Selection Sunday for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is less than four weeks away, which makes each game more important for teams battling for a spot in the Big Dance. This weekend has a number of meaningful matchups, including #9 Baylor’s visit to #5 Kansas on Saturday. These two teams have won the last two national championships, and both teams have amped up their play in recent weeks. Baylor won the first meeting back on January 23 by six points, and the winner on Saturday would have a leg up on the other (as well as Texas) in the regular-season Big 12 championship race. #10 Tennessee visits Kentucky, a game that the Wildcats really need to win in order to burnish their tournament resume. Tennessee lost on buzzer-beaters in two straight games (falling to Vanderbilt and Missouri) before taking down #1 Alabama on Wednesday. Looking to Friday night’s action, we have a matchup apiece from the Ivy League and the Mountain West Conference for your NCAA Basketball betting consideration.
NCAA News: Top College Basketball Bets for February 17
Yale Bulldogs (-3.5) at Penn Quakers (O/U 143.5) (7:00 pm ET)
Yale (17-6) comes in on a six-game winning streak after routing Columbia, 99-68. Their defense is 13th best in the country, permitting just 61.3 points per game, and they are 12th in opponent shooting percentage (39.3%). Their offense scores 76.0 points per game, led by Matt Knowling (14.9 points per game), shooting 62.7% overall from the field. John Poulakidas scores 10.7 points per game, and E.J. Jarvis leads the team in boards (5.2) and blocks (1.5).
Penn (14-11) also has a nice winning streak going, with five straight victories, after knocking off Harvard, 80-72. However, their defense is still a bit generous, permitting opponents to score 71.8 points per game. Jordan Dingle leads the team with 24.0 points per game, and Lucas Monroe leads the team in boards (5.9). If Penn is going to take down Yale at home, their defense will need to stiffen, and they will need to have a big night on the boards. Yale to win and cover.
New Mexico Lobos (+1.5) at San Jose State Spartans (O/U 144.5) (10:30 pm ET)
New Mexico (19-7) rolled the Spartans by 20 when the two teams met in the desert, but the Lobos entered February with a 19-3 record…and have not won since. On the road, their record is just 4-4, but their latest loss was the most head-scratching, as they lost by 14 at home to Wyoming – the last-place team in the MWC. The Lobos only shot 36.8% from the floor and lost the rebounding battle by seven; for the season, New Mexico is shooting 48.6% overall, 14th in the nation, so hopefully this was just an off night. Morris Udeze was the lone bright spot, putting up a dozen points and 17 rebounds. The Lobos’ defense is a problem, as they allow 72.3 points per game, the most in the conference. Some of this is due to the fast pace at which they like to play, as they get seven steals a game (third in the MWC) and four blocks per game (second).
San Jose State (16-10) has won three of their last four overall and four in a row on their home court. On the season, they are 10-2 in their own gym – and they just edged past New Mexico in the conference standings. They won at UNLV on Tuesday and shot an impressive 40.0% from behind the arc and won the rebounding battle by 12. San Jose State is one of the slowest teams in terms of tempo, and so they only score 68.4 points per game. However, they lead the conference in offensive rebounds, pulling down 11.3 per game. They are fourth in defense, permitting 66.2 points per game, and they have the top rebounding margin in the conference (+8.1). San Jose State to win and cover.
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