Tuesday's Tip Sheet--CBB

Tuesday's Tip Sheet


After Monday's limited card, gamblers have to be salivating at the chances to cash winners during Tuesday's 15-game slate. Let's touch on three televised tilts before exploring a few Bonus Nuggets.
**Kentucky at Ole Miss**
--Las Vegas Sports Consultants opened Kentucky (16-4 straight up, 10-4-1 against the spread) as an eight-point favorite with a total of 138. As of early this morning, most sports books had UK at 8 1/2.
--Billy Gillispie's team is absolutely on fire, winning five in a row, 11 of its last 12 and 16 of its last 18. Most notably for our purposes, the Wildcats have covered the spread in nine of their last 11 contests. They shook off an intermission deficit Saturday at Alabama to win a 61-51 decision as six-point road favorites. The ‘Cats got another monster game from Jodie Meeks, who finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Perry Stevenson added 16 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
--Meeks leads the SEC in scoring, averaging 26.1 points per game. The product of Norcross High School outside of Atlanta has been nothing short of sensational, getting his points in timely fashion and without taking too many shots. In fact, he only hoisted 18 attempts against the Crimson Tide. Meeks also leads the SEC in free-throw percentage (89.9%), 3-point percentage (45.9%), 3-pointers made (3.9 per game) and minutes played (33.9 per game).
--This has essentially turned into a ‘throw-away’ season for Ole Miss, which is 10-9 SU and 9-6 ATS. The Rebels have lost three starters to season-ending injuries, including star sophomore point guard Chris Warren from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando.
--Andy Kennedy’s team has lost four of its first five SEC games, but the Rebels have taken the cash in four of those five games. They are off Saturday’s 82-71 loss at South Carolina as 11 ½-point underdogs. David Huertas, who is third in the SEC in scoring with a 19.5 PPG average, had 27 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the losing effort.
--Ole Miss is 5-3 ATS in eight games as an underdog, 1-1 ATS in a pair of home ‘dog spots. Meanwhile, UK is 2-0 ATS as a road favorite this season.
--The ‘under’ has cashed in three straight for UK and is 8-7 overall.
--The ‘over’ is 8-7 overall for Ole Miss, but the ‘under’ is 4-3 in its home assignments.
--Kentucky has won nine in a row over Ole Miss, posting a 6-3 spread record during that stretch. The ‘under’ is 4-0-1 in the last five head-to-head meetings between these SEC rivals.
--Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

**Boston College at Maryland**
--Maryland (13-6 SU, 6-5-2 ATS) is looking to bounce back from its worst loss since 1963 and its worst ACC loss ever. The Terrapins pulled a complete no-show Saturday at Duke, falling behind 40-15 at intermission en route to an 85-44 loss as 15-point road underdogs. Landon Milbourne had a team-high 19 points in the losing effort.
--Might Maryland head coach Gary Williams be on the hot seat less than a decade after leading his alma mater to the national championship? Maybe. If the Terps don’t make the NCAA Tournament this year, it will be the fourth time in five years that they haven’t heard their name called on Selection Sunday.
--After pulling one of the season’s biggest upsets by winning at North Carolina as a 23-point underdog, Boston College (15-6 SU, 9-7 ATS) lost four in a row both SU and ATS. Since then, however, the Eagles have won back-to-back games both SU and ATS, including Saturday’s 79-68 win over NC St. as 5 ½-point home favorites. Tyrese Rice scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field.
--Rice is tied for fourth in the ACC in scoring with an 18.4 PPG average. Joe Trapani, a transfer from Vermont who had 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Wolfpack, is BC’s second-leading scorer (14.0 PPG).
--Maryland’s catalyst is junior guard Greivis Vasquez, who averaged 17.0 points and 6.8 assists per game last season. Those numbers are down this year (16.3 PPG, 4.6 APG), however, and Vasquez was horrible against the Blue Devils. He had just four points, one assist, one rebound and four turnovers on 2-of-10 shooting from the floor.
--Maryland is 11-1 SU and 2-2-2 ATS at home.
--LVSC opened Maryland as a 4 1/2-point 'chalk' with a total of 142 1/2.
--The ‘over’ is 11-5 overall for BC and is on a 5-1 run in its last six games.
--The ‘under’ is 9-4 overall for Maryland, 3-3 in its home outings.
--Since BC joined the ACC in 2005, it has won four of the six head-to-head meetings against Maryland. Even better, the Eagles are 5-1 ATS in those six encounters.
--ESPN2 will provide television coverage at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

**Purdue at Wisconsin**
--After losing its first two Big Ten games, Purdue (15-4 SU, 7-8 ATS) has responded with four consecutive wins. The Boilermakers are 3-1 ATS during this stretch. They collected a 70-62 win Thursday at Minnesota as one-point underdogs. JaJuan Johnson paced the winners with 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.
--Wisconsin (12-7 SU, 7-9-1 ATS) hasn’t missed the NCAA Tournament since 1998, but the Badgers are in serious danger of doing just that this year. They have lost four in a row (0-3-1 ATS), including a pair of gut-wrenching setbacks in overtime.
--Bo Ryan’s squad is coming off a 64-57 loss Saturday at Illinois as a seven-point underdog. Senior forward Joe Krabbenhoft had 16 points and 12 rebounds in defeat.
--Wisconsin has won eight of its 10 home games this year, but it is a mediocre 3-5 ATS.
--The Badgers have seen the ‘over’ go 9-7-1 overall, 5-3 in its home outings. The ‘over’ is 8-7 overall for Purdue, 5-1 in its last six games.
--Purdue has covered the spread in six straight head-to-head meetings against Wisconsin, winning outright in three straight and four of those six encounters. The ‘under’ is on a 5-1 run in this rivalry.
--ESPN will have the telecast at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

**BONUS NUGGETS**

--Just as this space has suggested several times in recent months, Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried has been in hot water at his alma mater. If he had any chance of saving his job in his 11th season, Gottfried needed fifth-year senior point guard Ronald Steele to lead the Crimson Tide back to the NCAA Tournament. Those hopes were smashed when Steele shut it down for the season last week due to plantar fasciitis. Then with Coleman Coliseum packed for the first and only time this year Saturday, Alabama blew a halftime lead and collapsed in the second half mostly due to poor play at the point-guard position. And that was all she wrote. Gottfried met with ‘Bama AD Mal Moore Monday morning and gave him his resignation. (Translation: Gottfried got fired.) The Tide went to five NCAA Tournaments in 10 seasons under Gottfried, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history behind the stellar play of Antoine “Red Shoes” Pettway in 2004. Phillip Pearson, Gottfried’s long-time assistant, will serve as the team’s interim coach for the rest of the year.
--Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com reported Monday that Steele actually quit because of a falling out with Gottfried and implied that Pearson might be able to talk Steele into rejoining the team.
--Where will the Tide turn next? Might Maryland's Gary Williams be interested? I think VCU's Anthony Grant would be a good fit. Remember, he was just hours away from becoming the Florida coach before Billy Donovan changed his mind about the Magic job.
--I'm not saying Tom Crean made the wrong decision in taking the Indiana job, but you know he has to hate not being able to coach this Marquette team.
--It was a rough weekend for the SEC, which is already in the midst of an extremely down year. LSU lost at home to Xavier and Memphis won a nail-biter at Tennessee.
--The next coach to get fired? Don’t be surprised if Georgia gives Dennis Felton a pink slip in the next week or so.