Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports Photo by Icon Sport
The conference action is underway in college basketball, and things are heating up. We have dozens scheduled for Friday night, and we have our game breakdowns and college basketball betting trends for four of the most interesting ones.
Arizona will host UCLA, determined to prove that they are among the top contenders to win the NCAA Championship this year. Baylor and Texas are trying to pick up their form, and whoever wins this one will have a huge confidence boost moving forward in the season. San Diego State is one of the best teams that no one really talks about, and they will try to prove that when they visit Boise State. We go into the Ivy League this week to take a look at the matchup between Columbia and Princeton.
Let’s take a deeper look at the college basketball betting trends for these four games.
UCLA vs Arizona
The UCLA Bruins are having a difficult season, winning 8 of 18 games so far and being only 3-4 in conference action. UCLA is currently on a two-game winning streak. After beating Washington at home, the Bruins defeated Arizona State 68-66 on the road. The Serbian guard, Lazar Stefanovic, led the team with a season-high 18 points against Arizona State. Guard Sebastian Mack leads the Bruins with 13.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. UCLA is a poor shooting team, not being among the top 300 teams in the nation in field goal and three-point percentage. Defensively, they are much better, being ranked 11th in the nation and allowing only 21.5 field goals per game.
The Arizona Wildcats are ranked 12th in the nation and currently have a 13-4 record, including 4-2 in conference play. Arizona surprisingly lost 73-70 to Washington State on the road, but bounced back with an 82-67 win over USC. Senior guard Caleb Love leads the Wildcats with 18.4 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 43.9% from the field. He is coming off a 20-point performance against USC, which was his third consecutive 20+ point game. Arizona is the number one team in the nation in field goal attempts and field goal percentages per game. They are ranked second in the nation, scoring 90.6 points per game.
UCLA vs Arizona: College basketball betting trends
Arizona is 12-5-0 ATS so far in the season and 8-1-0 ATS at home. UCLA is 7-10-1 ATS for the season and 3-2-0 ATS on the road.
Prediction and Conclusion
Arizona is one of the top teams in the nation and among the top favorites to win the NCAA tournament this season. They saw their confidence shaking after a recent loss to Washington State and they will prove how good they are when they host the Bruins on Friday night. Arizona will have no mercy and will win this one by covering the spread.
Baylor vs Texas
The Baylor Bears are having a good season with a 14-3 record and 3-1 in conference play. The Bears saw their five-game winning streak snapped with a 68-64 OT loss to Kansas State. Sophomore guard Langston Love led the team with 15 points. Ja’Kobe Walter is the best player for Baylor this season, averaging 14.8 points per game while shooting 42.1% from the field. The Bears are third in the nation shooting 40.4% from three-point territory, and they are ranked 14th with 49.6% from the field.
The Texas Longhorns are 12-5 for the season and have won only one of four conference games. They are coming off back-to-back losses, which happened for the first time this season. After losing to West Virginia on the road, the Longhorns failed 77-71 against UCF. Senior guard, Ithiel Horton stepped up, scoring 20 points, but that wasn’t enough for the Longhorns to avoid the loss. Max Abmas is the best player for Texas, averaging 17.8 points and 4.3 assists on 40.9% shooting from deep. Texas is ranked 34th in the nation, shooting 48.2% from the field. On the defensive end, they allow 67.1% points per game, which ranks them 78th in the country.
Baylor vs Texas: College basketball betting trends
Baylor is 8-8-0 over the total point line for the season and 0-2-0 on the road. Texas is 9-8-0 on the season and 4-7-0 at home
Prediction and Conclusion
Texas is playing quite well this season with a 9-2 home record, but recent back-to-back losses have exposed all their vulnerabilities. The Bears are in a much better shape, even though they have lost their last game. Baylor is coming to Texas to get back on the winning path. Both teams are playing in a slower pace and that will be the case in this game as well which will keep the final score under the total point line.
San Diego State vs Boise State
The San Diego State Aztecs have another promising season with a 15-3 record. They have split the six road games and won four of 5 conference ones. San Diego State was on a seven-game winning streak before losing to New Mexico. They bounced back with a 71-59 win over Nevada earlier this week. Forward Jaedon LeDee, who leads the team with 21.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season, scored 22 points in the win against Nevada. The Aztecs shoot only 32.1% and score 76.6 points per game, ranking 130th in that category. Defensively, they stay much better, being ranked 14th in the country, allowing 40.1% shooting from the field, and they are even better when it comes to defending the three-point line, allowing only 29.1%.
The Boise State Broncos have a 12-5 record so far in the season. They have won 8 of 9 home games and are 3-1 in conference play. The Broncos are coming off a 68-64 loss to UNLV, which saw their four-game winning streak snapped. Forward Tyson Degenhart scored 24 points in the loss to UNLV. He leads the Broncos this season with 16 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Boise State scores 73.9 points per game, not being among the top 200 schools in the nation. On the defensive end, they allow only 30.4% from downtown, which ranks them 50th in the nation.
San Diego State vs Boise State: College basketball betting trends
San Diego State is 9-7-0 over the total point line for the season and 4-2-0 on the road. Boise State is 7-8-0 over for the season and 4-3-0 at home.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both San Diego State and Boise State have had a solid season so far, and they are trying to pick up their form as March Madness is approaching. Neither of these teams has a high shooting percentage from the field, but with the up-tempo they play, this game will go over the given total point line.
Princeton vs Columbia
The Princeton Tigers are having an excellent season with a 14-1 record. They have won both conference games and are currently on a five-game winning streak. Four of those wins were blowout wins, and they are coming off a 76-58 win over Dartmouth. Guard Matt Allocco scored a season-high 25 points for Princeton in their last win. Xaivian Lee leads the team with 18 points and 3.5 assists per game. Princeton is ranked 8th in the nation, making 10.9 three-pointers per game. They are fourth when it comes to free-throw percentage with 79.8. Princeton is also ranked sixth in the nation, committing only 9.1 turnovers per game.
The Columbia Lions have a 9-6 record and have lost both conference games so far in the season. They are excellent at 7-1 at home but are coming off back-to-back losses against Cornell and Yale. Sophomore guard Kenny Noland led the team with 17 points in an 89-70 loss against Yale. The guard from the Dominican Republic, Geronimo Rubio de La Rosa, leads the Lions with 13.3 points and 2.9 assists per game. Colombia is a solid three-point shooting team, being ranked 21st in the nation with 38.3%. They are also excellent from the free-throw line, shooting 77.4% and being ranked 13th in the nation. Their 18.3 assists per game puts them 12th in the country.
Princeton vs Columbia: College basketball betting trends
Princeton is 9-4-0 ATS for the season and 4-3-0 ATS on the road. Columbia is 5-6-1 ATS for the season and 3-2-0 ATS at home.
Prediction and Conclusion
Princeton is playing excellent basketball, and it seems like everything is in place with the talent they have. They make most of the shots any great team would make and know how to pass and protect the ball. Columbia is not on that level, and despite having a good home record, they will stand no chance in this game as Princeton will win by covering the spread.
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