Analysis and betting tips for Saturday’s Duke/North Carolina, Baylor–Kansas, and UConn-Villanova men’s basketball matchups.
As March Madness approaches, the snow and bitter cold are sweeping the country. However, action on the NCAA Men’s collegiate hardwood heats up.
There are some excellent betting opportunities on Saturday, highlighted by Mike Krzyzewski’s last trip to Chapel Hill with No. North Carolina will face 9 Duke. The Hall-of-Fame coach will attempt to end a two-game losing streak against their largest rival. His record against Tar Heels is 49-46.
Two other great rivalries will be found by sports bettors when No. 12 Villanova hosts No. 17 UConn hosts No. 8 Baylor will be heading to Lawrence to face No. 10 Kansas in a clash of titans in the Big 12.
North Carolina +3 (-110)
Under 148.5 (-110)
Venue Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill (N.C.)
6 p.m. ET | ESPN
Editor’s note – Odds can change.
Since opening, the line has moved one point in favor of No. 9 Duke (18-3 straight up (SU); 12-7-1 against spread (ATS), as a 2-point road favourite over North Carolina (16-6, SU; 11-12 ATS), at SI Sportsbook.
The Blue Devils are the only ranked ACC team. Paolo Banchero, a freshman, leads the club in scoring (17.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.3 points per game). He is also the Blue Blood’s latest star.
Duke is a 5.5 point favorite for Saturday’s game. It is currently 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS after its seven previous games. The Tar Heels will be facing Duke, who is currently at the top of the ACC standings.
North Carolina has been on a winning streak of four games and has awarded bettors a 3-1 ATS record over this span.
Armando Bacot, a junior forward, has been a double-double machine. He leads the team in rebounding (12.5 RBG) and scoring (16.5 PPG). Bacot is the leader of a quartet of Tar Heels that average in double-digits. This includes Caleb Love, sophomore guard (15.3 ppg). During the winning streak, he was the club’s top scorer three times.
While Duke will be playing with Banchero, Duke’s player is undoubtedly the best on the court. However, Coach K’s home court advantage and the raucous crowd from his last Chapel Hill visit makes it too tempting to miss out in a matchup of this magnitude. We also find that North Carolina has a remarkable 8-2 ATS record in its last 10 matches with the Blue Devils, which includes 5-0 ATS in five of the last five meetings at The Dean Center.
BET: North Carolina +3 (+110)
Kansas -2 (-110)
Under 147.5 (-110)
Venue: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kan.
4 p.m. ET | ESPN
Editor’s note – Odds can change.
Since opening, the line has held steady in favor of No. 10 Kansas is a 2-point home favorite over No. SI Sportsbook: 8 Baylor (19-3 SU, 12-9-1 ATS).
The National Champion Bears are currently on a 15-game winning streak. However, they have lost three of seven of their last seven games. The Bears’ inconsistent play in the last month has weighed on sports betting experts who invested in them. They have posted a disappointing 4-6 overall score over the past 10 games.
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The Bears beat West Virginia 81-77 earlier in the week but failed to cover 12 points as home favorites. It should be noted, however, that Baylor was very shorthanded against the Mountaineers as they were without LJ Cryer (foot), and Adam Flagler(knee). Cryer (13.9 points per game), Flager (12.7ppg), James Akinjo (13.6ppg), and Kendall Brown (10.0ppg) are all in double-figures.
Akinjo was the Bears’ only starter, and he scored a game-high 25 point victory over West Virginia. Flager will be needed by the Bears against Kansas this Saturday. He has been the club’s leading scorer away from Waco, averaging 14.3 points per game.
Kansas is currently 6-1 in its seven last games. However, bettors have not been kind over this span with a 2-5 ATS record. The Jayhawks won eight of their last ten games but only three times have they covered the spread over that time. Kansas holds a half-game advantage over Baylor to be first in the Big 12 and is currently 14-2 SU.
No. 20 Iowa State beat No. David McCormack (left) and Dajuan Harris (right) stepped in for Ochai Agbaji, scoring a record 14 points each.
Kansas will require Agbaji (21.3 ppg and 5.0 rbg), to hopefully be cleared by protocols on Saturday to pair up with Christian Bruan (15.1 ppg; 5.7 rbg), against a Bears team that averages 78.8 point per game.
When the line opened Friday afternoon, Vegas’s respected money immediately backed Jayhawks. This likely means only one thing. Due to injuries, Cryer, who ranks among the top in 3-point shooting in the country, or Flager (or both) will have to miss the game. It is too much to expect that Allen Fieldhouse will play shorthanded. Rock Chalk has won four out of five home games against the Bears and has a remarkable 5-1 ATS record in six of its last six meetings with Baylor. These records are expected to improve on Saturday.
BET: Kansas -2 (-110)
Villanova -5 (-110)
Under 130 (-110)
Venue Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Penn.
12 p.m. ET | Fox
Editor’s note – Odds can change.
Since opening, the line has held steady in favor of No. 12 Villanova (16-6 Su; 12-10 ATS), as a 5-point home favourite over No. 17 UConn (15-5 SU; 10-10 ATS).
Since December, the Wildcats are 9-2 in their 11 games. They have lost only twice to a surging No. 24 Marquette squad. Villanova, which has won four of six Big East Tournaments in a row, is now two games behind No. 15 Providence is the conference’s regular-season standings.
Sports bettors have been spooked by the Wildcats’ 1-4 ATS record in their last five games. This is a disappointing skid in betting after a very profitable 6-0 ATS run.
Villanova is expected to win the Big East Tournament at SI Sportsbook next month, but finalist for the Cousy Award Collin Gillespie (17.1ppg) will need more consistent support. Justin Moore, the shooting guard (15.1 ppg), has been struggling of late. He scored only 15 points in combined games against St. John’s College and Marquette. The club’s inability to spread its offensive sets has caused Jermaine Samuels, a versatile forward, to slow down the spacing. His struggles beyond the arc have hindered the club’s spacing. Only 6 (63.3%) of his 45 (3-point attempts have been made by the senior.
The Wildcats need to be healthy, as Bryan Antoine (ankle), has missed several games over the past few weeks and has affected the club’s bench rotation.
As 10.5-point home favorites, the Huskies enter this showdown hoping to bounce from their surprise 59-55 defeat to Creighton. R.J. Cole, Connecticut’s senior guard, is the leader in scoring (16.0 ppg). UConn will need strong production from Tyrese Martin, forward, and Isaiah Whaley in order to provide a balanced offensive attack against Villanova’s club which ranks 22nd in this country. Villanova allows 61.1 points per games.
Huskies victory will depend on the performance of Adama Sanogo, a sophomore big man. Villanova could be troubled by Sanogo’s 15.6 points per game and 11.9 rebounds in his seven previous games. Eric Dixon, the Villanova big man, will have to defend his position and limit Sanogo’s postup work.
UConn has lost four straight games to Villanova since its return to Big East in 2018. Both teams will look to bounce back from losses earlier in the week. However, early betting money believes Villanova (8-1 SU at home) will improve its record.
BET: Villanova -5 (-110)
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