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College Basketball

Thursday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
6 minute read
#5 Michigan State at #21 Iowa – 7:00 PM EST – FS1

The only team that owns a perfect record inside Big 10 play resides in Michigan and it’s not the Wolverines. After Michigan was tripped up at Wisconsin last Saturday, Michigan State (17-2 SU, 15-4 ATS) remains standing atop the Big 10 at 8-0 in conference play. The Spartans cruised past Maryland on Monday, 69-55 to pick up their eighth consecutive cover in Big 10 action, while improving to 11-1 ATS the last 12 games overall.

Iowa (16-3 SU, 10-9 ATS) has rebounded from an 0-3 conference start to win five straight Big 10 games to move to 5-3 inside the league. The Hawkeyes have cranked up the scoring in this span by putting up 89 or more in three of the last five wins, while coming off a 95-71 blowout of Illinois on Sunday as 9 ½-point home favorites. Joe Wieskamp led the Hawkeyes with 24 points, including knocking down all six of three-point attempts. Iowa drilled 15-of-21 three-pointer tries against Illinois and shot a scorching 68% from the floor.

The Spartans ripped the Hawkeyes in early December, 90-68 in East Lansing as 11-point favorites. Nick Ward converted all 10 of his field goal attempts, while pacing MSU with 26 points. The Hawkeyes were limited to 33% shooting from the floor, as the 68-point output for Iowa was its second-lowest of the season, only two points ahead of scoring 66 against Wisconsin less than one week earlier.

Michigan State has captured four of the past five meetings in Iowa City, including a 96-93 victory last season as 10-point favorites. Tom Izzo’s squad owns a 5-1 ATS record as a road favorite this season, while the Hawkeyes have split in their two opportunities as a home underdog, which includes a win over Nebraska.

#19 N.C. State at #24 Louisville – 8:00 PM EST – ESPN3

These two teams sit in the top half of the ACC through one-quarter of the conference schedule as they hook up in Louisville. The Cardinals (13-5 SU, 9-7-2 ATS) were expected to struggle in Chris Mack’s first season as head coach, but Louisville has already pulled off wins over Michigan State, Seton Hall, and North Carolina. Louisville rebounded from a heart-breaking overtime setback at Pittsburgh two weeks ago to win three straight games, including a 79-51 blowout of Georgia Tech last Saturday as four-point favorites.

The Wolfpack (15-3 SU, 12-6 ATS) rebounded from a shocking loss to Wake Forest on January 15 to edge past Notre Dame last Saturday, 77-73. N.C. State cashed as 1 ½-point favorites to end a three-game ATS slide, led by C.J. Bryce’s season-high 23 points, including hitting all five of his three-point attempts. The Wolfpack improved to 3-2 in ACC play, but N.C. State has yet to win consecutive league games, as they will be listed as an underdog for the first time in conference action.

Kevin Keatts’ team has won six of the last nine road conference games since starting last season 0-3 on the highway in the ACC. The Wolfpack and Cardinals played in the regular season finale in Raleigh last March as N.C. State pulled off a 76-69 win to cash as 1 ½-point favorites. Since cashing in a one-point loss at Indiana in December, the Cardinals have posted a 3-5-1 ATS mark in the past nine games overall.

Pac-12 Notebook

Utah (3-2 in Pac-12) at Stanford (2-4 in Pac-12)

The Utes have been a solid team to back in conference play by compiling a 4-1 ATS mark, while coming off consecutive home wins over Washington State and Colorado. The Cardinal cruised past Washington State last Saturday, as Stanford has won all five home matchups with Utah since the Utes entered the Pac-12 in 2012.

Washington (5-0 in Pac-12) at Oregon (2-3 in Pac-12)

The Huskies have won and covered all five league games, while four of those victories came by double-digits. Only one victory came against a team that owns a winning record in conference play (Utah), but UW is 4-0 ATS as a Pac-12 favorite. The Ducks started 0-2 in the Pac-12 after home losses to Oregon State and UCLA, but won two straight against USC and Arizona. Oregon tries to rebound after dropping a 14-point decision at Arizona State as the Ducks swept the Huskies last season.

Arizona (5-1 in Pac-12) at USC (3-2 in Pac-12)

The Wildcats lost four non-conference games, but have stepped up in Pac-12 play by winning five of their first six games. Arizona has won its first two road league affairs against Cal and Stanford, as the Wildcats improved to 9-0 SU/ATS since 2017 in the front-end of a Pac-12 road trip. The Trojans are perfect at home in Pac-12 action at 3-0, which includes a 13-point win over UCLA last Saturday. USC has lost seven of the past eight matchups with Arizona, including a 2017 home defeat to the Wildcats.

Arizona State (4-2 in Pac-12) at UCLA (3-2 in Pac-12)

Since dropping the conference opener to Utah as 11-point home favorites, the Sun Devils have won four of their last five games. ASU has not been listed as an underdog since upsetting Kansas on December 22, as the Sun Devils have lost four straight trips to Westwood. The Bruins have gone backwards since a 3-0 start by losing at Oregon State and USC by double-digits. UCLA’s two best offensive performances came in home Pac-12 action by scoring 92 points against Stanford and 98 points against Cal.

Washington State (1-4 in Pac-12) at Oregon State (3-2 in Pac-12)

The Cougars were blown out in each of their first three conference games, but routed Cal last Thursday with leading scorer Robert Franks returning to the lineup. Wazoo couldn’t capitalize off that victory by losing to Stanford last Saturday to suffer their first home defeat. The Cougars haven’t won a game away from Pullman this season, while facing a Beavers’ squad that dropped a pair of games in Arizona last weekend to the Wildcats and Sun Devils. Since last season, OSU has won eight of its last 11 home conference affairs, including a 32-point blowout of Washington State in Corvallis.

Colorado (1-4 in Pac-12) at California (0-6 in Pac-12)

Two teams at the bottom of the Pac-12 hook up in Berkeley trying to get on track. The Buffaloes are 0-4 ATS as an underdog in conference play, while trying to snap an eight-game road losing streak against Pac-12 foes. The Golden Bears are seeking their first league win as their closest loss came by nine to USC in the Pac-12 opener. The last five defeats came by 14 points or more, while Cal owns a dreadful 1-9 ATS mark the last 10 games overall.

You can reach Kevin Rogers via e-mail at rogers@vegasinsider.com

Kevin Rogers can be followed on Twitter at virogers.

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