CBB Games to Watch
By David Schwab
VegasInsider.com
The New Year brings us an exciting week in men’s college basketball that is filled with the first full slate of conference play. It also marks the start of the drive to March Madness as every game from now until the end of the regular season is a chance for teams to build their resume in an effort to punch their ticket to the big dance.
The following is a brief look at the top matchups for each day this week along with a few facts and figures to help handicap the games.
Monday, Jan. 2 - Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 7 Baylor Bears
The Aggies snapped a two-game losing streak with a 76-58 victory over Arkansas Tech this past Thursday in a game with no posted line to wrap-up the non-conference portion of their schedule at 9-3 straight up. Texas A&M is just 1-5 this season against the spread and the total has stayed ‘under’ in four of the six games.
Baylor is a perfect 13-0 SU on the year and 4-2 ATS. It failed to cover in its last two games as a favorite with an 83-81 overtime victory over West Virginia on Dec. 23 as a six-point road favorite and a 54-52 win over Mississippi State as a 7½-point neutral site favorite last Wednesday. The Bears are averaging 77.6 points a game and shooting 49 percent from the field. They have been opened as 13-point home favorites over the Aggies.
Tuesday, Jan. 3 - No. 17 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers
The Spartans opened their Big Ten schedule last Saturday with a 68-55 romp over Nebraska as seven-point road favorites. They are 13-2 SU and 8-4 ATS with the total going 5-6-1 in the 12 games with posted lines.
Wisconsin had its hands full with Iowa in its conference opener with a 72-65 victory this past Saturday as a 17-point home favorite. The win raised the Badgers’ record to 12-3 SU, but dropped them to 9-3 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in nine of the 12 games. Wisconsin leads the nation in points allowed; holding opponents to an average of just 46.2 points a game.
Wednesday, Jan. 4 - No. 25 Kansas State Wildcats vs. No. 18 Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas State ran its current winning streak to six games with an 82-46 romp over Howard in its final non-conference game. The Wildcats are now 11-1 SU on the year. They raised their record ATS to 5-3 with a 77-60 victory over Long Beach State on Christmas Day as 1 ½-point underdogs in a holiday tournament.
The Jayhawks closed-out its non-conference schedule at 10-3 SU and an even 6-6 ATS. The total stayed ‘under’ in eight of the 12 games. They are 2-3 ATS in their last five games after failing to cover as 33-point home favorites in an 84-58 rout of North Dakota on Dec. 31.
Thursday, Jan. 5 - No. 16 Michigan Wolverines vs. No. 15 Indiana Hoosiers
The Wolverines opened Big Ten play with a 61-56 win over Minnesota on New Year’s Day as six-point home favorites. They are 12-2 SU overall and 6-5 ATS. The total has gone ‘over’ in eight of the 11 games. Michigan is averaging just over 70 points a game while holding opponents to just under 60 points a game.
As one of the biggest surprises of the season, Indiana improved to 13-1 SU on the year with a 74-70 upset of No.2 Ohio State this past Saturday as a five-point home underdog. This followed a tough 80-65 loss to Michigan State as a six-point road underdog in its conference opener. The Hoosiers are a profitable 8-1 ATS and the total has gone ‘over’ in six of the nine games.
Friday, Jan. 6 - Valparaiso Crusaders vs. Detroit Titans
Valpo moved to 9-6 SU overall and 2-1 SU in the Horizon League with a 90-87 victory over Green Bay last Saturday as a six-point home favorite. It was just its third SU win in its last seven games. The Crusaders are 5-7 ATS overall, but a very costly 0-6 ATS in their last six games.
Detroit is 7-9 SU on the year and 1-3 SU in the Horizon. The Titans covered as five-point road favorites this past Saturday in a 65-54 win over Loyola. They are just 4-8-1 ATS in 13 games this season, but 4-2 ATS in their last six. The total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of the 13 games.
Saturday, Jan. 7- South Carolina Gamecocks vs. No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats
South Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last six games and 7-6 SU overall. It is 4-5 ATS and the total has gone 4-5 as well. The Gamecocks lost to North Carolina 87-62 as 18 ½-point underdogs on Nov.25 and covered as 15-point home underdogs in a 74-66 loss to Ohio State on Dec. 17 in their only two games against ranked opponents.
Kentucky cemented its place near the top of the national rankings with a huge 69-62 victory over then-No.4 Louisville on New Year’s Day, but failed to cover as a 10-point home favorite. The win raised the Wildcats record to 13-1 SU, but left them just 3-9-1 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of their 13 games.