Posted on
2/7/2008 2:36:37 PM
NCAA Basketball Betting – Clemson at Virginia
By Charles Jay
BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds: CLEMSON -1.5
Sparks will fly in Charlottesville on Thursday night when the Clemson Tigers (16-5 SU, 11-8 ATS) invade the John Paul Jones Arena to take on the Virginia Cavaliers (11-9 SU, 7-8 ATS) in Atlantic Coast Conference action that tips off at 7 PM ET.
In the BetUS NCAA betting odds, Clemson is listed as a 1.5-point road favorite.
Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends that relate to this matchup:
* CLEM has covered 13 of its last 19 road games
* CLEM has won six of its last eight road games SU
* VA has covered two of its last eight games
* VA has won one of its last eight games
* VA has played four of its last six games OVER the total
* VA has won 18 of its last 24 home games SU
* VA has won six of the last seven meetings SU
* CLEM has covered four of the last six meetings as the visitor
* VA has won nine of the last ten meetings SU as the home team
* The road team has covered seven of the last ten meetings
* VA has had the shooting edge in five of the last seven meetings
* CLEM has had the rebounding edge in six of the last eight meetings
* VA has made more three-pointers in seven of the last ten meetings
Clemson obviously likes to turn defense into offense by igniting the transition game; its 10.3 steals per contest is third best in the country. Of course, the trigger man that helps them get the running game going is out of action until February 14 at the earliest. Point guard Demontez Stitt is sidelined with a knee injury. And though Cliff Hammonds is a versatile type, he's not a pure playmaker.
Clemson has fallen in love with the three-pointer as a big part of its arsenal, but freshman Terrence Oglesby, who has been their long-range bomber, has a tendency to play way out of control, hoisting shots from well beyond even the NBA 3-point distance. And the Cavs (9.2 threes per game) can go toe-to-toe with them in that regard anyway.
Clemson stands a good chance of being dogged by bad free throw shooting. They've been very hot and very cold, and in three of the last five games they've hit 50% or less. That's not a good thing to take on the road with you.
Virginia, a team that beat Arizona earlier in the season, doesn't stand much of a chance at making the Big Dance, not after going into a 1-7 SU slide. But this is a critical game if they're to have ANY post-season hopes (i.e., NIT). We'll take the points with the Cavaliers, the 1.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAAB betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: VIRIGNIA
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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com gives it the old college try as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)