Although it’s a small night in college basketball, there’s still value on the board! Here are three bets to consider for tonight’s college basketball slate!
Picks Summary
- North Carolina -8 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
- Kansas -8.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
- Hofstra (-180) at Bet365
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Monday, January 22, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Dean E. Smith Center
Our computers believe North Carolina will escape the Demon Deacons, 82-73, as eight-point favorites. That would be enough for the Tar Heels to pick up the cover and win the game outright.
North Carolina is considered to be one of the best teams in the nation. The Tar Heels have won eight straight games and are now 7-0 in ACC play this season.
They’ll take on a Wake Forest group that is 13-5 but 5-2 in ACC play. The Demon Deacons are playing at a high level but have lost their last two road games in ACC play.
Wake Forest isn’t active enough on the offensive glass, earning 27.6% of offensive rebounds. They’re really good at the foul line, hitting over 80% from the charity stripe. However, North Carolina has limited most teams from getting to the foul line. After all, North Carolina should be the team to see the foul line more often, and the Tar Heels have shot 76.2% from the line, which is also really good.
If anything, Wake Forest has been shooting the ball better than North Carolina. However, the Tar Heels rank fourth in the nation in adjusted efficiency defensively. Opponents aren’t getting good looks against the Tar Heels.
Therefore, I’ll back the home team at -7.5. North Carolina will limit turnovers better, add more offensive rebounds, and just limit Wake Forest from the field on their home floor.
NCAAB Pick: North Carolina -8 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Monday, January 22, 2024 – 09:00 PM ET at Allen Fieldhouse
The AI model has Kansas defeating Cincinnati 78-68. With Kansas sitting at -8.5, the Jayhawks have some value per the AI Model. I agree, especially with Kansas coming off a road loss to West Virginia. The Kansas Jayhawks were upset by West Virginia after losing another road Big 12 matchup. The Jayhawks fell to 15-3 on the season, but they’re also 3-2 in conference play this year.
While Kansas will be home tonight, they’ll still face a tough challenge in Cincinnati. The Bearcats are 13-5 but 2-3 in Big 12 play. They’ve lost three of their last four games and only earned a win against TCU in that mix. But that game went to overtime at home.
Still, each game for Cincinnati had been close. The Bearcats lost to Texas by one, Baylor by three, beat TCU by four in overtime, and lost to Oklahoma by four at home. However, Kansas is a much different beast. The Jayhawks have shot 36.4% from deep and 56.7% from inside the arc. They’re also hitting nearly 75% of foul shots and turn the ball over under 17% of the time.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati doesn’t get to the foul line as much and has shot a weaker percentage from the field, hitting 34.2% from three and 51.2% from inside the arc. But worst of all, the Bearcats have shot under 67% from the foul line.
At the end of the game, you can’t rely on the Bearcats to escape the Jayhawks. Kansas will be happy at home after playing multiple games on the road. Their shooting will be better and they’ll build on the lead throughout the game.
Back the Jayhawks at -8.5.
NCAAB Pick: Kansas -8.5 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
Hofstra Pride vs. Stony Brook Seawolves
Monday, January 22, 2024 – 09:00 PM ET at Island FCU Arena
The AI Model likes Hofstra to defeat Stony Brook on the road, 73-69. With the Pride sitting at -180 on the moneyline, there’s some value on Hofstra to win this game outright.
The Hofstra Pride have only won two of their last seven games. They’ve dropped to 9-9 on the season and are 2-3 in CAA conference play. That’s unlike Hofstra and doesn’t meet the standards of the program. Meanwhile, they’ll face a Stony Brook team that is also 9-9 on the season with a 2-3 conference record. Both of these teams are in danger of falling below .500 with a loss tonight.
Stony Brook has shot a 48.5% effective field goal percentage. They’ve also shot just 32.6% from three and 48.2% from inside the arc. The Seawolves aren’t a great shooting team, but they should be able to earn a solid portion of second-chance points, with Hostra allowing 30.9% offensive rebounds.
The Pride is also very poor at defending the three, giving up 35.7% from downtown. But they’re good at limiting points inside the arc, allowing only 48.5% there.
On the other hand, the Pride are weak on the offensive glass and don’t get to the foul line often. The difference is that the Pride shoots 35.3% from deep and 55.4% from inside the arc. They’ve shot at a high rate, while the Stony Brook defense has allowed a 52.3% effective field goal percentage. In nearly 20 games this season, the Seawolves have allowed teams to shoot 37% from three.
Hofstra is 12th in the nation in 3-point field goal attempts to field goal attempts. They’re looking to shoot the three and have plenty of confidence when shooting it. Let’s take Hofstra to earn the win based on their shooting.
NCAAB Pick: Hofstra (-180) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
*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.
