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.

We're likely to have a changing of the guard at the top of the rankings, as Villanova (23-2 SU, 17-8 ATS) was shocked by unranked St. John's (13-13 SU, 12-12 ATS) for just their second loss of the season. The Wildcats have been a nice source of 'over' results lately, win or lose, going 6-0 across their past six outings. Virginia (23-2 SU, 16-5-1 ATS) was unable to take advantage of Villanova stubbing its toe, as they were dumped in Charlottesville by Virginia Tech (18-7 SU, 13-8 ATS) in overtime on Saturday. Purdue (23-4 SU, 14-11-1 ATS) saw the losing in the top two spots and said, 'Hold my beer.' They went on to lose a pair of games in the past week, albeit to a pair of teams likely to be in or near the Top 10.

The Boilermakers suffered a setback at home against surging Ohio State (22-5 SU, 14-11 ATS), a team which suddenly finds themselves at the top of the Big Ten standings. The Buckeyes won 64-63 in West Lafayette to gain a ton of confidence, and they'll have a major revenge game this week at Penn State (17-9 SU, 11-10-1 ATS). The Buckeyes continue to do it with defense, as the 'under' has hit in four in a row, and eight of their past nine outings. Michigan State (24-3 SU, 13-12-2 ATS) also stepped up with an impressive 68-65 win at home against the Boilers, but Sparty is having difficulty against the number. Michigan State is a dismal 0-4-2 ATS over the past six outings heading into the new week.

Cincinnati (23-2, 13-8-1 ATS) put the rest of the nation on blast, showing they are a formidable team and one built to go deep into March (and perhaps April) with a spanking of Southern Methodist (15-10 SU, 7-11-2 ATS) on Sunday. The Bearcats are likely to slide up into the Top 5, sticking with Queen City rival and Big East leader Xavier (23-3 SU, 18-8 ATS). There aren't any conference boasting two Top 5 teams, but how about the city of Cincinnati with two teams ranked so highly? The Musketeers have showed championship mettle lately, stepping up in the face of adversity. They beat Georgetown (14-10 SU, 10-11 ATS) last week in overtime, won at Butler (17-9 SU, 13-12 ATS), also in overtime on Tuesday, and they took care of Creighton (18-7 SU, 12-12 ATS) on the road Saturday with a late bucket to win a thriller. XU is 5-1 ATS over the past six outings now.

Gonzaga (23-4 SU, 10-13-1 ATS) exacted a little revenge with a win at St. Mary's (CA) (24-3 SU, 11-11-1 ATS) on Saturday in Moraga, 78-65. It was not only an impressive win for the Bulldogs, but it put an end to their ugly 0-8 ATS non-cover skid. They also atoned for a 74-71 loss at home against the Gaels back on Jan. 18. The 'under' has now connected in four in a row for the Bulldogs, and seven of their past nine. They're winning with defense. For St. Mary's, their previous two losses were both on neutral courts. They're just 3-4 ATS over their past seven games, failing to cover in back-to-back games since a 3-0 ATS stretch from Jan. 11-18. The 'under' continues to be the way to wager on SMC. The 'under' is 7-0-1 over their past eight outings, and 14-3-1 across the past 18 contests.

Oklahoma (16-8 SU, 8-15 ATS) has gone off the rails with three straight losses, and a 2-6 SU/1-7 ATS mark over their past eight outings. The Big 12 teams have been beating on each other all season, and some of the pretenders are starting to show signs of wear and tear, including the Sooners. West Virginia (18-7 SU, 10-11 ATS) was once a Top 5 club, but they have also struggled lately. The Mountaineers tripped up the Sooners last Monday, but they fell 88-85 to Oklahoma State (15-10 SU, 10-12 ATS) on their home court. WVU slipped to 3-6 SU across their past nine outings, while going 2-4 ATS over the last six outings. It won't get any easier, as they will be facing Texas Christian (17-8 SU, 12-11-1 ATS) and Kansas (19-6 SU, 12-11-1 ATS), two ranked clubs.

New Mexico State (22-3 SU, 4-1-2 ATS) is poised to join the Top 25 after two more conference victories against non-ranked teams. The Aggies have rattled off 11 consecutive victories, although it's hard to gauge their success since the WAC hasn't had many official spreads available this season. The Aggies do have victories against Davidson (13-10 SU, 11-10-1 ATS), Miami-Florida (18-6 SU, 9-10 ATS) and two wins against Land of Enchantment rivals New Mexico (12-14 SU, 10-13-1 ATS). They're 3-0-1 ATS in those games, too. Vermont (21-5 SU, 3-3 ATS) is again atop the America East Conference, going 11-0 SU in their league. They're also 3-1 SU on a neutral-site court this season, so the Catamounts could be poised to make their way into the Top 25 at some point if they keep winning.

VegasInsider Staff

More from VegasInsider Staff