Thursday’s 6-pack:
Average salary in major leagues, the last six years:
2019- $4,051,490
2020- $3,881,021
2021- $3,679,335
2022- $4,222,193
2023- $4,525,718
2024- $4,655,366
Quote of the Day
“There will constantly be challenges that arise that you don’t expect. The better you handle those unexpected situations, the more successful your life will turn out.”
Dean Smith
Tuesday’s quiz
Which NFL team drafted Hall of Fame QB John Elway?
Wednesday’s quiz
DeMar DeRozan has scored the most points in the history of the Toronto Raptors.
Tuesday’s quiz
2012 was the last time an SEC team won the college basketball national title, when John Calipari’s Kentucky team won the championship.
**********************************************
— SEC
Alabama 88, Mississippi State 84
Crimson Tide shot 15-31 on the arc; Miss State was 8-25.
Alabama was only 11-20 on the foul line.
5-11 G Hubbard scored 38 points for Miss State.
Ole Miss 72, Texas 69
Texas led by 13 late in first half.
Ole Miss had only 4 turnovers (+7) in a 67-possession game.
Longhorns are 3-5 in their last eight games.
Ole Miss coach Beard beats team he coached three years ago.
SEC home underdogs are 11-6 ATS; home favorites are 24-19.
Bracketology has 13 SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament.
— Missouri Valley
Ill-Chicago 93, Bradley 70
UIC trailed 22-9 early on, but made 14-27 shots on the arc.
UIC was picked for last in MVC in the preseason; they’re tied for 3rd now.
Flames have won 10 of their last 13 games.
Loss snapped Bradley’s 5-game winning streak.
Drake/Bradley are now tied for first in the Valley, at 9-2.
MVC home favorites are 14-28 ATS; home underdogs are 12-11.
— Big East
UConn 72, DePaul 61
Blue Demons led 28-14 early on.
Tarris Reed had 16 points, six rebounds in 24:00 off the bench.
UConn is only 3-3 in its last six games.
Creighton 86, Xavier 77
Bluejays have won six games in a row.
Creighton shot 59.4% inside the arc.
Creighton is shooting 60.1% inside arc (#6)
Big East home favorites are 16-20 ATS; home underdogs are 8-11.
Bracketology has four Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament.
— Big X
Houston 63, West Virginia 49
Houston led this road game 39-19 at halftime.
Houston has #2 eFG% defense in the country.
Cougars have won 13 games in a row; their last loss was November 30th.
Big X home underdogs are 4-14 ATS; home favorites are 24-24
Bracketology has eight Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament.
—
Upsets of the Night:
VMI (+12.5) 74, Wofford 67
Old Dominion (+11.5) 78, Appalachian State 77
Virginia Tech (+10.5) 76, Florida State 66
Ill-Chicago (+8.5) 93, Bradley 70
Rutgers (+7.5) 79, Northwestern 72
Fordham (+4.5) 88, LaSalle 72
Evansville (+4.5) 78, Murray State 74
— Saint Mary’s 67, Santa Clara 54
Gaels have won nine games in a row.
Saint Mary’s led 61-33 with 5:52 left in the game.
Santa Clara shot 35.3% from the floor.
WCC home favorites are 17-14 ATS; home underdogs are 9-10
Bracketology has Saint Mary’s/Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.
— Southern
Furman 72, Samford 70
Paladins survived shooting 11-21 on foul line.
Furman never trailed; they led by 12 with 10:57 in the game.
Cooper Bowser was 8-8 from floor, scored 21 points.
Samford has three starters who are playing at their third different college.
SoCon home favorites are 11-18 ATS; home underdogs are 9-7.
— Big 18
Rutgers 79, Northwestern 72
6-10 freshman Bailey scored 37 points.
Rutgers shot 57.1% inside arc, 57.1% (8-14) on the arc.
Northwestern lost six of its last eight games.
Big 18 home favorites are 31-29 ATS; home underdogs are 12-10
Bracketology has nine Big 18 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
— Mountain West
Utah State 76, UNLV 71
Utah State shot 60% inside the arc.
UNLV was only 4-20 on the arc.
Rebels lost their last three games, by 2-2-5 points.
Mountain West home favorites are 15-20 ATS; home underdogs are 11-9.
Bracketology has three Mountain West teams in NCAA Tournament.
— ACC
Virginia 82, Miami 71
Miami has lost 10 in a row, 17 of last 18 games.
Hurricanes have #360 eFG% defense in country.
Virginia scored 1.37 points/possession in this game.
ACC home favorites are 28-28 ATS; home underdogs are 11-16
Bracketology has five ACC teams in the NCAA Tournament.
—
Famous birthdays, January 30th:
Gene Hackman, 95
Davey Johnson, 82
Phil Collins, 74
Charles Dutton, 74
Nolan Cromwell, 70
Michael Thompson, 70
Jalen Rose, 52
Jorge Cantú, 43
Kodai Senga, 32
Bryan Woo, 25
— Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast 83, Jacksonville 79
Dolphins led 56-32 early in second half.
Dolphins led by 9 with 2:46 left in the game.
FGCU shot 55.8% inside the arc.
Both teams are 7-2 in ASUN
— American
Temple 90, Charlotte 89, 2 OTs
Charlotte led by 5 with 4:05 left in regulation.
Jamal Mashburn Jr scored 34 points for Temple.
Owls were 24-27 on the foul line.
7-1 North Texas leads 6-1 Memphis by half-game atop AAC standings.
AAC home favorites are 11-19 ATS; home underdogs are 8-6
— Atlantic 15
George Mason 58, Loyola Chi 53 OT
Patriots won despite shooting 11-22 on the foul line.
Mason has won six in a row; 2 of their last 3 wins came in overtime.
Teams combined to shoot 9-48 on the arc.
George Mason leads VCU/Saint Louis by a game atop A-15 standings.
A-15 home favorites are 14-21 ATS; home underdogs are 16-9
— Summit
South Dakota 91, Omaha 87
Omaha led 64-49 with with 14:56 left in the game.
Loss snaps Mavericks’ 8-game win streak vs D-I teams.
South Dakota outscored Omaha 54-37 in second half.
Omaha/St Thomas are tied for first atop the Summit standings.
Summit League home favorites are 9-11 ATS; home underdogs are 6-8.
