A relatively busy college basketball slate has also been a busy one for sharp bettors. They've hit four games especially hard tonight, three of which feature a top-10 team:
- DePaul vs. No. 10 Seton Hall
- Alabama vs. No. 22 LSU
- No. 7 Dayton vs. Duquesne
- No. 1 Baylor vs. Iowa State
Let's take a look at how the pros are betting all four.
Odds as of Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. ET. Check out FanDuel, where Action Network users get a risk-free bet up to $500.
DePaul vs. Seton Hall
6:30 p.m. ET
As it did last night, the Big East is catching the attention of sharp bettors with another 6:30 ET tip this evening.
When this matchup took place a month ago, DePaul was 12-1 overall and took 63% of spread tickets against Seton Hall as a 1.5-point underdog.
It's safe to say things look a bit different now.
DePaul's 12-1 start has turned into 13-7 thanks to its 1-6 conference record. Seton Hall, on the other hand, has yet to lose a Big East game, and holds the No. 10 ranking in the nation. As a result, Hall is a 9-point home favorite this evening and 62% of bettors have been comfortable laying that number.
The spread didn't open in the single-digit range, however. Oddsmakers set the line at 10.5 or 11 to start, and even with the Pirates' popularity were forced to bring the number down thanks to sharp action on DePaul.
The 38% of Demon bettors have generated 76% of actual money, meaning bigger bettors — the ones more likely to be sharps — are taking the points.
A Sports Insights Bet Signal — an indicator of market activity caused by pro activity — has also confirmed sharp action to be the cause of the line move, revealing an influx of smart money hitting DePaul at +10.
Sharp angle: DePaul (moved from +10.5 to +9)
Alabama vs. LSU
7 p.m. ET
Only one game boasts a higher total than Alabama-LSU on tonight's college slate. And for most bettors, a number beyond the 160-mark has been a bit too much to feel confident in the over.
Seventy-six percent of bets have landed on the under, but once again, the bet-vs.-money discrepancy has pointed toward sharp action going the other way. In this case, the quarter of bettors on the over have generated more than half of the actual money (53%) hitting the total.
With three SI Bet Signals (between 161.5 and 164) confirming that the money has come from sharper bettors, sportsbooks have made this high total even higher, jumping to the current consensus of 165.5.
Sharp angle: Over (moved from 161.5 to 165.5)
Dayton vs. Duquesne
7 p.m. ET
Much like the first game on tonight's sharp card, this one has drawn pro money to the underdog, and caused oddsmakers to move the line away from a popular side.
Dayton opened as a 9-point road favorite, and given its 7-0 Atlantic 10 record and No. 7 ranking, has drawn 68% of bettors. The money split, however, has been the exact opposite, with 68% of the loot landing on Duquesne.
Another Bet Signal (at +9) has helped bring the line down to Dayton -8 across most of the market
Sharp angle: Duquesne (moved from +9 to +8)
Baylor vs. Iowa State
9 p.m. ET
Still the top-ranked team in college basketball, Baylor is having no trouble drawing bettors as a short favorite tonight in Ames. Eighty-one percent of tickets have landed on the Bears, who opened at -5.5 around the betting market.
And while that opening line may seem short, it's actually become shorter since then, which pretty much gives away the sharp side.
Two Bet Signals on Iowa State (21% of money) at +4.5 have helped push this line to its current mark of +4, and some shops have even further dropped it to +3.5.
Sharp angle: Iowa State (moved from +5.5 to +4)
