Last Home Games and Late Season Situations for Thursday, Feb. 22

Last Home Games and Late Season Situations Highlight Cards to Close Season

So many late season college basketball situations and emotions as we head towards the final two weekends of the regular season. As I handicapped the card and evaluate the lines at the leading sports books for Thursday, Feb. 22, here are some situations of note, including last home games, along with some game analysis.

Last Home Games

Wisconsin at Northwestern (-3.5). Two teams that won at least one game in last year’s NCAA Tourney will be home watching the Big Dance this year unless they make a remarkable run to win the Big Ten Tournament, which starts earlier this year beginning next week at Madison Square Garden. Disappointing seasons for certain, as well as betting with both teams burning money. Northwestern (15-14/6-10) still has hopes for a postseason tourney while Wisconsin (13-16/6-10) will likely miss postseason tournament play. Badgers do enter off a pair of home wins for this their final road game, while Northwestern goes for the season sweep of Wisconsin in the Wildcats last home game. Emotional senior night in Evanston will have the Wildcats wearing special uniforms designed by their outgoing seniors.

South Dakota at South Dakota State (-3) – The Summit League shines tonight as the top-2 teams and rivals square off. South Dakota State (11-1) is 14-0 on their home court and plays with revenge for their only conference loss to South Dakota, 87-68 on Jan. 24. This is the Jackrabbits last home game and final regular season game for both teams, who have each been big money-makers ATS this season. The only game bigger will be if they play in the conference tournament finals with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Late Season Situations

Connecticut at #11 Cincinnati (-18.5) – Bearcats (23-4/12-2 AAC) home and trying to hold onto American Conference lead off back-to-back losses to Houston (11-3) and Wichita State (12-3). Cincinnati closes regular season at Wichita State on March 4.

UCLA at Utah (-3) – Utes (17-9) play with 83-64 revenge for the blowout loss at Pauley Pavilion Jan. 11 on a night the Bruins buried the 3-pointers, making 12-of-23 from the arc. Utah (9-6) enters off 4-straight wins to get them into 4^th place, which would secure an extra bye in the Pac-12 Tournament beginning March 7 at TMobile Arena in Las Vegas. Utes just a half game in front of Washington and Stanford (those two play tonight), but also just a half game behind UCLA (10-5) in the Pac-12 standings. UCLA and Washington are both on the NCAA Tournament bubble with each listed in the current Bracketology as ‘First Four Out’, while Utah is ‘Next Four Out’. Will Pac-12 have just two teams in NCAA Tournament?  Arizona and USC are in, but last year’s Pac-12 regular season champ and Final Four team Oregon will not be dancing in NCAA Tourney.

Old Dominion at Marshall (+3) – Key Conference USA game between top-4 league teams with Marshall (19-8/10-4 C-USA) playing their best basketball on a 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS run playing with revenge for a 82-76 loss at Old Dominion (21-5/12-2) on Jan. 13. Marshall is 14-1 on their home court this season, where they already beat league leader MTSU the game after the Old Dominion loss.

Daily Betting Lines from Las Vegas Sports Books

Wisconsin Green Bay at Oakland (-10.5) – This Horizon League match-up has little meaning in the standings or for postseason play, but the situation sets up for a high-scoring Golden Grizzlies win. On December 30, Oakland was a 10-point road favorite and lost at Green Bay 80-79. The rematch sets up a nearly 70% ATS second meet situation supporting the Golden Grizzlies, having lost as a favorite of 7-or-more points in the first meeting. Oakland has been burning money of late, going 1-6 ATS as the recent loss of star transfer guard Martez Walker along with three other scholarship players to season-ending injuries has really derailed the Golden Grizzlies season. So injuries are part of evaluating late season situations and rematches, but we still note that in that Dec. 30 contest, Green Bay and Oakland combined for 53 three-point attempts and made 23, with the country’s No. 4 scorer Kendrick Nunn (25 PPG) of Oakland nailing 8-of-19 shots beyond the arc. The Phoenix are No. 2 in Horizon 3-point attempts and plays at breakneck speed on offense (No. 7 pace in country), and Oakland not only leads the league in 3-point shooting, but also is deficient on defense allowing teams to shoot and score quickly. Green Bay is last in the league in FG shooting (41%), which could hinder scoring, but pace along with Oakland’s scoring machine Kendrick Nunn suggests a shootout.

Check out the latest Bracketology, daily college basketball power index, NCAA Tournament odds and more as the regular season comes to a close and conference tournaments, NCAA Tourney and other post season play begins with all the Madness in March next week.

Article posted at osga.com.