UNC, Texas battle at Cowboys Stadium
No, it's not a gridiron battle between the Tar Heels and Longhorns at Jerry Jones' new playground. North Carolina and Texas will meet at the new stadium in the first basketball game to be played in the park in a matchup of Top 10 schools. The Heels and Horns have split their four previous meetings, the last coming in the 2004 NCAA Tournament when Texas knocked off Roy Williams' bunch to advance to the Sweet 16.
The 2009-10 men’s college basketball season is chugging along pretty much as expected. Kansas and Texas are the top two teams in the nation, followed by the reborn Kentucky program under coach John Calipari.
Along with this trio, there are eight other undefeated clubs in Division I as we go to press – not only undefeated, but storming the pay window at a combined 51-21-2 ATS. The books are also getting hammered on away favorites at 109-72-6 ATS, or 60.2 percent. That’s some tasty chalk.
As further proof that everything is bigger in Texas, the first game of our weekend betting twinbill is being held at Cowboys Stadium. Try not to hit your head on the video board.
No. 10 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Texas (Arlington, Tex.)
Saturday, Dec 19, 2:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN
This is technically a neutral-site location, but the crowd will obviously be on the side of the Longhorns (9-0 SU, 5-2 ATS) in this matchup. Texas was pegged as a preseason championship contender and is playing like it, although the strength of schedule has been questionable – Pittsburgh (+7½) is the toughest opponent the Longhorns have played so far.
Still, Texas has been winning by a ridiculous average of 32.4 points, enough to sit on top of the Pomeroy efficiency rankings ahead of Kansas.
The Tar Heels (8-2 SU, 4-4 ATS) will take Texas to another level of competition Saturday afternoon. But the defending national champions are not the team they used to be – literally.
Having lost their core 2008-09 players to graduation and the NBA, the young Heels are vulnerable against elite opposition, losing to both Syracuse and Kentucky away from the comfort of Chapel Hill. North Carolina ranks No. 44 in Pomeroy efficiency at this early stage of the season with an average winning margin of 13.4 points.
The biggest difference between the two teams is on defense, where the Longhorns are ranked No. 1 in the nation and North Carolina trails at No. 65. But UNC matches up relatively well on the floor. The Heels are one of the tallest teams around, and while the Texas offense is very good, it’s doing most of its damage from inside. The Longhorns are only shooting 33.1 percent from behind the arc and a poor 61.4 percent from the free-throw line. Size will matter in this contest.
Florida State at No. 15 Georgia Tech
Sunday, Dec 20, 5:30 p.m. (ET) FSN
The ACC is the only one of the Big Six that has started conference play – albeit sporadically. The Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech is the most profitable team in the ACC at 8-1 SU and 5-1 ATS, covering five in a row after losing to Dayton (+1½) at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
The Yellow Jackets have played well enough to rank No. 29 on the Pomeroy charts despite a weak non-con schedule. Tech’s best attributes are on defense, holding opponents to 35.3 percent shooting from the field and 25.4 percent from long range.
While most people in Tallahassee are worried about life after Bobby Bowden, the basketball team is competitive at 10-2 SU and 2-6 ATS. The Seminoles have played a much tougher schedule than Georgia Tech has, upsetting Marquette (-1) to win the Old Spice Classic while losing on the road at Florida (-1½) and Ohio State (-7).
The ‘Noles are No. 33 in the Pomeroy rankings at press time and even stingier than the Jackets on defense, allowing just 34.3 percent of the enemy’s field goal attempts heading into Thursday’s victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
What’s lacking on both sides is offense. Turnovers are a big problem, especially with the Seminoles at 26.5 percent. Neither side shoots free throws very well; again, FSU is the worse offender at 63.5 percent from the line.
However, both teams have made up for it to some extent with strong offensive rebounding – the Seminoles are the tallest team in Division I at an average of 6-foot-7 and change. This is a closer contest on paper than it may appear at first glance with FSU sitting well outside the AP Top 25.
No, it's not a gridiron battle between the Tar Heels and Longhorns at Jerry Jones' new playground. North Carolina and Texas will meet at the new stadium in the first basketball game to be played in the park in a matchup of Top 10 schools. The Heels and Horns have split their four previous meetings, the last coming in the 2004 NCAA Tournament when Texas knocked off Roy Williams' bunch to advance to the Sweet 16.
The 2009-10 men’s college basketball season is chugging along pretty much as expected. Kansas and Texas are the top two teams in the nation, followed by the reborn Kentucky program under coach John Calipari.
Along with this trio, there are eight other undefeated clubs in Division I as we go to press – not only undefeated, but storming the pay window at a combined 51-21-2 ATS. The books are also getting hammered on away favorites at 109-72-6 ATS, or 60.2 percent. That’s some tasty chalk.
As further proof that everything is bigger in Texas, the first game of our weekend betting twinbill is being held at Cowboys Stadium. Try not to hit your head on the video board.
No. 10 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Texas (Arlington, Tex.)
Saturday, Dec 19, 2:00 p.m. (ET) ESPN
This is technically a neutral-site location, but the crowd will obviously be on the side of the Longhorns (9-0 SU, 5-2 ATS) in this matchup. Texas was pegged as a preseason championship contender and is playing like it, although the strength of schedule has been questionable – Pittsburgh (+7½) is the toughest opponent the Longhorns have played so far.
Still, Texas has been winning by a ridiculous average of 32.4 points, enough to sit on top of the Pomeroy efficiency rankings ahead of Kansas.
The Tar Heels (8-2 SU, 4-4 ATS) will take Texas to another level of competition Saturday afternoon. But the defending national champions are not the team they used to be – literally.
Having lost their core 2008-09 players to graduation and the NBA, the young Heels are vulnerable against elite opposition, losing to both Syracuse and Kentucky away from the comfort of Chapel Hill. North Carolina ranks No. 44 in Pomeroy efficiency at this early stage of the season with an average winning margin of 13.4 points.
The biggest difference between the two teams is on defense, where the Longhorns are ranked No. 1 in the nation and North Carolina trails at No. 65. But UNC matches up relatively well on the floor. The Heels are one of the tallest teams around, and while the Texas offense is very good, it’s doing most of its damage from inside. The Longhorns are only shooting 33.1 percent from behind the arc and a poor 61.4 percent from the free-throw line. Size will matter in this contest.
Florida State at No. 15 Georgia Tech
Sunday, Dec 20, 5:30 p.m. (ET) FSN
The ACC is the only one of the Big Six that has started conference play – albeit sporadically. The Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech is the most profitable team in the ACC at 8-1 SU and 5-1 ATS, covering five in a row after losing to Dayton (+1½) at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
The Yellow Jackets have played well enough to rank No. 29 on the Pomeroy charts despite a weak non-con schedule. Tech’s best attributes are on defense, holding opponents to 35.3 percent shooting from the field and 25.4 percent from long range.
While most people in Tallahassee are worried about life after Bobby Bowden, the basketball team is competitive at 10-2 SU and 2-6 ATS. The Seminoles have played a much tougher schedule than Georgia Tech has, upsetting Marquette (-1) to win the Old Spice Classic while losing on the road at Florida (-1½) and Ohio State (-7).
The ‘Noles are No. 33 in the Pomeroy rankings at press time and even stingier than the Jackets on defense, allowing just 34.3 percent of the enemy’s field goal attempts heading into Thursday’s victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
What’s lacking on both sides is offense. Turnovers are a big problem, especially with the Seminoles at 26.5 percent. Neither side shoots free throws very well; again, FSU is the worse offender at 63.5 percent from the line.
However, both teams have made up for it to some extent with strong offensive rebounding – the Seminoles are the tallest team in Division I at an average of 6-foot-7 and change. This is a closer contest on paper than it may appear at first glance with FSU sitting well outside the AP Top 25.