Week 11 NCAA basketball betting preview
By: Willie Bee
The rankings are set to anoint just their second No. 1 team this season. Duke's 66-61 loss at Florida State this past Wednesday should open the door for the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to step up a rung on the college basketball ladder when the AP and coaches polls are released on Monday.
The questions become how long can the Buckeyes hold the spot with Big Ten trips still ahead to such hostile environs as Champaign, Madison and West Lafayette, and how hard will the Blue Devils have to work in a weaker ACC to possibly climb back to No. 1?
Duke was one of three teams from last week's AP top 10 to drop at least one game. Notre Dame, ranked ninth, was humbled at Marquette to begin the week and then again at St. John's on Sunday, losing by 18 as a 2½-point underdog to the Red Storm. Eighth-ranked Purdue also fell twice on the road at Minnesota and West Virginia.
The Blue Devils also struggled in their win on Saturday, trailing at home to Virginia in the first half before pulling away for a 76-60 victory as 21½-point chalk. Duke will likely slide to fourth or fifth in both polls.
Purdue and Notre Dame will fall out of the top 10 and create holes for BYU and one school from the trio of Kentucky, Texas and Texas A&M. My bet is on the No. 13 Wildcats after they took care of LSU and Auburn last week by a combined 62 points.
Here's a quick glance at where the previous top 10 will be in action the next seven days:
1. Duke (16-1 SU, 8-8 ATS)
The Blue Devils hit Tobacco Road with matchups at North Carolina State on Wednesday (Jan. 19) and Wake Forest on Saturday (Jan. 22). Duke's visit to Raleigh last January ended with an 88-74 loss to the Wolfpack as 12-point chalk.
2. Ohio State (18-0, 7-8)
Thad Matta's gang will host Iowa on Wednesday before traveling to Champaign next Saturday to take on No. 16 Illinois. The Illini will be looking for triple revenge after dropping both regular season meetings a year ago to the Buckeyes before a double-overtime defeat in the Big Ten Tourney.
3. Kansas (17-0, 7-8)
The Jayhawks face a challenging week to stay undefeated with a road trip to Baylor to begin the week on Monday (Jan. 17) and then a home date with No. 12 Texas on Saturday. Kansas beat both schools last season, falling at the window in a home game with the Bears and covering as slight chalk in Austin against the Longhorns.
4. Syracuse (18-0, 7-9)
No team has a tougher slate this week than the Orange. Monday finds Syracuse traveling to No. 5 Pitt, the only regular season meeting between the Big East rivals. The Panthers were huge 11-point underdogs at the Carrier Dome last January when they popped Syracuse, 82-72. The Orange close their week at home on Saturday when No. 7 Villanova comes to town.
5. Pittsburgh (17-1, 6-7)
Jamie Dixon's crew takes off after Monday's game against 'Cuse with what should be an easy time at DePaul on Saturday.
6. San Diego State (19-0, 12-5)
The Aztecs will host the Air Force Falcons on Wednesday, then take a week off before what should be a top-10 matchup at Brigham Young on Jan. 26.
7. Villanova (16-1, 9-5)
If the Orange have the week's toughest schedule, 'Nova runs them a close second. Before traveling to Syracuse on Saturday, the Wildcats will be in Storrs on Monday to scrap with No. 10 UConn.
8. Purdue (15-3, 10-4)
Mat Painter and Co. look to regroup at home on Wednesday against a Penn State team that has already proven to be anything but a patsy. The Boilermakers remain in West Lafayette for Saturday's meeting with the Michigan State Spartans who endured a pair of overtime home wins this past week.
9. Notre Dame (14-4, 7-7)
The Fighting Irish get to lick their wounds at home following consecutive conference defeats this past week at Marquette and St. John's. First up is Cincinnati on Wednesday followed by a return date with Marquette on Saturday.
10. Connecticut (14-2, 8-2)
Following their Monday matchup with Villanova, the Huskies take a quick break from Big East play with a game against Tennessee at Hartford's XL Center. The Vols have already taken down a pair of top-10 teams from the Big East, beating 'Nova and Pittsburgh as six- and eight-point underdogs respectively.