Sign In $
College Basketball

Friday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read
College basketball betting action heats things up on the West Coast this Friday night highlighted by a showdown between the No. 6 Nevada Wolf Pack and the No. 20 Arizona State Sun Devils.

This the last of three games on Friday’s slate in this year’s Air Force Reserve Hall of Fame Classic at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The first game of the night pits the New Mexico Lobos against the Saint Mary’s Gaels followed by the TCU Horned Frogs taking on the USC Trojans.

Opening Odds per [...]

No. 6 Nevada Wolf Pack vs. No. 20 Arizona State Sun Devils (ESPN2, 11:59 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Nevada -8, Total 160

Betting Matchup

All the preseason hype surrounding the Wolf Pack as one of the top teams in the nation has panned out in early play with a solid 8-0 straight-up start. After covering as 5 ½-point road favorites in Saturday’s 73-61 win against USC, they improved to a highly profitable 7-1 against the spread. The total stayed UNDER 161 in that game and it has stayed UNDER in six of Nevada’s first eight games.

Senior forward Jordan Caroline scored 22 points in Saturday’s win against the Trojans to eclipse his 18.5-point scoring average for the second time in his last four games. He is also averaging 10 rebounds a game. Another senior forward, Caleb Martin leads Nevada in scoring this season with an average of 19.9 points per game. He recently scored 29 points in a win against Massachusetts. The Wolf Pack have put up an average of 88 points through their first eight games.

Arizona State has remained unbeaten in its first seven games, but it dropped to 5-2 ATS after failing to cover as a heavy 19 ½-point home favorite in Saturday’s 83-71 victory against Texas Southern. The total stayed UNDER 161 points in that game and it has stayed UNDER in four of the Sun Devils’ last six contests. In their only game as underdogs (+4 ½ points) this season, they beat Mississippi State 72-67 on Nov. 19.

This is another team that knows how to put some points on the board with a scoring average of 86.1 PPG. However, Arizona State is not known for playing the tightest defense in the nation with a points-allowed average of 70.7. With a deep roster that boasts four different players averaging at least 12 points a game, freshman guard Luguentz has had the hottest hand with 21.7 PPG. He lit things up against Utah State in a 87-82 victory on Nov. 21 with 33 points while going 10-for-15 from the field.

Betting Trends

-- The Wolf Pack have covered the spread in their last four games against the Pac-12 and they are a perfect 4-0 ATS in their last four games played on Friday. The total has gone OVER in five of their last six neutral-site games.

-- The Sun Devils are 5-0 ATS in five previous Friday games and they have been able to cover in five of their last seven games played at a neutral site. The total has gone OVER in seven of their last nine games against the Mountain West.

-- These two teams played each other in back-to-back seasons from 2011 to 2012 with the road team winning each contest SU. Nevada was 2-0 ATS as an underdog with the total going OVER in both games

Friday Bonus Matchups

New Mexico vs. Saint Mary’s (7:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Saint Mary's -6, Total 159 ½

The Lobos were hammered 100-65 an in-state battle on the road against New Mexico State on Tuesday night as 6 ½-point underdogs to fall to 4-2 SU and 2-4 ATS through their first six games. The total has gone OVER in all six contests.

St. Mary’s has been a mixed bag at 5-4 SU through its first nine games. Losses to Harvard and UC Irvine as home favorites were the most troubling, but the Gaels were able to cover as 10 ½-point home favorites in a recent win against the Pac-12’s California Golden Bears. They are 6-3 ATS and the total has gone OVER in seven of the nine games.

TCU vs. USC (FOX Sports 1, 9:30 p.m.)

Opening Odds: TCU -2, Total 147

With Wednesday’s 67-59 road victory against SMU as slight 1 ½-point favorites, the Horned Frogs improved to 6-1 SU. They have been able to cover in their last three games after going 0-4 ATS to start the season. The total stayed UNDER 145 ½ points against the Mustangs and it has stayed UNDER in five of TCU’s first seven games.

The recent loss to Nevada dropped USC to 5-3 SU with an even 4-4 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER the closing line in four of its last six games. In their only other game against the Big 12 this season, the Trojans came up well short as 6 ½-point underdogs in a 78-63 loss to Texas Tech on No. 19.

College Basketball News

VegasInsider Staff

VegasInsider Staff

More from VegasInsider Staff
•