Of course, the University of Nebraska is known as a football school. Despite the Big Red experiencing a difficult decade, football continues to be the dominant sport in Lincoln, NE. But the Huskers are starting to catch college basketball betting attention for a phenomenal start to their season. Nebraska won its first 11 games straight up, covering the spread seven times. Last Saturday, the Huskers won a thrilling 83-80 decision at Illinois on a 3-point shot at the end.
In 2024, head coach Fred Hoiberg led the Huskers to their first March Madness appearance in ten years. Now, the Huskers are looking like a team that could return to the Big Dance. Nebraska leads a host of good teams that are undetected by the betting community, at least for now.
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Big Red Rolls
Since 1994, Nebraska has had only three March Madness appearances. The closest thing to a Golden Era of Husker Hoops was with head coach Danny Nee, who took the Big Red to the Big Dance four straight seasons (1991-1994). However, “Nee-braska” never got past the first round. In fact, Nebraska has never won an NCAA Tournament game. Certainly, Nebraska has invested in and tried many sportsbook strategies to lift the program off the ground. Keeping Hoiberg after a rough start to his tenure has proven to be wise.
In 2019, Hoiberg made his arrival with great fanfare, promising to transform Nebraska into a serious contender. Instead, Hoiberg went 7-25, 7-20, and 10-22 in his first three seasons. Most coaches would have been fired after such a run. But rather than firing Hoiberg, then-athletic director Trev Alberts re-did Hoiberg’s contract with a pay cut and incentives. In turn, Hoiberg stopped trying to lure NBA-caliber players in the portal. In fact, Hoiberg went in the opposite direction, emphasizing players who would play relentless, tough defense.
Nebraska ranks 63rd out of 361 Division I teams for fewest points allowed. Meanwhile, Nebraska has enough offense (139th in scoring) to make for a complete team.
Lately, Nebraska has covered five of its most recent eight games. Four of its last five games went under the total.
The Huskers will host North Dakota on December 21. And then Nebraska is idle until December 30, when it hosts New Hampshire.
Kansas Struggles to Maintain Marquee
In comparison to Nebraska’s football school, Kansas is a college basketball blueblood. Since winning the 2022 national championship, the Jayhawks have eroded under Bill Self. Of course, Self is the all-time winningest coach in KU history. But at age 62 while adjusting to the NIL and portal era, Self is struggling to maintain past college hoops odds standards.
Kansas suffered two first-round exits in the NCAA Tournament last year. In 2024, Kansas finished 10-8 in the Big 12 Conference and followed with an 11-9 mark in 2025. Of major concern is that with NIL and the portal, teams that once failed to keep pace with the Jayhawks can now do so.
It is not as if Kansas is a bad team. Consider that KU is 8-3 straight up and 7-4 against the spread. But there are legitimate concerns about Kansas’s ability to keep pace with the nation’s top teams. As an example, Kansas has already been beaten by North Carolina, Duke, and UConn this season. Kansas ranked 156th in scoring offense and 99th in fewest points allowed, both mediocre national metrics. On December 16, Kansas hosts Towson, followed by a home game against Davidson on December 22.
Rick Pitino Not Moving the St. John’s Needle
At the onset of his tenure, head coach Rick Pitino was celebrated as the man who would restore St. John’s basketball to glory. Last year, Pitino took St. John’s to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the second round. St. John’s ranked as high as 5th in the nation during that campaign and has matched that ranking this season.
Of great concern to gamblers is St. John’s recent losses to Auburn, Iowa State, and Alabama. The Johnnies rank 3rd in the nation for scoring offense but 298th for fewest points allowed. St. John’s hosts DePaul on December 16 and will face Kentucky in a marquee matchup in Atlanta on December 20.