Saturday college basketball odds lead off a big sports betting weekend. And while we’re not biased toward any conference, today’s most noteworthy tilts are all in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Biggest of them all is a college basketball blueblood battle tonight, pitting No. 13 Kentucky at No. 5 Kansas. Other key games lead into that contest.
DraftKings provided insights on opening/current lines and action in the Saturday college basketball odds market. Check back throughout the day for action updates and additional games.
Saturday College Basketball Odds And Betting Action
No. 18 Tennessee vs Texas
UPDATE 7:30 P.M. ET: Thirty minutes ahead of tipoff, BetMGM Nevada has Texas at -3.5, after opening -2.5 and making a couple short treks to -4.5. “It’s our biggest decision of the day. We need Tennessee. We’re looking at a 4/1 ticket count on Texas, and money is 9/1,” BetMGM Nevada’s Jeff Stoneback said. The total is also up a point, from 125.5 to 126.5. “Tickets are almost 3/1 and the money is 4/1 on the Over,” Stoneback said.
UPDATE 2:30 P.M. ET: There are still several hours until this 8 p.m. ET game tips off, and at the moment, Texas is laying 3.5 at WynnBet. That’s a significant bump from the opener of Longhorns -2.5, and the betting splits are quite interesting: 54% of tickets on Tennessee, but 91% of dollars on Texas. The total is out to 126.5 from a 125 opener, again on interesting splits: 92% of tickets are on the Over, but the Under is drawing 79% of cash.
UPDATE NOON ET: Tennessee (14-5 SU, 11-8 ATS) is on a modest three-game run (2-1 ATS) entering this 8 p.m. ET nonconference clash. The Vols beat Florida 78-71 Wednesday night, but fell short against the oddsmakers as 10-point faves.
Texas (15-5 SU, 9-11 ATS) emerged from a 1-3 SU rut by winning its last two games. The Longhorns went to TCU as modest 2.5-point favorites Tuesday and rumbled to a 73-50 victory.
Texas is 9-2 SU/8-3 ATS in its last 11 games as a favorite, while the Vols are 0-4 SU/1-3 ATS as an underdog on the season.
DraftKings opened Texas as a 2.5-point chalk and got to -3.5 midmorning. The Longhorns are attracting 62% of spread tickets and 89% of spread dollars. The total opened at 125.5, peaked overnight at 127.5, and is now back to the opener — although practically all the tickets and money are on the Over.
No. 12 Kentucky vs No. 5 Kansas
UPDATE 5 P.M. ET: BetMGM Nevada pegged Kansas a 5.5-point favorite at Friday night’s opening and stuck there until lunchtime today, when the line dipped a full point to Jayhawks -5.5. But that move isn’t reflective of the liability for this big matchup. “Right now, we need Kentucky for a little bit. Ticket count is equal, but money is 3/1 on Kansas,” BetMGM Nevada’s Jeff Stoneback said an hour before tipoff. The total hasn’t moved off of 152.5, on what’s been extremely light betting. “We’re pretty even on tickets, and money is 3/1 on the Over,” Stoneback said.
UPDATE 2:30 P.M. ET: With 3.5 hours until tipoff, WynnBet has Kansas a 5-point chalk, after opening at -4.5. It’s two-way action at this point, with ticket count dead even and 52% of cash on the Jayhawks. The total dipped from 153.5 to 152.5, with 64% of tickets on the Over, but a hefty 93% of money on the Under.
UPDATE 12:15 P.M. ET: Kansas (17-2 SU, 8-10-1 ATS) enters this massive 6 p.m. ET matchup on a five-game win streak, but has cashed just once along the way. And the Jayhawks barely got that SU run to five games, needing overtime to edge Texas Tech 94-91 Monday night as 7.5-point home favorites.
Kentucky (16-4 SU, 9-11 ATS) was dealt a 90-81 loss catching 3 points at Auburn last Saturday. The Wildcats rebounded with Tuesday’s 82-74 overtime win against Mississippi State, though they fell short as 9.5-point faves.
Kansas hit DraftKings’ Saturday college basketball odds board as a 5-point chalk and went to -5.5 overnight. In the past hour or so, the Jayhawks briefly reached -6, then dipped to -5.5 on the way back to -5. Early in the day, bettors are on Kentucky, with ticket count 4/1 and money just shy of 2/1.
The total is down a point to 152, with 53% of tickets/60% of cash on the Under.
No. 4 Baylor vs Alabama
UPDATE 2:30 P.M. ET: Ninety minutes ahead of tipoff, WynnBet has Baylor a 3-point favorite, up from the -2 opener. And bettors are on the Bears spread, at 90% of tickets and 75% of money. The total hasn’t budged off 150.5, though ticket count is 2/1 and money 3/1-plus on the Over.
UPDATE NOON ET: Defending national champion Baylor (18-2 SU, 12-7-1 ATS) has bounced back from its first two defeats of the season by winning its last three games. On Tuesday against Kansas State, the Bears rolled 74-49 as a 12.5-point home chalk.
Alabama has been up-and-down on the court of late, and consistently awful against the number. The Crimson Tide (13-7 SU, 7-12-1 ATS) went to Georgia as 14.5-point favorites Tuesday night and exited with an 82-76 outright loss.
‘Bama is 1-10-1 ATS in its last 12 games. However, the Tide are 2-1 SU/ATS as an underdog this season, including a stunning upset of then-No. 1 Gonzaga on Dec. 4 (91-82 as a 9.5-point pup).
DraftKings opened Baylor -2.5 in its Saturday college basketball odds market, peaked at -4 early today, and is now at -3.5. Ticket count is 4/1 and money 3/1 on the Bears for this 4 p.m. ET start. The total is painted to 150.5, with 57% of bets on the Under/53% of cash on the Over.
Oklahoma vs No. 1 Auburn
UPDATE NOON ET: Auburn (19-1 SU) is one of those truly great teams right now — winning on the floor and cashing tickets off it, with a 15-5 ATS mark. That spread-covering rate ranks eighth in the nation among 358 Division I teams.
Since a neutral-site, double-OT loss to UConn on Nov. 24, the Tigers are on a 16-0 SU/13-3 ATS tear. That winning streak almost ended Tuesday night at Missouri, where Auburn eked out a 55-54 win but never threatened to cover as a 12.5-point road favorite in the school’s first-ever game ranked No. 1.
Oklahoma (13-7 SU, 10-10 ATS) won 11 of its first 13 games, but has struggled since, going 2-5 SU (but 4-3 ATS). Wednesday brought one of those two wins, as the Sooners went to West Virginia and rolled 72-62 as a 2.5-point road underdog. With that, OU improved to 4-3 SU and 5-2 ATS as a pup this season.
Auburn opened -9.5 at DraftKings and rose to -10.5 in the past hour, while taking 67% of tickets/71% of cash. The total in this 2 p.m. ET tipoff opened at 137, peaked at 139 early this morning, and is now down to 135.5. However, the Over is still seeing 89% of tickets/79% of dollars.
