College Basketball Betting – Connecticut and St. Mary’s Are Thursday’s Smartest Wagers

Thursday’s College Basketball Betting isn’t overflowing with great games, but of the matchups that will take place, there are a few exciting ones.

Amongst the most important, are two Top 25 teams, both on the road, looking to get key wins.

No. 9 Connecticut Huskies (18-4 SU, 10-6 ATS) at St. John’s Red Storm (13-9 SU, 8-13 ATS)

Thursday, February 10: 7:00 p.m. ESPN

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College Basketball Betting Odds:

Connecticut: -1 ½

St. John’s: +1 ½

The first half of the College Basketball Betting takes us to the World’s Most Famous Arena, where the St. John’s Red Storm very well could be hosting the Nation’s Most Skilled Player.

That player of course is UConn guard Kemba Walker, a National Player of the Year candidate, and heart and soul of this Huskies team.

Walkers leads this club- and is sixth nationally- averaging 23.6 points per game, however, it is his teammates who’ve been at their best as of late. In Saturday’s come from behind win over Seton Hall, Walker had 19 points, but it was teammate Jeremy Lamb’s 10 points and seven rebounds which were key in a late rally.

As for the Huskies College Basketball Betting opponents, what exactly do we make of St. John’s? This is a ball-club that’s best known for a dominating win over Duke two weeks ago, but followed that up with a less than impressive 66-59 loss at UCLA last Saturday. In that game, the Johnnies shot an abysmal 39.7 percent from the field.

So with that, who should be your Thursday College Basketball Betting pick? Take the Huskies.

To UConn’s credit, they showed amazing heart in overcoming that deficit last Saturday evening in New Jersey, when they trailed by 10 points with just eight minutes to play. Look for Walker to have another big game, and don’t sleep on Lamb, who has scored in double-figures in his last seven games.

UConn is the College Basketball Betting pick to make here!

College Basketball Betting Pick: UConn -1 ½

No. 24 St. Mary’s Gaels (20-4 SU, 10-9 ATS) at Santa Clara Broncos (15-10 SU, 9-11 ATS)

Thursday, February 10: 11:00 p.m. ESPNU

College Basketball Betting Odds:

St. Mary’s: -6

Santa Clara: +6

Next up, we head to the West Coast, where the St. Mary’s Gaels are making their traditional late season run. Remember, this was a club that just one year ago made it to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.

But while last year’s team was led by the size of Omar Samhan down low, this year, their skill is on the perimeter in 2011. Mickey McConnell is a deadly shooter, averaging 16 points a game, while shooting 48 percent from downtown, and over 89 percent from the foul line. Matthew Dellavedova adds 13 points and close to six assists from the perimeter.

Come to think of it, St. Mary’s gets scoring from all over the court, which is why we expect the Gaels to cruise to victory here. Besides McConnell and Dellavedova, St. Mary’s has three players averaging at least 7.5 points per game. Because of it, they rank 11th nationally in points (81.3) and shoot a staggering 49.8 percent from the field. That numbers ranks them fourth in the country.

With all those scorers going against a Santa Clara defense which ranks just 238th nationally in points allowed (over 70 a game), we see no reason not to make the Gaels your College Basketball Betting selection.

College Basketball Betting Pick: St. Mary’s -6