Written By: @ToddFuhrman – Market Analyst
Situations and scheduling yield the best betting opportunities. Talk to any sharp college hoops bettor and they will have games penciled into their betting calendar weeks in advance. Schedule analysis requires the foresight to look ahead and if everything breaks the right way, you’ll gain the competitive edge before numbers hit the betting boards. Here are some choice spots worth noting for the upcoming week in college basketball
Monday:
Kansas vs Kansas State
The Jayhawks are in free fall, losers of their last 3 conference games. Expect a max effort against in state rival Kansas St but be prepared to pay a price as books realize the sharps were itching to bet the Hawks here and inflated the opening number to -7.5. Deeper analysis actually reveals this to be a bit of value considering KU was -4 in Manhattan and even with the adjustment for current form, the Hawks should be closer to 9 or even 9.5 pt favorites here.
Wednesday:
Boston College vs Wake Forest
Wake comes in fresh off a dismantling of FSU with a revenge date against Georgia Tech on deck. BC finally gets another ACC opponent they can handle in their building brimming with confidence from the near miss against Duke. The lone concern is how a young team handles disappointment from the upset that could have been…in my opinion, they let it build confidence and attack the Deacons with confidence.
Depaul vs Notre Dame
Nobody fears seeing the Demons on their schedule but coming on the heels of a 5 OT thriller and back to back games against Syracuse/Louisville, the Irish should fear a letdown. Depaul and Notre Dame went to OT in their first meeting only a few short weeks ago. Although the Irish covered the 6 in the role of road favorite, it took extra time to do so this game will be closer than most people expect.
Air Force vs UNLV
If there’s one thing we know about the Rebels is that they struggle away from home. AFA dropped both games on their recent road trip so it’s fair to expect a fully focused effort against the same UNLV team they pushed to OT at Thomas & Mack. The situation only improves when you take a glance at UNLV’s upcoming schedule which includes home games against San Diego St and Colorado St within the week.
Washington vs Oregon
The Ducks took care of business in their own building when the teams met on January 26 so expect revenge to be on the Huskies mind. Washington limps into the game 1-6 straight up their last 6 knowing any tourney hopes are all but dashed. Despite their win against Utah on Saturday, Oregon sorely misses PG Domenic Artis and will continue to struggle on the road until someone assumes the primary PG role. If you can grab the Huskies -1.5 or less, consider the situation worth noting.
Thursday:
George Mason vs Drexel
Trust me when I say the Patriots should be foaming at the mouth with this game looming. Mason blew a 38-25 halftime lead because they couldn’t contain Damion Lee and his 29 pts over the last 20 minutes. Drexel is 3-11 ATS as a favorite this year which includes Sunday’s cover against James Madison. I’m not buying the Dragons as chalk, especially against a Patriots team looking for revenge desperate to make a push for the 2 seed in the Colonial.