When the best player in college basketball on the NCAA championship favorite is pictured in a wheelchair, it definitely catches the attention of bettors and oddsmakers.
Star freshman Cooper Flagg injured his left ankle in the first half of Duke’s first-round ACC Tournament game vs. Georgia Tech on Thursday. The Blue Devils also lost center Maliq Brown, possibly for the season, with a separated shoulder, but prevailed 78-70 vs. Georgia Tech (+23.5).
Steve Makinen and Greg Peterson both make lines for every game every day for VSiN, so I asked them how they were going to approach today’s Duke-UNC game with Flagg almost certain to miss it.
Steve: I’ve already adjusted the game 4 points on the line and 3 on the total on my ratings. That is one of, if not the biggest one-player adjustments I’ve ever made. From the looks of it, oddsmakers have moved it even more than I did, which is made even more intriguing by how well Duke played without Flagg.
Greg: A healthy Cooper Flagg would put me at -13.5 with Duke, with that -13.5 also factoring in Malique Brown’s injury that got lost in the Flagg news. As of now, I have handicapped him out for the UNC game and made the handicap with him out Duke -9, a shift of 4.5 points to my handicap.
The line at Circa Sports was Duke -7.5 with a Total of 156.5.
Greg does have a play on the Duke game among his Best Bets for today.
As far as odds to win the NCAA title, I checked in with Circa Sports operations chief Jeff Benson:
We took some Auburn money right after the injury so we lowered Auburn and raised Duke a bit. He is one of the most important players in the country and is very valuable to the spread.
Circa started the week at Duke +315 and Auburn at +340. By Thursday evening, Duke was at +320 and Auburn at +335. At DraftKings, Auburn (+350) jumped over Duke (+360).
More college resources
>Steve’s lines using three sets of power ratings.
>Josh Appelbaum will post his Sharp Report later this morning.
>Adam Burke will have his Best Bets later, too.
>Links to all of the tournament previews on this page.
>DraftKings/Circa Betting Splits
>Greg’s Coast-to-Coast Hoops podcast
Circa College Hoops Challenge
Just a reminder: The Circa College Hoops Challenge will resume next week for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Texas pro handicapper Paul Stone and VSiN host Tim Murray are tied for the lead through four weeks. >>Standings.
The field of 15 handicappers is coming off a rough Week 4 (29-45-1), but are 151-139-5 overall.
Quick Hits
NBA: Zach Cohen will have his plays later this morning.
NHL: Jonathan Davis will have his Best Bets later, too.
MLB: The VSiN MLB Betting Guide is out. VSiN Pro subscribers can download the guide here.
Tennis: Zach has his Best Bets for today’s action at Indian Wells. Zach and Gill Alexander post their plays on our Tennis Picks page.
College Baseball: Matt Grissom of College Baseball Insiders sent along his play of the day: Arkansas ML (-115) vs Ole Miss.
Up until the announcement of Zach Root (LHP – ARK) becoming the new Friday night ace, I would’ve said to fade Gabe Gaeckle (the former Friday night starter for the Razorbacks). But with Root (2.11 ERA, 2.96 xFIP, 1.17 SIERA), this gives the Razorbacks the best chance of taking command of their SEC opening series. VSiN Best Bets: 4-1, +2.82 units
Horse Racing: 1/ST BET handicapper Jeff Siegel offers his picks for today’s card. 1/ST Bet offers wagering on hundreds of races every day. Sign up at 1STBET.COM with promo code VSIN200 to claim a 20% rebate for your first 60 days, up to $200.
This is The VSiN Daily newsletter for Friday, March 14. Sign up for this free email and get picks and insights delivered to your in-box every morning.
