Oklahoma State vs. Mizzou Betting Odds
Carrie Stroup here with your Oklahoma State vs. Mizzou betting odds for February 15, 2012. Get all the latest College Basketball lines here at Sportsbook.com. Claim up to $250 in FREE CASH based on your initial deposit.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: Missouri -16 & 142.5
Opening Line & Total: Tigers -16 & 143
Oklahoma State looks to get back to the .500 mark, but it won’t be easy taking on No. 3 Missouri on the road.
However, the Cowboys are one of two teams that have actually beaten the Tigers this season, winning 79-72 on Jan. 25 in Stillwater. Also, the Cowboys have been a pesky road team this season, going 5-2 ATS. Mizzou Arena is one of the toughest places to play in all of college basketball, but OSU has lost by more than eight points just once in its past nine trips to Columbia. The Cowboys are also a strong wager against Big 12 foes this season, posting a 7-4-1 ATS mark, which is the same ATS record the Tigers have in conference play.
Oklahoma State is working on a four-game ATS unbeaten streak (3-0-1 ATS), but the school is coming off a 13-point loss at Kansas on Saturday. The Cowboys couldn’t find the ocean in that defeat, connecting on just 32.7% FG. It was quite a different story last month, as they torched the Tigers by making 60% of their shots, including 67% in front of the arc. Freshman F/G Le’Bryan Nash (13.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG) scored a career-high 27 points in that matchup, while fellow freshman teammate G Brian Williams (8.1 PPG) reached his own career high with 22 points. The defensive star that day was another freshman, F Michael Cobbins, who had 10 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. Senior SG Keiton Page, who leads OSU in points (14.4 PPG) and assists (2.3 APG), had 12 points and five assists against the Tigers, but he has gone cold since that game, shooting just 30% FG and 27% threes.
Missouri ranks seventh in the nation in points (80.2 PPG) and third in FG Pct. (50.0%), but opponents have succeeded in slowing down the Tigers recently. In the past five games, Mizzou’s scoring has dipped to 69.4 PPG, despite a strong 48.8% shooting clip. Missouri has four players averaging 12+ PPG this season, led by senior G Marcus Denmon (18.0 PPG). Denmon scored 17 points in the loss in Stillwater, but he struggled with his shot, going 4-of-16 that night. He has certainly found his stroke lately though, pumping in 23.3 PPG on a blistering 57% FG (14-of-26 threes) in his past three contests. Senior F Ricardo Ratliffe (14.0 PPG) continues to lead the nation with an insane 73.7% shooting clip, and he burned the Cowboys for 25 points and 12 rebounds in last month’s upset loss in Stillwater. The other big scorers for the Tigers are both excellent three-point shooters. Senior G Kim English (14.0 PPG) makes a whopping 47% from behind the arc while junior G Michael Dixon (12.4 PPG) makes a solid 36% of his threes.
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (21-4) at MIAMI HURRICANES (15-8)
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: North Carolina -5.5 & 145
Opening Line & Total: Tar Heels -5 & 146
No. 8 North Carolina will look to remain with just two conference losses as it heads to the BankUnited Center to take on Miami as road favorites.
North Carolina has beaten Miami nine straight times (6-3 ATS) by an average of 13.0 PPG. When these teams met Jan. 10, the Tar Heels outrebounded the 'Canes 45-29 and won by 17 points despite shooting 2-for-16 from three and having leading scorer Harrison Barnes (17.5 PPG) tally just six points on 2-of-12 FG. Don't count on either of these things happening again. UNC's two big men, Tyler Zeller and John Henson, each had double-doubles versus Miami. Zeller in particular has been difficult to contain lately with three consecutive 20-point games (23.3 PPG). Miami’s frontline looked weak in its most recent game, a 64-59 loss to Florida State, as the team again grabbed just 29 rebounds. C Reggie Johnson scored just four points, and that sort of inconsistent play will not suffice against the mean North Carolina post defense that averages 6.1 BPG, 7th-most in the country.
Although Zeller (16.0 PPG, 9.6 RPG) has been the main offensive force for the Tar Heels as of late, Barnes (17.5 PPG) is their leading scorer on the season. He is coming off a weak performance against Virginia in which he shot just 4-of-16 from the field, but in the game before that, he torched Duke for 25 points on a bum ankle, 19 of which came in the second half. Henson (14.0 PPG, 10.3 RPG) joins Zeller to form arguably the nation’s best frontcourt as the reigning ACC defensive player of the year. None of this offense would flow without Kendall Marshall (9.6 APG). Although not a dynamic scorer, at 6-foot-4 he is a physical point guard who is second in the country in passing. Look for him to push the ball for the highest-scoring team in the land (83.5 PPG).
The ‘Canes peaked three games ago with an impressive road win at Duke and would have really made a name for themselves if they had upset the Seminoles on their home floor, where they fell by five. Reggie Johnson (11.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG) was held to just four points in that game, and he will have to bounce back in order to keep Miami competitive in this one. He has proven he can handle top bigs, however, notching a season-high 27 points in the win over Duke. Kenny Kadji (12.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG) joins him as the more athletic part of the frontcourt, with the ability to stretch defenses with his shooting. In the team’s last three games, he has made a total of six three-pointers. Durand Scott (12.6 PPG) and Malcolm Grant (12.1 PPG) are also top scorers for the ‘Canes who will need strong performances from everybody to keep up with a team as deep as the Tar Heels. Play against these home underdogs.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
