It’s been a fun start to conference play in college basketball and we’re starting to see true trends form.
Let’s take a look at some plays for Wednesday that we’re putting our money on.
Alabama at Vanderbilt – Alabama to Cover & Over
Alabama +3.5 (-105) (FanDuel) / Total 179.5 (-110) (Bet365)
An exciting SEC matchup, as two of the best teams in the conference face off here. This will be the toughest test of the season for the Commodores, by far. They had one of the weakest nonconference schedules in the SEC, meanwhile Alabama has had the toughest strength of schedule in the country per KenPom. Playing in Nashville won’t be easy, but the Crimson Tide’s offense has traveled. They’re averaging 95 points per game away from home, which is the most in the country. Alabama’s backcourt is one of the best in the country and should be the difference.
Troy at Arkansas State – Over 159.5 (-108) (FanDuel)
Total 159.5 (-108) (FanDuel)
Arkansas State has played games at their pace all season. The Red Wolves are averaging 80.4 points per game, which is the second-most in the conference. As good as they’ve been offensively, they’re allowing 80 points per game, which is also the second-most in the conference. Troy has been more all over the place, but has shown that it’s fine playing whatever style of basketball its opponents want to. Some of the Trojans scoring has come from the few overtime games they’ve played, but their totals have cleared 170 in two of their last four. Meanwhile, Arkansas State has cleared 170 in two of its last three.
Missouri at Kentucky – Kentucky to Cover -12.5 (-120) (FanDuel)
Kentucky -12.5 (-120) (FanDuel)
It’s been as bad of a start to the season as Mark Pope could’ve imagined in his second year in Lexington. Health played a toll in the Wildcats’ earlier struggles, and they’ve played better with some of their recent guys returning — they took down Indiana and St. John’s to get themselves back on track. These are the matchups Kentucky has got to win handily. In front of a fired up fanbase for their first home conference game, Pope should have the guys ready to go.
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