Hoosiers and Wolverines meet in Big Ten showdown
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/01/2012 - Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of ranked foes in the Big Ten Conference square off in Ann Arbor this evening, as No. 20 Indiana comes calling on No. 23 Michigan.
Indiana started the season impressively, jumping out to a 12-0 record before suffering its first defeat at Michigan State in the conference opener on December 28. The Hoosiers bounced back to win their next three, but after that coach Tom Crean's club lost 4-of-5. IU is coming off a 103-89 victory over Iowa in its last outing, and while the Hoosiers are 17-5 on the year, they are just 3-4 in true road games.
Michigan too got off to a sensational start to the 2011-12 campaign, streaking out to a 12-2 mark before crashing back to Earth with a 4-4 mark since. The Wolverines are fresh off a demoralizing 64-49 loss at Ohio State on Sunday, and this bout is the second in a three-game stretch the team will play against Top-25 competition -- at No. 9 Michigan State this Sunday being the last. The Maize and Blue are a perfect 12-0 at home this season, and coach John Beilein's club has won 13 straight at Crisler Arena overall.
Indiana owns a commanding 101-55 lead in the all-time series with Michigan, but things have been pretty even of late as the teams have split the last eight meetings. The Hoosiers won the most recent encounter, taking a 73-71 decision at home on January 5 of this year.
Indiana is one of the more potent offensive teams in the Big Ten, as it averages 79.5 ppg in hitting 50.1 percent of its field goal attempts, which includes a 43.8 percent showing from three-point range. The Hoosiers are also 73.8 percent accurate at the charity stripe, and they own favorable margins in both rebounding (+3.1) and turnovers (+1.7) as well. Defensively, the team yields 65.8 ppg, with the opposition hitting their field goals 42.4 percent of the time, which includes a 32.7 percent showing from beyond the arc. Cody Zeller (15.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg) is IU's leading scorer and rebounder, while Christian Watford (12.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Jordan Hulls (11.9 ppg, 3.2 apg) and Victor Oladipo (10.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg) round out the unit's double-digit scorers. In the 103-point outburst against Iowa, Zeller scored a career-high 26 points to lead six Hoosiers in double figures, and Indiana shot 55.2 percent from the field while converting 25-of-31 free throws. IU won the rebounding battle, 37-22, handed out 20 assists, and scored 21 points off 17 Hawkeye turnovers.
Michigan isn't quite the offensive juggernaut its counterpart tonight is, but the team is shooting 45.9 percent from the field, and has made good on 34.3 percent of its three-point tries. The Wolverines boast just double-digit scorers in the form of Tim Hardaway, Jr. (15.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Trey Burke (14.1 ppg, 5.0 apg), although Zack Novak (9.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Evan Smotrycz (8.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg) are close to joining the ranks thanks to both hitting better than 40 percent of their three-point attempts. From a defensive standpoint, UM is allowing just 61.1 ppg on typical shooting outputs of 42.1 percent overall and 35.4 percent from downtown, and the team comes into this contest with positive differentials in both rebounding (+1.8) and turnovers (+1.4) as well. Michigan scored a season-low 49 points in its recent outing at Ohio State, as Hardaway, Jr. and Burke tallied 15 and 13 points, respectively, as the only Wolverines to reach double figures in the loss. The team shot just 35.8 percent from the field, while the Buckeyes claimed a 15-3 edge in points from the foul line and a 38-29 advantage on the glass.
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Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
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