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In this article every week, we'll be reviewing some of the top college basketball games of the day to see how we can beat Vegas. Today's slate of games includes the annual Big 12-SEC challenge, and a couple of Ohio Valley Conference showdowns.
Wednesday was a much-needed bounce-back day, with four relatively easy covers. As you enjoy the fruits of our 4-0 Wednesday, remember that perfect days like that are not to be expected with regularity, but let's try getting another today.
Here are some of the top college basketball expert betting picks for Saturday, January 25. Let me know your thoughts, and follow me on Twitter @fredetterline. All game times below are Eastern Standard Time.
Season record to date: 17-11
Air Force @ San Jose State - 5:00 pm
The Air Force Academy brings one of the most experienced rosters in college basketball this year. The team has struggled with inconsistent play all year, with head-scratching losses to Idaho State and UNLV. Luckily, the Falcons finally are favored in a game, which will mark the first game in 2020 that they are favored in a game. This team has far too much talent to continue floundering and it would be reasonable to expect coach Dave Pilipovich and senior forward Lavelle Scottie to get the team prepared for arguably the worst team in the Mountain West Conference. If the Falcons don't get this season back on track quickly, coach Pilipovich could be looking for a new job next season as the team has six seniors who will be graduating at the end of the year and not much more talent in the pipeline ready to replace them.
San Jose State has not been a disappointment this year, but that is because no one expected much of the Spartans to begin with. One player that hoped to inject excitement for Jean Prioleau's team was Samuel Japhet-Mathis, a Wake Forest transfer. Thus far Samuel has yet to be an offensive contributor, but he is coming into his own on the defensive end and will be someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses for the Spartans. There aren't many bright spots on this Spartans team that will likely end the year back in the familiar Mountain West basement.
Pick: Air Force -4
Southeast Missouri State @ Eastern Illinois - 4:15 pm
The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) has some of the starkest differences in talent differential between the top of the conference and the basement dwellers. The Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, fresh off an embarrassing 19-point loss at SIU-Edwardsville qualify with the latter group. The Redhawks have not beaten a Division 1 opponent since November 30, and have lost their first three conference road games by an average of 18.5 points.
The Eastern Illinois Panthers are a team chock full of shooters - sometimes this team will light up the scoreboard and sometimes they will fall completely apart if the shots aren't falling. The Panthers find themselves in the middle tier of the OVC, and have largely taken care of business against the teams that they were expected to beat but still looking for a signature win. This team has been especially strong at home, with six wins out of six tries this season. Expect the Panthers to notch an easy seventh home win for the season today.
Pick: Eastern Illinois -10
Belmont @ Austin Peay - 4:30 pm
The Belmont Bruins are undergoing a bit of a transitional year, with Casey Alexander taking over for longtime coaching legend Rick Byrd. Alexander, who led Lipscomb to the NIT Championship game a year ago, played at Belmont in the early 1990s and has the Bruins playing well, despite having to replace current Cleveland Cavalier Dylan Windler and his fellow former Bruin star guard Kevin McClain. On offense, the Bruins run through their young center Nick Muszynski, and a team of guards that love to play up-tempo. In a few years, Alexander will have the Bruins back on top of the conference.
The Austin Peay Governors have been on a tear, on the backs of Terry Taylor, a name you will want to remember come March. Taylor is scoring 23.5 ppg and rarely leaves the floor. His teammate Jordyn Adams is averaging 17.3 ppg, and is the only other Governor averaging double figures in points. The Governors have won seven in a row, Both teams have good offenses and average to mediocre defenses, so keeping an eye on the over is also a good idea.
Pick: Austin Peay +1
Baylor @ Florida - 8:00 pm
The Baylor Bears athletic department has enjoyed an incredibly successful year. The women's basketball team won their 3rd national championship, the football team won 11 games and the men's basketball team is now ranked first in the nation. Baylor has been nearly perfect this season, with a 3-point loss at Washington the only blemish on the resume. The team has signature wins over Butler, Texas, and Kansas, and has Waco residents thinking a deep run in the tournament is possible this year.
Florida entered the season with high expectations that the team is finally starting to live up to. Coach Mike White brought in the most heralded transfer in college basketball in Virginia Tech forward Kerry Blackshear, and the team is finally starting to meld together. Young guards Scottie Lewis and Andrew Nembhard have improved over the early season woes, and this Florida team now is a team that should be circled on most brackets as an under-seeded team with a chance to make a long tournament run. This non-conference matchup, which is a part of the Big 12-SEC challenge, should tell us quite a bit about both squads.
Pick: Florida -1
Thanks for reading, and remember to gamble responsibly.
