College Basketball Picks

Big favorites versus teams that will make the most of every minute including garbage time are tough to bet on. For the casual bettor it can be the stuff of ulcers. Your team is up by 35 early and you still have to sweat the second unit! Against a NDSU like this that can shoot it and shoot it well, you run the risk of allowing them to hang around and keep the game within a reasonable deficit. That’s doubly true against a North Dakota State. The Bison are excellent from the charity stripe and would easily be able to keep the game’s margin under 25 points if they can create enough opportunities. In a game where a team like Duke is up 25, there’s a tendency for reserves to get lazy on defense and give up open looks in the dying seconds. Dan Jamison predicts if that will be the case for Duke and gives his free pick!

Virginia is the number one defense in the country in points allowed per game at 55.1). They allow their opponents to shoot just 38% from the field and 27.2% from the three-point line. The question for bettors to consider is – Will we see the Virginia defense from the majority of the season or the Virginia defense from the Florida State game. FSU shot over 56% from the field. Can Gardner Webb recreate FSU’s game plan and get open looks? Matt has your free pick.