College basketball has not seen a team go undefeated since Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers went 32-0 in 1975-76. The closest we have seen since then was a St. Joseph's team that went 27-0 in 2003-04 before losing to Xavier in the Atlantic-10 tournament. In 1990-91, UNLV was also 34-0 before losing to Duke in the NCAA Championship game. Every season a team flirts with an undefeated season, but that notion slowly fades as teams get deeper into the conference schedule in January and February and ultimately at tournament time in March.
Following the holiday tournaments and classroom exams, conference season begins. Syracuse opens the Big East season at home tonight vs. Seton Hall. Louisville also opens Big East play tonight at home against No. 12 Georgetown, who is 10-1 SU and 6-0 ATS. Louisville then travels to Rupp Arena to take on No. 3 Kentucky New Year’s Eve. Baylor held off West Virginia 83-81 in the Las Vegas Classic last game, and host No. 15 Mississippi State tonight before opening Big Xll play vs. Texas A&M January 2nd. Missouri beat rival Illinois 78-74 last time out and plays at Old Dominion December 30th before opening Big Xll play vs. Oklahoma. Indiana continues to surprise (7-0 ATS) following its buzzer-beater over Kentucky. The Hoosiers face a host of toughest tests upcoming with a trip to No. 16 Michigan State tonight followed by home games vs. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan over the next eight days. And finally, Murray State has the best shot of remaining undefeated for an extended time as the Racers are the class of the Ohio Valley Conference. Their first conference road game is at Eastern Illinois December 30th.
Below is a list of the current undefeated teams with AP Poll rankings and non-conference strength of schedule (SOS) provided by KenPom. As a reminder, there are over 340 DI teams. Clearly, strength of schedule is going to get much tougher and rankings will move up significantly for the top teams as they get into conference play.
The Western Michigan Broncos have won four games in a row, but they're still going to be big underdogs on the college hoops betting lines at Bovada's online sportsbook for their game on Friday night.
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That's because the Broncos will be travelling to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils, a team whose only loss so far this season came at the hands of No. 2 Ohio State back on November 29.
Duke is 10-1 straight up over its first 11 games this year, paying off at just 4-7 against the spread while going 8-2-1 on the OVER/UNDER. The Blue Devils are also sitting at 15/1 odds to win the NCAA Tournament in the spring.
Duke has won three straight games since falling to Ohio State last month, most recently getting past N.C. Greensboro by a 90-63 score in a rout on December 19.
Mason Plumlee led the way for the Blue Devils with 15 points and 13 rebounds in that easy win over the Spartans, while Austin Rivers and Quinn Cook poured in 14 points apiece. Miles Plumlee also grabbed 13 boards on the day.
Western Michigan began its season with six straight losses before managing to right the ship; they head into their matchup with Duke at 5-7 straight up, 4-5 against the spread, and 5-4 on the OVER/UNDER.
The Broncos last played last Friday night when they beat Oakland 91-76 on the road. Austin Richie had 22 points for Western Michigan that day, and Mike Douglas picked up 19 points and six assists.
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The game of the night on Tuesday in college basketball is pretty obvious as red-hot No. 11 Michigan State visits No. 19 Wisconsin in the only Top-25 matchup on the slate. The Badgers opened as 6-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds.
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The Spartans started the season with back-to-back losses to North Carolina and Duke but have won 13 straight and are one of only three teams (Michigan, Purdue) to not yet have suffered a Big Ten loss through two games. MSU opened conference play last week with a wildly entertaining 15-point win over Indiana and then a 68-55 win at Nebraska on New Year’s Eve. The Spartans are on their longest winning streak since the 1998-99 team won 22 straight. Eleven of the 13 have been by double digits. Michigan State has won its first two Big Ten games for the fifth straight season. Draymond Green is making an early case for Big Ten Player of the Year – he leads the team in points (15.4), rebounds (9.5) and is second in assists (3.3).
Wisconsin (12-3) opened Big Ten play with a 27-point blowout win at Nebraska but then was surprised at home 72-65 by Iowa on New Year’s Eve. That loss snapped Wisconsin's 23-game home winning streak against unranked opponents. Wisconsin had its second-worst shooting game of the season (34.8 percent) and was a dismal 3 for 28 on 3-pointers. And defensively the Badgers allowed a season high in points.
A win tonight by MSU would be noteworthy considering coach Tom Izzo is 0-8 against Badgers coach Bo Ryan at the Kohl Center in Madison. Michigan State hasn’t won there in more than a decade and its last three losses at the Kohl Center all were by at least 15 points, including last season’s 82-56 defeat. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings in this series overall.
No. 3 Duke plays its final non-conference game before starting ACC play this weekend and it should be a challenge for the Blue Devils tonight as they visit a very good Temple team of the Atlantic 10. Duke is a 7.5-point favorite on Bovada’s NCAA basketball lines.
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The only loss for Duke (12-1) remains at Ohio State and the Blue Devils have won five in a row since then, mostly in blowout fashion. They warmed up for this one by beating another school located in Philadelphia, Penn, by a score of 85-55. Duke scored 20 of the game's first 24 points to run out to a big early lead and led by 18 points at halftime and by as many as 34 points after the break.
Temple (9-3) has won three in a row, by a combined 12 points over fairly weak competition. The Owls have been off since Dec. 30 when they beat Delaware 66-63. Temple is a very guard-oriented team and is led by the trio of Ramone Moore (17.4 ppg.), Khalif Wyatt (14.2 ppg.) and Juan Fernandez (13.3 ppg.). The Owls do miss leading rebounder Michael Eric, who has missed the past eight games with a knee injury. Without him, Temple figures to get crushed on the boards tonight against the likes of Ryan Kelly and the Plumlee brothers. The Owls and Duke do have a common opponent this season: Temple opened the year with a 73-67 overtime win at Penn.
Duke leads the series 18-9, and has won the last nine meetings (six by at least double digits) and has been ranked in the Top 10 in all nine contests. Duke has won 18 consecutive games against Atlantic 10 opponents dating back to a 59-58 loss to Temple on Jan. 25, 1996 (its last loss to the Owls). Coach Mike Krzyzewski is 36-1 all-time vs. the A-10.
This game technically will be a neutral-site game (at least how Duke is considering it) because it’s not on Temple’s campus but at the Wells Fargo Center. The Blue Devils have won 16 consecutive non-postseason neutral site contests and are 5-0 this year. The Owls will be looking to post a win over a Top 10 team for the fourth straight season.
Temple is 1-5 ATS in its past six home games (Owls consider this a home game). The home team has covered in the past four in the Duke-Temple series.
There is just one Top-25 matchup in college basketball on Thursday night and it’s from the Big Ten as No.13 Michigan visits No. 12 Indiana at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Hoosiers are 7.5-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball lines.
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Michigan (12-2, 2-0 Big Ten) has won seven in a row, including opening conference play with home wins over Penn State and Minnesota last week. U-M has one of the nation’s top freshmen in guard Trey Burke. He scored a career-high 27 points in the win over the Gophers and leads the team in assists (5.0) and minutes played and is second in scoring (14.0). This will be the second team currently ranked that Michigan has played – the Wolverines lost by seven to Duke on a neutral site back in late November.
Indiana (13-1, 1-1) opened Big Ten play with a wild loss at ranked Michigan State but bounced back Saturday with a home upset of No. 2 Ohio State, 74-70. The Hoosiers are 10-0 in Assembly Hall, including victories over then-No. 1 Kentucky and then-No. 2 Ohio State, marking the first time IU has defeated two teams ranked so highly in the same season. IU is the ninth team since 1996-97 to beat both a No. 1 and a No. 2 in one season. During coach Tom Crean's first three seasons, IU was just 25-25 at home and 28-66 overall. Indiana has a superstar freshman in Cody Zeller. He leads the team in points and rebounds but has struggled in Big Ten play.
The Hoosiers, who are the nation’s top 3-point shooting team, are unlikely to have their top bench player tonight. Forward Will Sheehey (10.7 ppg) hasn’t played since suffering a high-ankle sprain in late December. Since 1996, Indiana is 13-1 against Michigan at Assembly Hall. The only loss was in 2009, when the Hoosiers blew a 20-point second-half lead and fell in overtime. Last season, Indiana defeated Michigan 80-61 at home.
Michigan is 9-2 ATS in past 11 road games. IU is 5-0 ATS in past five as a favorite and at home. The home team has covered four of the past five in this series.
Coming off just their second loss of the season, the Duke Blue Devils will be looking to bounce back with a win on Saturday afternoon as they play on the road at Georgia Tech in a college basketball betting matchup at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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Duke lost 78-73 on the road against Temple on Wednesday night, putting them at 12-2 straight up and 6-8 against the spread on the season. The Blue Devils are also 9-4-1 on the OVER/UNDER so far this year.
Miles Plumlee had a team-high 17 points for Duke in their loss to the Owls, with Mason Plumlee good for 16 points and 13 rebounds in the contest. Austin Rivers picked up 12 points on the day; he's averaging 15.1 points per game in his freshman campaign.
Duke's only other loss this season came on the road against Ohio State in November.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off three straight losses to Mercer, Fordham, and Alabama, putting them at just 7-7 straight up, 3-6 against the spread, and 5-4 on the OVER/UNDER.
Georgia Tech was thumped 73-48 at home by the Crimson Tide in their last game, with Kammeon Holsey pouring in 14 points for the team in a losing cause. Julian Royal added 10 points for the Yellow Jackets that day.
The Blue Devils have won each of their last three meetings with Georgia Tech, and are 8-2 straight up in their last 10 matchups. The teams split those 10 games at 5-5 against the spread, with the UNDER paying out for totals bettors nine of the 10 times.
Syracuse’s weeks-long reign as the nation’s No. 1 team could come to an end if No. 20 Marquette can come to the Carrier Dome and pull the upset on Saturday afternoon, although the Orange are solid favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball lines.
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Syracuse (16-0, 3-0) is easily the deepest team in the country and has opened Big East play with three blowouts, albeit against three of the conference’s worst teams in Seton Hall, DePaul and Providence. In Wednesday’s 87-73 win over the Friars, the Orange only led by two at the half but shot 73 percent in the second half to pull away. It is the second consecutive season the Orange have opened with 16 straight wins. Last season's team went 18-0 before its first loss. The Syracuse second five could start for most other teams and the bench leads the nation in reserve scoring.
Marquette (12-3, 1-1) opened 10-0 but hasn’t won two in a row since then. The Golden Eagles blew one on Wednesday at No. 9 Georgetown. Marquette led by 14 at the half and 17 with 13:10 left but allowed the Hoyas to shoot 76 percent in the second half on the way to a 73-70 Georgetown win. Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder both got late looks at potential tying 3s for Marquette, but both missed.
The Golden Eagles are 1-7 all-time vs. the No. 1 team in the nation and last faced a No. 1 team on Nov. 22, 2010 against Duke. Marquette dropped that contest 82-77 in Kansas City. Marquette beat Syracuse twice last season, including in the NCAA Tournament to earn a spot in the Sweet 16. Marquette is 1-6-1 ATS in past eight overall. Orange are 6-1 ATS in past seven.
There are only four unbeaten teams left in college basketball, and there very well could be one less by Saturday afternoon as No. 6 Missouri faces a huge test at No. 22 Kansas State – bet on the game at Bovada’s NCAA basketball lines.
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The Tigers (14-0, 1-0 Big 12) were supposed to be good but have been one of the nation’s surprises under first-year coach Frank Haith. They have really only had one close call, against Illinois, and opened Big 12 play on Tuesday with a 87-49 blowout of Oklahoma. The 38-point win was also the Tigers' largest over OU since 1922 and their second-largest over a Big 12 team, second only to a 45-point win over Colorado in 2009. Big 12 Player of the Year candidate Marcus Denmon had 20 points against the Sooners as Mizzou was 12-for-21 from 3-point range. The Tigers rank No. 1 in the nation in overall field goal percentage and No. 2 in points per game and are off to their best start since the 1981-82 team was 19-0.
Kansas State (11-2, 0-1) is in the midst of three straight against ranked teams. The Wildcats lost their Big 12 opener Wednesday at state rival Kansas, 67-49. Going 5-for-20 from 3-point range doomed Kansas State, which is among the national rebounding leaders. The 49 points were the fewest scored by K-State in more than year and the Wildcats’ 31.6 percent shooting was their worst of the season.
This will be just the second true road game of the season for Missouri, which hasn't won at Kansas State since 2004. However, Mizzou has won three of the past five meetings overall. The favorite is 5-0 ATS in past five meetings. Tigers are 0-7 ATS in past seven at KSU.
Suddenly skidding, the Connecticut Huskies will try to get back on track on Monday night when they play host to the West Virginia Mountaineers in college basketball betting action at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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UConn fell 75-63 last Tuesday night at Seton Hall, then was beaten 67-60 on the road on Saturday night at Rutgers. That puts the Huskies at 12-3 on the season, and they've emptied bettors' wallets to date with a 3-7-1 ATS mark so far on the year.
Against the Scarlet Knights last time out Shabazz Napier poured in a team-high 23 points, and Andre Drummond picked up 10 points and 12 rebounds. No other Huskies player managed to break double-digits in scoring in that defeat.
The Mountaineers took care of Rutgers 85-64 on the road last Wednesday, then ran their winning streak to two games by beating Georgetown 74-62 at home in their last game on Saturday.
Darryl Bryant picked up 25 points for West Virginia against the Hoyas, while Kevin Jones was good for 22 points and 16 rebounds. Gary Browne tossed in 12 points for the Mountaineers in the victory.
West Virginia is now 12-4 straight up on the season, and unlike the Huskies they've been a lucrative betting option – they're 9-4 against the spread.
And the Mountaineers managed to beat the Huskies in their matchup last season, winning 65-56 at home as a 5-point favorite. Connecticut, though, is 7-3 both straight up and against the spread in the past 10 meetings between the schools.
The last three games between West Virginia and Connecticut have turned into UNDER results; the Mountaineers are 8-5 on the OVER/UNDER this season, while the Huskies are 4-7.
No. 5 Ohio State has dominated Illinois in recent years, winning 10 of the past 12 matchups with the Illini and sweeping them last season. Yet tonight’s Big Ten matchup in Champaign sure looks like potential trouble for Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes, who are 8.5-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball lines.
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Ohio State (15-2, 3-1) has bounced back in a big way since a loss at Indiana on New Year’s Eve, pummeling both Nebraska and Iowa last week. Sullinger was named Big Ten player of the week for the first time this season. He had 47 points and 20 rebounds in the wins over the Cornhuskers and Hawkeyes. Sullinger was dominant in his only previous visit to Champaign, totaling 27 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks while playing the full 40 minutes of a 73-68 win Jan. 22. The Buckeyes rank No. 2 in both scoring offense (78.0 ppg.) and scoring defense (54.9 ppg.) in the Big Ten.
But Sullinger could have some trouble tonight against Illinois 7-footer Meyers Leonard. After barely playing last season, Leonard has been one of the nation’s most improved players, averaging 12.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. However, the Illini (14-3, 3-1) have been uneven of late. They do enter on a two-game winning streak, but those were squeakers over Northwestern and Nebraska. The Illini are 10-0 at home this season.
And Illinois will be shorthanded tonight. Point guard Sam Maniscalco (ankle) did not play on Saturday against Nebraska and is likely out again. Leading scorer D.J. Richardson (wrist) played 21 minutes off the bench but took only four shots against the Huskers. He will play but clearly isn’t 100 percent.
The Buckeyes have won the last 11 games in the series as a ranked team. Illinois is just 1-5 ATS in past six home games. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in past five meetings in this series.
Two struggling teams will meet on the hardwood at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Tuesday night as Providence plays host to Louisville in a Big East college basketball betting matchup at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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The ranked Cardinals have lost three of their past four games heading into Tuesday night's contest, sandwiching a win over St. John's between losses to Georgetown, Kentucky, and, last time out, Notre Dame.
That has Louisville at 13-3 straight up and 6-6-1 against the spread on the season, with the OVER/UNDER going 4-8-1 in their games for totals bettors.
Against the Fighting Irish last time out the Cardinals were tagged with a 67-65 home loss in double overtime, with Kyle Kuric and Chane Behanan each picking up 17 points and 10 rebounds for Louisville in the defeat.
The Friars are riding a four-game losing streak into this week, falling in consecutive games to St. John's, Georgetown, Syracuse, and Seton Hall. Providence is now 11-6 straight up, 5-6 against the spread, and 5-6 on the OVER/UNDER this season.
Providence lost 66-57 at home to Seton Hall in their most recent game, with Vincent Council the bright spot on offense for the Friars with 23 points to go along with nine assists. Gerard Coleman was good for 10 points for Providence in that losing cause.
Louisville has dominated Providence in recent meetings going 7-1 both straight up and against the spread in the last eight matchups between the schools over the past five seasons. The OVER/UNDER went 3-5 in those eight contests.
Auburn hasn't been able to beat Kentucky in 12 years, but they'll get a chance to knock off their SEC rival on Wednesday night when the schools hit the hardwood at the Auburn Arena in a college basketball betting matchup at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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The No. 2 Wildcats ride a seven-game winning streak into Wednesday's matchup, which has them at 15-1 overall on the season. Kentucky, though, is just 4-11 against the spread this year, and they're 6-8 on the OVER/UNDER for totals bettors.
Kentucky's only loss of the year came back on December 10 at Indiana, when they fell 73-72 on the road. Against South Carolina last time out the Wildcats rolled to a 79-64 home win behind a 20-point performance from Terrence Jones.
Marquis Teague added 17 points for the Wildcats, and Anthony Davis had 10 rebounds.
The Tigers are 10-5 overall on the season, but they haven't been kind to their supporters on the college basketball betting lines either as they're just 2-6 against the spread. The OVER/UNDER for Auburn games on the year is at 4-4.
Auburn is coming off back-to-back losses to Florida State and Vanderbilt, getting crushed 65-35 on the road by the Commodores in their most recent game on Saturday. Chris Denson had a team-high seven points in that ugly loss for the Tigers.
The last time the Tigers knocked off the Wildcats was back in January 2000, when Auburn won 66-63 at home as a 5.5-point favorite. Since then Kentucky has gone 12-0 against Auburn, managing to cover the posted spread in six of those dozen contests.
No. 17 Virginia (14-1) has been one of the nation’s top surprises so far this season and is off to its best start in 30 years, but easily the toughest test for the Cavaliers so far comes tonight in an ACC matchup at No. 6 Duke (13-2). The Blue Devils are 10-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds for the 9 p.m. ET ESPN tip.
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Virginia has been one of the nation’s top defensive teams so far – although the schedule has been pretty soft – having allowed more than 60 points only once, that in an 83-77 victory at Seattle. Duke, meanwhile, ranks No. 8 in the nation in points per game and field goal percentage. Virginia has lost 14 straight games at Duke, all by double figures, and where the Blue Devils have won 43 in a row (second-longest streak in nation), 18 of those in conference play.
Cavs coach Tony Bennett was still an NBA player back in 1995, the last time Virginia won in Durham. Virginia held a nine-point lead with 16 minutes to play last season at Duke before the Blue Devils went on a run and won by 16. This year’s Cavs are led by 6-foot-8 Mike Scott. The senior is averaging 16.5 ppg on nearly 60 percent shooting and 8.9 rebounds.
Duke is 57-1 at home since the start of the 2008-09 season. The Blue Devils have won seven consecutive games and 16 of the last 17 in the series. They have won by 10 or more points in 15 of the games during that span. Duke big man Mason Plumlee leads the ACC with seven double-doubles on the year. He has posted a double-double in three of the last five games and is averaging 10.6 points and 10.0 rebounds during that stretch. Freshman guard Austin Rivers is averaging 17.3 points per game against ranked opponents on the year. He has scored 20 or more points in two of Duke’s three contests against ranked teams.
The Missouri Tigers were beaten soundly by the Texas Longhorns last season; are they ready to turn the tables this time around as the schools meet in a college basketball betting matchup at the Mizzou Arena on Saturday at Bovada's online sportsbook?
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Missouri was thumped 71-58 on the road by Texas last January, failing to cover the posted 7-point spread favoring the Longhorns in that matchup. The combined score turned into an easy UNDER result for totals bettors.
That game capped off an ugly 10-year stretch for the Tigers against the Longhorns in which they lost seven of 10 meetings both straight up and against the spread. The OVER/UNDER went 3-7 in those 10 games between the teams dating back to 2002.
This season, however, Missouri enters their matchup as the stronger team, as they're at No. 9 in the rankings and sitting at 30/1 odds on the college basketball futures to win the NCAA Tournament. Unranked Texas is back at 50/1 odds to win March Madness this year.
When the schools met last season Texas was ranked No. 7, while Missouri was at No. 11. Jordan Hamilton scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Longhorns in that 71-58 home win, while the Tigers managed to hold Tristan Thompson to just nine points.
Phil Pressey had a team-high 12 points to go along with five assists for the Tigers in that losing cause, Kim English picked up 15 points, while Marcus Denmon scored just seven points. Denmon leads Missouri in scoring at 18.7 points per game this season.
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The Kentucky Wildcats will be gunning for their 10th straight victory on Tuesday night as they welcome the Arkansas Razorbacks to Rupp Arena in a college basketball betting matchup at Bovada's online sportsbook.
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The Wildcats are 17-1 straight up on the season and haven't lost since falling 73-72 on the road against Indiana back on December 10. However, Kentucky has been a team to avoid for college hoops bettors so far this season, as they're an ugly 4-13 against the spread.
Kentucky last played on Saturday at Tennessee, winning by a score of 65-62 that day behind an 18-point performance from Anthony Davis. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was good for 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats, and Terrence Jones added 10 points.
The Razorbacks have won eight of their last nine games to sit at 13-4 straight up (but just 4-5 against the spread) on the season. Arkansas' lone loss during that span came last week when they fell by a score of 71-63 on the road at Mississippi.
In their last game on Saturday the Razorbacks got past LSU 69-60 at home, as B.J. Young poured in a team-high 19 points. Julysses Nobles was good for 15 points for Arkansas that day, and Devonta Abron grabbed 13 rebounds.
The Razorbacks edged the Wildcats 77-76 when they met last season, but that only made them 1-9 straight up in their past 10 games against Kentucky. Arkansas is also just 3-7 against the spread in the 10 most recent matchups between the two schools.
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It’s arguably the biggest regular season college basketball matchup between rivals Michigan State and Michigan since the 1997-98 season as the No. 9 Spartans and No. 19 Wolverines meet as ranked for the first time since that season. MSU opened as a 2-point road favorite on Bovada’s NCAA basketball betting odds. In fact, this is only the seventh time ever the two have met as ranked foes.
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This game lost a tad of luster when both teams lost over the weekend. The Wolverines (14-4, 4-2 Big Ten) were routed 75-59 at Iowa. The Hawkeyes went on a 10-0 run in the second half to build a 53-37 lead and it was never really close again. It was their first conference home win of the season.
Freshman point guard Trey Burke led Michigan with 19 points despite playing only 7 minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls. He’s been one of the country’s top freshmen so far. Leading scorer Tim Hardaway Jr. struggled throughout, shooting 2 of 13 from the field and missing all 8 of 3-point attempts.
The Big Ten-co-leading Spartans (15-3, 4-1) were surprised 81-74 at Northwestern, which ended MSU’s 15-game winning streak. Northwestern shot 54 percent in the second half, finishing right at 50 against a team that was allowing just 37 percent all season. Teams had been averaging just 59.6 points against the Spartans through the first 17 games. Keith Appling led the Spartans with 17 points.
Keep an eye on the rebounding margin tonight. MSU is No. 9 in the nation in rebounds per game, while the smallish Wolverines are one of the nation’s worst in that category. Michigan lives or dies by the 3-point shot. The Spartans have won 18 of the past 23 meetings but dropped both last season and have covered just one of the past five in this series. MSU is 4-1 in true road games this year and two of those wins were over ranked foes Wisconsin and Gonzaga.
On paper, Saturday night’s ESPN game between No. 1 Syracuse and middling Notre Dame looks like a Big East mismatch, but the Irish are always very dangerous at home. Still, the Orange are big favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball betting odds.
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The Orange (20-0, 7-0 Big East) are one of only two unbeatens remaining in the nation along with mid-major Murray State. The Orange have barely been challenged in Big East play but were pushed a bit Monday night in beating Pittsburgh 71-63. The Orange set a school record for most consecutive victories to start a season and it was win No. 876 for coach Jim Boeheim, tying him with Adolph Rupp of Kentucky for fourth place all-time in Division I. North Carolina's Dean Smith is third with 879. Boeheim has 34 20-win seasons in his career, which is by far the most in college basketball.
Pittsburgh had stopped Syracuse's season-opening winning streak at 18 a year ago, and the Panthers overcame a 13-0 deficit at the outset and pulled within 53-49 on Monday before Syracuse pulled away. SU ended a five-game losing streak in the series.
It was supposed to be rebuilding year for Notre Dame (11-8, 3-3) and that has proven mostly true as it already has suffered one more loss than all of last season. The Irish enter off back-to-back conference losses, falling by double digits at home vs. Connecticut and at Rutgers on Monday. Notre Dame has rarely been competitive away from home, going 1-7 and the average margin of defeat in those seven losses is 13.4 points. That UConn loss ended a 29-game home winning streak for Notre Dame, which was the fourth-longest run in the nation.
SU leads the all-time series against the Irish 24-18. Notre Dame has lost three in a row to Syracuse, including a 70-58 setback last season. Kris Joseph had 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals in that game to lead the Orange. He leads Syracuse in scoring this season at 13.7 ppg.
The marquee matchup of the college basketball weekend comes Saturday afternoon from Waco, Texas, when No. 3 Baylor hosts No. 5 Missouri. The Bears opened as solid favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds and there will be live play-by-play betting available.
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This game will be historic as it’s the first meeting of Top-5 teams in Big 12 history that didn’t include either Kansas or Texas. It’s only the fifth Top-5 matchup in Missouri history. The Tigers (17-1, 4-1) enter on a three-game winning streak after their lone loss, at Kansas State. On Monday night, Missouri easily handled Texas A&M 70-51 to end an eight-game skid in that series.
Missouri is ranked in the top five for the first time since 2003-04 and has won 62 of its last 65 home games, falling only to Kansas twice and Texas A&M. The Tigers' have won each home game this season by an average of 27.6 points. Mizzou’s 17-1 start is the program's best start since the 1981-82 season. The No. 5 national rank also marks the first time that Mizzou has been ranked this high this late in the season since 1990. Star Marcus Denmon leads the Tigers with 17.8 ppg and is second on the team in rebounding at 5.5. He is in the Top 5 in the nation in free-throw percentage at 92.4.
Baylor (17-1, 4-1) no doubt will be ornery after falling from the ranks of the unbeatens – only Murray State and Syracuse remain – in Monday’s 92-74 blowout loss at Big 12-leading Kansas. Baylor had been riding the longest winning streak in school history to its best start ever. Monday was the first-ever Top-10 matchup in Baylor history. The Bears are 7-62 all-time against Top 10 opponents and have lost six straight. Perry Jones III leads Baylor at 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
The Bears are 6-3 all-time at home vs. Missouri, but the Tigers have won three of the past four meetings overall.
The Purdue Boilermakers rolled into Michigan last season as a small road favorite and proceeded to pound the Wolverines in an 80-57 victory. Michigan will be looking to turn the tables on Tuesday night when the teams meet on the NCAA basketball betting line at Purdue's Mackey Arena.
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The Boilermakers were ranked No. 12 when they beat Michigan last season, scoring 50 points in the second half to pull away for the victory and the cover. This year, however, the Wolverines enter this Big Ten matchup with the slightly better record of 15-5 (9-8 against the spread) compared to Purdue's mark of 14-6 (9-9 against the spread).
Michigan, though, is coming off a 66-64 loss at Arkansas in their last game on Saturday, failing to complete a comeback despite outscoring the Razorbacks 31-20 in the second half. Zack Novak led the Wolverines with 17 points and eight rebounds in that loss on Saturday.
The Boilermakers were trounced 83-58 on the road by Michigan State in their most recent game on Saturday, with Lewis Jackson and John Hart both tossing in 10 points for Purdue in that losing cause. Michigan got past Michigan State 60-59 last week, which doesn't bode well for the Boilermakers' chances on Tuesday night.
Including last season the Wolverines are just 3-7 in their last 10 games against Purdue, with the Boilermakers managing to cover the spread in six of those 10 contests. Seven of those 10 meetings turned into UNDER results for totals bettors.
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Up to No. 2 in the rankings, the Missouri Tigers will return to the hardwood on Wednesday night with a road game against Oklahoma State. Can they justify the lofty honor with continued success as conference play drags on?
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The Tigers picked up a marquee victory over the Baylor Bears last time out, winning 89-88 on the road to push them from No. 5 to No. 2 in the AP Poll. Kentucky is the new No. 1 this week, while Syracuse has slipped from No. 1 to No. 3 in the rankings.
Ricardo Ratliffe led the way with 27 points for Missouri in that win, also grabbing eight rebounds on the day. Flip Pressey added 18 points for the Tigers against the Bears, while Marcus Denmon was good for 15 points.
That win put Missouri at 18-1 straight up and 10-4 against the spread on the season. Oklahoma State is just 9-10 straight up and 8-9 against the spread, and they'll be trying to snap a three-game losing streak on Wednesday night.
The Cowboys haven't won since they got past Oklahoma 72-65 on January 9; their back-to-back-to-back defeats have come at the hands of Baylor, Iowa State, and Kansas State.
Against the Wildcats last time out the Cowboys were beaten 66-58 at home, with Keiton Page scoring a team-high 17 points in the defeat. Markel Brown had 14 points that day.
Missouri lost 76-70 as a 2-point road favorite when they faced Oklahoma State last season, ending their three-game winning streak against the Cowboys. Overall the Tigers are 7-3 straight up – and 8-2 against the spread – in the last 10 meetings between the schools.
Following the holiday tournaments and classroom exams, conference season begins. Syracuse opens the Big East season at home tonight vs. Seton Hall. Louisville also opens Big East play tonight at home against No. 12 Georgetown, who is 10-1 SU and 6-0 ATS. Louisville then travels to Rupp Arena to take on No. 3 Kentucky New Year’s Eve. Baylor held off West Virginia 83-81 in the Las Vegas Classic last game, and host No. 15 Mississippi State tonight before opening Big Xll play vs. Texas A&M January 2nd. Missouri beat rival Illinois 78-74 last time out and plays at Old Dominion December 30th before opening Big Xll play vs. Oklahoma. Indiana continues to surprise (7-0 ATS) following its buzzer-beater over Kentucky. The Hoosiers face a host of toughest tests upcoming with a trip to No. 16 Michigan State tonight followed by home games vs. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan over the next eight days. And finally, Murray State has the best shot of remaining undefeated for an extended time as the Racers are the class of the Ohio Valley Conference. Their first conference road game is at Eastern Illinois December 30th.
Below is a list of the current undefeated teams with AP Poll rankings and non-conference strength of schedule (SOS) provided by KenPom. As a reminder, there are over 340 DI teams. Clearly, strength of schedule is going to get much tougher and rankings will move up significantly for the top teams as they get into conference play.