Duke @ Miami
After renewing the greatest rivalry in sports on Saturday, the Blue Devils head to Florida to take on a team they are half a game behind in the standings.
The Hurricanes are holding their own in the ACC and are coming off an impressive win against the Clemson Tigers. With that W, they should see a jump in the rankings this week. However, to keep their momentum, they must find a way to beat Duke today. They have the talent and are certainly the better team.
In January, they went to Cameron Indoor and lost by two. Running with the Blue Devils in the toughest environment in college basketball lets you know where this team is at. The Hurricanes are 12-0 at home, and they shouldn’t have any problem maintaining their perfect record today.
It will undoubtedly be a tight game, so while betters may catch a bad beat with the spread, there is still only one way to bet here.
Miami -2.5 (-110)
Their last meeting went well under this (145.5) total, but Miami has been shooting so well recently that they have averaged 80 points over their previous eight games. So expecting Miami to set a faster pace at home, the over is the way to go.
Over 145.5 (-110)
Texas @ Kansas
Headlining today’s slate of games are the 10th-ranked Longhorns and the 8th-ranked Jayhawks.
This is the first meeting between these teams this season, and looking at the schedule ahead of them, things could be much different when they meet next for the season’s final game.
Texas has the most challenging schedule of any team to close out the year, they have eight games to go, and five are against ranked opponents. They are obviously Big 12 contenders, so while they are currently the top team in the conference, they could change quickly for them. If they somehow found a way to win out, there would no doubt be the favorite to win the title going into March.
That’s a real likelihood, as the Longhorns are coming off wins against Baylor and K-State; they are hot and ready for whatever is thrown at them.
The Jayhawks have not appeared as invincible, as six of their last seven games were against top-25 teams, and they were 3-4 in that stretch. Kansas is a tournament team, though, and all this adversity may be precisely what they need to have them ready for March.
The Allen Fieldhouse is a brutal place to play, but given how great the Longhorns have been all season, it’s insulting that they are a dog in this one.
Texas +4 (-110) Under 146.5 (-110)
