Nike saw its stock value fall by $3 billion last week, thanks to the failure of one shoe — the shoe that blew up while Zion Williamson was wearing it, leading to a knee injury that has him day-to-day at this point. Duke lost the game when he went down, falling at home to North Carolina (they would rebound to beat Syracuse by 10 on Saturday, but Williamson is still out). Iowa State and Louisville lost twice last week, taking some shots to their March Madness seeding. North Carolina followed up their win at Duke with a tough win against Florida State. Texas Tech routed Kansas by 29, and LSU rebounded from a home overtime loss to Florida with an overtime win over Tennessee without starting point guard Tremont Waters. Which games should you include in your NCAAB betting for this week? We have your college basketball preview right here.
Top NCAAB Betting Picks of the Week – February 25th
There is a new No. 1 in the AP Top 25 college basketball rankings. 1. Gonzaga 2. Virginia 3. Duke 4. Kentucky 5. North Carolinahttps://t.co/8vCgopQ41Q
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) 25 de febrero de 2019
Monday, February 25
Kansas State at Kansas (9:00pm ET, ESPN)
Kansas State won the first meeting between these two programs and rebounded from a loss at Iowa State with a win at West Virginia and a 41-point demolition of Oklahoma State on Saturday. In that win over the Cowboys, Kansas State jumped out to a 15-0 lead to open the game, forcing five turnovers in that time. Xavier Sneed and Austin Trice led the Wildcats with 12 points apiece, and Kamau Stokes had 11. Ten different Wildcats scored on the night, as the team shot 62 percent from the floor.
Now the Wildcats turn around two days later to take on their in-state rival on the road. Kansas had won three in a row until they took that 29-point rout at Texas Tech on Saturday. In that game, Kansas saw the Red Raiders drain 16 shots from downtown, in Kansas’ most lopsided loss in Big 12 play since February 7, 2000, when they lost by 33 at Oklahoma State. Kansas has made a history of bouncing back from tough losses with big wins, and while Kansas State will apply pressure, I see Kansas getting what they need to win at home.
NCAAB Betting Prediction: Kansas 77, Kansas State 73
Tuesday, February 26
Syracuse at North Carolina (9:00pm ET, ACC ESPN Network)
Syracuse has dropped two of three in ACC play, losing at North Carolina State, beating Louisville at home before falling to Duke at home by ten on Saturday. Against Duke, Tyus Battle led the Orange with 16 points despite going just 4 for 17. Elijah Hughes had 12, and Marek Dolezaj and Frank Howard had 10 each. Syracuse went just 1 for 11 from downtown in the second half as Duke came back from an intermission deficit to win. The lack of clutch scorers continues to be a problem for Syracuse.
Now the Orange head down to North Carolina for a Tuesday night affair. The Tar Heels beat Duke on the road and then came home to beat Florida State, 77-59, on Saturday. Cameron Johnson led North Carolina with 18 points and 10 boards, Nassir Little added 18 points, Luke Maye scored 15 points and grabbed 11 boards, while Coby White chipped in 10 points. By clamping down on Florida State in the second half, North Carolina established themselves as the ACC’s hottest team — and Syracuse won’t change that on Tuesday.
NCAAB Betting Prediction: North Carolina 78, Syracuse 69
Wisconsin at Indiana (9:00pm ET, ESPN)
Wisconsin rebounded from back-to-back losses to Michigan and Michigan State with wins over Illinois and Northwestern, with that win over the Wildcats taking place on Saturday night. Brad Davison led the Badgers with 16 points, and Ethan Happ and D’Mitrik Trice chipped in 14 points apiece. Khalil Iverson also made double figures with 11 points. Happ was able to get free after the intermission as Wisconsin showed some adjustments on offense, and so the Badgers were able to pull away.
Now the Badgers face an Indiana team that needs as many wins as possible to make into the NCAA tournament. For some reason, they were clinging to the bubble until last week, but losses to Purdue and Iowa have made matters desire for the Hoosiers. In that loss to Iowa, Indiana led late but Iowa roared back to force overtime and then won, 76-70, in extra time. It didn’t help that Indiana went just 12 for 22 from the free-throw lane, of course. Indiana has hung tough in most of their losses but have their backs to the wall as they welcome Wisconsin.
NCAAB Betting Prediction: Wisconsin 72, Indiana 69
