North Carolina feeling the pressure, Clemson wants respect
Bet sports online: Two top-25 matchups highlight Wednesday card
- North Carolina looks to resurface as the team to beat
- Clemson, ranked No. 9, still looking for respect
- Villanova and Connecticut meet up in Big East showdown
If you’re looking for something else to do instead of bet on Super Bowl XLIII, the college basketball card on Wednesday is very appealing.
Two top-25 matchups highlight the evening as No. 6 North Carolina hosts No. 9 Clemson (Jan. 21, 9:00 p.m. ET) and No. 3 Connecticut hosts No. 21 Villanova.(Jan. 21, 7:00 p.m. ET)
Basketball betting fans aren’t putting much faith into Clemson even though it’s 16-1 and a top-10 team in the nation.
The Tigers’ 16-game winning streak was snapped in their most recent contest against No. 1 Wake Forest and now the Tigers head to a place where those who bet on basketball know they haven’t had much success.
For them, a win at Chapel Hill would be bigger than a win for the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl XLIII lines. The Tigers haven’t won at North Carolina in 53 tries.
For the Tar Heels, this is also a significant matchup since they’ve been knocked off their high-horse with losses to Boston College and Wake Forest.
College basketball betting sharps want to know whether Carolina can bounce back and emphatically defeat a top-10 team or be exposed as just another team in the pack.
In the other top-25 matchup, Villanova gets a chance to climb up the Big East ladder with a win as it faces the No. 3 Huskies.
Villanova has been a fairly solid team this season but it hasn’t topped any premier teams. Its three losses have come at the hands of Texas, Marquette and Louisville, all of whom are ranked in the top 25.
UConn has cruised through Big East play so far, beating five of six teams. Its only loss came at the hands of Georgetown but those who follow NCAA basketball lines know Georgetown is among the top teams in the confer fence.
NCAA basketball betting handicappers have noticed a disturbing trend with the Huskies, though. They haven’t displayed a lot of depth, which could come back to haunt them as the season progresses. In their last contest, four starters played more than 30 minutes as the Huskies beat Seton Hall comfortably, but the bench couldn’t be trusted to hold the lead.
The scary thing about the Huskies that college basketball betting handicappers should note is that they haven’t fully hit their stride. Rarely have their weapons all been on point at once and it seems like there’s always someone having a bad game.
Look for UConn’s size up front to be the difference. College basketball betting is all about matchups and Villanova won’t have an answer for Hasheem Thabeet.
WASHINGTON’S PICKS: Bet on North Carolina and UConn to defend their home courts on Wednesday.
For more college basketball betting odds and college basketball picks, check out the betonline.com sportsbook.
Washington Tucker was practically raised at Rucker Park. Though a freak knee injury cost him a major college basketball scholarship, his “sixth-sense” on the hardwood has translated into a spectacular career in basketball handicapping.
