It was a tough go last weekend, with a win here, a couple of losses there. The good news is that we’re starting to get into conference play in some leagues, and we’re beginning to put a lot of the neutral-floor games behind us, too. Let’s pluck some winners and get back on track.
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Saturday’s Best College Basketball Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All wagers are for 1 unit
Marshall at Ohio
The Thundering Herd of Marshall makes the quick trip up from Huntington to Athens for a clash between former MAC rivals. Marshall has dropped four straight games while going just 1-6 against the spread (ATS) in the previous seven contests. Defense has been a major issue lately for the Thundering Herd, coughing up 78 or more points in four in a row, and five of the past six games. Marshall just cannot slow anybody down. In Marshall’s most recent game against a MAC team, it suffered a 79-74 loss at home as an 11-point favorite.
The Bobcats of Ohio are coming off a 78-72 loss at home against Youngstown State last time out, failing to win outright as an 8.5-point favorite on Wednesday. Ohio has won three of the past four games overall while going 1-4 ATS across the past five outings. Offense will be the difference in this battle, as Ohio posts 79.9 points per game (PPG) to rank 88th in the country, and it is a decent shooting team at 46.1% from the field.
The home team has won five in a row in this series, with Ohio going 7-3 ATS in the past 10 meetings. And the home team has cashed in four straight, too. Back the Bobcats.
Bets: Ohio -8.5 (-120)
Fairfield at Sacred Heart
Fairfield has picked up the pace lately with two straight wins and covers, as the Stags’ offense has come alive after being asleep for most of the first month of the season. Fairfield is still just 2-6 ATS, and it is 2-4 ATS in six games either on the road or on a neutral floor. However, those two wins and covers have come on the road against Rider and Yale, and the latter game is especially impressive.
Sacred Heart has gone downhill after a decent start. The Pioneers opened with a respectable 4-2 SU record in the first six games, while covering five of the first six outings. However, they’re skidding hard lately, dropping four in a row, and the offense has scored 55 or fewer points in three of those setbacks. In addition, Sacred Heart has allowed 70 or more points to UNH, Boston U, and St. John’s, including a season-high 90 points allowed against the Wildcats of New Hampshire.
Bet: Fairfield +2.5 (-114)
Arizona State at San Diego
This is an interesting game. The Pac-12 representative hits the road to play on the home court of a West Coast Conference team. That’s not unusual if we’re discussing BYU, Gonzaga, or Saint Mary’s, but USD doesn’t get a lot of high-profile visitors to campus.
Arizona State has won four in a row, including a home game over another WCC team, San Francisco, on Dec. 3. Sparky topped the Dons 72-61, covering a 2.5-point spread. The Sun Devils have also covered three of the past four, and the only miss was a 2-point win as a 2.5-point favorite against SMU last time out on Wednesday.
San Diego suffered an 88-64 loss at Stanford on Dec. 3 in its most recent meeting against a Pac-12 squad, and the Toreros have dropped three of the past four outings while going 0-4 ATS during the slide. Back the Sun Devils.
Bet: Arizona State -7.5 (-110)
UC Irvine at San Diego State
Sticking in the beautiful city of San Diego, the Anteaters of UC Irvine head down the 405 to the 5 for a battle down south. It’s one of the last games of the day to bet, but it’s a good one.
UC Irvine has picked up six wins in nine tries, including a stunning 70-60 win at the Galen Center against USC back on Nov. 14 as an 11.5-point underdog. The Anteaters have also registered wins over New Mexico State, Toledo, and Rice to date while going 6-1 ATS in the past seven games.
The defending national runners-up are coming off a 79-73 loss at Grand Canyon on Wednesday that halted a six-game winning streak to San Diego State. The Aztecs have struggled against the number, failing to cover four in a row, and six of the past seven games overall. Roll with the Anteaters catching nearly double digits.
Bet: UC Irvine +9.5 (-110)
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