The college basketball season began on Monday, and in this first week of action, we’ve already had three top 25 teams lose a game. No. 8 Baylor was the highest-ranked team to fall, losing to No. 6 Gonzaga. Losing to the Bulldogs isn’t a big worry, but losing by 28 points and giving up 101 is a big worry for the Bears.
No. 13 Texas A&M also lost its first game, 64-61, at UCF. Most troubling for the Aggies was not scoring a point in the final 2:13 of the game, setting UCF up for the comeback win. No. 19 Texas was also a loser in its season-opener, falling to Ohio State, 80-72.
We do know heading into the weekend that at least one more ranked team will lose on Friday, and two more will lose on Saturday.
No. 9 North Carolina at No. 1 Kansas (-7)
It doesn’t get better or more historic than North Carolina vs. Kansas. These two teams have combined for 37 Final Fours, 10 NCAA Championships, and they were the two finalists in 2022, when Kansas won the championship. Friday’s game, however, will be the first time that UNC has visited Allen Fieldhouse since 1960.
The teams have met 13 times since that game in 1960, but all 13 have either been at neutral sites or in North Carolina. The last four meetings have all been in the NCAA Tournament, and along with the Final Four meeting in 2022, they played each other in the Final Four in 2008 and 1993. The winner in those semifinal games, North Carolina in 1993 and Kansas in 2008, went on to win the championship game.
The Jayhawks are seven-point favorites in this one, taking into consideration that in Allen Fieldhouse over the last six seasons, they are 91-5. They are the No. 1 ranked team in both the AP and Coaches Poll, and they were 30-point winners in their season opener. The Tar Heels won their first game of the season by 24 points over Elon University.
Tip-off on Friday is 7:00 p.m. ET.
Other Friday games include No.2 Alabama hosting Arkansas State. The second-ranked Crimson Tide are 23.5-point favorites. No. 7 Duke hosts Army and is favored by 30.5. No. 13 Texas A&M looks to avenge that loss to UCF against Texas A&M-Commerce. The Aggies are 31-point favorites over the Lions.
No. 11 Auburn at No. 4 Houston
Auburn and Houston each won their first games of the season. They meet for the best game on the Saturday schedule.
Houston is +1500 to win the national championship, which ranks sixth in the country. They are just behind KU, +220 to +280, to win the Big 12 conference title.
Auburn is at +300 to win the SEC, just behind Alabama at +220. The Tigers are +450 to play in their second Final Four.
No. 16 Arkansas at No. 8 Baylor
We expect Baylor to have a better showing on Saturday against Arkansas than they did against Gonzaga on Monday. Arkansas beat Lipscomb in its season opener, but failed to cover the point spread.
Baylor’s loss has created some doubts in the Big 12, as the Bears dropped to +900 to win the conference, which ranks them fifth. Arkansas is the fourth betting favorite to win the SEC at +1200, behind Alabama, Auburn, and Tennessee.
No. 12 Tennessee at Louisville
And speaking of the Vols, they play at Louisville on Saturday, who are just starting the Pat Kelsey era. Kelsey won four Big South tournaments as the head coach at Winthrop, and then spent the last three seasons at Charlotte, where he won two CAA tournaments.
The Cardinals trounced Morehead St. to begin the season. But Tennessee is the best opponent Louisville will see until they play Duke next month. The Volunteers were 24-point winners on Monday, and they are currently paying +1200 to make it to the Final Four.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
