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NCAA Basketball Wednesday Best Bets: Wednesday, February 1st
It’s time to jump into the February Madness, and that brings us that much closer to the actual March Madness that everyone is familiar with. Our resident NCAA basketball expert Ej Garr has picked out a pair of solid options for your wagering pleasure on Hump Day, so let’s take the court and see what he has to offer on Wednesday.
In this article:
- St. John’s Red Storm vs Seton Hall Pirates Preview
- St. John’s Red Storm vs Seton Hall Pirates Best Bet
- Utah State Aggies vs New Mexico Lobos Preview
- Utah State Aggies vs New Mexico Lobos Best Bet
St. John’s Red Storm vs Seton Hall Pirates Preview
February 2, 01:30 (UK time)
A Big East Conference showdown is among the late games on the Wednesday slate at Carnesecca Arena featuring the Johnnies hosting the Pirates, and the first thing that caught my eye was the handicap for this contest. St. John’s is favoured by less than a point, which obviously makes this about a pick ‘em game and that is simply a setup by the line setters.
So many tipsters and folks looking for action love home teams with barely a spread to cover, but guess what? The wrong team is favoured and we are about to take advantage of it. Yes, St. John’s has been a decent team at home sporting a 10 – 3 record in this building but the Johnnies have lost 7 of their last 10 games overall and in my opinion, the Pirates are the better team.
St. John’s barely escaped with a win over Georgetown the last time they took the court, 75 – 73, and let’s face facts that the Hoyas are a downright disaster this year. Maybe the Johnnies were looking past Georgetown expecting an easy win, but that simply was not the case and they almost gave that game away.
The only quality victory St. John’s has to their credit is their win over UConn, but since the Huskies got off to a tear this campaign they have crashed back to earth and hard! I don’t want to talk about that because I went to UConn and watching them fall apart is a tough pill to swallow.
Anyway, if you recall, the Pirates whacked the Johnnies on the final day of 2022, 88 – 66, and they’ve won three of the last four games in the recent series as well. The Pirates’ win over St. John’s launched a run of wins in six of their last eight games, and yes, they took out UConn too. Ugh!
Seton Hall’s defense has gotten significantly better as the campaign gets closer to the Big East Conference tournament. The Pirates are holding their opponents to 63.7 points a game which has them ranked 43rd in the nation. They guard the 3-point arc as well as anyone in the country, and that #15 in the rankings tells plenty about that story.
St. John’s Red Storm vs Seton Hall Pirates Best Bet
If you told me I just have to see the Pirates escape with a win to get paid then I will oblige with a play on Seton Hall. 73 – 68 will be your final score with the road team taking the W.
- Selection: Seton Hall Moneyline
- Best odds: 1.81 (Pinnacle)
- Stakes: 4/10
More St. John’s Red Storm vs Seton Hall Pirates Tips
Utah State Aggies vs New Mexico Lobos Preview
February 2, 03:30 (UK time)
The last game of the night happens at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum where New Mexico and Utah State will take the court. I don’t know where you will be at 3:30 in the morning in Europe, but if you stay up to watch this game you are my kind of person, baby! Yeah, I know it won’t happen, but before you go to bed I want you to put in a play so you can wake up with my cash in your bankroll.
Over at Bwin I see a 1.87 offer on the +4.5 with the Lobos, and I hope it stays there long enough so you can get that action. I will assume that your book might carry the +4, and that is fine too if you can’t buy the hook on its own.
IT won’t matter because the Lobos are going to win this game and I will tell you why. When Utah State plays solid teams they fold like a lawn chair and last I checked New Mexico has quite an advantage in so many areas.
First of all, let’s talk rebounding. You know me when it comes to inside presence, and New Mexico has that on top of some dude named Jamal Mashburn, Jr. Oh, he is not just some dude so don’t take that literally. Mashburn leads this squad putting up 19.5 points an outing and he can score from anywhere on the floor. Mash is carrying a 40% success rate from outside the arc, and when he gets to the free throw line he buries 80% of those shots too.
In addition, Morris Udeze might have cost his team the win against Nevada, but he is a rebounding machine alongside Josiah Allick. The two players average over eight rebounds each per game, while Udeze scores 15.7 points per contest to go with that inside presence.
Jaelen House can do anything Mashburn can do as their numbers are very compatible. House knocks down 84.4% of his free throws, and #10 averages 17.4 points a game just behind Mashburn. The Lobos have five different players shooting 75% or better from the charity stripe, and we know how late free throws can factor into winning or losing basketball games.
Daniel Akin will have his hands full trying to get Utah State extra possessions, as he is the only inside presence that the Aggies have on the roster. The one thing I will give Utah State is that they spread the wealth and have depth. Utah State has five players averaging double-digit scoring, and I will admit this total will get smashed to bits. This could be another 97 – 94 game, and we might not even need overtime to get there.
I should make this Over a bonus tip, but I think you’ll get the gist of how I feel about this total of 154.5 when I say… Destroyed!
Utah State Aggies vs New Mexico Lobos Best Bet
Had Udeze not committed that elbow foul late in the double overtime period against Nevada, I believe the Lobos should have won that game. Regardless, we have a +4.5 spread staring us in the face, and that makes it the best bet for this affair.
Both of my plays have an underdog theme, and the day I stop doing that, you can shoot me!
- Selection: New Mexico +4.5
- Best odds: 1.87 (Bwin)
- Stakes: 4/10
Odds as of 9:00 am February 1st, 2023. Odds may now differ.
More Utah State Aggies vs New Mexico Lobos Tips
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