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Welcome to the latest edition of the Newsweek Sports Betting newsletter, which you can start receiving in your inbox by subscribing here. Right now, here's what your free subscription entails: Weekly look at college basketball (every Monday evening) Weekly look at the NBA (every Tuesday evening) College football weekend preview (every Thursday evening) NFL weekend preview (every Friday morning) College Football ATS picks (every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. ET) NFL ATS picks (every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. ET) This edition is available below, to subscribers only. The college basketball season continues to heat up this week, starting with three top-25 matchups tonight: No. 9 Kentucky at No. 12 Louisville (8 p.m., ESPN) No. 11 Texas Tech at No. 14 Illinois (8:30 p.m., FS1) No. 23 Creighton at No. 19 Gonzaga (10 p.m., ESPN) This week also features a top-10 clash between No. 2 Purdue and No. 8 Alabama on Thursday night (7 p.m., ESPN2) and another ranked battle on Friday night between the No. 5 Arizona Wildcats and No. 15 UCLA Bruins (10 p.m., Peacock). Below, let's dive into the betting odds, best player prop bets and ATS picks for UK-LOU, TT-ILL and CRE-GON. Kentucky at Louisville Betting Odds, Player Props, Picks Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) Betting odds (via FD) Spread*: UK +6.5 (-120); LOU -6.5 (-102) Moneyline: UK +230; LOU -285 Total: 174.5 (over -105; under -115) *Note: Louisville opened as just a 2.5-point favorite, but the line has moved strongly in the Cards' favor, settling at LOU -6.5 as of 12:20 p.m. ET on Tuesday. This matchup features something for everyone, including a future NBA lottery pick in Louisville freshman G Mikel Brown Jr. (pictured above) and a healthy dose of animosity between two of the top programs in the sport historically. Unfortunately, Kentucky's own projected first-rounder in next year's NBA Draft, sophomore big man Jayden Quaintance, is unlikely to make his season debut until later this season as he continues to recover from a torn ACL last March. Louisville has quickly regained its place as a program to watch under second-year head coach Pat Kelsey. The expectations are once again sky-high in Lexington, which is coming off a 24-win season in Mark Pope's first season as head coach. Expect March-like intensity tomorrow night at Louisville's KFC Yum! Center. This is a tough game to predict, as both Louisville and Kentucky opened the season with a pair of beatdowns against overmatched competition last week. If there's any bet I recommend in this clash between longtime archrivals, it's the under, as the total of 174.5 means that if either team goes cold for any extended period, the over is unlikely to cash. It's also interesting to see a total this high given that Kentucky is a top-5 defensive team, per KenPom. I also like Brown Jr. to have at least six assists. He finished with six dimes in 18 minutes vs. South Carolina State in the season opener and added nine more assists in just 26 minutes vs. Jackson State in the second game of his career. Louisville has enough shooting around Brown, including big-time transfers Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely, to make him a great bet to record at least 6 assists. Best bets: Mikel Brown Jr. Over 5.5 Assists (-104 at FanDuel) Under 174.5 (-115 at FanDuel) Texas Tech At Illinois Betting Odds, Player Props, Picks Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1) Betting odds (via DK) Spread: TT +3.5 (-105); ILL -3.5 (-115) Moneyline: TT +145; ILL -175 Total: 167.5 (o-115; u-105) The total for this one opened at 162.5 on Monday, and it's since climbed to 167.5. The Fighting Illini opened as 6.5-point favorites, but they're now favored by just 3.5 points. The Red Raiders and the Fighting Illini both made solid runs in the NCAA Tournament last year. Both teams have the pieces in place to once again be formidable this year. Texas Tech boasts a strong Wooden Award candidate in big man JT Toppin, while Illinois has several talented European players with professional experience. On the player props front in this game, I'm going with another obvious one in Toppin's rebounds. He opened the season with 31 points and 14 boards vs. Sam Houston. While he might have a tougher time scoring on a Big Ten front line, I don't see Illinois -- or anyone, for that matter -- keeping him off the glass. Toppin averaged 9.4 boards per game a year ago, and I think he'll consistently be in double-figures in that department this year. Tonight, I recommend Toppin 12+ Rebounds (+176 at FanDuel). I don't, however, have a strong lean on either the spread or the total in this game. Best bet: JT Toppin 12+ Rebounds (+176 at FanDuel) -- 0.5 units Creighton at Gonzaga Betting Odds, Picks Tipoff: 10 p.m. ET (ESPN) Betting odds (via DK) Spread: CRE +11.5 (-108); GONZ -11.5 (-112) Moneyline: CRE +550; GONZ -800 Total: 165.5 (over -105; under -115) It's interesting to see Gonzaga so heavily favored over a Creighton team that is currently ranked in the AP Top 25. Mark Few's Bulldogs are always tough in Spokane, but Creighton should be solid, even after losing a ton of talent from last year's team. Incoming Creighton transfers Owen Freeman and Nik Graves were standouts at Iowa and Charlotte, respectively, last year. Those two combined for 34 points in the Bluejays' season-opening win over South Dakota last week. Gonzaga has a ton of size, especially now that 6-foor-7 former Grand Canyon star guard Tyon Grant-Foster has been officially cleared to compete this year. Between Grant-Foster, veteran big Graham Ike and Braden Huff, Gonzaga is a big, athletic team that should once again be among the best in the country. But for as many unknowns as there are about Creighton right now, I trust Greg McDermott's squad to keep this one close in a key early-season measuring stick game for both teams. I also will have my doubts about Gonzaga winning big against good competition until guards Mario Saint-Supry and Braeden Smith prove that they can fill the massive shot-creation void left by the offseason departure of Ryan Nembhard. It's hard to overstate how difficult life could be for Gonzaga's offense in its first few games without a point guard who averaged 9.8 assists per game a year ago. Best bet: Creighton +11.5 (-110 at DraftKings) Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through any links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
