NCAA Basketball Best Bets for November 22: Duke & Arizona Close Big Friday Card
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Willie Bee
- November 22, 2024
Top NCAAB Pick: Arizona -1 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Thanks to the continuation of a few multi-team events, Friday’s college basketball betting card is jam-packed with more than 80 games. That translates to more than 80 opportunities for sports bettors to fatten their wallets ahead of the holiday season.
With action beginning in the lunch hour, it could be a case of the early bird getting the worm, and it’s all just an appetizer to the Feast Week main course, which officially begins after the Dallas Cowboys lose their sixth consecutive game.
Make sure to check out our YouTube channel for additional NCAAB betting advice, featuring today’s Southern Illinois vs. Florida and Winthrop vs. Louisville games.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Creighton Bluejays
Friday, November 22, 2024 – 08:00 PM ET at CHI Health Center Omaha
It doesn’t rank with Duke-North Carolina or Syracuse-Georgetown, but the intensity on the floor when Nebraska and Creighton collide is every bit as strong, and the Omaha crowd Friday night will be loud and rowdy.
‘Huskers Off 1st Loss of Year
Greg McDermott and the Bluejays enter the fracas ranked No. 14 in the latest AP and picked to be UConn’s stiffest competition in the Big East. Top-rated sportsbooks are listing Creighton -11 with the total available between 150 and 151.5.
That 4-0 start for McDermott’s side has been accomplished against some very weak competition, with UT-Rio Grande Valley in the Bluejays’ season opener the highest ranked of the four at Pomeroy (No. 197).
Creighton’s 99-86 win over UTRGV came two days after Nebraska scored an 87-67 win over the Vaqueros in the Cornhuskers’ season opener. Nebraska saw its 3-0 start come to an end in a tight 77-74 loss to Saint Mary’s last Sunday, though the Cornhuskers did just manage to sneak in their first cover as 4-point underdogs.
Chalk Covers 4 of Last 6 Meetings
Creighton easily covered a 4-point spread in an 89-60 win on Nebraska’s home floor a year ago, the final just missing landing on the 150-point total. It was the Bluejays’ 11th win in the last 13 meetings as they’ve turned a deficit in the rivalry into a 30-27 advantage.
This contest reminds me of Thursday’s Texas-Syracuse game where the spread and total were too high. Let’s repeat with a play on the ‘under.’
NCAAB Pick: Nebraska/Creighton Under 151.5 (-110) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. SMU Mustangs
Friday, November 22, 2024 – 08:30 PM ET at Moody Coliseum
It’s tough to think of this as an ACC-SEC matchup, and even tougher to imagine SMU and Mississippi State have never met on the hardwood before. I mean, you’d think the Bulldogs and Mustangs would have stumbled into each other at least once by now.
Hubbard’s 21.8 PPG 2nd Among SEC Scorers
Led by Josh Hubbard’s game-high 23 points and KeShawn Murphy’s double-double, Mississippi State rallied for a 78-73 win over Utah on Sunday, though it wasn’t enough to cover the 7.5 points Bulldog backers had to lay.
After being upset at Butler last Friday, the Mustangs took their frustrations out on little Prairie View A&M on Monday with a 110-69 rout. Southern Methodist was carrying a 31-point burden on NCAAB odds boards in that one.
Matchup of Top 20 Teams in Scoring
The Bulldogs and Mustangs both rank among the nation’s leaders in scoring, but they’ve run up those impressive numbers on inferior opponents. The Over 157 most shops are carrying for the total is again too high, so put us down for another college basketball pick on the ‘under.’
NCAAB Pick: Mississippi State/SMU Under 157 (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Duke Blue Devils vs. Arizona Wildcats
Friday, November 22, 2024 – 10:30 PM ET at McKale Memorial Coliseum
Being just a couple of weeks into the campaign, it seems a bit early to imagine March Madness matchups. But that’s just what a clash between Duke and Arizona gives us, especially after a long day of college hoops action.
Practically a pick, BetOnline is selling Arizona -1 with one of the highest totals on Friday’s board at 160.5.
Blue Devils in 1st Road Test
After dropping a 5-point decision as 5-point chalk to Kentucky last week, Duke bounced back with an 86-35 victory over Wofford this past Saturday. The contest amounted to not much more than a controlled scrimmage for a Blue Devils team favored by 25.
Arizona tasted it’s first true road game of the season last Friday at Wisconsin, and the result was a bad taste left in the Wildcats’ mouths with a 103-88 loss as the Badgers never trailed. The Wildcats were giving up 4.5.
“It’s an Arizona Party!”
Arizona left the Cameron Crazies red-faced a year ago with a 78-73 win. The game was tied with under a minute to go before some late free throws and a 3-point play by the Wildcats’ Keshad Johnson sent the Duke fans home disappointed.
It marked the third consecutive win and cover in the rivalry for Arizona, and the Wildcats now hold a 6-4 lead in the series. Tonight will be Arizona’s 4th-straight win and cover.
NCAAB Pick: Arizona -1 (-110) at BetOnline
*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.
