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College Basketball

Big 12-SEC Betting Tips

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read
Saturday’s college basketball betting board is highlighted by a trio of inter-conference clashes on ESPN as part of the annual Big12/SEC Challenge.

The Tennessee Volunteers get things started with a trip to Lawrence to face the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks. The No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats are up next for the SEC in a road game against the No. 18 Texas Tech Red Raiders. The top team in the nation closes things out on Saturday night with the Big 12’s No.1 Baylor Bears facing the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

Tennessee Volunteers at No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks
(ESPN 4:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: >Kansas -13.5, Total 121
Provided by Unibet (NJ and PA only)
Odds subject to change

Betting Matchup

Tennessee opened SEC play with a 14-point loss to LSU as a slight 1 ½-point home favorite on Jan. 4. Since then, the Volunteers have won four of five games straight-up with a 3-2 record against the spread. They are 12-6 SU on the year while going 8-10 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in three of their last four outings.

John Fulkerson scored a career-high 18 points with 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s 73-48 rout of Ole Miss. He is one of four players averaging at least 11 points per game this season.

The No. 3 team in the nation has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. A game-ending brawl in the Jayhawks’ 81-60 victory on Monday against bitter rival Kansas State marred their sixth SU win in the last seven games (5-2 ATS).

The end result is the suspension of Silvio De Sousa for the next 12 games and David McCormack for the next two. Kansas is 5-1 in Big 12 play and 15-3 SU overall. The total went OVER 127 points on Monday after staying UNDER in the previous seven contests.

Betting Trends

-- The Volunteers are 2-4 ATS in their last six Saturday games and the total has gone OVER in 12 of their last 14 games played on the road.

-- The Jayhawks have a SU record of 19-1 in their last 20 home games. The total has stayed UNDER five of their last six Saturday games.

-- Kansas has won three of four games against Tennessee SU and ATS dating back to 2009. The total has gone OVER in three of those contests.

No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats at No.18 Texas Tech Red Raiders
(ESPN, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: >Texas Tech -4, Total 132.5
Provided by Unibet (NJ and PA only)
Odds subject to change

Betting Matchup

The Wildcats have strung together six SU victories in their last seven games starting with a big eight-point win at home against Louisville on Dec. 28 as two-point favorites. They have gone 4-3 ATS during this same span with the total going OVER in seven of their last eight outings. Kentucky is 14-4 SU but it falls to 7-10-1 ATS.

In Tuesday’s season sweep over Georgia with a 10-point win as a 12-point home favorite, Ashton Hagans ended the game with 23 points. Yet, he is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Junior forward Nick Richards added 20 points.

With three losses (SU and ATS) in five games, Texas Tech has gotten off to a rough start in Big 12 play. It failed to cover in Tuesday’s 65-54 road loss to TCU as a 2 ½-point favorite. The total stayed UNDER 126 ½ points and it has stayed UNDER in four of the Red Raiders’ last five games. They are now 12-6 SU with a 8-10 record ATS.

Freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey is scoring 15.5 of the team’s 72.7 PPG. However, he has failed to reach that average in each of his last four starts.

Betting Trends

-- The Wildcats have gone 9-2 SU in their last 11 road games. The total has stayed UNDER in 11 of their last 13 games against the Big 12.

-- The Red Raiders are 9-1 SU at home this season but an even 5-5 ATS. They are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 Saturday games.

-- This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

No. 1 Baylor Bears at Florida Gators
(ESPN, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: >Florida -1.5, 130.5
Provided by Unibet (NJ and PA only)
Odds subject to change

Betting Matchup

Baylor is off to a perfect 6-0 SU start in the Big 12 as part of its current 15-game winning streak. Monday’s 61-57 home victory against Oklahoma as10 ½-point favorites was the first time the Bears (16-1) failed to cover in their last six games as part of an 11-6 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six outings. MaCio Teague scored 16 points with Davion Mitchell adding 13 points in Monday’s win.

Sophomore guard Jared Butler (16.1 PPG) was held to just four points in his last start.

The Gators were on the wrong side of Tuesday’s 84-82 road loss to LSU as three-point underdogs. They are 4-2 (SU and ATS) in SEC play with an overall record of 12-6 (8-10 ATS). The total went OVER 142 ½ points in the loss and it has gone OVER in 10 of Florida’s last 13 contests.

With an average of 74.0 PPG, this lineup features four players in double figures led by forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. (14.8 points).

Betting Trends

-- The Bears are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games on the road but they are 1-8 ATS in their last nine games against the SEC.

-- The Gators have won their last six home games SU but they are 2-5 ATS in their last seven Saturday games. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last six Big 12 games.

-- This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

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