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There are nine Top 25 teams taking the floor in college basketball this evening in the first full night since plenty of programs shut down over the holiday season due to COVID-19.
The No. 1 Baylor Bears host Oklahoma in what should be a good one. OU (11-2) is receiving votes in the AP Top 25, and beat Kansas State 71-69 to open conference play Saturday without leading scorer Tanner Groves as well as Bijan Cortes and Jacob Groves. Groves is back for tonight, but the others are still questionable.
The Bears might have won the national championship last year, but transfer James Akinjo has been their best player so far this year. A win makes it 20 in a row for the Bears, who are Top 5 nationally in both adjusted offense and defense.
On the SEC side, Kentucky heads to Baton Rouge to face LSU, with Wooden Award candidate Oscar Tshiebwe (15.8 points, 15.2 rebounds per game) leading the new-look Wildcats that seem to be settling in nicely. A 92-48 victory over High Point on New Year’s Eve is nice, but UK hasn’t really been tested since their 98-69 win over North Carolina in Las Vegas on Dec. 18th.
LSU lost their undefeated season in the SEC opener at Auburn last Wednesday, falling 70-55 to the Tigers. The Bayou Bengals are the No. 1 team in adjusted defense by KenPom nationally, but what they can’t do is score: They shoot just 31% from three-point range as a team, and notch an assist on just 46.2% of their made baskets.
Here is the complete schedule of Top 25 teams for college basketball on Tuesday, January 4th, with odds from DraftKings Sportsbook:
Top 25 College Basketball, Jan. 4
| Time | Visitor | Home | Network | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Visitor | Home | Network | Spread | Total |
| 6:30 PM | #9 Auburn | South Carolina | SECN | Auburn -10.5 | 145 |
| 7:00 PM | Oklahoma | #1 Baylor | ESPN+ | Baylor -12.5 | 137.5 |
| 7:00 PM | #16 Kentucky | #21 LSU | ESPN | LSU -1.5 | 138.5 |
| 8:00 PM | #24 Seton Hall | Butler | CBSSN | Seton Hall -3 | 131 |
| 9:00 PM | Georgia Tech | #2 Duke | ACCN | Duke -17.5 | 141 |
| 9:00 PM | #6 Kansas | Oklahoma State | ESPN2 | Kansas -6.5 | 147.5 |
| 9:00 PM | #16 Providence | Marquette | FS1 | Providence -2 | 137.5 |
| 9:00 PM | Air Force | #20 Colorado State | TBA | CSU -20.5 | 132.5 |
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