NC State v Virginia
The NC State Wolfpack and #15 Virginia Cavaliers lock horns for the second time this season. Three weeks ago, the Cavaliers beat the Wolfpack 64-57 as 7-point road favorites thanks to a strong finishing stretch, while Sam Hauser and Trey Murphy III led the way for Virginia with 18 points each.
The Cavaliers are 6-1 SU and 4-2-1 ATS in their last seven encounters with NC State and 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS in their previous eight home matchups with the Wolfpack. Interestingly, the last ten games between these two Atlantic Coast Conference foes went in the under.
Game 2⃣1⃣ Preview
🆚 @PackMensBball
📆 Wednesday, Feb. 2⃣4⃣
⏰ 6:30 p.m.
🏟️ @JPJArena
📺 @accnetwork
🔶⚔️🔷 #GoHoos https://t.co/W2seEc4p7x— Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) February 23, 2021
Virginia can take over the top spot in the ACC with a victory here. The Cavaliers have dropped two straight games at Florida State 81-60 and Duke 66-65, so they’ll be keen to bounce back and thrash off the Wolfpack who have won their previous two contests at Pittsburgh 74-73 and Wake Forest 80-62.
NC State is 41st in the country in field goal percentage (47.4%) and 76th in 3-point percentage (36.1%), but the Wolfpack are struggling on the defensive end. They surrender 98.1 points per 100 possessions (90th in the country) on 46.4% shooting from the field (295th) and 35.3% from downtown (35.3%).
We’re expecting the Cavaliers to torture their rivals on the offensive end. Virginia tallies 116.7 points per 100 possessions (13th) on 49.0% shooting from the field (21st) and 40.0% from beyond the arc (5th).
College Basketball Pick – Virginia by 10.
Florida State v Miami
If they want to stay atop of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the #11 Florida State Seminoles have to beat the Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday night. We don’t have any doubts they will do it, and the Seminoles will hopefully cover a huge spread, as the Hurricanes miss six players due to injuries including senior guard Chris Lykes (15.5 PPG, 5.5 APG).
Moving up 📈
Up five spots to No. 1️⃣1️⃣ this week!#NewBlood pic.twitter.com/fMuonERWUy
— Florida State Men’s Basketball (@FSUHoops) February 22, 2021
Florida State aims for its fourth straight victory, coming off a 79-72 win at Pittsburgh this past Saturday. The Seminoles are 8-1 SU and 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games overall, while seven of those nine contests went in the over.
On the other side, the Hurricanes are on a three-game losing streak following a heavy 87-60 defeat to Georgia Tech as 4-point home underdogs last Saturday. They trailed for all 40 minutes and by as many as 36 points. The Canes are only 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS over their previous eight outings.
The Seminoles are undefeated in six straight meetings with the Hurricanes and are 6-3 ATS over their last nine matchups with Miami. Nearly a month ago, the Seminoles dismantled the Canes 81-59 as 11-point home favorites, so we’re looking for more of the same Wednesday at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida.
College Basketball Pick – Florida State by 11.
Alabama v Arkansas
The #6 Alabama Crimson Tide are topping the Southeastern Conference, 3.5 games ahead of the #20 Arkansas Razorbacks, and with three games left on their schedule, Nate Oats’ boys know they’ll end up the regular season as the SEC champions.
Back in January, the Tide humiliated the Razorbacks 90-59 as 3-point home favorites. They held Arkansas to 33.3% shooting from the field and 23.5% from beyond the arc while forcing 18 turnovers and allowing just eight assists.
That was Bama’s first win over Arkansas since 2014. Over their previous seven encounters with the Razorbacks, the Crimson Tide went only 1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS. Alabama will search for its fourth straight win Wednesday night, while Arkansas will try to extend its winning streak to five games.
Senior Day dub
👀 the highlights 📽️#BlueCollarBasketball | #RollTide pic.twitter.com/8qhtaUguwH
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) February 21, 2021
It’s hard to say who’ll win this battle despite that Bama’s emphatic win earlier in the season. The visitors own the second-best defensive rating in the country, allowing 88.1 points per 100 possessions, while the Razorbacks surrender 92.0 points per 100 possessions (22nd).
Also, the Tide’s offensive rating is 26th-best (113.6), while the Razorbacks rank 34th in offensive efficiency (112.6). Both teams love to play at a very fast pace, and Bama records a couple of possessions per 40 minutes more than Arkansas. We’ll take the hosts to win just because they have a huge motive to get revenge here.
College Basketball Pick – Arkansas by 1.
DePaul v Creighton
The #13 Creighton Bluejays opened as massive 15-point favorites for Wednesday’s home clash against DePaul, and their last two wins came by 15 and 16 points. The Bluejays beat Georgetown 63-48 and Villanova 86-70 in their previous two showings and are tied with the Wildcats for the top spot in the Big East Conference at the moment.
Idle since an 86-70 win vs. #5 Villanova on Feb. 13th, #13 Creighton hosts DePaul on Wednesday night.
Preview: https://t.co/brDmjcywRL pic.twitter.com/oKlzLr7dWk
— Creighton Men’s Basketball (@BluejayMBB) February 23, 2021
The Blue Demons, on the other side, just snapped a five-game losing streak, outlasting the St. John’s Red Storm 88-83 as 11-point road underdogs. They are still sitting bottom of the Big East with a 2-10 record, and the Blue Demons will have a mountain to climb in Omaha this Wednesday.
DePaul plays solid defense, yielding 94.6 points per 100 possessions, but the Blue Demons score only 99.8 points in a return (234th). The Bluejays are not an elite defensive team, but they’ll take full advantage of DePaul’s poor offense. Creighton surrenders 94.9 points per 100 possessions (47th) and tallies 117.0 in a return (12th).
The Jays have owned the Blue Demons over the last few years. They are undefeated in 13 consecutive matchups with DePaul while going 11-2 ATS in the process. Also, the Bluejays are 5-0 SU and ATS in their last five home meetings with the Blue Devils, covering a double-digit spread twice in that span.
College Basketball Pick – Creighton by 15.
Tennessee v Vanderbilt
The #25 Tennessee Volunteers hope to get back on the winning track in a favorable matchup with Vanderbilt. Another upset would get the Vols out of the AP Top 25 Poll, as Tennessee has dropped two of its previous three contests. They are coming off a heavy 70-55 home loss to Kentucky, shooting a horrible 32.1% from the field and 27.3% from beyond the 3-point line.
‘Twas ugly. pic.twitter.com/dW5rRZXyDW
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 20, 2021
The Vols have struggled offensively all season long. They score 109.3 points per 100 possessions (73rd) while surrendering 88.7 to their opponents (5th), and the Volunteers cannot just lean on their defense to get the job done.
This Wednesday, the Vols have a great opportunity to get things going offensively. Vanderbilt allows a whopping 102.6 points per 100 possessions (170th) on 46.4% shooting from the field (297th) and 34.0% from deep (209th).
Back on January 16, the Vols smashed the Commodores as 18-point home favorites, 81-61. The win was their seventh straight over Vanderbilt, while the Vols went 3-4 ATS through that stretch. The Vols dominated the Commodores on the defensive end, but they also made 49.0% of their field goals.
Vanderbilt hasn’t impressed recently, dropping four of its last five games overall. Likewise, the Commodores are only 2-10 SU in their previous 12 outings, though they covered the spread in five of their last seven showings.
College Basketball Pick – Tennessee by 7.
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