3 Underrated Basketball Games to Bet
The college football regular season is over — other than the Army-Navy matchup this Saturday in Philadelphia – so we have found three underrated basketball games worth betting this week, one in the NBA and two in college. Check back for the latest basketball odds at MyBookie Online Sportsbook the day before the game starts.
Philadelphia 76ers at Cleveland Cavaliers
When: Saturday, 8 PM ET (CSN, Fox Sports Ohio)
Cleveland should be on a 14-game winning streak entering this one. The Cavs won their 12th in a row Monday, 113-91 over Chicago. Dwyane Wade and Kevin Love each scored 24 points, and LeBron James had 23 points. The Cavs dropped a tight game at Houston on Nov. 9 and haven’t lost since. On Wednesday, the Cavs should kill the visiting Kings. On Friday, the should win at Indiana. So the Philly matchup will be the second of a back-to-back.
The 76ers won’t be in the second of a back-to-back as they don’t play again this week until Thursday vs. the Lakers. Thus, star Joel Embiid should play here.
The Sixers want payback, too. On Nov. 27, Embiid and Ben Simmons basically were schooled by LeBron in the Cavs’ 113-91 win. James had 30 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Embiid had 30 points and 11 rebounds to pace the 76ers. Simmons was hounded all game by Jae Crowder and managed just 10 points before exiting in the fourth quarter with a right ankle sprain. Embiid and Simmons both worship James but want to beat him.
No. 5 Florida vs. No. 17 Cincinnati
When: Saturday, 6 PM ET (ESPN2)
It’s a neutral-site game between ranked NCAAB teams at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Gators might be overrated as they have lost two of their past three. They lost a great matchup vs. No. 1 Duke on Nov. 26 by just three points and then on Monday were upset 83-66 at home by rival Florida State.
Gators coach Mike White didn’t hide his displeasure after the FSU loss: I thought they played harder than us; I thought they were tougher than us for 40 minutes,” White said. “Obviously much more physical than us — (23) offensive rebounds when you know it’s the key to the game and you harp on it and harp on it and harp on it the last 72 hours. … What’s really disappointing is, you guys have heard me use the word soft with this team. And we use the word with our team every day, and it reared its ugly head tonight. Tonight was the epitome of soft.”
The Gators rank in the nation’s top 10 in points per game (2nd), assist-to-turnover ratio (9th) and fewest turnovers per game (10th). Florida also has the top SEC mark in free throw percentage, 3-point field goals made per game and 3-point field goal percentage.
Cincinnati lost a heated game last Saturday at crosstown rival and No. 21 Xavier, 89-76. UC trailed by 13 at halftime and by 23 with 10:20 to go before a scoring surge by Jacob Evans III in the last few minutes pulled it to within nine with 1:26 to play. But they ran out of time and lost to the Musketeers for the third time in the last four games. UC has been stingy at the rim, ranking No. 2 nationally by holding opponents to 42.7 percent shooting. The Bearcats also block 21 percent of shots taken at point-blank range.
No. 16 Arizona State at No. 2 Kansas
When: Sunday, 2 PM ET (ESPN)
Looking for a betting alternative to the NFL this Sunday? How about this good non-conference game from Kansas? These schools are playing a home-and-home series, with KU going to Tempe next year. Sam Cunliffe, a KU transfer from Arizona State, will not be able to play, though. The last day of KU fall semester finals is Dec. 15 and he is not eligible to play in games until the end of the first semester, in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.
In addition, Billy Preston, a 6-10, 240-pound freshman forward, has not played in any of the Jayhawks’ seven games as KU looks into the financial picture surrounding the vehicle he’s been driving this semester. Kansas is ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll. Kansas has been ranked in each of the last 166 AP polls dating back to Feb. 3, 2009, which is the longest active streak in NCAA Division I.
Kansas is averaging 91.9 points per game, which is second in the Big 12 and sixth nationally. The last time KU averaged 90-plus points for a season was the 2001-02 Final Four season when the Jayhawks scored 90.9 ppg.
KU leads the all-time series against the Sun Devils 5-4. The last meeting was KU’s 108-76 NCAA Tournament win on March 22, 2003 in Oklahoma City.
Expert Prediction & Basketball Betting Picks of the Week
The Sixers will cover in Cleveland, Cincinnati beats Florida and KU covers against Arizona State. Don’t forget to check back at MyBookie for all the latest online sportsbook odds!