Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week – January 8th

Things are getting serious in conference play in men’s college basketball as we enter the second full week of the new year. We saw some upsets on Sunday afternoon, as Ohio State took down #1 Michigan State by 16 points, thanks to 32 points from Keita Bates-Diop. We also saw Temple lose by 21 points at Central Florida in an AAC upset. Let’s take a look at some NCAAB betting picks for the action this week.

Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week – January 8th

Here is Sunday’s updated @CBSSports Top 25 (and one) college basketball rankings. 1. Michigan State 2. Villanova 3. West Virginia 4. Virginia 5. Texas Tech 6. Oklahoma 7. Duke 8. Arizona State 9. Wichita State 10. Purdue …https://t.co/JtBIJt0kgN

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) January 7, 2018

Tuesday, January 9

#18 Texas Tech at #7 Oklahoma (7:00pm ET, ESPNU)

The top team in the Big 12 standings is not Kansas. It’s not Baylor, and it isn’t Oklahoma. It’s Texas Tech, who has taken down Baylor, Kansas and Kansas State to start conference play — with that win over Kansas coming by 12 points on the road. In fact, the Red Raiders have not even had a deficit at any point in a conference game yet. Keenan Evans had 27 points in the Red Raiders’ win over Kansas State on Saturday. Hot shooting helped Texas Tech in that win, as they shot 70 percent in the first half and opened the game on a 20-4 run. They haven’t been 3-0 in conference play in 14 years. They travel to take on an Oklahoma team that is 2-1 in Big 12 play, with wins at TCU and Oklahoma State but a loss to West Virginia on Saturday. The Sooners were good at stopping West Virginia from downtown, as the Mountaineers just went 7 for 26 from behind the arc. However, the relentless “Press Virginia” fullcourt defense stymied Oklahoma. However, Trae Young, who leads the nation in assists and points, had 29 points despite going just 8 for 22 and fighting through double-teams much of the night. Oklahoma had won 10 in a row before that loss — and the Red Raiders play a more traditional style than the Mountaineers, so I see Oklahoma bouncing back. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Oklahoma 89, Texas Tech 85 #11 Texas A&M at #17 Kentucky (7:00pm ET, ESPN) SEC play has been most unkind to the Texas A&M Aggies so far, as they took a 22-point beating from unranked Alabama in their opener. They then lost by 17 at home to Florida and by one at home to LSU, this last setback coming on Saturday. In the loss to LSU, Texas A&M had gone an 8-3 run, with four points from Tyler Davis, to take a five-point lead. However, Tremont Waters buried two three-balls in the last minute to seal the win. The Aggies do have their leading scorer, D.J. Hogg, back from a suspension, but they are still missing starters Admon Gilder and Duane Wilson (knee injuries) and Robert Williams (undisclosed illness). They visit a Kentucky team that has played well as of late, obliterating Louisville, 90-61, before opening conference play with wins over Georgia and at LSU. However, on Saturday night, they went to Tennessee and saw the Volunteers put together a second-half rally to seal a 76-65 win. Kentucky coach John Calipari said, “They out-toughed us. They just threw us around. It was embarrassing.” Quade Green put up 14 points and P.J. Washington had 13 points, but the Volunteers poured in 47 points in the second half as the Kentucky defense disappeared. However, the Wildcats are playing at a higher level right now, and I see them bouncing back from that loss to Tennessee. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Kentucky 82, Texas A&M 72 Wednesday, January 10 #5 Xavier at #3 Villanova (8:00pm ET, FS1) Xavier saw a 10-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday, as the Musketeers lost by nine at Providence. Trevon Bluiett went 0 for 4 form the field after halftime in that loss and only had one free-throw attempt over that span as he disappeared from the Xavier attack. While they might slip in the national rankings, they have a chance to right the ship with a trip to Villanova on Wednesday night. Villanova dropped a 101-93 result at Butler to open conference play but beat Marquette, 100-90, on Saturday, showing that their first loss of the season wouldn’t derail them. Jalen Brunson put up 27 points and dealt out eight assists, and I see this offense-first team outrunning the Musketeers. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Villanova 99, Xavier 91