NCAA Basketball Best Bets for November 21: Eyes On The Bahamas & Brooklyn
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Willie Bee
- November 21, 2024
Top NCAAB Pick: Syracuse/Texas Under 155 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
The differences between the Bahamas and Brooklyn could hardly be greater, but they’ll share at least one thing in common Thursday evening with the start of this year’s Baha Mar Hoops Championship and Legends Classic college basketball tournaments.
While these are short, 4-team brackets, grabbing some early hardware could go a long way for the eventual champions when determining seeding for the Big Dance next March, and those champions will also see a bump in their college basketball futures.
Baylor Bears vs. St. John’s Red Storm
Thursday, November 21, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Baha Mar Convention Center
Only four teams from the latest AP rankings are in action Thursday, but the good news is we get two of them going head-to-head in this tip-off game for the Baha Mar.
This matchup gives Rick Pitino a chance to show everyone what he’s done in just two years at St. John’s as the Red Storm look for their first NCAA Tournament bid in six seasons.
Scott Drew, meanwhile, is one of the longest-tenured men’s coaches in his 22nd season at Baylor, with the Bears on a 4-year run of being a 3-seed or higher at March Madness.
Both Teams Coming Off Easy Covers
Pitino has his Red Storm off to a 4-0 start, with this the first real test on the schedule. St. John’s managed to cover three of the victories at the top sportsbooks, all as chalk, with the totals splitting.
The shortest spread they were asked to cover came last Sunday at home where the Red Storm were laying 7 against New Mexico. St. John’s doubled-up on the spread with an 85-71 victory to give Pitino the dubya over his son Richard’s Lobos.
St. John’s didn’t shoot well from outside in the win, hitting just 4-of-18 from beyond the arc, but the Red Storm had a big advantage on the glass and in the paint.
Baylor Roars Back
Gonzaga embarrassed Baylor by nearly 40 points to start the season, but the Bears quickly bounced back with a win and cover over then-No. 16 Arkansas and have since covered two more matchups as heavy chalk.
Baylor was giving up 31.5 last Sunday in a glorified scrimmage with Tarleton State, and the Bears coasted to a 104-41 decision to double-up that spread. Tarleton turned it over 28 times in the rout, and it marked the 2nd-straight 104-point effort for the Bears who sank 15-of-31 from long distance and outrebounded the Texans, 41-18.
First Meeting in 12 Years
Baylor had a big second half to beat St. John’s 97-78 in the most recent meeting between the programs at the 2012 Charleston Classic. That was three head coaches ago for the Red Storm (Steve Lavin) while Drew was in his 10th season with the Bears.
Baylor held at -2.5 overnight, and since my numbers suggest the NCAAB odds should be 1-2 points higher, I’ll back the Bears in this one.
NCAAB Pick: Baylor -2.5 (-108) at Heritage Sports
Syracuse Orange vs. Texas Longhorns
Thursday, November 21, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Barclays Center
If the color orange triggers you in any way, then stay away from the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, and maybe avoid ESPN2’s broadcast the battle between Syracuse and Texas in the opener of the Legends Classic.
Texas is giving up 10.5 at Heritage Sports and other fine shops, with the scoreboard target set at 155.
‘Cuse Yet to Cover
Adrian Autry is still coaching in the shadows of his former boss Jim Boeheim, and has the Orange off to a 3-0 start in his second year at Syracuse. Bettors, however, have yet to cash a ticket in any of the three wins, each as a double-digit favorite.
Syracuse was fortunate to win all three games, with last Saturday’s double-overtime win over Youngstown State a prime example. The Orange trailed at the half, then blew the lead in the first overtime before pulling off the 104-95 triumph.
After dropping a tough matchup in Las Vegas to Ohio State, Rodney Terry’s team has since regrouped with wins over a trio of cupcakes. Texas was laying 43 points last Saturday in its tune-up for this tournament, and after toying with Mississippi Valley State early in the game, the Longhorns hit warp speed for an 89-43 laugher.
Longhorns Seeking 21-Year-Old Revenge
This is just the second time for Texas and Syracuse to collide on the hardwood, and while it’s a big game under the Legends Classic spotlight, there’s not nearly as much at stake as the only other time the schools met.
That game took place in the Final Four of the 2003 NCAA Tournament at the Superdome in New Orleans where Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse upset Texas, 95-84. The Longhorns were the No. 1 seed in the South, with the Orange No. 3 in the East.
The spread seems a little high, tempting a college basketball pick on Syracuse, but the total is definitely high for a game that ends in the 140s. Play the ‘under.’
NCAAB Pick: Syracuse/Texas Under 155 (-108) at Heritage Sports
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
