College Basketball’s Best Bets December 5th

Coming off an amazing day of top ranked matchups yesterday, we hope Sunday provides as much excitement as Saturday. 

Saturday started with #18 Memphis taking on Ole Miss. A very close game that Ole Miss was able to win 67-63. It was another tough offensive night for Memphis, they have so much talent it is a shame Penny Hardaway can’t get his team to play well together. Ole Miss is a real contender and should have a successful season going ahead. Looking ahead we watched San Diego State take on #24 Michigan. Michigan needed a bounce back win and they got that Saturday as they beat the Aztecs 72-58. Hunter Dickenson dominated and Michigan looks to continue this type of play for the rest of the season. Finally the game of the day resulted in a major upset. #16 Alabama beat #3 Gonzaga 91-82. It was a high offensive game as expected, but Alabama’s Jaden Shackleford could not miss. Safe to say it was a great day for the Crimson Tide and their fans on Saturday.

Let’s take a look for the best bets ahead of Sunday.

Northwestern vs Maryland

The Bet: Northwestern +4

A Big Ten matchup between two five-win teams. As Northwestern takes on Maryland we are set for a good competitive game. Both teams have looked good this season, but inconsistent. 

Northwestern has looked great on offense this season. They are currently averaging an impressive 80 points per game while shooting 46.4% as a team from the field. They are coming off of an overtime 77-73 loss to Wake Forest and have dropped two of their past three games. The Wildcats just need to be more consistent on defense and should have no problem winning games. If they play well defensively against Maryland they should win.

Maryland currently as 5-3 has not gotten off the start they wanted. Maryland is coming off of back to back losses and have dropped three of their last five. They have struggled on defense and offense as of late. The Terrapis looked good to start the season, but have gone cold. The past two games they have not even scored over 60 points.

With a high powered offense in Northwestern it should be hard for Maryland to keep up with that kind of offense. If Northwestern is able to play good defense they can run away with this game, this is why we like the Wildcats to cover the 4 point spread.

#11 Arizona vs. Oregon State

The Bet: Arizona -12

A Pac 12 matchup that involves Arizona, who is one of the best teams in the nation. They have shown every game they are serious contenders to win it all. The Wildcats currently sit at 6-0 and look to improve against a struggling 1-7 Oregon State team.

Arizona is number eleven in the country for a reason. They have dominated pretty much every game they have played. They have not played the best competition so far this season, but they did get a dominant 80-62 win over #4 Michigan. Arizona has played extremely well on the offensive and defensive end. They average 91.5 points scored per game, while allowing 57.7 points per game to opponents. That is an average of a 33.8 point per game win margin. They are easily playing at an extremely high level currently and should have much success against a 1-7 Oregon State.

Oregon State had a magical run in the tournament last season where they made it to the Elite 8, I would not count on even a tournament appearance this season. There is no way to sugar coat it, they look terrible. They have been inconsistent on offense and have struggled on defense. If they can play well on offense they can keep this game close however.

Arizona is one of the best teams in the nation playing at a high level, they take on a bad Oregon State team. Arizona should have no problem winning this game, which is why we like Arizona to cover the 12 point spread.

Arizona State vs. Oregon

The Bet: Oregon -10

A Pac 12 matchup as Oregon takes on Arizona State Sunday evening. The Ducks look to continue their recent success against the struggling Sun Devils. Oregon currently 5-3 should have no problem beating 2-6 Arizona State, if the Ducks can play well offensively.

Oregon has looked inconsistent all season and specifically on the offensive end. They have won two games in a row where they have played great offensively, but the two games before that they combined for only 99 points. Oregon is not a great defensive team, so they rely on their offense to carry them. When the offense does not play well it usually results in losses for the Ducks, luckily they have been playing well as of late. Oregon is shooting 45.6% as a team from the field and should have no problem scoring against Arizona State.

Arizona State has a bad record at 2-7, but that does not reflect who they are. They have played some great competition in San Diego State, #9 Baylor, and Syracuse. In all of those games they were able to keep the game very close and competitive. All three of those games they did not lose by under ten, however in their last game the Sun Devils scored 29 points. Yes you read that right 29 points in an entire game. As of late the Sun Devils have not looked good at all. If they cannot stop Oregon on offense it could get ugly.

Ten points can be alot, but there is no question that Oregon will win this game. With Arizona States recent struggles and If Oregon can shoot well, it will be a blowout win for the Ducks. This is why we like Oregon to cover the 9 point spread.