Top NCAAB Betting Picks & Predictions of the Week – December 26th

College basketball is moving into the conference schedules of the regular season, as the teams continue to try and stack up wins that will qualify them for March Madness while also giving them the seeding they need to do well in their conference tournaments. Let’s take a look at some of your best NCAAB betting picks as we head into New Year’s weekend.

Top NCAAB Betting Picks & Predictions of the Week – December 26th

College Basketball Power Rankings: So what do we do with Kentucky? https://t.co/KazsoS72Wh

— Columnist Sports (@ColumnistSports) December 26, 2017

Wednesday, December 27

Xavier at Marquette (8:30pm ET, FS1)

The Musketeers of Xavier are currently ranked sixth in the nation and head to Marquette riding a seven-game winning streak that features a tough win over Northern Iowa, as well as a rousing win over then-#11 Cincinnati. J.P. Macura continues to be a strong leader for Xavier this year, as it was his 15 points and tough defense that helped Xavier hold off a strong Northern Iowa rally late in that contest. Kerem Kanter has also been tough for Savier; it was his 16 points and 13 boars against Marshall that keyed that win. They visit a Marquette team that has won four in a row, including a 19-point win at Wisconsin and, most recently, a 41-point annihilation of American (a cupcake win, to be sure) on Tuesday. Marquette may have visions of taking down the sixth-ranked team at home, but they don’t have the quickness on the outside to keep Xavier’s backcourt from penetrating and distributing at will. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Xavier 81, Marquette 76

UCF at SMU (9:00pm ET, ESPN2)

SMU brings their 31-game home winning streak to their American Athletic Conference opener on Wednesday night, as Central Florida comes to town. That winning streak includes some impressive results — Cincinnati a year ago and both USC and Boise State in convincing fashion this season. The Mustangs have taken a couple of bad losses, including Western Kentucky and Northern Iowa in a tournament in which they also beat then-#2 Arizona, and then they lost a winnable game at TCU. But Ben Emelogu II (6-6, 5-5 3FG, 19 points) was impressive against Cal Poly last Tuesday, and Jimmy Whitt, Jahmal McMurray and Ethan Chargois each had 16 points in that terrific win over Boise State. This is a team that plays with balance on offense and packs it in on defense. They have a tall task in the Knights, though, who come in riding a five-game winning streak. They took down then-#24 Alabama on the rode, 65-62, and have beaten Southern, Southeastern Louisiana, Stetson and South Carolina State since then. Tacko Fall is the Knights’ big player inside, putting up 18 points and 11 boards in both of the team’s wins over South Carolina State and Stetson. Even so, I like the Mustangs to continue their winning ways at Moody Coliseum. NCAAB Betting Prediction: SMU 72, UCF 65

Friday, December 29

Louisville at Kentucky (1:00pm ET, CBS) The biggest headlines surrounding Louisville basketball these days still have to do with the FBI’s investigation into corruption at the school. The departure of Rick Pitino, though, hasn’t gotten the Cardinals too far off pace. They did drop games at Purdue and Seton Hall back to back, but they have won six in a row since then, including home wins over Indiana and Memphis. However, wins over those teams (and such schools as Grand Canyon, the latest victim on Saturday) may not be the preparation they need to travel to Kentucky. The Wildcats are coming off an eight-pint loss at home to unranked UCLA on Saturday. But how good are the Wildcats? They have no wins over teams in the top 25. They did beat Virginia Tech, Vermont and East Tennessee State, but they’ve lost to Kansas (and UCLA). Their top six scorers are freshmen, as the John Calipari one-and-done philosophy enters its latest year. But there are no automatic scorers, and no real shot creators. Even so, the talent that Kentucky has trumps what Louisville brings, so I see Kentucky eking this win out. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Kentucky 81, Louisville 78