We’ve rolled into the second weekend of the college basketball season, and the early action has lived up to the hype. From unexpected underdogs winning outright to wild finishes and early stars emerging, the opening portion of the season has created no shortage of talking points.
But as exciting as the start has been, it’s important to remember how early it is. Rosters still are being sorted out, rotations remain in flux and the majority of programs won’t reveal their true identity until conference play starts. A few impressive wins or losses don’t tell the whole story. Observing how teams adapt over the next several weeks will give a much clearer picture of their true potential.
College basketball lines move quickly, as they’re usually not out until close to 24 hours before tip-off. You always can hear our daily thoughts by tuning into “Wanna Bet?” at youtube.com/@WannaBetWithUs, where we’re live seven days a week.
Here are a few matchups we’re looking at this weekend.
BYU vs. UConn Over 152.5 (-115) FanDuel
With what we saw from Kevin Young’s squad in the 2024-25 season, it was expected that this season’s BYU team would play at an even faster pace. Young brought a fast-paced, NBA-style offense to Provo, but the Cougars’ scoring has been more of a roller coaster this season.
The Cougars scored just 10 points in the first 10 minutes of their matchup with Delaware on Tuesday night, but finished the game with 85 points. Richie Saunders’ and Keba Keita’s returns have been felt, but with true freshman AJ Dybantsa and transfer Rob Wright III needing the ball more, this offense is taking some time to come together.
As always under Dan Hurley, UConn is superb on both ends of the court. With the style of basketball BYU wants to play, UConn will have no problem scoring.
It’s worth noting that this game is in Boston, Dybantsa’s hometown.
Marquette -4.5 vs Maryland (-120) FanDuel
Saturday will be Buzz Williams’ first game in Milwaukee since he left Marquette for the Virginia Tech job in 2014. Listening to his presser this week, it certainly sounds as if this will be an emotional day for him. But the offense for the Terps has been bad so far. Marquette has its warts, as well, but more of those guys are familiar with who they’re playing for and with. Maryland still has a lot of question marks.
The Golden Eagles’ shooting from beyond the arc took a step forward (10- of-23 after a 4-of-16 performance in a 23-point loss at Indiana) in their 89- 49 rout of Little Rock on Wednesday. And this is the Terps’ first road game of the season.
Villanova -10.5 vs. Duquesne (-110) FanDuel
It’s been a great start for Kevin Willard at Villanova. They lost a tough one to BYU on opening night, but they were right in that game until the end. They’ve been dominant since that loss and nothing should change here. John Hugley IV was a great get for the Dukes, but Villanova should be able to limit him enough. Their portal additions have played their roles well the young talent has shown. Things might be rough for Kevin Willard when the competition gets tougher, but he knows that he can’t afford to play these types of games close like Kyle Neptune did. The fanbase is excited by the start and wants to see this team keep it rolling. The Wildcats should have no issues here.
Seth's Picks Against the Spread: UConn's First Real Challenge
November 15th: Seth Davis makes his Picks Against the Spread for Saturday’s top games, including UConn vs. BYU, Clemson at Georgetown and Maryland at Marquette
Oklahoma vs. Nebraska Under 158.5 (-110) FanDuel
Both these teams would like to play fast, but this one could be more of a rock fight. Both teams traveling to Sioux Falls to play at the Sanford Pentagon. A lot of these guys are still getting comfortable playing in their home arena’s and now we have both teams trying to figure things out somewhere they’ve never played. Oklahoma’s offense struggled in their one matchup against a good defense in Gonzaga and it will be Nebraska’s first true test. In a lot of neutral court games, it takes a while for teams to get going and that’s what should happen here.
