Top 25 Betting Recap
By Joe Williams
VegasInsider.com
Each week until March Madness we'll take a look at how the Top 25 fared from college basketball, but straight up and against the number, while also taking a look at their upcoming schedule.
Top-ranked Villanova (19-1 SU, 12-7 ATS) will not lose their place at the top of the heap, as they topped Seton Hall and Providence while splitting the two games against the number. They have a big test on the road Tuesday against Marquette (13-6 SU, 10-9 ATS), a team fresh off a 102-94 upset victory at Creighton. The Wildcats have dominated the series in recent years, at least against the number, going 5-0 ATS in their past five trips to Milwaukee and 8-1 ATS in the past nine meetings overall. The road team is also 11-5 ATS in the past 16 meetings.
Gonzaga (19-0 SU, 13-3 ATS) continues to roll along in the West Coast Conference, covering 13 of their past 16. However, they were unable to cover a 32 1/2-point spread at home against Portland over the weekend, but they still won comfortably. The Zags are on top for three games, and none of those contests will be against St. Mary's (CA), the only team which figures to give them any trouble down the stretch.
It was a rough week for West Virginia (15-4 SU, 7-7 ATS), as they dropped a pair of games to Oklahoma and Kansas State on the road. It doesn't get any easier for the Mountaineers, as Kansas (18-1 SU, 6-11 ATS) pay a visit to Morgantown. The good news for West Virginia is that the Jayhawks are 0-4 ATS in their past four trips to Morgantown, and the home team is 8-1 ATS in the nine in this series. Both teams have struggled against the number lately, as Rock Chalk is 2-5 ATS in their past seven league games while the Mountaineers are 1-5 ATS in their past six league games.
Purdue (16-4 SU, 11-6 ATS) hits the road for East Lansing Tuesday night, facing a Michigan State (12-8 SU, 9-10 ATS) experiencing uncharacteristic struggles. The Boilermakers have covered nine of their past 12 overall and they're 10-3-1 ATS in their past 14 league games. However, Purdue has covered just twice in their past nine visits to Breslin Center, although the road team has cashed in each of the past five in the series. Despite their struggles, Sparty is 4-0 ATS in their past four at home, 6-1 ATS in their past seven home games against a team with a winning road record and 16-5 ATS in their past 21 within the Big Ten.
Cincinnati (17-2 SU, 8-7-1 ATS) and Xavier (14-5 SU, 10-8 ATS) renew acquaintances on Thursday. The Musketeers won at home by a 65-55 score Dec. 12, 2015, in the most recent meeting, and the X-Men have won and covered each of the past three dating back to a neutral-site win by the Bearcats Dec. 19, 2012.
Duke (15-4 SU, 8-10 ATS) welcomes North Carolina State (13-7 SU, 8-9 ATS) to Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday night. The Wolfpack were tripped up at home against Wake Forest, and they're in a tailspin by going 2-8 ATS in their past 10 as an underdog, and 0-5 ATS in their past five on the road. However, the Dukies haven't been much better, covering in just two of their past eight games overall and two of their past 11 league games. If you're a total player, the 'over' has dominated for both teams lately. The 'over' is 22-9 in the past 31 for N.C. State, and 5-1 in the past six for Duke. In this series, the over is 5-2 in Duke's past seven at home against the Wolfpack, and 19-6-1 in the past 26 meetings overall.