Top College Basketball Picks Sunday, January 31st (2021)
Mixed among the many action-packed games on Saturday was the SEC/Big 12 Challenge that provided a much-needed dose of non-conference play that college basketball had been lacking. The Big 12 held their own, but the SEC ultimately came out victorious, winning five of the nine matchups. However, of all nine games played, no win was bigger than Oklahoma’s 66-61 win over a red-hot Alabama team despite being down two starters due to COVID-19 protocols. Jeff Borzello beautifully summed up what an incredible month it has been for the Sooners.
Here are two picks for Sunday.
YTD: 80-66-1
All odds via BettingPros consensus
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SMU at Houston (-10): 1:00 PM ET
The Houston Cougars did not take kindly to losing their first game against Tulsa over a month ago, as they have rattled off seven straight wins by an average of 18 PPG since. That includes a 74-60 road win at SMU, one of six double-digit point wins in that seven-game span. Though SMU enters this contest at 9-3, there is reason to believe they will be more competitive than the first time around when facing the Cougars.
SMU is desperate for a big marquee win as they are one of the “next four out†in Joe Lunardi’s latest version of Bracketology. While Houston is one of the best defensive teams in the country, the Mustangs can challenge them in ways that not many others in the AAC can. SMU ranks second in the conference in adjusted offensive efficiency and effective field goal percentage and is the third-best three-point shooting team in league play. They have four players averaging in double figures, including last year’s leading assist man in the conference in Kendric Davis. Last year’s leading scorer, Tyson Jolly, is struggling comparatively this season with 9.3 PPG after scoring 14.5 PPG last year. Jolly missed the first nine games of the season as he dealt with off-court issues, but his presence in this game will make a big difference in SMU’s offensive attack.
SMU is just 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games, while Houston is 8-2 ATS in 10 conference games. However, these opposite trends have already been baked into this line, and I will happily be on the contrarian side. Seeing Houston once already should bode well for SMU’s confidence, and a desperate Mustangs team will put up much more of a fight this time around.
NC State at Syracuse (-6): 6:00 PM ET
One cannot understate how big of a loss Devon Daniels is for this Wolfpack team. Daniels is one of the best players in the conference, and he did it all for NC State. Daniels leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals, and the Wolfpack will miss his senior leadership down the stretch. It is never a good time to lose someone of his caliber, but especially not when you have just three days to prepare for Syracuse and their difficult 2-3 zone.
Before a win in their last game against Wake Forest, N.C. State had lost four straight conference games. They have not won a single road game all year, and their four road losses have come by an average of 14.3 PPG. Syracuse has won three straight home games and is looking for another signature win to boost their resume for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. Just one of Syracuse’s last 10 games is against a current top-four team in the conference, so they know they have a chance to string a lot of wins together.
Syracuse is 5-4 ATS as a home favorite, while NC State is 0-3-1 ATS as road underdogs. Also, the Wolfpack are just 1-5-1 ATS in ACC games this season, and going on the road to their Carrier Dome in their first game without their best player is a tough ask.
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Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.