Top 25 Analysis & Betting Opportunities For Week 5

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The fourth week of college basketball is now in the books, and it finally happened. Just when we think we have a pretty good handle on the national landscape, we are delivered results such as this week’s. North Carolina, the preseason number one, has now lost four consecutive games and could easily be 3-6 on the season, while Purdue has an argument as the complete team in the country. Here are some top 25 analysis and betting opportunities for week five!

Top 25 Analysis & Betting Opportunities For Week 5

Houston will remain in the top spot

The Cougars impressed once again this week by absolutely obliterating Norfolk State by 48 points at the Fertitta Center behind five players in double figures and 16 offensive rebounds. They followed that up with a victory over Saint Mary’s, in which they held a very good Gaels team to just a total of 48 points.

Kelvin Sampson’s club will take on a middling North Florida team before a Saturday showdown with Alabama. The Tide are the most talented offensive team that Houston will face so far this season, averaging over 83 points per game. If the Cougars are able to get by the tide, it will set up a showdown with like-minded Virginia on December 17th that could determine who is number one in the nation the following week.

The Wildcats Need to Prove They are Elite

Arizona looked like the Pac-12’s only hope for a Final Four appearance prior to their game against Utah. The Utes then handed them a very much unexpected 15-point loss that called everything into question. The Wildcats are arguably the best passing/sharing team in the nation but simply could not hit shots in the game, shooting 4-28 from deep. They will receive a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday when they take on Indiana in Las Vegas.

Who is Illinois?

The Illini were ranked 16th in the nation in last week’s poll and celebrated by destroying Syracuse on Tuesday night. They then sought a resume’ building win when they visited Maryland but couldn’t get over the hump on the road. If Illinois can learn to stop turning the ball over, this team could be a second-weekend team. They have some nice opportunities in week five as they take on Texas at Madison Square Garden, as well as Penn State next weekend in Champagne.

A Huge Week for Iowa

There is not a team in the nation that has more opportunity this week than the Iowa Hawkeyes. Fran McCaffery’s team will likely move into the top 25 when the rankings are released later today and could move into the top ten in week six if everything goes well. Iowa will take on the Duke Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Iowa State at home on Thursday, and Wisconsin at home on Saturday. If they are able to go 2-1 this week, they could jump into the top 12. Of course, they could also go 0-3 and fall back out of the rankings completely.