Today bettors have a loaded Thursday slate to choose from, including 3 NBA games, 9 NHL games and a full College Basketball card. For an updated breakdown of Thursday's betting action, be sure to tune in to the VSiN Market Insights Podcast with Josh Appelbaum. It will be posted by 2:30 p.m. ET.
I'll be joining The Lombardi Line at 1:30 p.m. ET to offer a market update and then I'll be co-hosting Betting Across America with Mike Pritchard from 3 to 4 p.m. ET. I'll also be hopping on Rush Hour with Danny Burke at 6:15 p.m. ET.
In the meantime, let's dive into a handful of College Basketball games receiving wiseguy action today…
7 p.m. ET: Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic
Western Kentucky (10-7 SU, 8-8 ATS) is 2-3 over their last five games and just fell to North Texas 65-60, losing outright as a 2-point home favorite. Conversely, Florida Atlantic (9-8 SU, 7-7 ATS) is also 2-3 over their last five but is coming off a 96-67 blowout win over Charlotte, easily covering as 4-point home favorites. This line opened with Western Kentucky listed as a 2-point road favorite. Respected money has taken the points with home dog FAU, dropping the line from 2 to 1. Ken Pom has Western Kentucky winning by 1 point (73-72), so line shopping for hook could be crucial. Both of these teams are 2-2 in conference play. Florida Atlantic is 8-3 at home this season. Western Kentucky is 0-3 on the road.
7 p.m. ET: Akron at Bowling Green
Akron (10-5 SU, 7-6 ATS) is coming off a 74-73 win over Western Michigan in which they failed to cover as 15.5-point home favorites. On the flip side, Bowling Green (9-8 SU, 7-8 ATS) just took care of business against Northern Illinois, winning 92-83 and covering as 6.5-point road favorites. This line opened with Bowling Green listed as a short 1-point home favorite. Why is a 9-8 team favored over a 10-5 team? Shouldn't it be the other way around? The public is grabbing the point with the trendy dog, but wiseguys have laid it with Bowling Green at home, driving the line up from -1 to -2. Bowling Green has the edge on offense (84 PPG vs 73 PPG) and rebounding (41 RPG vs 37 RPG). Ken Pom has Bowling Green winning 77-74. Bowling Green is -130 on the moneyline. Bowling Green is 6-2 at home this season. Akron is 1-2 on the road.
7 p.m. ET: Saint Louis at Massachusetts
These teams are trending in opposite directions. Saint Louis (11-5) has won three of their last four and just beat Fordham 63-45. On the flip side, UMass has dropped four straight and just fell to Rhode Island 81-68. This line opened with Saint Louis listed as a short 3-point road favorite. We've seen this line rise from 3 to 3.5 at some shops, signaling wiseguy action laying the points with Saint Louis. Both teams are averaging roughly 78 PPG on offense. The difference comes on defense, where UMass is giving up 78 PPG and Saint Louis only 66 PPG. Saint Louis also holds a big edge on the boards (39 RPG vs 32 RPG) and shooting (FG 46% vs 44%). Ken Pom has Saint Louis winning 80-76. He has Saint Louis ranked 73rd and Umass 156. Saint Louis is 2-1 in conference play. Umass is 0-4.
7 p.m. ET: Coastal Carolina at Georgia Southern
Both of these teams have struggled as of late. Coastal Carolina (9-8 SU, 6-7 ATS) has dropped three straight and just fell to Appalachian State 84-76, losing outright as 4.5-point home favorites. Similarly, Georgia Southern (8-7 SU, 6-7 ATS) has lost three of their last four and just fell to South Alabama 73-67, although they covered as 8.5-point road dogs. This line opened at a true pick'em. We've seen this line lean slightly to Georgia Southern -1, signaling some sharp action in their favor. Georgia Southern is a perfect 5-0 at home this season. Coastal Carolina is 0-4 on the road. Ken Pom has Georgia Southern winning by 1 point (67-66), so a moneyline play might be the smarter route (-115).
