Tonight’s lineup of college basketball on ESPN figures to make it a truly “Super Tuesday” and for those of you snowed in around the country, it’s a good time to just sit back, watch & wager on some top shelf action. Read on for a preview of three compelling games, then head over to the LIVE ODDS and GAME MATCHUPS pages on Sportsbook.com for more key betting info.
Volunteer State Scuffle
Vanderbilt and Tennessee are positioned one game behind Kentucky in the SEC East and the winner will be no worse off at the completion of this conflict. Vanderbilt (17-5, 10-9 ATS) blew a golden opportunity Saturday to stay tied with the Wildcats falling at last place Georgia 72-58 as 4.5-point favorites. The Commodores shot 32.8 percent from the field (6-23 from 3’s) and did a poor job defensively as the Bulldogs shot 53.2 percent and had nearly as many assists as baskets. Vandy will have to be much more efficient at home since they are 5-13-1 ATS off a SU loss.
Tennessee (18-4, 9-10 ATS) continues to confound, winners of three in a row after suffering a pair of SEC losses, one of which was to Vanderbilt. Wayne Chism is off a career high 30 points against South Carolina and he needs to be a defensive stalwart on the road. The Vols are just 2-5 ATS in last seven conference games.
The Volunteers are 13-5-1 ATS in the last h2h 19 battles, including 7-2 ATS at Vandy and are 3.5-point road underdogs at Sportsbook.com. This contest is on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
State Line Collision
Illinois and Wisconsin really don’t have much of a rivalry except for those that live on either side of the border between the two states. Folks south of the border see Wisconsin as a nice quiet place to visit for vacations and those from the Badger State have little use for “those Flat-landers”. The Kohl Center will be no vacation spot for coach Bruce Weber’s club, who is off its signature win of the season against Michigan State 78-73. The Fighting Illini (16-8, 8-13-1 ATS) has won four in a row and is in three-way tie for second place, one game behind Michigan State, however they are only 2-7-1 ATS off a cover since last season.
The Badgers (18-5, 13-8 ATS) have just taken care of both Michigan schools and return home where they are 13-0 and 8-3 ATS this season. Wisconsin is receiving fine performances Keaton Nankivil and Jordan Taylor, both who have raised their play since Jon Leuer was injured and coach Bo Ryan has developed a little depth with forward Ryan Evans and guard Rob Wilson making solid contributions. Off their win and cover at Ann Arbor, Wisconsin is 10-2 and 7-3 ATS after covering the odds-makers number.
Wisconsin is a 9.5-point favorite and is 3-0-1 ATS the last four times Illinois has visited with the ‘under’ is 4-1 in the Mad City. This encounter is on the Big Ten Network at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Spartans in survival mode
Michigan State (19-5, 8-15 ATS) had kept winning, yet aesthetically was far from pleasing in starting Big Ten play 9-0. This past week it came crashing down, as the Spartans were blasted by the Badgers for their first conference loss and with injured Kalin Lucas on the sidelines, could not match baskets with a rejuvenated Illinois club. Lucas’ status is still up in the air for tonight and it is time for other players to assert themselves, since Purdue is in town and their mindset is aggressive.
It seems odd that a Top 20 team would still be tinkering with main players in February, yet this is exactly what coach Matt Painter has been doing. A few Purdue (19-3, 10-12 ATS) bench players and occasional starters have been erratic. Nobody would prefer to have certain individuals step up more than Painter, with eight Big Ten games left on the docket. Sophomore point guard Lewis Jackson has played 41 total minutes in three games since returning from a broken left foot that sidelined him and some of the rust is starting to come off which would help since the Boilermakers are 4-14 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points.
First place Michigan State is favored by 2.5-points at Sportsbook.com and is 9-1 and 7-3 ATS at the Breslin Center vs. Purdue with 6-2 ‘under’ mark. Game time will be just after 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
