, who helped San Diego State reach the national title game last season, leads Arizona (3-0) in scoring and rebounding through its fast start to the season, which includes a 78-73 victory at Duke on Nov. 10. Johnson is averaging 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Johnson was known more for his defensive presence with the Aztecs - he averaged 7.7 points per game last season -- but he is flourishing in an up-tempo attack and running the court to get easy baskets in transition, just like his predecessor at power forward, Azuolas Tubelis did with the Wildcats.

No. 7 Tennessee scored exactly 80 points in each of its first two victories of the season.

The Volunteers (2-0) may need more than that to beat high-scoring Wofford (2-0) on Tuesday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Terriers pulled out a 99-98 victory on Saturday against High Point after scoring 85 in their opener.

History is on Tennessee's side, having swept the seven previous meetings with Wofford from 1952 to 2004.

The Volunteers are coming off an impressive 80-70 win Friday night at Wisconsin, their first road victory against a current Big Ten school since 1992.

Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht led the Volunteers with 24 points against the Badgers. Josiah-Jordan James added 14 points and Jonas Aidoo and Jordan Gainey each had 10.

The game at Utah will be the first of four Power 5 road trips for UC Riverside, which registered a program-record 22 wins in 2022-23.

In the Highlanders' season-opening win, Barrington Hargress scored a team-high 16 points. Jhaylon Martinez added 13 points and Luke Turner chipped in with 11.

Utah handed UC Riverside lopsided losses in the programs' previous two matchups -- 88-42 in 2014 and 85-67 in 2016.

The Utes, in their one-sided opener, used a 14-2 run late in the first half to go up by 24 at the break. Rollie Worster scored all 15 of his points before halftime, and he also finished with eight assists, a career-high six steals and five rebounds.

Arizona State and Mississippi State both reached the NCAA Tournament last season, so both should get a good test when they meet for their season opener in the Barstool Sports Invitational on Wednesday night in Chicago.

ASU went 23-13 a season ago and won a play-in game against Nevada (98-73) before losing to TCU (72-70) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Sun Devils return just three players from that team, and Hurley brought in seven transfers from other Division I programs to restock the roster.

Returning all five starters from an improbable run to the first Final Four in program history understandably has Florida Atlantic men's basketball fans buzzing.

As for the No. 10 Owls? They are walking the impossible line of excitement and practicality.

FAU knows everything starts over Wednesday when the team meets Loyola Chicago in the opener of the Barstool Sports Invitational at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

As it comes off a 23-win campaign, Indiana will feature several new faces when it opens its season against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday evening in Bloomington, Ind.

The Hoosiers will welcome newcomers Kel'el Ware, Mackenzie Mgbako and Gabe Cupps. Ware is a sophomore transfer from Oregon who was a McDonald's All-American in 2022, and Mgbako is a true freshman who earned McDonald's All-American status last season.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson hopes the influx of talent can help fill the void left by longtime standout Trayce Jackson-Davis, who averaged 20.9 points and 10.8 rebounds last season. Jackson-Davis now plays for the NBA's Golden State Warriors.

Ware is a 7-foot center who averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds for Oregon last season. He also blocked 1.3 shots per game.

The North Little Rock, Ark., native will get every chance to build upon those numbers this season.

Win or lose in the Sweet 16 matchup with No. 1 overall seed Alabama, San Diego State strives to control the pace.

For the Aztecs to defeat the Crimson Tide in the South Region semifinal on Friday in Louisville, Ky., the No. 5 seed has to live up to its reputation.

"San Diego State's defense is elite," Alabama coach Nate Oats said.

The Aztecs (29-6) led the nation in transition defense, and with a rotation that touches 10 players and beyond, San Diego State follows an old-school philosophy: Defend and offense will follow. The Mountain West champions expected to be in Louisville with this opportunity, even if others didn't

Two teams with rich NCAA tournament traditions meet when the No. 2-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles battle the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans Sunday in a second-round East Region contest in Columbus, Ohio.

The winner advances to the East Region semifinals Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Both teams were able to avoid the upset bug on Friday in Columbus. Marquette (29-6) set a new school record for most wins in a season, handling No. 15 seed Vermont, 78-61, leading nearly wire to wire.

Marquette's previous high for wins in a season was 28 in 1970-71, going undefeated until losing to Ohio State in the NCAA regional semifinals. Marquette won the national championship in 1977 and reached the Final Four in 2003.

Michigan State (20-12) has captured two national championships (1979, 2000) and has made the Final Four 10 times, including most recently in 2019.

Unlike Purdue, Michigan State was a Big Ten team that escaped the upset on Friday, dispatching of Pac-12 foe USC, 72-62, to earn a showdown with a program that was once a big rival.

No. 1 Houston will have questions aplenty when it battles ninth-seeded Auburn in a Round of 32 game in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.

First and foremost for Houston (32-3) will be the health of All-American guard Marcus Sasser, who scored just five points before aggravating a groin injury in the Cougars' tougher-than-expected, 63-52 win over 16th-seeded Northern Kentucky on Thursday. Houston's chief facilitator Jamal Shead also struggled with a sore knee in the victory.

Both players began Friday's press conference by telling reporters they were "100 percent" going to play Saturday. That doesn't mean they are 100 percent healthy.

"It's always going to be a concern when you know you can reaggravate or reinjure, but, you know, it's win or go home," Sasser said. "Tomorrow is not promised. The next game is not promised."

Sasser said he planted too hard during a jump shot to reinjure the groin.

San Diego State was grateful to earn a No. 5 seed for the NCAA Tournament, but coach Brian Dutcher said that number won't matter when the Aztecs tip off against 12th-seeded Charleston on Thursday afternoon in Orlando, Fla.

"You have to go play, and the better team will win on Thursday," Dutcher said. "We have to be prepared and we have to be the better team."

San Diego State (27-6) was the best team in the Mountain West Conference during the regular season and again during last week's conference tournament.

The Aztecs won the MWC by two games over Utah State, and then beat the Aggies 62-57 to win the tournament title on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Under is 8-2 in Flyers last 10 overall and 9-4 in Rams last 13 overall.

The Over is 37-16 in Panthers last 53 games following a straight-up loss and 25-10 in Panthers last 35 home games. Also, the Over is 8-1 in Panthers last 9 games following an ATS loss.

The Over is 6-2 in Leathernecks' last 8 overall and 6-2 in the Leathernecks' last 8 games following an ATS loss. The Over is 10-1 in Fighting Hawks last 11 overall.

The Over is 7-2 in Bearcats last 9 games following a ATS loss and 4-0 in Bearcats last 4 road games. The Over is 5-0 in Knights last 5 home games

Over is 12-4 in Bulldogs last 16 vs. a team with a winning straight up record, the over is a perfect 12-0 in Wolf Pack last 12 vs. a team with a losing straight up record.

Under is 5-1 in Tigers last 6 games following a straight-up loss. Both teams tend to trend over the total, especially the Bulls, but this is a little too much for my taste. 

The Over is 6-2 in Hawks' last 8 games following an ATS win and 5-1 in Seawolves' last 6 games following a straight-up loss.  The number is right around what I thought it would be, but still, 3-5 points off, providing some early value. 

Missouri will try to reestablish its perimeter shooting touch and brisk offensive pace when it faces struggling South Carolina on Tuesday in Columbia, Mo.

The Tigers (17-6, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) shot 16-for-30, 14-for-30 and 13-for-27 from 3-point range during their three-game winning streak. Then they shot just 6-for-23 (26.1 percent) from beyond the arc at Mississippi State on Saturday -- including 1-for-11 in the first half.

The result was their lowest-scoring game of the season in a 63-52 loss. The Tigers were averaging 83.3 points coming into the game.

"I don't look at it as shooting issues," Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. "I think it was a very physical game ... it should have been 30 free throws-plus for both teams tonight, without a doubt in my mind.

"I thought there were situations that we should have gotten to the paint but we settled."

After averaging 20.4 points in his previous five games, Missouri forward Kobe Brown scored just 10 points against the Bulldogs on 3-for-11 shooting overall and 0-for-5 from 3-point range.

Dayton has run across a rough stretch that started at home with a 63-62 loss to the Rams on Jan. 13 as 7-point favorites. In going 3-3 in the 6 games since the Flyers have been saddled with 3 against-the-spread (ATS) losses and 3 ATS margins in double digits.

Virginia Commonwealth is a robust 8-1 since Jan. 7. The Rams have yielded just 61.3 points per game over that span. They will be looking to raise their overall home mark to 13-2 on Tuesday

Georgia will look to beat visiting Ole Miss for the second time in about three weeks in Southeastern Conference play Tuesday night at Athens, Ga.

The Bulldogs (14-9, 4-6) lost for the fifth time in their past six games with an 82-57 setback at Texas A&M on Saturday. Ole Miss (9-14, 1-9) extended its losing streak to five games with a 74-71 setback at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Georgia struggled mightily against the Aggies without its leading scorer, Terry Roberts (15 points per game), who was dealing with a concussion and didn't make the trip to College Station, Texas. Roberts will be a game-time decision on Tuesday, Georgia coach Mike White said.

Georgia was dominated from the opening tip, as Texas A&M jumped to a 15-2 lead in less than six minutes before taking a 38-22 halftime advantage. The Aggies put the game away by going on a 10-3 run midway through the second half to take a 63-36 advantage with 10:51 to go.

The Bulldogs were outrebounded 43-30.

With wins in six of its past seven games, including Saturday over No. 1 Purdue, Indiana finally is looking like the team some thought in October would win the Big Ten Conference this season.

The 18th-ranked Hoosiers will try to keep their run going Tuesday night at home in Bloomington when they try to solve the sticky defense of No. 24 Rutgers in another Big Ten matchup.

Everyone knew Indiana (16-7, 7-5) had one of the best players in the nation in Trayce Jackson-Davis. During this surge, he played at a national Player of the Year level, averaging 24.3 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 3.9 blocked shots per game. In the 79-74 triumph over Purdue, Jackson-Davis had 25 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks against 7-foot-4 Zach Edey.

But Jackson-Davis' teammates are playing closer to his level lately. Freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino contributed 16 points and four assists against Purdue, while Trey Galloway netted 11 points and three steals.

Jackson-Davis said the difference in this team from others he's played on is the physical aspect.

Seeing four players get called for their fourth foul within a span of 98 seconds was hardly an ideal scenario for Seton Hall.

At least now there is a blueprint for navigating significant foul trouble, although the Pirates would like to avoid the same situation Sunday afternoon when they host DePaul in Newark, N.J.

Seton Hall (14-9, 7-5 Big East) dropped its first three conference games to Providence, Xavier and Marquette but has won seven of nine since to climb into the top half of the league standings.

Of all those victories, Wednesday's 84-72 comeback win at St. John's might have been the most impressive.

Not only did the Pirates erase a 13-point deficit in the first half and a seven-point deficit midway through the second, they withstood K.C. Ndefo, Femi Odukale, Tyrese Samuel and key reserve Tae Davis getting whistled for their fourth fouls along with Dre Davis sitting out due to a sprained right ankle.

After Samuel got his fourth with 11:57 remaining, the Pirates faced a 53-46 deficit. They adjusted to the foul trouble by deploying a zone defense and outscoring St. John's 38-19 the rest of the way, highlighted by Al-Amir Dawes hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 18 of his 21 points after halftime.

Tulane has the highest-scoring offense in the AAC averaging 81.0 ppg on the season. The next closest is Memphis with 79.8 ppg. The Wave’s lowest score of the season has been 60 vs. Houston and the highest is 97 at SMU.

Tulane is second in the country in free throw percentage shooting 80.9 percent from the charity stripe. Jalen Cook leads the team and the AAC shooting at 90.5 percent.

Under is 21-10-1 in Wildcats last 32 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600

No. 24 UConn will be searching for consistency and a season sweep in Saturday's Big East Conference road game against last-place Georgetown in Washington, D.C.

Throughout their nonconference schedule and the infant stages of league play, the Huskies (17-6, 6-6) relied on a blend of efficient scoring and formidable defense to start 14-0 and climb as high as No. 2 in the rankings.

UConn averaged 82.9 points per game over its undefeated run and allowed more than 70 points just once in that span -- an 84-73 home win against the Hoyas (6-17, 1-11) on Dec. 20.

But the crisp performances that vaulted the Huskies to their highest Top 25 ranking since 2009 have been scarce for the past month and UConn hasn't won consecutive games since late December.

The Huskies have won two of their past three, most recently a 90-76 triumph at DePaul on Tuesday.

Jordan Hawkins (26 points), Adama Sanogo (25) and Tristen Newton (21) spearheaded a UConn attack that bullied the Blue Demons for 42 points in the paint and a 38-25 rebounding edge.

Under is 21-10 in Bulldogs' last 31 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. This number seems to be begging the public to jump on the over. 

There's no doubt that the Missouri State has been a terrific over team of late, but the number seems to be begging you to take the under. The Racers have gone over the total six straight games and we're betting it will be a seventh here. 

The Over is 13-6 in Saints last 19 overall, 7-1 in Saints last 8 home games and 6-1 in Saints last 7 home games vs. a team with a losing road record

Over is 24-11-1 in the Cardinal's last 36 games following a straight-up win and 19-7 in the Cardinal's last 26 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

At age 78 and in his 47th season of coaching Syracuse, Jim Boeheim doesn't have time for anything less than brutal honesty.

Asked recently about starting forward Benny Williams, Boeheim was blunt.

"He's been focused on shooting jump shots, and he's not a good enough shooter to shoot a lot of jump shots," Boeheim said. "I don't know how he's feeling. Go ask him. I'm sure he's not happy. Nobody's happy when you don't play well."

Williams will be one of the keys for the Orange (12-6, 5-2) when they visit No. 16 Miami (14-3, 5-2) in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup on Monday night.

Some key trends for Monday's game favor the Hurricanes, who have a 10-0 home record. Syracuse has a 2-2 road record, and the Orange have lost two straight games to Miami.

However, Syracuse is 9-2 in its past 11 games overall. The Orange had four scorers in double figures on Saturday in a 78-73 win over Notre Dame.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have their own legendary coach -- 73-year-old Jim Larranaga, who took Miami to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight last year, the deepest advance in program history.

Miami this season is led by four double-digit scorers: Isaiah Wong (17.2 ppg), Jordan Miller (14.9), Norchad Omier (13.9) and Nijel Pack (11.4).

If the saying is true that defense wins championships and offense sells tickets, No. 12 Xavier and No. 25 Marquette should be expecting a sold-out crowd when they meet on Sunday in Cincinnati.

The Musketeers (14-3, 6-0 Big East) and Golden Eagles (14-4, 6-1) wield the two highest-scoring offenses in the Big East, and neither team has shown any signs of slowing down.

Xavier is averaging a conference-best 84.4 points per game and is coming off its 10th consecutive victory after downing Creighton 90-87 on Wednesday. The Bluejays pulled within one with two seconds remaining when Trey Alexander hit a 3-pointer, but Souley Boum converted a pair of free throws shortly after to seal the win.

Boum led all scorers with 26 points, Colby Jones supplied 20 and Jack Nunge chipped in 15 to go along with 12 rebounds as the Musketeers scored at least 80 points for the fourth straight game.

Jones attributes Xavier's recent success to first-year head coach Sean Miller, who came to the Musketeers after 12 seasons at Arizona.

Wyoming is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.0 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 16 games, they have only hit 34.3% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 43.12% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.

The Air Force Falcons have been playing well and were able to pick up an 85-74 overtime road victory against the Colorado State Rams. They dominated in the overtime period as they outscored Colorado State 20-9. They shot the ball extremely well as they were 31-of-61 (50.8 percent) overall, 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) from the three, and 19 free-throw attempts. Freshman guard Marcell McCreary led the team as in 37 minutes he finished with 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two turnovers. Defensively, they need to continue what they are doing as they allowed 43.9 percent from the floor and 25 from deep here. Air Force did decently well as they finished with six steals and two blocks throughout the game. 

Syracuse is coming off a notable performance. Notre Dame finally won an Atlantic Coast Conference game.

One team will end up with consecutive victories when they meet Saturday night in Syracuse, N.Y.

Syracuse (11-6, 4-2 ACC) has a chance to stay in the upper part of the league standings if it can pull off a season sweep of the Irish. Yet it hasn't been smooth for the Orange along the way.

"We've got to get a lot better," coach Jim Boeheim said. "We're a long ways away."

Notre Dame (9-8, 1-5) snapped a three-game losing streak by winning 73-72 in overtime earlier this week at home vs. Georgia Tech.

"We've still got 14 more games to prove it and get back on tr

The Rams are performing well this season, ranking 117th in the country with 75.1 points scored per game, shooting an impressive 49.4 percent from the field, and dishing out 18.1 assists per contest. They are 226th in the nation in points allowed on defense (70.5 per game). With 2.3 blocks and 6.6 steals per game so far, the Rams need to improve.

It didn't help that the Rebels gave up 53 points in the second half after a humiliating 84-66 home loss to the Boise State Broncos. They shot the ball reasonably effectively, finishing the game shooting 43.5 percent overall, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc, and making 14 of their 18 free throw attempts.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Prairie View A&M this season, as they are currently ranked 252nd in college basketball at 69.5 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Panthers’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 34.7%, placing them 201st in the NCAA.

Over is 6-1 in Rams last 7 overall, 6-2 in Minutemen last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.

The Under is 37-18 in Warriors last 55 overall and 39-14 in Warriors last 53 road games. The Under is 39-14 in Warriors last 53 road games

The Under is 10-3 in Jaspers' last 13 road games following three or more consecutive home games, while the Under is 9-4-1 in Mountaineers last 14 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400

Stanford and Washington look to turn around slow starts in conference play when they meet in a Pac-12 game Thursday night at Seattle.

Each will take the court saddled with a losing streak, with the Cardinal (5-10, 0-5) having dropped three straight overall and all five conference games. The Huskies (9-8, 1-5) have lost five in a row overall and each of their last four Pac-12 contests.

Stanford's slow start reached its low point Friday at California when the rival Golden Bears exploded for 92 points in a 22-point home win. Cal had struggled on offense all season.

If there was a positive in the loss to Cal, it was that the Cardinal shot 50 percent from the field. Senior Spencer Jones, who had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, expects more of the same moving forward.

Portland is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.9 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 18 games, they have only hit 34.5% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 38.03% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.

Seventh-ranked UCLA has not lost in seven-plus weeks but that does not mean coach Mick Cronin is happy.

Cronin will be looking for an improved effort when the Bruins face Utah on Thursday night in Pac-12 play at Los Angeles.

Though UCLA (14-2, 5-0 Pac-12) ran its winning streak to 11 with last Thursday's 60-58 home win over Southern California, it wasn't a pleasing performance from a coaching perspective.

The Bruins shot just 22.7 percent (5 of 22) from the field in the second half while blowing an 18-point halftime lead. The Trojans moved ahead with 36 seconds left before Jaylen Clark saved the day with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 14.8 seconds left as UCLA escaped with the win.

The Bruins finished at 34.5 percent from the field as Cronin saw the offensive prowess disappear under USC's relentless pressure defense after the strong first half.

The over is 5-2 in Mavericks last 7 games following a straight up loss, and 10-1 in Antelopes last 11 overall.

Under is 10-1 in the Dragons' last 11 games following a straight-up win and 7-1 in the Dragons' last 8 road games. Under is 19-7 in Seawolves' last 26 games following a straight-up loss

UNLV was on the road in their last game beating 21st-ranked New Mexico 84-77 where they were down five points at the half but outscored the Lobos by 12 points in the second half. They were down by as much as 12 points in the game and shot 51.8% from the floor holding New Mexico to 43.3% shooting. Five players, including four starters, for the Rebels, scored in double digits with EJ Harkless leading the way with 25 points and Keshon Gilbert going for 14 points.

Alabama is on a four-game winning streak since a 100-90 loss to Gonzaga on Dec. 17. The Crimson Tide's only other loss was to former No. 2 UConn, 82-67 on Nov. 25.

Miller leads Alabama with 19.1 points per game and 8.5 rebounds, while Sears scores 14.7 points.

The start of SEC play has not been as kind to Arkansas (12-3, 1-2). The Razorbacks were ranked No. 9 when they opened conference play with a 60-57 loss at LSU on Dec. 28.

Arkansas dropped to No. 13 last week and split two games, getting a home win 74-68 over No. 20 Missouri on Wednesday and losing 72-59 at No. 22 Auburn on Saturday. Anthony Black scored 23 for the Razorbacks on Saturday, while Ricky Council IV had 14. Council leads four double-digit scorers with 18.1 points per game.

Arkansas is expected to lean into its defense, which is 15th in the nation with 9.8 steals per game but had just four against Auburn. The Razorbacks outrebounded the Tigers on Saturday 45-32, with Jordan Walsh grabbing a career-high 10 boards.

Over is 17-4 in Midshipmen's last 21 overall and 9-0 in Midshipmen's last 9 games following an ATS loss.

The Explorers have a small four-game over streak on the line against the Minutemen who have a strange 21-5 over run going on Tuesday nights. 

No. 21 Auburn hopes to take the mojo it has at home on the road when the Tigers visit Ole Miss for a Southeastern Conference game Tuesday night in Oxford, Miss.

Auburn (12-3, 2-1) stretched its home winning streak to 27 games with a 72-59 win over then-No. 13 Arkansas on Saturday, but are only 1-2 on opponents' courts this season.

After taking on the Rebels (8-7, 0-3), the Tigers will be back on the road at LSU on Jan. 18, with a weekend home game against Mississippi State sandwiched in between.

The win over the Razorbacks followed a disappointing performance by the Tigers in a 76-64 mid-week loss at Georgia. Wendell Green Jr. led Auburn with 19 points, and Little Rock native Allen Flanigan added 18.

Green's effort was a bounce-back performance after he scored only seven points on 2-of-12 shooting at Georgia. He was 5 of 8 from the field against Arkansas, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range. He also handed out five assists.

Unlike the Falcons, Colorado State features four double-digit scorers on the season, led by Stevens with 17.6 points per game. Senior guard John Tonje is second on the team with 13.6 points per game and collects team-best 5.1 rebounds per game.

Altogether, the Rams play at a faster pace than Air Force and average 75.2 points per game. Both teams have shot well from the field this season. Colorado State boasts the nation’s 10th-best field goal percentage at 49.7%, and they make 8.5 three-pointers per game.

Wake Forest has struggled on the road, while North Carolina, despite all its faults, remains unbeaten at home.

The Demon Deacons will aim to reverse that trend with their in-state trip to face North Carolina on Wednesday night at Chapel Hill, N.C.

Wake Forest (10-4, 2-1 ACC) recovered from a tough stretch to knock off nationally-ranked Duke and formerly-ranked Virginia Tech in back-to-back home games. Now, the Demon Deacons will see if that kind of play can travel behind Tyree Appleby (18.4 points per game).

The public will likely be all over the under in this game, but history tells us that the Shockers tend to speed the game after a SU loss with a sense of urgency to avenge the loss. This number is too low to go under for me. 

Of course, the total is going to be jacked up for this one with both teams crushing over tickets of late. In the past, the Roadrunners' pace and efficiency have not been as effective against teams over .500 as it is against the lesser teams in CBB. Similar to what UAB does, but their unders tend to be against teams under .500. That's a perfect mix for an easy under. 

Two months of preparation and mostly successful performances set the table for No. 18 TCU and Texas Tech, who will square off on Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas, in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

The Big 12 is stacked, with five teams ranked in the AP Top 25. Both the Horned Frogs (11-1) and the Red Raiders (10-2) head into league play carrying momentum built on winning streaks and impressive performances.

TCU's most recent game was a dominating 103-57 home victory over Central Arkansas on Wednesday. Mike Miles Jr. scored 21 points to lead the Horned Frogs, while Emanuel Miller added 20, Damion Baugh had 13 and Shahada Wells and JaKobe Coles contributed 12 each.

This is the game where the Chicago State under streak comes to an end after cashing six straight. Bettors have taken the opening number of 143, which was a complete trap, and bet it down to 138.5. This game crawls over the total. 

First under Chris Beard and now under second-year coach Mark Adams, Texas Tech has been a team that wins with stifling defense and just enough offense.

However, the Red Raiders have shown at times this season that they might have more firepower to be able to outscore teams when required.

That offense could be on display again Tuesday night in Lubbock, Texas, when the Red Raiders return from their Christmas break with a home game against struggling South Carolina State.

Texas Tech (9-2) got 22 points apiece from De'Vion Harmon and Kevin Obanor in a 111-67 rout of Houston Christian on Wednesday, marking the first time since 1996 that the Red Raiders notched consecutive 100-point games. They beat Jackson State 102-52 on Dec. 17.

The over is 7-1 in Roadrunner's last 8 home games vs. a team with a losing road record and 6-1 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.

The Oregon State Beavers are coming off a tough 72-54 road loss against the Texas A&M Aggies and they were only able to score 24 points in the second half of the game. They were not able to shoot the ball well as they finished shooting 36.5 percent throughout the game, 32.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 11 free-throw shots. Freshman guard Jordan Pope led Oregon State as in 36 minutes he finished with 15 points and five assists. 

Needless to say, every trend is telling the public to go over the total, but I think the opening number of 140 was too much and it looks like the public has followed suit.  I do think you'll be able to get a better number on this total once the squares start betting this morning. 

No. 7 Tennessee will look to win its eighth straight game when it faces No. 13 Maryland in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational on Sunday in New York.

The Volunteers (8-1) are coming off an 84-49 win over visiting Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, while the Terrapins (8-1) suffered their first loss of the season in a 64-59 setback at Wisconsin on Tuesday.

Tennessee's Tyreke Key scored a game-high 17 points, while Julian Phillips added 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds against the Colonels. Zakai Zeigler chipped in 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals and Olivier Nkamhoua finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

While Tennessee struggled at times offensively, finishing 24 of 60 (40 percent) from the field and just 5 of 21 (23.8 percent) from 3-point range, the Volunteers excelled defensively.

Tennessee forced Eastern Kentucky to shoot an abysmal 15 of 68 (22.1 percent) from the field, including 6 for 35 (17.1 percent) from beyond the arc. The Volunteers outrebounded the Colonels 56-40.

Iowa (6-2) wasn't quite as sharp offensively in its last game, a 74-62 loss against Duke on Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Hawkeyes shot 39.7 percent from the field overall and made just 3 of 16 attempts from 3-point range.

"We have good shooters that didn't make shots (Tuesday)," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "I thought we moved the ball and shot open shots, and they didn't go in."

A big reason for Iowa's success on offense has been its value of the basketball. The Hawkeyes lead the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.93 and are averaging nine turnovers a game, the second-fewest in the country.

Leading the way has been Kris Murray, who is averaging 19.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest in taking over the lead role left by twin brother Keegan Murray, now playing in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings.

Patrick McCaffery (12.8), Tony Perkins (11.7), and Filip Rebraca (10.3) are also averaging double-figures in scoring.

Iowa hopes fatigue won't be a factor, given it will be a quick two-day turnaround from playing Duke.

The Hawkeyes have won four of the last six meetings. Iowa State won last year's game at home in Ames, 73-53.

It was the kind of loss that can turn into two or more if a team isn't careful.

Ahead by seven points with less than two minutes left Friday night, No. 14 Gonzaga managed to lose as sixth-ranked Baylor rattled off the last eight points to earn a 64-63 decision in Sioux Falls, S.D.

There isn't a lot of time for the Bulldogs to dwell on that outcome, though, as they have a dangerous game Monday night when Kent State visits Spokane for a non-conference contest.

Gonzaga (5-3) owned a 63-56 advantage with 1:41 remaining after Malachi Smith dunked, but it whiffed on its last five possessions. It committed a couple of turnovers, including a shot clock violation while it tried to add to a one-point lead.

Rasir Bolton missed a driving layup under heavy guarding just before time expired. It was a fitting capper to a game where the Zags simply weren't in sync offensively after Baylor limited their best player, Drew Timme, to six shots and nine points.

It didn't help that Timme found foul trouble, eventually fouling out before Jalen Bridges hit two foul shots with 16.1 seconds left to put Baylor ahead to stay.

The Golden Flashes shot just .238 from the floor (15-of-63) against the Houston Cougars, who are ranked in the top three nationally in scoring defense and FG% defense. Kent State was only 6-for-29 on 3-pointers (.207). Kent State has used a variety of starting lineups through seven games. Malique Jacobs has started five games but came off the bench at Houston, finishing with 11 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes

Under is 6-1 in the Tigers' last 7 neutral site games and 6-2 in the Tigers' last 8 overall. The Under is 11-5 in Jaguars' last 16 overall.

The under is 11-2 in Cardinals last 13 games following a straight-up loss and is 5-2 in Cardinals' last 7 overall. The under is 4-0 in Cardinals' last 4 games following an ATS loss

Michigan State quickly has gained respect with the way it has performed against top competition this season.

The Spartans went from unranked to No. 12 in the latest AP poll after quality wins against then-No. 4 Kentucky and Villanova last week.

It won't get any easier this holiday weekend. Michigan State will face unbeaten and No. 18 Alabama in the opener of the Phil Knight Invitational on Thursday in Portland, Ore.

The winner will return Friday to face the victor of the UConn-Oregon game, which will be played on Thursday. The finals and consolation games of the tournament will be Sunday.

The Spartans will get another test when they face Notre Dame in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge next Wednesday.

"We can play good and go 0-3," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said of the Portland event. "This is a very, very, very, very good tournament, and so we'll see.

Xavier coach Sean Miller sees familiarities with the team's last opponent when he scans the scouting report for Thursday's matchup with Florida in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament at Portland, Ore.

After giving up 30 points and six rebounds to Trayce Jackson-Davis in an 81-79 loss to Indiana, the Musketeers (3-1) now must contend with Florida's Colin Castleton. A power up front like Jackson-Davis, Castleton is averaging 25.3 points and 8.8 rebounds a game for the Gators (3-1).

"They do a great job of playing through him," Miller said. "He seems to be involved in almost every offensive possession, maybe a little bit more away from the basket skill-wise than a guy like Jackson-Davis but make no mistake. If you can average 25 points a game through the first three or four games, that's all you need to know."

Castleton was a big force behind Florida's 76-67 comeback win at Florida State in the Gators' last outing, scoring right at his average of 25 points and just missing a double-double with nine rebounds. He accounted for 13 points as the Gators scored 33 of the first 38 points in the second half while rallying from a 17-point halftime deficit.

Southern California's Boogie Ellis understands the significance of Thursday's semifinal against No. 22 Tennessee at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

"We come out here and we win a couple games, we got a chance to make some noise," he said. "Just (relaying) to the guys that this is a really important tournament for us to make a statement."

Ellis scored 27 points and Joshua Morgan and Drew Peterson posted double-doubles as the Trojans (4-1) knocked off BYU 82-76 in the first round on Wednesday.

After leading 28-23 at halftime, Tennessee (3-1) dominated Butler in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs 43-22 to cruise to a 71-45 win.

The winner plays in the title game on Friday night against No. 3 Kansas (5-0) or Wisconsin (4-0). The semifinal losers meet in the third-place game on Friday afternoon.

The Trojans extended their winning streak to four games by using a balanced scoring attack that included Peterson posting 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Morgan had his second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

Washington aims to bounce back from a demoralizing setback when it faces Fresno State on Wednesday night in the Wooden Legacy at Anaheim, Calif.

The Huskies (3-1) scored the game's first eight points but later trailed by 12 in the second half before succumbing 73-64 to visiting Cal Baptist on Thursday.

"We don't want to get behind like that," Washington coach Mike Hopkins said. "We had our chances but just couldn't get over the hump."

The winner of the game between the Huskies and Fresno State (1-3) will meet either Vanderbilt or Saint Mary's in Thursday night's title game. The losers will battle in the consolation game.

The Huskies had Keion Brooks Jr. back on the floor versus Cal Baptist after a two-game absence due to a leg injury. The Kentucky transfer scored 20 points in his Washington debut in the season-opening win over Weber State, but had 11 on 4-of-12 shooting against Cal Baptist.

"He forced it a little bit but he played his heart out," Hopkins said.

Brooks' 15.5 point per game scoring average is second on the squad behind freshman Keyon Menifield, who is averaging 15.8. Menifield had eight points on 4-of-14 shooting against the Lancers after averaging 23.5 points over the previous two games.

Fresno State has lost three straight contests, including Saturday's 61-52 road loss against North Texas.

The Zips are 1-4 ATS this season. It was the tale of two halves on Tuesday as the Zips were up two, 35-33, at halftime versus LSU, despite shooting 31% from the field. That poor shooting wasn’t even an indication of how bad things would get in the second half as Akron hit just five field goals on 25 attempts and was outscored 40-23. Enrique Freeman, who went 7-for-8 and led the team with 18 points on Monday, shot just 1-for-6 and had three points on the day. Xavier Castenada had his third 20+ point game of the season. The senior guard had 28 points, shooting 6-for-16 and 12-for-16 from the free-throw stripe. He added six rebounds and four assists.  

No. 3 Kansas already has some nice accomplishments this season, and now the Jayhawks get their coach back and head into to a high-profile tournament.

Bill Self will be on the bench for the first time this season when the Jayhawks take on North Carolina State on Wednesday in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.

NC State has made headway in its own way early this season, but the focus for this tournament opener is on the Jayhawks and Self. The coach finished a four-game suspension imposed by the university stemming from an NCAA investigation in 2017.

Assistant coach Kurtis Townsend is also back from a ban that was connected to Self's suspension. Norm Roberts had filled in as acting coach.

This is Self's 20th season with the Jayhawks. Even though he wasn't on the scene to start the season, this marks the ninth time since he took charge in 2003 that Kansas is off to a 4-0 start.

Forward KJ Adams Jr. -- at just 6-foot-7 -- has given the Jayhawks a boost up front. It's unclear if he's locked into that starting role.

Two contrasting styles here but I expect the slower pace to win out. Weber State has played in six under in their last seven games and 16 of 23 on neutral courts.