Betting Court, 2/1 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.
I finally had a bounce back week last week! Syracuse held strong and remained undefeated. Oklahoma proved their strength in the Big 12 by beating down Texas Tech. Wisconsin rebounded on the road at Purdue. La Salle is the only team that could not pull through for me. VCU really took it to them and proved they are a good, well-rounded basketball team. There are not a lot of great looks this week, but here are three that are solid.
Michigan State (-8) at Georgetown
PICK: Michigan State
Georgetown is just not a very good team this season. After their recent runs of success in the Big East, they are having a hard time finding the basket. They no longer have shooters like Austin Freeman on the roster. Their guards are good players, but they have no help and no bench production. When they hit a rough patch, it seems to doom them for long periods of time. They are currently amidst a five game losing streak. It looks like it will continue against Michigan State. The Spartans are one of the favorites to reach the Final Four this season. Adreian Payne has been out with injury and they are still finding ways to win. They are 19-2 and sitting pretty in the Big Ten right now. Gary Harris and company will be too quick for the Hoyas. I like Michigan State big.
Iowa (-5) at Illinois
PICK: Iowa
Iowa has been somewhat of a surprise in the Big Ten this year. Fran McCaffrey really has a solid squad. They have proven they can win big games. They took Michigan State into overtime before losing. All five of their losses have come to ranked teams with legitimate shots at tournament runs. They have a true star in Roy Devyn Marble. Aaron White is an improved big man that adds punch to their lineup. They score serious points in a hurry. They are eight in the nation at 84.5 points per game. They can fly. Illinois unfortunately cannot say the same thing. They are not a terrible team, but they only score about 68 points per game. They have lost six games in a row. Iowa should not stumble here.
Utah at Colorado (-2.5)
PICK: Colorado
Colorado has a good shot to challenge for a top-3 seed in the Pac-12 tournament. They play quality basketball under Tad Boyle who has injected some life and talent into that program. They are an outstanding rebounding team. They outrebound opponents by 8.6 per game. They find ways to win at the line. They have hit 408 free throws already this season, which is good for sixth best nationally. That is going to be very important in a game like this. It should be a close one. Utah scores 81 points per game. They have just had some trouble with their conference opponents. This game will be tight. Truly it could go either way. I just like the way Colorado plays. At home, I give them the edge.
