College Basketball Best Bets For Tuesday, November 15, 2022

It hasn't been a beautiful start to the NCAA season with just a 2-4 record, but basketball is one of those sports where it tends to take a bit of time to figure out which teams are trying early and which don't care as much. That's mostly relevant in the NBA, but in college it rings true, too. College is more about which teams are in good form to start than anything.

Duke vs. Kansas

We finally have a matchup of two good teams that are jockeying for a position in the ranks. Both come into the matchup having won their two games. However, neither one of the teams played any opponent worth considering. The good news for Duke is that this game is not in Kansas, it is in Indianapolis. That should provide a bit more of an easing-in period for their new recruits as they figure out what it is like to play an elite team. I am slightly surprised that Duke is the favorite in this game. I think that it is either due to the Blue Devils being such a public team (though Kansas is a public team too) or the expectation is that Duke's freshmen are really ready for this situation. I don't personally like Duke in this game. I think Kansas has the edge. They still have two returning starters on the team from last year and they have a good recruiting class as well. I'll play Kansas at +100 to win this one.

Kentucky vs. Michigan State

This is probably the only other game on the docket for tonight that has the allure of two teams that are very well-recognized. Michigan State is coming off of a game against Gonzaga that went to the wire and was an admirable performance. They lost by just one point and were even winning the game at halftime. If they play like that again, they should have no problem beating Kentucky tonight. The reality for me, though, is that Kentucky probably takes this game. They haven't been tested this year, but we are only two games into the season. They are shooting the ball very well right now and what is most impressive is their defense. I get they aren't playing great teams, but they are averaging eight blocks per game and 9.5 steals already. They are also holding teams to 57.5 points against them. Michigan State is also looking good on defense, so the under wouldn't surprise me. I'm taking Kentucky -6 though for this game. I think Michigan State's performance against Gonzaga was more of a fluke.

A few other smaller plays I like for tonight: North Carolina shouldn't have any trouble covering their -22.5 spread against Gardner-Webb, but they also shouldn't have had a problem against either of the other teams. They didn't cover against either of those opponents though. I will grab the points - not because I think Gardner-Webb is good, but because I think UNC is just coasting right now. They just want to win and figure things out, they don't care about blowing teams out. I am going to take Alabama -11.5 in their game against South Alabama. Their defense looks really good and they are playing effectively on offense. South Alabama has shot the ball surprisingly well, but I think Alabama can stop them.

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