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There is roughly one more week left in the college basketball regular season, and the enormous work that it takes to cap games for the 363 Division I schools will soon come to an end. That’s great news for oddsmakers as it’s extremely difficult to provide college basketball betting odds for hundreds of games week, but it’s bad news for shrewd bettors as the value that comes with betting on games between unranked teams or smaller schools disappears. Before the end of the regular season, let’s try to take advantage of some of the opportunities presented to us with these games.
College Basketball Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook
Syracuse Orange at Florida State Seminoles
It’s been a dismal year for Leonard Hamilton and the Florida State Seminoles. FSU is on pace to have its worst record under Hamilton in 18 years, as the Seminoles were awful in non-conference play. They managed to go just 2-9 with bad losses against teams like Stetson, Troy, and Siena. However, the Seminoles continue to be a thorn in the side of their ACC rivals, and they are 6-7 in conference play. FSU has largely been uncompetitive against the cream of the crop, but they have managed to take down all the mid-tier teams and worse this season.
Both FSU and Syracuse are largely known for their defensive prowess. Hamilton’s teams have typically been challenged on the offensive end, but he recruits a ton of athletic, big men that hustle and play solid defense. However, the Seminoles have had some major problems with rebounding this season. Although they have the second-tallest team in the nation with an average height over 6’7, they rank in the bottom 100 in terms of both of offensive and defensive rebounding efficiency.
Meanwhile, Jim Boeheim is still the head coach of the Syracuse Orange. This coach and program have become synonymous with the 2-3 Zone over the course of his career, but it’s been a long time since this defense has been relevant, much less effective. Syracuse ranks 130th in defensive efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy, and Boeheim has seemingly realized that his bread is now buttered by the success of his offense. The Orange rank 55th in offensive efficiency, and the over has cashed in 15 of their 24 games according to the CBB betting line this season.
That gives bettors an opportunity to make money betting the ‘Over’ in this game. People are predisposed to have a feel for the ‘Under’ in both FSU and Syracuse games, but neither team is good on defense this season. Additionally, the Orange have been horrendous at keeping opponents off the offensive glass, so FSU could get a lot of easy putbacks in this game.
IUPUI Jaguars at Wright State Raiders
The IUPUI Jaguars are the fourth-worst team in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy. IUPUI has been absolutely dreadful with a 4-21 record, and the Jaguars are just 1-13 in Horizon League play this season. Two of their four wins came against non-Division I teams, but they were able to beat fellow conference bottom feeder, the 3-22 Green Bay Phoenix, over the weekend.
They will be taking on a mediocre Horizon League team in the Wright State Raiders on Wednesday night. Wright State is 14-11 and 7-7 in conference play, but the Raiders have not been good at home in Horizon League action. They are 3-5 at home against Horizon League opponents, and they have fallen at home against teams like Robert Morris and Oakland.
Jlynn Counter has been a bright spot for IUPUI during this terrible season. The JUCO transfer leads the Jaguars with 14.2 PPG and is making 50% of his field goals. Additionally, Counter is learning how to distribute the ball better, and that has made this team much more competitive recently. He has 15 assists in his last two games, and his shooting has helped keep IUPUI within six points of each of its last four opponents.
Wright State will undoubtedly be a double digit favorite by the college basketball betting line in this game, and that number will be close to 20 points. IUPUI has stayed within 12 points of its last six opponents, so there is a good chance they hang within the number against a Wright State team that has been disappointing at home.
