Uconn (+9) @ # 7 Indiana
1:00pm
Branch McCracken Court in Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana
Connecticut: (Sagarin #28, RPI #43)
13-5
5-9 ats
3-2 away
0/u 9-5
SoS 31
Indiana: (Sagarin #8, RPI #21)
17-1
8-6-1 ats
12-0 home
0/u 7-8
SoS 159
Opening line: Indiana (-7.5)
Current line: Indiana (-9)
Wagerline Consensus: 53.76% on Connecticut
The Big-Ten meets the Big East in Bloomington Indiana on sautrday afternoon, but the big-east representative will be coming minus a couple players. The big news around this game is that guards Jerome Dyson (14.3 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.1 rpg) and Doug Wiggins (6.6 ppg, 2.7 apg, 3.0 rpg) have both been suspended by coach Jim Calhoun. "This particular suspension is mine, no one else's," Calhoun told reporters gathered at the team hotel. "I took the action based upon what I felt was in the best interest of our basketball team and the university." -www.uconnreport.com. Each of these sophomore guards came out of HS ranked in the top 100 players nationally, their talent will certainly be missed on Saturday.
In recent weeks uconn has really been looking to get out and run and thats showed up as 6 of their last 8 contests have gone over the total. I suspect Uconn will still try to run, but they'll likely pick their spots more with JR Craig Austrie likely handling the ball for large parts of the game. If there is one thing this team can reflect back on for some confidence, its the way they handled Marquette in a game they neither Dyson or Wiggins had much of an impact. The Huskies are well coached and still talented, but the up and down nature of this team is likely to wear on them without a couple guys that have logged a lot of minutes. Austrie hasnt had a big year, by any means, but in the last couple games hes shown the ability to get to the line and knock down his FTs. hes made 15 of 15 over the span of the Huskies last 2 contests.
Typically when you think about Uconn basketball, you think of teams that rebound well and block a lot of shots. In recent years Calhouns teams have chalked up a lot of victories based on being tough inside, this year isnt a lot different. While the team isnt quite as dominant on the glass, they still rank in the top 30 in rebound differential and they have one of the nations premier shot blockeds in Hasheem Thabeet (3.94 bpg). Along side the shot blocked, Adrien and former HS All-American, Stanley Robinson make up a formitable front court.
The home team comes into this team confident and riding a 13 game winning streak. This team has a bit of everything, a forward who boasts a 17 and 10 average as well as one of the nations most dynamic talents in G Eric Gordon (22.1ppg). In coach sampsons normal Thursday press conference he was asked about what problems Uconn presented his team, he simple said, "size, speed". He went on to talk a lot about the problems they would face in trying to handle Thabeet who the head man in Indiana seems to be very impressed with.
One concern for the Hoosiers has been the play of Aj Ratliff who averaged a bit over 9 points per game last year, but just hasnt found his groove so far in 08. In the same interview coach Sampson had this to say about AJ Ratliff: with A.J. it is just kind of finding his niche. Missing all the games he did he is just behind. Playing the games we have here I don't have the luxury to play him 15-20 minutes so he can get his confidence back. When you get into the conference season or are playing a great non-conference team like Connecticut, my emphasis is putting the kids out there that I think I can win with. -www.peegs.com. Ratliff, a 40.7% three point shooter in 06-07, has only knocked down 17.6% of his treys in his 6 games back this season. If, better yet, when Aj gets his stroke back, this Hoosiers team will simply be that much more dangerous.
Another dominant aspect, of this version of the Hoosiers, is their rebounding. Indiana ranks 8th in the nation in rebounding margin, they're led by White and Jamarcus Ellis. Uconn walks into most games assuming they'll be the men on the boards, but they wont this afternoon in Bloomington. The Huskies are healthy upfront, but this will be one of the best rebounding teams they'll face all year. Indiana makes teams truly earn any 2nd chance opportunity they may get and they crash the offensive glass hard.
These two teams are similar in many ways, they both play a high intensity defense and they both stress rebounding. Indiana and uconn each rank in the top 30 in fg percentage defense, the key will be limiting the other team to one chance per possession. These are two teams that also stuggle a great deal from behind the arc, but its reasonable to expect indiana to pick up their team percentage once ratliff gets his game together. The big difference between these two teams comes in their half court offense. The Hoosiers are able to get many more good looks at the basket once they get in their half court set and the Huskies get. Indiana is one of the top 10 shooting teams in the country while uconn finds themselves near 50th in the nation towards the end of January.
This game opened at 7.5 and quickly moved to 9 at many books, all though 7.5s and 9s can be found right now. Indiana has won 29 in a row at home and they seem to be in a good spot to extend that steak to thirty. The biggest concern for the Hoosiers should be Thabeet, but he'll have to improve on the 6 points and zero blocks he had last year, at home, in this matchup.
Many times suspensions can bring a team together, at other times it just takes too much out of the team and the game ends up in a blowout in favore of the team at full strength. There is no doubt that Indiana was the better team here before the suspensions and this situation certainly didnt help Uconn and thats why the line is as high as it is. Uconn has played better of late, but its been a while since they've been able to knock off a ranked team on the road. Calhoun has always been a great recruiter and hes got 10 players that have scored 10 or more points in a game this season. Certainly not all of these kids are difference makers night in and night out, but they've got some talent and i think they'll be ready to play this afternoon. Indiana hasnt played anyone this year and they'll be looking to make a statement, but the suspensions could steal some of that enthusiasm. The arena will be nuts, i expect Indiana to come out and really pressure Price and Austrie, but both of those guys have plenty of big game experience and i think they'll handle it decently. The difference in this game will be the loss of Wiggins and Dyson. Those are two of the teams better perimeter defenders and they'll each be missed on that side of the ball. Uconn wasnt a great team defending the 3 to begin with, coming in to the weekend ranked 270th in the nation in that catagory. I look for Ratliff to get off a bit and for the Huskies not to have an answer. Assembly Hall will be rocking early....but not enough to get Indi the cover. Wiggins has been a problem for this team since last year, his attitude wont be missed. A focused huskie team covers this one.
Uconn +9
(mofome)
extras:
NBC breaks down the game
trend players:
ATS Trends
Connecticut
Huskies are 8-21 ATS in their last 29 games overall.
Huskies are 8-24 ATS in their last 32 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Huskies are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games following a S.U. win.
Huskies are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 road games.
Huskies are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Huskies are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big Ten.
Huskies are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Huskies are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 Saturday games.
Huskies are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog.
Huskies are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.
Huskies are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 games as an underdog.
Indiana
Hoosiers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games.
Hoosiers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Hoosiers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a S.U. win.
Hoosiers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite.
Hoosiers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
Hoosiers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing less than 50 points in their previous game.
Hoosiers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5.
OU Trends
Connecticut
Over is 5-0 in Huskies last 5 vs. Big Ten.
Over is 7-1 in Huskies last 8 games following a S.U. win.
Over is 6-1 in Huskies last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Over is 6-1 in Huskies last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Over is 6-1 in Huskies last 7 road games.
Over is 4-1 in Huskies last 5 non-conference games.
Over is 4-1 in Huskies last 5 overall.
Over is 4-1 in Huskies last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Under is 10-3 in Huskies last 13 games as a road underdog.
Over is 6-2 in Huskies last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Under is 11-4 in Huskies last 15 games as an underdog.
Under is 5-2 in Huskies last 7 games as an underdog of 7.0-12.5.
Indiana
Under is 5-1 in Hoosiers last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Under is 4-1 in Hoosiers last 5 Saturday games.
Over is 4-1-1 in Hoosiers last 6 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5.
Over is 6-2-1 in Hoosiers last 9 games as a favorite of 7.0-12.5.
Under is 6-2 in Hoosiers last 8 games following a ATS win.
Over is 5-2 in Hoosiers last 7 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
Under is 5-2 in Hoosiers last 7 non-conference games.
the forums were down for me, so this was posted here:
1:00pm
Branch McCracken Court in Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana
Connecticut: (Sagarin #28, RPI #43)
13-5
5-9 ats
3-2 away
0/u 9-5
SoS 31
Indiana: (Sagarin #8, RPI #21)
17-1
8-6-1 ats
12-0 home
0/u 7-8
SoS 159
Opening line: Indiana (-7.5)
Current line: Indiana (-9)
Wagerline Consensus: 53.76% on Connecticut
The Big-Ten meets the Big East in Bloomington Indiana on sautrday afternoon, but the big-east representative will be coming minus a couple players. The big news around this game is that guards Jerome Dyson (14.3 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.1 rpg) and Doug Wiggins (6.6 ppg, 2.7 apg, 3.0 rpg) have both been suspended by coach Jim Calhoun. "This particular suspension is mine, no one else's," Calhoun told reporters gathered at the team hotel. "I took the action based upon what I felt was in the best interest of our basketball team and the university." -www.uconnreport.com. Each of these sophomore guards came out of HS ranked in the top 100 players nationally, their talent will certainly be missed on Saturday.
In recent weeks uconn has really been looking to get out and run and thats showed up as 6 of their last 8 contests have gone over the total. I suspect Uconn will still try to run, but they'll likely pick their spots more with JR Craig Austrie likely handling the ball for large parts of the game. If there is one thing this team can reflect back on for some confidence, its the way they handled Marquette in a game they neither Dyson or Wiggins had much of an impact. The Huskies are well coached and still talented, but the up and down nature of this team is likely to wear on them without a couple guys that have logged a lot of minutes. Austrie hasnt had a big year, by any means, but in the last couple games hes shown the ability to get to the line and knock down his FTs. hes made 15 of 15 over the span of the Huskies last 2 contests.
Typically when you think about Uconn basketball, you think of teams that rebound well and block a lot of shots. In recent years Calhouns teams have chalked up a lot of victories based on being tough inside, this year isnt a lot different. While the team isnt quite as dominant on the glass, they still rank in the top 30 in rebound differential and they have one of the nations premier shot blockeds in Hasheem Thabeet (3.94 bpg). Along side the shot blocked, Adrien and former HS All-American, Stanley Robinson make up a formitable front court.
The home team comes into this team confident and riding a 13 game winning streak. This team has a bit of everything, a forward who boasts a 17 and 10 average as well as one of the nations most dynamic talents in G Eric Gordon (22.1ppg). In coach sampsons normal Thursday press conference he was asked about what problems Uconn presented his team, he simple said, "size, speed". He went on to talk a lot about the problems they would face in trying to handle Thabeet who the head man in Indiana seems to be very impressed with.
One concern for the Hoosiers has been the play of Aj Ratliff who averaged a bit over 9 points per game last year, but just hasnt found his groove so far in 08. In the same interview coach Sampson had this to say about AJ Ratliff: with A.J. it is just kind of finding his niche. Missing all the games he did he is just behind. Playing the games we have here I don't have the luxury to play him 15-20 minutes so he can get his confidence back. When you get into the conference season or are playing a great non-conference team like Connecticut, my emphasis is putting the kids out there that I think I can win with. -www.peegs.com. Ratliff, a 40.7% three point shooter in 06-07, has only knocked down 17.6% of his treys in his 6 games back this season. If, better yet, when Aj gets his stroke back, this Hoosiers team will simply be that much more dangerous.
Another dominant aspect, of this version of the Hoosiers, is their rebounding. Indiana ranks 8th in the nation in rebounding margin, they're led by White and Jamarcus Ellis. Uconn walks into most games assuming they'll be the men on the boards, but they wont this afternoon in Bloomington. The Huskies are healthy upfront, but this will be one of the best rebounding teams they'll face all year. Indiana makes teams truly earn any 2nd chance opportunity they may get and they crash the offensive glass hard.
These two teams are similar in many ways, they both play a high intensity defense and they both stress rebounding. Indiana and uconn each rank in the top 30 in fg percentage defense, the key will be limiting the other team to one chance per possession. These are two teams that also stuggle a great deal from behind the arc, but its reasonable to expect indiana to pick up their team percentage once ratliff gets his game together. The big difference between these two teams comes in their half court offense. The Hoosiers are able to get many more good looks at the basket once they get in their half court set and the Huskies get. Indiana is one of the top 10 shooting teams in the country while uconn finds themselves near 50th in the nation towards the end of January.
This game opened at 7.5 and quickly moved to 9 at many books, all though 7.5s and 9s can be found right now. Indiana has won 29 in a row at home and they seem to be in a good spot to extend that steak to thirty. The biggest concern for the Hoosiers should be Thabeet, but he'll have to improve on the 6 points and zero blocks he had last year, at home, in this matchup.
Many times suspensions can bring a team together, at other times it just takes too much out of the team and the game ends up in a blowout in favore of the team at full strength. There is no doubt that Indiana was the better team here before the suspensions and this situation certainly didnt help Uconn and thats why the line is as high as it is. Uconn has played better of late, but its been a while since they've been able to knock off a ranked team on the road. Calhoun has always been a great recruiter and hes got 10 players that have scored 10 or more points in a game this season. Certainly not all of these kids are difference makers night in and night out, but they've got some talent and i think they'll be ready to play this afternoon. Indiana hasnt played anyone this year and they'll be looking to make a statement, but the suspensions could steal some of that enthusiasm. The arena will be nuts, i expect Indiana to come out and really pressure Price and Austrie, but both of those guys have plenty of big game experience and i think they'll handle it decently. The difference in this game will be the loss of Wiggins and Dyson. Those are two of the teams better perimeter defenders and they'll each be missed on that side of the ball. Uconn wasnt a great team defending the 3 to begin with, coming in to the weekend ranked 270th in the nation in that catagory. I look for Ratliff to get off a bit and for the Huskies not to have an answer. Assembly Hall will be rocking early....but not enough to get Indi the cover. Wiggins has been a problem for this team since last year, his attitude wont be missed. A focused huskie team covers this one.
Uconn +9
(mofome)
extras:
NBC breaks down the game
trend players:
ATS Trends
Connecticut
Huskies are 8-21 ATS in their last 29 games overall.
Huskies are 8-24 ATS in their last 32 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Huskies are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games following a S.U. win.
Huskies are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 road games.
Huskies are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Huskies are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. Big Ten.
Huskies are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Huskies are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 Saturday games.
Huskies are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games as a road underdog.
Huskies are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.
Huskies are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 games as an underdog.
Indiana
Hoosiers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games.
Hoosiers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Hoosiers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a S.U. win.
Hoosiers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite.
Hoosiers are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
Hoosiers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing less than 50 points in their previous game.
Hoosiers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5.
OU Trends
Connecticut
Over is 5-0 in Huskies last 5 vs. Big Ten.
Over is 7-1 in Huskies last 8 games following a S.U. win.
Over is 6-1 in Huskies last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Over is 6-1 in Huskies last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Over is 6-1 in Huskies last 7 road games.
Over is 4-1 in Huskies last 5 non-conference games.
Over is 4-1 in Huskies last 5 overall.
Over is 4-1 in Huskies last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Under is 10-3 in Huskies last 13 games as a road underdog.
Over is 6-2 in Huskies last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Under is 11-4 in Huskies last 15 games as an underdog.
Under is 5-2 in Huskies last 7 games as an underdog of 7.0-12.5.
Indiana
Under is 5-1 in Hoosiers last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Under is 4-1 in Hoosiers last 5 Saturday games.
Over is 4-1-1 in Hoosiers last 6 games as a home favorite of 7.0-12.5.
Over is 6-2-1 in Hoosiers last 9 games as a favorite of 7.0-12.5.
Under is 6-2 in Hoosiers last 8 games following a ATS win.
Over is 5-2 in Hoosiers last 7 games following a SU win of more than 20 points.
Under is 5-2 in Hoosiers last 7 non-conference games.
the forums were down for me, so this was posted here:
