College Basketball’s Best Bets November 29th

Tons of great games to start the week this Monday. We hope we have as good a slate today as we did Sunday. Unfortunately two of our best bets just fell short yesterday, but we look ahead to today to do better.

Sunday was filled with great games and great NCAAB odds all day. There were many ranked matchups on Sunday. #13 Arkansas took on Pennsylvania in a game where the Razorbacks easily handled themselves against the Quakers in a 76-60 win. #7 Villanova took on La Salle and dominated in a 72-46 win. This was exactly what Villanova needed after a loss from Purdue. Other than ranked teams there were tons of great unranked matchups. A great matchup between two PAC12 rivals with Stanford taking on Colorado. It was an amazing game that came down to the wire with Colorado holding off Stanford in a 80-76 win to improve to 6-1. 

Central Michigan vs. #10 Kentucky 

The Bet: Kentucky -30

This should be an easy win for one of the nations best teams #10 Kentucky. The Wildcats have played well all season with a current record of 5-1. They have not lost a game since opening night against Duke. Kentucky looks to continue their early season success against a Central Michigan team that has struggled to start the season. Central Michigan has a current record of 1-5. They have not looked good in almost all their games so far this season and have a tough matchup with Kentucky. 

Kentucky leads Central Michigan in almost every stat recorded. The only edge Central Michigan has stat wise is a 6.8 to 6.5 steals per game. Kentucky is a high powered offensive team that can make shots at a higher percentage and play great defense as well. They also are one of the best in the nation at rebounding. There is a team with very few weaknesses and Central Michigan is a team with many. Central Michigan has been struggling to score all season, while shooting 39.4% from the field as a whole. They also have struggled defensively all season and have trouble boxing out to rebound on the defensive end. Kentucky should have no problem scoring and having many second chance points. We are expecting a dominant  performance from Oscar Tshiebwe who is one of if not the best rebounding center in the nation. Tshiebwe has averaged 16 rebounds per game so far this season, Central Michigan averages 29 a game as a team. Tshiebwe should have no problem grabbing everyone rebound he can to create more opportunities for himself and his teammates. 

The spread is 30 points in this game. It is a lot of points for Kentucky to cover, but with such a dominant team Kentucky has there should be no contest against Central Michigan. There is major confidence in Kentucky to easily win this game, that’s why we like Kentucky to cover the 30 point spread.

Notre Dame vs. #14 Illinois 

The Bet: Illinois -6.5

A great matchup with two teams with something to prove. It has been a rocky start for both Notre adams and Illinois, but both look to turn their season around today. 

Notre Dame is currently 3-2 and seems to still need some work on figuring out what type of basketball team they are. Their two losses were both very close games, however they pictured a much better start to the season. Notre Dame has been competitive in every game, but has looked inconsistent at times on the offensive end. Illinois is currently 4-2 and has played some good teams, but this is not the start they wanted after a great season last year. Illinois now has their star center Kofi Cockburn, after he missed the teams first two games of the season. Cockburn, a junior, is a huge addition to the team. His return provides much needed scoring as he is their leading scorer averaging 26.3 points per game. Illinois, a great offensive team, has been inconsistent as well on the offensive end. They have already had two games this season where they scored over 90 points. Illinois is the much better team and should win this game, but don’t count out Notre Dame to make it very competitive. Both teams can score 90 points any night if they are hitting their shots, but Illinois is an overall more experienced and better team. 

Illinois is looking to make a statement against a respected Notre Dame team. Illinois has something to prove and they are home, that’s why we like Illinois to cover the 6.5 spread.

Montana vs. Oregon 

The Bet: Montana -13

Oregon takes on Montana where the ducks look to turn around their season. Oregon coming off two losses in a row is looking to improve against a Montana team that has played well so far this year. Montana is looking for a big win to prove they are legit this year. 

Montana is off to a good start at 4-2 so far this season. Their offense has struggled at times this season, but their defense has bailed them out. Montana has been playing great defense so far this season. They have allowed only 60.3 points per game to opponents so far this season. Montana has even held two opponents to under 50 points so far this year. They can be a legit team if they can find consistency with their offense. Oregon is off to a poor 3-3 start. Oregon has much higher expectations than being a .500 record team. Last year Oregon made the tournament and won two games to advance to the Sweet 16 where they lost to USC. This is a different Oregon team. Arguably this Oregon team has more depth than last year’s team, but it is missing its high powered offense from last year. Like Montana, Oregon too has struggled to be consistent offensively. Oregon has struggled to shoot from the field, currently shooting 41.5% from the field as a team. Both teams are evenly matched and should provide a great game. 

Oregon has struggled to shoot all across the floor in most games. They look to figure out their offensive struggles against a Montana team that it’s strength is their defense, this is why we like Montana to cover the 13 point spread.