Duke, Georgetown tip-off betting tripleheader
Duke, Georgetown tip-off betting tripleheader
With North Carolina dropping two if their last three games and sitting 1-2 in the ACC, attention to the nation's top hoops conference now turns to the Duke Blue Devils and Wake Forest Demon Deacons at No. 2-3 in the latest coaches poll. Mike Krzyzewski and Duke will put their 15-1 record on the line at Cameron Saturday against DaJuan Summers and the Georgetown Hoyas in an ACC-Big East tumble.
Yes, folks, the North Carolina Tar Heels lost another game. Cue the Salvation Army band, because the usual media bigwigs are mourning UNC’s tumble from the No. 1 spot in the polls like it’s the ultimate downfall of Western civilization.
What it really means is that the far less popular Wake Forest Demon Deacons are indeed all that after beating the Heels 92-89 as 6½-point home dogs.
It also means the Atlantic Coast Conference is still the place to be in college hoops; Ken Pomeroy has the ACC ranked No. 1 among the Division I conferences in efficiency, just ahead of the Pac-10 and the Big East. All three are represented in this week’s betting tripleheader.
No. 12 Georgetown at No. 2 Duke
Saturday, Jan 17, 1:30 p.m. (ET) CBS
Duke (15-1 SU, 9-6 ATS) is still the No. 1 team on the Pomeroy charts, with the No. 2 defense and the Under cashing in five times in a row. But the AP scribes dropped the Blue Devils to No. 3 in the polls and installed Wake in the second spot. No respect, I tell ya. There are a lot of Duke haters out there, and since people are prone to betting on the outcomes they want to see, an undervalued Duke team is a handicapper’s best friend.
Duke’s game doesn’t lend itself to the Sportscenter treatment. Versatile Kyle Singler has 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game as a forward. Singler isn’t among the nation’s Top 100 players in any single category, but the sum of his efforts is impressive. The Blue Devils defense doesn’t get its due from anyone but homers and stat geeks, either.
A nationally televised tilt with Georgetown (12-3 SU, 6-5 ATS, No. 7 Pomeroy) ought to change that to some degree. The Hoyas are a strong team at both ends, but just 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS in their last four games.
No. 15 Arizona State at No. 7 UCLA
Saturday, Jan 17, 3:45 p.m. (ET) CBS
The Sun Devils (14-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) have been confounding the betting odds for a while now, but they got smacked down by Southern California Thursday night, losing 61-49 as 1-point road faves. Arizona State was No. 4 on the Pomeroy charts before that game; the No. 44 Trojans, though, had the best player on the court in superfrosh DeMar DeRozan, who scored 22 points with seven rebounds and a pair of helpers. ASU’s top-ranked offense couldn’t buy a bucket in the second half.
That game would be a great blueprint for the Bruins (13-2 SU, 7-7 ATS), although this isn’t the same defensive monster to which we’ve grown accustomed in the Ben Howland years. UCLA is No. 14 in overall efficiency and No. 35 on defense, having played a rather soft schedule to open the 2008-09 campaign. It’s the UCLA offense carrying the flag right now – Thursday’s 83-60 squash of visiting Arizona (+11.5) is more the Bruins’ style these days, with five men scoring in double digits. Expect more of the same on Saturday.
Iowa at No. 19 Purdue
Sunday, Jan 18, 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Michael Moore should film a documentary. The Big Ten isn’t just slipping away on the football field; the most storied conference in college sports has fallen to fifth in the efficiency rankings, ahead only of the pigskin-happy SEC. After a hot start, Purdue (13-4 SU, 5-8 ATS, No. 18 Pomeroy) is dragging the Big Ten down at 2-2 SU in their last four and 1-4 ATS in the last five. The Boilers needed a late rally to beat Northwestern 63-61 on Thursday after the Wildcats (+4) had lost 18 of their previous 19 conference games.
Iowa (11-6 SU, 6-5 ATS, No. 56 Pomeroy) makes Northwestern look like a Final Four team in comparison. The Hawkeyes are 2-4 SU and 1-4 ATS in their last six games; they rely far too heavily on the 3-pointer, connecting 39.9 percent of the time while very rarely grabbing an offensive rebound or getting to the foul line. The strong Boilers defense allows opponents to hit just 29.8 percent from behind the arc. It’s not a good matchup at all for Iowa supporters.
With North Carolina dropping two if their last three games and sitting 1-2 in the ACC, attention to the nation's top hoops conference now turns to the Duke Blue Devils and Wake Forest Demon Deacons at No. 2-3 in the latest coaches poll. Mike Krzyzewski and Duke will put their 15-1 record on the line at Cameron Saturday against DaJuan Summers and the Georgetown Hoyas in an ACC-Big East tumble.
Yes, folks, the North Carolina Tar Heels lost another game. Cue the Salvation Army band, because the usual media bigwigs are mourning UNC’s tumble from the No. 1 spot in the polls like it’s the ultimate downfall of Western civilization.
What it really means is that the far less popular Wake Forest Demon Deacons are indeed all that after beating the Heels 92-89 as 6½-point home dogs.
It also means the Atlantic Coast Conference is still the place to be in college hoops; Ken Pomeroy has the ACC ranked No. 1 among the Division I conferences in efficiency, just ahead of the Pac-10 and the Big East. All three are represented in this week’s betting tripleheader.
No. 12 Georgetown at No. 2 Duke
Saturday, Jan 17, 1:30 p.m. (ET) CBS
Duke (15-1 SU, 9-6 ATS) is still the No. 1 team on the Pomeroy charts, with the No. 2 defense and the Under cashing in five times in a row. But the AP scribes dropped the Blue Devils to No. 3 in the polls and installed Wake in the second spot. No respect, I tell ya. There are a lot of Duke haters out there, and since people are prone to betting on the outcomes they want to see, an undervalued Duke team is a handicapper’s best friend.
Duke’s game doesn’t lend itself to the Sportscenter treatment. Versatile Kyle Singler has 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game as a forward. Singler isn’t among the nation’s Top 100 players in any single category, but the sum of his efforts is impressive. The Blue Devils defense doesn’t get its due from anyone but homers and stat geeks, either.
A nationally televised tilt with Georgetown (12-3 SU, 6-5 ATS, No. 7 Pomeroy) ought to change that to some degree. The Hoyas are a strong team at both ends, but just 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS in their last four games.
No. 15 Arizona State at No. 7 UCLA
Saturday, Jan 17, 3:45 p.m. (ET) CBS
The Sun Devils (14-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) have been confounding the betting odds for a while now, but they got smacked down by Southern California Thursday night, losing 61-49 as 1-point road faves. Arizona State was No. 4 on the Pomeroy charts before that game; the No. 44 Trojans, though, had the best player on the court in superfrosh DeMar DeRozan, who scored 22 points with seven rebounds and a pair of helpers. ASU’s top-ranked offense couldn’t buy a bucket in the second half.
That game would be a great blueprint for the Bruins (13-2 SU, 7-7 ATS), although this isn’t the same defensive monster to which we’ve grown accustomed in the Ben Howland years. UCLA is No. 14 in overall efficiency and No. 35 on defense, having played a rather soft schedule to open the 2008-09 campaign. It’s the UCLA offense carrying the flag right now – Thursday’s 83-60 squash of visiting Arizona (+11.5) is more the Bruins’ style these days, with five men scoring in double digits. Expect more of the same on Saturday.
Iowa at No. 19 Purdue
Sunday, Jan 18, 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Michael Moore should film a documentary. The Big Ten isn’t just slipping away on the football field; the most storied conference in college sports has fallen to fifth in the efficiency rankings, ahead only of the pigskin-happy SEC. After a hot start, Purdue (13-4 SU, 5-8 ATS, No. 18 Pomeroy) is dragging the Big Ten down at 2-2 SU in their last four and 1-4 ATS in the last five. The Boilers needed a late rally to beat Northwestern 63-61 on Thursday after the Wildcats (+4) had lost 18 of their previous 19 conference games.
Iowa (11-6 SU, 6-5 ATS, No. 56 Pomeroy) makes Northwestern look like a Final Four team in comparison. The Hawkeyes are 2-4 SU and 1-4 ATS in their last six games; they rely far too heavily on the 3-pointer, connecting 39.9 percent of the time while very rarely grabbing an offensive rebound or getting to the foul line. The strong Boilers defense allows opponents to hit just 29.8 percent from behind the arc. It’s not a good matchup at all for Iowa supporters.