Houston and Texas are still the top two teams in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. The preseason #1, North Carolina, has fallen all the way out of the rankings. Only six teams have gone from #1 to unranked since 1961-62, and only one team has fallen that far faster, when UCLA did it in 1965-66. When the Bruins fell out of the polls, though, only 10 teams appeared in the rankings. The Tar Heels were #18 last week but lost their fourth in a row, falling at Virginia Tech without injured center Armando Bacot. Last year, the Tar Heels had a slow start that went into conference play, barely making the NCAA tournament. Once they were in, though, they rolled all the way to the final and led Kansas at the half before wilting. Let’s take a look at a couple of NCAA Basketball betting picks for Thursday’s action.
NCAA News: Top Basketball Picks for December 8
Iowa State Cyclones (+3.5) at Iowa Hawkeyes (O/U 138.5)
(8:00 pm ET)
Iowa State (7-1) plays their in-state rivals on Thursday after beating St. John’s, 71-60, on Sunday. They started the season by routing IUPUI, North Carolina A&T and Milwaukee. They also took down Villanova and North Carolina at the Phil Knight Invitational. Their only setback of the season came in the finals of that tournament, where they lost by 18 to Connecticut. Senior guard Jaren Holmes is the team’s top scorer with 14.8 points per game. Senior Caleb Grill puts up 10.5 points per game and averages 4.1 boards per game, and center Osun Osunniyi, a transfer from St. Bonaventure, is averaging 10.0 points per game. A question for the Cyclones is their shooting, as they make just 31.8% of their three-point attempts. The offensive glass is an area of strength for Iowa State, though.
Iowa (6-2) last played on Tuesday, when they lost, 74-62, on Tuesday to #15 Duke in the Jimmy V Classic in New York City. The Hawkeyes ran out to a 5-0 start, including wins over Seton Hall and Clemson. Their losses have come against TCU and Duke. Iowa is sixth in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, and they have the nation’s lowest turnover rate. They also rebound well on the offensive glass, but they only make 33.0% of their three-pointers. Iowa State’s defense leads the country in turnover rate, so we will see which side makes the other break. Junior forward Kris Murray leads the team in scoring and rebounding (19.4 ppg, 10.4 rpg). Patrick McCaffery scores 12.8 points per game, joined by Tony Perkins (11.7) and Filip Rebraca (10.3) in double figures. Iowa has beaten Iowa State in four of their last six meetings straight up and has covered the spread in six of their last seven meetings. This line has dropped three points since it opened from Iowa -6.5, which only helps add value for me. Iowa to win and cover.
Michigan Wolverines (-4.5) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (O/U 135.5)
(9:00 pm ET)
Michigan (5-3) opens conference play on Thursday at Minnesota (4-4, 0-1 Big Ten). The Golden Gophers have won three of the last four meetings between the two teams, but they are still looking for their first quality win of the season, as their victories have come over St. Francis, Western Michigan, Central Michigan and California Baptist. They have lost to DePaul, Virginia Tech, UNLV and Purdue (in their Big Ten opener). Their closest loss was a 9-point setback at UNLV. They lost, 79-60, at Purdue on Sunday, actually pushing as they were 19-point underdogs. Minnesota struggled on the boards, losing that battle, 41-21. Purdue’s star center Zach Edey had more boards than the whole Minnesota team (22). Jamison Battle led the Golden Gophers with 21 points, knocking down five three-pointers, and TaLon Cooper chipped in 15 points, eight assists and five boards.
Michigan comes in on a two-game skid after losing to Virginia, 70-68, on November 29, and then heading to London, where they would fall to Kentucky, 73-69. Those two teams are ranked #3 and #16, respectively, so there is no shame in those losses, but the Wolverines have visions of national contender status, so these are games they need to start winning, and they also need to start strong in conference play. Shooting was a problem against Kentucky, as the Wolverines only made 39% of their shots overall, and they lost the battle of the boards, 46-33. They did swipe 14 turnovers, but the shooting just didn’t kick in. Center Hunter Dickson led the way with 23 points and nine rebounds, and he leads the team in scoring (19.6) and rebounding (9.1). Michigan to win and cover.
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