The top three men’s college basketball teams right now seem to be Duke, Kansas and Gonzaga, but once again, this is a year without a truly dominant team. Duke is starting to show more signs of strength, winning their first three ACC contests by a combined 86 points. Gonzaga is 16-1, but they have had real problems in their first few West Coast Conference games, getting scares from Portland and Pepperdine. Duke already has wins over Michigan State and Kansas this season. Auburn is an intriguing team, with a 13-0 record. However, despite some solid wins, including an impressive 12-point victory at Mississippi State, they haven’t played any of the other top contenders. Baylor has opened with an 11-1 record, beating Arizona and Butler. However, this week they face Texas Tech and Kansas, both on the road, so we’ll learn a lot about the Bears this week. Then there’s Butler, with eight wins over teams in the KenPom top 100. Now that conference play is heating up, are you ready for some college basketball betting previews? Don’t miss our top two picks.
Top College Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – January 6th Edition
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Tuesday, January 7th
Baylor at Texas Tech (9:00 pm ET, ESPN2)
The Baylor Bears will head to Lubbock on a ten-game winning streak after opening Big 12 play with a 59-44 win over Texas. MaCio Teague had a season best 21 points, but the story of this game was offensive rebounding, as neither team shot well, but Baylor kept grabbing offensive rebounds. Baylor missed 18 of their first 20 shots in the second half, but those extra chances helped the Bears extend possessions and keep Texas from scoring. Baylor’s top scorer, Jared Butler, went just 4 for 15. Freddie Gillespie played a huge role inside, pulling down a dozen boards. However, Baylor will need to shoot better if they want to beat Texas Tech.
Texas Tech has won five in a row since beating then-#1 Louisville, and they opened Big 12 play in most impressive fashion, routing Oklahoma State, 85-50, on Saturday. Freshman Jahmi’us Ramsey put up 18 points, nailing four three-pointers, and Texas Tech put up a 15-2 run to start the second half, putting the rout on. T.J. Holyfield scored 17 points for the Red Raiders, and Davide Moriette and Terrence Shannon had 13 points apiece. Chris Clarke pulled down 10 boards. Texas Tech has been waiting for Baylor, and this could be the best game of the week to watch.
College Basketball Betting Prediction: Texas Tech 74, Baylor 71
Thursday, January 9th
Memphis at Wichita State (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2)
The Memphis Tigers had not lost since the third game in the season, a setback against then-#14 Oregon, before unranked Georgia came to town on Saturday. At that point, Memphis was ranked ninth in the nation, got 20 points and 15 boards from Precious Achiuwa, and 11 points from Alex Lomax. Boogie Ellis put up 10 for Memphis, who was playing without forward D.J. Jeffries (illness). The 65-62 loss should serve as a wake-up call for Memphis as American Athletic Conference play continues this week. Memphis missed nine of 20 free throws on the game, including two of three in the last 44 seconds of the game.
Next for the Tigers comes a trip to Wichita State, who seems to rebounding from an off 2018-19. The Shockers have won seven in a row since their only loss of the season, a 12-point setback against West Virginia. In their last game, Wichita State rolled Ole Miss, 74-54, on Saturday. Erik Stevenson went 9 for 15 for the Shockers, scoring a career best 29 points, including 19 in the first half. Jamarius Burton put up 16 points, and Grant Sherfield chipped in 10. Can the Shockers beat Memphis at home on Thursday?
College Basketball Betting Prediction: Wichita State 70, Memphis 64
