Another Saturday is here which means we have a monster slate of basketball in the college ranks. There are a 100+ games to breakdown and there are some big time matchups that will have an effect on the seeds come March Madness. The clear best game on the slate has two potential #1 seeds facing off with Kansas going into Waco to take on the top ranked Baylor Bears. If Baylor is able to complete the season sweep of the Jayhawks it will lock down their top seed and set the stage for them being the favorite come tourney time.
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With so many games we are going to have a bunch of potential plays in the sports betting world, and its never a bad idea to get some info on teams we will be using in our brackets next month. This article is going to breakdown a few matchups that I think have some value and could make for good bets on this big time college basketball slate.
CBB Games Against the Spread
4 PM EST Florida State -1 at NC State, O/U 146
Big game here in the ACC as 8th ranked Florida State goes on the road to take on NC State. The Seminoles are just a one point favorite in this spot so Vegas clearly has this as a toss up kind of game. Florida State is a unique challenge for any team as they are incredibly deep, and its possible they have double digit guys in the rotation once again in this game. Coming in FSU is 22-4 on the season and 12-3 in conference play so they are in the hunt for a top seed come tourney time.
On the NC State side they were in all in mode against Duke earlier this week and they responded with a massive 88-66 beatdown of the Blue Devils. That win is a huge boost for the Wolfpack resume and could be the difference in them finding the big dance or being left out. Following that up with a win against FSU would really solidify this team and at home they will have every opportunity for another marquee win.
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Markell Johnson is the leader of this team and he will have to be the best player on the court for NC State to hang in this one. Another concern for NC State is on the boards where they are average at best and going against a Florida State team with a lot of length. Against Duke they more then held their own on the boards and shot a fantastic clip from 3 point land which is the formula they will have to employ here to grab a win.
Florida State is one of the hardest teams to breakdown with the number of players they use and the seemingly different ways they can attack. Defensively Florida State is fantastic in forcing turnovers and lead the country in block shot percentage which speaks to the length in the frontcourt. Like most teams Florida State is much better at home, but they already have roads wins against teams like Florida, Virginia Tech and Louisville on the season and they have shown the ability to go into hostile environments and be effective. I think the depth and length of Florida State is really going to disrupt NC State on both sides of the ball and with this being a virtual pickem I will back the 8th ranked Noles despite being on the road.
My Pick: Florida State -1
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4 PM EST Oklahoma at Oklahoma St -1.5 , O/U 138
Bedlam game on tap here and although the Football version is usually the main event these two teams still produce some quality basketball year in and year out. Unfortunately for Ok State they’ve had a rough 2020 and sit at just 13-13 on the season. For Oklahoma they need every win possible and at 16-10 need a strong finish to be relevant in March.
Oklahoma had their chance against #1 Baylor in their gym earlier this week and like most teams they were unable to grab a win and missed a huge opportunity to solidify the resume. Oklahoma already beat OK State at home earlier this year and completely the season sweep is a must considering they are running out of time. In order to do that the trio of Austin Reaves, Brady Manek and Kristian Doolittle need to lead the way and produce the majority of the offense. All three are upperclassmen and they should have the advantage on the inside against this OSU defense.
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For Oklahoma State its been a rough Big 12 season and they Cowboys are just 3-10 in league play. Injuries played a part in the struggles and now that Isaac Likekele is back that is going to pay major dividends down the stretch. Likekele leads the team with 11 points per game and adds in 5 boards and 4.5 assists so he’s clearly the guy running this offense. The big issue for the Oklahoma State team is horrendous shooting where they rank 312th in the country in 3 PT % and just 275th from inside the arc. That has led to frustrating games where the shots haven’t fallen and they were unable to close down the stretch. Recent form for this team has been better, probably because they are healthy as they have won two of three including a home game against 23rd ranked Texas Tech.
Oklahoma State is a 1.5 point favorite despite the .500 record and that mostly has to due with the fact they are at home for this rivalry game. They are back healthy and seem to be motivated to finish the season strong even if the big dance is out of their realistic goals. On the other side Oklahoma has really struggled away from home having just two road victories on the entire season. The last one was back in early January against Texas and since then they are 0-5 away from Norman. I think we see this trend continue and Oklahoma State holds serve at home in what should be a rowdy atmosphere with the arch rival coming to town.
My Pick: Oklahoma State -1.5
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