Top College Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – February 19th

We’re in the waning weeks of the NCAA college basketball regular season, as conference play is getting into its last few matchups before the conference tournaments get underway. There are a number of races that are coming down to the wire, and there are many teams that need to spruce their March Madness resumes with some big wins in the last few games of the season. We’ve picked some primo college basketball betting matchups for you to consider as you put your wagering strategy together for this week.

Top College Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – February 19th

College Basketball Power Rankings: Villanova remains in the top spot https://t.co/DTUkQV7BxK

— CollegeBasketbllTalk (@CBTonNBC) February 19, 2018

Monday, February 19

Oklahoma at Kansas (9:00pm ET, ESPN)

The Oklahoma Sooners opened Big 12 play as a contender — but they have fallen off the table now, losing eight of ten and five in a row. These last five losses have included two setbacks to unranked Texas (home and away), an eight-point loss at unranked Iowa State, a ten-point loss at then-#7 Texas Tech, and a two-point home loss against then-#19 West Virginia. In the team’s latest loss, on Saturday at home to Texas, Trae Young did put up 26 points, but it took him 21 shots. He has just made four of his last 27 shots from downtown, over his last three games. As a true freshman, Young may be feeling the fatigue that comes with playing such a long season for the first time. Kansas followed up their loss at Baylor with a win at Iowa State and a comeback win over West Virginia, which happened on Saturday. Kansas does not normally emphasize penetration and getting to the free throw line, but they attempted 35 free throws against the Mountaineers. In that win, Udoka Azubuike put up 21 points and Devonte’ Graham chipped in 15, as the team showed balance inside and out to beat West Virginia. If they can deliver similar discipline and hustle just 48 hours later, they should give Oklahoma another loss. College Basketball Betting Predicion: Kansas 77, Oklahoma 65

Wednesday, February 21

Louisville at Duke (9:00pm ET, ESPN)

Dealing with the loss of Rick Pitino and shocking allegations against their basketball program, it made sense that Louisville would struggle to contend in the ACC this year. They have pulled off some big wins, such as their four-point win at then-#23 Florida State. However, recent routs of Georgia Tech (by 23 at home) and at Pitt (by 34 on the road) have the Cardinals thinking of taking down some big opponents. They lost by 17 at home to North Carolina on Saturday, but a three-point explosion led by Jordan Nwora (who had five of the team’s 12 three-balls against Georgia Tech) could put Duke on their heels. The Blue Devils come in on a three-game winning streak, including a nine-point win at Clemson on Sunday. Gary Trent made three free throws with 1:31 on the clock to give Duke a lead they would not relinquish. Duke continues to play without Marvin Bagley III, who remains questionable for Wednesday as well. However, they got terrific rebounding from Wendell Carter Jr., and Grayson Allen had a solid first half with 17 points. It just doesn’t seem like Duke is ripe for an upset at this point. College Basketball Betting Predicion: Duke 70, Louisville 58 Thursday, February 22 Connecticut at Cincinnati (7:00pm ET, ESPN) Cincinnati was ranked #5 last week — but that is most definitely going to change, as the team went down to Houston and lost by two and then came home to face Wichita State on Sunday, falling 76-72, and now the American Athletic Conference regular season chase has become interesting again. Wichita State got its first road win against a top-five team in 54 years, but what we learned is that Cincinnati’s propensity to blow big games is finally emerging once again this season. We also learned that Cincinnati was probably overrated at that #5 ranking, as they are 0-3 against teams that are in the top 25, having lost to Xavier and Florida before falling to Wichita State. Late defensive lapses cost the Bearcats against both Houston and Wichita State — and an opportunistic Connecticut team is up next. Connecticut lost to Cincinnati by eight when the teams played up in Hartford. Since then, the Huskies have beaten South Florida, taken a 21-point rout at the hands of Wichita State, lost to Tulsa by two and beaten a lowly East Carolina team by four on the road. Defense has turned into a major issue for Connecticut as well — so I see this as a game where Cincinnati can make some adjustments and take out some frustrations against a lesser AAC team. College Basketball Betting Predicion: Cincinnati 74, Connecticut 66