Dean Etheridge
New Mexico and Oral Roberts lock horns at The Pit on Monday night and here we look ahead to the fixture in our latest NCAAB betting picks.
- What; NCAAB
- Who; New Mexico Lobos vs Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
- Where; The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- When; Monday, January 9th, 2023
- Start Time; 9 pm ET
Neither of these two teams are expected to be in the shake up at the end of the season. And as a result, neither team features amoung the favorites in the betting to win the 2023 NCAA Championship with the best college basketball betting sites.
2023 NCAA Basketball Championship Winner Betting
The current favorites to be champions this year are Houston at +650. They are followed by Kansas at +1100, and then Purdue, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Arizona, who are all at +1400. After that cluster of teams comes UCLA and Alabama, both at +1600.
The above odds are brought to you from BetOnline, one of the top sportsbooks for college basketball betting. For more information, please check out our BetOnline sportsbook review. More NCAA Basketball Championship betting can be found below on our odds table.
| NCAAB Tournament Winner Betting 2023 |  |  |  |
| Houston Cougars | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Kansas | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Purdue | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Connecticut | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Tennessee | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Arizona | +1400 | +1400 | +1300 |
| UCLA | +1600 | +1600 | +1800 |
| Alabama | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| Gonzaga | +2200 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Virginia | +2800 | +2800 | +2500 |
| Baylor | +2800 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Texas | +2800 | +2800 | +2500 |
New Mexico looking to bounce back from disappointing home defeat
New Mexico suffered a setback over the weekend, losing 84-77 to the UNLV Runnin Rebels. The defeat was New Mexico’s second of the season, and saw them remain midtable in the Mountain West division.
Lobos, emphasis on the L pic.twitter.com/SiAtcar320
— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) January 8, 2023
The defeat was their second in two matches, and second of the new year, following their 71-67 loss away to Fresno State last Tuesday.
Overall this season, New Mexico has a 14-2 record. At home they are 10-1, and on the road they are 4-1. So in general, it could be said that their form is as good at home, as it is on the road.
Oral Roberts; Formidable at home, not so good on the road
The Golden Eagles sit top of the Summit League with a season record of 13-3. They are currently on a winning streak of ten matches which dates all the way back to late November. Their last defeat was 95-85 away to Utah State.
What a night! Final from Tulsa. #ORUMBB pic.twitter.com/YNr6ziOujd
— ORU Basketball (@ORUMBB) January 8, 2023
Their most recent win was a hard fought 74-71 victory over UMKC at home over the weekend. Home form has been good for the Golden Eagles. So far they have won nine from nine in their backyard. On the road their record isn’t as impressive, with four wins and three defeats.
They have improved recently away from home though, winning their last three. At the end of 2022 they went back to back, defeating Omaha 92-89, and Denver 80-62 on successive days, giving themselves a huge boost heading into the new year.
New Mexico vs Oral Roberts Betting
New Mexico are ranked 21, but even with a better ranking, this is expected to be a close encounter. The best March Madness Betting Sites make New Mexico their betting favorites on the moneyline. New Mexico are -215 to win, with Oral Roberts as +185.
On the handicap line, Oral Roberts are getting a start of 5.5 points. BetOnline makes them -115 on the handicap. With New Mexico also -105, starting from -5.5 points back. On Sunday evening, the spread was 4.5 points. So it looks like a flood of money must have come in for New Mexico, forcing the sportsbooks to move the spread.
Finally, onto total points, and the mark is 161. In this betting market, over 161 is -110, with under the exact same odds.
New Mexico vs Oral Roberts Betting Picks
Picking up on the point that the spread has already moved, and so has the moneyline. New Mexico were -195, and they have now been slashed to -215. This has resulted in Oral Roberts drifting from +165 to +185.
I was interested in New Mexico at -195, but I’m now wondering if they are a touch too short at -215? Also, the handicap spread is now more difficult with the Lobos needing to cover 5.5 points.
College basketball betting punters clearly think that New Mexico will bounce back with a win here. I’m still keen on backing them on the moneyline, but given the shift in odds, I’m going to take New Mexico to win on the handicap as my first pick. I would move fast there though. If money continues to come in for the Lobos, the spread might move again.
Total Points Betting Pick
Moving onto the total points market, I’m going to use the last five matches from both sides as a marker. In New Mexico’s last five matches, 161 points has been reached once, it was bang on the money in their 84-77 defeat to UNLV. On the other four occasions, it has been under 161.
As for matches involving Oral Robert Golden Eagles; Four of their matches have been under 161, and only one over. And in fairness, that one match was well over (92-89 against Omaha). Most of the other four matches were a good way under 161 points. Given the evidence, I think that under 161 has to be the pick here.
