Top College Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – December 2nd Edition

This is a unique season in men’s college basketball because, at least at this point, there are no transcendent freshmen taking over the game as there have been for the past several seasons. It is the experienced players who have stuck around their schools who are making the most noise right now. Zaiver Simpson and Jon Teske are examples of this, seniors who play solid offense and defense within the system that Juwan Howard has put together at Michigan. The Wolverines beat North Carolina, Gonzaga and Iowa State at the Battle 4 Atlantis. One win in that series might be a fluke, but beating all three shows that Michigan has a terrific system run by the right kind of talent. They will face Louisville on Tuesday night, so you’ll want to check out our college basketball betting preview of that matchup, as well as our other primo picks for the first week in December.

Top College Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – December 2nd Edition

Tuesday, December 3rd

Michigan at Louisville (7:30 pm ET, ESPN)

The Michigan Wolverines didn’t just beat Gonzaga, they ran them out of the gym, rolling to an 82-64 win that delivered them the Battle 4 Atlantis championship. As the second half wore on, Michigan’s shooters heated up, helping them pull away. At one point, the Wolverines led, 38-36, but then they scored on 10 consecutive possessions, with plenty of ball movement to get shooters open looks and to give Franz Wagner room to drive to the basket. The job that Juwan Howard has done taking over for John Beilein has been impressive. When Beilein left, the team’s top three scorers left as well, but Howard’s system is working so far. Now the Wolverines may get their toughest test yet as they head to Louisville to take on the second-ranked Cardinals. Louisville, like Michigan, comes in at 7-0, but the Cardinals have not yet faced the quality of competition that the Wolverines have. In their last game on Friday, Louisville rolled over Western Kentucky, 71-54. They could slide into the #1 slot when the newest AP rankings come out, as last week’s #1 team, Duke, lost to Stephen F. Austin in overtime on Tuesday. Against WKU, Jordan Nwora led the way with 25 points, and Dwayne Sutton chipped in 15. The Cardinal defense held WKU to its lowest shooting percentage (37%) and its lowest total points so far this year. This is a tough Louisville team — can they beat a Michigan team that has already knocked off three highly ranked teams? College Basketball Betting Prediction: Louisville 76, Michigan 72

Duke at Michigan State (9:30 pm ET, ESPN)

The Duke Blue Devils rebounded from their overtime loss to SFA last Tuesday by beating Winthrop on Friday, but freshman Cassius Stanley will miss an indefinite amount of time after suffering an injury to his left leg in the win. The Blue Devils thought they might be able to work out some frustrations in a rout, but Winthrop did not lie down for them. Matthew Hurt scored a season-best 20 points, and Joey Baker put up 16 points, making four three-pointers. Two of those came 30 seconds apart in the last three minutes of regulation, keeping Winthrop at bay when the Eagles were trying to fight their way back into the game. Freshman Vernon Carey scored 17 points and pulled down ten boards, while Tre Jones scored 15. It seems that this young Blue Devils team is still sorting itself out in the early phases of the season. Michigan State took an upset in their first game at the Maui Invitational but then ended up winning out to take fifth place overall. The finale came on Wednesday, as the 5-2 Spartans beat UCLA, 75-62. Cassius Winston put up 20 points, and Xavier Tillman added 14. Michigan State had an 18-2 edge in fast break points to help seal the win. UCLA only went 2 fo4 14 from downtown, making things easier for the Spartans. Joshua Langford remains out until January at least, but they do have the system and talent in place to handle a struggling Duke team. College Basketball Betting Prediction: Michigan State 72, Duke 69