March 13 CBB Lines

The February 3 CBB lines are live on BetRivers.com, and with the meat-and-potatoes of league play underway, the slate of weeknight college basketball is very strong.

Eight ranked teams are in action on Wednesday night, and although all eight teams are favored by at least four points, there are several games ripe for the picking. If you are new to online sport betting, you should read our  predictions to get ready to win your first bet.

Rob Dauster, a longtime national college basketball writer, and co-founder of the Field of 68 Podcast Network breaks down the February 3 CBB lines, focusing on the two big showdowns in the SEC, where LSU faces No. 10 Alabama, coming off a competitive loss at a ranked Oklahoma team, and No. 18 Missouri hosts a Kentucky team with the talent but not the execution to pull off an upset.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 CBB LINES 

LSU (11-5, 6-3) at #10 ALABAMA (14-4, 9-0), 7:00 p.m.
MONEYLINE: Alabama -400, LSU +310
SPREAD: Alabama -8.5
OVER/UNDER: 164 points
Click here for the full list of Alabama-LSU odds.

The first time that these two teams got together this season, Alabama had one of the single-best performances that we will see out of a team this year. They shot 23-for-43 from beyond the arc, they put up 105 points and they turned themselves into the Golden State Warriors for a night.

It was incredible.

And part of it was that the Crimson Tide got hot and stayed hot.

But that wasn’t all of it.

LSU’s defensive “scheme” plays directly into the hands of Alabama. They more or less dare opponents to shoot threes over the top of their defense. More than 47 percent of opponent field goal attempts against the Tigers come from behind the three-point line. That is not a recipe for success against a program like Alabama, which has built a top ten team with the mantra “threes and layups only.”

It’s also worth noting here that I put “scheme” in quotes for a reason. LSU ranks 146th nationally in defense for a reason.

So here’s the question that you have to ask: Can LSU drastically change their defensive game-plan and then implement something that A) they can execute, and B) will work if they do execute it in a three-day turnaround, or will they try and do what did not work against Alabama the first time?

Either way, I love Alabama here.

Two more things to note:

  1.  Alabama lost at Oklahoma, but they really could have/should have won. They missed a couple open threes in the final minutes and shot roughly 1-for-a billion on layups in that game. This is a good buy-low spot on the Tide.
  2. I think we need to be on the over once again. LSU will run. Alabama loves to run. Points on points on points.

KENTUCKY (5-10, 4-4) at #18 MISSOURI (11-3, 4-3), 7:00 p.m.
MONEYLINE: Missouri -200, Kentucky +165
SPREAD: Missouri -4.5
OVER/UNDER: 136.5 points
Click here for the full list of Missouri-Kentucky odds.

I have a theory about Kentucky: When they play teams that will allow them to score at the free throw line and off of the offensive glass when they go through their inevitable scoring droughts, they’ll have a very real chance to win. Missouri ranks outside the top 240 in both defensive free throw rate and defensive rebounding percentage. I think that the Cats will find a way to be able to stay competitive, and maybe even pull out a win here.

#3 VILLANOVA (11-1, 6-0) at ST. JOHN’S (11-7, 5-6), 9:00 p.m.
MONEYLINE: Villanova -560, St. John’s +410
SPREAD: Villanova -10
OVER/UNDER: 151 points
Click here for the full list of Villanova-St. John’s odds.

St. John’s is playing some of the best basketball that we have seen this program played in what feels like decades. They’ve won four straight games, the entire borough of Queens has popped up in my mentions and Mike Anderson looks like he has the Johnnies BACK!

But …

Those four wins?

UConn without James Bouknight, Utah Valley, DePaul and a bad version of Marquette.

I think we might have reached the sell-high spot on St. John’s, especially when they are going up against a team that is going to be press resistant. Think about it like this: St. John’s ranks 120th in defensive efficiency despite the fact that they force turnovers on 23 percent of their opponent’s possessions, which is in the 93rd percentile nationally. Villanova? They lead the country in turnover rate, coughing the ball up on just 12.3 percent of their possessions. If they don’t turn it over, and they get to go up against the Johnnies’ halfcourt defense, that is bad news for Mike Anderson.