Scott KinserCal Sport MediaSipa USA – Photo by Icon Sport
It is that time of the year when all the eyes of the basketball world are on the NCAA tournament. The first round brings us matchups between teams from all around the country. While some favorites will get the job done in dominant fashion, there will be some Cinderella stories that will hit the history books.
However, we are going to dive deep into the college basketball betting trends for four of the most interesting games scheduled for Friday.
UConn is the top-ranked team in the nation and is starting their journey against Stetson. Yale is having a promising season and will face a real challenge against Auburn. Alabama is among the best defensive teams in the nation and is seemingly having an easy start against Charleston. Houston is ranked second in the nation and is starting off against Longwood.
Let’s take a deeper look at the college basketball betting trends for these four games.
UConn vs Stetson
The UConn Huskies won the Big East championship, defeating Marquette 73-57 in the conference final. The Huskies finished the regular season with a 31-3 record, including 18-2 in conference play. The Huskies are 15th in the nation, shooting 49.6% from the field, and are ranked 30th, scoring 81.5 points per game. Tristen Newton is one of the best all-around players in the league, averaging 15.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.
The Stetson Hatters won the ASUN conference, defeating Austin Pay 94-91 in the final. They finished second in the regular season with a 22-12 overall record and 11-5 in conference play. The Hatters are a solid shooting team, being ranked 27th in the nation with 76.6% shooting from the free throw line and 37th with 9.1 three-pointers per game. Jalen Blackmon is the best player on the team, averaging 21.5 points per game, which ranks him tenth in the nation.
UConn vs Stetson: College basketball betting trends
UConn is 22-12-0 ATS for the season, 6-1-0 ATS on neutral site and 19-11-0 ATS following a win. Stetson is 16-15-0 ATS for the season, 2-0-0 ATS on neutral site and 8-12-0 ATS following a win.
Prediction and Conclusion
The UConn Huskies are taking a seven-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament and will have an easy start against Stetson at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Huskies have been one of the best teams in the country all season and have lost a total of three games. They are a -26.5-point favorite against the Hatters, who made it to the tournament as the winners of the ASUN conference. There is a huge gap between the two teams, and the Huskies will show that from the very start of the game. The given spread is huge, but UConn will use this game to make a statement and will blow out the Hatters by covering the spread.
Auburn vs Yale
The Auburn Tigers won the SEC conference in a dominant manner beating Florida 86-67 in the final. In the regular season, they finished third in the conference with a 27-7 overall record and 13-5 in conference play. The Tigers are 13th in the league scoring 83.3 points per game and 11th making 17.5 free-throws per game. Johni Broome leads the team with 6.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Yale Bulldogs won the Ivy League, defeating Brown 62-61 in the final. They finished third in the conference in the regular season with a 22-9 overall record and 11-3 in conference play. Yale is 51st in the nation, allowing 66.6 points per game and is ranked in the same place with 47% shooting from the field. Danny Wolf leads the team with 14.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
Auburn vs Yale: College basketball betting trends
Auburn is 21-13-0 ATS for the season, 6-2-0 ATS on neutral site and 15-10-0 ATS following a win. Yale is 15-12-2 ATS for the season, 2-3-0 ATS on neutral site and 11-8-2 ATS following a win.
Prediction and Conclusion
Many would say that Auburn was lucky enough to avoid Tennessee and Kentucky on their way to the SEC title, but the fact remains that they played excellently and won one of the toughest conferences in NCAA basketball. The Tigers basketball program has made a huge leap in recent years, and they seem ready to make it to the Final Four. The Tigers are taking a six-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament and are starting against Yale. The Bulldogs won the Ivy League, and they seem ready to compete against much better teams than their conference offers. They will have to go on the other side of the country as this game takes place at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington, which definitely does not go in their favor. The Tigers are -12.5-point favorites in this game and are just too good of a team for the Bulldogs. Yale may hang on for a while with decent shooting percentages, but at the end, Auburn will win this one by covering the spread.
Alabama vs Charleston
The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming off a 102-88 loss to Florida in the SEC quarterfinal. They had a solid regular season, finishing fourth in the conference with a 21-11 record, including 13-5 in conference play. Alabama is the best-scoring team in the nation with 90.8 points per game and is ranked third with 11.1 three-pointers made per game. Mark Sears is the best player on the team, averaging 21.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.
The Charleston Cougars won the CAA with an 82-79 overtime win over Stony Brook to find a place in the NCAA tournament. In the regular season, they had a 27-7 overall record and -3 in conference play, which put them on top of the CAA. The Cougars are 32nd in the nation, scoring 80.5 points per game, but they have a low shooting percentage of 44.3%, which does not put them among the top 200 schools in the nation. Reyne Smith leads the team with 12.8 points per game, followed by Ante Brzovic with 12.3.
Alabama vs Charleston: College basketball betting trends
Alabama is 24-8-0 over the total point line for the season, 5-1-0 on neutral site and 7-3-0 following a loss. Charleston is 18-15-0 over the total point line for the season, 2-2-0 on neutral site and 15-10-0 following a win.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Crimson Tide had much higher hopes in the conference tournament and will have to regain their confidence after an early loss. They had quite a while to prepare for the NCAA tournament, where they are facing Charleston at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington. The Cougars are on a 12-game winning streak and seem ready for the challenge. Both teams are among the best offensive teams in the nation, and this will be another one with many possessions, and the game will go over the given margin even though it is set quite high at 171.5 points in total.
Houston vs Longwood
The Houston Cougars are the No. 2 ranked team in the nation but were blown away in the Big 12 conference final, losing 69-41 to Iowa State. They finished the regular season on top of the conference with a 30-4 overall record and 15-3 in conference play. Houston is the best defensive team in the league, allowing only 57 points per game. They are ranked second, allowing 39.7% shooting from the field. LJ Cryer leads the team with 15.3 points per game.
The Longwood Lancers won the Big South Conference, defeating UNC Asheville 85-59 in the final. They finished fifth in the standings in the regular season with a 21-13 overall record and 6-10 in conference play. Longwood is 25th in the league, attempting 22.4 free throws per game, and fifth with 12.1 offensive rebounds per game. Walyn Napper leads the team with 14.6 points per game.
Houston vs Longwood: College basketball betting trends
Houston is 12-18-0 over the total point line for the season, 3-4-0 on neutral site and 2-1-0 following a loss.
Longwood is 17-14-0 over the total point line for the season, 1-1-0 on neutral site and 10-8-0 following a win.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Cougars were seen as one of the top favorites to win the NCAA championship this season, but the conference final showed all their vulnerabilities. That definitely hurts their confidence, but the Cougars are the best defensive team in the league and are still the team to beat in the South region. Longwood came into the tournament seemingly out of nowhere, and this is a special opportunity for them. The Lancers are not even close to the level of the Cougars, but with their nothing-to-lose attitude and extreme effort, they will represent themselves well. The total point line is set at only 127.5 points, and no matter how dominant the Cougars will be, this game will go over the given line.
