College basketball returned with a bang last night, and contrarian bettors were probably happy with the result — at least in the two biggest games of the night. Both Duke and Kentucky won outright as underdogs (at the closing number) and received less than 40% of spread bets.
Tonight’s slate doesn’t bring with it quite the same firepower, but it still does feature one marquee matchup that will draw plenty of action — a fair share of which has already come from sharps.
Odds as of Wednesday at 12:40 p.m. ET. Check out PointsBet, where Action Network users can access an exclusive promotion to get a 200% deposit match (deposit $50, bet with $150).
Virginia @ Syracuse
9 p.m. ET | ESPN
On the surface, there doesn’t look to be a whole lot going on with this spread. After opening at Virginia -3 at most books, the consensus around the market sits at that very number. However, a look at the line history reveals there has been some movement in both directions.
The line has seen a high-water mark of UVA -4 and a low of -2.5 since being released, but only one of those directions of movement has been the result of sharp action.
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Unsurprisingly, the reigning national champs are drawing a heavy majority of bettors at a relatively short number. Seventy-five percent of tickets, to be exact, have laid the points with the Cavs.
Initially, that backing (which has now generated 64% of money) drove the line up to Virginia -4, which is when pros began to strike.
Two Sports Insights Bet Signals — indicators of market-wide movement as a result of sharp action — were triggered on Syracuse at +4 early this morning, driving this line back to its opening number, and in some cases, down to +2.5 for a short time.
Also worth noting is that while Virginia is still drawing the majority of money, the discrepancy between bets and money means that Syracuse (36% of money on 25% of bets) is attracting action from bigger bettors — those more likely to be sharps.
Sharp angle: Syracuse (moved from +4 to +3) [In New Jersey? Bet now at PointsBet]