NCAA Basketball Betting Picks and Predictions for Weekend 5

Would you believe that the NCAA men’s basketball record for three-point attempts in a game by one team is 111? Grinnell College, a Division III program, took all 111 of its shots from three-point land in a 124-67 win over Emmaus Bible College. The old record (109) had stood since January 12, 1992, when Troy beat DeVry, 258-141, in the highest-scoring game in NCAA history. Grinnell went 40 of 111 overall, making 51.1% of their shots in the second half, and their total number of makes is second to the current record of 42, which Grinnell also has from 2018 – and which also happened against Emmaus. Their offense is based on the ideas of Paul Westhead, who turned Loyola Marymount into an offensive machine in the 1980s, and it preaches quick shooting, focusing on three-balls, running full-court pressure the whole game, and hitting the offensive glass. Grinnell guard Jack Taylor has the NCAA record for points in a game, with 138, which he set back in 2012. It would be interesting to see how that system would work against a top-flight Division I team. Speaking of Division I, here are two College Basketball betting picks from the college game for December 9.

 

NCAA News: Top Basketball Picks for December 9

 

Arkansas State Red Wolves (+6.5) at Air Force Falcons (O/U 121.5)
(9:00 pm ET)

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Arkansas State (5-4) heads to Colorado to face the Falcons after a disappointing loss to Central Arkansas. The Red Wolves led by eight at the intermission and pushed the lead to 11, but then Central Arkansas shot 56% in the second half and ended up winning by five. Arkansas State clanked 15 of their 19 three-point shots on the night – and missed nine of their 14 free throws. Caleb Fields went 8 of 11 from the floor for 16 points, and Omar El-Sheikh chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough. That dropped the Red wolves to 0-3 on the road. Their defense is decent, as they permit just 61.7 points per game, but their three-point defense ranked #301 in the nation, and they don’t make enough three-pointers at this point.

Air Force (6-4) saw a four-game winning streak end at Portland State on December 3, when they lost, 68-64. Portland State shot 50% from the floor in that game as the Air Force defense was a bit generous. Air Force bounced back to beat South Dakota on Tuesday, 79-58. Jake Heidbreder had 27 points in that game despite just playing 25 minutes. The Falcons limited South Dakota to just 37% overall shooting and 14.3% from three-point land. Heidbreder is averaging 15.4 points per game, and the Falcons are fifth in the nation in three-point defense, permitting just a 24% shot percentage. Air Force to win and cover.

 

Washington Huskies (+16.5) at Gonzaga Bulldogs (O/U 148.5)
(9:00 pm ET)

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Washington (7-2, 1-1 Pac-12) has won four of their last five, with the only blemish coming against Oregon State, as they opened Pac-12 play with a 66-65 loss. Washington bounced back to beat Colorado, 73-63, and Cole Bajema and Braxton Meah each contributed 16 points in the victory. Keion Brooks Jr scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds, dishing out four assists. The Huskies set a season-high with 11 steals and forced 18 turnovers; their defense is limiting opponents to just 26% shooting from behind the arc, but their rebounding could be better, as they are out-rebounded by over a board per game.

Gonzaga (6-3) finds itself ranked just #18, but all three of their losses have come against Top-25 teams (Texas, Purdue and Baylor). Gonzaga was up seven on Baylor late, but the Bears came back to score the last eight games to win by one. The Bulldogs bounced back Monday, beating Kent State, 73-66, pushing their home winning streak to 69, still the longest in the nation. Kent State was up by four with 3:38 left, but Drew Timme put the team on his back and pulled them to victory. On the night, he had 29 points and 17 rebounds, and Julian Strawther chipped in 14. This is not the typically dominant Gonzaga team, though, so this line seems to have some imbalance. Washington to cover.

 

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