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College Basketball

Thursday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read
Thursday night’s betting board features a pair of top 10 teams in the national rankings starting with No. 6 Michigan State on the road against Nebraska in a Big Ten tilt. Moving out to the West Coast Conference, Loyola Marymount will be on the road as heavy underdogs in a matchup against the No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs.

As a bonus betting game in the Pac-12, the Oregon State Beavers and the Arizona Sun Devils battle it out in a late-night start in Tempe.

Opening Odds per

No. 6 Michigan State Spartans at Nebraska Cornhuskers (FOX Sports 1, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Pick 'em, Total 144

Betting Matchup

Michigan State (15-2) continues to keep the pressure on undefeated No. 2 Michigan in the Big Ten with a straight-up 10-game winning streak while going 9-1 against the spread. The Spartans beat Penn State 71-56 on Sunday as 7 ½-point road favorites. The also beat Rutgers and Ohio State on the road (SU and ATS) in earlier conference play. They are averaging 85.5 points per game while holding teams to 66.8 points.

Coming off Monday’s big 66-51 road upset against Indiana as 2 ½-point underdogs, the Cornhuskers improved to an even 3-3 both SU and ATS in Big Ten play. The total stayed UNDER 144 points in that game after going OVER in six of their previous seven games. Nebraska is 13-4 SU with a solid 11-4-1 record ATS. Seniors’ Glynn Watson and Isaiah Copeland combined for 29 points in Monday’s win.

Betting Trends

-- The Spartans are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games and the total has stayed UNDER in nine of their last 13 Thursday games.

-- The Cornhuskers have gone 22-5 ATS in their last 27 games following a SU win and the total has gone OVER in four of their last five games against a team with a SU winning record.

-- Michigan State has won the last three meetings both SU and ATS with the total going OVER in four of the last five matchups.

Loyola Marymount Lions at No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs (9:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Gonzaga -26, Total 145

Betting Matchup

The Lions have dropped two of their first three conference games both SU and ATS with the total going OVER in their last two outings. They are 13-4 SU overall with a 9-7 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in 10 of their first 16 games. Senior guard James Batemon continues to lead the team in points (17.9) and assists (3.8). However, he has failed to score more than 14 points in each of his last five starts.

Gonzaga is not just one of the best teams on the court this season at 16-2 SU, it has provided a solid return on investment at 14-4 ATS. With Saturday’s 96-83 victory against San Francisco as nine-point road favorites, the Bulldogs have covered the closing number in their last seven games. They have also closed as heavy double-digit favorites in the first six games of this run. Gonzaga has been able to put up at least 90 points in four of their last six games.

Betting Trends

-- The Lions have covered in their last six games coming off a SU loss and the total has stayed UNDER in 12 of their last 13 road games.

-- The Bulldogs are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games and the total has stayed UNDER in their last eight games played at home.

-- The favorite is 6-1-1 ATS in the last eight meetings with the total going OVER in five of the last seven games between the two.

Oregon State Beavers at Arizona State Sun Devils (FOX Sports 1, 10:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Arizona State -5 ½, Total 142 ½

Betting Matchup

The Beavers are off to a perfect 3-0 start in Pac-12 play both SU and ATS. This includes a big 77-72 road win against Oregon to get things started as 3 ½-point underdogs. The total stayed UNDER 153 points in Sunday’s 79-66 win at home against UCLA as a four-point favorite and it has stayed UNDER in six of Oregon State’s last seven games. As the team’s leading scorer, junior forward Tres Tinkle posted 28 points in that earlier win at Oregon while going 9-for-15 from the field.

Arizona State fell to 2-2 SU and ATS in conference play with an 85-71 road loss to Stanford as a four-point favorite on Saturday. The Sun Devils also lost to Utah 96-86 in their Pac-12 opener as 10 ½-point favorites at home. They are 4-5 SU in their last nine outings with a 3-6-1 record ATS in their last 10 games. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of those 10 games. Arizona State is averaging 79.8 PPG, but this is barely outpacing a defensive effort that is well down the list in Division I with a points-allowed average of 73.3.

Betting Trends

-- The Beavers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight conference games and the total has gone OVER in four of their last six games against a team with a SU winning record.

-- The Sun Devils have a 6-16-2 record ATS in their last 24 games against the conference with the total staying UNDER in five of their last six Thursday games.

-- The home team is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings with the total going OVER or ending as a PUSH in the last six meetings at Arizona State.


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