Following Thanksgiving, the college basketball season does not miss a beat with two excellent games on Friday. In the first matchup of the afternoon, North Texas squares off with San Jose State in the Bahamas. Both squads feature strong records at 3-1 and 4-1, respectively, and have a lot to prove early in non-conference play. Moving back stateside, Los Angeles will see a battle as the Loyola Marymount Lions take on Bellarmine at the Gersten Pavilion. Another fun battle, the Knights are looking for an upset win over the Lions on the road.
For this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from each squad, a predicted winner in each contest, and also some more thoughts and notes about NCAA basketball betting.
Team Spotlight: North Texas
A scrappy squad, the Mean Green currently sits at 3-1 on the season and features a notable win over Mountain West squad Freno State at home, 61-52. However, they were also dismantled by Saint Mary’s, 63-33, prior to that contest. North Texas is paced by big man Abou Ousmane who averages nearly 12 points per contest (11.8) along with 6.3 rebounds per game. A solid defensive squad, North Texas has been in each game they played and has laid one stinker of a game, being blown out by Saint Mary’s on the road.
Team Spotlight: San Jose State
Coming off an 11-point win over Northern Colorado, the Spartans are feeling good after they were upended by Hofstra last Friday, 85-76. While they are currently 4-1 on the season, San Jose State has not really played a lot of strong competition and has been able to coast past the competition. That said, in all of their wins this season, they have won by double-digits so this contest against the Mean Green will be their biggest test thus far. Guard Omari Moore is the offensive sparkplug for SJSU with 16.2 points per game and big man Sage Tolbert III leads the squad in rebounding at 9.4 board per game.
Prediction: This should be a solid mid-afternoon matchup, for those on the west coast, however, the more veteran Mean Green will get the better of the Spartans in the Bahamas.
Team Spotlight: Bellarmine
Off to an uneven start this year, the Knights have had to face some strong competition from Duke to Louisville. That being said, Bellarmine was surprisingly competitive in the latter contest, pulling off a stunning upset win over the Cardinals on the road, 67-66, to start their season. Since then, the Knights have been battered by both Duke and Clemson in back-to-back losses both on the road. Their road trip continues with a contest against the Lions on Friday. Bellarmine guard Peter Suder is one to watch out for with strong field accuracy (47.3%) and precision at the line (90.9%).
Team Spotlight: Loyola Marymount
Opposing the Knights will be the Lions who are coming off two impressive wins over Wake Forest (in overtime) and also Georgetown, 84-66. LMU guard Cam Shelton has been impressive thus far for the Lions with a 16.3 scoring average while point guard Jalin Anderson is an offensive spark for Loyola Marymount. With a 2-1 record at home, the Lions were upended in surprise fashion by UC Irvine earlier this season. Since then, they have rebounded with great wins over the Hoyas and Demon Deacons.
Prediction: Another fun contest, look for LMU to keep the good times rolling with a strong win over the Knights at home.
Once you are all set and ready to place your NCAA basketball wagers post-Thanksgiving, SBS has you covered with a ton of great extra resources. Of course, for even more college basketball action, our NCAAB betting sites guide is a great page to check out for the latest betting markets related to the sport. If you are looking to get even more out of your bets (and who isn’t), the SBS best bonus betting sites breakdown is a fantastic page that goes over the latest catalog of welcome bonus offers. Finally, for those on the go this holiday season, our best betting apps rundown is a fantastic resource that goes over the ways you can use mobile betting and why you should use it.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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