Saturday will be a great day to watch College Hoops. There are games all over the place, starting early. Syracuse will try to upset Notre Dame inside the ACC. Then the Marquette Golden Eagles and Creighton Blue Jays will try to make people look at the Big East will a more respect.
The SEC game between South Carolina and Kentucky is the best of the day. The Gamecocks and the Wildcats will clash in a meeting of teams with very different styles.
And last but not least will be Miami facing Duke. The Blue Devils have lost two in a row and can afford another defeat.
These are the College Basketball Picks, Saturday, January 21st Edition:
Syracuse Orange (11-8) at Notre Dame Fighting (16-3)
- Game Time: Saturday, January 21| 12:00 PM ET
- Arena: Purcell Pavilion, South Bend, Indiana
- TV: ESPN
Syracuse is too inconsistent too put Notre Dame in danger in this game. The Orange has lost two of the last three games. Both losses came against the Virginia Tech Hokies (83-73) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (85-68). In the middle, it was a win over the Boston College Eagles (76-53).
The Orange has driven the sports bookies crazy all season. Syracuse is 11-8 straight up this season and 6-8 against the spread. Syracuse average 75.9 points per game (122nd) but allows 67.0 (70th). They have faced two ranked teams this season; both times they lost with a point differential of at least 15 points.
The per head sportsbooks will make Notre Dame a big favorite. The Fighting Irish are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Florida State Seminoles (83-80). They are 16-3 straight up this season and 9-3-1 against the spread. The Irish have been money at home this season, posting a 4-1 ATS record.
Notre Dame can put points every night. The Irish average 81.1 points per game (41st) and they allow 67.5 points per game. They own a 13.6 point differential, which is not bad at all. The Irish have also been pretty successful inside the ACC. They have a 5-1 record inside the Conference. Their only defeat against Villanova. Not bad a team to lose to.
College Basketball Picks: Notre Dame.
Marquette Golden Eagles (12-6) at Creighton Blue Jays (18-1)
- Game Time: Saturday, January 21| 2:30 PM ET
- Arena: CenturyLink Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
- TV: FS1
Marquette has the chance to end the momentum of the Blue Jays in the Big East. The Golden Eagles are coming off a tough loss to the Butler Bulldogs (88-80) in their last outing. Marquette is 12-6 straight up this season and 9-9 against the spread. On the road, they have posted a 2-2 ATS record according to the price per head services.
The Golden Eagles average 83.7 points per game (20th) and allow 72.9 points (208th).While they can score, their defensive efforts haven’t been enough to make them competitive inside the Conference. Marquette will enter this game 3-3 inside the Big East.
Creighton is flat out rolling. The Blue Jays have won five in a row since their only loss of the season to Villanova Wildcats (80-70). This season they are 18-1 straight up and 13-3-1 against the spread. At home, they are 6-2-1 ATS facing the betting lines of the sports betting agents.
Amongst the ranked teams they have beaten are the Wisconsin Badgers, Butler Bulldogs, and the Xavier Musketeers. They are 5-1 against Big East opponents. The Blue Jays beat Xavier by five points and covered the spread as 3-point dogs.
Creighton has won four of the last six meetings against Marquette. The Blue Jays covered the spread in five of those six wins. With the way things have gone over the last few months, it’s complicated to see the Golden Eagles leaving with a victory. It’s all about Creighton in this one.
College Basketball Picks: Creighton.
South Carolina Gamecocks (15-3) at Kentucky Wildcats (16-2)
- Game Time: Saturday, January 21| 6:00 PM ET
- Arena: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
- TV: ESPN
Two undefeated teams in the SEC will seek to stay on the winning path when South Carolina challenges Kentucky.
South Carolina has won five games in a row to improve to 15-3 straight up and 9-7 against the spread. During their current streak, they took down Texas A&M, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Mississippi State.
The Gamecocks will need a massive defensive effort to stay in this game against Kentucky. They average 70.9 points per game (254th). But on defense, they are good enough allowing just 59.4 points every night. The bookmaker software respects a lot of defensive teams, but going on the road is not a great asset for South Carolina. They are 3-1 against the spread playing on the road.
Kentucky is 16-2 straight up and 11-7 against the spread this season. The Wildcats average 93.3 points per game (2nd). They have four players averaging double-digits in points each night. However, no one is better than Malik Monk. The freshman guard averages 21.4 points per game.
The Wildcats know South Carolina will test them. Kentucky usually puts points all over the place; it might not be the case on Sunday. They are 7-3 against the spread when playing at home this season.
The meetings against each other have been one-sided, affecting the bookie business every time they meet. Kentucky has won nine of the last ten games against South Carolina and has covered the spread in eight of those ten meetings.
College Basketball Picks: Kentucky.
Miami Hurricanes (15-3) at Duke Blue Devils (14-4)
- Game Time: Saturday, January 21| 8:15 PM ET
- Arena: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
- TV: ESPN
The Miami Hurricanes have lost three of their last four games. Their 96-79 defeat against the Wake Forest was awful. They were manhandled on every important stat. Miami averages 73.1 points per game (198th) and allows 61.5 points each night (11th).
The Canes are 12-5 straight up and 5-11 against the spread this season. On the road, they are 2-2 against the spread.
Duke is also in a bad spot coming to this game. The Blue Devils have lost two in a row against the Florida State Seminoles and the Louisville Cardinals. The good thing is Miami is not either of these teams.
The Blue Devils are 14-4 straight up and 7-10 against the spread this season. They average 83.6 points per game (21st) and give up 66.6 points (62nd). Many bookmaking experts are wondering what’s wrong with Duke. A good win over the Hurricanes will shut them up for the next weeks.
Duke doesn’t look like a title contender right at this moment, but we know Coach K knows how to help his team grow during the season.
College Basketball Picks: Duke.