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College Basketball

Sunday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read
The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs might be at the top of the list for sports bettors this Sunday, but do not miss out on a golden opportunity to add in some college basketball action with a trio of night games in the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 starting at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.

North Carolina State at No. 3 Virginia (ESPNU, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Virginia -15, Total 132

Betting Matchup

Thursday’s thrilling 78-77 victory against No. 19 Clemson as four-point home underdogs sets up a huge opportunity for the Wolfpack to make a big move into the national rankings with another upset on Sunday in light of the fact that they already beat Duke 96-85 last Saturday as 12 ½-point underdogs at home. They are now 12-5 straight-up with a 6-7 record against the spread. Sophomore center Omer Yurtseven went off for 29 points in Thursday night’s win.

Virginia is the only SU undefeated team in ACC play at 4-0 as part of its 15-1 record overall. It did fail to cover in Tuesday’s 68-61 victory against Syracuse as a 9 ½-point home favorite and it was the first time the Cavaliers allowed more than 60 points in their last seven contests. They are 9-4 ATS with the total staying UNDER in nine of those 13 games behind a defense that is ranked first in the nation in points allowed (53.0).

Betting Trends

-- The Wolfpack are 8-20-1 ATS over their last 29 conference games and they are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games following a SU win. The total has stayed UNDER in six of their last seven road games.

-- The Cavaliers have gone 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games coming off a SU win and they are 4-1 ATS in their last five Sunday games. The total has stayed UNDER in nine of their last 12 ACC games.

-- Head-to-head in this ACC tilt, the road team is 16-5 ATS in the last 21 meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in the last five matchups.

Ohio State at Rutgers (Big Ten Network, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Ohio State -5.5, Total 135

Betting Matchup

Ohio State won a pair of early December conference battles against Wisconsin on the road and Michigan at home before rolling over Iowa, Michigan State and Maryland in recent Big Ten play as part of a SU record of 9-1 in its last 10 games. The Buckeyes have gone 6-4 ATS during this same span after covering in their last three games. Going back to last Sunday’s huge 80-64 upset over the Spartans as a 6 ½-point home underdog, four of Ohio State’s five starters were in double figures led by junior forward Keita Bates-Diop’s 32 points.

With just one SU win in its first five conference games, Rutgers is 11-7 SU overall. It has been able to cover in three of those five Big Ten matchups to boost its record ATS to 8-6. This includes a solid effort against Michigan State on Tuesday as heavy 21 ½-point road underdogs in a 76-72 loss. The Scarlet Knights remain one of best defensive teams in the nation with a 61.7 points-allowed average that is currently ranked 10th. They fall well down the list in scoring with 70.2 points per game.

Betting Trends

-- The Buckeyes have failed to cover in 12 of their last 17 Sunday games and they are 13-30-1 ATS in their last 44 games on the road. The total has stayed UNDER in nine of their last 12 games following a SU win.

-- The Scarlet Knights are 17-37 ATS in their last 54 games coming off a SU loss, but they have covered in four of their last five games against a team with a SU winning record. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in six of their last eight home games.

-- Ohio State has won four of the last five meetings SU, but Rutgers has the slight 3-2 edge ATS. The total has gone OVER in three of the five games.

Utah at USC (ESPNU, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: USC -6, Total 151

Betting Matchup

Last Sunday night, the Utes fell to Arizona State 80-77 as three-point home underdogs before dropping a lopsided 83-64 decision to UCLA on Thursday as 6 ½-point underdogs on the road. Utah is now 2-3 SU in Pac-12 play with a 2-2-1 record ATS as part of an overall record of 10-6 SU (7-6-1 ATS). The total has stayed UNDER in four of those five games. With five players averaging at least 10 points a game, the Utes are scoring 75.4 PPG and shooting 45.8 percent from the field. Freshman forward Donnie Tillman (10.2 PPG) has now missed six of his last seven games.

The Trojans (12-6 SU, 11-7 ATS) are off to a 3-2 start in the Pac-12 both SU and ATS following Wednesday’s 70-58 victory against Colorado as 11 ½-point home favorites. They have gone an even 5-5 ATS at home this season with the total going OVER in three of their last four home games. USC has gotten a big effort from a pair of junior forwards’ with Chimezie Metu posting a team-high 17.1 points and 7.6 rebounds along with Bennie Boatwright adding 15.5 points and seven rebounds.

Betting Trends

-- The Utes are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games following a SU loss and they have failed to cover in seven of their last 10 road games. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in 10 of their last 11 Sunday games.

-- The Trojans have covered in five of their last six games against a team with a SU winning record and they are 4-1 ATS in their last five games at home against a team with a SU losing record on the road. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in 15 of their last 18 Sunday games.

-- The favorite in this conference clash has gone 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings and total has gone OVER in eight of the last 10 meetings.

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