College Basketball Betting for Wednesday Night
Sports Interaction betting analyst Frank Doyle makes his picks for Gambling911.com readers on the big College Hoops games Wednesday night.
We're opening with a 19.5 point start for the Tar Heels when North Carolina State visits Chapel Hill. Twenty points is an awful lot, but it's hard not to believe fully in the Tar Heels right now.
North Carolina proved itself boss of the ACC with a good win at Duke last week. The Tar Heels struggled at Miami at the weekend but that's understandable because of the natural post-Cam letdown, and the fact that Miami's Jack McClinton went gangbusters in that game. There's not a lot you can do about that except hope it doesn't cost you the win.
North Carolina State doesn't have a McClinton and North Carolina does have a Hansbrough, both factors that will make a difference tonight. Hanbrough has made a point in his career of stepping it up in rivalry games. He was good for 31 points when the schools met at Raleigh in January, and the Tar Heels will coast home in this. North Carolina -19.5 with Sports Interaction is the pick in this one.
The other big game in the ACC tonight is Georgia Tech's visit to Wake Forest. This is an interesting one because Wake Forest lost to the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta when they met in January, which remains Georgia Tech's only win in the ACC.
Fundamentally, Georgia Tech isn't very good. It lost a lot of players last year and hasn't been able to fully fill the void. Wake Forest took its eye off the ball in Atlanta but the Deacons will avenge that tonight - and then some - on home court. Wake Forest -14 with Sports Interaction is the bet.
The third game on TV tonight, Iowa State at Kansas, is one where I'm not as sure of the favorite covering. The Jayhawks have won thirty-seven straight games at home and they've won seven straight against Iowa State, but Kansas is after coming off a tough road trip, where the Jays lost at Missouri and came from behind to win easily at Kansas State.
Kansas covered the line in both games (it was a five point underdog at Mizzou and a one point favorite at Kansas State) but what makes the games interesting from our point of view tonight is how intense they were. The Kansas players wouldn't be human if they eased up on the gas just a little tonight back home at the Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
Not only that, but Iowa State numbers Craig Brackins among its ranks, and Brackins seriously ruffled the Jayhawks' feathers when they teams met at Ames earlier this year. All these combine to make Iowa State +18 with Sports Interaction the third and final pick of the day.
Frank Doyle, Gambling911.com
