Daily Sports Betting Preview 12/17/2020: Texas Tech vs. Kansas, Roma vs. Torino, Coach K vs. COVID

• Fifth-ranked Kansas is a three-point underdog to Texas Tech.
• Roma has -280 odds to defeat Torino on the three-way moneyline.
• Coach K’s comments on COVID have raised questions about whether he will finish the season with Duke.

LAS VEGAS - Welcome to this Thursday edition of the Daily Sports Betting Preview!

Today’s Preview starts off with a look at a great college basketball matchup between Kansas and Texas Tech.

After that, the Preview examines Serie A as Roma takes on Torino. Finally, Coach K is making headlines, and the sportsbooks know it. They’re offering some interesting Duke basketball props.

There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started!

Top 25 College Basketball Betting

Kansas and Texas Tech are set to face off in what should be the game of the day for fans of college basketball.

Both teams are ranked in the top 25 - the top 15, really. Kansas is fifth and Texas Tech is 14th. Both teams enter with records that are nearly unblemished at 6-1, although Kansas has been worse against the spread than Texas Tech.

Through their seven games, Kansas has a record of 2-4 ATS (there was no spread for their game against Washburne, which they won by 35 points).

Texas Tech, meanwhile, has a 4-3 ATS record, reflecting either variance or that Vegas has a better handle on Tech than they do on Kansas.

Regardless, the matchup looks to be a promising one for fans of college basketball as well as college basketball bettors.

Texas Tech, ranked lower than Kansas, enters this matchup as a slight favorite on both the moneyline and the spread.

The spread suggests that this matchup could be decided by one possession, and the shading on that spread leans toward Texas Tech.

However, the sportsbooks are not incredibly confident in any one outcome in terms of margin of victory.

The two most likely outcomes on the boards are Texas Tech by 3-6 points and Kansas by 3-6 points. Interestingly, a win by 1-2 points either way is less or equally likely than a win by 7-9 points either way, if the odds are to be believed.

This matchup looks like a compelling one, and there are a ton of different ways to bet it.

Serie A Betting

Serie A once again comes into focus for soccer bettors today as Roma takes on Torino.

Roma enters this matchup as a heavy favorite, as they likely should. They sit at sixth place in Serie A at the moment. By contrast, Torino are well into the relegation zone, with only one win to their name over the course of the season so far.

Torino’s last five domestic games have consisted of three losses and two draws - it’s hard to get worse than that.

Roma’s -280 odds might be too generous to their opponents, as Torino has only won one game in Serie A this season.

A draw is perhaps on the table, but Torino has only achieved three of those - although two were within their last three games.

The no-draw moneyline on Roma is prohibitive, but it does seem like by far the likeliest outcome of this matchup.

The question for anyone who wants to wager on Roma is whether or not to go for the surer option at a lower ROI, or to risk a bit more to get Roma at -280 on the three way moneyline.

The most likely winning margin sees Roma winning by one goal, followed by two goals and three goals before Torino finally shows up on the odds.

The matchup is heavily weighted in favor of Roma, but soccer bettors that don’t like betting chalk can find plenty of wagers like this to keep things interesting.

Duke Men’s Basketball Props

Duke’s Men’s Basketball team has been making news lately for reasons that are not directly related to the on-court product, but instead related to how the product is put on.

Mike Krzyzewski, more commonly known as Coach K, is one of the most decorated figures in the sport of basketball. Longtime Duke and Olympic basketball coach, his name rings out in a way few other names in the sport do.

So when Coach K speaks out about the problems with the NCAA’s COVID protocols, it matters.

Coach K’s full response when asked about the challenges of playing through the pandemic, and if it “feels right”: pic.twitter.com/oDxK5oOXnV

— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) December 9, 2020

These criticisms come on the heels of a poor start for Duke’s basketball team, and that fact has not gone unnoticed by critics of Coach K. For example, Alabama coach Nate Oats said that he wondered if Coach K would be saying the same thing if he hadn’t "lost two non-conference games at home."

🔥🔥🔥NATE OATS 🔥🔥🔥

"We 100% should be playing basketball." pic.twitter.com/QoHbML9Lwu

— Roger Hoover (@Roger_Hoover) December 10, 2020

These criticisms have resulted in a couple different sportsbook prop bets.

It is possible that he takes a leave of absence from the program, or that he simply retires or leaves, meaning one of his assistants would fill in the year.

The second wager is a bit more compelling - it’s a wager on whether or not Duke plays out their ACC schedule.

Coach K has demonstrated a willingness to cancel out of conference games - he canceled three in order to give his players a break during what could be the worst time of the year for COVID.

The sportsbooks believe this mentality, along with the pandemic, makes it more likely that Duke will not play all of its ACC games. Even without Coach K’s comments, betting on any program to make it through the year unaffected by COVID is a risky play.

For example, Baylor already shut down their basketball program for a little bit this season, and a similar shutdown for Duke could result in a No bet on this line cashing in.

There’s a lot to ponder about this situation, and it feels more than a little grim to wager on, but the option is there.

Happy Betting - and stay safe this holiday season!