NCAA college basketball – Page 171

Kentucky vs. Duke odds, picks and prediction

Analyzing Tuesday’s Kentucky Wildcats vs. Duke Blue Devils odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

The No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 9 Duke Blue Devils open the regular season in a neutral-floor battle Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Kentucky vs. Duke odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari rebuilt his roster after an un-Wildcats-like 9-16 season in 2020-21. The frontcourt is bolstered by transfers Oscar Tshiebwe and Kellan Grady, while the backcourt gets a boost with transfer Sahvir Wheeler coming in from SEC rival Georgia.

Duke will begin its final season under the leadership of Mike Krzyzewski, and it will be the end of an era. Big men Wendell Moore and Mark Williams will be joined by 5-star recruit Paolo Banchero to try and send Coach K out on a high note.

Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.

Kentucky vs. Duke odds, spread and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:50 a.m. ET.

Money line: Kentucky -103 (bet $103 to win $100) | Duke -117 (bet $117 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Kentucky +1.5 (-120) | Duke -1.5 (-105)
Over/Under (O/U): 148.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Kentucky vs. Duke odds, lines, picks and predictions

Prediction

Duke 78, Kentucky 73

Money line

Duke (-117) is the pick to win this game, but laying the point-and-a-half just makes sense for a better value.

AVOID, and look to the spread.

Against the spread

Why lay -117 on the ML when you can get a better number on DUKE -1.5 (-117)? This should be a much better battle than the Champions Classic undercard game, Kansas-Michigan State. The nightcap game is going to be close, and we’re going to get to know some new faces. Duke was a good team in 2020-21, while Kentucky has a lot more work to do to prove its ranking. Banchero is going to burst onto the scene and introduce himself to the nation, and to bettors.

Over/Under

OVER 148.5 (-110), but it’s only worth a small-unit play. The last time these blue bloods met was Nov. 6, 2018, and Duke routed Kentucky 118-84. We won’t see quite that many points, but with the likes of Banchero, Moore and Williams, the Blue Devils should get off to a hot start.

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Kansas vs. Michigan State odds, picks and prediction

Analyzing Tuesday’s Kansas Jayhawks vs. Michigan State Spartans odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

The No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks and Michigan State Spartans open the regular season in a neutral-floor battle Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Kansas vs. Michigan State odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.

Kansas enters the new season with high expectations yet again. Head coach Bill Self welcomes eight new transfers, led by G Remy Martin, who comes over from Arizona State. F Ochai Agbaji is also back from injury, and is one of the best smaller forwards in the Big 12.

Michigan State enters this one unranked, but head coach Tom Izzo always gets the most out of his players. It’s the first time since the 2006-07 season that Sparty isn’t part of the preseason rankings.

Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.

Kansas vs. Michigan State odds, spread and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:40 a.m. ET.

Money line: Kansas -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Michigan State +160 (bet $100 to win $160)
Against the spread (ATS): Kansas -4.5 (-115) | Michigan State +4.5 (-107)
Over/Under (O/U): 143.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)

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Kansas vs. Michigan State odds, lines, picks and predictions

Prediction

Kansas 77, Michigan State 68

Money line

A bet on Kansas (-200) will mean risking twice as much as your potential return, and that’s just too much, even if Michigan State (+160) isn’t quite expected to be a top-tier team.

AVOID, and look to the spread instead.

Against the spread

Play KANSAS -4.5 (-115), as the Jayhawks should be able to mesh quicker than Michigan State +4.5 (-107). Both sides have a lot of new faces they’ll be folding in, but the Jayhawks also have a fair share of talent from last season’s 21-9 team. They’re expected to get off to a quick start this season, and they’ll do just that.

Over/Under

The lean is to the OVER 143.5 (-112), although play it lightly. The concern with these early season neutral-floor games is that the players struggle in unfamiliar surroundings in larger arenas. That is a concern even with experienced teams. Kansas was good for 73.3 PPG last season, and they should be a lot more explosive with the addition of Martin.

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.

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College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:

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Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Cincinnati Bearcats odds, picks and prediction

Analyzing Saturday’s Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Cincinnati Bearcats odds and lines, with college football expert picks, predictions and best bets.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-5, 2-2 AAC) and No. 2 Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0, 4-0) meet Saturday at Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Tulsa vs. Cincinnati odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.

Rankings according to the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.

The Golden Hurricane saw its modest two-game win streak snapped last week at home against Navy, 20-17. Tulsa is now just 1-4 ATS across the past five games overall, with the Over going 5-1 in the previous six outings.

The Bearcats opened the season No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings, a record for a Group of 5 institution. But UC still has work to do if it wishes to break into the College Football Playoff at the season’s end. A thrashing of Tulsa would certainly help while a close win could be damaging.

Tulsa at Cincinnati odds, spread and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:50 p.m. ET.

Money line: Tulsa +850 (bet $100 to win $850) | Cincinnati -1800 (bet $1,800 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Tulsa +23.5 (-112) | Cincinnati -23.5 (-108)
Over/Under (O/U): 55.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)

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Tulsa at Cincinnati odds, lines, picks and predictions

Prediction

Cincinnati 35, Tulsa 14

Money line

Cincinnati (-1800) will cost you 18 times your potential return, or just a $5 return on a $100 wager. There is no just value there, and it’s a poor long-term betting strategy.

AVOID, and look to the spread instead.

Against the spread

TULSA +23.5 (-112) has already made one trip into the Buckeye state, and it suffered a 41-20 loss to Ohio State as 24.5-point underdogs for the cover and Over result.

The Golden Hurricane are just 1-4 ATS in five games since, although Tulsa has won three of those outings outright. The Golden Hurricane have managed 436.6 total yards per game to rank 39th, and their primary way to move the ball is through the air.

Cincinnati -23.5 (-108) opened 5-1 ATS in the first six outings, but they have averaged just 29.0 PPG while allowing 16.0 PPG across the past two contests, coming nowhere near covering.

Over/Under

UNDER 55.5 (-115) is the lean here. The Under has cashed in the past two for UC. The defense for Tulsa has been awful all season, with the Over 5-1 in the previous six.

However, it did a great job shutting down Navy’s tricky triple-option rushing attack last week, yielding a season-low of 20 points against any FBS opponent.

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College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:

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Milwaukee Brewers at San Francisco Giants odds, picks and prediction

Analyzing Thursday’s Milwaukee Brewers at San Francisco Giants odds and lines, with MLB picks and predictions.

The Milwaukee Brewers (82-52) and San Francisco Giants (84-49) cap off a four-game series at Oracle Park. First pitch is set for 3:45 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze the lines around the Brewers vs. Giants odds with MLB picks and predictions.

LHP Eric Lauer is the projected starting pitcher for the Brewers. He is 4-5 with a 3.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 9.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 82 1/3 IP over 14 starts and four relief stints.

Has been aided by a .276 batting average on balls in play.
Owns a 3.12 ERA over 26 second-half innings. Has averaged just 4.3 IP/start over that stretch.

RHP Logan Webb is the projected starting pitcher for the Giants. In 20 games (19 starts) this season, Webb is 8-3 with a 2.65 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 105 1/3 IP.

Went into this season with a 5.36 ERA, 1.52 WHIP across 21 career games.
Coming off seven shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves in his last start. Owns a 1.69 ERA, 0.99 WHIP in the second half.
Has clocked a 1.71 ERA, 0.99 WHIP in his starts at home.

Brewers at Giants odds, lines, picks and prediction

MLB odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 7:45 a.m. ET.

Money line: Brewers +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Giants -180 (bet $180 to win $100)
Against the spread/ATS: Brewers +1.5 (-140) | Giants -1.5 (+115)
Over/Under: 7.5 (O: -130 | U: +105)

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Prediction

Giants 5, Brewers 3

Money line (ML)

The Brewers have won the first three games of this series and four in a row overall. Milwaukee is 16-6 since Aug. 10. The Brewers own an .803 OPS over that stretch despite struggling with their bats for much of this season.

The Giants have managed just 5 runs over the first three games of this series. A top-10 offense overall, the Giants have clocked a mere .653 OPS over their last 13 games.

With some lean on San Francisco cleaning things up but in a higher scoring contest, the run line and the Over figure as the top plays in this matchup. PASS on the run line.

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Run line/Against the spread (ATS)

San Francisco owns a mere .628 OPS over the last week. But that figure is weighed down by a .245 batting average on balls in play. The Giants make contact at an above-average clip, so that’s an especially tough BABIP to muscle through.

With an Over bet in play, TAKE SAN FRANCISCO -1.5 (+115).

Over/Under (O/U)

Both offenses have Statcast quality-of-contact figures that point to likely regression. But the starters’ numbers swing the other way and make for enough leverage to bring a partial-unit Over wager into play. BACK THE OVER 7.5 (-130).

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