College Basketball: Buckeyes and Jayhawks Defend Unbeaten Records

Kansas and Ohio State are flying high at the top of the polls but Illinois and Texas will be keen to ruin their perfect records this weekend.

Buckeyes teetering
Ohio State eked out three closer than expected victories either side of easy wins over Iowa in recent weeks. On Saturday they visit Assembly Hall where Illinois will look to finally end the Buckeyes’ unbeaten record. Ohio State lead the Illini in all the major statistical categories. Illinois however have home court advantage and, unlike the Buckeyes, will treat this with the mentality of a national championship game. Peaking is an important factor in sports. Elite athletes can only play at their very best for limited periods. Ohio State have shown signs of slippage in recent weeks. That’s only natural and I expect the final slip from unbeaten territory to come this weekend. Look for a more focussed Illinois team to win big on Saturday.

Kansas can hang on
After a couple of close calls, Kansas recorded a statement victory on the road at Baylor. With three tough Big 12 games over the next 8 days, I don’t like the Jayhawks’ chances of staying unbeaten into February but it will take a very good team to beat them. Texas have the talent to be that team. Since a gut-wrenching defeat to UConn two weeks ago, the Longhorns have demolished Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. A road test in Lawrence is quite a step up however and it will take more than dominance on the boards for Texas to win. I like the Longhorns to contain Kansas in the first half before the Jayhawks pull away after the interval. Bet on Kansas to win big at home.

Big East bounce
One of Syracuse and Villanova will suffer a big drop in the polls after this weekend. The Orange and Wildcats both lost to ranked conference opponents on the road on Big Monday. A second loss in a week will send one of these Big East teams tumbling down the rankings. Both are well equipped however to rise back up the polls before getting down to important business in March. This Saturday I like Syracuse to get back on track a little faster than Nova. The Orange recovered well after a shocking start at Pitt on Monday. They didn’t do enough to come back and win but that loss will have served as a wake-up call to a clear Final Four contender. I like Syracuse to make amends and win big this weekend.

Spare a thought for the Gentlemen
Finally to a game College Basketball betting fans are unlikely to find on TV. The team with the nation’s longest losing streak, the Centenary Gentlemen look to avoid going to 0-21 on the season at Oral Roberts. The Summit League team has lost 25 straight, dating back to last season. At 5-3 in conference play, Oral Roberts look too strong for Centenary. The Gentlemen’s best chance of a win will come just under two weeks when they host North Dakota State.