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Big Monday Breakdown
February 7, 2010
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
W hether you are chasing or pressing after the results of your Super Bowl wagers, you have to be fired up for what is – without a doubt – the best Big Monday card of the season in college basketball. Four legit Final Four contenders in a pair of crucial conference games with Bill Raftery on the color call in Morgantown. Now that’s what I’m talking about!
**Villanova at West Virginia**
--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened West Virginia (19-3 straight up, 9-12 against the spread) as a 4 1/2-point favorite.
--Villanova (20-2 SU, 15-6 ATS) went down for just the second time this year Saturday, losing 103-90 at Georgetown as a two-point underdog. The Hoyas jumped on the Wildcats early and often, leading by 19 at intermission. This gave gamblers a chance to back ‘Nova catching double digits for second-half wagers. In essence, bettors backing the Wildcats minus four in the second half were left with ‘Nova plus 15 (since they were laying four while trailing by 19 – hope you’re following me at home). That was a winner, but that was the only thing good from out of Jay Wright’s team Saturday.
--Senior guard Scottie Reynolds had 24 points and six assists against the Hoyas, but he also committed six turnovers. For the season, Reynolds leads the Wildcats in scoring (18.7 points per game) and steals (1.6 per game).
--West Va. also fell behind early Saturday, but it rallied to not only win but also take the cash in a 79-60 win over St. John’s at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Mountaineers covered the spread comfortably as 7 ½-point road favorites. Da’Sean Butler erupted for 33 points, six rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals to pace WVU.
--Bob Huggins’ team is 10-1 SU but just 4-6 ATS at home. The ‘Neers are 1-2 ATS in three single-digit home ‘chalk’ situations.
--Villanova is 1-1 both SU and ATS as a road underdog, losing at Georgetown and winning outright at Louisville.
--The ‘under’ is 10-9 overall for WVU, 5-3 in its home games.
--The ‘over’ is on a 13-3 run for the Wildcats, who have seen it cash at a 14-7 overall clip for the year.
--When these teams met in Morgantown last year, WVU cruised to a 93-72 victory as a 4 ½-point home favorite. Butler exploded for a career-high 43 points against ‘Nova. Reynolds had a nightmare performance, fouling out after shooting 3-of-11 from the floor and committing five turnovers compared to just one assist.
--ESPN will have the telecast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
**Kansas at Texas**
--LVSC opened top-ranked Kansas (22-1 SU, 9-10-1 ATS) as a one-point favorite.
--Texas (19-4 SU, 8-11 ATS) started the season 17-0 and garnered the nation’s No. 1 ranking in the process. But since then, the Longhorns have lost four of their last six games, including Saturday’s 80-71 loss at Oklahoma as 6 ½-point road favorites. Even worse, Rick Barnes’ team is mired in an atrocious 1-9 ATS slide.
--Texas has won 12 of its 13 home games, posting a 4-5 spread record.
--Since suffering its only loss at Tennessee, Kansas has won eight consecutive games. However, KU is in the midst of a 3-6-1 ATS slump. The Jayhawks have failed to cover the number in three straight contests, including Saturday’s 75-64 win over Nebraska as 21-point home favorites. Marcus Morris was the catalyst for KU, producing 20 points and 11 rebounds.
--The ‘over’ is 11-7 overall for the ‘Horns, but they have watched the ‘under’ go 5-4 in their home assignments.
--KU has seen the ‘under’ cash at an 11-8 overall clip.
--Kansas has won five of its last six head-to-head meetings against Texas, with the ‘over’ going 5-1 in those encounters.
--Tip-off is slated for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--Northwestern improved its profile with Sunday’s 78-61 win over Indiana as a 9 ½-point home favorite. The Wildcats improved to 5-6 in Big Ten play and 16-7 overall. They return to the court Wednesday at Iowa before back-to-back home games versus Minnesota and Penn St.
--In a battle of bubble teams in South Bend at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame beat South Florida 65-62 Sunday as a 7 ½-point home favorite. Although the Bulls fell into a classic flat spot after winning at Georgetown earlier in the week, they took the cash for the seventh straight time out.
--USF’s Augustus Gilchrist missed his 15th straight game against Notre Dame, but the Bulls’ premier big man is expected to return soon, if not this week.
--North Carolina is in big trouble. The defending national champs fell to 13-10 overall and an abysmal 2-6 in ACC play with Sunday’s 92-71 loss at Maryland.
Brian Edwards can be reached at briane@vegasinsider.com.
For frequent betting nuggets and random thoughts from Brian, follow him on twitter at Vegasbedwards.
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