Wednesday 1-16-19 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Houston Cougars vs. Southern Methodist Mustangs Preview and Predictions 2019-01-16

NCAAB Predictions 15th January 2019 by Gracenote
by Gracenote on 01/15/2019

Senior point guard Galen Robinson Jr. is the engine of No. 17 Houston's high-tempo offense as it heads to SMU for Wednesday's American Athletic Conference meeting. The in-state rivals started the week in a five-way tie for second place at 3-1 after strong starts in league play.

"(Coach Kelvin Sampson) thought that every time I pushed it something good happened," Robinson told the media after Saturday's 79-70 win against Wichita State. "I made a concerted effort to push the pace and try to fly down the court and try to find whoever was open." Robinson needs three assists to become the second Cougar with four 100-assist seasons (Derrick Daniels, 1988-82) and eight to become the sixth player in school history with at least 500 in his career. Both teams have been strong defensively, but the Mustangs have outrebounded their first four conference opponents by 40. SMU, which leads the league in offensive rebounds (13.8), have won five of the past eight against Houston but lost both meetings last year.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNews

ABOUT HOUSTON (16-1, 3-1 American): Robinson (8.8 points, 5.7 assists) has helped Houston overcome several sluggish offensive starts by pushing the pace. Senior guard Corey Davis Jr. (team-high 15.5 points) and junior guard Armoni Brooks (14.2 points, team-high 6.8 rebounds) have hit a combined 108 from 3-point range. Sophomore center Brison Gresham (3.9 points) has a team-high 30 blocks while three Cougars have at least 20 steals for a defense that's ranked ninth nationally in points against per game (60.6).

ABOUT SMU (11-5, 3-1): Senior guard Jahmal McMurray leads the Mustangs and is fourth in the league with 18.9 points, shooting 41.5 percent from behind the 3-point line. Sophomore forward Ethan Chargois adds 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds while sophomore transfer forward Isiaha Mike contributes 9.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. Junior guard Jimmy Whitt Jr. (12.8 points, team-highs of 6.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists) has recorded three straight double-doubles as the Mustangs have won five of their past six.

TIP-INS

1. SMU freshman F Feron Hunt averages 6.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 21.8 minutes as the Mustangs' only big man off the bench.

2. Whitt is ranked second in the American with a 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio while Robinson is third at 3.2.

3. Sampson's next victory will give him 600 career wins (in 30 seasons) and 100 at Houston (in five seasons).

PREDICTION: Houston 78, SMU 64

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Central Florida Knights vs. Wichita St. Shockers Preview and Predictions 2019-01-16

NCAAB Predictions 15th January 2019 by Gracenote
by Gracenote on 01/15/2019

Two teams heading in opposite directions will square off Wednesday when Central Florida takes its seven-game win streak into Charles Koch Arena to face a slumping Wichita State team that has dropped four in a row. Junior Aubrey Dawkins scored 15 of his team-high 18 points in the second half as UCF cruised by East Carolina on Sunday, leading wire-to-wire in a 76-65 victory.

After failing to grab a single offensive rebound in a 65-53 victory over Connecticut last week, the Knights grabbed 16 offensive boards and outrebounded ECU 45-38 despite giving up 20 boards to Pirates forward Jayden Gardner. "The biggest thing about rebounding is that it's an extra energy stat," UCF forward Chad Brown told the media after grabbing a team-high eight rebounds off the bench Sunday. "I was proud of our guys to crash the glass and stay strong and that is something that we have to continue to do." While the Knights' win streak is their longest since 2010-2011, Wichita State is in the midst of its longest losing streak since 2009 after a 79-70 loss to No. 17 Houston on Saturday. The Shockers made a valiant effort to end Houston's home win streak at 28 games as they went 19-for-23 from the free-throw line and scored 70 points on a defense that entered the game giving up the ninth-fewest points per game in the country (60.1).

TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (13-2, 3-0 AAC): The Knights have been doing it on both sides of the ball as they lead the American Athletic Conference in field-goal percentage (48.5) while sitting third in field-goal percentage defense (38.1). Senior BJ Taylor has led UCF in scoring in each of his first three seasons and his 17.3 points per game this year is once again pacing the Knights. Massive center Tacko Hall leads the conference and is sixth nationally with 3.13 blocks per game and the senior's 80 percent shooting would be first in the nation if he made enough field goals per game to qualify.

ABOUT WICHITA STATE (7-8, 0-3): Senior Markis McDuffie poured in a game-high 22 points while going 4-for-7 from downtown Saturday and enters Wednesday sitting second in the AAC in scoring with 19.3 points per game. The Shockers struggled to convert second-chance opportunities in Saturday's loss as they grabbed 12 offensive rebounds but could only turn them into six points while allowing the Cougars to score 14 points of their 10 offensive boards. Senior Samajae Haynes-Jones went 6-for-16 from the floor against Houston and finished with 14 points while freshman Dexter Dennis chipped in with eight points and a team-high six rebounds.

TIP-INS

1. Wichita State won both meetings last season - the first ever games between the programs.

2. UCF's only two losses this season (Missouri and Florida Atlantic) have both been on buzzer-beaters.

3. The Knights lead the AAC in 3-point shooting (36.3 percent) while the Shockers (31.1 percent) are in 11th place out of 12 teams in the conference.

PREDICTION: UCF 80, Wichita State 67

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Missouri Tigers Preview and Predictions 2019-01-16

NCAAB Predictions 15th January 2019 by Gracenote
by Gracenote on 01/15/2019

Two teams hoping to avoid a three-game losing streak in SEC play square off Wednesday, when Missouri hosts Alabama. The Tigers are looking for their first conference win while the Crimson Tide have dropped two straight after opening their SEC slate with a victory over Kentucky.


Alabama suffered a heartbreaking 81-80 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday as a desperate 3-point attempt at the buzzer banked in off the glass. The Crimson Tide also lost 88-79 at LSU last week, and with two straight games against ranked teams looming next, they're in dire need of a victory on Wednesday. An overachieving non-conference schedule has given way to a disappointing start to SEC play for the Tigers, who followed a 24-point home setback against No. 3 Tennessee with an 85-75 defeat at South Carolina on Sunday. Missouri has been exposed at the defensive end in its first two league games, allowing opponents to shoot 52.3 percent after limiting non-conference foes to 43.5 percent.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, SEC Network


ABOUT ALABAMA (10-5, 1-2 SEC): Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. (14.7 points) leads a balanced attack that features seven players with an average of at least 7.3 points per contest. Guard John Petty (11.3 points) and forward Donta Hall (11, 8.7 rebounds) also are scoring in double digits while swingman Tevin Mack (9.7) is just below the threshold. The Crimson Tide have struggled at the defensive end at times, though, allowing opponents to shoot a robust 44.4 percent.

ABOUT MISSOURI (9-5, 0-2): The Tigers are the top 3-point shooting team in the SEC at 39.4 percent, with Mark Smith (11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds) leading the league with a 47.3 percent mark from beyond the arc. Smith and fellow guard Jordan Geist (13.8 points) have been Missouri's most consistent players, but the Tigers need steadier play from forward Jeremiah Tilmon (9.8, 5.8 rebounds), who has struggled to stay out of foul trouble. Freshman guard Javon Pickett (8.1 points) scored a career-high 21 points against South Carolina.


TIP-INS

1. The Tigers posted a 69-60 victory at Alabama last season for their first win over the Crimson Tide since the 2013-14 campaign.

2. Alabama has outrebounded 14 of its 15 opponents, while Missouri has held the advantage on the glass in 11 of its 14 contests.

3. Hall has registered seven double-doubles, including four over his last five games.

PREDICTION: Missouri 71, Alabama 70

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Jimmy Boyd

Jan 16 '19, 6:30 PM in 2h
NCAA-B | Creighton vs St. John's
Play on: St. John's -2½ -108 at pinnacle

1* Free NCAAB Pick on St. John's Red Storm -
I like the value here with the Red Storm as a small home favorite. St. John's is coming off an ugly home loss to DePaul and it's looking likely they will once again be without star guard Shamorie Ponds (questionable). All of that is playing into this favorable line.
Regardless if Ponds plays, I expect a max effort here from the Red Storm, as this is one they just can't let get away. I don't think they will have any problem. Creighton isn't very good this year. The Blue Jays are just 10-7 and have started out 1-3 in the Big East. Creighton is just 1-3 in true road games with all 3 losses coming by double-digits.
Blue Jays are 4-13 ATS last 17 games when listed as an underdog and 2-10 ATS last 12 as a road dog. Red Storm are 12-3 ATS last 15 home games after playing their previous game at home. Take St. John's!

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Sal Michaels

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | Liberty vs Kennesaw State
Play on: Kennesaw State +17½ -110 at Bovada

Free Play on Kennesaw State +17½ -110

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Cole Faxon

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | Vermont vs New Hampshire
Play on: New Hampshire +17½ -115 at YouWager

FREE PLAY on New Hampshire +17½ -115

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Jack Jones

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | Iowa vs Penn State
Play on: Penn State -1 -110 at sportsbook

Jack’s Free Pick Wednesday: Penn State -1
Penn State needs a win here. The Nittany Lions have opened 0-6 in Big Ten play against a brutal schedule with losses to Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Maryland and Indiana. They should be able to get their first conference win against an Iowa team that is terrible on the road.
Indeed, the Hawkeyes only have five wins in true road games since the start of the 2016 seasons. Iowa has gone just 2-12 SU in true road games over the last two seasons. In fact, the Hawkeyes had a stretch of 11 straight Big Ten road games in which they trailed by 17 or more points come to an end at Northwestern in their last road game. Northwestern is not very good.
Iowa is 2-11 ATS in all road games over the past two seasons. Penn State is 9-1 ATS off two straight games with 12 or fewer assists over the last two seasons. The Hawkeyes are 10-25-1 ATS in their last 36 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The home team is 4-0-1 ATS in the last five meetings. The Nittany Lions are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home meetings with Iowa. Bet Penn State Wednesday.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bobby Conn

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | South Carolina vs Vanderbilt
Play on: Vanderbilt -3½ -105 at Bovada

1* Free Play on Vanderbilt -3½ -105

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Mike Williams

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | Longwood vs Winthrop
Play on: Longwood +12 -110 at sportsbook

1* on Longwood +12 -110

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Alex Smart

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | South Carolina vs Vanderbilt
Play on: Vanderbilt -3½ -110 at sportsbook

Vanderbilt has lost three straight and S.Carolina has won 4 straight . The home team is desperate and need a win here, and will be primed to perform against a hoops program that they have beaten on this floor in their last two matchups by 9 and 11 points respectively. I know 5 star recruit Darius Garland who is injured meant alot to this team, but for at least tonight I expect the Commodores to put that behind them and get their first conference win and cover of the season.
CAROLINA is 6-15 ATS versus good shooting teams - making 45% or more of their shots over the last 2 seasons.S CAROLINA is 1-9 ATS after scoring 75 points or more 2 straight games over the last 3 seasons.
CBB Road underdogs of +145 to +350 vs. the money line (S CAROLINA) - after 3 or more consecutive overs, an good offensive team (74-78 PPG) against an average defensive team (67-74 PPG) after 15+ games are 4-58 SU L/5 seasons for a go against 94% conversion rate.
Play on Vanderbilt to cover

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Hunter Price

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | Kansas State vs Oklahoma
Play on: Kansas State +5½ -105 at Bovada

1* Free Pick on Kansas State +5½ -105

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Matt Josephs

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | George Mason vs Massachusetts
Play on: OVER 146 -109

George Mason is finally playing some fantastic basketball winning seven of their last 10 contests including three on the road. In each of their victories they cracked the 80 point mark as they've gotten better on offense. The team added Jordan Miller who played last time out for the first time and he scored 14 points in 23 minutes. He pairs nicely with Justin Kier and Otis Livingston II. When they get Jaire Grayer back, they'll be even better. The Patriots have been better defensively as of late holding seven straight opponents to less then 70 points after five straight teams did so. UMass has lost four straight including a head-scratcher as an eight point favorite at home against La Salle. This team wants to get up and down the court with the likes of Pipkins and Holloway as well as Carl Pierre. They play at a slightly faster pace then the Patriots. The problem has been on defense allowing 80 or more four times this season. I really don't have faith in either defense in this one and think that it will go over the total.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Doug Upstone

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | George Mason vs Massachusetts
Play on: OVER 144 -110

On Wednesday night in college basketball, Play Over on teams when the total is between 140 and 149.5 points like GEORGE MASON, off a road win, a marginal winning team (51% to 60%) playing a marginal losing team. In the past five seasons, clubs like the Patriots are 28-8 OVER.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

John Ryan

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | Iowa vs Penn State
Play on: Penn State -1½ -110 at Mirage

John Ryan Sports
@JohnRyanSports1
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
1. The Play and How to Play It5-Star wager (5,7 and 10-Star scale) on Penn State (802) favored by 1.5-points hosting Iowa with the tip at 7:00 PM EST at the Bryce Jordan Center.
2. Data Base Situational QueriesOur vast NCAAM, NFL, NCAAB, NBA, NHL, and MLB databases empower us to provide our clients with an endless query pipeline using all the predictive technologies we have in our toolshed and the ones now in development. Iowa is porjectwd to have between 13 and 17 turnovers while PSU is projected to have less than 12 turnovers. In road games installed as a dog Iowa is 5-19 losing by an average of 13.4 points when these metrics have been met or exceeded. In the same scenario, PSU is 35-10 for 78% and winning by an average of 8 points.
PSU is a near-perfect 9-1 ATS (+7.9 Units) after 2 straight games with 12 or less assists over the last 2 seasons.
Take the Lions and be sure to get on board our 10-Star SEC Titan akin to Game of the Month status without the hype.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Andre Ramirez

Jan 16 '19, 7:00 PM in 3h
NCAA-B | Auburn vs Texas A&M
Play on: Auburn -6½ -109 at pinnacle

COLLEGE HOOPS 75 DIME GAME
AUBURN -6.5
As miraculous as Starks’ buzzer-beating shot was against Alabama, it was a game that Alabama was clearly in control of until later down the stretch. The Aggies were coming off three consecutive losses, including one bad loss to Texas Southern, for a reason. They aren’t shooting the ball well, and they have shown their fair share of struggles on the defensive end of the floor.
Auburn will enter Wednesday’s game with the 14th-ranked scoring offense in the country and the 26th-ranked team in defensive efficiency. There won’t be any miracles in this game as the Tigers impose their will on the Aggies. The only difference this time is they’ll be able to finish the job down the stretch.
Harper’s ability to spread the ball around will lead to another offensive scoring feast from Brown and company.
Auburn by 12 points or more.