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NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Jan. 5 Opening Lines

by - 1/4/2016

Henry Ellenson Marquette Golden Eagles

I had a solid Saturday of picks in this space, hitting on Minnesota +10 against visiting Michigan State and San Francisco +13 against visiting Gonzaga, which needed overtime to escape. Did miss on Butler +6 at Xavier. This week gets off to a great start on Monday night when the nation's top two teams, Oklahoma and Kansas, face off. It's only the 40th time ever that has happened (AP poll teams) and first since early in the 2013 season. Probably won't see it again this regular season unless it's the Sooners and Jayhawks when they meet in Norman on Feb. 13. Here's a look at three intriguing Tuesday matchups.

Marquette at No. 8 Providence (-9)

A 7 p.m. ET tip on Fox Sports 1. The Friars (14-1) routed St. John's 83-65 on Saturday. All-American guard Kris Dunn had 26 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals. He was named the Big East Player of the Week on Monday. Dunn leads the Big East in assists (7.3) and steals (3.1) and is second in scoring (17.5 ppg). He is the only player in the nation to rank in the Top 10 in steals (second) and assists (sixth). Providence is 2-0 in league play for the first time in seven seasons. The Friars have won eighth straight games, their longest since 1993-94. The 14-1 record is the program's second-best start ever. The 1965 team was 15-0.

Marquette (10-4) lost at Georgetown on Saturday, 80-70. With the score tied at 11, Georgetown used a 15-2 run to take a commanding lead it wouldn't give up. The Golden Eagles were down 19 in the second half and weren't able to get closer than six. Marquette star center Henry Ellenson, who will be a lottery pick this year along with Dunn, was only 4-for-15 from the field and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Marquette has won 11 of the past 13 in the series but is 3-4 all-time at Providence. Each team won on its home court last year. Providence did so by 11.

Key trends: Marquette is 3-11 against the spread in its past 14 after a loss. The Friars have covered four straight vs. the Big East. The favorite is 11-1 ATS in the past 12 meetings.

I'm leaning: Providence.

Wisconsin at Indiana (-7.5)

Big Ten matchup is at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Wisconsin (9-6) has been a big disappointment, and of course Coach Bo Ryan stepped down a few weeks ago. The Badgers are 2-1 under interim coach Greg Gard. They followed a close loss to Purdue to open Big Ten play with a 79-57 home win over Rutgers on Saturday. Zak Showalter scored a career-high 21 points on a 8-for-8 from the field, four of those coming from 3-point range. Ethan Happ struggled in the Purdue loss but bounced back with 16 points and 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes. In the three games under Gard, the Badgers are shooting 47.1 percent and averaging 72.7 ppg. UW shot 41.2 percent and averaged 65.7 ppg in the 12 games under Ryan.

Indiana (12-3) has opened conference play with road wins at Rutgers (79-72) and then Saturday at Nebraska, 79-69. Senior guard Yogi Ferrell had 24 points vs. the Cornhuskers. Freshman Thomas Bryant had 19 points. Sophomore guard James Blackmon, who averages 15.3 points, missed a second straight game with a knee injury and he's questionable here. It was IU's seventh consecutive win and second consecutive Big Ten road win for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Indiana's 1976 national championship team, the last unbeaten NCAA champ, will be honored at halftime. Those Hoosiers were named the best single-season team in college basketball history by NCAA.com, USBWA and sports information directors. Bobby Knight isn't expected to be there Tuesday but it's possible. Wow, what a reaction that would get.

Key trends: Wisconsin is 1-8 ATS in its past nine after a win. IU is 4-0 ATS in its past four vs. teams with a winning record.

I'm leaning: Wisconsin has won 14 of the past 15 meetings. But those Badgers teams were much better. Take IU.

Boise State at Utah State (+1.5)

This is your latest betting NCAA option on Tuesday with a 10 p.m. ET start and on the CBS Sports Network. Boise State (10-4) opened Mountain West play with an 84-80 home win over Colorado State on Saturday. Mikey Thompson scored on a putback and star Anthony Drmic hit two free throws in the final 12 seconds. James Webb III led Boise with 28 points and Drmic finished with 21 points. Webb was named the conference's player of the week on Monday. BSU nearly blew a 16-point lead. It was Boise's 16th straight home win and seventh victory in a row overall this season. BSU has never started 2-0 since joining the Mountain West.

Utah State (9-4) is off a 70-67 home loss on Saturday to preseason Mountain West favorite San Diego State. USU had won 25 straight conference home openers. Lew Evans had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort. The Aggies were only 5-for-20 from long range. Utah State is 18-1 at home against Boise State, suffering its first home defeat of the series last season (68-63). USU brought back four starters from that 18-13 team and was picked third in the preseason Mountain West poll.

Key trends: Boise State is 0-5 ATS in its past five after a win. USU has covered eight of its past 11 vs. the Mountain West. Boise is 1-7 ATS in the past eight meetings.

I'm leaning: Utah State.

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