The NCAA men’s college basketball season is in full swing with nearly every team playing a conference foe on Saturday. It’s providing fans with excellent television as five top 25 matchups are on tap this weekend.
It’s also providing bettors with an excellent opportunity to earn some cold hard cash this weekend. With so much action on this heavy college slate, what games should bettors follow on Saturday? We’ll cover that with our three best bets for February 1.
From top to bottom, the SEC may be one of the best divisions this year. Nine teams are currently ranked in the AP Top 25 poll with two more teams receiving votes this week. Arguably, all 11 teams could make the tournament, tying a record for the most teams from one league.
Despite being ranked fifth in the country, Florida is the third highest-ranked school in their conference. The Gators have lost only two games this season by a combined seven points, dropping a road contest to Kentucky while falling by one point to Missouri.
Tennessee started the year 14-0, but the team is just 3-4 since. The Volunteers have dropped four games in January to Top 25 teams, including a 30-point loss to Florida less than four weeks ago. With momentum swinging in Florida’s favor, it’s hard to imagine Tennessee as a 2.5-point favorite against the Gators.
Best Bet: Florida (+2.5)
Texas Tech made up for some early-season slip-ups by winning seven of their last eight games. Their only loss was the Iowa State, a team currently ranked third in the country. The Red Raiders are beasts on the defensive end, holding opponents to just 64.6 points through 20 games this season.
The best defensive team in the country is the Houston Cougars. At just 55.3 points allowed to opponents, Houston is head and shoulders above the rest of college basketball. During their 13-game winning streak, only one team – No. 12 ranked Kansas – has scored above 60 points on the Cougars. Expect Houston to win on Saturday in a low-scoring affair.
Best Bet: UNDER 130.5 Points
You can throw out the records when UNC faces Duke. This blue-blood rivalry is full of bad blood between these two schools, and 11 of the past 13 games have featured final margins below the current point spread.
North Carolina played a daunting slate to start the season, dropping games to Kansas, Auburn, Michigan State, Alabama, and Florida before stepping into ACC play. The Tar Heels went on a four-game winning streak inside conference play, but UNC has dropped three of its past four games by close margins.
Duke has won their ACC matchups convincingly thus far. Seven of their 10 ACC victories have come by double-digit margins, and the Blue Devils are primed for the league’s top seed in the tournament. Expect Duke to win this contest inside the Dean Dome, but history shows the margin of victory will be closer than the spread indicates.
Best Bet: North Carolina (+13.5)