College Hoops Betting – Duke Takes Its Show On The Road

It’s closer to crunch time in college hoops betting. We’ll see how Duke, Connecticut and Minnesota handle the heat this weekend.

Duke Blue Devils @ Miami Hurricanes
Sunday, 6:45 PM ET

Duke has shown that it’s vulnerable on the road this season, but then again, it’s hard to see how Miami has enough weapons to contend with the defending national champions. Duke lost to St. John’s by 15 points in New York, but the Johnnies are a borderline NCAA Tournament team. Miami, on the other hand, might not even make the NIT this season. The Hurricanes finished dead last in the ACC one year ago, and they’re little better this time around. North Carolina won at Miami a few weeks ago, and that was before the Tar Heels jettisoned point guard Larry Drew and began to play up to their capabilities. If the subpar version of Carolina could beat Miami in South Florida, Duke should thrive even more against the Hurricanes. Duke will also be helped by the fresh infusion of confidence it received by overcoming a 16-point deficit (14 at the halftime intermission) to beat North Carolina last Wednesday. A confident Duke team is a great Duke team, and that’s why the Blue Devils will roll on Sunday evening.

College Hoops Betting Pick: Duke

[Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 55% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? If so JOIN NOW.]

Providence Friars @ Connecticut Huskies
Sunday, 7:05 PM ET

Providence put a scare into a solid Georgetown team on Feb. 5, even though the Friars played that game on the road. Moreover, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that Connecticut is – to use a popular and emergent piece of statistically-oriented parlance – “regressing to the mean” after starting the season much stronger than anyone initially expected. Connecticut’s Kemba Walker, who looked like the best player in college basketball during the months of November and December, has very much “regressed to the mean” in subsequent weeks. The scoring threat has shot at least 50 percent from the floor on only one occasion since December 8. That’s no way to mount a legitimate Naismith Award (player of the year) candidacy, and that’s not how Connecticut will win a lot of games going forward. Yet, with all of that having been said, UConn is definitely a better team than Providence. The games being played in Storrs, Connecticut. The Huskies, having just gotten waxed by 17 points at St. John’s on Thursday, will be irritated and ornery. Therefore, despite all their current woes, the Huskies should win and win comfortably.

College Hoops Betting Pick: Connecticut

Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Iowa Hawkeyes
Sunday, 6:05 PM ET

It’s panic time for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers simply have no true point guards left on their roster. Al Nolen is out with an injury. Devoe Joseph transferred to Oregon in the middle of the season. It’s just been a train wreck for a team that started the season in such an encouraging manner by winning the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament but has now lost its last four games to fall to 5-7 in the Big Ten. It hasn’t helped coach Tubby Smith that another promising recruit, Royce White, left the team early in the season, only adding to the off-court dramas that have sabotaged the program. Iowa dwells in the Big Ten’s lower tier, but the Hawkeyes nearly beat Wisconsin at home and thumped Michigan State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This feels like an Iowa win… it also doesn’t feel like much of an upset to say so.

College Hoops Betting Pick: Iowa