No. 10 Missouri Tigers vs. Villanova Wildcats
Tuesday, 12/6/11, 7:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Missouri -7
Current Betting Line: Missouri -7
Opening Total: 148.5
Current Total: 148.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Missouri is set to face the Villanova Wildcats Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, as the team looks to improve to 8-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign and 15th time overall. “We’ve done some things well, but we’re still a hungry group,” stated Tigers guard Marcus Denmon. He has certainly done his job, leading all players in averaging 20.3 points a night. The Tigers lead the Big 12 Conference in shooting 52.5 percent from the floor, while also pacing all teams in hitting 75.3 percent of their shots from the charity stripe. Missouri is 7-2 ATS in non-conference action.
The Tigers are coming off a 90-56 win over Northwestern State last time out, with Demon leading the way with a career high 31 points. Missouri is ranked fourth nationally in field goal percentage and sixth in both scoring average and steals. Causing opponents to make mistakes has been a staple of the program, pacing the nation or finishing second in steals per game that past three seasons. Missouri tallied a victory in the only meeting between these two teams, posting a 72-53 win in 1985.
Villanova is making its second appearance in this event and will look to win a game after dropping a 67-56 decision to the Texas Longhorns in 2008. The Wildcats have three players averaging in double figures and are led by guard Maalik Wayns, who is averaging 18.7 points per game. The program dropped two of its three games when playing away from home in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, CA. Villanova bounced back from its two-game losing streak and captured a 73-65 win over Penn.
The Wildcats will definitely look forward to the quickened pace that the Tigers will bring to this contest, posting a 5-0 record in scoring 70 or more points this season, while also going 17-2 when hitting that magic number a year ago. Villanova will need to continue to improve upon its perimeter defense, allowing opponents to shoot 33.9 percent from beyond the arc this year. Look for the team to game plan getting the ball into the hands of center Mouphtaou Yarou, who picked up his fourth double-double of the year last time out and is averaging 16.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Bettors will likely back the Tigers due to their 5-2 ATS mark following a SU win, while the Wildcats are 1-5 ATS in neutral site games.
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