It’s a small card for Monday, and most eyes will be on the College Football Playoff game. In the college basketball world, the Mid-Majors take center stagem so let’s see if any games present us some value.
Alabama State @ Arkansas Pine Bluff
8:30 p.m. ET
Alabama State -1.5
When betting SWAC games, the first thing you need to do is throw out a lot of the statistics, because a lot of the schools in the conference play insane road stretches against Power Five schools that make their numbers look worse. Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB) is 5-9 on the year, but they’ve also lost at Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Gonzaga and UConn.
The Golden Lions are actually pretty strong at several things, including shooting threes (52nd in the nation) and getting to the free throw line (48th in FTA/FGA). Their defense has been rather poor at times, but consider the opponents once again. Alabama State is 6-8 but has lost at Ole Miss, Iowa, Memphis, LSU and Samford already. The Hornets are a poor shooting team and have had some problems with their defense. I think the home team is better straight up, so getting 1.5 points seems nice.
The Pick
UAPB +1.5