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Things are heating up in conference play on the NCAA basketball circuit. We have plenty of games on the schedule for Saturday, including some of the best matchups that NCAA basketball can offer. Therefore, we put up our game breakdowns and college basketball betting trends for four of the most interesting games for the weekend.
Duke and North Carolina will collide tonight in an NCAA basketball classic that definitely deserves the attention of every fan of the game. The No. 1 ranked team in the country, Connecticut, will visit St. John’s in New York City. Baylor will try to get back on a winning streak when they host Iowa State, and Kentucky will have a real challenge when Tennessee is in town.
Let’s take a deeper look at the college basketball betting trends for these four games.
Duke vs North Carolina
The Duke Blue Devils are second in the ACC with a 16-4 record for the season and 7-2 in conference play. Duke, who is ranked seventh in the nation, has won the last three games and is coming off a 77-67 win over Virginia Tech. Senior guard Jeremy Roach led the Blue Devils in scoring for the first time this season, dropping 16 on the Hokies. Center Kyle Filipowski is the top player for Duke this season, averaging 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The Blue Devils are 38th in the country, scoring 81 points per game, and are ranked 75th, allowing 67.2 points per game.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are on top of the ACC with a 17-4 season record and 9-1 in the ACC. They are coming off a 74-73 loss to Georgia Tech, which ended their 10-game winning streak. RJ Davis had another impressive individual performance, scoring 28 points against the Yellow Jackets. He leads the Tar Heels with 21.5 points per game this season. North Carolina is 22nd in the country, scoring 82.6 points per game, and is ranked one spot higher, allowing 39.8% shooting from the field.
Duke vs North Carolina: College basketball betting trends
North Carolina is 17-4 SU for the season, 9-0 SU at home and 2-1 SU after a loss. Duke is 16-4 SU for the season, 4-2 SU on the road and 12-3 SU after a win.
Prediction and Conclusion
It can’t get much better than this when it comes to the NCAA regular season, as the top two teams in the ACC will collide in a much-anticipated game on Saturday night. Both teams have lost four games so far in the season, and the Tar Heels saw their ten-game winning streak end at the buzzer in the last game. That has hurt their confidence going into the game against Duke, but they are still a 4.5-point favorite. UNC has not lost at home this season, and that will be the case after the Blue Devils visit Chapel Hill.
Connecticut vs St. John’s
The UConn Huskies are the top-ranked team in the nation. They are on top of the Big East conference with a 19-2 record, including 9-1 in conference play. The Huskies have won the last nine games and are coming off a 74-65 win over Providence. Freshman guard Stephon Castle scored a career-high 20 points against the Friars. Triesten Newton is the best player at UConn this season, leading the team with 15.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. The Huskies are 12th in the league, shooting 49.4% from the field, and 31st, scoring 81.6 points per game.
The St. John’s Red Storm are sixth in the Big East with a 13-8 record, including 5-5 in conference play. They have lost four of the last five games and are coming off an 88-77 loss to Xavier. Senior guard Daniss Jenkins scored a season-high 25 points against the Musketeers. Center Joel Soriano is the best player on the Red Storm, leading the team with 16.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. The Red Storm are making only 64 three-pointers per game and are shooting 44% from the field, not being among the top 200 schools in both categories.
Connecticut vs St. John’s: College basketball betting trends
UConn is 12-9-0 ATS for the season, 2-3-0 ATS on the road and 10-8-0 ATS after a win. St. John’s is 11-10-0 ATS for the season, 6-4-0 ATS at home and 3-4-0 ATS after a loss.
Prediction and Conclusion
It will be a busy day at the Madison Square Garden on Saturday as UConn and St. John’s will play right before the Knicks host the Lakers in an NBA Classic. The Huskies are the top-ranked team in the nation, and that makes them the team to beat this season. St. John’s has a solid roster, and they will lack motivation against such an opponent. However, the Red Storm are a poor shooting team, which will be even more evident in such a big scene against the best team in the nation. UConn will have full control of the game and win by covering the -3.5-point spread.
Iowa State vs Baylor
The Baylor Bears finally ended their losing streak at three games after a 77-69 win over UCF in the last game. Sophomore guard Langston Love had his best game of the season with 24 points and 7 rebounds. The Bears are now sixth in the Big 12 conference with a 15-5 record and 4-3 within the conference. Ja’Kobe Walter leads the team with 14.9 points per game. The Bears are 14th in the nation, shooting 49.3% from the field and fifth, shooting 40.2% from the three-point territory.
The Iowa State Cyclones are second in the Bug 12 with a 16-4 record for the season and 5-2 in conference play. They are on a three-game winning streak and are coming off a 79-75 win over Kansas. Senior forward Tre King scored 21 points and 7 rebounds in the win over the Jayhawks. Guard Tamin Lipsey is the best player on the team, averaging 13.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game. The Cyclones are 26th in the nation in shooting 48.3% from the field and 47th in scoring 80.5 points per game.
Iowa State vs Baylor: College basketball betting trends
Baylor is 12-6-1 ATS for the season, 7-3-0 ATS on the road and 8-4-1 ATS after a win. Iowa State is 13-7-0 ATS for the season, 2-2-0 ATS at home and 9-6-0 ATS after a loss.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Baylor Bears are going through a difficult period of the season, as they had the longest losing streak of the season, failing in three consecutive games, two of which were in overtime. They got back on winning track in the last one against UCF, but they will have to keep that form rolling. The Bears are 3.5-point favorites when they host Iowa State on Saturday, and they really need this win if they want to climb the standings in the Big 12 conference. The Cyclones are a serious contender, but the Bears should be able to win by covering the spread.
Tennessee vs Kentucky
The Tennessee Volunteers are fourth in the SEC with a 15-5 record, including 5-2 in conference play. They are coming off a 63-59 loss to South Carolina, which ended their four-game winning streak. Dalton Knecht scored 31 points, which was his fourth 30+ point game in the last five for Tennessee. He leads the Volunteers, averaging 20.1 points per game for the season. Tennessee is ranked third in the nation, allowing 37.5% shooting from the field, and 44th, allowing 65.9 points per game.
The Kentucky Wildcats are sixth in the SEC with a 15-5 record and 5-3 in conference play. Kentucky has lost two of the last three games and is coming off a 94-91 overtime loss against Florida. Freshman guard Reed Sheppard led the Wildcats in that one, scoring 24 points. Antonio Reeves leads the Wildcats with 19.5 points per game. Kentucky is second in the nation with 32.2 field goals made per game and is ranked sixth, shooting 40.1% from three-point territory.
Arizona vs Oregon: College basketball betting trends
Kentucky is 15-5-0 SU for the season, 11-2-0 SU at home and 4-0-0 SU after a loss. Tennessee is 15-5-0 SU for the season, 3-2-0 SU on the road and 2-2-0 SU after a loss.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Kentucky Wildcats have lost two of the last three and will have to play much better when Tennessee is in town. The Volunteers are having a solid season and are a 1.5-point favorite in this game. However, the Wildcats have not lost back-to-back games this season and will step up when needed. It will be a low-scoring game with both teams playing rock-solid defense, but the Wildcats will be the ones to get the win tonight.
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