College Basketball Check-In

With the World Cup going on, the NFL dominating three nights a week, and the CFP set, it feels as if College Basketball has gone a little under the radar to start the season. Could you even name the current Top-5 without looking? It's sneaky 👇

Houston's schedule has been a little soft, but with Marcus Sasser returning after missing last year's Elite Eight run, the Cougars look tough to beat. Texas' backcourt is elite, with Tyrese Hunter and Marcus Carr both averaging over 15 PPG on 37% shooting from deep. Then there's Purdue's Zach Edey, who is 7'4 and averaging 23 PPG 👀

National Championship odds will obviously change throughout the season, and with staples like Duke, UNC, Gonzaga and Kentucky struggling as of late, at the moment there's no clear favorite. Take a look 💵

National Championship Odds (subject to change)

• Houston: +700 (bet $100, win $700)

• Texas: +1000

• Baylor: +1300

• Arizona, Kentucky, UConn: +1500

• Indiana, Gonzaga, Virginia, Purdue, UCLA, Duke: +2000

• Kansas, Arkansas: +2200

Game Of The Night

Tuesday night Top-25 hoops at the Garden? I'll take it. No. 2 Texas will look to remain undefeated against a new look Illinois roster. The Longhorns are coming off a huge win vs. former No. 7 Creighton in which Marcus Carr dropped 19 points/5 rebounds/5 assists 🤟

Illinois is coming off a tough loss to Maryland and is still figuring out their rotation, but their roster is insanely talented. Matthew Mayer, who was integral in Baylor's National Championship run two years ago, is only playing 18 MPG, but I expect that number will rise as the season goes on 📝

• Terrance Shannon Jr. also transferred over from Texas Tech. He's leading the Illini in scoring at 19.8 PPG and rebounding at 6.4 RPG

• Plus there's 4-star recruit Skyy Clark, who is starting as a true freshman 👀

With no true home team, odds for this game are very close. Both teams have depth and talent at pretty much every position, and the deciding factor might come down to which team has more alumni support. Take a look at the lines 👇

No. 17 Illinois vs. No. 2 Texas

• Spread: Texas -2.5

• Moneyline: Texas -146, Illinois +122

• O/U: 140.5

• When: 7PM EST on ESPN

For My Parlay Gurus

I think Texas alumni will probably show out a little better than the Illini's, so I like the Longhorns to get it done at the Garden. The second game at MSG is 6-1 Iowa vs. 8-2 No. 15 Duke, which also has an extremely tight line. I'm going with the Blue Devils in this one, gimme the favorites. Check it out 👇

• Texas -2.5 vs. Illinois: -110

• Duke -2.5 vs. Iowa: -118

$100 on this bet would win you $253 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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