Markus Howard is a beast for Marquette. The last time the teams met, Villanova actually did an excellent job on the rest of the Golden Eagles, holding them to just 28 points. The problem is that Howard did what he’s done for most of the year, lighting up teams. He had 38 vs Villanova. Howard is the type of player who can take over the game and carry his team, and the Wildcats have to prevent that from happening again tonight.
Losing Zion Williamson would have been a death knell for many teams, but Duke isn’t most teams. The Blue Devils are still incredibly talented, especially because R.J. Barrett is in the lineup. Williamson gets almost all of the accolades from fans and pundits, but it’s Barrett who is usually Duke’s most important player. Combine that with who is missing for Virginia Tech and we have a basketball pick on our hands! DJ breaks down Blue Devils/Hokies!
Kansas State hopes for some Kansas on Kansas crime as it attempts to steal one in Allen Fieldhouse as 3.5 point dogs. Kansas is not a better team without Lagerald Vick, and its success in the past three games was a product of playing at home and just how inept Oklahoma State and West Virginia are this season. Throughout this season, Kansas has been the quintessential home-court hero. Allen Fieldhouse has been a fortress for Kansas, which is 15-0 this season in Lawrence. The Jayhawks have been nothing special away from home, as Kansas is just 2-7 in true road games. Can KSU make the Jayhawks uncomfortable early enough to take the home crowd out of the game? DJ looks at all factors and gives his college hoops pick.
Something seems to have awakened in the Spartans after they got tripped up by Illinois. Since that game in Champaign, Michigan State is 4-0 and has won three of its four by ten or more, with the fourth being an eight-point win over Wisconsin. But Michigan State plays their rival as underdogs which sportsbooks opened at +4. DJ looks at if the momentum can take State to a cover against the spread!
Playing in Lubbock hasn’t been much of an edge for Texas Tech when Kansas has been the visitor. Granted, Texas Tech has beaten Kansas just once in the past 19 meetings overall, but the Red Raiders have lost eight straight to the Jayhawks in Lubbock, dating back to 2009. Current Texas Tech coach Chris Bears was on the Red Raiders’ bench for that game — as an assistant to Patrick Knight, who was then in his first season as the head man in Lubbock. Since then, Knight, Billy Gillispie and Tubby Smith have all come and gone, and not one managed to win a home game versus Kansas. Is this the game? The bookie’s line suggests it could be and DJ has a suggestion on your basketball bet!
Neither of these two squads are Kentucky, a strong mix of both offensive and defensive excellence. But, both of them can score points in bunches while struggling to get stops at the other end. Over its past nine contests, LSU has held exactly one team under 70 points, and that’s bottom-feeder Texas A&M.
This isn’t how things were supposed to go for the Hoosiers. Indiana was supposed to be on the upswing in Archie Miller’s second season in Bloomington, and Romeo Langford was supposed to lead the Hoosiers back into the NCAA tournament. It started out that way, but Indiana hasn’t looked anything like itself for the past two months. Sportsbooks have the Hoosiers as 7 point underdogs vs Iowa which no one would have predicted in pre-season. Is there value in a dog named Hoosier? DJ gives his prediction!
Was the win over the Hoosiers the boost that Minnesota needs to get back on track, or a sign of just how far Indiana has fallen? If it’s the former, the Gophers have an excellent shot at getting a win they badly need in this contest. Minnesota nearly pulled off a stunner at Crisler Center on Jan. 22 by overcoming a 10-point deficit to tie the game, only to fall to Charles Matthews’ buzzer-beater. But in that defeat, Minnesota showed that the Wolverines could be beaten if they could defend the 3-pointer and find some offense of their own. DJ looks at tonight’s matchup and the sportsbook’s opening line of Michigan -4.5.
UNC will make the short 10 miles drive to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on Duke tonight. Tip off is scheduled for 9 PM ET and can be viewed on ESPN. The NCAA betting boards show a consensus line of Duke -9 with the total offered in the 165-166.5 range depending on the book. The Tar Heels took the last meeting last season by 5 on a neutral court but were beaten by 10 the last time they were in Durham. Who’s the play? Get Dan’s detailed breakdown and his free prediction versus the line.
Tennessee is coming off an embarrassing 86-69 blowout loss to Kentucky so you can expect them to be fully focused for their game against Vanderbilt tonight. They’ll have to be to get the cover with the consensus point spread line of Tenn -18.5 being hung on the boards. Read on to get NCAA handicapper Dan’s ATS winner.