Saturday’s Under the Radar College Basketball Bets (2/15)
Of the 19 games featuring Top 25 teams on Saturday, just one is a ranked-vs-ranked matchup. #1 Baylor hosts #14 West Virginia as the Bears try to strengthen their hold on the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, even that game has lost some of its luster after West Virginia’s late-game collapse against the Kansas Jayhawks earlier this week.
Therefore, Saturday’s headlines should be dominated by the plethora of “bubblicious†games on the schedule. We are getting to the time of year where all the bubble teams’ resumes are being analyzed and scrutinized. Teams are constantly jockeying for positioning off the “last four in†and “first four out†lines and doing what they need to be considered safe in the field. Thus, our under-the-radar bets focus on two games that all will have an impact on the NCAA tournament.
Here are this week’s duo of under-the-radar bets for Saturday (odds courtesy of FanDuel).
Get a risk-free bet up to $500 at FanDuel Sportsbook >>
VCU Rams at Richmond Spiders (-1.5, O/U 141.5) 4:00 PM EST
There is perhaps no game between two teams more squarely on the bubble on Saturday’s slate than VCU against Richmond. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, these two teams are desperately in need of a win. Lunardi has VCU listed as “first four out†while Richmond is in the “next four out†category. VCU was considered by many to be safely in the field, but they lost a bad game at home to George Mason on Wednesday night. That is a Quad 4 loss and dropped them to 7-4 in the conference and 17-7 overall.
Richmond’s resume is not as impressive as VCU’s from a metric perspective, making this game seemingly a “must-win.†Richmond is ranked 52nd in the NET, while VCU is 42nd. VCU beat Richmond at home 87-68 less than three weeks ago. However, that was one of six games the Spiders played without leading scorer Blake Francis. Casual bettors will look at the lopsided victory from the first meeting and assume VCU is the right side again. The Rams are a talented and experienced team, but this line is too inflated based on a win over a compromised Richmond team. At full strength and at home, Richmond laying the points is the pick.
Pick: Richmond Spiders -1.5
Vanderbilt Commodores at Florida Gators (-14, O/U 141.5) 8:00 PM EST
Unlike the first game summarized in this column, both teams in this matchup do not have serious NCAA aspirations. That is because Vanderbilt enters this game having won just one of their last 28 SEC contests. The Commodores almost had their second major upset in the last week, as they led Kentucky seven minutes into the second half. However, after Kentucky tied the score at 46, they went on a dominating 32-18 run to end the game.
Don’t look now, but the Florida Gators are starting to play like the team many expected them to be in the preseason. They have won three of their last four games, one of which was a 61-55 win at Vanderbilt. The Commodores are a much different team on the road than at home. They have lost their five conference road games by an average of 13.8 points per game. The Gators have too much at stake to let an opportunity for a convincing “get right†game slip by. Freshmen Tre Mann and Scottie Lewis are starting to look more comfortable in coach Mike White’s offense. Florida will roll Vanderbilt at the Swamp, thus not doing anything to further jeopardize their firm “bubble†status.
Pick: Florida Gators -14
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.