Betting Court, 1/18 Men's Basketball
Saturday’s are exciting enough for college basketball fans, but there is a way to make a fun Saturday even more interesting. Even if your favorite team is not playing, a little wager can make you live and die with every shot. Each week College Sports Madness’ Dan Levine takes a look at the picks of the day heading into the weekend action.
Gambling sharps are right roughly 57% of the time and the Betting Court will aim to reach that mark. But we’re not sharps. Most sports betting site like SportsBettingOnline.ag have odds for every team.
Last week I did very poorly. It was epically bad. Great call on Virginia not coming through in Raleigh. They blew out NC State by 31 points. My only win came on a squeaker. Indiana, down by 15 to Penn State, found a way get the win on the road by three points to cover. Here’s to hoping it’s a better week this week. I like three games:
George Mason (+5) at Rhode Island
Pick: George Mason
Both of these teams are full of fighters and scrappers. Sure they are on a smaller scale than an Ohio State or Kansas, but both of these teams ball out. Mason’s record would indicate they are not a quality team. However, in their ten losses only two of them were lopsided. They have lost six games by five points or fewer. It is a frustrating stat for Paul Hewitt to see. They had UMass beat earlier this week, but they could not finish the job. The point is they can keep up with the competition. Rhode Island has not fared much better this season, but they themselves have a couple of losses by the slimmest of margins. These are two evenly matched squads. Rhode Island gets the love for playing at home, but Mason is coming off of a really good performance against UMass. Sherrod Wright may have found his sweet spot shooting. Another 26 point performance could lift Mason to victory. I love Mason getting five.
Florida (-7.5) at Auburn
Pick: Florida
Auburn is in a bit of a tailspin right now. It is a prime blowout opportunity for the Gators. Auburn has played better at home than away, but they have lost three straight. All were heartbreakers. They cannot seem to pass the 70 point scoring threshold lately. It is going to hurt them against the best team in the SEC. Florida has won eight straight, including a 22-point blowout against Georgia on Tuesday. They have five players averaging in double figures. The addition of Virginia Tech transfer Dorian Finney-Smith has been a boost for Billy Donovan’s squad. He has been clutch late in games this year. I like Florida to put Auburn down fairly early in this one. They should cover easily.
Wake Forest at Clemson (-8.5)
Pick: Clemson
Did last week’s ACC game selection teach me nothing? Why would I come back to a conference that is fairly mediocre across the board? Mainly because I do not think that either of these teams are as good as their record indicates. Also because Wake Forest has lost every true away game they have played this year. Each loss was by a significant margin as well. Clemson, who got a great win against Duke last weekend, is a much better team when they play at Littlejohn Colliseum. K.J. McDaniels is a nice player and should have a good game. Their bench production is a little worrisome, and they have trouble scoring points in general. But Wake is not especially adept at playing catch up or putting teams away. On the road, I give them a slim chance to walk out with a win. In fact, I like Clemson to win by 10 or more points.
