Bob Donnan SUSA Icon Sport
It is the final round of the NCAA basketball regular season and there are many games with high stakes this weekend. We put in work in our game breakdowns and college basketball betting trends for four of the most interesting games of the night.
Alabama is having a promising season, and they will have a chance to boost their confidence when they host Arkansas on Saturday. Texas has been dominating Oklahoma in recent seasons and will have a chance to keep that run alive. Houston is the top-ranked team in the nation and will have a real challenge against Kansas. One of the most interesting games of the night will take place in Tennessee, where the Volunteers will host the Kentucky Wildcats.
Let’s take a deeper look at the college basketball betting trends for these four games.
Arkansas vs Alabama
The Arkansas Razorbacks are 12th in the SEC with a 15-15 record, including 6-11 in conference play. They have won three of the last five games and are coming off a 94-83 win over LSU. Khalif Battle scored 29 points in that one, which is the first time in the last four games to be under 30 points. Tramon Mark is Arkansas’ leading scorer this season, averaging 16.8 points per game. The Razorbacks are 79th in the nation, scoring 77.4 points per game, and near the bottom of the nation, averaging 79.2 points per game.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are fourth in the SEC with a 20-10 record for the season and 12-5 in conference play. They have lost three of the last four games and are coming off a 105-87 loss to Florida. Mark Sears scored a season-high 33 points against the Gators. He leads the Crimson Tide, averaging 21.1 points per game for the season. Alabama is the best-scoring team in the nation, averaging 90.8 points per game, and is 33rd in the nation, shooting 37.1% from three-point territory.
Arkansas vs Alabama: College basketball betting trends
Arkansas is 14-12-1 over the total point line for the season, 4-4-0 on the road and 12-1-1 following a win. Alabama is 22-8-0 over the total point line for the season, 10-5-0 at home and 6-3-0 following a loss.
Prediction and Conclusion
Alabama is ranked 16th in the nation and will have a chance to finish the regular season with a win when they host Arkansas on Saturday. The Crimson Tide have lost the last two games and need this one to get their confidence back. Arkansas has picked up their game late in the season and may be competitive in this game. Alabama is the highest-scoring team in the nation and will show their full potential in this one. Both teams are in the top 10 in the nation in games that have gone over the total point line, and there is no reason why this one should not go over despite the line being set at 174.
Oklahoma vs Texas
The Oklahoma Sooners are ninth in the Big 12 Conference with a 20-10 record and 8-9 in conference play. They have lost four of the last six games and are coming off a 74-71 overtime win over Cincinnati. Le’Tre Darthard scored a season-high 18 points for the Sooners. Javian McCollum is the Sooners’ leading scorer this season, averaging 13.6 points per game. Oklahoma is eighth in the league, allowing 29.3% shooting from three-point territory, and is ranked 68th, allowing 67.7 points per game.
The Texas Longhorns are eighth in the Big 12 Conference with a 19-11 record for the season, including 8-9 in conference play. The Longhorns are coming off a 93-85 loss to the Baylor Bears after beating Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in back-to-back games. Max Abmas scored a season-high 33 points against the Bears. He leads Texas this season, averaging 17 points and 4.3 assists per game. Texas is 53rd in the nation in shooting 47.1% from the field and 112th in scoring 76 points per game.
Oklahoma vs Texas: College basketball betting trends
Oklahoma is 15-15-0 ATS for the season, 3-5-0 ATS on the road and 9-10-0 ATS following a win. Texas is 11-19-0 ATS for the season, 6-11-0 ATS at home and 6-4-0 ATS following a loss.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both Oklahoma and Texas are among the underachievers this season, and the final game of the regular-season schedule will not change anything. Texas is a solid 13-4 at home, while the Sooners are 3-5 on the road. The Longhorns have been very dominant against the Sooners in recent years, winning the last six games, including a 75-60 win in Oklahoma in January this year. The Longhorns are -4.5-point favorites going into this one, and they will have no trouble at all covering that spread.
Kansas vs Houston
The Kansas Jayhawks are fifth in the Big 12 Conference with a 22-8 record for the season, including 10-7 in conference play. After losing two consecutive games to BYU and Baylor, the Jayhawks won 90-68 against Kansas State, with Kevin McCullar Jr. leading the way with 19 points and Hunter Dickinson grabbing a season-high 20 rebounds. McCullar Jr. leads the Jayhawks with 19.1 points per game for the season. Kansas is seventh in the nation, shooting 49.8% from the field, and is ranked at the top of NCAA basketball with 19.3 assists per game.
The Houston Cougars are ranked No. 1 in the country and are on top of the Big 12 Conference with a 27-3 record for the season, including 14-3 in conference play. Houston is on an eight-game winning streak and is coming off a 67-59 win over UCF. LJ Cryer scored 25 points in that one, which was his third consecutive game to go over 20 points. He leads the Cougars, averaging 15.8 points per game for the season. Houston is at the top of the league, allowing only 57.3 points per game, and is ranked fifth, committing only 8.6 turnovers per game.
Kansas vs Houston: College basketball betting trends
Kansas is 14-15-1 over the total point line for the season, 4-4-1 on the road and 10-10-1 following a win. Houston is 13-17-0 over the total point line for the season, 6-10-0 at home and 11-15-0 following a win.
Prediction and Conclusion
Houston is by far the best defensive team in the league. They play down-tempo basketball, which may not be as attractive for the fans, but it has put them in a position to be the top-ranked team in the nation. The Cougars are closing the regular-season schedule with a home game against Kansas. The Jayhawks are one of the few teams that have beaten the Cougars this season, and they did that quite comfortably, 78-65. Houston will have that on their mind in this game, and with the total point line being set as low as 137.5 points, this game will most likely go over.
Kentucky vs Tennessee
The Kentucky Wildcats are second in the SEC with a 22-8 record and 12-5 in conference play. The Wildcats are on a four-game winning streak and are coming off a 93-77 win over Vanderbilt, with Rob Dillingham scoring 23 points in that one. Antonio Reeves is the Wildcats leading scorer this season, averaging 20 points per game. Kentucky is sixth in the nation, shooting 49.8% from the field and second, shooting 40.8% from three-point territory.
The Tennessee Volunteers are on top of the SEC with a 24-6 record for the season and 14-3 in conference play. They have won the last seven games and are coming off a 66-59 win over South Carolina. Dalton Knecht scored 26 points in that one. He leads the Volunteers with 20.7 points per game for the season. Tennessee is 44th in the nation, scoring 80.2 points per game, and 20th with 16.9 assists per game.
Kentucky vs Tennessee: College basketball betting trends
Tennessee is 13-13-1 ATS for the season, 10-4-1 ATS at home and 12-10-1 ATS following a win. Kentucky is 17-13-0 ATS for the season, 6-3-0 ATS on the road and 10-11-0 following a win
Prediction and Conclusion
This will be an interesting matchup between the top two teams in the SEC, but it will make no difference when it comes to the final conference standings at the end of the regular season. Tennessee is on top of the conference and is an 8.5-point favorite going into this game. They beat the Wildcats 103-92 in the first game this season, and now the teams have split the last 10 games. The Volunteers will show once again that they are a legit candidate to win the NCAA championship this season, but the Wildcats will be competitive in this game and will cover the given spread.
