You don’t have to wait until tonight to watch some college basketball. The College Basketball Crown Tournament has two semi-final matchups on the slate this afternoon.
I reviewed each game and provided analysis and best college basketball bets for both. Check them out below.
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Saturday’s Best College Basketball Crown Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Boise State Broncos vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Boise State Broncos cracked 100 points in their quarter-finals matchup against Butler. Javan Buchanan added 27 points in just 25 minutes, knocking down 10-of-11 from two-point range. He’ll look to stay hot against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Meanwhile, Nebraska came into this tournament having lost six of its last seven games. But it’s won two straight over Arizona State and Georgetown. They now have some confidence and momentum.
Nebraska has been weak on the offensive glass, adding only 26.9% of offensive rebounds per game. That will ultimately hurt the Cornhuskers, especially since Boise State ranks No. 2 in the nation in defensive rebounding. The Broncos have allowed just 22.2% of offensive rebounds.
That said, Nebraska has still hit nearly 54% from two-point range but isn’t efficient from three-point range, hitting only 32.6% from deep this season. I expect Nebraska to keep turnovers down, but it might be a struggle to get to the foul line consistently against Boise State.
On the other hand, Boise State isn’t shooting it well from three-point range this season. They’ve taken more threes than Nebraska but have hit only 31.6% from deep. Still, I’d say Boise State has more qualified three-point shooters. Nebraska has given up 34.2% of shots from deep this season.
Overall, the Cornhuskers are the better defense, but the Broncos won’t be easy to stop. Again, they scored 100 points in the quarter-finals and have shot 56.8% from two-point range while also knocking down 78% from the foul line.
Boise State has the edge.
Pick: Boise State -2.5 (-110)
UCF Knights vs. Villanova Wildcats
The Villanova Wildcats are playing inspired basketball under interim head coach Mike Nardi. The Wildcats have added back-to-back wins over Colorado and USC, and are in the semi-finals of a postseason tournament without Kyle Neptune.
Unfortunately for Nardi, no matter what happens in this tournament, he won’t get the head coaching job at Villanova. They’ve already hired Kevin Willard to take over. That said, this tournament performance should still help him in years to come.
It’s no secret the Wildcats have one of the better offenses in college basketball. They’ve done it behind Eric Dixon, who has scored 23.1 points per game this season. In a 60-59 win over USC, Dixon scored 28 points. He added half of Villanova’s points and willed them to victory.
He’s made for tournaments.
Villanova has added 30% of offensive rebounds, which isn’t super high. However, that number should rise against UCF’s defense, which has allowed 34.3% of offensive rebounds per game. Plus, the UCF Knights have also allowed teams to shoot 52.3% from inside the arc this season.
Conversely, UCF has shot a 49.5% effective field goal percentage. The Knights should keep turnovers down, but it’s unlikely they’ll shoot nearly as well. Plus, UCF has added 32% of offensive rebounds but will face a Villanova defense that has limited opponents to 27.6% of offensive rebounds.
Let’s back Villanova.
Pick: Villanova -3.5 (-110)
