Michigan State +6.5 vs Kentucky
Michigan State gave Gonzaga all they could handle in their matchup on the aircraft carrier and really should've won that game. The Spartans are capable of winning any game they play under the tutelage of Tom Izzo and their playmakers. I believe that Joey Hauser and a balanced Michigan State offense will do enough to get the cover, and I wouldn't be surprised if they win. Kentucky will be a solid team this year but I think the #4 ranking is a bit high. We aren't even sure if Oscar Tshiebwe is playing tonight and even if he is, he will not be at full game speed. I like Sparty to cover on the neutral court.
Northwestern PK @ Georgetown
Georgetown is just a mess right now for Patrick Ewing and he is certainly one of the coaches in college basketball on the hot seat. The Hoyas went 0-19 in conference play last year and had to survive Coppin State in overtime to start this season before handily defeating Wisconsin-Green Bay. Northwestern is in much better shape than Georgetown and they have started the 2022 season off with two easy wins over Chicago State and Northern Illinois. This is an away game for the Wildcats but there is hardly a home court advantage for Georgetown at Capital One Arena, home of the Wizards. I think this is the kind of game we will look back on in a few months and think wow, this was a pick em? Give me the better overall team to get the win in Northwestern.
Eastern Michigan +7 @ Bradley
There may be some recency bias involved in this pick but how can their not be? EMU put a serious scare into Michigan and we saw the kind of player that Emoni Bates can be when he earns himself the opportunity. The Eagles will have the two best players on the floor in Bates and combo guard Noah Farrakhan. The Braves of Bradley are no easy task as they are likely going to be one of the better teams in the MVC this year. I think a big reason for this line is this is the first true road game for EMU and we don't know yet how they will respond. The Eagles performance against Michigan and Bradley getting trounced by Utah State is enough motivation for me to take Eastern Michigan in this one.
Queens (NC) +6.5 @ La Salle
Queens University is a brand new team to division one this season after having huge success in division two the last few seasons. Queens started their season with a nice one point victory over Marshall at home. La Salle is coming off of a win over Wagner and a loss against Villanova to start the season. I think that Queens is going to surprise a lot of people this year that are not familiar with their program and they could definitely do some damage in the A-Sun conference. Despite playing at home, I don't think La Salle has done anything to deserve being favored by 6.5 points. I like Queens to cover here in a close game throughout.
UNC -21.5 vs Gardner-Webb
The Tarheels have started their number one ranked campaign with victories over UNC Wilmington and the College of Charleston; with both wins coming by less than 20 points. I think they are ready to run it up this game like they haven't been able to yet. UNCW hung around the whole game and Charleston even had a lead at halftime. Gardner-Webb is a solid team this year who should contend for a conference title. So far, they have lost at Colorado State on a shot at the end and lost by 15 to Stephen F. Austin. I don't think they will have many answers for Armando Bacot and the onslaught of offensive talent that UNC has. I think the Tarheels wins this one running away by 25+.
NC State/Florida International under 154
The Wolfpack began their season with a shellacking of Austin Peay where they almost hit the century mark; they then followed that up with a tightly contested victory over Campbell. FIU is 2-0 as well with wins over Houston Baptist and NAIA Florida National. I like this total because I think it's inflated due to NC State's points per game so far this year and FIU's meaningless 2-0 record. This is a sleepy 9 PM tipoff and I expect NC State to hold FIU to less than 70 points at least. I like this game to finish in the low 140's when the final buzzer sounds.
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