Thursday is the night where NCAA Basketball takes center stage. There are only 2 NBA games slated so the majority of our betting action will come from our college basketball picks.
There are just two top 25 matchups out there, but I think that we can take
advantage of some lopsided matchups in our NCAA basketball Picks of the Day.
#6 Duke (22-3, 9-3)
at Virginia Tech (11-14, 2-10)
Duke will be out for blood. Although they play much better
at Cameron Indoor Stadium, they bounce back well from losses and after an 83-81
loss to Maryland; the Blue Devils see the ACC regular season lead slipping away
to the Miami (FL) Hurricanes.
Not only that, the Hurricanes are dominating the ACC and
this is a team that Duke will possibly see in the ACC Tournament and beyond.
The bottom line is like most teams, Duke doesn’t like to be embarrassed.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski displays major class in blowouts, but
to get the Blue Devils confidence back, you may see him run up the score here
while keeping the starters in the game longer.
Slowing Down a Bit?
Although he’s still averaging big-time numbers and plays a
pivotal role in Duke’s offense, we may be seeing a few chinks in Mason
Plumlee’s armour.
Plumlee is coming off of a 4 point effort in a loss to
Maryland and had an 8 point performance against Florida State earlier in the
month. I give him a pass for the Florida State game as other players were
having exceptional games, but could it be possible that Mason Plumlee is
getting tired from the grind of the schedule?
Viriginia Tech is a weak opponent and we might see a lot
more of Seth Curry and Quinn Cook in this game.
The ACC Blues
The Virginia Tech Hokies have lost 8 straight games and they
have the rest of the ACC to thank for it. That said, they were very competitive
in their last game, a 90-86 loss to N.C. State in overtime, on the road. If
they play like that against Duke, they might not win the game, but they’ll
surely cover the 13 point spread at home.
Erick Green
The Hokies may not have a .500 record, but they possess one
of the best players in college basketball in guard, Erick Green . Green is
averaging 25.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game this season.
Green put up 29 points on N.C. State on Saturday and I don’t expect the Duke
defense to completely stop him.
Duke is by far the superior team when Plumlee plays well.
Look for a bounce back performance from the senior as Duke destroys VA Tech.
NCAAB Picks : Duke
-13 at 5 Dimes
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Penn State (8-17,
0-13) at Illinois (19-8, 6-7)
Look for Illinois to be motivated in this game as they
strive to reach the .500 mark in inter-conference play. The NCAA voting
committee frowns upon teams with a losing record in their conference and the
Fighting Illini has Penn State on their schedule at the right time.
Good, But Not Good
Enough
The Nittany Lions have been a flat-out disgrace this season,
but losing to Michigan in their last game by just 8 points is a moral victory.
As a 16 point underdog in this game, Penn State has no chance to win, but can
only seek another “moral victory” at Assembly Hall.
Penn State is shooting just 38.6 % from the field and
averages 61.2 points per game, but disallowed Trey Burke and Michigan to have a
double-digit lead in their game. Are they up for the task as spoiler against
Illinois?
Perfect Timing!
With victories over top 25 teams like Indiana and Minnesota
and 20 plus point blowouts of Northwestern and Purdue, Illinois is getting hot
at the right time. That said, leading scorer, Brandon Paul need’s to get his
game together before tournament time.
Cold as Ice
As the song goes, “You’re as Cold as Ice” and that pertains
to Paul, who is averaging a mere 8 points on 6 of 22 shooting from the field in
his last 3 games. This hasn’t been a problem for the Fighting Illini because
they were playing sub .500 teams such as Northwestern and Purdue, but Illinois
needs his offense and senior leadership desperately.
I don’t expect Penn State to have back to back solid
performances. Illinois played well without Paul’s production and they should
blow Penn State out of the building.
NCAAB Picks: Illinois
-16 at 5 Dimes