Yesterday's Jimmy V Classic gave us two great games at Madison Square Garden, but there is even more to look forward to on the college basketball slate today. Scroll down to check out three of them with corresponding trends and best bets from our model!
One trend to note is that the BetQL model is crushing college hoops spread bets, going 473-372 (56%) on all spread picks rated ⭐⭐ and higher in the past 30 days, for a total return of $5,801 on $100 bets! Take advantage of BetQL's free trial and see all of today's best college basketball bets, plus what the model is projecting for this week's NFL, NBA, NHL and college football games! Start your free trial today!
This is a massive number, but this is also Tennessee at home against Eastern Kentucky. The Vols are 7-1 on the season with huge wins over ranked Kansas and USC teams. They’ve proven that they can not only beat good teams, but also beat down bad teams. Tennessee’s most recent two wins came by 54 against Alcorn State and 36 to McNeese State. I expect a similar story tonight being the Vols are only giving up 51.5 points per game and have the best adjusted defensive efficiency in all of college basketball, per KenPom. They also turn teams over at the third highest rate, which will lead to plenty of scoring opportunities.
Offensively, it’s going to take a Herculean effort by the Colonels to slow down a Tennessee offense that is averaging 75 points per game despite only shooting 41.7% from the field. Not to mention, the Vols have five players averaging double figures, giving them an extremely balanced attack. That’s not a good sign for E. Kentucky.
My pick: Tennessee -28.5
Michigan State is coming off two straight losses to Notre Dame and Northwestern and is now tasked with going on the road to face Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center. One of the reasons MSU has struggled recently is that they’re without Malik Hall (foot). Not only does he bring veteran leadership as a senior, but this team just doesn’t have the depth to make up for losing a player like Hall. He is also a strong defensive player, so that side of the floor has taken a big hit without him. Defense is going to be an important factor tonight because Penn State is an above-average-shooting team that knows how to knock down shots from deep. They own the 13th-best 3-point percentage and are averaging just under five more made 3s than their opponents. The Nittany Lions also take care of the ball really well, giving it away fewer than 10 times per game.
My pick: Penn State -4
UConn enters tonight’s game with a perfect 9-0 record. What makes that record even more impressive is that they’ve beaten some really good teams, including Iowa State, Alabama and, most recently, Oklahoma State. Not to mention, a number of their wins this season have come with some of their top players injured. The Huskies have been able to get the job done thanks to their offensive and defensive efficiencies, which rank in the top 10, per KenPom.
UConn had several transfers come in this year and part of the team’s success has been the fact that they’ve fit in seamlessly. They also have a ton of balance on offense with six players averaging at least 9.0 points per game. Bottom line is that UConn is a team that knows how to win games and they’re going to get the job done again tonight in Gainesville.
My pick: UConn -4.5
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