It’s a small slate of games on the college basketball odds board, but there’s still value. Here are three bets that our computer likes for tonight’s slate of games.
Picks Summary
- Virginia -6 (-110)
- North Carolina Central -8 (-110)
- Kansas -4.5 (-110)
*All odds from at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. Virginia Cavaliers
Monday, February 05, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at John Paul Jones Arena
Our AI Model believes Virginia will earn a 70-63 win over the Hurricanes tonight. With Virginia at -6, there’s slight value on the Cavaliers to cover this game.
It’s been a rollercoaster year for the Miami Hurricanes. However, they’ve won three of their last four games to push their ACC record to 6-5.
Meanwhile, Virginia is on a rampage right now after earning six straight games in ACC play. The Cavaliers are 8-3 in conference play and 17-5 overall. The Virginia defense has been lights out this season, holding teams to 32.2% from three and 44.2% from inside the arc. It’s also tough to get to the foul line against Virginia this season, and Miami doesn’t even do a good job at getting to the foul line at all anyway.
On the other hand, Virginia has held turnovers to below 14%. They won’t see the foul line often either, but they should have more success inside the arc, with Miami allowing teams to shoot nearly 53% from two this year.
With Virginia’s spectacular defense and the Cavaliers’ ability to score inside against a weak Miami defense, we’ll take the Cavaliers against the spread. The AI Model is onto something!
NCAAB Pick: Virginia -6 (-110) at Bet365
Morgan State Bears vs. North Carolina Central Eagles
Monday, February 05, 2024 – 07:30 PM ET at McDougald-McLendon Arena
The AI model has North Carolina Central defeating Morgan State, 80-69, as 8-point favorites. The value is on North Carolina Central against the spread in this one.
The Morgan State Bears might be 7-15 on the season, but they’ve won three of their last four games to get to 3-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They’ll take on a North Carolina Central team that has gone 5-1 in conference play. The Eagles have lost just one game since December 12.
Neither offense is very good. However, Morgan State’s defense is really poor. The Bears have allowed 38.5% of offensive rebounds and have watched teams shoot above 35% from three and nearly 55% from inside the arc.
If nothing else, North Carolina Central should see a lot of foul-shot opportunities. The Eagles get to the line at a high rate, and Morgan State fouls at a very high rate.
Meanwhile, Morgan State’s offensive efficiency is really low. With North Carolina Central holding teams to 27.2% from deep, the Bears will likely only have some success around the rim. But even then, the Bears have shot 48.1% from inside the arc, which is still worse than North Carolina Central.
Let’s take North Carolina Central to add another win to its resume tonight.
NCAAB Pick: North Carolina Central -8 (-110) at Bet365
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Monday, February 05, 2024 – 09:00 PM ET at Bramlage Coliseum
The AI Model has Kansas escaping Bramlage Coliseum with a 75-69 win over Kansas State. With the Jayhawks at -4.5 against the spread, Kansas is the play here.
The Kansas Jayhawks are currently 18-4 on the season but 6-3 in conference play in the Big 12. They’ve won two straight games and just knocked off Houston, 78-65 at home, which was the best win of the season.
On the other hand, the Kansas State Wildcats have lost four consecutive games, with three of those four games on the road. The Wildcats have dropped to 4-5 in conference play but are still 14-8 and on the bubble for a tournament appearance. A home win over Kansas would help. It’s just unlikely. The Wildcats have turned the ball over 21.5% of the time and have hit only 31.1% from three. Kansas State shoots an above-average amount of threes and has an effective field goal percentage of 49.8%.
Meanwhile, the Jayhawks have held teams to 32.8% from three and 44.2% from inside the arc. The defense doesn’t earn a ton of turnovers, but the Wildcats are so careless with the ball that they’ll get more turnovers in this game too.
On the other hand, Kansas State has allowed 32% of offensive rebounds. They’ve defended well other than that. However, the Jayhawks have shot 37.3% from deep and 57.1% from inside the arc. They’re just much better from the field and have a 56.9% effective field goal percentage, which ranks 9th in the entire country.
Let’s take Kansas in this fun rivalry matchup.
NCAAB Pick: Kansas -4.5 (-110) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
