Top NCAA Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – November 19th Edition

We’re a long way from March Madness, and the nation’s college basketball teams are still working the kinks out in the early weeks of the non-conference schedule. However, you can make some money if you can identify some of the top sports betting opportunities on the college basketball court. Some teams are still working things out, such as Villanova, who lost to Furman, while some teams look terrific, as Michigan won the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, rolling easily over George Washington and Providence. Iowa is another Big Ten team making some noise, winning the 2K Classic by beating a top-25 Oregon team and then beating UConn in the final. Let’s look at three matchups for you to consider in your NCAA basketball betting picks.

Top NCAA Basketball Betting Picks of the Week – November 19th Edition

NBC Sports Top 25: Michigan, Big Ten climbing in the rankings https://t.co/WZi4VOkOak

— College Basketball Talk (@CBTonNBC) November 19, 2018

Monday, November 19

Mississippi State at Arizona State (11:00pm ET, ESPNU)

Mississippi State has gotten off to a three-game winning streak to start the season, starting with an 18-point win over Appalachian State and most recently beating Long Beach State by 28 on Friday night. They did lose starting guard Nick Weatherspoon (ankle) for the second time on the young season, but Tyson Carter scored 17 points, including 13 before the intermission, and Quinndary Weatherspoon led the team with 21 points. Lamar Peters scored 16 points and added four assists. The Bulldogs trailed by seven with six points left in the first half, but then they went on a 15-0 run going into halftime and started the second half on a 17-4 run, thanks in part to 20 turnovers by Long Beach State. Arizona State has not played in a week, thanks to having their game at the University of San Francisco canceled due to the poor air quality in the area from the California forest fires. The Sun Devils needed double overtime to beat Cal State-Fullerton in their opener and have since routed McNeese State and then trounced Long Beach State by 36. Arizona State dominated the inside against Long Beach State, pulling down 63 rebounds as a team, the most by the school in a game in 16 seasons, and they got double-figure scoring from six different players. With that balance and defense, Arizona State has the chance to knock off the Bulldogs. NCAA Basketball Betting Prediction: Arizona State 66, Mississippi State 60

Tuesday, November 20

Texas A&M at Washington (11:30pm ET, ESPN2)

The Aggies have gotten off to a 1-3 start, routing Savannah State in their opener but then taking close home losses to Cal-Irvine and Minnesota, with a big loss at Gonzaga coming in between. In the loss to Cal-Irvine, Eyassu Worku nailed a 12-footer with 6.4 seconds remaining in the second half that doomed Texas A&M. The Aggies had built a 10-point lead at the half and still led by 10 with nine minutes left but could not shut down the Anteaters with their defense. Josh Nebo led the Aggies with 15 points, Jay Jay Chandler scored a dozen, and John Walker and Savion Flagg each added 11. However, they went ice-cold in the last 3:23, scoring just a pair of free throws. Washington is 3-1 on the season, having opened with a big win over Western Kentucky before dropping a game at #11 Auburn by 22. They have rebounded with wins over the University of San Diego and Santa Clara University. In that win, Jaylen Nowell scored a career-best 32 points, including 21 points in the first half, when he went 7 for 9 and 3 for 3 from downtown. Dominic Green came off the bench to score 13 and Noah Dickerson added 11. However, Washington continued to show inconsistency. They have been a little better than the Aggies overall, and they get this game at home. NCAA Basketball Betting Prediction: Washington 72, Texas A&M 63

Wednesday, November 21

Louisville at Tennessee (5:00pm ET, ESPN2)

Louisville has started the season 3-0, with wins over Nicholls State, Southern and Vermont. In that win over Vermont on Friday, Louisville had a 22-point lead with 8:37 left, but had to scramble to hold off a Catamount rally that would see Vermont lose by just eight. Jordan Nwora had 22 points off the bench. Darius Perry had a career-best 17 points as well as Louisville held off a spirited team that frequently makes the NCAA tournament as a mid-major. Louisville did a solid job packing the inside on defense, but Vermont took advantage by nailing shots from downtown. The Cardinals visit #5 Tennessee on Wednesday. The Volunteers have reeled off three wins to start the season, including a 66-53 victory over Georgia Tech last Tuesday. Tennessee is a defense-first team that got 22 points from Grant Williams but also held Georgia Tech to 27.6 percent shooting on the night. They had just 16 field goals in the game — and 30 fouls. That wasn’t a one-game wonder, either, as Tennessee has held opponents to 29.3 percent shooting combined through these first three games. Georgia Tech missed 15 straight shots at one point during the game. I see Tennessee locking down Louisville to take this win. NCAA Basketball Betting Prediction: Tennessee 68, Louisville 58