College Basketball Betting: Gonzaga delights bettors
College Basketball Betting: Gonzaga delights bettors
The college hoops season is starting to heat up now in advance of the simmer it will reach with the conference schedules in about a month and the eventual boiling boint next March. North Carolina is the consensus No. 1 at this stage, though Ken Pomeroy's ratings have the Gonzaga Bulldogs (5-0 SU, 4-0 ATS) in the top spot due in great part to the 'Zags having played a much tougher schedule.
This is happy time for college hoops handicappers. The betting odds are at their most vulnerable, with the sports world’s attention still diverted toward football and the NBA.
It also helps that there are 344 Division I teams all trying to find their footing during the “preseason” portion of the schedule. Sharp handicappers exploit this vacuum of attention and build a huge information advantage over the betting public.
As usual, the most profitable teams are found in the mid-majors and lower. The Arkansas State Red Wolves (Sun Belt) and the Utah Utes (Mountain West) are the first teams to reach 5-0 ATS this season. The Wolves were able to hire former LSU coach John Brady this spring; his recruiting efforts landed three JUCO transfers led by wingman Donald Boone, Arkansas State’s top scorer with 11.5 points per game. The Utes have all five starters returning for coach Jim Boylen in his second year at the helm, giving Utah enough firepower to upset Mississippi (-1½) at the Glenn Wilkes Classic.
The best team of the early season, however, is the Gonzaga Bulldogs at 5-0 SU and 4-0 ATS. The ‘Zags have already moved up from No. 10 to No. 5 on the AP poll; Ken Pomeroy’s advanced efficiency stats have the West Coast Conference kingpins ranked first overall in Division I, ahead of 8-0 North Carolina (4-2 ATS) heading into Thursday’s slate. Gonzaga has played a tougher preseason schedule, sweeping Oklahoma State, Maryland and Tennessee to win the Old Spice Classic. Pomeroy has Utah ranked No. 5 and Arkansas State No. 107, a big step up from No. 258 last year.
The Tar Heels retain the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll that they’ve held since being named the runaway March Madness favorites at 5-2. The ACC might be the center of the basketball universe, but all that chalk hasn’t stopped North Carolina from being profitable – just like last year, when UNC went 24-12 ATS on a record of 34-3. The Duke Blue Devils (8-0 SU, 5-3 ATS) are also off to another flying start after upsetting Purdue (-2) 76-60 at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Watching UNC and Duke go at it hammer-and-tong and getting paid for it is truly a pleasure.
No. 22 Wisconsin at Marquette
Saturday, Dec 6, 9:30 p.m. (ET)
Wisconsin’s 74-72 triumph at Virginia Tech (-3) proves that the excruciatingly slow pace Bo Ryan prefers can still be exciting on occasion. More importantly, it’s very effective. The reigning Big Ten champions are 6-1 (3-3 ATS) thus far, with their only loss coming to the No. 2-ranked UConn Huskies (-5½). Now the Badgers turn their attention to getting revenge on Marquette (5-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) after the Golden Eagles prevailed 81-76 as 4½-point road dogs in last year’s preseason tilt.
Marquette hasn’t been quite as impressive as Wisconsin up to this point. The club’s one loss was to the Dayton Flyers (+9), a decent but unimposing mid-major opponent. The Eagles were double-digit favorites in their other games. Pomeroy has Marquette’s strength of schedule rated No. 317 out of the 344 teams, with Wisconsin’s at No. 103.
No. 19 Arizona State at Nebraska
Sunday, Dec 7, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
The Cornhuskers (6-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) have yet to encounter much resistance either, playing the No. 313-ranked schedule with half their games failing to draw a betting line. Arizona State (6-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) is somewhat more battle-tested at No. 203, having suffered a loss to the competitive Baylor Bears as 1½-point favorites.
The ‘Huskers are on the rise under third-year coach Doc Sadler, who is overseeing a transition following the departure of center Aleks Maric. Nebraska has upped its long-range shooting from 34.2 percent to 40.2 percent despite the 3-point line moving back a foot. But the Huskers are also near the bottom of the charts in offensive rebounding, and are getting to the free-throw line less often. Power forward Jeff Pendergraph (12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds per game) should have a relatively easy Sunday afternoon for the Sun Devils.
The college hoops season is starting to heat up now in advance of the simmer it will reach with the conference schedules in about a month and the eventual boiling boint next March. North Carolina is the consensus No. 1 at this stage, though Ken Pomeroy's ratings have the Gonzaga Bulldogs (5-0 SU, 4-0 ATS) in the top spot due in great part to the 'Zags having played a much tougher schedule.
This is happy time for college hoops handicappers. The betting odds are at their most vulnerable, with the sports world’s attention still diverted toward football and the NBA.
It also helps that there are 344 Division I teams all trying to find their footing during the “preseason” portion of the schedule. Sharp handicappers exploit this vacuum of attention and build a huge information advantage over the betting public.
As usual, the most profitable teams are found in the mid-majors and lower. The Arkansas State Red Wolves (Sun Belt) and the Utah Utes (Mountain West) are the first teams to reach 5-0 ATS this season. The Wolves were able to hire former LSU coach John Brady this spring; his recruiting efforts landed three JUCO transfers led by wingman Donald Boone, Arkansas State’s top scorer with 11.5 points per game. The Utes have all five starters returning for coach Jim Boylen in his second year at the helm, giving Utah enough firepower to upset Mississippi (-1½) at the Glenn Wilkes Classic.
The best team of the early season, however, is the Gonzaga Bulldogs at 5-0 SU and 4-0 ATS. The ‘Zags have already moved up from No. 10 to No. 5 on the AP poll; Ken Pomeroy’s advanced efficiency stats have the West Coast Conference kingpins ranked first overall in Division I, ahead of 8-0 North Carolina (4-2 ATS) heading into Thursday’s slate. Gonzaga has played a tougher preseason schedule, sweeping Oklahoma State, Maryland and Tennessee to win the Old Spice Classic. Pomeroy has Utah ranked No. 5 and Arkansas State No. 107, a big step up from No. 258 last year.
The Tar Heels retain the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll that they’ve held since being named the runaway March Madness favorites at 5-2. The ACC might be the center of the basketball universe, but all that chalk hasn’t stopped North Carolina from being profitable – just like last year, when UNC went 24-12 ATS on a record of 34-3. The Duke Blue Devils (8-0 SU, 5-3 ATS) are also off to another flying start after upsetting Purdue (-2) 76-60 at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Watching UNC and Duke go at it hammer-and-tong and getting paid for it is truly a pleasure.
No. 22 Wisconsin at Marquette
Saturday, Dec 6, 9:30 p.m. (ET)
Wisconsin’s 74-72 triumph at Virginia Tech (-3) proves that the excruciatingly slow pace Bo Ryan prefers can still be exciting on occasion. More importantly, it’s very effective. The reigning Big Ten champions are 6-1 (3-3 ATS) thus far, with their only loss coming to the No. 2-ranked UConn Huskies (-5½). Now the Badgers turn their attention to getting revenge on Marquette (5-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) after the Golden Eagles prevailed 81-76 as 4½-point road dogs in last year’s preseason tilt.
Marquette hasn’t been quite as impressive as Wisconsin up to this point. The club’s one loss was to the Dayton Flyers (+9), a decent but unimposing mid-major opponent. The Eagles were double-digit favorites in their other games. Pomeroy has Marquette’s strength of schedule rated No. 317 out of the 344 teams, with Wisconsin’s at No. 103.
No. 19 Arizona State at Nebraska
Sunday, Dec 7, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
The Cornhuskers (6-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) have yet to encounter much resistance either, playing the No. 313-ranked schedule with half their games failing to draw a betting line. Arizona State (6-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) is somewhat more battle-tested at No. 203, having suffered a loss to the competitive Baylor Bears as 1½-point favorites.
The ‘Huskers are on the rise under third-year coach Doc Sadler, who is overseeing a transition following the departure of center Aleks Maric. Nebraska has upped its long-range shooting from 34.2 percent to 40.2 percent despite the 3-point line moving back a foot. But the Huskers are also near the bottom of the charts in offensive rebounding, and are getting to the free-throw line less often. Power forward Jeff Pendergraph (12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds per game) should have a relatively easy Sunday afternoon for the Sun Devils.