Betting Court, 2/22 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 went 5-0 two weeks ago! I did so well I decided to take the week off. As the bubble is starting to grow (and burst) for a lot of teams, I have a few very interesting games that are not so easy to pick, but are the most intriguing.
Wisconsin (+7) at Iowa
PICK: Wisconsin
This is very tough. Both of these teams are among the upper echelon of the Big Ten. Iowa is a scoring powerhouse. Wisconsin stifles good offenses. They are side-by-side in the weekly rankings. Despite Iowa being favored by seven at home (as they should be), I just think Wisconsin is too good of a team to lose by more than seven. These squads are too evenly matched. Bo Ryan can coach his way out of road disadvantage better than most people. I like Iowa, but in a very close game. The Badgers get the points.
La Salle at Richmond (-5)
PICK: Richmond
Don’t look now, but the Atlantic 10 is one of the deeper leagues in the country. The Spiders are currently tied for fifth in the standings, with a very respectable 7-4 conference record. They are trending upward in terms of an NCAA tournament bid. This is a game they need to win if they are to propel themselves into the dance. At this point in the season, good teams have to beat the bad teams to jockey for position in the conference standings. Richmond has 17 wins and are tough defensively. La Salle is struggling after losing four straight. I like Richmond pretty big at home.
Texas (+11.5) at Kansas
PICK: Texas
Kansas is a good team. Maybe not the Kansas of the past few seasons, but they are a good team. Doesn’t it always seem like Texas plays them really well at home? A few years ago, the Longhorns went into Phog Allen and beat the Jayhawks when they had won three seasons worth of home games in a row. This year, the Longhorns have another great shot to win the game outright. Texas is not as good as it has been in the past either. That may give some people pause. They are long and they can rebound. If they keep the turnovers down, they have a great chance. Kansas giving up 11.5 is a juicy number that I think Texas will cover easily. (Note: Calling two 20-6 teams “not as good” as they have been is simply an indication of their recent success, not an indictment on two very good teams.)
