It’s about to be the best time of the year for sports bettors at Mybookie. True, Major League Baseball ended last week, but college basketball tips off Tuesday and joins the crowded market alongside the NFL, college football, NBA and NHL – not to mention the usual golf, tennis, MMA etc. Two games clearly stand out in college basketball’s first week and they are both on Tuesday in the Champions Classic. Let’s take a look while making some NCAAB Betting predictions.
Top College Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – November 4th
No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 4 Duke (-2)
- When: Tuesday, 7 PM ET
- Where: Madison Square Garden
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- College Basketball Betting Odds: Duke -2
Duke begins life without superstars Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, who were both First-Team All-ACC and All-Americans last season and went No. 1 and No. 3 overall in this year’s draft. The Blue Devils didn’t even reach the Final Four with them, however, losing to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Coach Mike Krzyzewski simply reloads every year. This team should be more balanced that in recent years.
“I think we’re going to have a real balanced team,” Krzyzewski said. “We’ll have more guys capable of playing at the level that we need in order to win…. Everyone feels like they have a shot [to play] and they do. The competition has been good in the workouts that we’ve had.”
He welcomes two stellar recruits in 6’ 10″ Vernon Carey and 6’ 9″ Matthew Hurt. Carey, the son of former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Vernon Carey, will be tasked with scoring from both the interior and perimeter, and if he can stretch the floor from the outside consistently, it will add a needed component to Duke’s half-court offense.
And point guard Tre Jones, who also had a fine freshman season, decided to return. Last year, Jones led the Blue Devils with 5.3 assists per game and ranked third in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. He was also a defensive linchpin for Duke, usually tasked with defending the opposing team’s best perimeter player, and he was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team. Jones is a terrific passer and defender but can’t shoot much. He hit only 26.2 percent from deep last year.
What about Kansas?
KU’s Bill Self also annually reloads, although his program begins the season under the cloud of serious NCAA recruiting allegations. Some believe this could be Self’s final year at Kansas and that he will head to the NBA. Star center Udoka Azubuike returns after a right-hand injury basically ruined his 2018-19 season, guard Devon Dotson passed on the NBA, and wing Isaiah Moss transferred from Iowa.
Last Meeting
Kansas and Duke last played in the Champions Classic in 2016 also at Madison Square Garden and KU, then ranked No. 7, upset No. 1 Duke 77-75. Kansas is 4-4 in the Champions Classic, which includes a 2-0 record against Duke. The Blue Devils leads the overall series with Kansas, 7-5, but the Jayhawks have won each of the last three meetings, including the Midwest Regional Final in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Kentucky (+2.5)
- When: Tuesday, 9:30 PM ET
- Where: Madison Square Garden
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- College Basketball Betting Odds: Kentucky +2.5
There have been 32 teams (16 games) through the years of the Champions Classic — and 31 have been ranked. The 2011 Michigan State team is the only one to not be ranked at the time. There have been more No. 1 vs. No. 2 games (two) than unranked teams (one) in Champions Classic history. And now there’s a third 1 vs. 2.
The Spartans were No. 1 in both preseason polls for the first time in school history. They upset No. 1 Duke in the Elite Eight in the 2019 NCAA Tournament but lost to Texas Tech in the Final Four. It was Sparty’s eighth Final Four trip in the past 21 years, more than any other school.
MSU has the preseason National Player of the Year favorite in point guard Cassius Winston. He averaged a team-best 18.8 points per game and set a Big Ten single-season record with 291 assists in 2018-19. He was also named Most Outstanding Player of both the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament East Regional.
However, the Spartans won’t have a key player in Joshua Langford until at least January. He’s dealing with a foot injury and won’t even be re-evaluated until January. Langford played in only 13 games last season before an ankle injury in late December cost him the remainder of the 2018-19 season. Coach Tom Izzo said that specialists found a “hot spot” on the same left foot he had surgery on, which revealed a stress reaction.
What about Kentucky?
Coach John Calipari brings in another loaded freshman class at Kentucky, led by 6’ 3″ guard Tyrese Maxey and 6’ 6″ forward Khalil Whitney. Both already are projected as 2020 NBA lottery picks. Point guard Ashton Hagans was a preseason All-SEC First Team pick by the league’s media. EJ Montgomery and Maxey were tabbed All-SEC Second Team.
Calipari also adds top graduate transfer in Nate Sestina. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward emerged last season as a versatile big man for Bucknell. In his first season as a starter, Sestina averaged 15.8 points per game, a team-high 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Sestina shot 53.6 percent from the floor and made 41 3-pointers.
Junior forward Nick Richards is in question for this game with an ankle injury. At 6-foot-11 — with a 7-5 wingspan — and 247 pounds, Richards is Kentucky’s biggest body and has made 40 career starts.
Kentucky and MSU last played in the Champions Classic in 2016 and UK was ranked No. 2 and rolled No. 13 Michigan State 69-48.
Expert College Basketball Betting Picks
Kentucky knocks off Sparty and Duke beats Kansas.
