**Louisville at West Virginia**

--West Virginia (18-8 straight up, 11-12 against the spread) has lost three straight games and four of its last five, but bettors shouldn't allow that to change their perception of this team. The four losses have come by 19 combined points with three of the defeats coming on the road to quality foes. The home loss was a hotly-contested setback against third-ranked UConn. All that said, the recent slide makes this a crucial game for the Mountaineers, who need to right the ship in order to garner a solid seed on Selection Sunday.

--Louisville (17-9 SU, 6-16 ATS) is in desperation mode in terms of building a resume worthy of an at-large invite. Also, the Cardinals are still in danger of missing the Big East Tournament that won't involve the league's bottom four schools.

--Most sports books are listing the Mountaineers as eight-point favorites with a total of 135.

--West Virginia has won 11 of its 13 home games, posting a 5-6 spread record in the process.

--Rick Pitino's team snapped a four-game ATS slide when it captured a 65-53 win over Depaul on Wednesday. The Cardinals covered the spread as 8 1/2-point favorites. Terrence Williams paced the Cards with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.

--Louisville center David Padgett is "out" for the season after an MRI showed significant knee damage earlier in the week. The transfer from Kansas was averaging 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

--The Mountaineers are 6-9 ATS as favorites this season.

--The 'under' is 8-2-1 in West Virginia's last 11 games.

--CBS will provide regional television coverage at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

**Northern Iowa at Southern Illinois**

--Most spots have installed Southern Illinois (18-10 SU, 14-12 ATS) as a three-point favorite with a low total of 114.

--Northern Iowa (22-7 SU, 13-11 ATS) has lost three of its last four games and, truth be told, was extremely fortunate to get a win over Bucknell in double overtime last Saturday. The Panthers have lost four in a row ATS.

--For much of the season, Northern Iowa has appeared to be the cream of the crop in the Mizzou Valley. However, that perception is changing quickly with the way this team has played the last two weeks. On Wednesday, NIU not only got beat at home by Bradley, a middle-of-the-pack team in the MVC, but it was dealt serious woodshed treatment, 71-49. Ben Jacobsen scored 16 points in the losing effort.

--SIU is in serious trouble following Tuesday's 64-59 loss at Evansville. The Salukis have lost three straight both SU and ATS, virtually crushing any hopes of an at-large invite to the Big Dance unless they make a serious push in the next two weeks.

--Southern Illinois has been outstanding at home, compiling a 10-2 SU record and 8-4 ATS mark.

--Despite its recent struggles, NIU doesn't have to fret about its status as a Tournament team. The Panthers own non-conference wins over Iowa, LSU and Bucknell.

--The 'under' has cashed at a 10-2 clip for Southern Illinois at home. However, the 'over' is 7-1 in the last eight games for the Salukis (regardless of venue).

--The 'under' is 6-2 in NIU's last eight games.

--ESPN2 will broadcast this game at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

**Duke at Temple**

--Most books have made Duke (26-1 SU, 12-12 ATS) a 10 1/2-point 'chalk.'

--The Blue Devils are off a 73-66 win Wednesday at Georgia Tech as 11-point favorites. Duke actually trailed for much of the game before taking over late in the second half. Shelden Williams scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help Coach K's club overcome a 5-for-21 shooting night from senior guard J.J. Redick.

--Temple is tough at home with an 11-2 record both SU and ATS. John Chaney's team has already beaten a pair of ACC foes -- Miami and Maryland -- at home this season. In addition, two SEC schools (Alabama and South Carolina) have lost outright at Temple.

--The Owls have won seven straight home games both SU and ATS. Villanova and George Washington are Temple's only home losses this year.

--The 'under' has cashed in six straight games for Temple. On the flip side, the 'over' is 11-1 in Duke's last 12 games.

--ESPN will have the telecast at 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**

--South Carolina is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games against Vanderbilt.

--Notre Dame is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games.

--Kentucky has beaten in LSU in 16 of the last 17 head-to-head meetings.

--LSU guard Darrel Mitchell was held out of practice Thursday after twisting his ankle. Also, Glen "Big Baby" Davis tweaked a knee injury in Wednesday's win at Vandy.

**Iowa at Illinois**

–Las Vegas Sports Consultants installed Illinois as a 7 1/2-point home 'chalk' over Iowa, with the total set at 126. ESPN will provide coverage of this Big Ten affair beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET.

–Iowa (20-7 straight up, 10-12 against the spread) had its modest two-game SU and ATS winning streak halted with last Saturday’s setback to Minnesota as a one-point road favorite, 74-61.

–The Hawkeyes were unable to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit, 38-29, and finished the contest getting outrebounded, 36-25. Greg Brunner stepped up with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Jeff Horner added 13 and five assists.

–Iowa has struggled to a 5-7 SU and 4-8 ATS road record, falling by an average score of 67-63.

–The Hawkeyes had dropped four games in a row to Illinois SU (2-2 ATS) before beating the Illini Jan. 7 as a 1 1/2-point home underdog, 63-48.

–Illinois (22-5 SU, 12-11 ATS) also had a two-game SU winning streak snuffed in its latest effort against Michigan Tuesday as a two-point road ‘chalk,’ 72-64. The Illini dropped to 1-4 ATS their past five performances.

–Illinois entered halftime with a slight advantage, 34-30, before being outscored in the second half, 42-30. James Augustine paced the offense with 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Dee Brown contributed 20 and six assists.

–The Illini sport a 15-1 SU and 6-6 ATS home ledger, pummeling opponents by an average score of 74-56.

**Kansas at Texas**

–LVSC has Texas as a seven-point home favorite over Kansas, with the total listed at 137. ESPN starts its coverage of this Big XII contest at 9:00 p.m. ET.

–Kansas (20-6 SU, 14-9 ATS) ran away with its 10th consecutive SU victory compliments of Tuesday’s triumph over Baylor as a 23-point home favorite, 76-61. The Jayhawks had covered four games in a row before failing to do so against the Bears.

–Kansas dominated Baylor on the boards, 38-28, and finished the contest by shooting a robust 52 percent (30-of-58) from the field. Julian Wright led all scorers with 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting, while Brandon Rush pitched in with 11 and five rebounds.

–The Jayhawks maintain a 7-4 SU and 7-3 ATS road record, winning those matchups by an average score of 75-65.

–Kansas had dropped back-to-back outings against Texas both SU and ATS before winning the last meeting as a nine-point home ‘chalk,’ 90-65. This marks the first game of the season between these conference rivals.

–Texas (23-4 SU, 11-10 ATS) improved to 4-1 SU its last five games after slipping past Kansas State Wednesday as an eight-point road favorite, 65-64. The Longhorns dropped to 1-3 ATS their last four outings.

–Texas escaped despite netting just 23 points after halftime, finishing the contest by connecting at a 44 percent clip (24-of-54). Four players reached double digits in scoring, led by LaMarcus Aldridge’s 16 points and eight rebounds.

–The Longhorns lay claim to a 14-1 SU and 11-10 ATS home record, routing foes by an average score of 84-56.

**Colorado State at Wyoming**

–LVSC opened Wyoming as a 2 1/2-point home 'chalk' over Colorado State, with the total set at 143. ESPN2 will provide coverage of this Mountain West affair beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET.

–Colorado State (14-12 SU, 8-12 ATS) has alternated wins and losses both SU and ATS its past four performances after roughing up Texas Christian Wednesday as an 11-point home favorite, 89-74.

–The Rams controlled the boards, 35-25, while also shooting a blistering 54 percent (23-of-43) from the field. Five players reached double digits in scoring, led by Freddy Robinson and Stephan Gilling’s 16 points while teammate Jason Smith contributed with 13 and nine rebounds.

–Colorado State owns a 5-7 SU and 5-6 ATS road record, falling by an average score of 71-70.

–The Rams are just 1-3 SU and 0-3 ATS the previous four encounters with Wyoming after dropping a Jan. 25 meeting as an 8 1/2-point home ‘chalk,’ 72-67.

–Wyoming (12-14 SU, 10-13 ATS) is currently mired in a three-game losing funk after last Saturday’s setback to Brigham Young as a one-point home favorite, 74-68. The Cowboys had covered back-to-back outings before failing to do so versus the Cougars.

–Wyoming shot a solid 47 percent (26-of-55) from the field, but was unable to overcome its rebounding deficit, 45-34. Brandon Ewing accounted for 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting while dishing out five assists.

–The Cowboys are 10-7 SU and 6-8 ATS on their home court, prevailing by an average score of 72-68.