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College Basketball

Sunday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read


The Big Ten wraps up its regular season this Sunday with several teams in action including two that are battling for position in the upcoming conference tournament. Over in the ACC, Sunday’s lone matchup pits two teams trying to move up in the standings against one another.

Penn State at Nebraska (Big Ten Network, 5:15 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Nebraska -1, Total 140

Betting Matchup

Penn State is tied with Indiana for sixth place in the conference standings at 9-8 straight-up heading into Sunday’s season finale. It has lost its last two games to Purdue on the road and Michigan at home. In Wednesday’s 72-63 loss to the Wolverines as a four-point favorite, the total ended as a PUSH on a closing line of 135 points. The Nittany Lions are 2-5 SU in seven conference road games this season with a 4-3 record against the spread. The total has gone OVER in three of their last four games on the road.

The Lions trailed Michigan by eight points at the half and they could never close the gap. Sophomore guard Tony Carr scored game-high 21 points in the loss with sophomore forward Lamar Stephens adding 19 points and eight rebounds. These two have led the way all season long with a combined 35 points a game. Penn State is averaging 75.6 points per game and it is allowing an average of 66.5 points at the other end of the court.

Nebraska is 12-5 SU in Big Ten play and tied with Michigan for fourth place in the standings. One of those five losses came against Penn State on Jan. 12 in a tight 76-74 setback as an eight-point road underdog. The Cornhuskers have won seven of their last eight games SU and they have been able to cover the closing spread in 12 of their 15 conference games this season. The total has stayed UNDER in their last four outings.

In Tuesday’s 66-57 victory against Indiana as a three-point home favorite, Nebraska got a big effort from junior guard James Palmer Jr. with 15 points while going 6-for-12 from the floor. The Cornhuskers only connected on 40.2 percent of its shots from the field and it was just 6-of-22 from three-point range. Palmer has been the team’s leading scorer all season long with an average of 17.6 PPG. Nebraska is averaging 73.1 points a game, but it has failed to reach that average in its last four games.

Betting Trends

-- The Nittany Lions are 5-1 ATS in their last six Sunday games and the total has gone OVER in 13 of their last 17 road games against a team with a SU winning record at home.

-- The Cornhuskers have gone 11-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a SU win and the total has stayed UNDER in six of their last seven home games.

-- Head-to-head in the Big Ten tilt, the favorite has covered in six of the last eight meetings and the total has gone OVER in six of the last seven meetings in Nebraska.

No. 25 Florida State at North Carolina State (ESPNU, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: N.C. State -3, Total 166

Betting Matchup

Florida State has three games left to play in the regular season starting with Sunday’s matchup and it is currently in a three-way tie with Miami and Louisville for seventh place in the ACC standings at 8-7 SU. The Seminoles have won their last two games against Clemson and Pittsburgh SU at home, but they have failed to cover in their last four outings. The total went OVER 143 points in last Sunday’s 88-75 win against Pitt as heavy 22 ½-point favorites and it has gone OVER in eight of their last 11 games.

The trio of PJ Savoy, Phil Cofer and MJ Walker combined to score 46 points against Pitt in what remained a tight game into the second half. Junior guard Terance Mann is Florida State’s leading scorer on the year with 14.0 PPG, but he has failed to reach that average in each of his last six starts including just four points in Sunday’s win. Cofer is next on the list with 13.4 PPG and he is shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range. The Seminoles are averaging 83.0 PPG.

The Wolfpack are 9-6 SU in conference play heading into their final three regular season games. They have won their last three contests both SU and ATS including a pair of road wins against Syracuse and Wake Forest as underdogs before Tuesday’s 82-66 rout of Boston College as five-point home favorites. NC State is 5-2 both SU and ATS at home against the ACC this season with the total going OVER in four of the seven games.

With four players averaging at least 10 PPG, the Wolfpack have been able to average 81.0 PPG this season. They put up 89 points in a recent loss to rival North Carolina and 90 points in their road win against another in-state rival Wake Forest last Saturday. Senior guard Allerik Freeman has led the way with 14.8 points a game and, with 20 points against BC, he has now exceeded that average in each of his last four starts. At the other end of the court, the Wolfpack are allowing an average of 74.0 PPG.

Betting Trends

-- The Seminoles have failed to cover in five of their last seven games coming off a SU win and the total has gone OVER in five of their last six games played on Sunday.

-- The Wolfpack are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a SU win and the total has gone OVER in 12 of their last 16 home games against a team with a SU losing record on the road.

-- Florida State has covered ATS in five of its last seven road games against NC State with the total going OVER in four of the last five meetings overall.

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