Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week – January 7th Edition

Michigan is the hottest team in college basketball right now, with a 15-0 record an winners of 29 of their last 30 games. They took down Indiana in their last game, rolling by 11 points. Along with Virginia and Houston, Michigan is one of just three programs with unbeaten records so far in 2018-19. Houston took down Memphis on Sunday night, rolling to a 90-77 win to keep pace. Some other impressive teams right now include Michigan State, who has won eight in a row and took down Ohio State on the road without Joshua Langford. Iowa State just delivered a 17-point spanking of Kansas at home and is still working last year’s top scorer, Lindell Wigginton, back into full playing shape. SMU has won 8 of 9 since getting Jarrey Foster back from injury. On the other side of the ledger, previously unbeaten Nevada took a beating from New Mexico, as a zone defense befuddled the Wolfpack. Take a look at our NCAAB betting picks from college hoops for the coming week.

Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week – January 7th Edition

Here’s how the @CBSSports Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings from @GaryParrishCBS look after a busy Saturday. 1. Tennessee 2. Duke 3. Virginia 4. Michigan 5. Gonzaga 6. Kansas 7. Michigan State 8. Texas Tech 9. Virginia Tech 10. NC State …https://t.co/WVFvjvWojt

— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) January 6, 2019

Tuesday, January 8

Duke at Wake Forest (7:00pm ET, ESPN)

Duke took a long break after knocking off then-#12 Texas Tech before opening conference play, but they showed absolutely no rust in an 87-68 rout of Clemson. Freshman Zion Williamson had 25 points and 10 boards and made all of the highlight shows with a 360-degree dunk in the open court. R.J. Barrett, who leads the ACC in scoring, had 13 points, and Tre Jones, Jack White and Marquise Bolden also hit double figures. Duke led by seven at the break before going on a 14-0 run to open the second half and roll to an easy win. Next up for the Blue Devils is a trip to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have dropped three of four, including a 92-79 setback at Georgia Tech to open their ACC slate. That was the most points Georgia Tech had scored in an ACC game in 14 years. Randolph Childress led Wake Forest with 28 points, going 7 for 10 from behind the arc, but the Demon Deacons are not picked to contend in the ACC, so Duke should feast on Tuesday. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Duke 94, Wake Forest 80

Oklahoma at Texas Tech (9:00pm ET, ESPNEWS)

Oklahoma opened Big 12 play at Kansas and lost by seven but then bounced back with a ten-point win over Oklahoma State. The Sooners used stout defense to slow down their in-state rivals on Saturday behind Kristian Doolittle’s 16 points and eight boards. Oklahoma State only shot 34 percent for the game and went just 6 for 26 from behind the arc. Brady Manek scored 15 points and Christian James chipped in 14 points and 11 boards. So even on a day when Oklahoma shot just 36 percent, they got enough on defense to get the win. The Sooners will get all they want from Texas Tech. The Red Raiders went to West Virginia to start Big 12 play and delivered a three-point win in one of the nation’s toughest playing environments. They followed that up with a six-point home win over Kansas State and sit at 2-0 in conference play. In that win, Texas Tech’s Davide Moretti had a career best 19 points, and Matt Mooney chipped in 14. Kansas State chipped a 15-point halftime deficit all the way down to a single point before Moretti scored 10 consecutive unanswered points. It was the defense that got Tech this win — and it will be interesting to see whose defense stands taller on Tuesday. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Texas Tech 76, Oklahoma 72

Wednesday, January 9

Houston at Temple (7:00pm ET, ESPNEWS)

Houston sits at 15-0 (2-0 AAC) after a 90-77 home win over Memphis on Sunday, and they play their first road conference game on Wednesday in Philadelphia against the Temple Owls. Armoni Brooks scored 22 points, 16 points in the second half, going 4 for 6 from downtown. Nate Hinton scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds, and Corey Davis Jr (11 points), Galen Robinson Jr (11) and DeJon Jarreau (10) also hit double figures. As a team, the Cougars shot 45 percent — 50 percent after halftime. Houston’s physical game inside and their offense from Brooks makes them a tough inside-out team to beat. Their relatively lowly ranking (#19) despite their unbeaten record largely has to do with their strength of schedule to this point. Temple started AAC play with a five-point loss at UCF but then went to Wichita State and won by four in overtime on Sunday. While Wichita State looks down this year, that is a tough environment to win games. In the Owls’ win, Shizz Alston Jr put up 22 points and Nate Pierre-Louis scored 21 as Temple came back from a 13-point halftime deficit to force the extra session, outscoring Wichita State 11-0 in the last 3:35 of the second half. Can Temple shut down Houston’s offense similarly? Houston hasn’t really gotten much of a test yet this year, and I like Temple’s chances to deliver the upset. NCAAB Betting Prediction: Temple 77, Houston 72