College basketball is back, and with it comes the excitement of buzzer-beaters, upsets, and intense rivalries. As teams gear up for the opening night of the 2024-25 season, there’s no shortage of intriguing matchups and betting opportunities. This year promises to deliver thrilling action, but it also brings some challenging lines that bettors need to navigate. With key players missing from both rosters and public sentiment swaying toward the favorites, now is the perfect time to identify value plays. Let’s dive into two standout matchups that present promising betting opportunities as we tip off the season!
Ohio State +2.5 vs. #19 Texas (-110, BeMGM)
College basketball is back! After such a long hiatus, we are finally ready to get back to the buzzer-beaters and great defense that we all know and love. Of course, this also means that we return to wagering on some of the most digusting lines you will see in any sport. I absolutely love it and I missed backing small underdogs against ranked teams like we have here tonight when Ohio State meets Texas in Las Vegas for opening night.
The Texas Longhorns are ranked No. 19 in the country to begin their campaign. Their season ended in a Round of 32 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the NCAA Tournament last year, a thrilling game that ended 62-58. This season, they are still a very talented team and once again should be one of the best defensive squads in the country with head coach Rodney Terry at the helm. This is despite the team losing a lot of talented playmakers over the offseason, returning just 20% of their minutes from last year.
Once again, though, I expect them to have a tough time scoring, which will ultimately be their biggest weakness. I hated their overall shot selection last year, and I don’t see that improving too much with a heavy reliance on mid-range jumpers. Jordan Pope will be their biggest threat from deep, but outside of him, I struggle to see where their deep ball will come from. Rookie 5-star Tre Johnson has all the tools, and he could be fantastic, but I am not going to judge him until he actually plays.
Ohio State is unranked and failed to make the NCAA Tournament last season. This season, they have nearly a completely new roster, with eight newcomers to the team. Two freshmen, Juni Mobley Jr. and Collin White, should see some good minutes for the Buckeyes this season. Head coach Jake Diebler also brought in Meechie Johnson Jr., Micah Parrish, Sean Stewert, and Aaron Bradshaw via the transfer portal. They will all bring a lot of experience, but have never played together.
They also can’t shoot from deep, as not one of them shot over 32 percent from beyond the arc last season. Both teams rely heavily on mid-range jumpers and inside scoring, which is why this total is as low as 147 at some places.
Right now, 85 percent of the handle is on the ranked Longhorns at a very short number of -2.5. That isn’t shocking, as a ranked team laying that small of a spread against an unranked team is always going to draw public interest. However, with this being on a neutral court, the Buckeyes would be lined as a small favorite if they were at home against Texas. The line is screaming for people to bet on Texas, and they certainly are.
It’s why I am going the opposite way. I think Ohio State might win the game outright, but I'll take the two points.
UCF +5 vs. Texas A&M (-109, BetRivers)
Here is another line on opening day that is basically begging the public to take the favorite. Texas A&M is ranked No. 13 in the country to start their season, and expectations are higher than ever for them this season after they return a majority of their talent from last year's team that went wire to wire with Houston in an overtime thriller. That Round of 32 game was a showcase to what this Aggies team will be capable of, and now, they should be even better.
UCF, meanwhile, is unranked coming into this season. Last year, they were projected to come in last in the Big 12 coaches poll. However, I think this is a team that could be a serious sleeper. The Knights bring back their two leading scorers in Jaylin Sellers and Darius Johnson, while also adding Jordan Ivy-Curry, Benny Williams, Keyshawn Hall, and Dallen Coleman via the transfer portal. I think they are a much better team than people will give them credit for, and they are at home here.
The public is going to be all over the ranked team against an unranked team, we already know this. In addition to that, 94 percent of the early handle is on Texas A&M to cover. The books are certainly going to be rooting for a Knights upset here with all of that liability on one side. I think UCF can keep it close for us and cover the spread, and just maybe, they’ll win the game.
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