Week 5 NCAA basketball betting preview
By: Willie Bee
Last week's AP top 10 should remain fairly unchanged with only two schools, No. 6 Michigan State and No. 10 Kentucky, suffering losses this past week.
The Spartans fell for the second time this season when they dropped an 84-79 decision at top-ranked Duke who was 10-point home chalk. Considering both losses have been to top-10 teams away from home – the other a 70-67 defeat to No. 7 UConn in Hawaii – State should still cling to a top-10 slot.
Kentucky will fall out of the upper crust, however, after its 75-73 loss at North Carolina on Saturday. The Wildcats were one-point road favorites and will likely slip to around 15th in the next poll.
Who climbs up to take Kentucky's spot at No. 10 is anyone's guess right now. Baylor was sitting 11th in the writers' rankings but has yet to face much in the way of competition in compiling a 6-0 straight-up record. The Bears have only played two lined games and have yet to play outside Waco. They failed to cash as 15-point faves in a 74-64 home win on Nov. 16 before grabbing their first cover last Thursday as 9½-point chalk in a 68-54 win against Arizona State.
Villanova, No. 12 last week and ranked sixth in the preseason coaches poll, could leapfrog Baylor into 10th. The Wildcats are 6-1 straight up and 3-2 against the college basketball betting number. No. 13 Tennessee (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) is another possibility in advance of their matchup next Saturday versus No. 3 Pitt.
Here's a quick glance at where the most recent AP top-10 schools will be in action this week.
1) Duke (8-0 SU, 4-3 ATS)
The Blue Devils stay in Durham for a pair of games this coming week starting with the Bradley Braves on Wednesday (Dec. 8). Duke then hosts St. Louis on Saturday (Dec. 11) before taking a nine-day break.
2) Ohio State (6-0, 3-2)
Thad Matta's squad returns to the court for the first time since Nov. 30 when the Buckeyes host IUPUI on Thursday (Dec. 9). Ohio State closes the week next Sunday (Dec. 12) against West Carolina.
3) Pittsburgh (9-0, 3-4)
The Panthers look to become the first club to reach 10 wins when they host Delaware State on Wednesday at Petersen Events Center. Pitt moves off campus just a bit to Consol Energy Center on Saturday to take on Tennessee in the SEC/Big East Invitational, a contest that Adam Markowitz will preview here at DonBest.com.
4) Kansas (7-0, 3-2)
Bill Self & Co. head to New York for Tuesday's matchup with Memphis in the 16th Annual Jimmy V Classic, another contest Adam Markowitz will provide analysis for at Don Best. The Jayhawks close the week at Kansas City's Sprint Center against Colorado State.
5) Kansas State (7-1, 3-2)
The Wildcats open the week with a Monday (Dec. 6) home game versus Alcorn State. K-State will then travel to Chicago for a Saturday meeting with the Loyola-Illinois Ramblers.
6) Michigan State (6-2, 4-4)
Tuesday finds the Spartans at Madison Square Garden in a marquee matchup with Syracuse, part of the jimmy V Classic. Don Best's Brad Young will preview that contest. State returns home after that game to host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Saturday.
7) Connecticut (7-0, 3-0)
The Huskies have just one game on this week's slate, a Wednesday affair at home versus Fairleigh Dickinson. UConn then takes nearly two weeks off before hosting Coppin State on Dec. 20.
8) Syracuse (8-0, 2-6)
Following their Tuesday battle with Michigan State, the Orange will head back to Syracuse for a Saturday contests against Colgate.
9) Missouri (6-1, 1-4)
Mizzou is home Wednesday for a battle with Vanderbilt. The Tigers end the week on their home court this Saturday versus Presbyterian.
10) Kentucky (5-2, 3-4)
John Calipari's crew will make the short trek to Louisville for Wednesday's tangle with Notre Dame in the SEC/Big East Invitational. The Wildcats then return home to face Indiana on Saturday.