2025-2026 College Basketball Championship Betting
Of course, the University of Nebraska is known as a football school. Although the Big Red is suffering from a lost decade, football remains king in Lincoln, NE.
But the Huskers are starting to draw attention for their phenomenal start to the basketball season. Nebraska won its first 11 games straight up, covering the spread seven times.
Last Saturday, the Huskers won a thrilling 83-80 decision at Illinois on a 3-point shot at the end.
In 2024, head coach Fred Hoiberg led the Huskers to their first March Madness appearance in ten years. Now, the Huskers are looking like a team that could return to the Big Dance.
Nebraska leads a host of good teams that are undetected by the betting community, at least for now.
College Basketball Betting Lines
Duke at Texas Tech Odds and Preview
Madison Square Garden in New York is the venue for the matchup between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday, December 20, 2025. Tipoff time is at 8 p.m. ET with television coverage on ESPN.
Duke is one of the most popular brands on the college basketball board. Thus, the Blue Devils' price may be higher than it should be due to public demand.
Wise Guys will look hard at Texas Tech, knowing that squares will ignore the Red Raiders.
The casual sector will be mesmerized by the Duke brand. In turn, Texas Tech is likely to receive enhanced betting value.
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College Basketball Future Market Update and Teams to Watch
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Since 1994, Nebraska has had only three March Madness appearances.
The closest thing to a Golden Era of Husker Hoops was with head coach Danny Nee, who took the Big Red to the Big Dance four straight seasons (1991-1994). However, “Nee-braska” never got past the first round.
Nebraska has never won an NCAA Tournament game.
Certainly, Nebraska has invested and tried many strategies to lift the program out of it. Keeping Hoiberg after a rough start to his tenure has proven to be wise.
Hoiberg arrived with great fanfare in 2019 and was touted as the savior who would finally transform Nebraska into a serious contender. Instead, Hoiberg went 7-25, 7-20, and 10-22 in his first three seasons.
Most coaches would have been fired after such a run. But rather than firing Hoiberg, then-athletic director Trev Alberts re-did Hoiberg’s contract with a pay cut and incentives.
Hoiberg stopped trying to lure NBA-caliber players in the portal. Instead, Hoiberg went in the opposite direction, emphasizing character players who would play relentless, tough defense.
Nebraska ranks 63rd out of 361 Division I teams for fewest points allowed. Meanwhile, Nebraska has enough offense (139th in scoring) to make for a complete team.
Nebraska has covered five of its most recent eight games. Four of its last five games went under the total.
The Huskers will host North Dakota on December 21. And then Nebraska is idle until December 30, when it hosts New Hampshire.
Kansas Jayhawks
In comparison to the football school Nebraska, Kansas is a college basketball blueblood.
Since winning the 2022 national championship, the Jayhawks have eroded under Bill Self.
Of course, Self is the all-time winningest coach in KU history. But at age 62, while adjusting to the NIL and portal era, Self is struggling to maintain past standards.
Last year, Kansas was bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament following two first-round exits.
In 2024, Kansas finished 10-8 in the Big 12 Conference and followed with an 11-9 Big 12 mark in 2025.
Gamblers are worried that with NIL and the portal, teams that once failed to keep pace with the Jayhawks can now do so.
It is not as if Kansas is a bad team. KU is 8-3 straight up and 7-4 against the spread.
But there are legitimate concerns about Kansas's ability to keep pace with the nation’s top teams. As an example, Kansas has already been beaten by North Carolina, Duke, and UConn this season.
Kansas ranked 156th in scoring offense and 99th in fewest points allowed, both mediocre national metrics. On December 16, Kansas hosts Towson, followed by a home game against Davidson on December 22.
St. John’s Red Storm
At the onset of his tenure, head coach Rick Pitino was celebrated as the man who would restore St. John’s basketball to glory.
Last year, Pitino took St. John’s to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the second round.
St. John’s ranked as high as 5th in the nation during that campaign and has matched that ranking this season.
Of great concern to gamblers is St. John’s recent losses to Auburn, Iowa State, and Alabama.
The Johnnies rank 3rd in the nation for scoring offense but 298th for fewest points allowed.
St. John’s hosts DePaul on December 16 and will face Kentucky in a marquee matchup in Atlanta on December 20.
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