Welcome back to another edition of my college basketball gambling column. With a ton of great action on Wednesday to choose from, my six best bets for the night include a bunch of totals, as well as action from the Big Ten, ACC, A-10, and Big East.
Year to Date Record: 11-9
Michigan/Penn State UNDER 146.5, 7:00 P.M. BTN
I see Zavier Simpson slowing things down and controlling the pace on offense for Michigan, while Simpson and his backcourt mates play really strong pressure defense and will make life difficult for the Penn State guards. Add in the fact that Penn State has one of the best rim protectors in college basketball in Mike Watkins, and this game has under written all over it.
Syracuse/Notre Dame UNDER 142, 7:00 ESPN2
Both of these teams shot the lights out when they squared off on January 4th, combining to hit 30 three pointers at a ridiculous 48% clip in an 88-87 Irish win. It’s extremely unlikely we’ll see that kind of shooting performance again, and I expect both of these teams to make plenty of defensive adjustments, resulting in a much lower scoring rematch.
La Salle/Richmond OVER 139, 7:00 P.M.
The total has gone over in four of the five A-10 games La Salle has played this season, with the lone under coming on Saturday against Rhode Island when both teams went cold in the second half. Richmond has found their stroke in the last two games, and the Spiders play much better when they push the pace. Look for both teams to come out firing en route to a high scoring affair.
Rhode Island (-4) vs. Duquesne and OVER 136, 7:00 ESPN+
Duquense is off to one of its best starts in school history (15-2, 5-0 A-10), but the Dukes schedule hasn’t been very tough and I’m not a believer in them quite yet. I think we’re getting a discount here on Rhode Island due to their uncharacteristically poor play at home to start conference play, but they’ll be ready for this one and I love their veteran guard tandem of Jeff Dowtin and Fatts Russell, who should put on a show.
Providence (+9.5) at Seton Hall, 8:30 FS1
These two teams have been the most pleasant surprises in Big East play thus far, with Seton Hall sitting atop the standings at a perfect 6-0 and Providence in third at 4-2 despite a poor non-conference showing. Seton Hall’s hot start has been more publicized, and I think public perception of the Pirates has influenced this number, creating value on the Friars here. Taking the points with an Ed Cooley coached team usually works out well.
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