Expert Picks
Can Michigan bounce back at home against Shaka Smart? ...
The SL Model believes the wrong team is favored. ...
Can this Nevada team get a big early season road victory over the Gauchos? ...
Can Temple keep up with a John Groce fast paced offense? ...
What a fun Champions Classic early season matchup! With playmaking guard Melvin Council Jr. out for the next 6-8 weeks with a broken foot, will Kansas' offense be as potent as expected? We know the Jayhawks' defense is legit though, having surrendered only 110 combined points in wins over Fordham and Middle Tennessee. But the overall trends point to Under so I'll go that route. In Kentucky's last 15 games vs. ranked teams, the Under has hit ten times. The Jayhawks are 3-9 to the Under in their last 12 games vs. ranked opponents. Unders are also 11-4 in Kansas' last 15 non-conference games. I think this is a close game played in the lower-70s in Chicago. Kansas 75, Kentucky 72.
DraftKings. DK and Caesars have lines up for this matchup on Tuesday. I'm grabbing Illinois now at -1.5 for a full unit. The Illini are my top-rated team early in the season, with four starters back from last year's Final Four squad alongside talented newcomers. Texas Tech is always a tough place to play. However, the Red Raiders aren't very deep right now. They rely mainly on six players as they wait for a couple of guys to return from injury. I think Illinois is too deep and too good right now to be laying just 1.5 in this matchup. I'll back the Illini at this short number to take care of business on the road. Play up to -3.
This opened as low as 160.5 and I can't find a single model -- not that those have been good to me yet; ours has 156 points -- that has 160 total points scored between No. 3 Illinois and No. 16 Texas Tech from Lubbock -- why are they playing this opposite the Champions Classic? Illinois is averaging an incredible 116.0 PPG but hasn't played anyone yet or left home. Texas Tech is always a defense-first club and has given up just 100 points combined in two games. Pace will determine this total and generally speaking home teams dictate that. If this lands Over 167.5, Illinois almost surely won because it dictated such.
Texas State may have the strangest conference change by moving to the Pac-12. Today, they will play their first true road game against a UT Rio Grande Valley team that is 2-0 at home. The Vaqueros are one of the few teams in college basketball that did not return any starters from a season ago. In fact, they have just on reserve player from last year’s team and that is Always Wright who plays 13.5 minutes per game. Despite being 2-0, UT Rio Grande Valley is going to take the majority of conference play for their new team to build together. Lay it with Texas State.
In college basketball with so many division one schools, you are going to get small school rivalry matchups. Today there is one with Mercer traveling to Georgia Southern, as both schools are separated by about two hours. Mercer has yet to get a win against a division one school this season, and is in the middle of five straight games on the road. Georgia Southern is known for their strong conference tournament run a season ago in the Sun Belt, and they just played Georgia Tech tight. Grab the value here on a small number with the Mercer Bears.
Neutral court game but still in Iowa. The Hawkeyes remain the slowest team in the country under Ben McCollum. Their offseason has looked very efficient but that was against lesser opponents, still averaging around 66 possessions per game. Virginia Tech does not push the pace, middle of the pack in tempo and lacks size. The Hawkeyes have much more size down low to the control the class and their offense will use the entire clock before getting off a shot.
We all know Florida has one of, if not, the best front courts in the country. The Seminoles also have a lot of size to compete with their rivals. This is a new Florida team but they struggled last season on the road to begin the season as the Seminoles covered last season with a team that was not as good as they have currently. In a true home game with the crowd behind them, Frloida State does enough to stay within the number.
Neutral court game in Philly. Charlotte has averaged 77.5 points but that was against teams with a below average defense and has been untested. They now face a suffocating Pirates defense in a clash of styles. Seton Hall does have better offensive pieces but their still a defense first team. The team who dictates the tempo will control this game which will most likely be Seton Hall.
The MEAC is not a conference you are typically going to see a near pick em offered in non-conference play on the road. South Carolina State gets that favorable number because of their opponent in Chicago State. This may have been set as a favorite for the Bulldogs if Chicago State did not have the rest advantage and home court edge. Still, look for the Bulldogs to continue their turn around after being 0-14 in non conference play a season ago, they begin 3-0. Grab the Bulldogs.
Both teams have started out the season scoring 80 points per game but their offenses have been untested by a quality defense. Neither team wants to push the tempo, making this more a half court game. Cincannti should have the more physicality of the defensive side as they’ll bring the pressure all game, looking to create turnovers. The Gophers have the bigger interior presence to control the glass and players that can match the Bearcats physicality but need to take care of the ball.