Five college hoops moneymakers
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Niagara Purple Eagles (10-2 ATS)
It’s easy to overlook the stuff that goes on in a small-time conference like the MAAC. There are no national TV games, no Top 25 rankings and no hype, but there’s something special going on in Upstate New York and bettors would be wise to pay attention. The Purple Eagles are riding the hot hand of Division I scoring leader Charron Fisher who’s pouring in more than 27 points a game, but it’s really super freshman point guard Anthony Nelson that has made the difference on this team. They’ve covered in six straight games and oddsmakers still aren’t being too hard on Niagara and its 10-2 ATS record could get even better as the conference schedule goes on.
Drake Bulldogs (9-1)
It’s official, the Bulldogs are the best hoops squad in Iowa. Even though they didn’t surprise the bookies who had them tagged as three-point favorites in Iowa City, Drake used some clutch threes and aggressive defense to win and cover against the Hawkeyes last month. They did the same thing to Iowa State earlier in the season and also have a couple of notable upsets over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wichita State on this year’s resume. This is a different lineup from last year’s squad that started strong and then went on to lose 13 of its last 21 games, but it might still be smart to keep a watchful eye on this team. The chalk is getting thicker every week and as more teams start looking to Drake as the team to beat, those decisive wins will be tougher to come by. Bettors might also want to note that the over/under is 1-9 in Drake’s games so far.
Pepperdine Waves (9-3)
Don’t be fooled by Peperdine’s 6-10 straight-up record; it doesn’t tell the whole story of this team. Two of those losses came in overtime and aside from blowouts against Memphis and Oregon – probably two of the best teams in the country – the Waves have stayed close in almost every game they’ve played. That explains how they’ve managed to build a 9-3 ATS mark, but the best part is that this team is so young you can only expect them to get better as the season goes on. The toughest non-conference schedule of any WCC team can be partly blamed for Pepperdine’s bad start, but it also built some character. Even against some of the top competition the Waves showed that they can score. Now that they’re finally at home again after playing 10 straight games away from their Malibu campus, expect this team to start jelling now. And if Vance Walberg can coax these kids to play a little defense, they’ll be making money for the rest of the season. Keep an eye on freshmen Tyrone Shelly and Malcolm Thomas.
North Texas Mean Green (6-2)
After they won the Sun Belt tournament last year, North Texas became the team to beat in their conference. That’s usually a good signal to start fading, but a couple of uncharacteristically bad showings sent consumer confidence in North Texas plunging and until they climb back up the Sun Belt standings, odds will most likely be more favorable for this team. After losing its first two conference games, North Texas needs wins in a bad way to get back to the top of the table and defend its Sun Belt crown. Chalk up those losses to lack of focus because they came back with consecutive wins in convincing fashion, including a 21-point blowout of Louisiana-Monroe. Expect to see the Mean Green tear through the conference from here on out.
Northern Colorado Bears (11-3-1)
This team is what betting dreams are made of. After a 2-14 season in the Big Sky last year, Northern Colorado is being taken about as seriously as the latest John Grisham novel, but it’s amazing what a difference a year can make. The Bears now have a nice combination of savvy veterans like Sean Taibi and Jibril Banks and some great young talent like sophomore Will Figures and freshman Taylor Montgomery.
At 8-8, Northern Colorado isn’t raising any eyebrows, which is good for bettors. But that straight-up record isn’t what you should be excited about. You should be excited about the fact that they play incredible defense and manage to hang around in almost every game they play. Even at the Kennel, the Bears kept Gonzaga to 77 points and stayed close enough to cover the 24 points. That’s why Northern Colorado is winning money and now that the Big Sky schedule is rolling along, the Bears should keep on cashing out.