NCAA Basketball Betting Picks and Predictions for Weekend 4

Pac-12 play got off to an interesting start for #4 Arizona, as the Wildcats were the victims of an 81-66 upset at the hands of unranked Utah in both teams’ conference play opener. The upset came on the tenth anniversary of the passing of Rick Majerus, the venerable coach who took Utah to the national final in 1998. Utah also beat Arizona (a top seed) in the Elite Eight that year to get to the Final Four. Utah coach Craig Smith said he was unaware of the anniversary but has always respected Majerus. Thursday marked the first win for the Utes against a team in the AP Top 5 since December 30, 2000, when they beat then-#1 Alabama – under Majerus. Arizona clanked 24 of their first 33 shots to open the game and could not come back from a 17-point halftime deficit. Going into the weekend, take a look at two of our top sports betting picks.

 

NCAA News: Top Basketball Picks for December 3

 

Saturday, December 3

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West Virginia Mountaineers at Xavier Musketeers
(6:30 pm ET, FS1)

West Virginia (6-1) bounced back from an 80-68 loss to Purdue with wins over Portland State and Florida at the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament. The Mountaineers beat the Gators, 84-55, on Sunday, in the fifth-place game. Erik Stevenson went 6 of 8 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from behind the arc, totaling 15 points, and he also grabbed seven boards. Tre Mitchell contributed 17 points and eight rebounds. Emmitt Matthews Jr added 13 points, and Mohamed Wague almost had a double-double with eight points and nine boards. The game was close early, but then Mitchell sparked a 12-1 run to give the Mountaineers an 11-point lead just before the midway point of the first half.

Xavier (5-3) has had some tough competition to start the 2022-23 season, as their losses have all come against ranked teams: then-#12 Indiana, then-#8 Duke and then-#6 Gonzaga. Xavier only lost to Gonzaga by four, and they bounced back with a laugher over Southeast Louisiana, 95-63, on Wednesday. In the loss to Gonzaga, Jack Nunge led all scorers with 25 for the Musketeers, and Colby Jones added 22. Xavier was actually up, 71-63, with 6:21 remaining in regulation, but Gonzaga went on an 8-0 run to tie the game, and then the lead changed hands several times in the game’s last five minutes. Xavier struggled to get key boards and stops, and that made the difference.

Final Score Prediction: Xavier 82, West Virginia 78

 

St. Mary’s (CA) Gaels vs Houston Cougars (in Fort Worth, TX)
(9:30 pm ET, ESPN2)

St. Mary’s, usually one of the few foils to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference, had started the season 6-0 before losing to Washington in the Wooden Legacy Championship and then falling to New Mexico on Wednesday, 69-65, to enter this game at 6-2. In the loss to New Mexico, Alex Ducas was the Gaels’ top scorer with 25. Mitchell Saxen added 11 points, nine rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocks, and Aidan Mahaney chipped in 11 points. However, Jaelen House had 17 points, five rebounds and six steals for New Mexico. Donovan Dent scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Morris Udeze contributed 13 points. The Lobos are a talented team, but the Gaels need to up their rebounding game and their offense if they have a plan to deal with Houston down in Texas.

Houston (7-0) comes in with the nation’s #1 ranking, but we will see how long that holds between now and the start of AAC play. Houston did take down another cupcake on Tuesday, rolling over Norfolk State, 100-52 at home. Marcus Sasser went 7 of 12 from behind the arc and finished with 25 points, and Tramon Mark chipped in 16. Houston made 10 of 18 from three-point land in the first half and finished 17 of 33 on the night from distance. Jamal Shead had a dozen points and 11 assists, J’Wan Robers had 10 points and Ja’Vier Francis came off the bench to score 11 points and grab eight rebounds. The Cougars led by 34 at the half and never really broke a sweat. Will the Gaels push them harder?

Final Score Prediction: Houston 77, St. Mary’s 70

 

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