Dan Jamison

Kentucky might have looked poor against Duke, but that’s because the Blue Devils are playing on another level from just about everyone else so far. Kentucky has since gotten back on track and looks like it’s going to be a force in the SEC yet again. The earliest parts of the season are usually the best time to bet against the Wildcats as Calipari tries to figure out which pieces go where with his freshmen, but that’s reserved for when Kentucky faces better opponents than this VMI squad. VMI lost by 39 to Pitt. Does that mean betting your bookie -33?

2018-19 Gonzaga presents problems for opponents, hence the -16 point spread at most betting site. Guard Josh Perkins and forwards Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke provide the experience that forms Gonzaga’s foundation. All are experienced players who can score in bunches, with Perkins an outside shooter compared to Clarke and Hachimura’s ability to go inside. What makes Gonzaga so effective is that teams can’t take away only one weapon to beat them because of their depth. They can’t be rattled because of their experience. Can they win by 17? DJ has his prediction.

This is a rematch of last year’s national championship game in name only. Both teams lost a lot from last year’s squads, and both are still trying to establish their identities for 2018-19. Villanova seems to be much further along in the process than Michigan. The Wildcats get contributions from all over the court and they can play solid defense. Throw in the talent of two key leaders, and Villanova looks like it’s going to be a threat throughout the season. But are they enough now to cover the bookie’s line of -7? DJ has your college hoops pick!

While Georgia Tech lost plenty from last year’s team, Tennessee did not. Of the six players who averaged more than 20 minutes a game for the Volunteers last season, all six of them are back in orange this year. The leader of the Volunteers is junior forward Grant Williams, the SEC player of the year from 2017-18, but he’s hardly the only option Tennessee has. Can a loaded Vols team cover the 16 to beat the bookie?

Mike Krzyzewski loves his alma mater, but that doesn’t mean he takes it easy on Army when he’s on the opposition’s bench. In six meetings between Army and Duke with Krzyzewski coaching the Blue Devils, Duke’s margin of victory has averaged 44 points, and 2014’s game marked the first time Army had even come within 20 points of Duke. There’s nothing that suggests this time will be any different. Duke looked otherworldly against Kentucky, and while Army managed a win against Marist in its opener, beating the Red Foxes simply isn’t the same as blasting the Wildcats. This game is really about betting your sportsbook that Army will lose but more or less than 31. Dan Jamison gives his basketball prediction and pick!

Villanova lost several key players from last year’s national champions, but the Wildcats are still a very talented and experienced team. Villanova’s inside-outside attack starts with senior forward Eric Paschall, who showed exactly why he’s on the watch list for the Naismith Player of the Year honors in the opener against Morgan State with 27 points. At 6-foot-8, the forward isn’t the tallest for an interior player, but his 255-pound frame more than makes up for it and allows him to push opponents around inside. Will he be the force Villanova needs to cover the sportsbook’s line of -24? DJ has your college basketball pick!

Auburn’s attack ran through two players against South Alabama: guard Jared Harper and forward Chuma Okeke. Both players scored 20 points in the season opener, and both shot 60 percent from beyond the 3-point arc in the victory. Those kinds of numbers would be devastating against Washington given the kind of game the Huskies like to play. But Washington isn’t South Bama so what can we expect from the Auburn guards is game 2? DJ has your college basketball pick.