Selection Sunday is only nine days away!
Saturday’s NCAA college basketball slate will end the regular season for many clubs who will then focus on their respective conference tournaments.
The table on Saturday offers bettors some solid investment opportunities highlighted by an intriguing SEC clash between ranked rivals, a Big 12 showdown involving ranked foes as well as Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game as a Duke’s head coach.
Let’s dive into the matches!
Check NCAA Men’s College Basketball Odds at SI Sportsbook
No. 14 Arkansas (24-6, 13-4 SEC) at No. 13 Tennessee (22-7, 13-4)
propagated: Arkansas +7 (-110) | Tennessee -7 (-110)
Total: 140– Plus (-110) | Less than 140 (-110)
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.
Game Information: Saturday March 5, 2022 | 12 p.m. ET | ESPN
Editor’s Note – Ratings are subject to change.
The line has held steady since opening in favor of No. 13 Tennessee (22-7 straight (SU); 17-12 ATS (ATS)) as a 7-point favorite over No. 14 Arkansas (24 – 6 SU; 18-11-1 ATS) to IF sports betting.
Arkansas, which is 5-3 on the road, will look to extend its five-game winning streak on Saturday when it travels to Knoxville. The Razorbacks rewarded bettors away from Fayetteville by posting a lucrative 6-2 ATS mark.
In Game 1 against Tennessee, JD Notae and Jaylin Williams combined for 26 of the club’s 58 points (45%) in a 58-48 win as two-point home favorites.
Arkansas, fresh from a 77-76 home win over LSU on Wednesday, is an impressive 14-1 in its last 15 games. The Razorbacks translated those wins into financial rewards for bettors, as the club posted a solid 12-2-1 ATS mark at home.
Notae is the second-leading scorer in the SEC behind only Vanderbilt’s Scottie Pippen Jr. with 18.8 points per game.
Tennessee, which has won eight of its last nine games with the SEC, holds iconic victories over Auburn, Kentucky and Arizona. The Volunteers, who are one game behind Auburn in the SEC, will again need solid production from their backcourt duo of Kennedy Chandler (13.6 ppg) and Santiago Vescovi (13.5 ppg). per game). Since January, the dynamic pair have led the team in scoring in 12 of Rick Barnes’ team’s 17 games.
In the first meeting, the Razorbacks contained both Chandler and Vescovi as the two players struggled from the ground up, combining for 2 of 14 in a game, the Volunteers shot an abysmal 4-24 (16.7 %) beyond the arc.
Arkansas have won six of the last 10 meetings against Tennessee, and both clubs are desperate to win their final SEC regular season game as they attempt to improve their standings ahead of next week’s SEC tournament in Nashville.
The respected money in advance betting thinks the Razorbacks, despite the Volunteers going 15-0 at home this season, will stay in the points on Saturday.
BET: Arkansas +7
Eric Gay/AP
No. 21 Texas (21-9, 10-7 Big 12) at No. 6 Kansas (24-6, 13-4)
propagated: Texas +6.5 (-110) | Kansas -6.5 (-110)
Total: 141– More (-110) | Less than 141 (-110)
Location: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
Game Information: Saturday March 5, 2022 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN
Editor’s Note – Ratings are subject to change.
The line has held steady since opening in favor of No. 6 Kansas (24-6 SU; 13-16-1 ATS) as a 6.5-point favorite over No. 21 Texas (19-9 SU; 12 -18 ATS) to IF sports betting.
The Longhorns go into battle with the Jayhawks looking to get their uneven game back on track heading into the Big 12 tournament. resulted in a disappointing 1-5 ATS rating. The Longhorns are led by senior forward Timmy Allen (12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg).
Senior guard Marcus Carr, who has scored in double figures in three consecutive games, will need help from backcourt teammates Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey if they have any hope of upsetting Kansas and improving their road record 4-6.
In the first meeting between these Big 12 opponents last month, Texas beat Kansas, 79-76, in Austin as 1-point home underdogs. Allen scored a season-high 24 points and Tre Mitchell had a season-high 17 points for the Longhorns.
Kansas, which snapped a two-game losing skid Thursday night with a win over TCU, hasn’t been kind to bettors since the start of 2022. The Jayhawks posted a disappointing 7-12 ATS mark in their last 19 games since the start of January.
The Jayhawks, who are tied with Baylor for the coveted No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament, are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games.
Kansas will need solid production from its dynamic backcourt duo of Ochai Agbaji (20.1 ppg, 5.3 rbg) and Christian Bruan (15.1 ppg, 6 .0 rbg) against a Longhorns team that is eighth in the nation in defense, allowing just 59.1 points per game. .
Texas has won three straight against Kansas, but the Jayhawks have won six of the last 10 meetings overall. The respected money in Vegas immediately grabbed the dots when this line opened on Friday afternoon.
Let’s follow their lead and obliterate the Jayhawks despite going 14-1 at Allen Fieldhouse this season. It just seems like too many points.
BET: Texas +6.5
Chris Seward/AP
North Carolina (22-8, 14-5 ACC) at No. 4 Duke (26-4, 16-3)
propagated: UNC +10.5 (-110) | Duke -10.5 (-110)
Total: 154– More (-110) | Less than 154 (-110)
Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
Game Information: Saturday March 5, 2022 | 6 p.m. ET | ESPN
Editor’s Note – Ratings are subject to change.
The line has ticked since opening in favor of No. 4 Duke (26-4 SU; 17-11-2 ATS) as an 11-point home favorite against North Carolina (22-8 SU, 14-15 -1 ATS) to a request of 10.5 points to IF sports betting.
The Blue Devils remain the only ACC team to be ranked in the Top 25. Freshman Paolo Banchero leads the club in scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 pp), but Duke has a balanced offense with five players averaging double-digit scoring.
Duke is 7-0 SU and 4-3 ATS in its last seven games and enters Saturday’s game after an 86-56 road win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday as the road favorite with 14.5 points.
The Blue Devils have already locked down the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament and will face the Tar Heels for the second time this season.
In Game 1, Duke dismantled North Carolina, 87-67, at the Dean Center as the 3.5-point road favorite. Freshman forward AJ Griffin was instrumental in the victory, scoring a season-high 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field. Banchero, Wendell Moore and Trevor Keels joined Griffin to add double-digit scoring as Duke shot a stunning 57.6% from the field.
North Carolina, currently on a four-game winning streak, rewarded bettors with a 3-1 ATS mark in that span. Junior forward Armando Bacot has recorded an impressive 23 double-doubles in 30 games this season, giving him the team lead in points (16.4 ppg) and rebounds (12 ,7 rbg).
Bacot leads a cast of four Tar Heels with double-digit averages, which includes sophomore guard Caleb Love (15.5 ppg), who has been the club’s top scorer in six of the last 11 games.
After a deeper dive, we also find that North Carolina is an impressive 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings with the Blue Devils with five consecutive games exceeding the posted total demanded by bettors. Duke will arguably have the best player on the pitch in Banchero, as well as a massive home-court advantage in front of a raucous crowd in Coach K’s final game as Blue Devils head coach in Cameron.
BET: Duke -10.5
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL BETTING REVIEW
2021: 10-14 CEP
2020: Paris IF hopes to repeat the success of last season’s conference tournament when our NCAA tournament betting games generated major financial wins, thanks to Alabama (+220), Illinois (+375) and Georgia Tech (+ 2500) all of whom have conference tournament championship victories in the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC, respectively, for all members here at Sports Illustrated!
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Frankie Taddeo is a high-stakes fantasy football player who created the very first DFS program ever offered at a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is the lead analyst at SI Betting and brings significant experience and resources to the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest fantastic Las Vegas bets and ideas.
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