by Richard Gardner | Sportsbook Manager
No more NFL football betting? No problem, the college basketball betting season is just starting to heat up. For those of you who are only starting to get caught up on the action, I thought I’d share a few of the big college hoops stories from Bodog’s online sportsbook so far.
The biggest one is North Carolina. Not a good time in Chapel Hill right now. One preseason poll had the Tar Heels ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation. They’re currently 13-10 (2-6 in the ACC).
After dropping a 92-71 decision to Maryland on the weekend, North Carolina has lost seven of its last nine and has little chance of even qualifying for March Madness. How bad has it been for loyal Heels backers? In the games that books offered a line, they’re just 7-14 against the spread, which is easily one of the worst betting records in all of college basketball. (Probably doesn’t help that Duke is 14-8 against the number either.)
If the Heels have disappointed, then the Syracuse Orange has surprised. Jim Boeheim’s boys were ranked No. 25 in one preseason poll and were unranked in another. Since then, they’ve gone 23-1 straight up and 15-5 against the spread. Syracuse has covered nine of its past 12 and fans are already looking forward to big matchups against Georgetown and Villanova in the next few weeks. Tourney seeding will undoubtedly be at stake.
Another team that’s been good for bettors is, shockingly, Northwestern. Yes, the Wildcats and not the Arizona or Kentucky sort. Northwestern doesn’t exactly have the strongest basketball tradition, but Bill Carmody has his team out to a 16-7 start this season, including 14-5 against the spread. Two years ago, the Wildcats went 1-17 in Big Ten play, so you can see why there’s some excitement around the current squad.
One other team that’s seen a surprising bit of action on its games is Oregon State. The Beavers aren’t winning games outright, but they’re sure doing a good job keeping them close. They’re 12-5 against the spread, even though their straight-up record is just 10-13. That’s the best betting record of all the teams in the Pac-10, which is a story in itself. Could one of the country power basketball conferences send just one school to the NCAA tournament? The way things are going, it’s entirely possible.
Take Washington, ranked No. 13 in the preseason in one poll. The Huskies (16-7 straight up, 7-15 against the spread) are winless on the road (0-6) and will need to finish a lot stronger if they care to be dancing in March.
