Feb. 3 Plays

After a productive night of picking up 11 Units, including another Jimmer lock, here’s 11 Units.

Arkansas at Georgia (-4)
The Bulldogs are a different team at home than on the road. They have 10 losses, but seven of those have come on the road. At home, they’ve defeated Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Illinois. Also, they’ve played better defense at home, allowing just 61 points per game, seven points less than their overall average.
Arkansas is coming off of a pair of wins against the Mississippi teams, and has been playing better. But outside of their last win, the Razorbacks haven’t been consistent on the road.
Trey Thompkins will be a tough matchup for an Arkansas team that is thin at the forward spot.
Take Georgia for 4 Units.

Pittsburgh at West Virginia (-8.5)
The Panthers are beginning a brutal stretch of five games that sees them play the Mountaineers twice, along with Villanova, Marquette and Seton Hall. Pittsburgh has been reeling, losing three of its last four due to a drop in offensive production.
The Mountaineers escaped with a victory at home over Louisville on Saturday, and also have not played their best recently.
Both of these teams stay committed to defense and rebounding, which suggests that neither team will be able to pull away from the other.
People are beginning to doubt the Panthers again, which means it’s a good time to back them as they look to bolster their resume for March.
Take Pitt for 2 Units.

Illinois (-4.5) at Iowa
The Illini are 6-3 and tied for second in the Big Ten mostly because of an easy schedule thus far. But to Illinois’ credit, it has beaten the teams it is supposed to beat with losses only to Purdue, Northwestern and Michigan State. Bruce Weber’s team now faces another expected win at Iowa, which isn’t always an easy place to play.
The problem for Iowa this season has been its defense, as the Hawkeyes are allowing 45 percent shooting from the field. That’s not a good sign against Illinois, which has a number of scorers and likes to get the ball inside for easy looks for its big men, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale.
Iowa does not match up well with the Illini and this could be a lopsided affair. Take Illinois for 3 Units.

UAB at Memphis (-7)
The Blazers are tied for the lead in Conference USA and just lost their first game in league play. They are tough-minded and backed by a beast in the middle, Elijah Millsap.
The Tigers also just lost to SMU, and will look to rebound but face a tough challenge against the Blazers.
UAB hasn’t wowed anybody on the road this season, earning a lot of close wins, but you can bet the Blazers are ready for the chance to beat Memphis, which once was the bully of this conference.
The Blazers will bring their best shot knowing this could put them in good shape for a conference title. Take UAB for 2 Units.

Wichita State at Northern Iowa 118
The Panthers are a methodical team that likes to work the offense through big man, Jordan Eglseder. They are also committed to playing defense, allowing teams to shoot just 39 percent this season.
The Shockers aren’t exactly a dynamic offense either, and this one should be a grind it out battle.
Both of these teams are near the bottom of the NCAAs in tempo, and the first one to 50 should win this one. Take the under for 2 Units.