College Basketball Betting Analysis: AP Top 25 Opportunities

The new top 25 will be released on Monday evening, and after a weekend full of upsets, there are bound to be a lot of changes on the horizon. Here are some teams that will be on the move when the AP updates their rankings and some wagers that you can take advantage of in the upcoming week.

AP Top 25 Betting Opportunities for Week 7

Gonzaga is Working Their Way Back

Some fans and prognosticators would label the Zags’ 2022-23 out-of-conference season as disappointing, but that feels unfair. The Bulldogs can only be considered a disappointment when you compare them to the recent regular season successes. While this group is certainly not the 2020-21 Gonzaga team that seemed like the perfect collegiate team, they are still a national championship contender.

Mark Few’s team was ranked 15th last week but went 2-0 this week, including a victory over fourth-ranked Alabama. The Tide were coming off of a hard-fought win over the Houston Cougars when Gonzaga hung 100 on them. The Bulldogs had six players put double-digit points on the board Saturday and scored an impressive 1.20 points per possession against a team that ranks within the top 40 in many of the major defensive metrics.

Coach Few’s club will host Montana on Tuesday and will likely be favored by roughly 20 points. The Grizzlies are not the team of a few seasons ago and really struggle defensively. Look for Gonzaga to continue to rack up quality victories by large margins as they march toward another conference championship. Jump back on this bandwagon while there is still room.

Who is Kentucky?

The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the more intriguing teams in the top 25 at the moment. They are certainly talented enough to compete for a national championship but have yet to prove that on the court. The Wildcats currently boast zero top-50 victories and have fallen to top-50 opponents Michigan State, Gonzaga and UCLA by nearly 12 points per game.

The Wildcats will play only one game this week, that being against a Florida A&M team that just fell to a horrendous Louisville team. Kentucky will likely run wild on the Rattlers in Lexington and cover the 35(ish) point anticipated margin. Coach John Calipari has made a career of bringing together his teams later in the season while re-loading his roster with talented personalities each offseason. As this team moves into league play in the next couple of weeks, look for this team to become more consistent. Look for Big Blue Nation to land a big win over Florida A&M and start to establish themselves as a national championship contender.

Virginia Tech Looks to Establish Themselves in the ACC

While traditional ACC powers Florida State and Louisville struggle, the Virginia Tech Hokies have flown under the radar and into the top 25. Mike Young’s team looks like the third-best team in the conference at the moment though North Carolina appears to be (slowly) turning things around.

Point guard Sean Pedulla is quickly gaining the respect he deserves as he leads the top 25 Hokies in both scoring and assists. The second-year Oklahoma native is currently rolling, logging just seven turnovers against 16 assists over his last four games while scoring 17.5 points per game and shooting 9-22 from deep.

Center Grant Basile has been the perfect replacement for Keve Aluma, while Justyn Mutts is playing arguably the best basketball of his (long) career. The duo makes up on the most versatile and effective duo in the ACC, as their ability to play inside out offers Young a ton of different options on offense.

The Hokies begin league play this week against struggling programs Boston College and Wake Forest. Look for Young’s club to start league play 2-0 and take advantage of shrunken spreads due to being a road favorite in both games.