Props.com breaks down the Wednesday college basketball betting odds for Providence at Xavier and Texas A&M at LSU. Both are high-profile matchups in which the home teams are considerable favorites … even though the visiting schools have superior overall records.
Can Xavier get back on track after a sluggish start in Big East play? And is LSU losing its grip on a potential top-4 seed in the SEC tournament?
Props.com has all the pertinent trends, odds, and action information for Wednesday’s featured college basketball betting matchups.
Odds via FanDuel and updated as of 12:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 26.
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No. 17 Providence Vs No. 21 Xavier
Tipoff/TV: 6:30 p.m. ET/CBS Sports Network
Providence: 16-2 SU (6-1 Big East)/11-7 ATS
Xavier: 14-4 SU (4-3 Big East)/10-8 ATS
Spread/Total: Xavier -8/138
Last Meeting: Providence routed Xavier 83-69 as a 1.5-point home underdog (Feb. 24, 2021)
About Providence: The Friars have won three in a row, including Friday’s 69-62 triumph over Butler, failing to cash as a 9-point home favorite. Providence has slipped up just twice this season: 58-40 loss to Virginia as 1.5-point neutral-site favorite on Nov. 23 and 88-56 loss at Marquette as a 1-point road chalk on Jan. 4. The Friars boast the Big East’s No. 2 scoring defense (60th nationally), allowing only 64.1 points per game. Providence’s seven conference games have averaged 136.7 combined points per contest.
About Xavier: The Musketeers started the season 11-1, including a win over Marquette to kick off Big East play. However, they’ve split their last six contests (all in conference), going just 1-6 ATS. On Sunday, Xavier lost a rematch at Marquette 75-64 as a 2-point road chalk. The Musketeers rank fourth in the Big East in scoring (74.5 ppg) and third scoring defense (66th nationally), allowing 64.3 points per game. Xavier’s seven league games have produced an averaged combined total of 145.7 points.
What’s At Stake: Providence, the only Big East team with only one conference loss, occupies sole possession of first place in the league standings by percentage points over Villanova. Xavier is in sixth place, two games back. Despite being Top 20 teams, Xavier (+1,600) and Providence (+2,500) are both long shots to reach the Final Four in New Orleans.
Players To Watch
Now in his fifth season at Providence, 6-foot-10 center Nate Watson leads the team in scoring (14.1 points per game), and ranks second in rebounding (6.2 per game) and field-goal shooting (56.6%). Watson is averaging 16.7 points and 7 boards over his last three contests.
Xavier guard Colby Jones ranks either first or second on the team in scoring (11.4, 2nd), rebounding (8.0, 1st), assists (2.6, 2nd), and steals (1.4, 2nd). The 6-foot-6 junior is averaging 13.7 points and 3.3 assists in his last three games.
Notable Trends
- Providence started the season 10-4 ATS, but is 1-3 ATS in its last four
- Providence is 5-0 SU/ATS as an underdog this season
- Xavier is 1-6 ATS in its last seven overall (1-5 ATS as a favorite; 0-3 ATS at home)
- Over is 4-0 in Providence’s last four overall and 3-1-1 in Xavier’s last five home games
- Providence is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 series clashes (6-1 ATS as an underdog)
- Over is 3-0 in the last three head-to-head meetings
Providence Vs Xavier Odds and Action
UPDATE 5:30 P.M. ET WEDNESDAY: Xavier landed on DraftKings’ Wednesday college basketball betting board as an 8-point favorite Tuesday evening, moved to -8.5 overnight, then returned to -8 late this morning. The line is currently Xavier -8 (-115), with tickets running 5/1 and money 2/1-plus on underdog Providence. The total dipped from 139 to 137 by late this morning, then rebounded to 138, with 62% of tickets/64% of cash on the Over.
Texas A&M Vs No. 19 LSU
Tipoff/TV: 9 p.m. ET/SEC Network
Texas A&M: 15-3 SU (6-1 SEC)/10-8 ATS
LSU: 15-4 SU (3-4 SEC)/14-5 ATS
Spread/Total: LSU -10.5 (-106)/130.5
Last Meeting: LSU hammered Texas A&M 78-66 as a 5.5-point road favorite exactly a year ago (Jan. 26, 2021)
About Texas A&M-LSU: The Aggies have followed an eight-game SU winning streak by dropping its last two in a row, while the Tigers are looking to halt a three-game losing streak. LSU may own the AP ranking, but Texas A&M arguably has had the better season, posting a superior conference record and one fewer overall loss. Plus, the Aggies rate ahead of LSU in the SEC-specific stat categories of scoring offense, field-goal shooting, three-point proficiency, and assists. In fact, the Aggies are the league’s best three-point shooting team (35.1%).
Notable Trends
- Texas A&M is 4-1 ATS in its last five overall (3-0 ATS as an underdog)
- LSU is 12-3 ATS as a favorite this season
- Over is 7-1 in Texas A&M’s last eight as an underdog
- Under is 6-1 in LSU’s last seven overall (4-0 last four) and 8-2 in its last 10 home games
- LSU is 7-1 ATS in the last eight series meetings (5-1 ATS as a favorite)
- LSU’s 14-5 ATS record is fifth-best in the country. Among Power 5 schools, only SEC rival Auburn (15-5 ATS) has a better spread-covering mark
Texas A&M Vs LSU Odds and Action
UPDATE 5:30 P.M. ET WEDNESDAY: LSU opened -9.5 and initially backed up to -8.5 Tuesday night at DraftKings. The Tigers then stretched out to -10.5 a couple of times today, and they’re now at -9.5 (-120). Texas A&M is drawing 73% of spread bets and 70% of spread dollars. The total is out to 131.5 from a 127.5 opener, with ticket count close — 52% on the Over — but 88% of money on the Over.
