Things are starting to get fun as we’re around the halfway point of the college basketball season. Teams are starting to separate themselves and key trends are beginning to emerge.
Here are a few Wednesday plays we’re backing with our own money.
Iowa vs. Purdue – Iowa Team Total Under
Purdue is allowing 65.6 points per game over its last six home games. Things have gone better for the Boilermakers offense, as they have the top adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom. Iowa is averaging 60.3 points per game on the road since the start of December, as Ben McCollum’s offense just hasn’t been able to travel. As solid as this Hawkeyes squad is, there’s a lot of inexperience throughout the roster. McCollum brought a bunch of his guys with him from Drake to Iowa, but while it’s been extremely impressive to see the success follow him, Purdue’s crowd should have some impact on their scoring.
Auburn vs. Missouri – Over
Things haven’t been great for Steven Pearl in his first season as head coach at Auburn. Most of the issues are on the defensive end of the court. The Tigers are averaging 87.5 points per game this season which is the 22nd most in the country. Missouri’s offense has slowed a bit since conference play started, but we’ve seen what they can do at Mizzou Arena, where they’re averaging 89.8 points per game. High pace games have been what we’ve seen from Mizzou under Dennis Gates.
Virginia Tech vs. SMU – SMU to Cover
It’s hard to buy into the Hokies even after a solid start, and now they’re 1-3 in January. SMU hasn’t been great in the new year either, but they’ve faced three of the top teams in the conference. This feels like a get-right spot for the Mustangs. They average 89.1 points and gave Duke a great game, and that was without their leading scorer in Boopie Miller. Andy Enfield called Miller a true game-time decision for this matchup.
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