Week 7 NCAA basketball betting preview
By: Willie Bee
Duke and Ohio State are safe in the 1-2 slots of the rankings for yet another week. What happens behind the Blue Devils and Buckeyes remains to be seen when the polls are released on Monday. Three top 10 schools dropped a game – in the case of Tennessee, two games – on their ledgers and another had a big scare.
The Volunteers' fast rise up to No. 7 just last week came crashing down with a pair of losses to Oakland and Charlotte. Tennessee let a 13-point lead slip away to the Golden Grizzlies in Tuesday's 89-82 loss in Knoxville. The Vols then blew an eight-point lead to the 49ers in Charlotte this past Friday in a 49-48 defeat. Bruce Pearl's team was a double-digit favorite in both games.
No. 6 Kansas State fell for the second time this season when the Wildcats lost 57-44 to Florida at the Orange Bowl Classic just outside Miami. And No. 9 Baylor lost for the first time when Gonzaga posted a 68-64 win at The Showcase in Dallas.
No. 3 Kansas survived at home as 18-point chalk, topping USC by a 70-68 count. The close win could cause the Jayhawks to slip a rung or two, though neither No. 4 UConn nor No. 5 Syracuse did much to move up. The Huskies didn't do anything, as a matter of fact, taking the week off. Jim Boeheim's Orange never trailed in their win over Iona at home on Saturday, but they also didn't exactly play as well as expected with Syracuse a 13½-point favorite.
One team in great position to move into a vacated top-10 slot is San Diego State. The Aztecs improved to 12-0 straight up, and 9-2 against the spread, last week and will be in Las Vegas to meet San Francisco on Tuesday (Dec. 21) and IUPUI on Wednesday (Dec. 22).
College basketball bettors have a short seventh week coming up with no games scheduled for Dec. 24 and only a couple of games to come up Dec. 25 in Hawaii. Here's a glance at where last week's AP top 10 will be in action.
1) Duke (10-0 SU, 6-3 ATS)
The Blue Devils shake off eight days of rust on Monday (Dec. 20). when they host Elon. Duke then takes another eight-day break before traveling to face UNC-Greensboro on Dec. 29.
2) Ohio State (10-0, 4-4)
Thad Matta's squad will be home for two, first taking on UNC-Asheville on Tuesday before battling a tough Oakland Golden Grizzlies bunch on Thursday (Dec. 23).
3) Kansas (10-0, 4-4)
The Jayhawks get their first real taste of playing in hostile territory this season when they travel for a Wednesday contest at California. It's the fourth Pac-10 matchup for Kansas this campaign, winning the previous three but failing to cover any.
4) Connecticut (8-0, 3-0)
UConn returns to the court for the first time in 12 days when the Huskies host Coppin State on Monday. Harvard follows the Eagles into Storrs on Wednesday.
5) Syracuse (11-0, 3-7)
Morgan State (4-4 SU, 0-0 ATS) shouldn't be much trouble for 'Cuse on Monday, but Wednesday's clash with Drexel (8-1, 6-1) could be a different story.
6) Kansas State (9-2, 3-4)
The Wildcats face a tough foe to try and get back into the win column when they meet UNLV in Kansas City on Tuesday. K-State follows that with a home game against Missouri-Kansas City on Thursday.
7) Tennessee (7-2, 5-4)
Don't look now, Vols, but USC is coming to Knoxville on Tuesday. The Trojans have already taken down Texas and almost shocked the Jayhawks to end their 64-game home court streak this past Saturday. Tennessee will also play Belmont on Thursday.
8) Pittsburgh (11-1, 3-5)
The Panthers will have a warm-up against American U. on Tuesday in preparation for their first Big East contest of the season next Monday (Dec. 27) at home versus UConn.
9) Baylor (7-1, 1-2)
The Bears will be in Honolulu this week to take part in the Diamond Head Classic. Baylor meets the San Diego Toreros on Wednesday, then either Mississippi State or Washington State on Thursday. The championship and consolation games will take place Christmas Day.
10) Villanova (9-1, 4-4)
The Wildcats are in New Jersey on Tuesday to meet Monmouth (4-8, 3-0). Villanova's next action will be a Big 5 battle with Temple on Dec. 30.