March 13 CBB Lines

The January 6 CBB lines are live on BetRivers.com, and as we enter the first full week of college basketball in 2021, we’re still figuring out how to properly assess the new normal.

With less practice, less games, and more back-to-backs, betting on college basketball has never been more different. On Tuesday night, there are several marquee games that we are still trying to wrap our heads around.

Rob Dauster, a longtime national college basketball writer, and co-founder of the Field of 68 Podcast Network, took a gander at the January 6 CBB lines and breaks down the numbers that matter.

RELATED: WHAT WE’VE LEARNED ABOUT CBB THUS FAR

COLLEGE BASKETBALL ODDS: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6 CBB ODDS

SETON HALL at No. 7 CREIGHTON, 9:00 p.m.
SPREAD: Creighton -6
MONEYLINE: Creighton -265, Seton Hall +215
TOTAL: 148

Sandro Mamukelashvili is an All-American. The Seton Hall big man is having just an unbelievable season, averaging 18.7 points, 6.9 boards and 3.4 assists, and at 6-foot-11, he is precisely the player that Creighton is going to have trouble matching up with.

The Bluejays have one of the best perimeter attacks in college basketball this season. They put three guys on the floor that can shoot the lights out around an elite point guard in Marcus Zegarowski and Christian Bishop. They’re really tough to matchup with, but with Bryce Aiken playing again and the likes of Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale, the Pirates are one of the few teams that actually has the bodies to be able to matchup with them.

Where the mismatch lies is when Kevin Willard plays Mamu at the five. He’s mobile enough to be able to do what he needs to do defensively against Creighton’s offense, but he’s also a powerful post presence that can really, really pass. I think he’s a first round pick, and I just don’t know how Creighton deals with him.

The catch here is Creighton can hit 20 threes on any given night and completely blow up any plan an opponent has. That’s the risk. But giving the hottest team in the Big East five points in a road environment that is no where near what it typically is feels like too much.

BOSTON COLLEGE at DUKE, 9:00 p.m.
SPREAD: Duke (-11.5)
MONEYLINE: Duke -770, Boston College +525
TOTAL: 150.5

I love Boston College in this spot. Duke hasn’t played a game since Dec. 16th. Coach K shut down their non-conference season after they lost to Illinois nearly a month ago, and they’ve played one gae — a 75-65 win at Notre Dame — since then.

Now, Duke hasn’t been shut down. But they have been without their head coach, who is in quarantine after being exposed to someone that tested positive for COVID-19. Jalen Johnson had not returned to practice as of Dec. 31st. And without Johnson, the talent level on this Duke roster is not what you would expect from a typical Duke team.

I also think that it is important to note that while BC is 2-7 on the season, they only have one loss to a team that is ranked outside of the top 50 on KenPom. They took Villanova to the wire in their season opener. They took Minnesota to overtime on the floor that Iowa lost on. They lost to N.C. State by three. They hung with Louisville. This team has some good guards that can make plays off the bounce, and that is something that can be an advantage against the Blue Devils.

This may simply come down to whether or not BC is hitting their threes, but with Duke allowing opponents to shoot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc, I expect BC to be able to keep this close.

PITT at SYRACUSE, 4:30 p.m.
SPREAD: Syracuse (-11)
MONEYLINE: Syracuse -715, Pitt +500
TOTAL: 140

This is a simple COVID shutdown play. Syracuse has not played a game since Dec. 19th. They’ve been shut down a couple of different times since then. They missed time earlier this season due to shut downs. After an extended period without practicing prior to the start of the season, Syracuse played their first game and was early beaten by Bryant at home.

Combine all of that with the fact that Pitt should be getting Au’Diese Toney back today really makes me like the Panthers in this spot. You know it’s 2021 when you’re betting on Pitt and Boston College on the road against Duke and Syracuse.