This Big Monday, check out the ranked clubs

West Virginia and Kansas are both highly ranked teams as they have been all year and both will be in action Monday night looking to hang on to their lofty status. Because their seems to be no great teams in college basketball, there are a number of very good clubs that can still improve and each will be looking to do just that with the NCAA bids coming out in less than three weeks. Sports bettors can review what kind of progress each is making.

West Virginia at Connecticut 7:00E ESPN

Coaches in all sports will often talk about moving on to the next game, not dwelling too long on a win or loss. However, anyone who has ever spoken to a coach of any kind will know these fellows have long memories and think about the “what if” possibilities all the time. Coach Bob Huggins team is only one game behind second place Villanova in the loss column starting tonight and could do 30 minutes reciting all the ways the Mountaineers (21-5, 11-14 ATS) could have avoided two point loss to Notre Dame, one point loss to Syracuse and double overtime defeat to rival Pittsburgh, which really would have placed them in the thick of Big East race. But Huggins like most coaches will revert to task at hand at Connecticut and West Virginia is 6-3 and 4-5 ATS on the road.

It still looks like an outside shot, yet Connecticut (10-14-1 ATS) has renewed hope for NCAA berth with a victory. The Huskies have two imposing road wins over Rutgers and Villanova and four more victories takes them to 20-11 and a semi-final appearance in the Big East tournament would place them in excellent position. UConn is 6-1 ATS off a SU win and guard Kemba Walker has ignited this club and former starter Alex Oriakhi has been a spark off the bench. The return of Jim Calhoun has helped also, for Huskies team that is 13-3 at home (5-9 ATS).

DiamondSportsbook.com has West Virginia as three-point favorite with total of 134.5. The Mountaineers have won and covered four of previous six games, nonetheless is 3-6 ATS on the year after covering the spread and is 8-3-1 OVER away from Morgantown. Connecticut has covered the spread the last four times they have taken on clubs that win better than 60 percent of road games and are 4-0 OVER to start a new work week.

The Huskies have been howling with a 6-2 ATS mark vs. the ‘Teers.

Oklahoma at Kansas 9:00E ESPN

Kansas (26-1, 10-13-1 ATS) is trying to sweep the Big 12 this year with its talented club and has three remaining games that will put them to the test, however that doesn’t begin until Feb.27, as they figure to have little resistance against Oklahoma (13-13, 9-14 ATS). The Jayhawks may not always play their best, but master recruiter and motivator Bill Self always finds a reason for the team or individual players to test themselves to perform at a higher level. The high flying Jayhawks are 19-5 ATS when they score 81 or more points in a game over the last two years.

To say it has been an eventful campaign in Norman, is like saying the Mid-Atlantic States have seen a little snow the last few weeks. Losing streaks, selfish play, underachieving players, suspensions, you name it, coach Jeff Caple has been going up and the emotional elevator all season. If there has been a bright spot on dismal year, it has been the late maturation and emergence of freshman guard Tommy Mason-Griffin. Opposing teams have picked up on Mason-Griffin is a deadly three-point shooter and been forced to account for him, opening up areas in the lane for the Sooners to have easier shoots. Oklahoma will need him and others since they are 13-25 ATS as an underdog the last few years.

Kansas has covered the spread just once on last seven tries, though could have on at least two other occasions, opening up big leads against large numbers and coasting to victory. The Jayhawks are 22-point favorites with total of 147.5 and are 16-5 ATS in last 21 Monday assignments. It will be intriguing to see what kind of fight Oklahoma actually has as the basketball program, since they have mirrored their football brethren from this past season and are 15-36-3 ATS on the road.

Kansas has swept six straight over the Sooners at Allen Fieldhouse with .500 spread record and own the nation’s longest home winning streak at 57 games and the UNDER is 6-2 in Lawrence for Boomer Sooner’s last eight visits.