Not everyone gets the day off today. Which NCAA Basketball programs are we counting on to help cash our betting tickets today?
Thursday night’s college basketball betting features a
pair of quarterfinal matchups in the Battle 4 Atlantis, with both battles
showcasing ranked squads. The No. 19 Memphis Tigers open the evening against
the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, while the No. 2 Louisville Tigers square off
with the Northern Iowa Panthers.
Let's take a look at both of these matchups and decide where bettors have the best chances of cashing in with their NCAA Basketball picks tonight.
Rams listed as short dogs vs Memphis
The NCAA Basketball odds makers at Bookmaker opened Memphis as a one-point favorite, with
early ‘steam’ on the Tigers quickly lifted the number to three. The ‘total’ was
first listed at 131, rising north to 132 after initial betting action favored
the OVER.
Memphis notched a second straight win to start the season
in Saturday’s 65-54 victory against the Samford Bulldogs, falling well short of
cashing as 25 ½-point home ‘chalk.’
Tigers forward Adonis Thomas logged a team-high 16 points, while mate
Joe Jackson grabbed three of his squad’s eight steals.
Virginia Commonwealth rolled over the Winthrop Eagles in
their latest spot, cruising to a 90-54 win in Saturday’s ‘non-board’ affair.
The victory followed a defeat Tuesday’s 53-51 setback against the Wichita State
Shockers, who upset VCU as a nine-point road dog.
I am going to back the short number. We are looking for VCU
to give Memphis a fight in the Bahamas. The Tigers have been overvalued away
from home with a 0-4 ATS mark in their last four neutral-site affairs, while
VCU collected with a 4-0 spread record in all four of its spots last year as a
non-favorite.
Rams forward Juvonte Reddic has come out of the gate this
year leading his troops in scoring (16.3 PPG) and rebounds (8.7 RPG), while he
and his mates look to extend their 4-1 ATS mark in their last five
non-conference clashes.
NCAA Basketball Pick: VCU +3
(Bookmaker.eu)
Cardinals, Panthers both start with streaks
5Dimes.eu first listed Louisville as a nine-point
favorite, while the College Basketball betting lines at other sites saw early wagers on the OVER lift its ‘total’
opener from 124 ½ to 125.
Louisville reeled off three blowout victories to start
its year in a trio of ‘cupcake’ contests, outscoring their foes by a combined
margin of 239-144. The latest triumph came in Sunday’s 80-39 spanking of the
Miami (Ohio) Red Hawks, collecting as a 25-point home favorite.
Northern Iowa cruised in Saturday’s 72-47 win as 16-point
home ‘chalk’ against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. Panthers guard Matt
Bohannon drained 3-of-5 buckets beyond the arc en route to 11 points, while
forward Seth Tuttle pulled in a team-high nine rebounds.
Louisville has not recently found itself in an
early-season tourney away from home, making it a challenging spot for Rick
Pitino’s crew. Northern Iowa is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 neutral-site battles,
while capturing last November’s South Padre Island Invitational with a 79-62
victory in Texas against the Providence Friars.
Northern Iowa’s Jake Koch leads the Missouri Valley
Conference in boards with 9.7 RPG, while mate Deon Mitchell ranks in the top
five for scoring (17.7 PPG) and assists (4.7 APG). The Panthers have hit
triples at a sizable clip of 43.1 percent, while being the group’s top
foul-shooting squad (77.6 percent).
Look for the Panthers to give Louisville a tougher than
expected fight here, connecting their share of buckets en route to cashing.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Northern Iowa +9 (5Dimes.eu)