The Bookie Brief: Top 25 College Basketball Betting For Sunday

• All five of the ranked (or higher ranked) teams are favored in the Sunday college basketball odds.
• Each team has a betting trend that supports one side of their line, total, or first half bet.

EVANSTON, Ill. – As the college basketball season has seen a few upsets in recent days, the top 25 will be in flux. However, five teams get to showcase their abilities on Sunday and look to take advantage of the changing standings.

Unfortunately, a top-20 team will fall, as #13 Illinois (-1.5) goes against #19 Rutgers in New Jersey but the other four ranked teams will be going against unranked opposition.

The action kicks off at noon ET when #9 Creighton (-3.5) begins their matchup against Connecticut and ends with a #4 Michigan State (-7) team playing in-conference as well against Northwestern. In the early afternoon, #11 Texas (-6.5) is favored over Oklahoma State and #6 Houston (-35) is favored over Alcorn State.

Betting Top 25 College Basketball

Creighton gets the nod by two possessions on the road but the focus should be more on the over-under than anything. Set at 149 points – with the under having the shading – the line could drop to 148.5 before tip.

Regardless, taking the cheapened vigorish at should play to be the better solution.

Creighton is 5-2 on the over this season, as their 3-point shooting, which sees just over 27 attempts per game, can lead them to hit this total. Creighton has scored over 93 points in four of the last six games and has let up at least 72 in their last four.

Illinois tips an hour after Creighton and things get a little tighter at the legal sportsbooks with this top 25 college basketball matchup.

On the road against a ranked team, all signs point to taking the home underdog and skipping on the away favorite. However, early action has adjusted the betting board for this game.

Spreads that have moved between 2-3.5 points against the opening favorite are generally an amazing sign for college basketball betting followers. Since 2008, those opening favorites are 212-185 (53.4%) against the spread.

The Texas Slow Down

In the Texas and Houston matchups, both teams have been proving to the books that their over-under line is way too high.

Texas starts play at 2 p.m. ET, and the over-under is a no-so-low 142 points. In the 4 p.m. ET game, Houston’s over-under is relatable at 141.5 points.

While the matchups will certainly be different – Texas a three-possession favorite, Houston to blow out Alcorn State – one trend sticks with both of these teams.

Betting The Under Record

• Texas 5-2
• Houston 3-1

Houston allowed less than 60 points in the three opening games before letting South Carolina finish with 67 points against them.

As for Texas, they have played in seven games this season. In three of those games, neither team scored 70. In three others, Texas may have scored 70+ but held their opponent to under 60 points in two cases and just 63 in the other.

The First-Half Night Rally

While the early afternoon may be slow to get off, the nighttime should be a quick-paced affair. Michigan State takes on Northwestern in a Big 10 battle and the first half should see points.

While Michigan State teams of the past per known for their intense defense, this season has been slightly different. The points in this first half will likely come from both teams, who are both top 30 in first-half points scored.

At #20, Northwestern averages 41 points per first half while MSU brings home 39.5. With a combined average of over 10 points higher, taking the over seems like the easy play.

News tags: College Basketball | Creighton Bluejays | Houston Cougars | Illinois Fighting Illini | Michigan State Spartans | Northwestern Wildcats | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Texas Longhorns