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Strap in, ladies and gentleman.
It’s a Saturday during one of the first three months of the year, which means we have approximately a billion college basketball games to bet on.
If you find the slate of games too overwhelming, I don’t blame you. I’m going to help you in this article by breaking down some of the bets you can place today.
Let’s dive into it.
College basketball best bets today
- Creighton -3.5 vs. Xavier
- West Virginia -3.5 vs. Auburn
- Oklahoma +6.5 vs. Alabama
- Hofstra +9 vs. College of Charleston
- Kansas +3 vs. Kentucky
Creighton -3.5 vs. Xavier
Our very own Reed Wallach broke down his best bet for this game in his betting preview, which you can read here. Here’s a snippet of what he had to say.
“Xavier doesn’t take a ton of three’s but they are lethal from beyond the arc, hitting on more than 40% of their three-point tries despite a bottom 40 three-point rate. However, this is going to be the issue on Saturday as Creighton’s interior defense is as good as any in the country and can take the Musketeers out of their primary offense.”
West Virginia -3.5 vs. Auburn
Another pick coming in from Reed Wallach, courtesy of his betting preview. Let’s take a look at a portion of his reason for backing West Virginia.
“West Virginia’s heavy ball pressure defense can give the Auburn backcourt fits that is outside the top 200 in turnover rate. Not to mention, the Tigers struggle to shoot from the perimeter as well, shooting 29% from deep which is bottom 30 in the country.
West Virginia’s offense is a top 30 bunch, 83rd in effective field goal percentage and elite on both the offensive glass and getting to the free throw line. Auburn’s defense fouls at an alarmingly high rate and I don’t envision they travel well to a non conference foe on Saturday.”
Oklahoma +6.5 vs. Alabama
I think the No. 2 ranking infront of Alabama is causing them to be overvalued in this spot, especially considering they’re facing an unranked Oklahoma team. But, if you forget about the ranking, this game is closer than you think.
Oklahoma outranks Alabama in effective field goal percentage, 31st vs. 101st. But, the main reason I like the Sooners in this spot, is their perimeter defense. The Crimson Tide rank 14th in three point shot rate, but now they take on an Oklahoma team that’s 21st in opponent three point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting only 29.5% from beyond the arc.
Hofstra +9 vs. College of Charleston
College of Charleston has been getting a lot of hype this season. They’re nationally ranked and are 21-1 overall and 9-0 in the conference. With that being said, I think Hofstra might give them a run for their money today.
Hofstra ranks 24th in effective field goal percentage, and Charleston, surprisingly, ranks just 148th. Those shooting numbers are enough for me to back the Pride in this Colonial Conference matchup.
Kansas +3 vs. Kentucky
What might be the biggest game of the night, the Kansas Jayhawks will face the Kentucky Wildcats in a Big 12 vs. SEC showdown.
Kansas outranks Kentucky in most categories, including effective field goal percentage and defensive efficiency. With that being said, the Wildcats have a significant home court advantage.
No matter who wins this game, I’d be shocked if this doesn’t come down the final possession. So, with that being said, I’d much rather be on the side getting the three points as opposed to laying three points.
Give me Kansas +3.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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