Top College Basketball Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Wednesday, November 16th (2022)

Nov 16, 2022 - 11:02 AM

While yesterday’s Champions Classic featured three teams ranked in the top seven in the AP poll yesterday, the fact that those games were played on a neutral court takes aways some of the luster of the event. There is no such neutral court environment in tonight’s marquee matchup, as the No. 11 Texas Longhorns host the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs in what should be a raucous environment.

Here are our best bets for Wednesday’s college basketball action. (Odds courtesy of DraftKings)

Southern Indiana vs. Notre Dame Spread

Notre Dame has one of the oldest rosters in the country, as the average age of its top seven is 21.1 years. However, while the Fighting Irish bring back plenty of experience in guards Cormac Ryan and Dane Goodwin, along with forward Nate Laszewski, they have played down to their competition to this point.

Notre Dame has beaten Radford and Youngstown State by a combined ten points. A lack of pressure defense (11.1 turnover percentage ranks 353rd in the country) has allowed inferior opponents to hang around. Southern Indiana is battle tested after a six-point road loss to Missouri and an 18-point drubbing of Southern Illinois. The Screaming Eagles scored 71 points on the Salukis, something that only two teams did all of last season, so they have the firepower to hang with a Fighting Irish team that has stumbled out of the gate.

Bet: Southern Indiana +15 (-110 at DraftKings) 

Texas Southern vs. Houston Team Total O/U

Kelvin Sampson’s Houston team is arguably the best defensive team in the country, and it has throttled its first three opponents, allowing just 45.3 points per game. However, it is not like the Cougars have played cupcakes, as Oral Roberts is the favorite to win its conference, and they held Saint Joseph’s to 29.6% shooting from the field.

The Cougars play at the 348th slowest tempo in the country, and rank in the top three in adjusted defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage defense, 2-point percentage defense, and block percentage. Meanwhile, Johnny Jones’ Texas Southern squad has made less than 40% of its shots inside the arc (39.6% ranks 322nd in the country). Thus, scoring will be an issue for a team that gets 25.8% of its points (ranks 334th in the country) from beyond the arc.

The Under is 5-1 in Houston’s last six games, and has cashed in nine of its last 11 home games. We expect that trend to continue tonight, largely because of its ability to clamp down on the Texas Southern offense.

Bet: Texas Southern Team Total Under 51.5 (-110 at DraftKings) 

Gonzaga vs. Texas Team Total Under

Perhaps one can blame Gonzaga’s 64-point output against Michigan State on the outdoor setting of an aircraft carrier, but frankly, the Bulldogs’ guard play is not as strong as it has been in recent years. Furthermore, Chris Beard is one of the best defensive minds in the business and will utilize his team’s length and athleticism to limit Drew Timme and build off of the No. 1 adjusted defensive efficiency rating. The Longhorns also rank seventh in the country in 2-point percentage defense (34.7% allowed), and Beard will make sure Timme does not go off for 22 points like he has in each of the first two games. Austin will be rocking, and we expect the Bulldogs to be rattled by the Longhorns’ physicality in a raucous environment.

Bet: Gonzaga Team Total Under 71.5 (-110 at DraftKings) 

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