Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week – December 18th Edition

The Kansas Jayhawks provided a thrilling finish against the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, holding on for a win against another national contender in a matinee. North Carolina hit triple figures in a home win over Gonzaga later that day. The Tar Heels scored 1.23 points per possession and went 13 for 25 from downtown in the win — and Luke Maye put up 20 points and grabbed 16 boards. So the Tar Heels are on the rise after a sluggish start. Mississippi State took Cincinnati to the woodshed, needing only 70 points to deliver a double-digit win and restore their own reputation. Indiana put up 35 points, going 12 for 14, to beat Butler in the Crossroads Classic. What can we expect in the week leading up to Christmas? Check out our three red-hot NCAAB betting picks.

Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week – December 18th Edition

College basketball rankings: UNC back in SI’s top 10 – Sports Illustrated https://t.co/3ErykswlEa

— Basketball report (@Basketbalreport) December 17, 2018

Tuesday, December 18

Buffalo at Syracuse (8:00pm ET, ESPN2)

Don’t look now, but the Buffalo Bulls (from the MAC) are 10-0 and ranked #14 in the nation. They pulled off a big win against West Virginia in the early going and have another chance against a top program when they take on Syracuse on Tuesday night on national television. In their last game, Buffalo knocked off Southern Illinois, 73-65 on Saturday. The Bulls aren’t new to upending big-conference competition, as they beat #4 seed Arizona in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. Buffalo struggled against Southern Illinois’ zone defense, letting a 25-8 lead dwindle to 33-28 at the half. Syracuse plays a 2-3 zone for all 40 minutes, so you can look at the success Southern Illinois had with the zone as preparation for the Bulls, or for a warning sign for this game against the Orange. Syracuse has been inconsistent, beating then-#16 Ohio State by 10 but then losing to Old Dominion on Saturday, falling back out of the top 25. Tyus Battle led the Orange with 23 points, but he made only five of his 14 shots, and Oshae Brissett went just 3 for 11 as the Orange shot just 33 percent on the night. It’s hard to see that shooting performance repeating itself — and it’s not hard to see the Syracuse zone giving the Orange an upset win. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Syracuse 72, Buffalo 68

Creighton at Oklahoma (9:00pm ET, ESPNU)

Creighton ended a two-game skid (against ranked opponents Gonzaga and Nebraska) by knocking off Green Bay on Friday night, as the Bluejays rolled to an 86-65 win behind 19 points from Mitch Ballock, who nailed five shots from downtown and pulled down seven boards. It was a 14-2 run in the middle of the second half that gave Creighton the lead they needed, and the game was not closer than 12 points after that point. Oklahoma is 9-1 and has run off wins most recently over Notre Dame, Wichita State and USC, knocking off the Trojans by an 81-70 score on Saturday. Miles Reynolds scored 20 points, and Christian James put up 16 points while grabbing 15 rebounds, and the Sooners’ philosophical reversal from a year ago continues, as the Sooners look to win with their defense instead of trying to run teams out of the gym. They held USC to 34.8 percent shooting and swiped 18 turnovers. With the quality of their wins, it’s a little surprising that the Sooners aren’t ranked, but they should deliver a quality win on Tuesday. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Oklahoma 82, Creighton 70

Thursday, December 20

Texas Tech at Duke (7:00pm ET, ESPN2)

Texas Tech takes their #12 ranking to Durham to take on the #2 Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night, and we’ll see how the Red Raiders respond to this nonconference test of their elite status. Texas Tech is 10-0, but their toughest opponent has arguably been USC. Their last win came on Saturday, as they demolished Abilene Christian, 82-48. It is the first 10-0 start for Texas Tech since the 1929-30 season, so there is cause for excitement, but such performances as the Red Raiders got from Jarrett Culver (30 points) and Matt Mooney (14 points) will be much harder to come by at Duke. The Blue Devils come in having beaten three teams that were in the top eight when the played them: Kentucky, Auburn and Gonzaga. On Saturday, they rolled to a 91-58 rout of Yale, behind 30 points out of freshman R.J. Barrett, who also handed out six assists and pulled down seve boards. Duke turned a nine-point halftime lead into a laugher after the intermission, but the scariest part for opponents was the extension of Duke’s pressure so that Yale had to start their sets farther from the basket. Yale would turn the ball over 23 turnovers, leading to 24 Duke points. I see Duke administering a lesson against Texas Tech when they meet on Thursday. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Duke 77, Texas Tech 66