Tough break for Baylor as the Bears will be without No. 2 scorer for the rest of the season, as the Bears announced Saturday that forward Tristan Clark is set for surgery on his injured left knee. Clark, a sophomore, is averaging 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He was leading the nation in field goal shooting at 73.7 percent prior to the injury. Here’s a look at two intriguing matchups this week. Check back for NCAAB odds.
Top NCAA Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – January 14th Edition
Defense travels! 6⃣3⃣-4⃣3⃣ final at Clemson 🔶⚔️🔷 #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/Lwa5wVPbhq
— Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) 13 de enero de 2019
No. 9 Virginia Tech at No. 4 Virginia
- When: Tuesday, 8 PM ET (ACC Extra)
A big one in the ACC and the first-ever Top 10 clash in this series. Can a team that ranks second nationally in 3-point percentage defense (U.Va.) slow Division I’s fifth-best 3-point shooting squad (Tech)? Last season, U.Va. routed Tech in Blacksburg 78-52 before the unranked Hokies rebounded with a 61-60 overtime upset of the No. 2 Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena. That was Virginia’s lone home and conference setback last season.
Virginia Tech is 14-1 this year, losing only at Penn State by a point. The Hokies are off a 52-49 win at Georgia Tech on Wednesday. The Hokies, who tied the school record for best start with the 1982-83 team, shot 29.8 percent from the field and were held to 52 points, but found a way to start ACC play 3-0 for the first time since 2007. Ahmed Hill (15 points) and redshirt junior Kerry Blackshear Jr. (14) scored in double figures to pace Virginia Tech, while Jose Alvarado led the Yellow Jackets (9-6, 1-1 ACC) with a game-high 20 points.
Withholding Georgia Tech to 49 points, it marked the Hokies’ fifth time not allowing their opponent to score more than 50 points in a game. Virginia Tech is 5-0 in those games. For the 10th time this season, the Hokies out-rebounded their opponent to improve to 10-0 in those games when they win the glass. They out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 35-32.
Virginia is 15-0 and No. 1 in the Coaches Poll. The Wahoos won by 20 at Clemson on Saturday. Kyle Guy had 13 points and De’Andre Hunter scored 12 in Virginia’s 12th straight ACC road win, the fourth-best such run in league history. Overall, the Tigers shot 25.9 percent from the floor against the Cavaliers’ Pack Line defense. Only one player scored in double figures for Clemson – guard Marquise Reed (14 points) – and he missed 11 of 14 shots from the floor. Guy moved past John Crotty (179 3-pointers) into ninth place on UVA’s career 3-pointers list with 180.
UVA has won 10 of its past 13 games with Virginia Tech.
No. 20 Iowa State at No. 8 Texas Tech
- When: Wednesday, 9 PM ET (ESPNU)
ISU probably falls out of the Top 25 on Monday because it has lost back-to-back games, albeit by just a combined four points. It was 58-57 vs. Kansas State on Saturday. Barry Brown made a driving shot with six seconds left to lift KSU. With ISU leading 55-48 with five minutes left, Brown scored eight of KSU’s final 10 points in a crucial 10-2 run to finish the game. Brown led all scorers with 23 points.
Iowa State were led by Nick Weiler-Babb, who had 11 points, five assists, and four rebounds. George Conditt IV came off the bench to score nine points (4-of-4 FG) to aid the Cyclone effort.
ISU has lost Solomon Young for the rest of the season from a groin injury suffered in October. He played in four games, making his debut Dec. 21 against Eastern Illinois. Young played 6.8 minutes per game and averaged 1.8 points before electing to seek a medical redshirt. Young, who has 38 starts in his career, most recently played 11 minutes off the bench for the Cyclones at Baylor, scoring two points.
Texas Tech (15-1) won at Texas on Saturday, 68-62. Matt Mooney scored a season-high 22 points and Jarrett Culver went for 14 points and nine rebounds to lead the No. 8 Red Raiders to their first win in Austin since Feb. 24, 1996. In historic terms, Texas Tech ended a stretch of 22 straight Big 12 road losses to the Longhorns on their home court and for only the second time in the program improved to 4-0 in Big 12 play (2003-04) and has only one loss through 16 games (1995-96). TTU also improved to 5-0 overall this season and 3-0 in conference play when trailing at halftime and is now 2-0 on the road in conference play.
Mooney finished the game shooting 8-for-10 from the field, including going 3-for-3 on 3-pointers and with 14 of his 22 coming in the second half. He had a previous season-high of 17 earlier this year against Southern Cal and is now 11.4 points per game in his first season at Texas Tech. Texas was 23-for-57 from the field and was only the third team this season to shoot over 40 percent against the Red Raider defense which is now holding teams to 33.8 percent shooting for the season.
TTU is currently 10-0 at home this season and 43-4 at home under Coach Chris Beard.
