College Basketball Betting Odds – February 22, 2012
College Basketball betting odds were available for February 22, 2012 at Sportsbook.com with two key games. You can get all the latest betting odds at Sportsbook.com and receive up to $250 in FREE CASH based on your initial deposit.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Notre Dame -2.5 & 125
Opening Line & Total: Irish -3 & 127
No. 20 Notre Dame looks to extend its Big East-best winning streak to nine games and maintain its grip on second place in the conference when it hosts West Virginia on Wednesday night at the Joyce Center.
This game presents an interesting matchup of contrasting styles—West Virginia plays a physical game and likes to pound the ball inside the paint while Notre Dame relies more on perimeter shooting from its guards. The Irish won the first matchup of the year, narrowly defeating the favored Mountaineers 55-51 in Morgantown. West Virginia is 2-3 over its past five games (1-4 ATS), with its only two wins coming against conference bottom-feeders Pittsburgh and Providence. The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, are 7-1 ATS over their eight-game winning streak, most recently coming back from 20 points down to defeat Villanova 74-70 in overtime on the road. Notre Dame is nearly unstoppable at home, losing just once in its past 34 games at Purcell Pavilion. West Virginia has lost 10 straight games in this building, with its last win coming all the way back in 1996. The Irish continue to be an undervalued squad without leading scorer Tim Abromaitis (torn ACL), but they continue to win games by playing within a strong team concept.
The Mountaineers are led by the Big East’s leading scorer, 6-foot-8 senior Kevin Jones (20.4 PPG, 11.3 RPG). Jones is a matchup nightmare for undersized teams like Notre Dame, with an ability to beat opponents down low in the post or from the perimeter stroking threes. Jones scored 14 points (6-for-15 FG) and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Feb. 8 loss to the Irish, and coach Bob Huggins will need him and forward Deniz Kilicli (11.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG) to crash the boards and limit Notre Dame’s second-chance opportunities. The Mountaineers rank 23rd in the nation in rebound margin (+6.0 RPG) and if the Irish get cold from the perimeter, WVU has a great chance to pull off the upset with its inside scoring presence.
The Irish are the surprise story of the Big East this season. Even with Abromaitis in the lineup, Notre Dame was projected to finish ninth in the conference. Without him, they are doing just fine, using solid defense to grind opponents down with long possessions, draining timely baskets. The Irish sank nine of their 12 three-pointers in the second half to complete an impressive comeback over Villanova on Saturday night, led by Pat Connaughton, who scored all of his team-high 21 points from behind the arc (7-for-13). Notre Dame will need another big game from 6-foot-9 forward Jack Cooley (12.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG) inside against West Virginia’s physical front line. Cooley has posted a double-double in four consecutive games dating back to the win in Morgantown, including an 18-point, 13 rebound performance (8-for-11 FG) against Villanova. He’s averaging a robust 20.8 PPG on 73% FG, with 14.3 RPG in this four-game stretch.
KANSAS JAYHAWKS (22-5) at TEXAS A&M AGGIES (13-13)
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Kansas -10 & 123
Opening Line & Total: Jayhawks -9.5 & 123.5
No. 4 Kansas looks for a fifth straight win when it visits struggling Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
The Jayhawks are in little danger of losing this game, but they’ll be hard-pressed to win by double-digits against such a good defensive team. Kansas is just 3-6 ATS in the past nine games it was favored by 10+ points. This includes failing to cover a 19-point spread against these Aggies last month in a game that was 44-42 with seven minutes to go before Kansas eventually pulled away to win 64-54. A&M star Khris Middleton missed that meeting with KU, and him finally being healthy (15 points on Saturday) will help keep the score respectable. Texas A&M is 10-4 ATS in Big 12 play this season while the Jayhawks are just 4-7-1 ATS following an ATS win.
Kansas is 5-2-1 ATS on the road, thanks to a defense allowing opponents to score just 59.1 PPG on their home courts. The Jayhawks are also 8-5 ATS in Big 12 play, outscoring conference foes by an average score of 74-61 and outshooting them 49% to 38% from the floor. Thomas Robinson remains the front-runner for National Player of the Year with 17.7 PPG (55% FG) and 11.8 RPG. He made only 4-of-10 FG in the Jan. 23 win over Texas A&M, but he was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw stripe to finish with a strong line of 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Robinson is not the only big man the Aggies have to worry about. Seven-foot junior C Jeff Withey (9.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG) is averaging 17.5 PPG (on 64% FG) and 11.0 RPG in his past four contests. These two interior men would not be as effective without senior floor leader Tyshawn Taylor (16.6 PPG, 5.1 APG). Taylor has been especially potent on the road, averaging 19.6 PPG and 5.0 APG in his past five games away from home.
Although the Aggies offense is atrocious (61.3 PPG, 307th in nation), they play extremely tough defense on their home court, allowing just 58.0 PPG on 38% FG. The defense (along with a slow pace on offense) is the biggest reason why they are 6-4 ATS at Reed Arena. Texas A&M is coming off a hard-fought, 71-62 loss to No. 3 Missouri on Saturday. Leading scorer Elston Turner (14.0 PPG) made just 2-of-10 shots and scored seven points in the defeat. Turner has been scoring in bunches with six games of 16+ points in his past nine contests, but he has shot better than 50% just once in this nine-game stretch. Middleton has a team-high 15 points and tied for the team lead with four rebounds. Because Missouri shot so well, the Aggies only had 16 rebounds for the entire game. For them to put up a better showing, Ray Turner (5.4 RPG) will have to work his tail off underneath against Robinson and Withey. Turner was limited to just 13 minutes in Saturday’s loss due to foul trouble, but he has averaged a paltry 2.8 RPG in five games since grabbing 11 against a Baylor team with great size down low. Texas A&M’s leading rebounder, Kourtney Roberson (5.5 RPG) is out indefinitely with an ankle injury, and senior G Dash Harris (5.8 PPG, 4.4 APG) is also questionable to play because of a foot injury.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
