Even though there was one college basketball game on opening night featuring two ranked teams, craziness occurred in another game. That was when the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats took the No. 20-ranked Auburn Tigers to overtime on the first night of the season.
Now Bethune-Cookman continues its road trip with a matchup against the Miami Hurricanes tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET. Miami beat Jacksonville 86-69 in their first game of the season. Here’s a college basketball pick for tonight’s game between Bethune-Cookman and Miami.
Bethune-Cookman vs. Miami (7:00 p.m. ET)
Bethune-Cookman was led by Quentin Heady and Arterio Morris, who each scored at least 20 points against Auburn. Yes, Bethune-Cookman lost to Auburn by five points, but proved they are a tough team and can compete with a high-major program.
Miami is led by 36-year-old Jai Lucas, who is in his first season as Head Coach. Lucas recruited seven freshmen and six transfers to build his first-year Miami roster. Former Indiana Hoosier Malik Reneau led the way for Miami against Jacksonville, as he recorded 20 points. Miami had the 22nd-best overall recruiting class this offseason and has a talented group.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Hurricanes are a -16.5-point favorite against the Wildcats. This game has an over/under of 154.5 points.
In their first game, Bethune-Cookman was terrific shooting the ball, as they were 50.7 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from three-point range. Can Bethune-Cookman improve in crunch time and get a victory over an elite team? That is yet to be seen, but I’m buying them to put together another impressive performance against Miami. Given the Wildcats’ performance on Monday, covering the spread of +16.5 (-108) against the Hurricanes is likely. Bethune-Cookman’s last opponent, Auburn, is ranked No. 41 on KenPom while Miami is No. 74.
