West Virginia (15-4 straight up, 9-8 against the spread) bounced back from last week's shocking loss to Marshall by knocking off St. John's on Sunday, 66-61. Bettors backing the Moutaineers as three-point favorites ran to the counter with a smile.

--Notre Dame's stay at the Heartbreak Hotel continued Saturday when it lost a 72-70 decision to Villanova. To their credit, the Fighting Irish covered the spread as five-point home underdogs. Gamblers backing the Irish can thank senior guard Chris Quinn, who finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

--Although Mike Brey's squad has lost three in a row and six of its last seven, it has posted a 3-1 spread record in its last four outings. The Irish have lost in double overtime twice (at Pitt and vs. Georgetown), in addition to a pair of two-point losses.

--West Virginia has won 13 of its last 14 games, compiling a 6-1 ATS record in its last seven outings. The Mountaineers are 9-2 SU at home, 4-5 ATS.

--Notre Dame (10-8 SU, 9-7 ATS) owns a 3-1 spread record in its four lined road games.

--If you've never seen Notre Dame's Quinn play, make sure to tune in tonight. This Dublin, OH., product has stepped up his game this year, shouldering a bigger scoring burden while also distribution the ball better and hitting the boards hard despite a lack of size. For the season, Quinn is averaging 17.6 points, 6.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game.

--The 'over' is 11-2-1 in Notre Dame's last 14 games with a total.

--Tip-off on ESPN is slated for 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

**Kentucky at Mississippi State**

--Kentucky (14-6 SU, 6-10 ATS) has won four consecutive games to temporarily right the ship in Lexington, but a loss in Starkville tonight could stymie the momentum of this seemingly fragile -- at least for UK standards -- team.

--Most sports books are listing Kentucky as a five-point 'chalk' with a total of 134.

--Mississippi State (11-9 SU, 10-8 ATS) has lost six in a row, including Saturday's 65-59 loss at Alabama. On the bright side for Rick Stansbury's team, it covered the number as an 11-point underdog.

--Stansbury simply doesn't have the horses that he's had in years past. The Bulldogs lost a trio of seniors in Lawrence Roberts, Winsome Frazier and Shane Power, not to mention point guard Gary Ervin, who transferred to Arkansas. Mississippi State's six-game losing streak in SEC play is the first such skid since 1988-89. The Bulldogs rank dead last in the following SEC categories: scoring margin, 3-point accuracy, assists, turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio. They are most likely going to miss the Big Dance following four straight appearances, including last year's trip to the second round, when they had Duke on the ropes in the final minute of play.

--There is one reason for optimism in Starkville and his name is Jamont Gordon. The freshman is averaging 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

--The Bulldogs are 7-4 SU at home, 5-4 ATS.

--Tubby Smith's team is 2-0 both SU and ATS in its two SEC road games, winning comfortably at Georgia and Auburn. UK has an amazing 25-1 SU record in its last 26 games against SEC West opponents.

--The Wildcats are off a 78-76 come-from-behind win against Arkansas. After trailing by 12 at intermission and by as many as 18, the 'Cats came alive with a 20-5 run in the second half. Randolph Morris was the catalyst, finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds. Rajon Rondo scored 14 points, dished out five assists and made five steals. However, the 'Cats failed to cover the number as four-point favorites, missing a number of free throws down the stretch when the ATS result was in doubt.

--The 'over' has cashed in four of UK's last five games.

--Tip-off at 8:00 p.m. Eastern will be broadcast by Jefferson Pilot in the South, ESPN's Full-Court package nationally.


**Duke at Boston College**

--Most spots have installed Duke (19-1 SU, 9-8 ATS) as a 4 1/2-point favorite with a total of 150.

--Duke has won back-to-back games since losing for the first time at Georgetown two Saturdays ago. The Blue Devils thumped Virginia Tech 80-67 as 11-point road favorites Thursday. Back at home Sunday, they pushed past Virginia by an 82-63 count as 19-point favorites.

--Boston College (16-4 SU, 8-8 ATS) has won five in a row, going 2-2 ATS during that stretch. The Eagles failed to cover in Sunday's 66-64 win against Georgia Tech as 12 1/2-point home favorites.

--BC has won nine of its 10 home games, but it has struggled to a 3-4 ATS record.

--The 'over' has hit in five straight Duke games.

--The 'over' is 5-2 in BC's home games, 6-3 in Duke's road assignments.

--ESPN will have television coverage at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.