No matter if you’re a fan of the Athletic Coast Conference or the Pac-12, Sunday’s college basketball action provides an anticipated game for you. The schedule for Feb. 18, 2024, features contests between currently ranked teams in both of those conferences.
If you’re interested in betting both, you’ll need a split screen, as they begin within an hour of each other. Each of them present some intriguing wagering opportunities depending on how you want to spend your bankroll.
Virginia Tech at Louisville details, handicapping
This is the only regular-season meeting of these two teams in the top four of the ACC standings for 2023-24. No. 12 Virginia Tech will have just three games left on its regular-season slate after this contest concludes.
- Tip-off: 2 p.m. ET, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024
- Venue: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
- Broadcast: ESPN
- Previous matchup: March 5, 2023, in the 2023 ACC Tournament, 75-67 Hokies win
- Last 5 games: Louisville WLWLW, Virginia Tech WWWWW
- Average points for: Louisville 75.2, Virginia Tech 76.7
- Average points against: Louisville 61.5, Virginia Tech 60
- Louisville record: 21-5 overall, 13-0 at home, 10-3 ACC
- Virginia Tech record: 21-4 overall, 5-3 on the road, 12-2 ACC
No. 18 Louisville leads this series 24-19 all-time and has won 10 out of 17 at home. The Cardinals have also claimed eight of the last 10 games in the series and are averaging outscoring the Hokies by almost four points per game regardless of venue. At the same time, Virginia Tech has won the last two meetings.
The Hokies’ stat sheet screams out the importance of Elizabeth Kitley. Virginia Tech has found its success this season by being among the nation’s best rebounding teams and using Kitley to draw the defense’s attention to set up its outside shooters.
Meanwhile, Louisville’s attack has focused on testing opponents’ interior defenses and creating opportunities at the foul line. Covering for the Hokies will depend on shooting the 3-ball well while for the Cardinals, it’s all about outperforming their averages in the rebounding department. With the meetings of these two offenses, the over is in play.
USC at Oregon State details, handicapping
No. 10 USC will go for the season sweep of No. 11 Oregon State on Sunday as both teams chase Stanford at the top of the Pac-12 standings. Bettors should watch for any updates on the status of Beavers forward Raegen Beers prior to this game.
- Tip-off: 3 p.m. ET, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024
- Venue: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon
- Broadcast: Pac-12 Networks
- Previous matchup: Jan. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles, 56-54 Trojans win
- Last 5 games: Oregon State WWWWW, USC WWWWW
- Average points for: Oregon State 73.8, USC 74.7
- Average points against: Oregon State, 58.9, USC 60
- Oregon State record: 21-3 overall, 15-0 at home, 10-3 Pac-12
- USC record: 19-4 overall, 4-3 on the road, 9-4 Pac-12
USC has a slight advantage in this series, winning 28 of 50 meetings. The Trojans have also won 13 of 22 true road games against Oregon State. However, the Beavers have claimed six of the last 10 meetings regardless of venue.
One of the biggest pre-game storylines is the health of Beers, who comes into Sunday as Oregon State’s leading scorer. There have been no official updates from the team since she left with an undisclosed injury during the Beavers’ win over UCLA on Friday. During that contest, Beers took an elbow to the face.
If Beers is out or is limited, that affects not only the spread but the total in this game significantly. Oregon State relies on Beers not only for scoring but also to draw the defense from its 3-point shooters. Furthermore, Beers’ contributions to the Beavers’ strong rebounding are pivotal.
Should Beers be good to go, this game takes on a different narrative for bettors. In that case, the Oregon State spread and the under definitely come into play.
