Many sports betting minds thought that Florida Atlantic would fade into the background after their run to the Final Four last year. After all, other mid-majors have risen high in March Madness in seasons past, only to fade back into obscurity. Such programs as George Mason, Florida Gulf Coast, and Loyola-Chicago have come and gone, but FAU is now ranked seventh in the AP college basketball poll, the highest ranking in program history, after beating #4 Arizona in double overtime. Purdue was the top-ranked team in this week’s poll, followed by Kansas and Houston. Connecticut rounds out the top five, after Arizona. Heading into the weekend, let’s look at some Top College Basketball Games that should attract your wagering interest – and some bets you should avoid.
Top College Basketball Games to Bet and Avoid in the Week 8 of the 2023/24 Season
Arizona State Sun Devils at Stanford Cardinal
When: Friday, December 29 at 11:00 pm ET
Where: Maples Pavilion, Stanford, CA
TV / Streaming: ESPN2
Arizona State (6-5) heads to Stanford (5-5) on a three-game road losing streak while Stanford is 5-1 at home. The Cardinal are seventh in the Pac-12, scoring 78.4 points per game and shooting 47.6% overall from the floor. Arizona State is sixth in the Pac-12, permitting 69.5 points per game and 41.2% shooting by its opponents. Stanford is led by Maxime Raynaud, who scores 14.6 points per game and shoots 55.3% form the floor. Mike Jones is scoring 13.0 points per night. For Arizona State, Frankie Collins is the leading scorer, with 12.5 points per game. He also pulls down 5.6 rebounds, dishes out 3.5 assists and swipes 3.0 steals per game. The other double-figure scorer is Jose Perez (13.1 points per game). Both teams come in with relative inconsistency, though, so I wouldn’t spend a lot of time (or money) on wagering here. Avoid.
Top College Basketball Games Pitt Panthers at Syracuse Orange
When: Saturday, December 30 at 11:00 pm ET
Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
TV / Streaming: CW Network
Syracuse (9-3) looks different under new head coach Adrian Autry, who has weaned the Orange off legendary head coach Jim Boeheim’s famed 2-3 zone defense, going more with man-to-man. The Orange did fairly well in non-conference play, avoiding unsightly losses but also failing to get a Q1 win. They open ACC play on Saturday against Pitt, the 39th-ranked team in the NET, making this a Q2 game. Pitt (9-3) has mostly won against Q3 and Q4 opponents, but this Q2 game is an important opportunity for both teams as they look to start building resumes for the NCAA tournament. Pitt started 4-0 but got blown out by Florida in the NIT Season Tip-Off. They lost to Missouri and Clemson at home but then beat West Virginia for the first time in more than 10 years. They followed that up with four straight wins over bottom-feeders. The Panthers will rely on freshman Carlton Carrington, who got a triple-double in his college debut against North Carolina A&T. He leads Pitt with 5.3 assists per game and also scores 13.8 points per night. Even so, this game between two teams that haven’t proven much against solid competition is also hard to pick. Avoid.
Top College Basketball Games #22 Creighton Bluejays at #10 Marquette Golden Eagles
When: Saturday, December 30 at 2:00 pm ET
Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
TV / Streaming: CBS
Marquette (10-3, 1-1 Big East) has a five-game winning streak going into their Saturday showdown against Creighton (9-3, 0-1 Big East). Against the spread, Marquette is perfectly even (6-6-1), while Creighton has gone 7-5-0. Marquette’s top scorer is Kam Jones (14.8 points per game). He is shooting 44.9% from the floor and 39.2% form behind the arc. Oso Ighodaro is the top rebounder (6.0 per game) while also scoring 13.5 points and dishing out 2.2 assists per contest. Creighton’s all-around leader is Baylor Scheierman (18.3 points, 7.5 boards, 4.4 assists per game). He shoots 43.8% overall and 34.0% from downtown, making 2.8 three-balls per game. Trey Alexander chips in 15.7 points, 6.9 boards and 4.3 assists per game, and Ryan Kalkbrenner contributes 15.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest. Marquette should control the rhythm at home. Marquette to win.
Wyoming Cowboys at #14 BYU Cougars
When: Saturday, December 30 at 6:00 pm ET
Where: Marriott Center, Provo, UT
TV / Streaming: Big 12 Network / ESPN+
Wyoming (7-5) looks to end a three-game road skid when they head to BYU to take on the Cougars (11-1). The Cougars are also 10-2-0 against the spread, while the Cowboys are just 5-6-0. Spencer Johnson is the top scorer for the Cougars, with 11.5 points per game. He also leads the team in assists (4.7) and grabs 6.1 boards per game. Noah Waterman is the top rebounder with 6.5 per night. He scores 11.3 points per game and shoots 41.7% from behind the arc. Richie Saunders (11.1) is the other double-digit scorer. Wyoming is led by Akuel Kot with 16.3 points per game. He shoots 41.9% overall from the floor and 37.7% from downtown. Cam Manyamu is the top rebounder with 6.7 boards per game to go along with 9.0 points. Cougars to win and cover.
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2023 Top College Basketball Games and Betting Picks in the Week 7
One issue that may arise as college football drives conference realignment is the disparity between college basketball and football outcomes. Mid-major teams may not be able to knock off the likes of Georgia and Alabama, but in basketball, Florida Atlantic went all the way to the Final Four last year and are projected to be a top-four seed in this year’s bracket. Also, the Mountain West was ranked ahead of the ACC in conference strength by KenPom – and San Diego State went all the way to the national championship game. Colorado State has emerged in that conference this year, already beating Creighton and Colorado. As we near the weekend, here are some NCAAB betting matchups to jump on – and some to avoid.
Make Your Bet: | #9 Kentucky Wildcats (-13.5) at Louisville Cardinals
When: Thursday, December 21 at 6:00 pm ET
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
TV / Streaming: ESPN
Kentucky (8-2) rolled to an 87-83 win on Saturday over then-#9 North Carolina after entering as 1-point underdogs. They have won six of their last seven straight up, including wins over two top-ten opponents. Over those last seven games, they are scoring 93 points per game, giving them a season average of 90.2 points per game, second in the nation. They shoot 49.5% from the floor overall and 40.8% from behind the arc, averaging 10.4 made three-balls per game. They only turn the ball over 9.4 times per game, the best number in the SEC and tenth in the nation, and they have the third-highest assist-to-turnover ratio (2.03) in the nation. The top scorer has been Antonio Reeves (17.1 ppg), who shoots 49.2% overall and leads the team with 26 made three-pointers.
Louisville is a storied basketball program in the middle of an extended rebuild. They ended a three-game skid with an 85-63 win over Pepperdine in their last game. They shot 48.5% from the floor and made nine three-pointers. The Cardinals average 74.5 points per game, which is just 11th in the ACC, shooting 41.8% overall and 29.4% from distance. They do turn the ball over a lot (12.6 per game). Their defense has been decent, and they average 38.6 boards per game. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has two straight double-doubles, with 40 points and 23 rebounds combined in those two games, with a pair of blocks. But can they hang with Kentucky, even at home? Kentucky to win and cover.
Avoid this Bet | Texas State Bobcats (+26.5) at #3 Houston Cougars
When: Thursday, December 21 at 8:00 pm ET
Where: Fertitta Center, Houston, TX
TV / Streaming: Big 12 Network
This is a huge point spread in a game featuring one of the top teams in the nation with a definite also-ran. However, we’re in the middle of the holiday break from school, and the Cougars’ attention span might wander in the waning parts of the game. Then again, the Cougars might keep the hammer down from start to finish and win by 40. The Cougars are 4-5-1 against the spread this season which tells us that, once again, Houston is overvalued. They played a cupcake non-conference schedule for the most part, so we won’t know what they are until they hit the tough parts of their AAC schedule. For this game, the pick against the spread is really hard to decide, so I would not put down any wagers on this prop. The moneyline wouldn’t offer you enough value to make a Houston bet worth it.
However, what about the point total? It sits at 126 points for this game, which is very low for a college game. Even so, Houston scores just 75.8 points per game, which ranks 170th in the nation. Their defense allows just 51.2 points per game. Even with guard Jordan Mason back, Texas State only averages in the mid-70s on offense.
