Tuesday 11/27/2018 ... Comps / Bonus Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Requests Etc

NC State Wolfpack vs. Wisconsin Badgers Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
BY GRACENOTE


No. 22 Wisconsin looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hosts North Carolina State as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday. The Badgers won five straight games to open the campaign, including impressive back-to-back wins against Stanford and Oklahoma before dropping a 53-46 decision to fourth-ranked Virginia in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

"Any time you can play that type of competition consistently back-to-back-to-back helps expedite your development," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard told reporters. "Looking forward to getting back home and hopefully representing the Big Ten well in the challenge." North Carolina State is off to its best start in four years following a 78-74 win against Mercer in the final game of the Wolfpack Classic. The Wolfpack have lost their only two meetings with Wisconsin, including an 87-48 setback in 2010, which was the third-most lopsided game in the history of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. They hope to remain unbeaten by knocking off a Big Ten team for the second straight season, following an 85-78 victory against Penn State. North Carolina State has scored 95 or more points three times this season and hopes to keep rolling as its aims for its first 7-0 start since 2004-05 while handing Kevin Keatts the 100th win of his coaching career.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA STATE (6-0): Torin Dorn scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win against Mercer to finish as the Wolfpack's leading scorer for the fifth time in six games. Junior C.J. Bryce, who transferred from UNC Wilmington and sat out last season, added 17 points to surpass 1,000 for his career while Markell Johnson drained four 3-pointers en route to 16 points as the Wolfpack held off a furious rally from the Bears in the last 10 minutes. "We just got a little stale in the second half so we've got to keep on moving forward," Dorn told reporters. "Not every game is going to be a blowout."

ABOUT WISCONSIN (5-1): Ethan Happ continued his sensational start to his senior season as he produced 22 points, 15 rebounds and six assists against the Cavaliers to notch his sixth double-double in as many games. Happ also blocked four shots against the Cavaliers and needs five more to move past Rashard Griffith (124) for third place on the program's all-time list. D'Mitrik Trice was held to five points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field after draining seven 3-pointers en route to a career-high 25 points in his previous game against Oklahoma.


TIP-INS

1. Johnson leads the ACC in 3-point field-goal percentage (56.5).

2. Happ has scored in double figures in 30 straight games, dating back to last season.

3. The Wolfpack are second nationally in scoring margin (33).


PREDICTION: Wisconsin 74, North Carolina State 71

Fairleigh Dickinson Knights vs. Providence Friars Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
BY GRACENOTE


Alpha Diallo continues to make terrific progress as he advances in his Providence career. The junior guard aims to lead the Friars past visiting Fairleigh Dickinson when the teams meet up Tuesday.

Diallo averaged 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists as a freshman and increased those numbers to 13.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a sophomore. This season, Diallo is up to 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists with a 46.2 percent mark from 3-point range -- more than twice his connection rate from last season. "That's the one thing I give Alpha Diallo a lot of credit on," Friars coach Ed Cooley noted last week. "He's really improved his perimeter shot, so it makes him a weapon all over the place whether it's interior, handling the ball." As for the Knights, they led by 10 with under 10 mintues left against Lafayette their last time out before falling apart down the stretch in a four-point defeat.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (3-2): The Knights placed four starters in double figures against Lafayette on Sunday, led by Xzavier Malone-Key (19 points), who knocked down five 3-pointers. Darnell Edge and Jahlil Jenkins each made three 3-pointers and each averages in double figures, along with Malone-Key, for a Fairleigh Dickinson team that averages 76 points per game. Kaleb Bishop averages a team-high 7.8 rebounds and has totaled 28 points in the last three games after accumulating three points in the first two games.

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (4-2): The Friars have one double-digit scorer on the season other than Diallo, and that's A.J. Reeves, who is chipping in 14.7 points while making half of his 30 3-pointers. Nate Watson pitches in 9.8 points on average and only has one turnover in 111 minutes over the last five games. Isaiah Jackson (9.2 points) contributed 13 points against Iona in a 91-79 win the last time out, making 4-of-8 shots after 1-of-12 shots over the two previous games.

TIP-INS

1. Since making seven 3-pointers in the season opener, Reeves has made a total of eight 3s over the last five games.

2. Providence has scored at least 70 points in every game, aside from a 66-47 thumping against Michigan.

3. Diallo, who averaged 6.6 rebounds last season, has grabbed at least seven boards in every game this season.

PREDICTION: Providence 82, Fairleigh Dickinson 60

Lamar Cardinals vs. Southern Methodist Mustangs Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
BY GRACENOTE


SMU's returning players are carrying the offense as the Mustangs begin a four-game homestand with a matchup against Lamar on Tuesday. Junior guard Jimmy Whitt Jr., who has scored in double figures in four straight games, hit a game-winner Wednesday to beat Wright State 77-76 and snap a two-game skid.

Senior guard Jahmal McMurray was named to the Cancun Challenge all-tournament team after scoring a tournament record 98 points in the four games. He leads three Mustangs in double figures but the team's three new faces - freshman Feron Hunt and transfers Nat Dixon and Isiaha Mike - have struggled to find their place in the offense. The Mustangs could get another returnee back as senior guard Jarrey Foster (knee) is expected to return against Lamar, according to American Athletic Conference's weekly release. The Cardinals, who blew a 24-point first-half lead to Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Friday, are led by 6-8 senior forward Josh Nzeakor.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT LAMAR (3-3): Nzeakor, who needs 30 points to hit 1,000 in his career, averages 15 on 66 percent shooting and adds 7.3 rebounds while Illinois-Chicago transfer Michael Kolawole contributes 8.7 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per contest. New Mexico transfer Jordan Hunter averages 14.5 points and a team-best 4.3 assists for the Cardinals, who are winless on the road. Senior guard Nick Garth, already a member of the 1,000-point club, adds 13.2 points per game and junior wing T.J. Atwood chips in 12.3.

ABOUT SMU (3-3): McMurray leads the Mustangs with 19.2 points per game and has hit 43.6 percent from the 3-point line. Whitt hit 9-of-10 shots from the field in his last game to raise his average to a team-best 57.4 percent and adds 14.2 points along with a team-high 3.7 assists per contest. Sophomore forward Ethan Chargois averages 14.8 points, a team-high 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for SMU, which is also missing returning sophomore Everett Ray (foot).

TIP-INS

1. Dixon (7.3 points), Hunt (6.8) and Mike (6.7) have combined for four double-figure scoring games.

2. SMU is 40-7 at home under coach Tim Jankovich, with two of those losses coming this season.

3. Foster averaged 13.2 points and 5.9 rebounds last season after scoring in double figures in 14 of his 19 games before a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 17.

PREDICTION: SMU 78, Lamar 70

South Dakota Coyotes vs. Baylor Bears Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
BY GRACENOTE


Baylor's tough non-conference schedule continues with a brief stop at home Tuesday before two tough road games to start December. The Bears host South Dakota after taking third place at the Emerald Coast Classic with a win against George Mason, following an eight-point loss to Ole Miss.

The victory - coach Scott Drew's 300th at Baylor - featured another big night by senior King McClure and transfer Makai Mason. McClure has three 20-point games while Mason has scored in double figures in his first three games with Baylor. Those two lead a balanced offense that awaits the addition of sophomore transfer Mario Kegler, who was suspended for the first six games. South Dakota senior forward Trey Burch-Manning is among the national leaders in 3-point shooting, connecting on 72.2 percent from behind the arc.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest Plus

ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA (3-2): Burch-Manning leads four Coyotes in double figures, averaging 17.6 points and 5.8 rebounds. Guards Triston Simpson (16.4 points), Brandon Armstrong (11.4) and Tyler Peterson (10.6) also average double-digit points and Peterson is tied with Burch-Manning for the team's rebounding lead. Cody Kelley, a graduate transfer from Wyoming, missed the last game with an undisclosed injury and Armstrong filled in at point guard.

ABOUT BAYLOR (4-2): Mason, who missed three games with an ankle injury, leads the Bears with 15.7 points per contest and McClure adds 14 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Sophomore forward Tristan Clark is shooting 80 percent from the floor for 14.8 points per game while newcomer Devonte Bandoo adds 10.8. Mark Vital, who joins McClure and Clark as the only returners for Baylor, averages 5.0 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds.

TIP-INS

1. Kegler averaged 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 31 starts as a freshman at Mississippi State during the 2016-17 season.

2. South Dakota averaged 58.7 points in its three games at the Bimini Jam in the Bahamas, posting a 1-2 record at the tournament.

3. Baylor travels to Wichita State and Arizona before closing the non-conference schedule with three home games.

PREDICTION: Baylor 80, South Dakota 70

Texas-Arlington Mavericks vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
BY GRACENOTE


Tulsa rolled the dice last weekend but came up empty in Las Vegas after getting off to its best start under fifth-year coach Frank Haith. The Golden Hurricane hope to rebound Tuesday when they return home to face Texas Arlington for the first time in nearly seven years.

Haith's squad began the season with an undefeated homestand against four mid-major opponents before pushing No. 6 Nevada more than any other opponent has to this point in Thursday's 96-86 loss at the Las Vegas Invitational. Tulsa took a step back the following day, allowing Southern Illinois to shoot 65.2 percent in the second half and go on a 15-0 run after the break en route to a 79-69 defeat. The Mavericks have tested themselves in the early going and would like nothing more than to wrap a three-game road trip with a victory after losing hard-fought battles at Indiana and Arkansas last week. UT Arlington only trailed by seven with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining Friday, but a 32.7-percent effort from the field was among the biggest factors that led to a 78-60 loss to the Razorbacks.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT TEXAS ARLINGTON (3-3): The Mavericks, who set season lows in points, field-goal percentage and free-throw percentage (66.7) Friday, also committed a season-high 19 turnovers - leading to 25 points - and 34 fouls - leading to a 34-18 advantage at the free-throw line for the Razorbacks. "I thought the difference in the game came at the free-throw line. We fouled them too much ... especially in the first half, where we had four guys with three fouls. ... They made a lot more free throws than we even attempted," coach Chris Ogden said. Edric Dennis (14.7 points) was one of the Mavericks in early foul trouble but still managed to lead the team in scoring for a second straight game with 19 points despite logging only 20 minutes.


ABOUT TULSA (4-2): Junior forward Martins Igbanu (14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds) has emerged as a consistent inside force for the Golden Hurricane with at least 14 points in each of his last four outings and is shooting 63.6 percent from the field. Senior guard Sterling Taplin (11.8 points, 6.2 assists) played his best game of the season against the Wolf Pack on Thursday with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and seven assists before suffering through his worst effort one night later, finishing with eight points on 2-of-10 from the field and two points. DaQuan Jeffries (11.5 points, 5.2 rebounds) is the only other Tulsa player to average in double figures and the only other player to start every game, along with Igbanu and Taplin.


TIP-INS

1. Tulsa has won nine in a row and 19 of its last 21 at home.

2. UT Arlington ranks sixth in the country in 3-point percentage defense (22.5) entering play Monday.

3. Ogden played his college basketball for Haith when the latter was an assistant at Texas from 2001-04.

PREDICTION: Tulsa 74, Texas Arlington 69

North Texas Mean Green Eagles vs. Oklahoma Sooners Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
BY GRACENOTE


After capturing third place at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, Oklahoma will return to the United States to host undefeated North Texas on Tuesday. Sooners guard Christian James was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc through three tourney games.

James once again led the way during Oklahoma's 65-54 consolation victory over Dayton on Friday, putting up a game-high 21 points while matching his career-high with four assists. Coming off a junior season where he averaged 11.9 points per game, James is doing his best to pick up the offensive void that left with Trae Young as the senior is leading the Big 12 in scoring early in the season with 20.8 per game. "No question, (James) has been a consistently good scorer for us," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger told reporters. "He's shooting with confidence, making good plays. He made some really strong plays taking the ball to the basket. So I like what he's doing a lot." Behind a defense that ranks in the top 10 nationally, North Texas tied a school record when they defeated Saint Peter's 75-66 on Sunday, starting the season 8-0 for the first time since 1921-22.

TV: 8 p.m., FS Oklahoma

ABOUT NORTH TEXAS (8-0): The Mean Green received a boost Saturday from the return of all-conference junior guard Roosevelt Smart, who missed the first seven games with a minor injury after setting North Texas single-season records for points (742) and 3-pointers (133) during his sophomore campaign. While Smart played sparingly off the bench in his first game back and finished with only 13 points, his presence was felt immediately as the opposing defense had to focus on the 6-3 guard, leaving redshirt freshman Umoja Gibson (16 points) and sophomore Zachary Simmons (15 points) with more open looks. The Mean Green have gotten accustomed to playing with the lead as the 6 minutes, 49 seconds they trailed during their victory over Saint Peter's was more than North Texas had been behind in its first seven games combined.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (5-1): Senior center Jamuni McNeace was also crucial to the Sooners' success in the Bahamas, recording 12 blocks in three games after only recording one during the team's first three. Graduate guard Miles Reynolds sealed the win for Oklahoma against Dayton, scoring the team's final 10 points while going 13-of-14 from the free throw line on his way to 17 points. The Sooners brought their best defensive effort of the season in the second half Friday against Dayton, as they gave up 13 points in the final 16:40 while forcing the Flyers to miss 21 of their final 25 shots.

TIP-INS

1. North Texas won the first meeting in 1966, but Oklahoma has won all five since.

2. This is Oklahoma's lone game at Lloyd Noble Center in a 29-day stretch. The Sooners' will play in New York, Tulsa and Oklahoma City before returning to Norman on Dec. 18 to play Creighton.

3. North Texas has been tied or leading its opponent for 96 percent of the season, having trailed for only 12:13 through eight games.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 78, North Texas 74

Michigan St Spartans vs. Louisville Cardinals Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
BY GRACENOTE


Michigan State looks to extend its winning streak to six games when it travels to face Louisville in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge contest Tuesday. The No. 8 Spartans are coming off a title at the Las Vegas Invitational after topping UCLA and No. 17 Texas on consecutive nights, while the Cardinals have dropped two straight, losing to No. 7 Tennessee and Marquette in overtime at the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn.

Junior guard Cassius Winston runs the show for coach Tom Izzo and is coming off an MVP performance at the Las Vegas Invitational, averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 assists. Winston's backcourt mate, fellow junior Joshua Langford, averages a team-best 18.5 points and had a career-high 29 points in the Spartans' come-from-behind victory over Texas. Sophomore forward Jordan Nwora has been the top point producer for Louisville this season, averaging 18.4 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds despite coming off the bench in every game. Coach Chris Mack uses 10 players on a regular basis, with each averaging at least 12.3 minutes, and the Cardinals are averaging 40.6 points from reserves this season.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (5-1): Senior forward Kenny Goins averages the fewest points of any of Izzo's five starters with 6.8 per game, but he may be one of the most important players for the Spartans in many different areas. The team's leading rebounder at nine per game, Goins is one of the better defenders on the squad, and he'll likely get the key assignment of trying to slow down Nwora in this contest. Though he's shooting only 28.6 percent from 3-point range, Goins has expanded his game to include a long jumper, which gives the Spartans another player to kick it out to off post-ups by forward Nick Ward or drives to the hoop by Winston or Langford.


ABOUT LOUISVILLE (3-2): Louisville has been able to get to the free-throw line often this season, making 26 more free throws than its opponents have attempted. Working the ball inside could be a key factor against a Michigan State team that doesn't feature a shot-blocker like it did in Jaren Jackson Jr. a year ago and covers the perimeter as well as any team in the country, allowing opponents to shoot 31.1 percent from 3-point range. Nwora, forward V.J. King, forward Malik Williams and center Steven Enoch are all averaging at least four trips to the free-throw line per game, and they'll need to have that aggressiveness to get some easy points and slow down the Michigan State transition game.

TIP-INS

1. Ward became the 50th player in Michigan State history to reach the 1,000-point milestone with six points against Texas.

2. Senior G Christen Cunningham had his season high with 16 points against Marquette.

3. Louisville has won 49 straight home games in the month of November spanning the last 28 seasons, including 36 at the KFC Yum! Center.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 82, Louisville 73

North Florida Osprey vs. Florida Gators Preview and Predictions 11-27-2018
BY GRACENOTE

Florida returns home to Gainesville after a rough trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Gators lost two of the three contests in the tournament, including a disappointing 61-54 loss to Butler in the fifth-place game, but they look to bounce back on Tuesday against a North Florida team coming off its own disappointing trip out of the country as it fell to Jacksonville State 83-78 on Wednesday in Cancun, Mexico, in the championship game of the Cancun Challenge.

"I didn't think we were very good coming down here," Gators head coach Mike White told reporters after the loss to Butler. "I was really at a loss offensively and probably equally at a loss about why we couldn't get this group to play at the intensity level we're trying to get them to play with. Despite going 1-2 down here, we did show signs of being a team that is capable of playing really hard, and showed spurts of being capable offensively, at times. We've got a ways to go, of course." The offense White was so concerned about went stone cold in the second half of the Butler game, hitting just 8 of 28 shots after intermission, including 1 of 12 from beyond the arc, and scored just nine points in the final 11 minutes. No doubt, the disappearance of swingman Jalen Hudson, who led the team with 15.5 points last season, has contributed to the offensive woes and the senior was moved to the bench after a four-point effort in the tourney's opening loss to Oklahoma. Hudson finished with a total of six points in the three games in Cancun after hitting in double figures in the season's first three games, and his minutes plummeted from 20 or more in the first four contests to a total of 21 in the last two.

TV: 7 p.m. ET., SEC Network

ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA (2-4): Fresh off their first loss in a game played in Cancun after winning five in a row, the Ospreys now get set to embark on a busy stretch with three games in five days. UNF hit a season-high 14 3-pointers in the loss to Jacksonville State, with junior guard JT Escobar leading the way with a career-best eight treys, one more than he had in the other five games combined, and a season-high 24 points to follow on the heels of a 14-point outing in a win over Southern Miss. Escobar and Noah Horchler, who has scored in double figures in all five games he's played this season and averaged a double-double for the Cancun Challenge, were named to the All-Tournament team.

ABOUT FLORIDA (3-3): The Gators still have a chance to shake off their offensive inconsistency before opening their SEC slate, but they have been held to 60 points or less in all three losses while scoring 72 or more in each of their victories. Hudson and fellow senior KeVaughn Allen have been shaky, but a pair of freshman have stepped up as point guard Andrew Nembhard has filled the void left by Chris Chiozza with 31 assists and just five turnovers over the last five games, while Noah Locke has started the last two games in place of the struggling Hudson and had his first double-digit performance (11 points) in a win over Stanford. Backup guard Deaundrae Ballard is the only Gator averaging in double figures (10.2 per game) and he had 30 points in the last two games, half of what he totaled (60) in his final 24 games as a freshman a year ago.


TIP-INS

1. Florida and North Florida are meeting for the fourth straight year, and the Gators have won all seven meetings between the intra-state foes.

2. The Gators have held two opponents this season to under 50 points -- Charleston Southern (46) and Stanford (49).

3. Nembhard and Locke are the first true freshmen duo to start for the Gators since Kevarrius Hayes and KeVaughn Allen in 2015-16.

PREDICTION: Florida 78, North Florida 52

Monday Morning Caddie

Blackhawks +105

Wild -1.5 (+150)

Sharks -120 * Play of the day *