Top 25 Betting Recap

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Each week until March Madness we'll take a look at how the Top 25 fared from college basketball, but straight up and against the number, while also taking a look at their upcoming schedule.

Florida (15-8 SU, 11-11 ATS) is set to fall out of the Top 25 after a pair of losses, as the SEC just hasn't been able to have any staying power outside of Auburn (21-2 SU, 16-5 ATS). It appears the Tigers will have to carry the flag for the conference, as Kentucky (17-6 SU, 10-13 ATS) also continues to be fairly mediocre, losing for the first time ever to Missouri (15-8 SU, 12-10 ATS) this past weekend. The Wildcats split their pair of games, and will be lucky to appear in the Top 25 heading forward. Tennessee (17-5 SU, 13-7 ATS) hung on to what it's got with a pair of wins, and they'll face the Wildcats in the upcoming week looking to add to their woes.

Speaking of woes, Gonzaga (21-4 SU, 9-12-1 ATS) picked up another pair of victories this week, but their non-cover streak continues. The Bulldogs have failed to cover in seven in a row since covering a 30-point number against Portland (10-15 SU, 11-8-1 ATS) back on Jan. 11. The Bulldogs will be heavily favored in their road outing at Pacific (12-13 SU, 13-9-2 ATS) on Thursday before their rematch and showdown with St. Mary's-Calif. (23-2 SU, 10-10-1 ATS) on Saturday. The Gaels picked off the Zags in Spokane by a 74-71 score on Jan. 18, winning straight-up as 7 1/2-point underdogs. SMC has struggled against the number themselves, as they're just 2-3 ATS. Books continue to overrate the West Coast teams with inflated numbers, so look at the 'dogs in WCC play.

Villanova (22-1, 16-7 ATS) will not unlock its grip on the No. 1 spot, at least this week. The Wildcats humbled two pretty good teams, Seton Hall (17-6 SU, 11-12 ATS) and Creighton (17-6 SU, 12-10 ATS), by an average of 18.0 points per game. After a four-game 'under' run, the Wildcats are on a 4-0 'over' streak heading into the new week. Wtih two unranked opponents at home, it appears Villanova will continue to not only rule the roost in the Big East, but in all of college basketball as well.

Virginia (22-1 SU, 15-4-1 ATS) has brought stability to the No. 2 position, sailing along as Villanova's wing man. The Cavaliers are solid against the number, too, posting a 6-0-1 ATS streak over the past seven, and 8-1-1 ATS run over the past 10 outings. The Hoos last tasted defeat back on Dec. 5 at West Virginia (17-6 SU, 9-10 ATS) back on Dec. 5. There's no shame in that, as the Mountaineers have had Top 10 quality at times this season, and they had even risen briefly to No. 2 before being slapped down during a cold streak starting in mid-December. In fact, the Mountaineers are just 2-5 SU over their past seven games dating back to Jan. 13, but such is life in the ultra-competitive Big 12, where teams just hammer on each other.

Purdue (23-2 SU, 14-10 ATS) and Ohio State (20-5 SU, 12-11 ATS) battle for Big Ten supremacy on Wednesday night in West Lafayette. The game lost a little of its luster when the Buckeyes were upset by Penn State (16-9 SU, 11-9-1 ATS) last week, so we will not have two teams with unbeaten conference records. But it's still a very important game. The Boilermarkers enter in a 19-game winning streak since losing on a neutral-site court to Western Kentucky (16-7 SU, 14-7 ATS) (yeah, I know...right?) back on Nov. 23. Purdue has failed to cover in each of their past four entering the week, however. The Buckeyes enter 1-3 ATS over their past four, grinding out a low-scoring victory on Super Bowl Sunday against Illinois (12-12 SU, 9-10-1 ATS). The 'under' is now 6-1 over the past seven for Ohio State entering Wednesday's showdown.

Out west, no one seems to want the Pac-12 title. Again. Arizona (19-5 SU, 8-14-2 ATS) was surprised by Washington (17-6 SU, 11-9-1 ATS), who has suddenly joined the party with a pair of upsets. The Huskies picked off both Grand Canyon State schools this past week, and they're riding a four-game win and cover streak heading into Oregon (15-8 SU, 10-12 ATS) on Wednesday. Remember the Ducks? They were ranked at one point, and could be again if not for a 35-point whitewashing at Stanford (13-11 SU, 13-11 ATS). Meanwhile, Arizona State (17-6 SU, 12-9-2 ATS) picked up a rare cover Sunday, beating Washington State (9-13 SU, 9-12 ATS) by 10 on the Palouse, covering an eight-point number. The Sun Devils entered the game 1-7-1 ATS over the past nine.

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