NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/17)
Alex Christenson
It’s been a rough stretch for ranked teams in college basketball, as it seems like almost everyone in the top 25 has been losing lately. I think parity is great for the sport because it gives more people hope that their season will end with a title. I think there are probably at least 10 teams who could win that last game in March.
Will there be more upsets Wednesday? Let’s take a look at the slate.
All odds are per DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Citadel at UNC Greensboro
7 p.m. ET
UNC Greensboro -11
The Spartans are 12-5 on the season and have won four of their last six contests. Their offense has been pretty good, especially at home, where they’ve scored 79 or more in six of seven games. One of the reasons why is that they have four players who average nine points per game or more. The Citadel is rather poor on the road against the better offenses giving up 86 at Charleston and 82 at Furman. They don’t force turnovers and are slightly vulnerable inside the paint. Last year UNCG won these games 70-60 and 79-59. I believe in the Spartans offense to carry a lot of the total.
The Pick
UNC Greensboro over 72.5 points (-105)
High Point at Presbyterian
7 p.m. ET
High Point -8
This total has gone down a little bit since it opened, so I hate going against the move, but I think this one sees plenty of points Wednesday night. High Point has won six in a row and a lot of it is because of an offense that is top 10 in FTA/FGA and top 60 in 2pt%. Their defense is definitely an issue too as its 350th in turnover percentage and 311th in defending the three. Look at their last four games with scores of 90-85, 85-71, 85-76 and 84-79. Presbyterian has lost three straight and six of their last eight games. They are also leaky on defense and foul a ton which means High Point should get to the line plenty. Offensively, this team is pretty good having scored 70 or more in all but one home game. Efficiency will get us over the total.
The Pick
Over 149.5
UTSA at Tulsa
8 p.m. ET
Tulsa -6.5
Tulsa has started conference play 0-4 on the season, and it’s because of a leaky defense that has allowed 94, 84, 62 and 78 so far with two of those games coming at home. The Golden Hurricane offense isn’t terrible, and they are top 20 in FTA/FGA meaning they’ll get to the line. UTSA is 7-10 overall and 1-3 in the AAC with a road win at Rice 89-82 in overtime and a 107-101 loss in overtime at Memphis. They have a decent offense, but their defense forces no turnovers and fouls a little bit too much at times. With a whistle, happy officiating crew, we could see a parade to the free throw line. I think this one is an on Wednesday.
The Pick
Over 154
