Today the weekend wraps up with a 27-game College Basketball slate. You can track the latest odds and betting percentages for every matchup using our VSiN Betting Splits.
In the meantime, let’s examine a pair of games receiving sharp action from respected bettors today.
12 p.m. ET: Rhode Island at La Salle (-3, 153)
Rhode Island (11-15) has dropped three straight games and just fell to Richmond 85-77. On the flip side, La Salle (13-14) has won two straight games and just took down St. Bonaventure 72-59. This line opened with La Salle listed as a 3-point home favorite. We’ve seen La Salle get juiced up -3 to -115, signaling sneaky sharp action on the home team and a possible rise up from -3 to -3.5. Reading between the lines, all movement and liability seems to be on La Salle, as this line has stayed the same or gone up and never ticked down. La Salle is receiving 75% of spread bets but 85% of spread dollars, further evidence of one-sided Pro and Joe support in favor of the home team. La Salle takes far better care of the ball, ranking 25th in turnovers compared to 263rd for Rhode Island. La Salle is also better at the free throw stripe (72% vs 64%), which could be critical in a tight game. Ken Pom has La Salle winning but just by one point (77-76). As a result, playing La Salle on the moneyline (-165) might be the smart move. La Salle is 9-6 at home. Meanwhile, Rhode Island is just 2-6 on the road. This is also a revenge spot for La Salle, who lost to Rhode Island 71-69 on the road in late January. Home favorites are 47-27 (64%) straight up in Atlantic 10 conference play this season.
3 p.m. ET: Marist at Saint Peter’s (-2.5, 122)
Marist (15-9) has won five straight games and just edged Manhattan 57-50. Similarly, Saint Peter’s (14-11) has won three straight games and just brushed aside Mount St. Mary’s 70-65. This line opened with Saint Peter’s listed as a 1.5-point home favorite. We’ve seen Saint Peter’s get steamed up from -1.5 to -2.5. This line move is especially notable because this is one of the smallest and lowest bet games of the day, which means the adjustment is likely the direct result of smart money taking a position on Saint Peter’s. Saint Peter’s is receiving 70% of spread bets and 83% of spread dollars, once again signaling a preponderance of lopsided betting in favor of the home team. Saint Peter’s has a big edge in offensive rebound percentage (35% vs 23%) and free throw percentage (74% vs 68%), which once again could prove crucial in a close game. Ken Pom has Saint Peter’s winning by three points (59-56). Those looking to protect themselves in what could be a close game may prefer to play Saint Peter’s on the moneyline at -150. This is a revenge spot for Saint Peter’s, who lost to Marist 63-52 on the road in late January. We’ve also seen this extremely low total get bet up from 120 to 121. Currently 78% of bets and 90% of money are taking the over, a “low bets, higher dollars” wiseguy bet split.
