Duke is already looking like the top team in the nation once again this year, following up a close win over Kansas (in which the Blue Devils’ defense pried away 28 turnovers) with two easy wins. The only real area of concern is Tre Jones’ three-ball, as he has gone just 1 for 9 from downtown to this point. Louisville already has a win over Miami — a true road win, instead of a neutral-site tournament game. Darius Perry looks like he could be the real deal at point guard. Michigan State lost to Kentucky in their opener but delivered a huge win at Seton Hall to show that they are an elite team. These three teams round out most collegiate power rankings at this time. We’ve put together a couple of college basketball betting picks for your consideration as you look at college hoops for the week ahead.
Top College Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – November 18th Edition
The AP and Coaches polls will update shortly. Here’s the already-updated @CBSSports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings — with some words on Duke at the top.
1. Duke 2. Michigan State 3. Louisville 4. Kansas 5. Maryland …https://t.co/cKIRjQ7EVn — Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) November 18, 2019
Thursday, November 21th
#22 Texas at Georgetown (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2)
The Texas Longhorns are off to a 4-0 start, with a four-point win at Purdue the most impressive result, along with three wins over some cupcakes. In that win, Texas trailed for most of the game, but their defensive effort finally paid off, as they forced turnovers on three consecutive possessions to build a 9-0 run that would give them the league. The Longhorns have now won nine in a row, showing why they won the NIT last year. That loss, for Purdue, ended an 18-game home-court winning streak, fifth-longest in the nation. The fact that the Longhorns were down five with 3:14 to go shows the Longhorns’ mental strength in the comeback. Matt Coleman III put up 22 points, and Gerald Liddell had career highs in points (14) and rebounds (8) to seal the win.
Next up for Texas is a trip to Georgetown, one of the venerable programs in basketball history (but with less success in recent years). The Hoyas are 3-1, but their three wins have come against lesser programs, while their loss came by 15 points against unranked Penn State. In that loss, Georgetown dug a hole, trailing 25-7 in the first half. Things did not improve much, as the Hoyas turned the ball over 21 points on the night and went just 4 for 13 from behind the arc. Omer Yurtseven did get his third straight double-double (16 points, 10 boards), and James Akinjo chipped in 13 points, but the Hoyas need better starts if they are going to hang with teams like Texas.
College Basketball Betting Prediction: Texas 74, Georgetown 67
Buffalo at Connecticut (9:00 pm ET, ESPNU)
Buffalo started the season with a loss to Dartmouth but since has beaten Nazareth and Harvard to move to 2-1. In that Sunday win over the Crimson, Antwain Johnson scored 19 points, nailing five three-pointers, and Ronaldo Segu had a career best 21 points. Jayvon Graves also added 18 points and six boards, while Jeenathan Williams also hit double figures with 10 points along with eight rebounds. Buffalo led by two at halftime but then used their speed advantage to pull away after the intermission.
They travel to face a UConn team that has been inconsistent so far, losing at home to St. Joseph’s but then beating then-#15 Florida at home. In that Sunday win over the Gators, Christian Vital put up 15 points and had a huge steal near the end of regulation as the Huskies held on for a 62-59 victory. Tyler Polley put up 15, and Josh Carlton added 13. Despite the fact that UConn did not have a basket for the first six minutes of the game, they were able to get the offense up and running, leading at halftime by five and never trailing after the intermission. UConn had not beaten a ranked team at home since February 2016.
College Basketball Betting Prediction: Connecticut 68, Buffalo 60
