Tennessee Vols at Rupp to face Kentucky
Two old SEC rivals draw a prime time television crowd on Saturday night when the Volunteers trek to the Blue Grass State to take on John Calipari's No. 2 Wildcats. Kentucky is unbeaten at home with a 16-0 mark, but the 'Cats have not fared well at Rupp Arena vs. the number where they are just 6-8 against the spread. Bruce Pearl and 12-ranked Tennessee will attempt to beat both the line and Wildcats starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Bracketologists of the world, unite. The NCAA men’s basketball Tournament is drawing ever closer, which means we’re on the verge of getting buried under an avalanche of office pool brackets for March Madness.
Which conference will earn the most bids? Will the Notre Dame Fighting Irish get in off the bubble? And will it be Oakland or IUPUI coming out of the Summit League? Inquiring bettors want to know.
The SEC looks like it’ll be stuck with just a handful of bids, but at least they’re not the worst of the six major conferences this year (hello, Pac-10). The Big East, on the other hand, is bloated with big-name programs and likely to send 6-8 teams to the Big Dance. All four of the following teams should get in – although we’re a little worried about Louisville these days.
No. 12 Tennessee at No. 2 Kentucky
Saturday, 9:00 p.m. (ET) - ESPN
The SEC got a big shot in the arm when John Calipari left Memphis behind and took over the Kentucky Wildcats (23-1 SU, 11-11 ATS). The Wildcats are an easy choice for a No. 1 Tournament seed at this point; they’re No. 3 in the AP rankings and No. 7 in team efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy.
But when it comes to value, there’s not much there – especially at Rupp Arena, where the ‘Cats are 16-0 SU and 6-8 ATS this year.
Down the I-75 in Knoxville, the Volunteers (18-5 SU, 9-10-1 ATS) are No. 12 in the rankings, but in danger of dropping like a stone after losing 90-71 at Vanderbilt (-3). That leaves Tennessee at 3-3 SU and 1-5 ATS heading into their toughest matchup of the SEC schedule. The Vols are No. 28 on the efficiency charts with just the No. 74-ranked offense, driving the 'under' to a tasty 11-5 record.
This will be the first time these two clubs have met this season. The timing could have been worse for the Volunteers, who are playing rather well considering they dismissed Tyler Smith (17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game last year) and suspended three others following a Jan. 1 traffic stop that led to drug, alcohol, and firearms charges. All three suspensions have now been lifted with the return of back-up center Brian Williams (5.1 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game) on Tuesday against the Commodores. There may some value with the Vols when the early betting odds are released on Friday.
Louisville at No. 3 Syracuse
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. (ET) - ESPN
Rick Pitino took Kentucky to the Final Four three times (with a national championship in 1995-96), went to the NBA, then returned to the college ranks with UK’s bitter in-state rivals from Louisville. Sure enough, the Cardinals made the Final Four in 2005.
But this year’s team is missing that certain something at 15-8 SU and 7-11 ATS heading into Thursday’s action. The Cards are just 3-4 SU (2-5 ATS) in their last seven, and rumors have been circulating that Pitino is interested in returning to the NBA to coach the New Jersey Nets.
Pitino has squashed those rumors in the press, but he might feel differently if his team gets squashed by the Syracuse Orange (24-1 SU, 15-6 ATS), another of Pitino’s former employers. The Orange are poised to grab one of those four No. 1 Tournament seeds; they’re No. 2 on the AP rankings and No. 3 on the efficiency charts. Syracuse has won 11 in a row at 8-3 ATS, and Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone defense has the 'under' at 9-2 during this hot streak.
This is also the first Louisville-Syracuse game of the year. The Cards are actually playing very good basketball at No. 23 in team efficiency, but they don’t have the requisite zone-busting outside shooters at just 32.9 percent from long range.
Syracuse scores and defends well almost everywhere on the floor – except at the charity stripe, where that 65.9-percent success rate (No. 255 out of 347 Division I teams) is going to cost the Orange someday. Perhaps this will be the day.
Two old SEC rivals draw a prime time television crowd on Saturday night when the Volunteers trek to the Blue Grass State to take on John Calipari's No. 2 Wildcats. Kentucky is unbeaten at home with a 16-0 mark, but the 'Cats have not fared well at Rupp Arena vs. the number where they are just 6-8 against the spread. Bruce Pearl and 12-ranked Tennessee will attempt to beat both the line and Wildcats starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Bracketologists of the world, unite. The NCAA men’s basketball Tournament is drawing ever closer, which means we’re on the verge of getting buried under an avalanche of office pool brackets for March Madness.
Which conference will earn the most bids? Will the Notre Dame Fighting Irish get in off the bubble? And will it be Oakland or IUPUI coming out of the Summit League? Inquiring bettors want to know.
The SEC looks like it’ll be stuck with just a handful of bids, but at least they’re not the worst of the six major conferences this year (hello, Pac-10). The Big East, on the other hand, is bloated with big-name programs and likely to send 6-8 teams to the Big Dance. All four of the following teams should get in – although we’re a little worried about Louisville these days.
No. 12 Tennessee at No. 2 Kentucky
Saturday, 9:00 p.m. (ET) - ESPN
The SEC got a big shot in the arm when John Calipari left Memphis behind and took over the Kentucky Wildcats (23-1 SU, 11-11 ATS). The Wildcats are an easy choice for a No. 1 Tournament seed at this point; they’re No. 3 in the AP rankings and No. 7 in team efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy.
But when it comes to value, there’s not much there – especially at Rupp Arena, where the ‘Cats are 16-0 SU and 6-8 ATS this year.
Down the I-75 in Knoxville, the Volunteers (18-5 SU, 9-10-1 ATS) are No. 12 in the rankings, but in danger of dropping like a stone after losing 90-71 at Vanderbilt (-3). That leaves Tennessee at 3-3 SU and 1-5 ATS heading into their toughest matchup of the SEC schedule. The Vols are No. 28 on the efficiency charts with just the No. 74-ranked offense, driving the 'under' to a tasty 11-5 record.
This will be the first time these two clubs have met this season. The timing could have been worse for the Volunteers, who are playing rather well considering they dismissed Tyler Smith (17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game last year) and suspended three others following a Jan. 1 traffic stop that led to drug, alcohol, and firearms charges. All three suspensions have now been lifted with the return of back-up center Brian Williams (5.1 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game) on Tuesday against the Commodores. There may some value with the Vols when the early betting odds are released on Friday.
Louisville at No. 3 Syracuse
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. (ET) - ESPN
Rick Pitino took Kentucky to the Final Four three times (with a national championship in 1995-96), went to the NBA, then returned to the college ranks with UK’s bitter in-state rivals from Louisville. Sure enough, the Cardinals made the Final Four in 2005.
But this year’s team is missing that certain something at 15-8 SU and 7-11 ATS heading into Thursday’s action. The Cards are just 3-4 SU (2-5 ATS) in their last seven, and rumors have been circulating that Pitino is interested in returning to the NBA to coach the New Jersey Nets.
Pitino has squashed those rumors in the press, but he might feel differently if his team gets squashed by the Syracuse Orange (24-1 SU, 15-6 ATS), another of Pitino’s former employers. The Orange are poised to grab one of those four No. 1 Tournament seeds; they’re No. 2 on the AP rankings and No. 3 on the efficiency charts. Syracuse has won 11 in a row at 8-3 ATS, and Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone defense has the 'under' at 9-2 during this hot streak.
This is also the first Louisville-Syracuse game of the year. The Cards are actually playing very good basketball at No. 23 in team efficiency, but they don’t have the requisite zone-busting outside shooters at just 32.9 percent from long range.
Syracuse scores and defends well almost everywhere on the floor – except at the charity stripe, where that 65.9-percent success rate (No. 255 out of 347 Division I teams) is going to cost the Orange someday. Perhaps this will be the day.
