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College Basketball

Thursday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read
This Thursday night’s featured college basketball’s betting action starts with a pair of matchups in the Big Ten followed by one of the top teams in the nation hosting a rival from the West Coast Conference.

Second-ranked Michigan gets things started on the road against Illinois ahead of the other Big Ten matchup between Penn State and Nebraska in Lincoln. Closing things out late Thursday night, No. 5 Gonzaga plays host to Pacific.


No. 2 Michigan Wolverines at Illinois Fighting Illini (FOX Sports 1, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Michigan -9, Total 135

Betting Matchup

Michigan extended its straight-up winning streak to 15 games with Sunday’s 74-63 victory against Indiana as a nine-point home favorite. It is now 4-0 SU in Big Ten play with a 3-1 record against the spread. The Wolverines are still just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games with the total staying UNDER in 10 of their first 15 games. Michigan is third in the nation in points allowed (55.6).

The Fighting Illini are fighting for SU wins this season at 4-11 through their first 15 games. They are 0-4 SU in conference play, but they were able to cover in their last two losses against Indiana and Northwestern on the road. The total stayed UNDER in each of those games and it has stayed UNDER in four of their last five contests. Illinois is 2-4 ATS this season in six previous home games.

Betting Trends

-- The Wolverines are 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 road games and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in five of their last six games on the road.

-- The Fighting Illini have a 2-7 record ATS in their last nine games coming sho a SU loss and the total has gone OVER in four of their last five Thursday games.

-- Michigan is 12-3-1 ATS in its last 16 games against the Fighting Illini and the total has gone OVER in four of the last five meetings at Illinois.

Penn State Nittany Lions at Nebraska Cornhuskers (ESPN2, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Nebraska -11 ½, Total 138
Betting Matchup

The Lions dipped below .500 on the year at 7-8 SU with a pair of losses to Michigan on the road and Wisconsin at home. They are 0-4 both SU and ATS in conference play. The total stayed UNDER 128 ½ points in Sunday’s 71-52 loss to the Badgers as a two-point underdog and it has stayed UNDER in Penn State’s last four games. It has failed to cover in four of five road games this season.

Nebraska dropped to 11-4 SU with a 10-3-1 record ATS after losing to Iowa 93-84 on Sunday as a two-point road favorite. This followed last week’s tight 74-72 loss to Maryland on the road as a 2 ½-point underdog. The total went OVER in each of those games and it has gone OVER in five of its last six games with a posted betting line. The Cornhuskers also lost to Minnesota at home in early December conference play as four-point favorites.

Betting Trends

-- The Nittany Lions have gone 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games following a SU loss and the total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six road games.

-- The Cornhuskers are 20-5-1 ATS in their last 26 home games and the total has stayed UNDER in nine of their last 12 games coming off a SU loss.

-- The favorite in this matchup has covered in seven of the last nine meetings and the total has gone OVER in seven of the last eight meetings in Nebraska.

Pacific Tigers at No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs (ESPN2, 11:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Gonzaga -26 ½, Total 158

Betting Matchup

The Tigers come into Thursday’s WCC matchup with a 1-3 SU slide in their last four games. They closed as underdogs in all four losses as part of a SU 10-7 record while going 8-7 ATS. They are 3-5 ATS on the road with the total going OVER or ending as a PUSH in four of their last five outings overall. Pacific could have a tough time keeping pace in this one with a scoring average of 75.5 points per game.

The Bulldogs are the second-highest scoring team in the nation with 93.6 PPG during their 14-2 SU start. They have also been a solid betting team at 12-4 ATS after pasting Santa Clara 91-48 in Saturday’s conference opener as heavy 26 ½-point home favorites. Gonzaga has covered heavy double-digit spreads in its last five games with the total going OVER in each lopsided win. Junior forward Rui Hachimura remains the team’s leading scorer with 21.4 PPG.

Betting Trends

-- The Tigers are 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 Thursday games and the total has gone OVER in five of their last seven WCC games.

-- The Bulldogs have failed to cover in seven of their last nine games played on Thursday and the total has stayed UNDER in their last seven games played at home.

-- The home team is 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in four of the last five games between these two teams.




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