Top NCAAB Pick: Baylor +2½ (-105) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Monday’s college basketball betting journey finds us checking in on the NCAAB odds regarding Mississippi Valley State and the nation’s longest losing streak, as well as a couple of stops in the Big 12 for you to cash at the top-rated online sportsbooks.
West Virginia Mountaineers vs Kansas State Wildcats
Monday, February 26, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Bramlage Coliseum
There’s really no debate about the deepest conference in college basketball this season. With 9 teams presently headed to the Big Dance, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, you’d think it was impossible to have a matchup without at least one of those teams in the mix. Yet, that’s what we have with Monday’s battle between West Virginia and Kansas State.
West Virginia 1-10 Away From Home
West Virginia arrives in Manhattan off a 71-64 loss at Iowa State.
The Mountaineers closed the first half poorly, fought back to grab a 51-50 lead with 9 minutes to go and then succumbed to a 14-0 Cyclones run to drop their seventh conference road of the season.
Top sportsbooks were giving West Virginia backers 18, so at least it was the first conference road cover of the year, which is amazing in and of itself when you consider the Mountaineers turned it over 23 times.
Kansas State should be feeling pretty good about itself after stopping a 3-game skid with a very balanced effort on Saturday when the Wildcats followed through as small home chalk with an 84-74 win against No. 25 BYU.
The Wildcats shot better than 56% and had five players score in double figures. Arthur Kaluma led the way with a career-best 28 along with 10 rebounds, the 6-7 junior’s fifth double-double.
The Pick
Jerome Tang’s crew could push their way into March Madness.
However, it’s certainly a longshot.
To start, the Wildcats need at least as good an effort tonight as they played in Morgantown about seven weeks ago in an 81-67 final as 2-point favorites on the odds.
That was the sixth consecutive ‘over’ winner in the rivalry, which stands 16-11 in WVU’s favor. The teams split home wins and covers a year ago.
Let’s follow the ‘over’ trend in the series.
NCAAB Pick: Over 142½ (-108) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Prairie View A&M Panthers vs Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils
Monday, February 26, 2024 – 08:30 PM ET at Robert W. Harrison HPER Complex
Is Monday night’s game at home against the Prairie View A&M Panthers the best chance left on their schedule for the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils to gain their first win of the season, and end a horrendous 29-game losing streak in the process?
Prairie View Seeking 5th-Straight in Rivalry
This is a rematch of a mid-January meeting at Prairie View. Mississippi Valley State looked to be in line to end the streak then when the Delta Devils led by as many as 8 in the first half. The score was tied with 13 minutes to go when the Panthers pulled away for the 71-60 win.
Favored by 14-15, it was Prairie View A&M’s 4th-straight win in the rivalry and the Panthers’ 11th in the last 12 meetings. However, Mississippi Valley State still holds a 58-36 lead over the course of the series. The Delta Devils have covered the last five matchups.
The Pick
BetOnline is giving Mississippi Valley State 9½ in this one and I’m going to get behind the Delta Devils by taking the points.
NCAAB Pick: Mississippi Valley State +9½ (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Baylor Bears vs TCU Horned Frogs
Monday, February 26, 2024 – 09:00 PM ET at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena
Coming off a very tough loss to a very good Houston team on Saturday, Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears face the tough task of ending a 2-game skid and returning to the win column on the road against an upset-minded TCU squad.
Bears 17-6 vs. Frogs Under Drew
Baylor will also be looking to exact a little revenge on the Horned Frogs.
In one of the most exciting games of the hoops season, TCU scored a 105-102 triple-overtime win in Waco near the end of January. The Bears were -4 and let an 8-point lead with 7:38 in regulation slip away.
For Jamie Dixon and the Horned Frogs, it was their 2nd-straight upset win at Baylor. Now, the Bears aim for their 2nd-straight win at Schollmaier after a 72-68 win and cover in Ft. Worth last season. Baylor is 104-87 in the rivalry.
Baylor’s 81.8 PPG Rank 20th in the Nation
The Bears started flat while the Cougars were blistering hot to begin Saturday’s skirmish.
The result was Houston taking a commanding 41-25 lead into halftime. Baylor came out strong in the second half to force overtime but ultimately fell as small home chalk, 82-76.
Texas Christian continued its turnaround after beginning league play 2-3, posting a 75-57 knockout of Cincinnati on Saturday to easily cover a 5½-point spread. Emmanuel Miller and Jakobe Coles each scored 18 to lead the Horned Frogs.
The Pick
Getting back on the floor quickly following a tough loss like Baylor just suffered can be a good thing, leading to a college basketball pick on the road ‘dogs.
NCAAB Pick: Baylor +2½ (-105) at Bovada
*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.
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