Yesterday, was the first day of the conference tournament season. Boy was it a good one for your boy.
That is right we hit all three of our Atlantic Sun bets including Bellarmine spread and moneyline. Today, we’ve got action in the Horizon League, the Sun Belt, the Patriot League and the Atlantic Sun league. Here are my bets for today’s slate of college basketball conference tournament games.
13 Arkansas State vs 12 Coastal Carolina (-2.5) (O/U 137.5) 6:00 EST (ESPN+)
We’ve got first round action in the Sun Belt with 13 seed Arkansas State going up against 12 seed Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are 2.5 point favorites and that doesn’t trend well in this matchup. In fact the last five times these two teams have met, the favorites are 0-5 ATS and 0-5 SU. Coastal Carolina struggled down the stretch this season even though they have four guys averaging 12+ points per game this season. Their defense however, has been the low point of this team this season. They allow 73.6 points per game and have given up 70 or more points in 12 out of their last 14 games. Coastal Carolina will need their defense to step up in a big way tonight if they want to beat Arkansas State.
The Red Wolves beat Coastal Carolina already this season as an underdog, and they can for sure do it again. They have three guys that average double figures this season. Their offense does struggle, however, to put points on the board. They average 65.3 points per game, but defensively they give up on average 67.7 points per game.
Betting Trends
-Arkansas State is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
-Over is 5-1 in their last 6 games following a win.
-Coastal Carolina is 1-7-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
The Don’s Pick
Look the last time these two teams played, the Red Wolves dominated. I think as an underdog again in this first round matchup we will see more of the same. Give me Arkansas State +2.5.
5 Lispcomb (-1) vs 4 Stetson (O/U 150.5) 7:00 EST (ESPN+)
This will be the third time this season that we will see Stetson and Lipscomb play. The first two times they have played it ended in overtime. Stetson won the first one in overtime and Lipscomb won the second one in overtime. The Bisons are the favorite, but Stetson has been very good at home this season posting a 9-2 record at home this season.
Lipscomb is led by sophomore forward Jacob Ognacevic who averages 17.3 points per game. The Bison are in the top 100 in the country in points per game. They average 76.4 points per game while giving up 70.7. If the Bison want to win this matchup they are going to need someone besides Ognacevic to step up.
Stetson lost to Lipscomb at home recently, and is ready to avenge that home loss. The Hatters are led by sophomore guard Jalen Blackmon who averages 14.6 points per game. He also averages 20.5 points per game in the two meetings with Lipscomb. Stetson averages 76.8 points per game and allows 73 points per game. If the Hatters want to win this matchup, they need to get their foot on the gas early on.
Betting Trends
-Over is 4-1 in Lipscomb’s last 5 road games.
-Bison are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 games following a win.
-Stetson is 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 home games.
-Hatters are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring 90 or more points the previous game.
The Don’s Pick
I really can’t pick a side here, because I see both teams being very good from the field. Instead of picking a side, I am going to take some action on the total. I am hammering the over 150.5 in this one.
Those are my real confident plays, but I have eight total plays for today with four spreads and four overs.
The Full Card
Arkansas St +2.5 -110
Over 129.5 (Bellarmine Liberty) -110
Purdue Fort Wayne +4.5 -112
Over 138.5 (IUPUI Robert Morris) -110
Holy Cross +4.5 -110
Over 150.5 (Lispcomb Stetson) -110
North Alabama +8.5 -110
Over 131 (Georgia State Texas St) -112
