College Basketball

College Basketball: Odds, Predictions, And Best Bets For Wednesday, January 24

Colin Lynch Sports Editor

Updated3 hours ago on April 26, 2024

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We’re On Two College Hoops Games Tonight!

We’re 2-2 in our last four, as the nightcap last night was a bit frustrating. We were on Boise State -5.5, and the Broncos led by 10 at the half and looked in complete control. At one point, Boise State led by 16 and looked like they were in cruise control. The shot selection got dicey late, and they started to turn the ball over, allowing Fresno back in it. A few late missed free throws led to a 4-point Boise victory, resulting in a frustrating loss for us. But we’re back at it tonight with two more plays!

George Washington (14-4) @ Richmond (13-5) -7.5 | NBCSports | 7:00 pm

Point Guard 1️⃣0️⃣1️⃣

DeLonnie Hunt pump fakes and finds Mike Walz for the uncontested lay-in.

It’s the @orthovirginia play of the game at Davidson. #OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/dhh0gMILNQ

— Richmond Basketball (@SpiderMBB) January 22, 2024

Richmond has slowly turned itself into one of the better teams in the country defensively. They come into tonight ranked 44th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 21st in defensive effective FG %. George Washington loves the deep ball, and currently, 33.4% of their points come from deep, but the Spiders are ranked 24th in the country in 3-point defense. This will be a huge factor in this one.

Richmond has the ability to turn you over, and they take excellent care of the ball, typically dominating the turnover margin. They currently rank 11th nationally in offensive turnover percentage. On the offensive side for Richmond, it’s Jordan King who makes the Spiders go. The 6-foot Senior guard is making 41% of his threes this season and is coming off a 24-point outing against Davidson. Last week, the East Tennessee State transfer had 31 points against George Mason, including 6 of 8 from deep.

For GW, James Bishop is their go-to guy. Prior to their last game against Umass, when Bishop really struggled to shoot the ball, he was on a streak of four straight games with 20+ points, highlighted by a 32-point 3OT home loss to Fordham on Jan 3rd.

Richmond has the ability to slow James Bishop but also force other players on GW to beat them, and that’s a problem for George Washington. Richmond gets a double-digit victory and covers this number at home.

Bet	George Washington	Richmond
Moneyline	+280	-355
Point Spread	+7.5 (-110)	-7.5 (-110)
Total Points	Over 145.5 (-110)	Under 145.5 (-110)

Bet on Richmond (-7.5)

N.C. State +6 (13-5) @ Virginia (13-5) | ACCN | 7:00 pm

We love to see it😎

Casey drains the three to put up within one of the Hokies pic.twitter.com/CDWwyv0gMv

— NC State Men’s Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 20, 2024

Just as we’ve grown accustomed to, this Tony Bennet UVA squad is near the top in most defensive categories in the nation. They come in ranked 16th in adjusted defensive efficiency, 16th in turnover %, and 11th in defensive steal percentage. But if there is one thing this N.C. State squad does it is protect the basketball. They come in ranked 13th in offensive turnover %, and 20th in steal %. They really take care of the rock.

A big reason for that is Senior PG and Arizona State transfer DJ Horne. He is an excellent facilitator and really takes care of the basketball.

This game opened as UVA -4 and was bet up to -6. And this is a number I like. I think it’s too much for an N.C. State squad that could absolutely win this game on the road and for a team that already beat UVA by 16 this year at home. N.C. State is coming off of back-to-back road ACC victories, and I expect them to battle in this one tonight.