A short week on the college basketball betting slate tips Monday with a big chunk of ranked schools in action, including the top two from the ACC who have both been laden by oddsmakers with huge spreads to cover.
Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils will be laying 31½ at Cameron Indoor Stadium where the UNC-Greensboro Spartans arrive for battle. Duke (9-1 straight up, 4-6 against the spread) will need to shake off a little rust having last been on the hardwood Dec. 10, and the Blue Devils will follow this contest with an 11-day break before their schedule picks back up in earnest on Dec. 30.
This matchup should amount to little more than a scrimmage against a UNC-Greensboro (2-9 SU, 3-6 ATS) squad that has dropped six straight. Monday's total is 154½, and the two teams enter sporting different trends in that column with Duke 8-2 'over' and the Spartans 2-4 to the 'under.'
The North Carolina Tar Heels (9-2 SU, 5-5 ATS) are being asked to cover an even bigger number when they host Nichols State (4-7 SU, 2-1 ATS). Roy Williams' crew is -37½ at home against the Colonels with another 154½-point scoreboard tally.
North Carolina was giving up 28½ last Saturday to Appalachian State who managed to stay within the line in the Tar Heels' 97-82 win. UNC scored the game's first nine points and built a 29-point lead about five minutes into the second half before Williams called the dogs off to allow the Mountaineers to pull back inside the spread.
Two more key games Monday with ranked teams playing involve Illinois and Marquette. The Fighting Illini suffered their first loss on Saturday when UNLV schooled them at Chicago's United Center, 64-48, with Illinois favored by two. The Illini are back on their home floor as 15½-point chalk to Cornell.
Buzz Williams and Marquette are laying eight on the road Monday in Baton Rouge to LSU. The Golden Eagles are one of just seven unbeaten teams remaining at 10-0 (3-4 ATS).
Big East Unbeatens Accent Tuesday Schedule
Two more of those unbeatens will be part of Tuesday's action when the Big East tandem of Syracuse and Louisville will both be home and asked to cover large spreads.
Jim Boeheim and the Orange survived their first test as the top-ranked squad in the country, as well as the first true road game, this past Saturday with an 88-72 skate past North Carolina State. The victory improved Syracuse to 11-0, with Dion Waiters coming off the bench to lead the Orange with 22 points. Covering the 7-point closing number left 'Cuse backers 7-3 ATS.
Syracuse will be asked to beat a bigger number Tuesday when the Bucknell Bison (7-4 SU, 1-2 ATS) hit the Carrier Dome floor.
Louisville (10-0 SU, 4-2-1 ATS) is coming off a 95-87 triumph at home over Memphis, with the final landing on the 8-point spread for a 'push.' Seven Cardinals reached double-digits on the scoreboard for Rick Pitino, led by Russ Smith's 24. It was a whistle-fest with the Tigers and Cards combining for 54 fouls and 83 free throw attempts.
The Cardinals will once again be home in the KFC Yum! Center, this time against a good College of Charleston (9-1 SU, 5-2 ATS) crew that brings a 6-game win streak into the match. The Cougars are 2-1 as underdogs this season, including a 72-69 outright upset on the road at Clemson while getting 13½ in mid-November.
Heels & Tide Featured In Hump Day ESPN2 Twinbill
North Carolina will squeeze in one more game this week before the Christmas break when the Texas Longhorns visit Chapel Hill on Wednesday. ESPN2 will have the broadcast starting at 7:00 p.m. (ET), and follow this game up with Alabama taking on Oklahoma State in Birmingham (9:00 p.m.).
This is the third consecutive December that the Heels and 'Horns have met, and UNC will be looking for some double-revenge after falling to Texas in the previous two matchups. Rick Barnes' bunch was a 3-point underdog last December in Greensboro where the Longhorns pulled off a 78-76 upset thanks to a late jumper by Cory Joseph. Texas also covered as 7-point chalk in Dec. 2009 with a 103-90 victory at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Texas (9-2 SU, 2-4 ATS) has won seven straight since losing twice at the Legends Classic in November, but will be facing a big height disadvantage against the Tar Heels in this one.
Alabama (8-3 SU, 3-5 ATS) and Oklahoma State (6-4 SU, 4-4 ATS) will both be looking to stem rough patches recently. The Crimson Tide have dropped three of four while the Cowboys have lost two straight and are just 1-4 away from Stillwater.