NCAA Basketball Betting – Five To Watch This Week
Sports betting players are getting ready for the conference portion of the NCAA basketball slate to tip off, which it does for the most part this week, but there are still a couple of interesting non-conference games on the schedule. Here is a look at the top five games of the week.
Memphis Tennessee Betting – Wednesday, 9:00 PM ET
It’s tough to say who will be the favorite in this state rivalry, as it should be the Volunteers (9-4), but they’ve been very inconsistent since upsetting Pitt on December 14th. The No.22 Tigers (11-2) almost got caught looking ahead to this game by Tennessee State, and if they’re underdogs in Knoxville, it won’t be by much because even though they’re 1-4 SU at Tennessee, they’re 3-2 ATS as well. This is the final game for Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl until February 8th as he has to sit out eight SEC games for NCAA violations, so the Volunteers may put up a big effort for their coach, while the Tigers are still very young and have already fallen to teams like Kansas and Georgetown. Take Tennessee to turn their fortunes around, for one game at least.
BYU UNLV Betting – Wednesday, 10:00 PM ET
The No.14 Cougars (14-1) should be NCAA basketball betting favorites in this contest, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they were the underdogs: BYU is 3-7 SU and ATS in their last 10 meetings with UNLV (12-2), and in Las Vegas, the Cougars are 2-6 SU and ATS. The Cougars, led by preseason All-American Jimmer Fredette, are off to a flying start, and Fredette is third in the nation in scoring. The Rebels beat Kansas State team just before the holidays, but the Wildcats had just lost guard Jacob Pullen to a suspension. The Rebels haven’t seen the likes of Fredette yet this year, and he wouldn’t want to leave BYU with a loss to one of their biggest rivals. Go with BYU in your sportsbook.
Xavier Cincinnati Betting – Thursday, 7:00 PM ET
The No.25 Bearcats (14-0) are rolling to start the season, although they really haven’t played anyone yet. They’ll be the favorites in the latest edition of one of the country’s most underrated rivalries, as they both inhabit the city of Cincinnati. Xavier has the upper hand with a 7-3 SU record, along with a 6-4 ATS mark, and they’ve been great at Cincinnati, going 4-3 SU and 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven. The Bearcats have one of the best guards in the nation in Tu Holloway, who has more experience than his freshman counterpart at Xavier, Sean Kilpatrick, and that will be a difference in a win for the Bearcats.
UConn Texas Betting – Saturday, 3:30 PM ET
In the marquee matchup of the NCAA basketball betting weekend, the No.12 Longhorns (11-2) will likely be favored at home against the No.9 Huskies (11-1), and both of these national powers seem to be back in the spotlight after disappointing campaigns last season. This should be a fun matchup as UConn is 44th nationally in scoring and 7th in rebounding, while Texas is 36th and 3rd in the same categories. These two have split four meetings since 2000, but UConn has been the bettor’s favorite with a 3-0-1 ATS mark in those games. The Longhorns will have to find a way to slow down UConn’s Kemba Walker, who leads the country in scoring, and we’re going to take Texas at home because the Huskies have a tough game at Notre Dame in midweek, while the Longhorns will have Arkansas come to town. Bet on a resurgent Texas team in your sportsbook.
Kentucky Georgia Betting – Saturday, 4:00 PM ET
The No.11 Wildcats should be favored on the road at Georgia (11-2) as both teams open up the SEC schedule, and Kentucky is 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five trips to Athens. The Wildcats have had a tough non-conference schedule, beating teams like Washington, Notre Dame and Louisville, along with losses to North Carolina and UConn, and that should push them towards another SEC title. The Bulldogs haven’t played that well lately, despite an eight-game winning streak, and they have two advantages: they have more experience and depth. However, the Wildcats are far, far, far more talented, and the freshman duo of Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight look like the next John Calipari disciples to be first-round draft picks. Not to mention, this Kentucky team seems to have more discipline than last year’s start-studded team. Take Kentucky on the road in your online betting book.
