No. 1 ranked Gonzaga also nation's best bet
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The football season has come to an end. Get over it.
This is no time to get the post-Super Bowl blues. March Madness is right around the corner and while we know you probably put college hoops on the back-burner during the NFL playoffs, it’s time to start cracking the books to brush up on the college basketball landscape.
Who has been cashing for bettors, while who has been hurting their backers’ bank rolls and who will be peaking as March rolls around? These are all questions we need to answer as we get back into a college hoops frame of mind and what better place to start with the undefeated No. 1 team in the nation.
Old ‘dogs new tricks
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are having another terrific season. They are currently a perfect 24-0 and seem destined to be on their way to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But will this year finally be different for the Zags as they attempt to reach the Final Four for the first time in school history?
This season, the Zags have strong non-conference wins against Florida, Iowa State and Arizona and while playing in the WCC will always hurt their resume, they are making up for it by covering huge spreads at a remarkable clip.
The Zags aren’t just the No. 1 team in the polls, they are the No. 1 bet, going 16-4-1 against the spread so far this season. At one point, they covered the spread in 11 consecutive contests and are 9-2-1 ATS in conference play and that is no small task. Against West Coast opponents, they are facing a ridiculous average chalk of 18.9-points per game. Covering big numbers like that on a consistent basis is nothing but impressive, especially when it is so easy to become complacent when you are regularly beating teams by 20-plus points.
Additionally, even with the consistent good play season after season, this is by far the best bet they have been in the last 10-years. Their previous best? 17-13-1 ATS in 2010-11. Gonzaga visits Loyola Marymount Thursday night as 18-point road favorites.
Top 5 ATS teams in college basketball:
1. Gonzaga 16-4-1 ATS
2. Wofford 17-5 ATS
3. SMU 14-4-1 ATS
4. South Dakota 17-6-1 ATS
5. Louisville 15-6-1 ATS
These Tigers have no claws
At the other end of the betting spectrum, is Idaho State, of the Big Sky Conference. It's been a long season for the Bengals, who are just 5-17 straight up this season. They rank 264th in offense at just 69.6 points per game, while they are near the basement in Division I in points allowed at 79.5 points per game. Yo make matters worse only 11 teams allow a better opponent field goal percentage than Idaho State.
So it's no surprise the Bengals are the worst bet in college basketball at just 5-14 ATS this season, including 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games. Idaho State was actually favored for the first two times this season in its last two games, going 2-0 SU and 1-1 ATS. Unfortunately it was against the only two teams below them in the Big Sky Conferenece (Norther Arizona and Southern Utah). They visit Portland State as 8.5-point underdogs Thursday night.
Worst 5 ATS teams in college basketball:
1. Idaho State 5-14 ATS
2. Miami 6-15 ATS
t3. Youngstown State 6-14 ATS
t3. Long Beach State 6-14 ATS
t5. Western Carolina 6-13 ATS
t5. Cal Poly SLO 6-13 ATS
Golden Eagles soaring Over totals
The Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts rank a putrid 324th in points allowed, giving up 80 points per game, while at the same time netting 75 points per game themselves, making them the top Over bet in the country at 17-7-1 O/U this season. Before going Under in its last two games, Oral Roberts had gone Over in 11 consecutive games. Their next game is Saturday against the Indiana - Purdue Jaguars, who themselves are 15-6 O/U this season.
Top 5 Over bets in college basketball:
1. Oral Roberts 17-7-1
2. Missouri State 16-6
3. Temple 16-6-2
4. Arizona State 16-7-2
5. Indiana State 16-7
Highlanders loving low numbers
UC Riverside is the top under team in the nation at 13-4 thanks to the fact they score a minuscule 65.2 points per game. That ranks 324 in Division 1. They also are allowing just 69.2 points per game which helps out quite a bit. UC Riverside hosts Long Beach State on Thursday night, with a total of 144.5, who are 12-8 O/U this season.
Top 5 Under bets in college basketball:
1. UC Riverside 13-4
2. Tennessee Tech 13-5
3. UC Santa Barbara 12-5
t4. Louisiana-Monroe 11-5
t4. Fairfield 11-5