More conferences are kicking off their schedule as NCAA college basketball rolls through the holidays. The big game on everyone’s mind for Friday is the Louisville-Kentucky showdown. Both teams have just two losses on the season (each), so this will prove to be an important, non-conference showdown. Much of the conversation has been focused on the fact that Rick Pitino will not be manning the sidelines. The action will start early at 1:00 PM ET. Later in the day, we’ll see a Top 25 matchup between Baylor and Texas Tech.
Starting next week, coaches are going to have their rotations set for the most part because starting in January, March is going to come very quickly for the college hoops world. Here is a look at the latest college basketball power rankings in order that the odds makers have the teams.
1. Michigan State Spartans
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +450
The Spartans (12-1, 2-0 Big Ten) made short work of Long Beach State, and they’ll host Cleveland State and Savannah State next before continuing with the Big Ten portion of the schedule. The Spartans shot 60.9% from the field in a 102-60 mauling of Long Beach State as all five starters had 13 points or more, led by Miles Bridges and Joshua Langford with 17 points apiece. The Spartans also outrebounded Long Beach State 36-25 and their next two games should also be pretty straightforward. They just need to stay healthy going into January.
2. Duke Blue Devils
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +450
The Blue Devils (12-1, 0-1 ACC) have been off since a 64-point beatdown of Evansville, but they’ll host Florida State this week in a huge game. Florida State is ranked and the Blue Devils lost their ACC opener at Boston College, and two ACC losses going into January would cause a bit of a ruckus at Duke, especially at home.
3. Villanova Wildcats
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +800
The Wildcats (13-0, 1-0 Big East) opened their Big East slate with a win at DePaul, and they’ll head to Butler next. The Wildcats looked dominant in a 103-85 win at DePaul as seven players reached double figures, led by 20 points from Mikal Bridges. Villanova shot 54.3% from the field and hit 15 of their 31 three-point attempts as their offense looks great, but allowing 52 points in the second half will give them something to work on.
4. Kansas Jayhawks
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1000
The Jayhawks (10-2) rolled to a big win at Stanford and will open their Big 12 slate at Texas before hosting Texas Tech. The Jayhawks raced out to an 18-point halftime lead in their 75-54 win at Stanford as Udoka Azubuike had 24 points and seven rebounds, shooting 12-of-15 from the field. However, the Jayhawks made just five of their 10 free-throw attempts, including 0-of-2 from Azubuike, who is shooting 40% for the season. Teams are going to target him late in games as the schedule goes on.
5. Arizona Wildcats
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1000
The Wildcats (10-3) dropped Connecticut 73-58 at home and they’ll have a huge showdown with Arizona State at home next, before heading to Utah. Rawle Alkins had 20 points for Arizona as Deandre Ayton battled through foul trouble, but he still managed nine points, seven rebounds and five assists. He has to stay on the floor for this massive game with the Sun Devils.
6. Kentucky Wildcats
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1200
The Wildcats (9-2) lost to UCLA 83-75 at the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans, and then they’ll host Louisville in the Battle for the Bluegrass before welcoming Georgia to town, then they visit LSU. Hamidou Diallo scored 18 points to lead the Wildcats, who shot just 6-of-21 from beyond the arc, but they had 14 turnovers as well. That is something that they’ll have to work on ahead of their annual showdown with Louisville.
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1500
The Tar Heels (11-2) rebounded from their upset loss to Wofford by beating Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans, and they’ll host Wake Forest in their ACC opener before heading to Florida State. Joel Berry and Theo Pinson scored 19 points apiece in the Tar Heels’ 86-72 win, while Luke May added nine points and 10 rebounds for North Carolina, who outrebounded Ohio State 39-25. The Tar Heels still committed 17 turnovers and have a few things to work ahead of ACC play.
8. Florida Gators
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1500
The Gators (8-4) won at home over Incarnate Word and they’ll open their SEC slate against Vanderbilt before heading to Texas A&M. The Gators pulled away with a 12-point edge in their 75-60 win over Incarnate Word as Chris Chiozza had 16 points, but the Gators shot just 39.1% from the field and hit just nine of their 36 three-point attempts. The Gators need to improve a lot as they tip off the SEC schedule.
9. Arizona State Sun Devils
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +1800
The Sun Devils (12-0) routed Pacific ahead of their rivalry matchup with Arizona, and they head into that game ranked higher in the AP Poll than their more-heralded in-state rivals. The Sun Devils were up by 16 points at halftime of a 104-65 win at home over Pacific, but they didn’t take their foot off the gas, outscoring their opponents by 23 points in the second half. Shannon Evans II dropped 23 points to lead six Sun Devils in double figures as they shot 53.7% from the field and hit 12 of their 26 three-point attempts. The Sun Devils have already beaten Xavier and won at Kansas, but a win at Arizona will prove that Arizona State is a force to be reckoned with.
10. Texas A&M Aggies
NCAA Basketball Title Odds: +2000
The Aggies (11-1) defeated Buffalo at home and will begin the SEC part of their schedule at Alabama, and then they’ll host Florida. D.J. Hogg began a three-game suspension for a violation of team rules, but the Aggies still beat Buffalo 89-73 as Duane Wilson led the way with 23 points and 11 assists. Tyler Davis added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Aggies, but it could be tough sledding without Hogg, their leading scorer, and they should hope that this teaches him a lesson. If the Aggies are going to make some noise in the SEC, they need Hogg on the floor.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
